Chapter 180: Successful Recovery

Inside the private recovery room, the air was cool, conditioned, and smelled of lemon disinfectant and clean paper. Digital telemetry monitors beeped at regular, soothing intervals beside three adjustable hospital beds.

John Smith walked down the linoleum hallway, his combat boots stepping quietly on the polished floor. Beside him walked Colonel Richter, carrying an encrypted tablet. Walking right alongside them was Rin.

Richter turned the door handle, pushing open the heavy wooden door.

Inside, the three Japanese teenagers turned their heads toward the entrance.

Ayanokoji sat propped up against firm white pillows in the center bed, his right shoulder wrapped in clean white bandages. His face was pale, but his dark brown eyes were sharp, scanning John with rapid, calculating precision.

To his left, Miyuki sat with a blanket pulled over her knees, an IV port taped neatly to the back of her left hand.

To his right, Kenji lay back with his left leg elevated in a lightweight fiberglass cast, looking thoroughly subdued as he picked at a loose thread on his blanket.

When John walked in, the three youths froze.

Ayanokoji’s fingers tightened on the cotton sheet. He stared at the man who entered.

"John Smith..." Ayanokoji muttered in Japanese before quickly switching to English. "So it’s you huh?"

Miyuki gasped softly, her hands resting against her collarbone. "John Smith."

Kenji pulled his shoulders back, his cheeks flushing pink with embarrassment. He remembered his arrogant behavior during their first encounter, the mockery and insults he had hurled at him, it’s so embarrassing.

Then, Miyuki’s eyes moved past John, landing on the girl beside him.

"Rin-chan...?" Miyuki whispered, her voice trembling. "You’re... you’re really alive!"

"I’m alive, Miyuki," Rin said with a gentle, reassuring smile, stepping up to the side of her bed.

John stopped at the foot of Ayanokoji’s bed, resting his hands casually on his belt.

"Morning," John said in a level, conversational tone. "How are the three of you holding up?"

Ayanokoji took a slow, steady breath. "Much better than we deserve. We thought we died from that attack, but I ended up waking up here. Why would you help your enemy?"

"Well, there’s something off from you three, which is why I decided to help you guys out. I was wondering about it."

"It’s the armband that Viona forces us to wear," Miyuki chimed.

"The armbands," John repeated, glancing briefly at Richter.

"We noticed it sir, it must have been something that is affecting them."

Ayanokoji nodded, his expression dark. "It’s a slave collar in the shape of jewelry. It’s a magic item that forces the wearer to follow the command of the owner. There’s no way for us to counter it. It’s a dangerous item."

"Yeah, it is indeed dangerous," Kenji added. "We weren’t ourselves when we wore that and we just did what that goddess wanted," Kenji muttered, looking down at his hands. "Every time I tried to hesitate, my head felt like it was going to split open. It was like someone else took over my limbs. I couldn’t stop myself."

"And that explains everything," John said, pulling up a chair and sitting down. He rested his forearms on his knees, his expression calm and grounded. "If you three weren’t in control of your own actions, then as far as I’m concerned, you aren’t my enemies. You’re victims of a hostile weapon system."

Kenji blinked, caught off guard by the total lack of anger in John’s voice. "Wait... you really mean that? After all the shit I talked in the summoning?"

"You had a magical wire jammed into your skull forcing you to act like a suicide bomber," John said evenly. "I don’t hold a gun to someone’s head for what they said when they were being held hostage. The United States military doesn’t execute enemies under magical mind control."

Miyuki let out a soft, shuddering breath of relief, her shoulders finally dropping from their rigid posture. "Thank you, John..."

"Don’t thank me just yet," John continued, his voice shifting into a firmer, businesslike tone. "Because while you’re safe here in the capital, our problem isn’t gone. Viona may have lost her army and her dragon in Port Solis, but she slipped away into the mountains with the other summoned heroes. She is still out there, and we are still at war."

"So you don’t know where she is?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Well, I figured I’d stop by here to get an answer from you three, see if you have an idea. Like if she shared something with you when things went south."

Miyuki shook her head. "I don’t think she shared anything with us." She then looked at her fellow heroes who also shook their heads.

"So you guys don’t have any idea huh?"

"Viona kept everything close to her chest," Ayanokoji said, leaning back against his pillows. "She never treated us like comrades or advisers. To her, we were just high-tier attack dogs on short leashes. She only told us what to hit and when to hit it."

Rin stepped up to the edge of the bed, nodding in agreement. "It was the same when I was in the camp, John. Viona has a god complex. She legitimately believed her divine status made her untouchable. In her mind, planning for failure was beneath her, so she never told the frontline fighters what her backup contingencies were."

"She didn’t plan for defeat," Richter chimed in, scrolling through his tablet, "which makes her retreat completely reactive. When her lines broke in the basin, she grabbed what she could carry and bolted."

"I see. Well, if you don’t know, then let’s move on to another agenda. I came here to offer you guys something that I offered to Rin."

"Which is what?" Ayanokoji asked.

"Fight with me," John said plainly. "Ally yourselves with the United States."

Ayanokoji met John’s steady gaze, a rare flicker of emotion crossing his calm face. He looked at Miyuki, who nodded softly, and then at Kenji, who gave a sharp grin.

"We were dragged into a war that wasn’t ours," Ayanokoji said, his voice firm and resolute. "If fighting alongside you means stopping Viona, saving our friends, and finally finding a way back home... then we accept. Count us in, John."

"