Glimpse of Eternity [A Reincarnation Isekai Fantasy]

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"Now that was a good movie!" Ken exclaimed as the ending credits rolled. "I almost cried..."

At the moment, he was sitting on a sofa, with his laptop atop his lap and a pair of headphones in his ears. He hadn't gotten a single wink of sleep after he returned last night. Feeling a bit hungry, Ken glanced at the lower-right corner of the screen and saw that it was 11:01 am.

"I guess I'll get something to eat," he muttered as he got up from his seat.

He hadn't eaten anything since last night's dinner, so he was getting a bit hungry now. The hospital provided three meals a day, and he wasn't exempt from this. It was just that he just usually opted out of getting served breakfast since he usually slept in until lunchtime.

'It'll be lunchtime soon anyways, so I guess I'll just get a light snack to tide me over.'

Ken was just about to walk towards the fridge, but his eyes caught sight of two transparent water bottles, filled with yellowish liquid placed on the floor beside the sofa he was just sitting on.

'Whoops. Better get rid of that before anyone sees...'

The number of times he'd gotten up from the sofa since last night was one. It was when he had to go to the bathroom to take a dump. That was the only time; whenever he had to take a leak, he used those water bottles instead.

'It's a bit gross, but I don't have much time after all!' Ken inwardly made excuses to no one in particular. 'Every second counts, so to speak.'

After, flushing the contents of the bottles down the toilet, Ken washed his hands thoroughly. Afterward, he walked toward the fridge and inspected its contents.

It was finally time to decide what he was going to snack on. But Ken just couldn't decide and ended up just standing in front of the fridge for two minutes. He was just about to give up, close his eyes and pick something at random, when someone opened the door to his room and entered, pushing a food trolley in front of him.

"Ah, young master. It seems you've awoken. Why didn't you call for me?" Hanzo, who had just arrived, smiled as he asked.

"Hm. I thought you'd return to the manor." Ken said, not bothering to correct Hanzo's misunderstanding; he didn't wake up since he never slept.

"Why would I return? Since you have been cured, and will most likely start running off to all sorts of places like back then, my place is here." Hanzo said matter-of-factly.

"I guess that's true." Ken chuckled before pointing at the trolley. "By the way, is that for me?"

Looking at the food trolley that had, well, food on it, Ken gulped a mouthful of saliva. There was still steam coming off of some of the dishes, so they were obviously cooked just recently.

"Yes, of course. Although I acknowledge the hospital's abilities in the field of medicine, I don't believe they are up to par with me when it comes to cuisine. So I took the liberty to borrow their kitchen to prepare some things for the young master. I hope you don't mind." Hanzo said, with a bit of pride. This old butler was actually on the same level as a three-star chef. There would be something wrong in the world if Ken minded being served food he made.

'This guy... he bothered the staff in the kitchen. Again.' Ken heaved a tired sigh as he shook his head. 'I guess I'll just have to apologize later.'

'Also, don't just casually diss the kitchen staff!' he scolded the old butler inwardly.

Again, he knew what a futile effort it was to do so for real, so he just kept it to himself.

"Bon appetit, then. Thank you, Hanzo." Ken beamed at the old butler.

Even with all the trouble he undoubtedly caused the people in the hospital, it was still an act done for him. He found it hard to be mad, though he did feel quite troubled.

"It is my honor to serve," Hanzo replied as he dipped his head a bit before proceeding to watch his Ken — whose every movement caused him incredible pain in the past — voraciously eat the food he made. The old butler's cheeks slackened as his lips formed a wide smile.

Ken felt his gaze but said nothing. He knew the butler was likely feeling immense joy at his supposed recovery. And over the years, he'd come to know of the butler's guilt toward him.

Once, he'd caught Hanzo talking to him, thinking that he was asleep. The old man had then apologized that he could do nothing to ease his pain, only do errands, cook, and watch. Hanzo had even confessed that he'd never felt so worthless in his entire life as he watched his young master grow into adulthood while suffering such agony.

