Chapter 53 : Adults… not here?” or “No adults?

“Hello.?”when

Cautiously, I opened the door and stepped inside.

The peculiar hospital scent of disinfectant tickled my nose once again.

At the center of the room, a doctor with a gentle smile was looking in my direction.

…Wait a moment.

Something felt oddly familiar, so I took a closer look—

It was the same doctor who had treated me the first time.

An elderly man wearing a very impressive white coat.

It’s been a while, doctor!

The nurse with the impressive, ample curves—unfortunately, she wasn’t there.

Where did she go?

“Nice to see you, Maru. I apologize for last time.”

“Ah, yes, yes.”

He must have been feeling bad about not noticing me before.

Seeing the elderly doctor stand up and bow in apology, I waved my hands.

I was a little upset, but making such a dignified elderly man bow to apologize felt unnecessary.

“I’m glad you’re okay. Once we finish the vaccination, only a few simple tests remain, so please bear with us a little longer.”

“Okay.”

I remember there used to be blood tests and… other sample collection tests,

But this seems much simpler than I expected.

I guess since it’s a game world, things are more streamlined.

A small silver lining in misfortune.

“Please sit right there in the center. No need to roll up your sleeve.”

Following the doctor’s instructions, I sat down and extended my arm.

The soft flesh beneath my upper arm wobbled.

It looked like pudding.

“If you’re feeling nervous, you can look away.”

“Yes, yes!”

As I answered, I quickly turned my head and shut my eyes tightly.

Even if doing just one of those things would keep me from seeing the needle—

I had to be extra careful not to catch even a glimpse of that sharp point.

No matter how grown-up you are, injection needles are always scary.

“Alright, this will sting a little.”

“Ugh…”

As the doctor spoke, a slight prickling sensation spread through my wrist—

Accompanied by a faint discomfort.

I desperately tried to hypnotize myself.

The thing sitting on my arm is, um… a mosquito.

Yeah, a mosquito biting my hand, that’s all it is.

But despite that, the unfamiliar pain made my eyes tremble slightly.

“All done. You did very well. Really well.”

After what felt like an eternity—though it was only five seconds—

I nodded, holding back my tears with all my might.

Pain was pain, but it felt unfair.

I had fought monsters without a scratch, yet—

A tiny injection needle was enough to bring me to tears?

“Maru, you’re amazing. Most children would be bawling by now, but your mental strength is extraordinary.”

Despite the doctor’s sincere praise, I felt even worse.

Of course, I didn’t cry like a kid—

Because I’m an adult!

But honestly… I really wanted to cry.

“Sniff…”

“…Oh dear.”

Once a cry starts, it’s hard to stop.

I remember hearing that somewhere—

Especially when it’s a child’s cry.

And just like that, my tear ducts started giving way, little by little.

The final dam holding back my tears was on the verge of breaking completely.

Just then—

Amidst the overpowering scent of disinfectant, a sweet grape fragrance began to fill the air.

With my senses sharpened after so long without pudding,

I instantly pinpointed the source of the aroma.

I immediately turned my head in that direction.

“Mm!”

As if waiting for this exact moment,

The doctor skillfully slipped something into my mouth.

I slowly rolled it around with my tongue, tasting it.

“…Grape-flavored candy.”

“I prepared it just in case. Feeling better now?”

“…Yes.”

Inside me, once filled with bland, tasteless water,

A single drop of sweet and fragrant grape juice had fallen.

That drop spread and filled the blandness with its unique aroma.

The raging tide of sadness, ready to break the dam, was now swaying gently, intoxicated by the grape scent.

Wow.

“Whoa… It’s really good…”

The taste of dessert after a long hunger was sheer bliss.

It felt like heaven,

As the deep, rich sweetness took over my mouth.

I even forgot that I had been crying just moments ago, my lips curling into a smile.

To think I could be so easily swayed by a single piece of candy.

I felt ridiculous, yet my lips refused to stop smiling.

…Nunu always said, “If you laugh right after crying, you’ll grow horns on your butt.”

