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Without even realizing how long I’d been asleep or what time it was, I was taken aback as a bunch of confused kids started making a fuss about why I was here.

And soon enough, that commotion shifted towards the doctor Minho brought with him.

So, in the intensive care unit where things were supposed to be quiet, especially at 3 AM, there was quite the loud ruckus.

Well, at least it ended without any major issues.

The nurses who showed up later scolded my friends to calm down, while I was moved somewhere else for them to check if my body was functioning properly.

I expected researchers from Heros Company to greet me, but surprisingly, that wasn’t the case.

It was just a regular, ordinary examination.

They checked if my brain was working alright, tested my memory, and ran cognitive function tests, mainly checking my brain function.

What shocked me was how the doctors didn’t seem surprised at all when they found out there was a Mimic in my brain.

I expected them to freak out saying there was something like a leech in my head as soon as the test results came in.

I wanted to ask if they got the information from Heros Company, but I couldn’t bring that up without it becoming awkward when they asked what information I was talking about.

After going through various tests and it was revealed that my brain function was fine, we proceeded with some simple, routine tests.

Other physical function tests. Weight check—8 kg more than before. Reaction tests and so on.

When all the test results came back normal, the blue sunlight was slowly creeping into the sky.

“You were in critical condition just two days ago, but it’s quite fortunate that you have no lingering effects. That’s a relief, patient.”

“Critical condition? But I had Regeneration Recovery Medicine, right?”

Curiosity got the better of me, and I interrupted the doctor to ask. It seems he was about to explain anyway, as he pulled up some images on the monitor.

It was a scan of my whole body.

“Yes, you were in critical condition. The ratio of the Mimic in your body had increased too much.”

Then the doctor made a surprising statement. Mimic.

“You… know about Mimics?”

“Ah, I see you don’t know. You’ve been in a coma for the past two days…”

The doctor mentioned that waking up after two days was impressive and cautioned me.

“I’ll speak slowly, but since there’s a lot of information, feel free to ask if you misunderstood something or want to hear it again.”

It was a long story, but I could sum it up into three main points. First, the reason I was in critical condition.

In order to regenerate, there needs to be space, but the Mimic was blocking that space.

The doctor explained that if they wanted to remove it, it was replacing things like arteries or nerves, and removing it could put my life in danger.

“So the Mimic is replacing parts of my body?”

Next came the second part, which was connected to the first.

The Mimic replacing parts of my body.

To put it simply, part of my right arm and right leg, a section of my right side disappeared.

Instead, that space was perfectly filled by the Mimic I absorbed.

Even I couldn’t recognize whether my arm had transformed or not until I looked at it.

For a moment, I was despairing at the thought of my arm being gone, but realizing that it was just as good as my old arm made me get over it quickly.

Up until I heard that, I thought my right arm was just fine.

It mimicked human characteristics so perfectly that unless I actively transformed it back into the original form of the black liquid, it wouldn’t dissolve my clothes.

The third piece of information was about the Mimic itself.

I asked how they even knew about that, and the doctor said the information had come from Heros Company.

It seemed they had decided they couldn’t hide it anymore, especially with everything so widely publicized. They couldn’t hide it, for sure.

Of course, it seemed like they had embellished things a bit.

This doctor, despite acknowledging the danger, seemed to genuinely believe things like the existence of a specialized tracking team or that everything was under control.

The only comforting thing was that my existence was still kept very secret.

The doctor rambled on about his personal theories—how the Mimic without its core would revolutionize the medical field—and quickly stopped himself out of concern.

“That should about cover it. Anyway, that’s everything I have to say. Are you curious about anything else?”

When I said I wasn’t, the doctor said he had no more comments and added that my friends were waiting outside.

As soon as I stepped out, the kids rushed over and hugged me tightly without giving me a chance to breathe.

It felt like they were about to turn me into a sandwich, making it hard to get a breath in, but I didn’t really want to push them away.

That showed they genuinely cared for me.

I told Lapiz, who was stuttering and almost crying, that it was okay, while I somehow shook off the kids one by one.

Just as they calmed down enough to speak normally, the first to say something was Ageha.

“Blanca! You really… made us worry!”