'Bullshit.'

Ken didn't think he was at fault at all. What could an ordinary old man do against a disease that a mythical creature caused? Just the fact that Hanzo took such good care of him was already more than enough.

If only Hanzo hadn't sworn to serve him until his body collapsed, Ken would've corrected the old man's thoughts at that moment. He didn't want to embarrass the old man though, so he continued to pretend to be asleep.

It definitely wasn't because he was too moved to talk.

"By the way, what are your plans for later, young master?" Hanzo inquired. "If you have plans, I can help you make any arrangements."

"Hmm..." After a short moment to think about it, Ken listed off his orders for Hanzo. "I'd like to visit the lab, and preferably have dinner with them. Please reserve a place to do so. You know how those guys are, they won't feel comfortable if I take them someplace super fancy, so find a nice and big place without a dress code. Somewhere we can just eat good food in peace. Also, send me their contact info, I want to invite them myself."

"Understood. However, could I not send a message in your place instead?"

"No." Ken shook his head, immediately turning down Hanzo's suggestion. "The purpose of meeting them is to thank them. How could I leave inviting them to someone else? I naturally have to be the one to do it myself. It's the minimum amount of courtesy to do so."

"I understand. I will see to it. However, there is quite a bit of time before dinner, young master. What do you plan to do before that?"

'I don't really know. It feels like a waste to stay inside during the day...'

Ken didn't want to stay inside and watch anime or read novels during the day. He wanted to be out and about during this time. But other than the lab, there wasn't really anywhere he wanted to go to at the moment. The lab's researchers had a night owl's schedule, so it was highly likely that they were still asleep at the moment, which meant he couldn't go there yet. He contemplated for a bit, then suddenly thought of something.

"I'll take a walk around the hospital," Ken said after he finished chewing a particularly juicy piece of meat.

"A... walk, you say? May I inquire as to why?" Hanzo asked, confused. "Aren't there better places for walks? Such as the park or..."

"It's because I don't really know a lot about this place," Ken admitted while wryly scratching his cheek. "I've been here for so long, but the only places I've been in are this room and the path leading from here to outside. I'm curious about the place is all."

"I see. Then perhaps I can be your guide?" Hanzo eagerly proposed.

"You? Why? You don't even work here."

Ken didn't have any problems with Hanzo escorting him, but he wondered why the old butler looked quite keen to do so.

"Young master, nobody knows about this hospital more than I do." Hanzo 'humbly' said, while bowing deeply.

'Huh? What is that supposed to mean...'

Ken thought about it for a bit but gave up. Why would he need to rack his brain when he could just ask the person in question?

"Elaborate," he said.

"Certainly." Hanzo dipped his head a bit, then started explaining, "Young master, before you were even confined here, I had comprehensive background investigations on all the people who work here. Doctors, nurses, clerks, and all other types of miscellaneous employees. The same went for all of the patients, and their friends and family members. I have continued to do that ever since, updating it whenever a new person is employed or a new patient is admitted. I also have a blueprint of the entire hospital, and even learned about 3D modeling so that I could create a 3D model of the buildings and their grounds. I also walk around and inspect the vicinities and all the rooms once in a while. Although I cannot inspect the rooms that only the hospital personnel can go into frequently, I make sure to give them a monthly inspection at the very least. With all that said, I can confidently say that nobody knows more about this hospital than I do."

After going on that long tirade, Hanzo bowed deeply once again.

'Wow. His talent as a stalker is surprisingly higher than his talent as a chef and servant.'

Ken's mouth hung slightly open as he beheld his freakish butler. Hanzo was certainly quite amazing in many ways, especially how casually he treated having thorough background checks done on people and going into restricted areas.

"How thorough." After Ken snapped out of his thoughts, he acknowledged how meticulous Hanzo was. How could anyone not acknowledge it? In any case, it was obviously done out of a sense of concern for him, so he let his appreciation seep into his voice, although he also included a bit of exasperation to it as well.