Luckily, no horns had appeared.

“I’m glad you like it. Then shall we continue the rest of the examination after you finish the candy?”

“Oh, no, it’s fine. I’m feeling better now.”

“I see.”

Letting out a relieved sigh,

The doctor pulled out a scale from the corner and approached me.

I guess it’s time to measure my height and weight.

Come to think of it, that’s a basic checkup, but we hadn’t done it yet.

Nodding, I stood up and moved toward the wall.

“Alright, take off your shoes and step on here.”

Yes.

When I take off my tiny shoes—so small that someone might mistake them for doll shoes—the socks I put on this morning are revealed.

Cute socks with a pure white fox as a charm point.

I love them.

It was worth the hour of deliberation before deciding to wear them.

Awesome.

“Now, stand straight against the wall… I will begin the measurement.”

Whoa.

As I wondered how they would measure my height with only a scale, a single laser mm beam shot out from the machine and touched my head.

It was just a laser, so I didn’t feel much, but I couldn’t help but be startled by the sudden flash of light.

“The measurement is complete.”

“Oh, how tall am I?”

The last time I roughly estimated my height, it was around 120 cm. At the very least, it should be more than that, right?

Filled with rising anticipation, I waited for the doctor’s response.

“You seem eager to hear the results. You can check them at the counter outside. You’ll have to verify both your height and weight there.”

“Yes, … Huh? Why?”

“This machine doesn’t display the results immediately. Instead, it transmits the measured data.”

In other words, I couldn’t know my results right away—I had to wait for the test results to be processed.

Even though it looked just like an ordinary scale, it was strangely high-tech.

I should’ve realized when it measured my height with a laser.

“But by now, the results should be ready, so if you’re really curious, you can go check outside.”

“Oh! Okay, thank you, Grandpa!”

“Grandpa…?”

The doctor looked slightly startled by my unexpected words but soon placed a hand on his chin and gave a drowsy smile.

Even though I blurted it out on impulse, he seemed to like it.

“Well then, take care!”

“Goodbye.”

Leaving behind a strange sense of regret, I bowed my head to the doctor and left the examination room.

Unlike the air-conditioned coolness of the clinic, the lobby was a bit warm.

I saw people lined up, just like me, waiting for their health checkups. There were so many of

“Who the heck eats a hamburger at 3 AM?”

“Oh? It is 3 AM. Yum yum.”

I ignored the TV, which was still playing some random advertisement, and bounced over to the counter.

Once again, I couldn’t reach the counter, so a nearby nurse gently lifted me up.

She was a pretty nurse with a large chest, standing next to the old man.

Oh, so this is where she was.

It’s been a while, sis!

“Oh my, Maru! Are you done with your checkup?”

“Yes!”

I nodded confidently.

I had completed my health checkup like an adult—without crying or flinching.

In other words, I had proven myself.

“Here’s your test result. You’re quite healthy!”

“Oh, thank you!”

The nurse handed me a crisp sheet of paper.

I swiftly snatched it up and carefully checked the details.

• Exam No. 33 [Maru] Health Checkup Report
• Height: 109.4 cm
• Weight: 19.2 kg
• Blood Pressure: Normal
• Teeth: Normal…

Wait a minute, 109 cm?!

Not 120 cm. Not even 115 cm. 109 cm?!

T-this can’t be happening.

This is hell.

“Ah, Miss Maru. If you look at the bottom of the report, there are some special notes written. Please don’t be too shocked when you read them, okay?”

“Huh? Special notes? Where…?”

What could possibly be so shocking?

There’s no way it could be worse than my height and weight, right?

“What… What is this?!”

…Or so I thought.

The “special notes” at the bottom were enough to completely shatter my naïve assumptions.

• Special Notes [Maru]
• For some unknown reason, the growth plates have closed.
• While future growth is possible, significant growth is unlikely.

“W-what…?

My growth plates… are closed?

I won’t grow any taller?

For real? Not a joke, but seriously?”

No…

No adulthood…?

No long-legged Maru…?”

This is—

Hell.