I'm gonna break your little heart
Watch you take the fall
Laughing all the way to the hospital
′Cause there's nothing surgery can do
When I break your little heart in two
I′m gonna break your little heart in two

Thoughtfully, I leaned against the windowsill, studying the images in my hand, trying to make sense of them. The scans showed signs of valvular insufficiency, particularly affecting the aortic valve.

I traced my finger over the most telling part: the enlarged left ventricle. I had observed that the aortic valve was contracting irregularly during the heartbeat. Her sudden heart attack was one thing, but this didn't seem like a typical aftermath of the electric shocks she had suffered. It was too atypical. This appeared more like the result of advanced cardiomyopathy - a chronic heart disease that, at this stage, was, in my opinion, incurable.

Based on these findings, Izumi should have been dependent on medication and supplemental oxygen by now. Yet, aside from the recent episode, she seemed remarkably vibrant.

Still, her behavior earlier had been unusual. First, there was her vehement resistance to the echocardiogram, and then her almost reflexive denial when I asked about pre-existing conditions. Her defensive reaction might have been attributed to embarrassment at having to undress in front of me. But there were also those significant glances exchanged between her and the puppy.

What did he know about her condition?

The more I thought about it, the less confident I became in my diagnosis.

After all, I couldn't ignore the fact that she showed no symptoms typical of this illness. It was possible the heart attack had triggered myocarditis, but I doubted it could progress so rapidly that it would show on the ultrasound mere minutes later.

On the other hand, this was Borderland. I had already seen wounds here heal completely in an impossibly short time. This world didn't follow the natural laws we were familiar with but operated on its own warped rules. For now, I was at a dead end. A comprehensive blood test seemed unavoidable if I wanted to be certain.

Ann returned safely from her game and handed over the Amiodarone without hesitation-medication Izumi would need to take for the next few days.

"I'm glad she's stabilized," Ann said after I briefed her on the events.

"It would make sense for me to have the code to the vault as well. Emergencies can happen at any time, and if you're not here, it could be too late. Plus, if you don't return from one of your games, we'll have a serious problem."

"For that scenario, Hatter has the code."

"But Hatter knows nothing about medicine, does he?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

It was a rhetorical question; we both knew the answer. Ann studied me for a moment, and I could tell she was convinced.

"Fine, I'll give it to you. But if you're not careful with the supplies, I'll change the code again."

A small, triumphant smile crept onto my lips as she gave me the combination.

"Thank you, Ann."

With that, the easy part of my plan was done. Now I could focus on the second half, which would likely require more time and energy. But first, I needed to uncover the truth about Izumi's heart. It might be the first step toward getting closer to her.

Unfortunately, I had to postpone this investigation until the next day, as several stragglers arrived shortly after with injuries that required immediate attention. With Izumi unable to work, Ann stepped in to assist me. It wasn't until after midnight that things finally quieted down. In the adjoining patient room, the lights had already been dimmed. As I passed Izumi's bed, I saw she had fallen asleep. Behind me, I heard the door open.

"I guess that's it for tonight," Ann said quietly. "You can leave if you want."

"I think I'll stay here tonight. Some of the patients should remain under observation."

"You mean Izumi?"

"Not just her," I replied vaguely, turning to Ann, who looked mildly surprised.

"I wouldn't have expected that from you, but I won't stop you. I've spent more nights here than I can count. There's a futon and bedding in my office. Feel free to use them." I nodded. "I'm heading to my room. Goodnight," she said, turning to leave. But she paused, looking back over her shoulder. "Oh, and if anything happens, do not wake me under any circumstances."

A small grin crossed my face.

"Understood. See you tomorrow."

Once Ann had closed the door behind her, I lingered for a moment, thoughtfully watching the sleeping young woman before me. Her curly hair was slightly tousled, and she exhaled softly in her sleep. My gaze shifted to the ECG monitor, which now showed a slow heart rate of 54 beats per minute. For the moment, it seemed she had recovered from her heart attack. But what I had seen earlier told a different story.

"What are you hiding, Izumi?" I whispered into the darkness.

Then I turned and left the room, heading toward the vault. I entered the code Ann had given me, smiling in satisfaction as the door opened.

Finally.

I retrieved a blister pack of Pentalong, which I needed for the explosive, and quickly closed the vault again. I doubted Ann would notice its absence anytime soon. By the time she did, I would probably be long gone with the cards.

◇

The next morning, the puppy was back, delivering meals to the patients, and he'd brought three others with him. One of them was Kuina. She eyed me skeptically from head to toe, and it occurred to me she had never seen me in this outfit before. The young man in the baseball cap beside her was, as far as I knew, some kind of handyman at the Beach, and the woman with blue-dyed hair I vaguely recognized from a distance.

Weren't those two in Izumi's last game?