"I'm unworthy of your praise," Hanzo said modestly. However, he couldn't hide the hint of a smile on his face, evidently pleased at receiving praise for his hard work.

After Ken finished eating, Hanzo poured newly brewed tea into a cup and placed it in front of Ken. Ken picked it up and blew on it. He had a cat's tongue, so he had to wait for it to cool a bit before sipping.

"Hanzo, It'll be a while before I go take that walk, so go take the opportunity to do the things I asked for. Oh, and if you haven't had lunch yet, go and get some. Come back at around... 2 pm." Ken said, while still blowing on his tea. He took out his phone with his other hand and opened up the ImperialRoad site. He wanted to use the time to catch up on any new chapters he'd missed.

"Certainly. Oh, and I've already had lunch." Hanzo bowed deeply once, then left the room to complete Ken's orders.

Ken idly took a small sip of tea while he watched him go, only to almost spit it out.

'Fuck. It's still too hot...' Ken swore inwardly before resuming to wait for the tea to cool.

 

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Two o'clock in the afternoon. Ken was currently checking how he looked in the mirror.

'Goddamn. I look fucking good. I'd put idols out of a job if I entered showbiz.' Ken thought to himself, smiling smugly as he wore a simple monochrome-themed outfit composed of a white collared shirt with a black blazer over it, and black skinny jeans. A watch that gleamed silver on his right wrist and a fashionable string necklace were his only accessories while a pair of white sneakers graced his feet.

Of course, even if they were simple articles of clothing, everything he owned was bought from high-end brands — although this particular outfit was given to him as an offering.

He started performing various poses on the mirror, even some anime poses, like ones from Koko's Unusual Adventures and the poses that the five members of the Fugyu Force from Dragon Testicles. He spent a bit more time trying out various poses until he heard the sound of the door opening.

Ken quickly stopped and started 'fixing' his outfit.

"Young master, I have returned. I have also completed your orders. I assume that you have already sent a message to the lab members?" Hanzo asked, his expression neutral.

Inwardly sighing in relief, Ken was sure that Hanzo didn't notice what he'd been doing.

"Yep. Most of them haven't replied yet though. They're probably still asleep!" Ken chuckled, thinking about how similar he was to those guys.

'If only I was as smart as them too.'

"Let's go then," Ken said, walking out of the door.

"Certainly." Hanzo bowed once, then quickly followed him.

 

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"Hanzo."

"Yes, young master?"

"Why... Why are there so many guards here?" Ken asked in an incredulous tone as he scanned his surroundings.

"I... I don't know what you're talking about, young master. There's just the six behind us, and the two left behind to guard your room, no?" Hanzo not-so-subtly avoided eye contact.

"Don't try that crap on me, Hanzo. I recognize some of these 'bystanders'. They're definitely from our security team."

Their procession was led by Ken with Hanzo diagonally behind him to the right, and six bodyguards following them closely behind. Ken was a bit shocked that Hanzo had acquiesced to his request to lead the way on this little walk, but Ken just thought that Hanzo was being more considerate of his desires.

It didn't take long for him to be proven wrong though.

Ken's intuition was screaming at him that he was being watched by a lot of people.

He soon noticed that some of the supposed bystanders, visitors, patients, and even some of the hospital staff were actually people he had seen before. Ken knew what all the servants looked like so they couldn't be servants. Since he wasn't involved in any of the family's businesses, if he recognized them, that meant they were from the family's security team.

Ken stared at Hanzo intently, waiting for an answer.

Eventually, Hanzo's loyalty could no longer allow him to continue hiding information from him. He quickly divulged everything.

Apparently, Kyouka had demanded the security in the hospital be increased greatly. She had given the reason that the assailant who attacked him thirteen years ago might have infiltrated the hospital and done something to make his illness suddenly get worse.

A lot of upper management, led by Hanzo, agreed. So, they placed a whole bunch of people to constantly monitor the place. Some of the people the security division sent out were included in the hospital staff Ken had dined with yesternight.

