Talent Reborn
Episode 27: The Patient Who Changes
An Unusual Case
The emergency room was in chaos.
Doctors and nurses rushed back and forth, the beeping of machines and frantic voices filling the air.
Haruto was in the middle of assisting a routine surgery when his pager vibrated.
URGENT: Unidentified Patient. Symptoms Unstable.
He frowned.
Unstable symptoms?
Wiping the sweat from his brow, he stepped out of the OR and made his way to the ER.
When he arrived, Dr. Ayaka Tachibana was already there, flipping through a patient file with a deep frown.
"What's going on?" Haruto asked.
Ayaka looked up, her expression grim.
"We have a problem."
She gestured toward a hospital bed in the corner.
Haruto followed her gaze—
And his breath caught.
The man lying in the bed was shaking violently, sweat pouring down his face. His breathing was rapid, erratic.
But that wasn't the strangest part.
It was his medical chart.
Ayaka handed it to Haruto.
"Look at this."
Haruto skimmed through the notes—then stopped.
His heart skipped a beat.
"This… can't be right," he muttered.
The patient had been admitted an hour ago with severe abdominal pain.
Ten minutes later, he developed respiratory failure.
Twenty minutes after that—his condition changed again to show symptoms of a heart attack.
And now—
Haruto looked up.
The man was perfectly conscious, his breathing normal.
Like nothing had happened.
The Changing Symptoms
Haruto stepped closer.
The patient—an average-looking man in his late forties—blinked up at him.
His eyes were filled with confusion.
"I… I don't understand what's happening to me," he said weakly.
Haruto exchanged a glance with Ayaka.
"Can you tell me your name?" he asked.
The man hesitated.
"…I don't remember."
Haruto's grip tightened on the clipboard.
Amnesia?
This case was getting stranger by the second.
Ayaka adjusted the IV drip.
"Your body is experiencing rapidly changing symptoms," she explained gently. "We're trying to understand why."
The man's forehead creased in distress.
"I… I feel fine now. But before, I thought I was dying."
Haruto narrowed his eyes.
Something wasn't right.
He activated his ability, focusing on the man—
And his breath caught.
No talent.
It was like staring into a void.
Every person Haruto had ever met had a "talent signature"—a pattern of skills, experience, and instincts unique to them.
But this man had… nothing.
As if his very identity was unstable.
Haruto stepped back, his mind racing.
What was this patient?
And what had caused this?
A Theory Forms
Haruto and Ayaka gathered in the doctor's lounge, analyzing the case.
"This doesn't follow any known disease pattern," Ayaka muttered. "It's like his body is… resetting itself."
Haruto's fingers tapped against the table.
Then—
A thought struck him.
"…What if his body is adapting?"
Ayaka looked up.
Haruto leaned forward.
"Think about it. He experienced abdominal pain—then respiratory failure—then heart issues. But he survived all of them without treatment."
Ayaka's eyes widened. "You're saying… his body changes to prevent fatal conditions?"
Haruto nodded.
"But it's unpredictable. Every time his body adjusts, it triggers a new issue."
Ayaka exhaled.
"If that's true… then how do we stabilize him?"
Haruto stared at the medical chart.
There had to be a way.
Then—he noticed something.
The symptoms weren't random.
There was a pattern.
And if he was right—
They had less than an hour before the next shift would begin.
And it could be the last one.
The Next Shift
Haruto and Ayaka rushed back to the patient's room.
His condition was already changing again.
His pulse was erratic.
Sweat poured down his skin.
Haruto grabbed his stethoscope.
"His heart rate is dropping—too fast!"
Ayaka cursed. "If his body overcorrects this time—"
"He'll go into complete cardiac arrest."
Haruto's mind raced.
Think.
If his body was adapting too aggressively…
Then they had to force it to stop.
And the only way to do that—
"Adrenaline," Haruto said.
Ayaka's eyes widened.
"You want to force his body to stabilize itself?"
Haruto nodded. "It's a risk, but if we don't do something now, he won't survive the next shift."
Ayaka hesitated—then grabbed a syringe.
"I trust you."
She injected the dose.
Seconds passed.
Then—
The man gasped.
His pulse stabilized.
The monitors beeped steadily.
Haruto let out a breath.
"…It worked."
Ayaka sagged in relief.
But Haruto wasn't celebrating yet.
Because even though they had saved this patient—
One question remained.
What had caused this in the first place?
And why did it feel like someone had done this on purpose?
End of Episode 27.