Birds chirp melodiously under the warmth of the sun. Comfort has settled in and built a nest under a lush, cool tree. The morning breeze soothes and cools the residents of a hospital in an academy nestled in a crowd of tall construction sites. The windows of each room are opened when the wall clock strikes six in the morning. Some were grateful, while others were unhappy with the decision.
Even though it was early in the morning, the hospital was currently quite busy with the number of patients that continued to increase every week. The doctors and nurses complain to themselves at least once a day. Among the busy workers, one young man was sitting on his bed watching the birds in their cages.
Normally, he didn't like the sight of them but their chirping was soothing to him and he unconsciously twitched the corners of his lips. Smiling warmly under the same roof for six months under forced conditions.
Three months had passed. Nicolas Kein had already felt a real and rapid change in the events that had happened to him recently. Firstly, his academy's defeat in the grand final.
Although he had forgotten about the match for just a few days, looking back on it can be quite painful. When you take just one step, you gain an appreciation and experience that no one else will ever get.
But the wheel of life always turns and Kein believes he will get that chance when he is ready. Moreover, his leg condition had improved and he thought the doctor would announce some good news about his health. However, even though three months had passed, Kein still cried sometimes at the academy hospital.
Sometimes passers-by were frightened when they heard the midnight cries in front of his room. Many thought it was the cries of a child's transparent corpse trying to scare everyone in the hospital hallway. But all of that cannot be stopped when before going to bed, Nicolas Kein always remembers the faces of his family who may have found peace in the world.
Until now, he doesn't know if he can hold back his sadness so as not to look embarrassing in front of his friends. Speaking of friends, he hasn't seen his friends for quite some time because he decided to forbid all his friends from visiting him even though their intentions might be noble. So every day either the staff or the nurses who come and go from her room always lock the door.
He had repeatedly received messages from Damian and told him how lonely he was left by his best friend. But the messages were ignored by Kein until they accumulated hundreds of messages.
A few seconds after observing the birds that had left the nest, three soft knocks were heard from outside the door. His head instantly turned there. Without saying anything, the person walked in and stood in front of him with a paper and pen in his coat pocket.
"You look happy, Kein. As you know, I have some good news for you." The doctor greeted the morning in a friendly manner.
"Haha, don't think I don't remember when I was first admitted. If there are no obstacles, this morning should be a good time to hear good news from you."
"Your memory is quite accurate. Well, it seems that I don't need to delay for long. Please accept this letter. It's just a formality and you can leave this room after you have breakfast," the doctor said as he extended his hand.
Despite being known for his flat personality, Kein was able to show a bright smile with his eyes twinkling as he scrutinised the letter without understanding its meaning.
"That's all I wanted to say. You can change your clothes and hand over the patient's pyjamas to the nurse. May your career continue to shine, Kein. The basketball division needs your talent and you shouldn't waste it.'"
"Of course, doctor. I don't intend to give up no matter who the opponent is."
"Oh, I just remembered, even though you've recovered, you can't train or jump for one day. Tomorrow when you feel fully recovered, your training will begin then and there."
Then the doctor left the room without locking the door for the first time since Kein was admitted. Slowly, Kein lowered his left foot, stepping on the floor gradually until both feet touched the floor without feeling any pain.
"Good. Looks like I'm already standing without a crutch."
In the next step, Kein walked with his left foot first while holding the edge of the mattress for balance. The more steps he took, the greater his happiness after suffering for six months.
For the first stage, he walked around the room five times as a warm-up after being frozen. Although slightly different from the final result, Kein felt that his leg had fully recovered. But he still didn't want to take any chances. After changing his clothes, he ventured out of his room and made his way to the nurses' station to return the patient's pyjamas.
But before that, Kein saw a letter on the bedside table. He didn't know anything about it even the doctor didn't mention it. Out of curiosity, he quickly opened the letter and then an object came out of the slip of paper, then fell in front of his feet.
'What's this?' Kein looked down then stood back up after taking it. 'A capsule? What's it for? Didn't the doctor say I don't need to take any medicine anymore? Or maybe it's from someone who sent this letter?'
Despite his curiosity, Kein still couldn't find the answer if he stayed in the room. He ran to the nurses' station to ask about the doctor's whereabouts, but one of the nurses said that the doctor had gone to the airport a few minutes ago. Kein patted his forehead.
As his footsteps left the room, suddenly the nurse who had been taking care of him for the past six months congratulated him on his recovery. She was also happy but for the umpteenth time she was still grieving. Kein didn't want to look whiny in front of others even though he was quite shocked and felt another explosion from within. He said nothing but smiled and left the nurse quickly.
At the end of the hallway, Kein opened the letter again and it was from Uncle Roberto. The gist of the letter was simply asking about his condition and apologising for sneaking into the room while Kein was asleep. Although the letter was not very long, Kein did not find anything related to the capsule. Relieved for a moment, he now wondered who this capsule was from and what it was for.
Then his thoughts were too simple, 'Maybe these are vitamins. Indispensable for someone who is just in the recovery phase.'
Swallowed the capsule without knowing the truth.