"We're here to see Tsuki," the puppy said bluntly as he wheeled the cart into the room.

"Oh really? And here I thought you were just delivering food, kitchen boy," I retorted in a condescending tone.

His expression darkened.

"Very funny. Do you practice being this insufferably arrogant in front of a mirror?"

I smirked smugly.

"Not arrogance, just my natural charm."

Aoyama snorted derisively.

"Can we see her?" Kuina interjected, cutting through the brewing tension.

"Oh sure, she'll be thrilled to see all of you. Why didn't you bring the whole leadership council along to marvel at her?" Kuina crossed her arms and gave me a chastising look. I sighed quietly. "Fine. But no more than 20 minutes. She still needs to rest," I relented.

Kuina nodded to the others.

"You all go ahead. I'll come in after you."

Once they'd disappeared into the next room, Kuina kept her distance from the door and looked at me silently for a few moments. I slipped my hands into my pockets and leaned back against the cabinet behind me.

"Go ahead, say what you want to say. I can take it."

Still crossing her arms, Kuina shook her head in disbelief.

"Was this your plan all along? To save her just to manipulate her for your own purposes?" she whispered sharply.

"You mean our purposes. And no, it wasn't. It was just a series of strange circumstances."

"So you're telling me you saved her life and brought her here to the Beach without any ulterior motive?"

I shrugged.

"Who cares anymore? She seems to like me, and I'm just... using that to our advantage."

Kuina shook her head, stunned.

"I honestly don't know what to say."

"It doesn't work without sacrifices. I told you that from the start."

"Fine. But why does it have to be Izzy?"

"You're backing out now, just when we're so close?" I asked, giving her a piercing look.

She hesitated, and I could see her inner conflict.

"I mean, isn't there another w-?"

"No," I interrupted coolly. "Unless you want to be the bait yourself, but then you'll never see your mother again."

At the mention of her mother, she closed her eyes and lowered her head.

"Alright," she said after a moment, regaining her composure. She met my gaze firmly, her features now far more resolute. "Do it. I won't stop you. But I'm not going to help you either - not by encouraging her to fall for you."

I let out an amused snort.

"That won't be necessary. I've got it under control, Kuina."

She chuckled bitterly.

"Of course you do. With your charm."

After the allotted time, everyone left the patient's room. Everyone except the puppy. When I went to check on the other patients, he was still sitting by Izumi's bed, chatting animatedly with her. On the table beside her lay a sketchbook and a metal box of colored pencils.

"Remember when you tried making ramen without any toppings because you said it was the 'pure form of ramen'?" Aoyama said with a wide grin. "You claimed it was the 'authentic experience,' but you just didn't want to admit you forgot to buy groceries."

Izumi laughed along with him.

"Yeah, but you played along so I wouldn't feel bad. That was sweet of you," she said, smiling.

"Don't you have work to do in the kitchen?" I interrupted sharply. "My patient still needs plenty of rest to recover."

I saw him sigh in annoyance as he leaned a little closer to Izumi.

"I'll come back later. Don't let Dr. Charming get on your nerves," he said loudly enough for me to hear, winking at her.

She giggled softly.

"See you later, Koto-chan. Thanks for the surprise - it really made my day," she said, waving at him with a broad smile.

As he passed me, he gave me one last withering glare.

"Can't you be a little nicer to him?" Izumi asked sternly once the door had closed behind him.

"Why? That's what you're here for."

"When can I leave this place?" she asked, her tone bordering on a whine.

"When I say so."

"But Ann and you probably need my help," she pleaded.

"In this condition, you're no use to us," I said, jotting down her current vitals. Her heart still showed minor irregularities. "The medication needs time to work, and your heart isn't ready for stress yet."

"But I feel fine," she insisted. "Lying here makes me feel so useless."

My gaze fell on the art supplies beside her bed.

"Then keep yourself busy. I'll even let you draw me, though I probably won't have time to sit still for you," I teased with a grin.

"Hm," she said, feigning deep thought. "Maybe I will, but it might be hard to fit your oversized ego onto the sheet."

She flashed me a playful smile.

"I have complete confidence in you."

Izumi's condition appeared to improve rapidly, but I kept a close eye on her vitals in the following days. The blood test I conducted confirmed my initial suspicion of heart failure, likely caused by cardiomyopathy. However, I couldn't explain it. Aside from the physical exhaustion typical after a heart attack, Izumi seemed surprisingly vibrant and carefree. She showed no signs of severe heart disease. It was a medical miracle. Perhaps that was why I chose to keep my diagnosis a secret from both Ann and Izumi. My intuition told me she wouldn't confide the truth in me - not yet, anyway. But perhaps that could change soon.

First, I would earn her trust, uncover her well-guarded secret, and then, once she was willing to do anything for me, I would have her steal the cards from Hatter's suite and shatter her naïve heart into a thousand pieces.