'Oh my god. It wasn't just Hanzo... They're so talented at stalking. Also, Kyouka lied huh? I'm being a bad influence on her... although, I suppose it's good that she knows what she wants and does what's needed to make them happen.' Ken brooded, inwardly growing prouder of his sister, but also worrying whether it was really okay to let her continue to grow in that direction.

But then he shook his head to snap himself out of his thoughts before sending a dirty glare toward some of the disguised guards.

'You guys are really inconveniencing the hospital staff!' He was really close to getting pissed off. Visitors aside, the hospital staff definitely noticed these strange gentlemen who seemed to always be around.

Ken was about to get them to go back to where they came from but stopped.

'They'll leave when I'm gone anyway.'

He chose to ignore the problem for now. It would solve itself soon anyways.

Ken's procession continued touring around the hospital. They naturally didn't go inside any of the private wards and personnel-restricted areas. They had just about gone everywhere they were allowed to go inside the building, so Ken made his way outside.

'As expected, fresh air is nice~!' Ken closed his eyes for a bit, reveling in the pleasant wind caressing his face. Just when he felt that spending any more time like that would start looking really cringe, he heard the pleasant laughter of children.

"Hm?" Ken looked around for the source of the noise and saw a group of children in hospital gowns playing with small dogs in the grassy area close by.

'Cute... It's like a bunch of little Kyouka. Except they're okay with dogs.'

Ken watched the children play around fondly. Kyouka and dogs. His two most favorite things. He had to express a great amount of self-control to stop himself from just running over there and playing with them. But he opted to just continue to watch them with a smile.

'It feels like I'm being purified of evil.'

Hanzo, quickly noticing his young master's interest, explained. "Young master, those children are from various unfortunate backgrounds who are afflicted with illnesses that can't be treated. Or they can't afford to get treated. Most of them are actually in the terminal stage. They are being treated in this hospital due to the help of a charity called Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation."

'Coiling Serpent...? That's a strange name for a charity...'

"The Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation has been doing charity work since fifteen years ago. According to what I found, they are sincere in their desire to help people. I've dug around and found no sign of embellishment, rather, a lot of the Foundation's upper management actually pour their salaries into the foundation's account. They have helped quite a lot of children all over Japan. They even have some branches overseas, although most of their activities are focused on our country. Unfortunately, none of the children they aid are able to recover."

After hearing Hanzo's long and detailed explanation, Ken's tranquil smile disappeared.

'That turned bad real fast. Now I'm all depressed. It's all this old man's fault.' Ken cursed Hanzo inside his head. Why did he need to be so thorough? And couldn't he let him have his moment of tranquility for a bit longer?

Hanzo, not noticing his young master's blaming look, continued explaining, "From time to time, some people from the foundation would come and do some events to lift the children's spirits. Things like bringing idols or celebrities with them to visit, giving out toys or clothes, or dressing up as clowns or characters from cartoons to amuse the children. This time, it appears they brought them out to get some fresh air and play with puppies."

"I see." Ken nodded before resuming to watch the children playing.

Since he had been in a similar situation as these kids, he couldn't help but feel a sense of closeness with them. The only difference between him and them, was the origin of their respective illness and the fact that Ken was wealthy.

He also instinctively had a good impression of these people from the Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation.

'Although their name is a bit strange...'

But then he remembered something from an anime a long time ago. It was something about snakes being a symbol of prosperity and healing.

'I guess it is a good name for a foundation focused on helping sick kids.'

While Ken was thinking, he noticed one of the children looking at him before running toward him. His guards noticed and were about to step up to block the child but Ken signaled them to stop.

'What the hell is wrong with you guys? It's a fucking child, for God's sake. Did you think someone trained child assassins and strapped bombs on them or something?' He sighed, exasperated at his bodyguards.