“Sorry, I’m sorry. But it was something I had to do.”

Ageha couldn’t quite argue that, so she just squeezed my tail tightly to express her feelings.

“Hey, that’s a sensitive spot! It hurts!”

“Good! Feel sorry for it!”

“It seems like Blanca visits the hospital a lot…”

I struggled to get her to let go, and Yeonhwa said in a slightly wistful tone.

“That may be true, but, ah! Seriously, stop! My tail’s going to come off!”

As Ageha wrapped her arms around my tail, Jinhyeon, who had been quiet until now, jumped in, relieved that I was okay.

“They say cats have nine lives, so it’s no big deal if you end up in the hospital a couple of times.”

Not wanting to make the atmosphere too sentimental, I flexed my right arm, pretending to be strong, causing Lapiz to panic and cling to me, insisting that I shouldn’t find myself in the hospital again.

…Wait, that was just a joke.

It would be a problem if she took me seriously, Lapiz.

Feigning that I had no intention of finding myself in the hospital, I unconsciously dug into my pockets to pull out my phone.

But, my hands grasped nothing.

Oh.

Oh.

Wait a minute.

Where’s my phone?

In my panic, I wracked my brain trying to remember where I had left it while fighting the Mimic.

If Heros Company found my phone and checked the texts or call logs, the Liberators would be finished.

My phone, my phone. Where did I put it?

Oh, right! I left it in the car, thinking it would be a quick stop. But what happened to that car?

I only saw it getting crushed under slime.

“Where’s my phone…?”

“Phone…? We don’t know either. Maybe it broke during the fight?”

Judging by the kids’ reactions, it was clear they had no clue either. But could Heros Company be in the dark as well?

“Perhaps…?”

“Don’t feel too bad about it, Blanca! If your phone’s gone, you can just buy a new one, right? And… even if it disappears, it doesn’t mean the memories we shared are gone.”

Yeonhwa seemed to have assumed that my blank expression was due to losing my phone, mistaking it for sadness.

“Right…? If so, then I’m glad, but… still, it’s disappointing.”

Not wanting to show any disappointment in front of the kids, especially in front of Minho, I feigned an air of loss.

“B-Blanca. I-I mean, if you want a new phone, I-I can… get one with you…?”

“If you’re offering, I’d appreciate it. Thank you, Lapiz.”

I concealed my desire to rip my hair out and explode and genuinely thanked Lapiz for her offer.

Which side of me was my true feelings?

…It might depend on whether Heros Company got my phone or not.

Without needing to go through any discharge procedures, I had no more reasons to stay or things to collect, so I could leave the hospital as soon as the sun came up.

At the entrance, I ran into the black-suited guys who had tried to take me to the lab.

“Miss Blanca.”

They looked a bit more apologetic last time, but this time they seemed like they had a lot to say.

“What is it? If you have something to say, say it in front of the kids. They already know everything anyway. If you can’t say it, then I won’t say anything either.”

But, they squinted their eyes and moved closer as if they were about to go insane.

Now I could find out if they had my phone or not.

If they had it, they’d use it to pin me down; if they didn’t, they’d be at a disadvantage.

“…What should I even report this up the chain? Alright, for now, some in upper management want to hold Miss Blanca accountable.”

They don’t have my phone, do they?

“Accountable? You want to hold a victim accountable? Should I spill everything that happened to me? How many Mimics are lurking in the shadows?”

“Calm down! We know how ridiculous that is. The upper-ups agree too.”

The guys in black suits stumbled over their words, debating whether they should even say this, eventually mumbling that they’d just get fired for it and proceeded to make me a proposition.

They proposed that if I agreed to graduate from the academy and join Heros Company’s main Mimic division, they wouldn’t hold me accountable for any of the incidents caused by this event.

“Sure, why not?”

“Blanca…?”

“What? You’re saying you’ll give me a job at Heros Company. That doesn’t mean I can’t be a Hero. Right?”

“Unless it’s a special case, holding both positions is forbidden… but the criteria for a special case are vague…”

The kids looked uneasy, but I felt I had nothing to lose.

Honestly, I was never going to align with Heros Company anyway…

Not a chance.

 

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