Sword Art Online - Volume 7 - Mother's Rosario

by Reki Kawahara

  Asuna felt weird about the unexpected change in the direction of the conversation, and the doctor lifted a finger.

  “Please think about this. The environment brought about by the AmuSphere would be an effective function in the medical field. For example, that machine would be a gospel to those people who are visually or hearing-impaired. Those people with congenital brain dysfunction are sadly excluded, but even if the eyeballs or visual nerves have abnormalities, the image can be input directly to the brain if the AmuSphere is used. The situation is the same with hearing. Even those who didn’t know about light or sound as they grew up can use that machine to interact with a real landscape.”

  Asuna could only nod her head as Doctor Kurahashi said that enthusiastically. The wide range of uses of the AmuSphere wasn’t a new thing in such an area. One day, the headgear can become smaller, and with a specialized lens combination, those visually impaired will be able to live like those who see.

  “Also, what is useful isn’t just the fact that it can convey signals, but that the Amusphere has the function to cancel the senses.”

  The doctor used his finger to tap his throat.

  “The electromagnetic pulse that is sent here will temporarily numb the muscles. In other words, it would have the effect similar to total body paralysis. For example, anesthetics. Even if it’s used, there’s a small but rare risk. If we use AmuSphere in operations, we can avoid having to use anesthetics. That’s what I think.”

  Asuna was already engrossed with what the doctor said. She nodded her head, but immediately noticed something. Though it was like showing off in front of an expert, she still whispered out her doubt.

  “…But, it can’t work, right? The AmuSphere’s interference ability can only limit the senses to the minimum to ease the pain when the scalpel is inserted into the body. I think both the AmuSphere, or even the first generation machine—Nerve Gear can’t do it…even if the medulla is blocked, the nerves inside are still active, so spinal reflex is still there, right…?”

  “Yes…that’s correct.”

  Doctor Kurahashi first widened his eyes in shock, and immediately nodded several times, as if Asuna had struck the bulls-eye.

  “It’s just like you said. The AmuSphere’s electromagnetic pulse output power is weaker, the CPU is power-efficient, which would cause some problems with the processing speed as it isn’t powerful enough. It’s possible to do a real dive into the VR world, but the specs would be inefficient when it comes to lens matching in real life, into the so-called «Alternate Reality». Thus, the world’s first medical FullDive machine that’s developed at the state-level—«Medicuboid».”

  “MediCu…boid.”

  This term most likely combines the term Medical and Cuboid. Asuna digested this term in her mouth, and the doctor smiled before explaining,

  “That’s just a coined name. The most important thing is that it strengthens the output of the AmuSphere, increases the density of the particles several fold, increases the processing output and is integrated with a bed, from the head to the spinal cord. It looks like a white box…if this can be used, with the many equipments in the hospital, there would be a drastic change in treatment. Most operations would not require anesthetics then, and it may be possible to talk to patients in a «Locked-in state».”

  “Locked-in…?”

  “It’s a state known as the Locked-in Syndrome, a state where even if the brain’s thinking process is normal, the body’s handicapped in its control on its parts, and the patient can’t express his thoughts. If we use the Medicuboid, we can connect directly deep into the brain, and even if the body doesn’t move, it is possible to return to society through the VR world.”

  “I see…in other words, compared to the AmuSphere that’s only used for playing VR games, this is really a dream machine in its true sense, isn’t it?”

  Asuna inadvertently nodded. However, Doctor Kurahashi, who looked like he was dream-talking, immediately shut his mouth as he heard this, seemingly dragged back to reality. His expression darkened a little, and he took off his spectacles, closed his eyes, and took a long sigh.

  Then, he shook his head and smiled in a somewhat sad manner.

  “Ehh, it really is a dream machine. However…a machine has its own limitations too. The most anticipated area of use for the Medicuboid…is «Terminal Care».”

