When Mitsuko woke up again, he was already in the clinic.
"Your son didn't have any problems. Maybe he was just tired from playing and fell asleep in the field."
"But Mitsuko didn't have any birthmarks on his forehead before, but now there's a mark like a mole on his forehead. Doctor, could you please take another look?" Miyako pleaded with the doctor.
Kenichi took out the ceramic jar next to Mitsuko: "Doctor, Mitsuko may have drunk something in it that caused him to fall into a coma. We did hear Mitsuko's cries of pain at the time. Maybe Mitsuko drank something in it that caused this."
At Miyako and Kenichi's insistence, the doctor reluctantly got up to examine Mitsuko again, but Mitsuko had already woken up on his own.
"Your son woke up, and I told you that he was fine."
Kenichi and Miyako rushed to Mitsuko's side and asked, "Mitsuko, do you feel uncomfortable anywhere? The doctor is right here. Just tell the doctor if you feel unwell."
Mitsuko shook his head: "Father, Mother, I'm not feeling unwell anywhere."
Although Mitsuko said he felt fine, Kenichi and Miyako still asked the doctor to examine him again.
The doctor picked up his tools and began examining Mitsuko.
However, during the examination, the doctor frowned deeply.
"Strange, really strange. In all my years of practicing medicine, I've never seen anything so strange. Child, are you really not feeling unwell anywhere?" the doctor asked Mitsuko with a serious expression.
Kenichi and Miyako panicked when they saw the doctor's serious expression: "Doctor, what's wrong with Mitsuko?"
"When I checked your child while he was asleep, there was nothing wrong. There is a big difference between your child's body temperature and the temperature inside his body, and he seems to be perfectly fine. Child, you must tell me if you feel uncomfortable anywhere."
The doctor believed that Mitsuko was hiding his illness.
To prove he was alright, Mitsuko jumped off the hospital bed and bounced around a couple of times, showing no signs of any problem.
Finally, the doctor examined Mitsuko several times, inside and out, but still couldn't find any results.
The doctor could only prescribe some medicine to help Mitsuko recover and told him to go home and rest for the time being, and to come back for treatment if any problems arose later.
Under the moonlight, Mitsuko followed Miyako and Kenichi back home.
Kenichi carried Mitsuko to the bed.
Miyako covered Mitsuko with the blanket and couldn't help but scold him, "Mitsuko, you must never drink these kinds of unknown things again. What will your father and I do if something happens to you?"
Miyako was still a little scared, and her eyes were already filled with tears.
"Mother, Father, I'm sorry..." Knowing he had done something wrong, Mitsuko lowered his head and apologized.
Kenichi covered Mitsuko's head with his rough but broad hand and rubbed it: "Alright, it's good that you're alright. I believe Mitsuko has realized his mistake. Get some rest."
Kenichi blew out the candles, telling Mitsuko to go to bed early.
However, Mitsuko, lying in bed, was not sleepy at all, staring blankly at the ceiling with his eyes open.
Moreover, memories that did not belong to Mitsuko appeared in his mind.
"What is the value of a life to you?"
"Bow your head, kneel down, and bow to me."
"Sun Breathing..."
"Blue spider lilies..."
Two voices kept echoing in Mitsuko's mind.
Suddenly.
Mitsuko's vision seemed to be clouded by blood, all he could see was a crimson expanse, and he was breathing rapidly, his stomach growling with hunger.
The panting, like that of a wild beast, quickly alerted Kenichi and Miyako.
Kenichi hurriedly lit the candle and saw Mitsuko, whose veins were bulging all over his body and who was drooling.
And because Mitsuko gripped his arm so tightly, his nails dug deep into his skin, drawing blood.
Kenichi and Miyako rushed to Mitsuko's side and asked, "Mitsuko, what's wrong?"
"I'm so hungry... I'm so hungry..."
"Miyako, go get the food!"
Soon, Miyako brought over a steamed bun.
Kenichi took the steamed bun, intending to feed it to Mitsuko.
However, Mitsuko pushed the steamed bun away, grabbed Kenichi's arm tightly with both hands, and took a bite.
Kenichi's arm immediately started bleeding.
Meanwhile, Mitsuko greedily sucked on Kenichi's blood.
Miyako covered her mouth tightly, trying to stop herself from screaming, and then tried to pull Mitsuko away.
"Mitsuko, he is your father!"
But Mitsuko seemed bewitched, biting Kenichi's arm tightly and refusing to let go.
The intense pain caused Kenichi to break out in a cold sweat, but he still gently patted Mitsuko's back and whispered comfortingly, "Don't be afraid, your mother and I are here with you."
Perhaps he had drunk enough blood, or perhaps Kenichi's reassurance had worked.
Mitsuko's clenched teeth gradually loosened, and he lay down on the bed and fell into a deep sleep.
Miyako quickly bandaged Kenichi's arm with a strip of cloth, then tried to take Mitsuko to the clinic for a checkup.
But Kenichi stopped him: "Miyako, don't take Mitsuko to the clinic yet."
Miyako looked at her husband with a puzzled expression.
"Do you remember our neighbor, Miyamoto Shunta, when we lived in Nikichō?"
"Neighbors?" Miyako recalled the days she lived in Nikichō before she settled in the small village.
Soon, Miyako remembered: "That madman who suddenly went insane, killed his entire family, and didn't even spare his own children? Didn't he commit suicide back then? Why bring him up suddenly?"
"Actually, I witnessed everything back then, but I was worried that it would scare you, so I didn't tell you the truth."
Kenichi took out a half-empty bottle of Shōchū from the cupboard, poured himself a glass, and drank it all in one gulp. The spicy liquor went down his throat, stimulating Kenichi's nerves and giving him the courage to recall and recount the tragedy that happened back then.
"Back then, Miyamoto Shunta suddenly went mad, killing everyone in his family and gnawing on their corpses. Then a group of unidentified people dressed in black and wielding samurai swords appeared and fought with Miyamoto Shunta."
"At that time, Miyamoto Shunta could no longer be called human. No matter what kind of injury he suffered, he could recover immediately. Even if his hands and feet were cut off, they would grow back immediately. Finally, his head was cut off, and the battle ended."
"I overheard what those men in black were saying through the window..."
Kenichi's hand, holding the wine glass, trembled slightly: "Back then, those men in black said, 'This demon is clearly a newly born demon, but its fighting power is unexpectedly strong after eating people. If it were daytime, we could just push the demon in the sun and kill it...'"
"A demon? Isn't that a legendary creature? Kenichi, do you think Mitsuko has become a demon?" Miyako thought Kenichi's idea was too far-fetched.
"Miyako, take a look at the scratches that Mitsuko made on his arm with his fingernails just now."
Miyako looked closely.
The scratches on Mitsuko's arm had completely disappeared, leaving no trace of the injury.