Chapter 78: Extreme Approach
Late at night, in a hospital diagnosis room, a doctor in his forties looked at the diagnosis sheet in his hand, a thoughtful expression on his face.
After a while, he adjusted his glasses, looked at the young people in front of him, and hesitated before asking.
"Uh, besides this Miss Agent... are you all family members?"
Akari Honne had been absentmindedly looking down, her face scrunched up, lost in thought, and didn’t hear the question at all.
It wasn’t until Kaguya touched her shoulder that she reacted, looking bewilderedly at the doctor in front of her.
"Are you her family?"
"Ah, I’m her younger sister."
"Oh."
The doctor nodded, then his gaze turned to the man and woman standing behind the Hojo sisters and asked.
"Are you two as well?"
Hearing this, Alan opened his mouth, wanting to say something, but then thought better of it and closed his mouth, turning to leave with Nozomi Sakura.
Japan has great respect for patient privacy, unless the patient is unable to express their wishes (e.g., in a coma), the patient themselves is prioritized for notification.
If it weren’t for Akari Hojo’s special status and the accident involving her work, even Kaguya would have to step aside.
Anyway, he could find out the truth later through Honne and Kaguya, so there was no rush, and judging by Akari Hojo’s current condition, it wasn’t serious enough to require surgery.
However, just as he took half a step, he suddenly felt his clothes tugged.
He turned around to see Akari Hojo, sitting in a chair, looking up with tears sparkling in her beautiful eyes.
Don’t go.
She was clearly saying those words.
Alan stopped, pursed his lips, and looked up at Nozomi Sakura.
Nozomi Sakura glanced at their interaction, her face unreadable, and said softly.
"I’m going to the restroom."
As soon as she finished speaking, she walked out of the diagnosis room without the slightest hesitation.
When the door closed, Nozomi Sakura sat on the bench outside the door, silent for a moment, then closed her eyes and massaged her temples.
Thinking about what Akari Hojo had told her in the rain a week ago, she basically had an answer for the cause of this sudden accident.
Akari Hojo had never given up on Alan, she couldn’t be more certain of that.
But compared to Nino Kitagawa, who was metaphorically in a coffin, her situation was completely opposite.
Independent, wealthy, famous, capable... one could say that even without Alan, she could live a glamorous life.
At the time, when accompanying Alan to help Nino Kitagawa move, Nozomi Sakura felt something was off, but she never expected Akari Hojo to take such an extreme approach.
So much so that even she felt it was somewhat unreal.
She tried to imagine if she were Akari Hojo, whether she could go to such lengths...
However, just briefly putting herself in Akari Hojo’s shoes at that moment on stage, Nozomi Sakura felt her body tremble uncontrollably.
Her mind subconsciously recalled a theory from a book.
A person’s determination for something, besides their inherent personality, is closely related to their experiences, experiences act as a magnifying glass, the greater the stimulus from experience, the higher the magnification, and the more it drives an individual to do incredible things.
Therefore, Nozomi Sakura found it hard to imagine what kind of pain Akari Hojo must have gone through to have the courage to do this...
Akari Hojo, is this what you meant by showing me?
Do your eyes only see Alan?
A sudden feeling of weakness came over her body, Nozomi Sakura stared at the fluorescent light on the ceiling, then let out a helpless laugh...
"Uh, Miss Akari, you had been taking antidepressant medication long-term before, correct?"
As the doctor’s words fell, Alan and Akari Honne’s expressions froze, and they simultaneously looked at the young woman sitting upright in the chair.
Hearing this, Akari Hojo pressed the hemostatic patch on her wrist, lowered her eyes, and slowly nodded.
"So you took three times the usual dose before your performance, correct?"
Akari Hojo nodded again.
Kaguya, standing to the side, swallowed, and asked with a slightly trembling voice.
"Um, excuse me, is Miss Akari’s vocal cords injured?"
"Ah, no..."
Noticing Kaguya’s emotional state seemed a bit agitated, the doctor turned to her, shook his head, and explained.
"Her loss of voice isn’t due to any condition with her vocal cords or throat, it’s more due to psychological stress, which we call hysterical aphonia."