  “Terminal care…”

  Asuna repeated the English term she had never heard of like a parrot, and the doctor silently explained,

  “In kanji…it’s written as ‘Dying Treatment’.”

  Those words poured down on Asuna like cold water. She widened her eyes and couldn’t say anything. Doctor Kurahashi put on his glasses and showed a look of comfort, saying,

  “You may feel that it’ll be better to stop here if we consider things later. Nobody would blame you even if you make that decision. Whether it’s Yuuki-kun or her friends, they were all thinking about you.”

  However, Asuna never hesitated. No matter what sort of truth she would be told, she wanted to face it straight on, and she believed that she had to do so. Asuna lifted her face and clearly stated,

  “No…please carry on. Please. I came here for this.”

  “Is that so?”

  Doctor Kurahashi smiled again, and nodded his head significantly,

  “Yuuki-kun once said that if Asuna-san is willing, I am to explain everything to her. Yuuki-kun’s ward is at the highest level of the central ward. It’ll be rather far, so let’s talk on the way there.”

  The doctor walked out of the lounge and head towards the lift. Asuna followed him from behind, and her mind continued to think of the same term.

  Terminal. The meaning of this term couldn’t be any clearer. However, she continued to deny herself. It just couldn’t be like that. Even if she had to declare that, he didn’t have to use such a direct term.

  The only plain fact was the truth that’s to be shown next. Asuna had to accept it directly. It’s because Yuuki believed that Asuna could do this that she allowed Asuna to enter her reality.

  There were three lifts lined up in the lobby of the central building, and the rightmost had the tag «Staff Only» on the door. The doctor used the card that was hanging from his neck to slide it down the panel beside it, and a calm beeping sound was heard as the right door slide aside.

  Both of them entered the white box, and the lift started to rise as the sound and acceleration couldn’t be detected.

  “Have you heard of the term «Window Period»”

  Doctor Kurahashi suddenly asked, and Asuna started to search through her memory.

  “I remember…health class taught of it before. It has something to do with virus…infections, right?”

  “Yes. For example, if someone was suspected to be infected with some sort of virus, there would be a blood test. The methods of testing them are as follows. The «Antigen test» that tests the antibodies against the virus in the blood, and the more sensitive «NAT check» that uses the DNA and RNA of the virus as part of the investigation. However, even when using the NAT check, It’s impossible to detect the virus after infection for about 10 days or so. This period is called the «Window Period».”

  The doctor stopped at this moment. Then, as the slight decelerating feeling was felt, the door opened along with the sound of a bell.

  The highest level, level 12 seemed to be prohibited to outsiders as there was a large gate right in front of them as they exited the lift. The doctor again placed his card on the sensor beside the door, and a soft electronic sound came from it. The metal bars were all lowered, with the doctor waving his hand to prompt her, Asuna quickly moved through the door.

  Unlike the lower levels, this level didn’t seem to have any windows. The smooth white paneled path extended out straight, and there were 2 paths in front of her, left and right.

  Doctor Kurahashi, who was walking in front of Asuna again, veered to the left. The inorganic path that was full of warmth and white light continued to exte
nd forward. They went by a few nurses, and the noises from outside couldn’t be heard at all.

  “—Because of that «Window Period», something must have happened.”

  Inadvertently, the doctor again said with a calm voice,

  “That was the contamination of blood that was donated. Of course, the chances were low. There’s only a rare 1 in 100,000 chance of infection through blood transfusion. However, it’s impossible in modern science to drop that value to zero.

  He sighed. Asuna even felt a faint anger and helplessness from him.

  “Yuuki-kun was born in May 2011. Due to dystocia, a caesarean section was done accordingly. At that time…we couldn’t confirm it, but an accident caused a large amount of bleeding, so emergency blood transfusion was implemented. The blood that was used, unfortunately, was contaminated.”

  “…!”

