It was a quiet day. Kaito was walking down the street looking for a new job, since... well, he hadn't had much luck with his last one.
"Ughhh... why is it so hard to find a decent job with a decent payment? At this rate I won't be able to save enough money for Haruki..." Kaito muttered.
As he walked, a strong, cold gust of wind blew his cap away. He turned around, bent down to pick it up, and noticed a paper lying on the ground. It read: "Sanroom Hospital - Doctors Needed."
"With or without experience..." Kaito whispered.
"The pay is... 300 DOLLARS PER HOUR?!" he shouted, stunned.
Kaito shoved the paper into his pocket and ran home. He burst into his apartment, rushed to his room, opened his computer, and searched for Sanroom Hospital.
"I-it's real... doctors really earn 300 dollars per hour... but... why isn't anyone talking about this?" he murmured, confused.
"I have to go!"
A while later, Kaito arrived at Sanroom Hospital.
"It's small... way too small for a hospital..." he thought.
He sighed and stepped inside. The place was tiny-no windows, no decorations-just a woman behind a counter with a computer.
Kaito approached timidly, wearing a nervous but friendly smile.
The woman looked up when she noticed him.
"Can I help you, young man?" she asked softly.
"Y-yes, thank you. Uhmm... I found this paper on the street and... I wanted to ask in person if it's real. I'm unemployed and I really need the money..." Kaito said, scratching the back of his neck.
"Let me see," the woman said, taking the paper from his hands. She adjusted her glasses and read.
Kaito stayed silent, feeling uneasy. "This place gives me chills..." he thought.
"Yes, it's real. You're looking for a job, correct?"
Kaito flinched.
"Y-yes."
"Name?"
"S-Sora Kaito."
"Hmm..." She typed on the computer.
"Age?"
"Twenty-one, ma'am."
"Hmmm... Do you have any experience as a doctor or with medicine?"
"I-I'm a medical apprentice."
"Sign here." She handed him a clipboard.
Kaito signed.
"Mhmm... very well. Follow me, young man." She put the clipboard away and stood up.
Kaito blinked in surprise but followed her.
"O-okay...?" he murmured.
"Here," she said, handing him a doctor's uniform and gloves.
"From now on, you work here. Welcome to Sanroom."
Kaito's eyes widened like plates, full of disbelief.
"W-wait... WHAT?! Just like that?! Right now?! ¡I-I have no idea of what I'm supposed to do here, w-why so early?!"
"What do you mean, young man? You said you needed the money, didn't you? You already work here. Go see Dr. Kuwomori so he can explain your duties. His office is at the end of the hallway on the right. Room 024." She walked away.
Kaito stood there, confused, but put on his doctor's uniform and gloves.
"What a strange place..." he whispered as he began to walk towards Dr. Kuwomori's office. The hallway was narrow, so he reached the door quickly. He knocked softly, nerves tightening his chest. The door opened, revealing a tall, stern-looking man-young, but with a gaze that dissected him on sight.
"Who are you?" the man asked.
"I-I'm S-Sora Kaito, sir! I'm new and-"
"Don't call me 'sir.' My name is Zanka Kuwomori. Call me Dr. Kuwomori," he interrupted.
"O-oh... forgive me, Dr. Kuwomori." Kaito extended his hand friendly, but Kuwomori ignored it completely.
"Follow me," the doctor said coldly, already walking toward an elevator.
Kaito lowered his hand, embarrassed, and hurried after him.
"W-where are we going, s- I mean, Dr. Kuwomori?" he asked.
Kuwomori didn't answer. They stepped into the elevator. A few minutes later Dr. Kuwomori breaks the silence.
"Your job will be to attend our patients. Do you have any experience giving therapy?" he asked.
"I studied a bit, yes..."
"Good."
The elevator doors opened on the eighth floor underground.
"So deep..." Kaito thought.
They stepped out, and Dr. Kuwomori led him to a small office.
"This will be your office. Room 837. Your job is to treat patients, give them therapy, their medication, food, and monitor their mental state. Your assigned patient is Kyoka Asahi. He's in isolation cell 821. Be careful-he's dangerous. Here are his files and information. Take good care of him, and I repeat, be careful. Make sure you close the door properly when entering and leaving. Here's your access card." He handed Kaito the papers and the card. "Medication is in room 850, and the cafeteria is on the seventh floor, room 714," Dr. Kuwomori added before turning around and leaving without another word.
"...I was right when I said this place was weird..." Kaito muttered, sitting at his desk. He pulled out the documents and found a sheet labeled "SANROOM". He picked it up and began to read.
SANROOM - a disease that originally only affected insects, causing species to be attracted to the flesh of their own kind. This illness was believed to affect insects exclusively, but on January 4th, 2000, a four-year-old boy ate his own brother. The case shocked the public. Soon after, more and more reports surfaced of people committing cannibalism due to this disease. The government kept it hidden to avoid public panic. They gathered all 982 infected individuals and placed them in a special hospital called Sanroom, where experiments are conducted on the patients in hopes of finding a cure for this exotic disease.
