Rika has developed a high fever. And quite a serious one at that.
We're not in season for contagious diseases like influenza either.
...Immediately, I remembered the suspicious experiment that Rika accepted recently. That might have been the cause.
Compared to other children her age, Rika's growth is a little bit slower.
I bet it's because her body is exhausted after having suspicious injections and experiments performed on it every week.
I told them to go easy on her, but Rika herself is practically fearless, and ends up agreeing to anything.
Even my husband, who should be warning her about that, blindly believes this whole thing is a big deal involving more than two thousand villagers, and brings his own daughter to the clinic every week.
...I'm the only one who's actually concerned for Rika's body.
That's why, towards Irie-sensei, I wanted to complain and ask them to be a little more considerate for Rika.
In any case, I'm going to make them come clean on how to take responsibility for this.
As soon as I phoned them, someone from the clinic came in a car, and quickly admitted Rika into the clinic.
I followed as well, as her guardian.
*Entering the clinic*
Irie: "Please calm down, Mrs. Furude. I promise you we'll take care of her, so please wait for just a while longer."
Rika's Mom: "How can I calm down like this!? Don't you think it's strange for her to suddenly develop such a high fever...!!? Isn't this the effect of that suspicious whatyoumacallit experiment you people did last week?! Rika is just a little young girl, you know?! Rika loves her friends, that's why she's doing this for her ill friend-"
Irie: "I am aware of that.... Plus, we would never try to cause any harm to Rika-san for our research, and we are always mindful so such a thing would never happen."
Rika's Mom: "Then what do you call this high fever!?"
Irie: "Most likely because the season's changing-"
Rika's Mom: "You're not telling me it's a cold are you?! It's obvious that it's caused by those strange drugs you people injected her with!!"
It looked like Irie-sensei would only insist on calming me down, and refuses to admit that Rika's fever is caused by an error on their part.
...My husband told me that this is a big issue for the village, so I have held back the suspicion in my heart until this day, but to be honest, I'm at my limits.
Besides, the existence of these people has been far too suspicious to begin with.
A research conducted in secrecy, stating it's for privacy protection or whatnot.
...That's already a perfectly questionable point too. Something like that is not possible.
In fact, I tried calling the Health Ministry to ask, and they told me right away that such a thing does not exist. Even after I stated myself to be Furude Rika's mother.
These people would try to make up excuses by saying that since they're a special institution, it's possible that normal workers are unaware of their existence. But....
That's definitely odd. Suspicious.
Also, there are people inside the research lab who are clearly not researchers.
......They looked like security guards at first, but compared to the kinds you'd find in a normal hospital, these people feel way too different.
I have seen it by accident before. How they're actually armed with handguns.
Irie: "......well, about that......."
Rika's Mom: "Are those people police officers? They sure don't look that way to me! Besides, just who are you people anyway!? Even if you say the Health Ministry now, I won't believe you!"
It looks like Irie-sensei has been taken aback from my intensity, and can't even respond properly anymore.
These people are still hiding something from us.
And it's proving that the research surrounding Rika is something dishonest.
Rika's Mom: "Anyway, I'm Rika's guardian! And Rika is still only a child. No matter what that child says, from now on, I will not allow her to participate in this research anymore!"
Takano: "...Oh my. If it isn't Rika-chan's mother. Good afternoon to you................ my, what is the matter?"
Irie: "No, ...um.... Mrs. Furude is saying that she doesn't want Rika-chan to be involved with the institution anymore...."
Takano: "......May I ask why?"
Rika's Mom: "Because my child is not your test animal, that's why!!"
Takano: "............We have never treated her that way though? This is a big misunderstanding."
I'm a little startled.
...Irie-sensei was a wimpy kind of person who would back off when pushed.
But this Takano-san......Even though I'm the one doing the yelling, it's almost as if she's not afraid at all.
No, on the contrary, it almost looked like her eyes are glaring, as if she's about to pounce on me....
Takano: "Rika-chan's fever is caused by a cold. It's not our fault at all. We pay the same level of attention to safety and sanitation as a national research lab. Forgive me for being rude, but compared to you, who walks aound with Rika in your hands without even disinfecting them with alcohol first, we're the sanitary one, you know?"
Rika's Mom: ".........I, I didn't ask you about that!! Anyway, Rika is not your toy!! We won't bring Rika here ever again!"
Takano: "It sure is troubling if everything gets decided on your whim. When we requested for her cooperation, was it not true that her parents have given their signatures on the contract? And in return for her cooperation in the research, we have deposited money that's by no means a small amount into your account every month."
Rika's Mom: "I... I don't know anything about that money, alright?! I have never even heard of it!!"
Our family receiving money for Rika's cooperation in the research was news to me.
...Considering the kind of person my husband is, there's no way he would've used them as spending money behind my back.
Most likely, he thought of this as a free service for the villagers, and has no doubt completely forgotten about the money being deposited into our account.
......Since there hasn't been any unusual deposits in our regular account... it might be in our savings account....
...Anyway, anyway, I don't care about that!
Takano: "You do realize that when the contract has been breached, we will be asking for you to return the full amount of deposits that we have made up to that point, right? And also, in the case where one party is at fault for the breach of contract-"
Irie: "Takano-san...! Please calm down. Mrs. Furude too, please.... Just like we have explained to you before, Hinamizawa Syndrome is something that must be treated in order for the villagers to be able to continue living their lives without worries. In order to achieve that, we must have Rika-san's cooperation...!"
Rika's Mom: "Then just when will that treatment drug be finished?! First of all, does this even make sense!? You say it's for the sake of Rika's friend, Satoko-chan, but isn't it true that Satoko-chan has already left the hospital and is carrying on with her life happily? If I remember right, when I talked to my husband 2 weeks ago, he said you have already found a way to a treatment, isn't that right?!"
Irie: "Y, yes. I believe I did say that we have found a way.... However, in order to uncover the full story behind the Hinamizawa Syndrome...-"
Rika's Mom: "I never heard of anything about uncovering it's full story! What Rika agreed to help out with was for the treatment of the villagers' illnesses. Then isn't this enough already!? All these strange experiments and examinations that everyone's doing on Rika is done purely out of your own interests, and has nothing to do with the treatment, am I right?!"
Irie: "That's not true, that's not true at all...! In any case, the issue about Rika-san's cold is a misunderstanding. If it still appears suspicious to you no matter what-"
Rika's Mom: "That's enough! It seems like there's money involved in this too, so I'll be going home to discuss to my husband about it as well! If you'll excuse me now!!"
*Rika's mom leaves the clinic*
...First of all, these people were shady to begin with.
Although the two others in our family has completely fallen to their side after being told some exaggerated story, it's not going to work on me.
In any case, I must settle things here once and for all. Rika is not those people's toy.
...I particularly dislike that Takano person.
......Irie-sensei still felt like a doctor, but there's no such feeling for that person.
......How should I describe it.
......Right, I suppose you could say that the glows of her eyes are unpleasant....
She sees Rika as nothing but a test animal. I could feel that cruelness with my skin.
And neither my husband nor Rika has noticed that at all.
I must protect her. As her mother, I must protect Rika...!
*Scene shifts back inside the clinic*
Irie: "...That's not like you, Takano-san. If you get into an argument with her there, you know it would just makes things even worse....... It's not like you at all."
Takano: ".........You're right. I'm sorry for getting flustered."
Did something happen that caused her to be in such a bad mood?
The conversation just now was emotional, very much unlike Takano-san.