  Asuna couldn’t say anything. Doctor Kurahashi glanced at her, and immediately looked down before continuing,

  “Until now, we couldn’t understand how it happened. However, it was likely that Yuuki-kun was infected the moment she was born. The father was infected within that month. The virus infection was during September, and after the blood transfusion, the mother received a blood test. At that time…the whole family…”

  The doctor sighed heavily and stopped.

  There was a sliding door on the right wall of the passage, and a metal panel was set beside it. On the panel there, the words [First Unique Design Machine Room] were lined on it.

  The doctor took the card and slid it down the panel. The electronic sound rang, and with a swoosh, the door opened.

  Feeling that her heart was being bounded tightly and painfully, Asuna followed Doctor Kurahashi through the door. Inside it was a long and strangely narrow room.

  The wall facing them had a door that was similar to the one they just passed through, and there’s a control panel on the right side which had many devices. The wall on the left side had a large glass window, but the glass was dyed black, so it’s impossible to look inside.

  “In front of us is a sterile room with air control. Please understand that we can’t enter.”

  As he said this, Doctor Kurahashi walked to the black window and operated on the panel below. With a slight rumbling sound, the color of the window became lighter, and then became transparent, showing the image.

  It was a small room. No, it was actually rather large. At first glance, it looked like the room was filled with all sorts of machines. There were tall and short ones, simple square-ish ones mixed with those complicated shapes. Thus, it took her a lot of time to notice that there was a bed in the middle.

  Asuna forcefully brought her face to the window and stared at that bed.

  There was a petite body seemingly half-asleep in the bed. The white blanket was covered to her chest, and she could see the bare skinny shoulders that looked really depressing. The throat and shoulders had all sorts of tubes attached to them, linked to the machines nearby.

  It’s impossible to see the face of the bed’s owner directly as it was covered by a white-cuboid object that swallowed the entire head. What could be seen were thin, almost transparent lips and a sharp chin. There was a display on the side of the cuboid object facing them, and all sorts of colors were jumping about. At the top of it, in a simple font, the word [Medicuboid] could be seen.

  “…Yuuki…?”

  Asuna used her trembling voice to mutter. She was finally here, with Yuuki in the real world. However, the final few meters were obstructed by the thick glass she couldn’t pass through no matter what.

  With her back facing the doctor, Asuna squeezed out the voice,

  “Doctor…what exactly is Yuuki’s condition…?”

  The answer was brief yet heavy.

  “«Acquired Immunity Deficiency Syndrome»…AIDS.”

  Chapter 9

  The moment Asuna saw this large hospital, she had a premonition that Yuuki had some serious disease. Despite this, once she heard the name of the illness from the doctor clearly, she still felt unable to breathe. Through the glass, Asuna looked at Yuuki as she lay on the bed, and felt completely frozen.

  She was wondering whether it was true. Yuuki, who was stronger than anyone, more energetic than anyone when doing anything, was actually lying in the middle of several machines. Whether it was out of reason or emotions, Asuna flat out refused to accept this fact.

  ―—I’m such a big idiot. Not knowing anything and not trying to understand her. As the girl screamed this in her heart, the tears Yuuki shed before she disappeared meant…

  “But AIDS isn’t as scary as society thinks nowadays.”

  On seeing Asuna, who was rooted to the spot, Doctor Kurahashi said in a steady voice.

  “Even when they’re infected with the Human Immunodeficiency Virus, if they can be treated early, it’s possible to contain the AIDS virus for about 10, 20 years. Through medication and thorough health management, it is possible to live like one before infection now.”

  Kii. A slight sound was heard. The consultation doctor was sitting on the chair in front of the console. He then said,

  “…However, it’s an undeniable fact that the chances of Newborns being able to survive for 5 years after being afflicted with HIV would be a lot lower than adults. Yuuki-kun’s mother once wanted to bring everyone down with her when she knew that the whole family was infected. However, her mother was a Christian since young, and through religion and the help of her father, she broke through the initial crisis, and then chose to continue fighting the disease.”