Hearing this unfamiliar term, Akari Honne’s face wrinkled, and she couldn’t help but ask.
"Hysterical aphonia?"
"Mhm."
"To explain it specifically, she has been taking medication long-term, and this time, the immense pressure and sudden tension caused abnormal control of her vocal cord muscles..."
Hearing this, Kaguya’s tightly furrowed brows relaxed, and her eyes brightened a bit, as if she had finally breathed a sigh of relief, and she quickly confirmed.
"So, Miss Akari will still be able to sing later, right?"
Seeing Kaguya’s appearance, Alan turned his head and gave her a deep look.
However, upon hearing this question, the doctor hesitated, and after a moment of thought, he carefully stated.
"Considering only her physical function, theoretically, she can continue to sing."
"But... whether she can continue her singing career will depend on her recovery. If her psychological issues are not resolved, or if she can’t alleviate her mental stress, then whether she can be like before, I cannot give a definitive answer."
As his words fell, Kaguya’s smile froze on her face.
Seeing this, Alan took a step forward, standing in front of her and saying.
"What should she pay attention to recently, and how can she rest and recuperate her body best?"
"According to the current situation, I recommend she rest quietly for three to five days, and then I can prescribe some anti-anxiety medication. As long as she takes it on time and isn’t given too much pressure, it should provide some relief. However, I still recommend psychological counseling."
"......"
After leaving the diagnosis room and settling Akari Hojo into a quiet resting room, the four of them stood in the hallway.
Kaguya immediately took out her phone and called the company.
"Yasukawa-senpai..."
"It’s not that serious, the doctor said it was due to Hojo’s excessive stress recently..."
"Mhm mhm, I’m truly sorry, you’ve worked hard. I’ve already contacted public relations..."
"Okay, I understand. I’ll take Hojo back to the hotel to rest well in a bit."
"Ah? What?"
It seemed she had heard some bad news, Kaguya’s brows furrowed tightly, and a pained expression appeared on her face, and she couldn’t help but lament.
"How can this be... Then that’s the only way."
"Yes, Friend A is right beside me now, I’ll tell him..."
After hanging up the phone, Kaguya stared at her phone again, her fingers quickly dancing across the screen as she sent messages to several people.
Two minutes later, she looked up at Alan and said helplessly.
"Friend A, Hojo might not be able to go back to the hotel tonight. Reporters are blocking the hotel, and there should be reporters downstairs at the hospital too..."
She paused, then sighed again, glancing at Honne and Alan, saying .
"I still have to go back to the company later to handle some follow-up matters, so I’ll trouble you all to help take care of Hojo. Thank you for your hard work."
"Oh, Friend A, could I trouble you to post a message of support for Hojo?"
Seeing Alan nod, Kaguya’s eyes showed gratitude, and after bowing in thanks, she prepared to leave.
"Wait."
Alan suddenly reached out and stopped her, asking with a serious expression.
"Does Hojo’s concert contract include a clause about ’compensation required for performance accidents not caused by force majeure’?"
Hearing him ask this, Kaguya was stunned for a moment, opened her mouth, and finally hesitated.
"I don’t think so..."
"What do you mean ’I don’t think so’?"
Alan felt a surge of anger hearing her say that, but he tried his best to calm down and said in a deep voice.
"After you finish your work, go back and carefully read the contract. If it contains the clause I just mentioned, contact a lawyer tonight, and then negotiate with the company to see if it can be resolved, striving to reduce the compensation amount to the lowest possible."
An agent is tied to their artist, essentially, they rise and fall together. Hearing Alan say this, Kaguya’s thoughts instantly became much clearer. She took a deep breath and nodded.
"Okay, I understand."
"Oh, by the way."
"When did Hojo start taking those medications?"
Kaguya was startled, then her expression became complex, and after a moment of hesitation, she whispered.
"It seems she started taking them after Friend A left..."
"......"
Hearing this, Alan closed his eyes and massaged his temples.
Although he had a vague answer, knowing the truth still brought a pang of bitterness to his heart.
Akari Honne looked at him in this state, biting her lip lightly, also feeling a bit unwell.
