Kamen Rider Ex-Aid: Mighty Novel X

Emu. What is the nature of the lie you’ve told?

As a medical examiner, I have a tendency to read people’s backstories.

A coroner deals only with bodies whose cause of death is not yet known. Our job is to determine the cause of death by performing an administrative autopsy.  

Of course, the corpses do not speak to us.

“Actually, he died of poisoning.“

It would be easier if the dead body confessed, but this is not the case. There is no miracle like in a movie or a drama where the spirit of a deceased person comes out of the body and tells the story.

We have to examine every inch of the body, sometimes even to the genetic level, to solve the mystery of the cause of death. In other words, we see through the lies hidden in the dead bodies.

Of course, in the case of a living person, things are a little different. 

Eye movement. Tone of voice. The habits of each person’s hands and feet. The content of the conversation. All kinds of clues are combined to determine whether a person is being honest or not.

Well, unless it’s a very well prepared lie, most people’s lies show on their faces immediately.

This was also the case when Emu was asked to talk about his family. 

“My father and mother were ordinary people.”

Were. Past tense.  

As for his mother, we already found out why. She had died before he could remember, so she was in the past tense.

But he even put his father, who was supposed to still be alive, in the past tense. A sign of lying.

Oh, just so you know, I don’t force myself to pursue lies that don’t need to be exposed. This is also my policy.

Lies about privacy that don’t bother anyone, or gentle lies about someone, should be left alone.

But in the case of Emu, I can’t just leave him alone.

I feel sorry for forcibly exploring his private life, but right now I can’t choose any other means to attack Mighty Novel X.

Well. That’s why I went to the office of the first district of Seito City.  

In the midst of a cluster of buildings where many large corporations are concentrated in the center of the city, a particularly large building reigns supreme.

It is Medictric, one of the largest medical equipment manufacturers in Japan. 

That’s right. That’s the company that Emu’s father works for.   

Without a doubt, most of the hospitals in the country are under the care of medical equipment made by Medictric. It’s a company that has had a huge impact on the medical industry.

I found a feature article on Emu’s father when I went through a medical journal. It seems that Hojo Kiyonaga-san has been on a very successful career path in the past ten years or so. He went from a developer in the Development Department to a chief engineer, and then to a general manager of the Development Department. Then he became an executive director. He seems to be quite a talented person.

In the meantime, I staked out the entrance of the Medictric building in order to make contact.

I could have lied to him and made an appointment, but I didn’t want him to be unnecessarily alarmed, so I just had to be patient.

As the sun was about to set, Emu’s father came out of the entrance.

A pale gray suit and a dark red tie. Shiny black leather shoes and a black leather bag. He has a neat face with a gray beard that looks good on him. My first impression of him was that he was a stylish and successful man.

I immediately ran over to block Emu’s father’s path.

“You’re Hojo Kiyonaga-san, right?”

“Who are you?”

He looked down at me with a straight gaze. Like the guys at CR, all the people I’m involved with are always tall and slightly annoying.

Emu’s father had a calm appearance with a low center of gravity, but he looked alarmed in his own way. It was only natural since he was suddenly called by a stranger.

“My name is Kujou Kiriya. I’m a doctor working in the CR department at Seito University Hospital.”

The first thing I did was give him a shot. I wondered what kind of reaction he would have when he heard that I was working with Emu.  

“What can I do for you?” 

Surprisingly, he did not show any signs of upset. He seemed to be saying that it had nothing to do with him at all.

“Actually, I’d like to talk to you about a patient I’m treating.”

“Why me?” 

“The patient is your son. It’s Emu.”

Emu’s father glanced at his watch. He seemed to be checking how much time he had left until his next appointment.

To be honest, it didn’t seem like a very pleasant attitude. I guess he cares more about the time than his son.

“I haven’t seen him in a long time. I’m afraid there’s nothing I can tell you.”

“You haven’t seen him?”

“You haven’t heard from him? He left home when he graduated from high school and started living alone.” 

His tone was objective, as if he was explaining someone else’s situation.

This guy was starting to get on my nerves.

“Aren’t you worried about your son’s health?”

“It’s a bit of an exaggeration to say we’ve cut ties, but my son and I have made a rule. We don’t interfere in each other’s affairs.” 

“Even though you’re blood-related?”

“That’s what he wanted, too.” 

Yeah, that’s right. In other words, that’s what you wanted, isn’t it?

“I don’t know what happened between you two, but that guy… Emu is doing his best.”

“Of course I know. Was it Kamen Rider? I know that you are engaged in CR game disease treatment and take care of the lives of many patients. I work for a medical equipment manufacturer, so I’ve heard a lot about his activities, and I even watched the press conference he gave. I was impressed by how much he has grown.”

“Emu has had a really hard time. Even now.”

When I was about to say more, the old man interrupted me.

“I’m sorry, but I have another appointment.” 

Then he walked past me and turned to leave quickly. 

“Wait a minute. Please answer just one question.” 

He stopped and half turned his head back to me. 

“What is it?”

“…When was the last time you saw Emu?” 

“What does this have to do with my son’s treatment?” 

“Please. It’s important.”

There was a short pause before he answered. I couldn’t tell if he was thinking about whether or not to answer the question, or if he was searching his memory.

After a short silence, when I was about to give up on his reply, the old man opened his mouth.

“I once had pneumonia and was hospitalized at Seito University Hospital. It was right around the time my son started attending the medical school of Seito University. He came to visit me once. That was the last time we saw each other.” 

That’s all he said, and he disappeared into the darkening streets of the city.  

All or nothing. I had no choice but to gamble. 

I immediately thought of the location of Seito University Hospital in my mind. 

Warp to the hospital!~

But for some reason, my body didn’t move an inch.

Oh, yeah, right. I’m not a bugster anymore.  

If I was a bugster, I would have been able to instantly move some distance away. 

Ahhhh, it’s so inconvenient to be in the flesh at times like this. 

I had no choice but to bend over a couple of times and start running towards the station.

By the time I reached Seito University Hospital, a round moon was hovering in the darkening sky. 

With the help of the hospital director, I checked Emu’s father’s medical records and hospitalization treatment records from those days.

As the old man had said, he had indeed been in this hospital for about a week with pneumonia.