Although he did understand that they were just doing their jobs, he found it unpleasant that they almost scared the child coming this way. Ken walked forward to meet that child halfway, telling Hanzo and the guards to not come too close to avoid scaring the kid.

Upon closer inspection, the child was actually a boy.

"Hey there, mister!" The boy chirped. "Were you watching us just now?"

Ken smiled warmly at the boy, "Yes, I was. Did I bother you?"

"Nope! But why were you watching us though?" The boy asked while tilting his head.

"It's cuz I have a little sister, and you guys reminded me of her." Ken chuckled. He reached out and stroked the boy's hair.

The boy didn't seem to feel Ken's actions unpleasant, as he continued to smile, and asked another question. "Reminded you? Why? Is she... dead?"

"Oh, no. Unlike me, she's very healthy. Although she was quite sickly when she was younger." Ken explained slowly, amused at the way the boy asked a personal question to a stranger, failing to keep his curiosity in check. But he was well aware of how kids had no filter, saying whatever they wanted.

Well, the normal ones did. He wasn't like that at all.

"I see, that's good." The boy visibly sighed in relief, making Ken look at him even more fondly. However, what the boy said next made him stiffen.

"I'm glad she doesn't have to go with me when I go to heaven." The boy smiled innocently.

"I see..." Ken was at a loss for words for a second. He had just been informed of the nature of the children being helped by the foundation, but it was still a bit shocking for a child to bring up something like that so casually. "Are you scared to go to heaven?"

"Why would I be scared?" The boy looked at Ken weirdly, but the smile returned to his face as he explained, "Mom said that it's a nice place, where I won't have to be sick anymore. A lot of my friends are there waiting for me too! We'll even get lots of candy and toys to play with! And puppies! We get a lot of puppies too!!"

"I... I see. That does sound nice." Ken smiled wryly as he answered trying his best not to let his emotions show. Watching the boy brought great turmoil to his mind.

'If I believed in the afterlife. Would I be able to feel the same way he feels right now?'

Ken couldn't help but feel a touch of admiration for the boy, as well as a touch of envy.

The boy looked at Ken's face. Perhaps sensing something wrong, he worriedly asked Ken, "Are you scared, mister?"

Ken thought about how he should answer the boy, but he decided to answer honestly in the end. He glanced behind him, making sure that Hanzo and the others were out of earshot, and saw that they were quite far away. He turned back to the boy, his smile gone.

"I'm very scared," Ken said quietly, almost like he didn't want anyone to hear. However, it felt like something was released within him the moment he said it.

He had always been scared. Although he'd accepted it, he's never been unafraid of it. Ken had lied to a lot of people — and sometimes even lied to himself — however, even he could not deceive himself into thinking that he was not scared. Throughout the thirteen years he had spent in this hospital, the fear was worse than the pain.

After all, no medicine could cure fear.

"Don't worry, mister!" The boy didn't notice anything strange from Ken, he beamed as he said, "We can just go to heaven together! If you have a friend to come with you, you won't have to be scared. It might even be fun!"

'Wow, it wouldn't be strange to hear a line like that in a horror movie or something.' Ken thought. Nevertheless, he was still moved by the boy's concern. He patted the boy, on the head.

"Thanks for the invitation." Ken smiled warmly at the boy. "But, I don't think our time of departure will match up."

'I'll be leaving before you after all.'

The boy frowned, apparently confused by what Ken said. Before he could ask though, Ken quickly brought the boy's attention away from it.

"By the way, my name's Ken." Ken smiled and asked, "What's yours?"

"Ah! That's right, I didn't even tell you, huh!" The boy clapped his hands in realization. He then spread his legs sideways and puffed out his chest. "My name's Akihiko! It means Shining Prince!"

Ken chuckled. The boy had said the name as if it was the most amazing name ever created. He was obviously very proud of his name, and Ken wasn't about to rain on his parade.

"I see. That's a super great name!" Ken exclaimed, doing his best to really appear as if he was amazed.

