CHAPTER 44: MAKING SURE

Riku opened his stats.

[User: Riku Hayashi Level: 6

Experience Points: 4,235/14,583

SP BALANCE: 18,250

Armory Shop:

Skills:

[[Skill Points Available:10]

Weapons Handling: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)

Melee Weapon Proficiency: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)

Hand-to-Hand Combat: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)

Stamina & Endurance: Lv. 3 (30/60 SP)

Scavenging:Lv. 1 (0/10 SP)

Tactical Awareness: Lv. 2 (20/30 SP)

Driving: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)

Piloting: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)

Maintenance & Engineering: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)

Medical Knowledge: Lv. 0 (0/10 SP)

]

That was it—the Medical Knowledge stat. The one thing he had brushed over before, thinking it was low priority. But with Miko injured and no doctor in sight, it was the only lifeline left.

Riku allocated all ten points into the skill and confirmed.

[Medical Knowledge Level increased to 2!]

The change was immediate. A sharp spike of pain lanced through his skull, forcing him to grit his teeth. It wasn’t unbearable, but it was like someone was shoving books of medical basics straight into his brain all at once. Bandaging, wound assessment, signs of head trauma—knowledge he hadn’t known moments ago began slotting into place as if he’d studied it for years.

The ache eased after a minute, leaving a faint throb at the back of his head. Riku dragged in a deep breath, shaking it off. "Feels like a damn download," he muttered. "But it worked."

He flickered his gaze to Miko. She was still leaning against the wall where he’d left her.

"Alright, let’s see what I can do," Riku said quietly. He leaned closer, gently tilting her head to the side. The gash on her temple had crusted with half-dried blood. His makeshift bandage—a strip of torn shirt and scotch tape—was doing the job, but barely. It wouldn’t hold if the wound reopened.

The problem was, he didn’t even have a flashlight to check her pupils properly. All he had was the weak orange glow of the sun filtering through the pane glass. Not good enough.

Riku clenched his jaw, frustration bubbling. "There’s got to be something better here..."

He stood and scanned the bookstore. Shelves of paperbacks, scattered comics, dust, and broken displays. Nothing useful at first glance. He almost gave up, but then his eyes caught the office door behind the counter—half open, shadowed. He hadn’t checked it earlier, too focused on securing the front.

Riku pushed the door wider and stepped inside. The office was cramped, the air stale. Papers littered the desk, a broken swivel chair slumped in the corner. But shoved under the desk was a bright red medkit.

"You’ve got to be kidding me," he muttered. He knelt and pulled it out, snapping the latches open. Inside were rolls of gauze, antiseptic wipes, bandages, scissors, even a bottle of generic painkillers. And tucked in the corner, a sealed bottle of mineral water.

A humorless laugh escaped him. "Whole time it was sitting here. Could’ve patched you up better from the start."

Still, he wasn’t going to waste the chance now.

Riku carried the kit back to Miko and crouched beside her. He uncapped the water, soaking a clean cloth he tore from a spare shirt he found on one of the racks. Carefully, he pressed it against the dried blood, wiping gently around the cut. Miko flinched, a soft whimper escaping her lips.

"Easy," he soothed, his voice low. "Just cleaning it. You’ll be alright."

He dabbed away the grime until fresh skin showed, then tore a strip of gauze and wrapped it snugly around her head, securing it with medical tape from the kit. It wasn’t perfect, but it was leagues better than the slapdash strip and tape job from earlier.

Finally, he sat back, exhaling slowly. Miko’s face looked less strained now, her breathing even.

"That’s better," Riku said softly, more to himself than her. He packed away the kit, leaving it within arm’s reach.

The bandage on Miko’s head looked much cleaner now, but something still gnawed at him. He wanted to be sure. He had the medical skill now, and half-measures weren’t going to cut it.

"What I really need is a light..." he muttered.

He stood, scanning the bookstore again. Shelves stretched into shadows, paperbacks and dust everywhere, but no sign of anything useful. Still, he didn’t give up. He stepped back into the office where he’d found the medkit. If there was first-aid gear, there might be more.

He rifled through the drawers, tossing aside staplers, dead pens, and brittle receipts. His fingers brushed against something metallic at the back of the lowest drawer. He pulled it out.

A flashlight.

Riku clicked the rubber switch once. Nothing. Twice. On the third try, a weak but steady beam of light flickered to life.

A relieved smile tugged at his lips. "Perfect."

He tapped it against his palm to shake loose the dust, then returned to Miko. She stirred faintly as he crouched beside her again, the light resting in his grip.

"Alright, let’s check you properly this time," he murmured.

He angled the flashlight gently toward her face, lifting her eyelids one at a time. Her pupils contracted against the beam—delayed, but still responsive. No blown pupils, no obvious signs of severe brain trauma. His new medical instincts slotted together, the knowledge whispering in the back of his mind like he’d done this a hundred times before.

"Good," he muttered. "Headache’s probably a concussion, but nothing worse. You’ll manage with rest."

"You are so concerned about me... Riku," Miko said softly, her cheeks faintly flushed.

Riku pulled the beam away from her eyes, setting it down on the floor so it wouldn’t blind her. He gave a small shrug, but his voice stayed firm. "Of course I am. You’re my responsibility. If I didn’t make sure you were fine, then what the hell am I even doing?"

Miko lowered her gaze, her lips curving into the faintest smile. "Responsibility, huh?" She shifted slightly, her fingers brushing against the sleeve of his clothes and there she felt something. His muscles are hard, like stone. She even tried to squeeze it under the guise that she was clinging to him and yet it resisted.

"What are you doing?" Riku asked, noticing the touch she just made.

Miko fumbled her hands back to her lap, her cheeks coloring deeper.

"Uhm... nothing..." she said quickly, averting her gaze toward the dusty floor.

Riku chuckled.