  “Continue…fighting…”

  “Yes. From the moment Yuuki was born, she was forced to fight the virus to survive. Once she broke through the most critical moment, the petite her was able to grow up safely and even enter primary school. For a kid—it’s tough to take in a large amount of drugs regularly. Besides, Nucleoside Reverse Transcriptase Inhibitors are drugs with powerful side effects. However, Yuuki-kun still believed that she would one day be healed and continued to work hard. She was hardworking, and it looked like she had top grades throughout her years in school. She had lots of friends, and I once saw many images of her at that time. She continued to have such a dazzling smile…”

  Asuna heard the doctor pause and sigh for a short while,

  “—The school didn’t know that Yuuki-kun was a HIV carrier. Actually, this is to be expected. Health check-ups carried out by the school or an enterprise are not supposed to include HIV checks in blood. However…just as she went into 4th grade, for some reason, a group of parents of students that were of the same age found out that Yuuki-kun was a carrier. The rumors immediately started to spread…The law stipulated that they shouldn’t discriminate against carriers just because they were infected with HIV. However, the sad thing is that not all the people in society are kind…in the beginning, there were people who protested against her coming to school to study, or pranks like calls and letters and so on. Her parents tried their best, but in the end, they had to move, and Yuuki-kun was forced to transfer to another school.

  “…”

  Asuna could no longer react. She could only straighten her back and listen to the doctor’s words.

  “And though Yuuki-kun worked hard to go to the new school every day…the cruel thing was that…at this moment, it started. The indicator to show the weakening of the immunization system, the lymph cells CD$ started to decrease drastically. In other words…the AIDS virus had started to take effect. I’ve always felt that the harmful words of the parents and teachers in her previous school was the reason why she became ill.”

  The young doctor attempted to continue keeping his voice calm, but the somewhat rushed sound of breathing revealed his true emotions.

  “—As the Immune System weakened, she was easily infected by viruses and bacteria that she could normally resist. This situation is called ‘Opportunistic Infection’. Yuuki-kun was infected by something called a Pneumocystis Pneumonia and ended up hospitalized here, and that was about
3.5 years ago. Yuuki-kun continued to be positive. She would always have a smile on her face every day, saying ‘I will never lose to the disease’. She never grumbled even during the painful checkups. However…”

  Having paused here, the doctor seemed like he started to move.

  “Whether it’s in the hospital or the patient, there’re lots of bacteria and viruses. Once the AIDS virus activates, we can only continue to treat the symptoms that came with the ‘Opportunistic Infection’. After the pneumonia, Yuuki-kun was infected with throat candida—At this moment, society was rocked by the Nerve Gear incident, and there was a huge commotion. At that time, there was even a discussion to seal off the FullDive Technology completely. However, the country and some manufacturers finished their research on Nerve Gear in medical treatment…the first experimental Medicuboid was completed at this moment. Also, they moved the machine over to this hospital to start the clinical trials. But even though it was an experiment, the original machine was that scary Nerve Gear, and nobody knew what would happen to the brain if we increased the density output of the electronic pulses over a long period. So in these circumstances, it was really difficult to find any volunteers that were willing to help with the experiment. Once I knew about this…I proposed something to Yuuki-kun and her family…”

  Asuna continued to wait for the doctor to continue as she looked at Yuuki on the bed and the white cube-shaped object that seemed to swallow her head.

  The center of her head was numb due to cold, but Asuna’s confused consciousness was blankly thinking to prevent herself from facing this reality.

  From the looks of the early development, Medicuboid probably wasn’t a continuation of AmuSphere, but an extension of the Nerve Gear. Asuna was used to the AmuSphere, but she could imagine that pure feeling of the virtual world created from the Nerve Gear. The AmuSphere was a machine that had three, four times the number of safety precautions added since the SAO incident, but the virtual world that was created really couldn’t be compared to the first generation in terms of quality.