"I know! Mom gave it to me before she went to heaven!" The boy smiled innocently as he said something that would immediately depress most people.

But Ken had been desensitized throughout the conversation with the boy. He nodded and said "I see. Then you have to treasure this name for the rest of your life, Akihiko."

Akihiko nodded firmly. "You don't have to tell me, I planned to do that all along!"

Seeing Akihiko's smile, Ken couldn't help but stroke his head again. He decided to do it a bit more roughly, messing up the boy's hair.

"Ah! Hey, what are you doing!?" Akihiko tried to get away from the older boy but failed.

Ken grabbed the boy and lifted him like a sack of potatoes. He then started walking toward the other children.

He couldn't help but laugh all the while.

 

---

 

Ken spent the rest of the afternoon playing around with those kids and the puppies brought by the people from the foundation. The people from the foundation didn't stop him but were rather happy that a young man started playing with the children. The kids seemed to like him a lot too, although the dogs seemed to be strangely docile around him.

Eventually, the sky started to darken and the kids had to go back inside.

Ken accompanied them. He'd rolled around in the dirt and sat on the ground with these children, so his clothes got a bit messy. Which was a shame since he'd planned to directly go to the restaurant after his walk, but he couldn't go there with grass and dirt sticking out of all sorts of places.

That was why he decided to go back to the room to get a change of clothes. The reservation was for 7 pm anyways, and it was still 5 pm so he had a lot of time.

"Hey, big bro Ken! Do you really have a mountain of snacks in your room?" A little girl asked Ken, tottering along beside him.

"I think he's lying." Another child — a boy this time —chimed in from behind Ken, seemingly skeptical that someone could have that many snacks.

"It's true, it's true," Ken assured the children. "You can all have them. I can't eat them all anyway."

After hearing what he said, all the children around Ken — which numbered around fifteen — squealed in delight and anticipation. A mountain of snacks? They couldn't even fathom how many that would be.

They eventually reached the room, then the children filed excitedly but orderly inside. The guards guarding the room were completely ignored by the children, the thought of snacks was all that filled their tiny little heads. Ken had called them in advance and said to not stop the children, so there were no problems.

Ken promptly opened all the fridges in the room containing snacks, then reveled in the admiration of the children.

They were all wide-eyed in amazement; never before had they seen so many snacks in one place. All of them stared at Ken with admiration in their eyes. Was he really going to give them all of it?

'This feels nice,' he admitted inwardly.

"Alright, there are five fridges and there are fifteen of you, so you each get a third of a fridge," Ken said to the children.

The children had no reaction, seemingly not knowing what "a third" meant. But their bright eyes said that each of them knew they were getting a lot.

Taking his eyes away from the kids, who were jumping around in joy, Ken looked at Hanzo who was behind him now. "Hey, Hanzo. Have some of our guys help these kids carry the stuff to their rooms."

"Certainly. We only have six guards available to move around, so they will have to make multiple trips." Hanzo was just about to turn around and instruct the bodyguards outside when Ken interrupted him.

"What are you talking about? We have a bunch of people just standing around and doing nothing. Have them help out too." Ken commanded, his tone brooking no argument.

"...I understand." Hanzo bowed once and then left to complete Ken's orders.

Ken talked a bit more with the kids, telling them which snacks he liked the best, or which snack went well with another snack when eaten at the same time. Afterward, he changed clothes in the bathroom.

After he finished changing, he tried to say farewell to the children. "I'll have to leave now. And don't worry, the big guys outside will help you take the snacks back to your room."

"Eh~ You're leaving? Why~?"

"Don't leave. Play more."

"Please~?"

The children tried to stop him by pleading adorably at him. Ken had to admit that they really knew what they were doing.

'They're really... I kinda wanna stay now...' Ken scratched his head, extremely tempted by their needling.

"Hey! You guys! Stop it!" Akihiko started shouting and stopping the kids from trying to grab onto Ken to prevent him from leaving. "Big bro Ken has to go and see his friends! We shouldn't stop him you know."

