Chapter 156 Izumi Masamune

Upon arriving at the City Center General Hospital, Ling Feng and Kirito parted ways to search for Suguha and Asuna's rooms.

Guided by the system, Ling Feng quickly reached Suguha's ward. Standing before the door, he took a deep breath, his hand on the doorknob, a hint of sadness in his eyes. He hesitated to face Suguha.

"Click."

Suddenly, the ward door was opened from the inside by a young man. The young man looked at the stranger standing at the door, puzzled, and asked, "Sir, is there something you need?"

Ling Feng looked at the person before him, his appearance instantly matching the one in his mind. It was Suguha's brother, Izumi Masamune.

"I'm here… to find someone."

"Sir, you must have the wrong floor or room. Besides my family, there are no other patients in this ward. Perhaps you should ask a doctor?"

Ling Feng sighed and shook his head. "No, I'm not in the wrong room. I'm here to find your sister, Izumi Suguha."

Izumi Masamune was startled. The other person knew his sister! Suguha had been confined to her room for who knows how many years. This man, who looked about his age, actually knew Suguha! However, Izumi Masamune didn't let Ling Feng enter easily, smiling as he said, "You've definitely come to the wrong place. I don't have a sister. The person living here is my uncle, named Izumi So."

Ling Feng couldn't help but praise Izumi Masamune's wariness. Ling Feng leaned in and whispered into Izumi Masamune's ear, "Your name is Izumi Masamune. Suguha told me before that she really likes the dishes you cook, especially if they don't have carrots. And ever since your parents died, she's been staying in her room, and you've been bringing her meals."

"How—?!" Izumi Masamune was shocked. This person knew all of this.

"Let's talk inside. It's too crowded here for a chat," Ling Feng said, gesturing to the passersby in the hallway.

Izumi Masamune looked at Ling Feng, not agreeing immediately. After a moment of thought, he slowly nodded and moved aside. "Come in." He didn't sense any malice from Ling Feng. Instead, Ling Feng's expression and demeanor seemed to convey a sense of apology, which felt strange to him.

"Thank you."

Upon entering the ward, Ling Feng walked straight ahead, past empty beds, finally stopping before a bed where a silver-haired girl lay. Looking at Suguha, gaunt and with her eyes closed, Ling Feng swallowed, his eyes becoming moist.

After closing the door, Izumi Masamune walked over, picked up a chair, and offered it to Ling Feng. He himself sat by Suguha's bedside. Once Ling Feng was seated, Izumi Masamune spoke, "May I ask your name, and… how do you know all of that? Did Suguha tell you?"

"My name is Ling Feng. I was Suguha's teammate in SAO. For the past year and a half…" Ling Feng wiped away a tear that escaped and began to narrate, his head bowed.

As Ling Feng spoke, Izumi Masamune's expression shifted from vigilance to shock, and then to sorrow.

"I never imagined you went through so much." After Ling Feng finished, Izumi Masamune had come to believe Ling Feng was a good person. Words could lie, but emotions couldn't. "Thank you very much for taking care of Suguha in SAO." Izumi Masamune stood up and bowed solemnly to Ling Feng.

"No, I don't deserve it. After all, Suguha ended up like this because of me," Ling Feng quickly stood up to avoid the bow, waving his hand and looking at Suguha with self-recrimination.

"No, you still deserve thanks. If it weren't for you, as Suguha said, it would have been very difficult for her to survive this long." Izumi Masamune smiled slightly. "Though Suguha has lost consciousness, it's not impossible for her to recover someday. After all, miracles do exist."

"Actually… I have one more thing I came here for."

"Please, speak freely."

"I want to take Suguha away."

"Huh?" Izumi Masamune looked bewildered.

"I want to take Suguha away to find a way to cure her. I hope you'll agree to my unreasonable request."

Hearing Ling Feng's words, Izumi Masamune glanced at Suguha, then nodded. "Alright."

"You're so decisive? Aren't you afraid I have other intentions?" Ling Feng was very surprised by Izumi Masamune's quick agreement. He had been so wary before, so why was he so straightforward now? This matter was far more serious than the previous one.

"After hearing about you and Suguha's experiences, I choose to believe you. You would never harm Suguha." Izumi Masamune said with a serious expression. "Therefore, I entrust my sister to you."

"I will definitely cure Suguha, you can rest assured. However, I'll need your help to complete the discharge procedures for Suguha."

"Okay, but the doctor is busy today and won't be able to process the discharge until around 3 PM."

"Fine, I'll go drive the car home and tidy things up." Ling Feng nodded. Since he would be visiting this world again in the future, it was best not to reveal certain things. He didn't want to attract trouble later. He also planned to tidy up the house he got for free.

"Okay."

...

As Ling Feng left the hospital, he encountered Kirito, who was also preparing to leave. Kirito quickly walked over, and they walked side by side.

Kirito sighed. "It's a bit strange to be back in the real world so suddenly." He then asked, "By the way, Ling Feng, did you find Suguha? How is she?"

Ling Feng sighed and replied, "She's unconscious, in a vegetative state, but her life isn't in danger. That's a silver lining amidst the bad news." He then asked, "What about you? Did you find Asuna?"

