Toji didn’t sleep a damn minute that night. His green eyes locked onto his wife’s sleeping form beside him, her breaths slow and steady while his thoughts spiraled out of control.
How could he not be losing his mind?
His wife was dying—only months left, maybe even weeks if fate decided to be extra cruel.
He’d finally thought he’d gotten his fairytale happy ending, but now it felt like some twisted joke was being played on him. Karma was here to collect. And fuckin' hell, he knew he deserved it. Even after he broke from the Zenin Clan, he’d still been a scumbag.
Killing for money? Yeah, that was what he was damn good at.
Fuck, the only hobby he really kept was a little gambling at the pachinko parlor before he went home. And before he married her? He’d fucking up with other people’s feelings and bodies, taking what he could for his own good—money, attention, anything they were willing to give.
Maybe this was just his fate.
No fairytale happy ending for Toji, even after he clawed his way out of the Zenin Clan. Felt like Fate had a sick sense of humor, always crushing any scrap of hope he managed to cling to.
He was just a damn circus monkey dancing for Fate’s amusement.
His burner phone started buzzing, and he picked it up, more out of habit than urgency.
“The. fuck. Do. You. Want?”
“Easy, cowboy. You sound grumpy. What happened, some asshole try to scam you?” Shi Woo’s voice came through, sounding amused.
Toji just grumbled in response.
“Anyway... you better start packing. The Elders are sending some of their little mouses to sweep Sendai tomorrow morning. You’ll need to find somewhere else to lay low for a bit, maybe a week or so, till all this shit you stirred up at the hospital dies down. And don’t try to contact me, either.”
Before Toji could even snap back, the line went dead. He wanted to curse his friend out, but considering the fallout, he didn’t have the energy.
Thanks to Shi Woo’s antics, he’d gone and caused mayhem at the hospital, and now he had to deal with the consequences. If what Shi Woo said was right, by 9 a.m., the city would be crawling with the Jujutsu Elders and Zenin Clan subordinates.
He glanced at the clock.
It's nearly 4 a.m.
There was still a little time. He let his gaze sweep around the apartment, took a breath, and started packing.
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Earthquake Causes Collapse of Sendai Government Hospital; No Casualties Reported
Sendai, June 23, 2001 — An unexpected earthquake struck the Sendai area early Saturday, causing the collapse of the city’s main government hospital and alarming residents nationwide. The collapse has been attributed to the building's aging infrastructure, which is nearly five decades old, along with a CO2 gas leak from the ground believed to have triggered a minor seismic tremor coinciding with the incident.
Emergency responders confirmed that, despite 90% of the hospital structure being destroyed, all patients and staff were evacuated in time. Personnel worked together to assist those in need, ensuring a safe exit from the premises. Authorities reported that, fortunately, there were no fatalities or serious injuries as a result of the collapse.
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--d.c.h.j.y--
The morning after the incident, around six hours later, the ruins of the hospital in Sendai City were swarmed with people. Because of the hospital collapse, many people who worked in and around the building, including office workers like Jin, were given mass leave. As a result, a lot of shops, malls, and even 7/11 stores closed down for a few days.
Some were ordinary citizens looking confused after hearing the news, while others were desperately searching for relatives who might've been patients.
There were tearful reunions too—people hugging their loved ones who survived.
Local police, the SAR team, firefighters, and even journalists crowded the scene, with helicopters circling above to report the story.
"We’re live at the scene where Sendai City’s well-known hospital collapsed at 1 AM," the reporter announced. "I’m here with one of the nurses from the hospital, a survivor of this incident. Ma’am, can you tell us your name?"
"Chen Meili," the nurse replied with a smile to the camera.
"Alright, Chen-san. Can you tell us what happened when the earthquake hit? Did you notice anything unusual before it struck?"
" Well, before the earthquake, a lot of us hospital staff often got headaches. It might've been from lack of sleep and exhaustion. But, weirdly enough, none of us were sick that night. Even those who usually had headaches felt fine. The patients in the ICU were a bit more stable too. So, when the earthquake hit, we and the patients managed to get out and evacuate quickly," Nurse Chen explained.
"That must’ve been terrifying, right, Chen-san?"
" Absolutely! Some people did panic and fell while evacuating! But there were volunteers and others who rushed in to help them. No one got trampled, thankfully."
“If I may ask, who were the volunteers who helped people? Do you remember anything about how they looked?”
“Oh my... urmm...Okay, I actually really don’t remember that,” Nurse Chen admitted with a sheepish laugh.
“I mean, i was panicking too! When I got out of the hospital, I just noticed there were volunteers—probably people from around the area who happened to be nearby. They went straight into the building and helped with the evacuation.”
“You mentioned earlier that before the earthquake, hospital staff often complained of sudden headaches and back pain, which mysteriously disappeared the day before. Do you think it could’ve been some sort of mystical sign warning of something bad?”
Nurse Chen chuckled.
“Mystical things? No, No, I personally don’t believe in that. Honestly, I think it’s just because we’d gotten paid the night before. Our debts were cleared, and we had some extra cash to eat good food for next couple days. So, everyone was just more relaxed!” She grinned, and even the reporter around her laughed softly.
“You might be right, Chen-san! Paydays always reduce stress—especially mine! It’s hard to worry when your wallet is doing the happy dance!"
"Yup, exactly! Happy wallet, happy life,"