Chapter 19: Anzu's Injury and Amnesia

  The fire grew bigger and bigger, soon alarming the neighbors around. The police and firefighters arrived quickly with sirens blaring. Due to the brick structure of Zhao's house, the fire was extinguished quickly. When the firefighters entered the house, they found several charred bodies lying haphazardly in the living room. As the crowd of onlookers grew larger, the police began to disperse them and cordon off the scene.

  Ishii Kyoko was driving back from Rokkoku restaurant, thinking about how her husband didn't come out today. As she got closer to home, she saw many people running in the direction of her house from the car window: "What's going on? Why are so many people running that way?" Ishii Kyoko thought to herself as she stepped on the accelerator.

  As she got closer to home, Ishii Ako's heart became increasingly tense for some reason. When she drove the car near the entrance of the alley, she found that it was already blocked by a crowd and couldn't get in or out. There were also several police-like people constantly driving away the onlookers. Having no choice, she stopped the car, and when she opened the door to get out, she surprisingly found her legs trembling non-stop, and her feet had lost strength, as if they weren't listening to her commands, and could only barely support herself as she walked towards the crowd of onlookers.

  "Oh no, how tragic! I heard a family of six all died"

  "It seems like it was set on fire after being killed..."

  "It's that one who does antique business... seems to be surnamed Zhao..."

  "It's that Zhao family who married a Japanese woman, I think they deserved it..."

  "Don't say that, people are dead, the deceased should be respected. However, it's too cruel to not even spare a few-year-old child..."

  "Who says it isn't?"

  "Eh, miss, what's wrong with you?" Akane Ishii stumbled into the crowd, her feet shaking. Seeing her own house emitting black smoke and hearing the surrounding onlookers' murmurs, she suddenly felt dizzy. A mouthful of hot blood spurted out of her mouth before she collapsed to the ground amidst the crowd's shocked cries.

  "Apricot child..."

  "Miss Anzu..."

  "Doctor, doctor, hurry and call the doctor, Ann has woken up!" Ishii Ann opened her eyes, and the first thing she saw was a white ceiling, with several people beside her excitedly calling out her name. In her heart, she thought: "Where is this? What happened to me? How did I end up here?"

  "Uncle......" She tried to clear her mind, but felt a sharp pain in her head. Ishii Kyoko turned her gaze towards the 'bed' and saw Ishii Shirou's worried eyes, calling out to him.

  "Anzi, you've finally woken up, Uncle was so scared to death!" Ishii Shirō grasped Anzi's hand with tears in his eyes and choked.

  "Uncle... ...where am I?..."

  "This is the North China Military Region Army General Hospital! How's it? Is it very painful?" Ishii Shirō asked, looking at his niece's wound on the back of her head with a pained expression.

  "What's the North China Military Region General Hospital?" Ishii Anzu didn't answer whether it hurt or not, she just stared with wide eyes and a puzzled expression.

  "Yes, you just fainted and hit your head outside, it was Mr. Yanagawa who brought you here!"

  "Mr. Yanagawa? Who is Mr. Yanagawa?"

  "Miss Anzu, you don't remember, we've met before, she's a friend of mine!" At this point, Masao Inoue also stood in front of the sickbed and said.

  "Excuse me, who are you? Do we know each other?" Seeing Takao Masuo's concerned expression, she thought for a long time, but this person didn't leave any impression in her mind.

  "Me?... Does Miss Anzu not recognize me?" Inoue Masao's eyes widened as he listened to Anzu's words, his heart feeling like it had been poisoned.

  "Anzu, you really don't recognize him anymore, he's Inoue Masao! Take a good look?" Seeing Ishii Anzu's expression, Ishii Shirō's heart, which had just calmed down, was stirred up again.

  "I don't think I really know him, do I? Uncle, did I really know Mr. Inoue before?"

  "Of course, then do you still recognize me?" Ishii Shirō asked hastily, pointing at himself.

  "Of course I know you, Uncle! How could I possibly not recognize you?"

  "This, this, this, this, this..."

  "Teacher, don't worry yet, maybe Anzu is just injured and hasn't fully recovered!" Inoue Masao hurriedly comforted Ishii Shirō who was getting anxious again.

  "Oh, Chief Yamamoto has arrived..." At this time, a middle-aged man wearing a white coat walked in, and Inoue Masao bowed while retreating from the 'bed'.

  "Thanks, Yamamoto."

  "Professor Ishii is being polite, let's take a step aside and talk..."

  "Yamamoto, how's Anzu doing now? It seems like she's forgotten some things?" Ishii Shirō asked anxiously as he followed Yamamoto out of the hospital room, not even bothering to wipe away his tears.

  "Miss Anzi was injured due to a hard object hitting her head, and she is currently conscious. However, according to the results of her brain scan, there is a blood clot about 3 centimeters away from the impact site, which may be pressing on the nerves in her brain, possibly causing localized or temporary memory loss."

  "Yamamoto-kun, how long will it take for a complete recovery?"

  "It's hard to say for now, it's possible that the hematoma in her brain will dissipate on its own after a period of time, which would be the best outcome. The hematoma is close to the nerve area of the brain, if surgery is performed to clear it out, there will be great risks involved and no 100% guarantee of success, I suggest not performing surgery for now."

  "She doesn't even remember the well anymore, and she probably has no idea what's been going on lately either, but somehow she still remembers who I am?" Ishii Shirō said with a sigh of puzzlement.

  "There are four possible causes of amnesia due to external forces, and I think Miss Anzi's case belongs to the category of 'selective' amnesia, which means that she has completely lost memory of a certain period of time. This condition is medically known as selective amnesia. The possibility of self-recovery from this type of amnesia is extremely high, so Professor Ishii doesn't need to worry too much. At least it won't affect her current daily life."

  "This might be a good thing for her, anyway... thank you, I'm in your debt, Yamamoto-san." Ishii Shirō said with a deep sigh, bowing his head slightly.

  "Professor Ishii is too polite, as a doctor it's what I should do. You all stay with Miss Anzu for now, I'll go give her some 'medicine', and please make sure she doesn't overexert herself mentally for the next three days."

  Please

  Excuse me...

  "Teacher, I'll go give the medicine to Anzu, you stay here with her," said Inoue Masao on the side, looking at Ishii Anzu with a sympathetic gaze. Ishii Shirō didn't say anything, just nodded lightly.

  "Director Yamamoto, please..." This Director Yamamoto is the 'Japanese' military doctor who was the superior of Inoue Masao when he served in the North China Garrison - Yamamoto Ichiro. The 'Japanese' Navy's Admiral Yamamoto Isoroku, who was posthumously promoted to Navy Marshal General, was his cousin.

  When Anzi fainted on the road, she happened to meet Yanagawa Jiwei who came to investigate the situation. After finding out it was Ishii Anzi, Yanagawa Jiwei originally didn't want to pay attention to her because in his heart, a Japanese woman marrying a Chinese man was humiliating to the Yamato people and their great Japanese Empire. He looked down on this Japanese woman with some hostility, but thinking of Inoue Masao and Ishii Shirō, he still sent her to the land army hospital of the North China Area Army of Japan.