"Eh~ but..."

"Don't wanna."

"But aren't we friends with him now, too?"

The kids all started protesting, while Ken grew more troubled.

"Grr... How would you feel if some people stopped you from seeing your friends!? Wouldn't that feel really bad?!" Akihiko shouted at the children. When Ken saw that, he felt that Akihiko was really living up to the name 'Shining Prince'.

At that moment Akihiko looked like a noble, illuminating the correct path for his people.

"I... I don't want that..."

"Me too."

"Sorry Big bro Ken."

Seeing the children apologizing dejectedly, Ken smiled warmly at them and said, "Don't worry about it, I actually wanted to play around with you guys too. Actually, how about we meet up tomorrow? I'll keep the whole day open."

"Really~?"

"Awesome."

"That sounds great!"

The children started jumping around happily again. Ken couldn't help but beam at the sight. "Right, see you all tomorrow then, I really have to go. "

After saying that, Ken rushed out the door, afraid that the children might change their minds and try to attack him with his own guilt.

 

---

 

Ken was on his way back from dinner with the people from the lab, which ended uneventfully. It was a dinner with a group of introverts, so they quickly ran out of steam after socializing for about an hour.

Since it would just make them uncomfortable, Ken didn't want to keep them for too long. He said his thanks sincerely, which was greeted with a storm of "You're Welcome"s and "It was nothing"s. And then Ken proposed the same thing he did to the hospital's staff. He said that if they needed anything, they should just tell him, and he'll try his best to fulfill it.

But just like it was yesterday, his offer was also unanimously refused. The researchers just shyly said that they were just glad that he felt better.

'Do people think I scam others out of their money? Is that why nobody wants to take it off my hands?' Ken jokingly thought in his head.

In any case, he now had a massive amount of money, which he had to spend by the end of the day tomorrow. He was thinking of ways to spend it when he remembered the kids he played with this afternoon.

'Coiling Serpent Charity Foundation, huh. Let's see...' Ken looked them up on his phone and quickly found their website. 'Ah, this is it. They even have a picture of one of the kids I played with earlier.'

The website not only had information about the foundation and its purpose, but the site also recorded its various activities. In fact, he actually found a picture of himself on the site, albeit with his face blurred.

After looking at a bunch of other things on the site, Ken finally decided. He went and donated every cent he had.

'This feels fucking amazing. I just spent millions of dollars with a single tap on my phone.' Ken checked his bank balance and saw that it was completely empty. He didn't particularly feel sad about it, rather he thought the money would find better use in buying snacks, toys, and clothes for those kids.

'This... feels good. I should have donated to charity a long time ago.' Ken ruminated on the pleasant feeling in his chest. He had always moved for his own sake. Even when he was kind to others, he still viewed it as being for his sake, since it would benefit him in some way.

Even when he was being kind to Kyouka, he still viewed that as being for his own sake as well, since if Kyouka was sad or hurt, he — as someone who loved her — would suffer as well.

This was undoubtedly the first time Ken did something kind without taking himself into consideration.

While reveling in the feeling of doing something nice, Ken eventually made it back to the room. As he arrived, he noticed one of the guards seemed to want to say something, but Ken signaled him to stop. He already knew what the guard wanted to say.

'Kyouka's probably waiting for me inside.' Ken mused. He opened the door and scanned the room with his eyes.

The kids were long gone by now. It was already 8 pm, not a time that kids should be spending in another person's room. The only person in the room was sitting on the comfy-looking armchair next to his bed. She looked haggard, and her eyes spoke of the magnitude of her mental fatigue. Her clothes, a white hoodie and black sweatpants, were a bit wrinkled too. She was staring at Ken's bed blankly, not even noticing him enter the room.

"Hey there, Kyouka," Ken called out airily, which prompted Kyouka to snap out of her daze and stare at Ken with eyes widened.

Ken raised his hand and waved it a little.

"You look like shit. Haha"

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