Mentioning Asuna, Kirito's expression turned somber. "For some reason, Asuna still hasn't woken up." Hearing this, Ling Feng remembered many things and felt a pang of sympathy for Kirito. Although they had cleared SAO, it was still too early for Kirito and Asuna to be truly together. Knowing the plot, he knew where Asuna was. However, he didn't know where Sugou was. Moreover, for Kirito and Asuna to be together, these experiences were necessary. Missing even one could lead to unforeseen consequences, so it all depended on Kirito himself. After all, he was the protagonist of destiny.

Ling Feng jingled his car keys and smiled. Seeing that Suguha was alright, his heavy heart finally felt at ease. His future goals now included curing Suguha. He had returned to his usual carefree demeanor, having suppressed those thoughts.

"Let's go, I'll give you a ride home. With your current state, you might die on the way before you even get home." He added, "I don't want to attend your funeral instead of your wedding with Asuna."

"Get out of here! You're cursing me!" Kirito retorted, though he didn't refuse Ling Feng's offer. "But, thank you for the trouble."

"Watch out! Dodge!" A shout drew Ling Feng and Kirito's attention. They looked and saw a small cargo cart barreling down the corridor. The clattering sound was terrifying, and pedestrians scrambled to get out of its way. But that wasn't the most important thing. What mattered was that on the cart's path, a girl wearing headphones had fallen to the ground. There were water stains on the floor; she had likely slipped.

"Be careful!" Kirito instinctively moved to save her, but Ling Feng was faster! In an instant, Ling Feng appeared beside the girl, like a ghost. He quickly scooped her up by the waist and then flashed to a safe spot. As the cart sped past him, Ling Feng subtly pointed at it. In the eyes of others, the cart lost momentum and slowly came to a halt.

With the crisis averted, Ling Feng gently set the girl down. Seeing her still shaken, he patted her back to comfort her. "It's okay, it's okay." When the girl recovered, her face flushed red with shyness, and she took a couple of steps back. Before she could thank him, several girls of similar age rushed over, asking with concern, "Miku, are you alright?" "Are you hurt anywhere?" "That was so scary, we thought..." The girls proceeded to give the girl Ling Feng had rescued a thorough check-up, making her even more embarrassed. This was happening in public! Couldn't they see the situation?

"I... I'm fine. It's thanks to him that I'm safe," Miku shyly pointed at Ling Feng. Once they confirmed Miku was unharmed, the other girls turned their attention to Ling Feng. "Thanks, little brother. If you hadn't saved Miku, she would have been in trouble." "Arigato! (Thank you!)" Ling Feng smiled and waved his hand. "No need to thank me, it was just a small matter."

Looking at the girls before him, a memory suddenly surfaced in Ling Feng's mind. He had wondered why the girl he saved looked so familiar. Ichika, Nino, Miku, Yotsuba, Itsuki. Weren't these the five heroines from "The Quintessential Quintuplets"? He hadn't expected them to be in this multi-anime world. Just like in the anime, their appearances were very similar. If not for their hairstyles, he wouldn't have been able to distinguish them by sight alone. Of course, their auras were distinct. In his perception, each of the five girls emitted a different energy.

Miku pushed the other girls aside and stepped forward, bowing to Ling Feng. Then, she shyly said in a small voice, "Thank you." *Hiss* Miku looked so… kawaii like this! Ling Feng's mind recalled a certain religious slogan. "Miku is number one!"

"It's fine, you don't need to bow so deeply."

"Then… um, can we exchange WeChat contacts?"

"Huh?" Ling Feng, Ichika, the other three, and the abandoned Kirito were all stunned. Especially Ling Feng, who was being asked for his contact information by a girl for the first time in his life, making him a little nervous.

"...I'm very sorry, I don't have WeChat."

"Then QQ?"

"Uh, I'm sorry, I don't have that either."

"Then your phone number?"

"Uh… I don't think I have that either…"

With three "nos," Ling Feng was getting extremely awkward and could only scratch his head frantically. *Damn it, the system didn't give me a phone.*

"Host, this system doesn't take responsibility. There was a Huawei Mate 40 in the house, you just didn't take it."

"..."

"Also, regarding phone numbers, QQ accounts, and the like, I already set them up for you. That SIM card is usable across multiple worlds, and the data is free."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?"

"You didn't ask."

"..."

Ling Feng didn't want to backtrack now, as it would be even more awkward.

"Then, your name?"

"My name is Ling Feng. 'Ling' from 'lingkong' (soaring), and 'Feng' from 'dafeng xiaofeng' (big wind, small wind)."

"Ling Feng… What a nice name… My name is Nakano Miku, nice to meet you… Huh? Ichika, what are you doing?" As Miku finished speaking, Ichika and the others were already dragging her towards the hospital entrance. "Goodbye, Ling Feng, thank you so much this time. See you again… (whispering) Hurry up, get Miku out of here, Miku is acting too weird." Miku was then escorted away by the girls, leaving Ling Feng standing in the wind, bewildered.

"Yo! Someone's quite popular, aren't they? Other girls are practically throwing themselves at you."

"Let's go already. If you keep babbling, I'll tie you to the back of my car and let you taste the exhaust fumes."