Kaito read in horror.
"Sanroom...? So it's a cannibalistic disease...?" He searched through the papers and found his patient's file. A photo of a young man stared back at him. The file read:
Name: Kyoka Asahi
Age: 18
History: An eighteen-year-old sentenced to death for murdering and eating fifty-three people, including his parents, two brothers, his sister, a close family friend, and the family dog. However, SANROOM was later detected, and he was transferred to Sanroom Hospital instead.
Kaito swallowed hard.
"Is there anything normal in this place...?" he whispered, dropping the documents onto the desk. He rubbed his hands over his face, frustrated and disgusted.
A FEW HOURS LATER
Kaito had spent the entire day attending different patients-therapy sessions, medication rounds, meals, etc. Now it was time to see Asahi. He had already read the schedules and the documents about the disease, as well as the file on his main patient. He learned that one of the experimental drugs injected into Asahi had caused severe memory loss. He remembered his murders, but not the identities of his victims... nor his relationship to any of them.
"It's twelve... I have to give him therapy. The file says he killed his previous therapist..." Kaito murmured, exhaling shakily. His hands shaking while he holds on to his clipboard.
"I'm scared," he thought as he stood up.
"Alright... where did they say his room was? Ah... 821." He whispered while walking through the dim, gray corridors. Eventually, he reached Room 821. He took the access card from his pocket, inhaled deeply, and opened the door. The room was cold... colder than any other part of the hospital
It was small and empty-white walls that looked almost gray, a bed, two chairs, and a table in the corner. Inside, a boy was sitting beside the bed, drawing in a notebook. The pencil scraped against the paper with an irregular sound, as if Asahi were drawing too quickly or with unnecessary force. When he heard the door, he looked up. His black eyes-hollow, yet alert-locked onto Kaito. His body tensed, cautious.
Kaito approached slowly, raising his hands to show he meant no harm.
"Hello. I'm your new therapist. I'm not here to hurt you," he said, his voice trembling slightly despite his attempt to stay professional.
"Come on, let's sit."
They sat in the corner chairs, facing each other. The room was faintly lit, but it offered no comfort. Still, Kaito tried his best to show there was nothing to fear. On the table sat a pile of candies and freshly brewed tea.
"Are you comfortable?" asked Kaito.
Asahi didn't respond. SANROOM therapy was notoriously difficult, so Kaito decided to start with simple rapport-building-especially with Asahi. He noticed the tension in Asahi's expression and leaned forward slightly, maintaining eye contact.
"Don't be afraid. I'm here to help you, not judge you. Do you want to tell me how you're feeling today?"
Asahi glanced at the tea, pressing his lips together. His fingers fidgeted nervously in his lap. Kaito observed the movement with clinical attention, but without losing his warmth.
"The tea isn't drugged, I promise. It's just chamomile. You can drink it whenever you want." He adjusted his posture, giving Asahi space.
Asahi stared at the tea with suspicion, afraid they might sedate him... again.
Kaito sighed softly. Deliberately, he picked up his own cup and took a long sip.
"See? I'm drinking it too. And I'm not passing out or anything." He showed he was fully conscious.
"If you want, I can drink yours first. As a sign of trust."
Asahi blinked, surprised, then shook his head. He picked up the cup with both hands and took a sip without saying a word.
"His silence is making me nervous..." Kaito thought.
"Do you prefer talking after drinking something? I understand if you don't trust me yet, you don't know-"
"You're different," Asahi interrupted.
"What...?" Kaito said, startled.
"You're different..." Asahi murmured.
"D-different? H-how so?"
"I feel... comfortable," Asahi said while taking another sip of tea.
"O-oh... I'm glad to hear that..." Kaito replied, trying to maintain his professional composure.
"U-uhm... how about we introduce ourselves?" he suggested, shifting the topic.
"Sure." Asahi answered simply, stuffing a handful of candies into his mouth.
"I'm Sora Kaito. You can call me Doctor Kaito. I'll be your therapist and private doctor. It's a pleasure to meet you," he said professionally.
"I'm Kyoka Asahi. Can I call you Doc?" Asahi asked, cheeks puffed, mouth full of sweets.
"O-oh. Sure," Kaito replied, slightly nervous.
"He looks like a squirrel..." Kaito thought.
"Well, that's all for now. I'll come back at three to give you your medication." He stood up, preparing to leave. Asahi nodded with a small smile.
"See you later, Doc!" he said, waving in a childlike manner.
Once outside, Kaito closed the door and sighed.
"Different... what did he mean by that?" he wondered as he walked back to his office.
"He seems so normal... a bit distrustful, but he looks like a completely normal boy... I felt like I was talking to a kid. So normal that I almost forgot he's a psychopath who murdered fifty-three people..." He entered his office, still unsettled.
Meanwhile, Asahi stared at the closed door.
"See you later... Doc..." he whispered. His smile widened. He picked up his notebook and pencil and began to write while mumbling a song.