Steam from the coffee curled upward beneath the warm light of the booth.
“Kiryu-kun?”
Nagata Ayaka finally noticed that although Kiryu Kazusuke’s gaze was directed forward, its focus wasn’t on her.
She reached out and waved her hand in front of his eyes.
“Don’t disturb me. Let me think.”
Kiryu Kazusuke snapped impatiently.
Nagata Ayaka immediately withdrew her hand, but there was a rippling tenderness in her eyes as she looked at him.
She believed this was nothing more than Kiryu Kazusuke bluffing to express his resentment.
It wasn’t a big problem.
So long as Kiryu-kun was still that foolish boy who, just because she said she wanted to eat crepes, would run through a downpour across all of Maebashi City to buy them for her and come back soaked to the bone.
From her reaction, Kiryu Kazusuke also realized that the screen of the World Line Convergence Plan was visible only to him.
So the question became: which world line should he choose?
First, eliminate Branches One and Two.
Having lived two lives and been a doctor in both, Kiryu Kazusuke could never choose those two world lines.
Yes, he possessed flexible moral bottom lines, but medical ethics were not among them.
Forcing innocent patients to suffer because of one’s own mistakes and then covering up the truth—Nagata Ayaka could do such a thing, but he could not.
[Branch Three: Your conscience is acting up. Uphold medical ethics and report truthfully (Reward: Bank deposit increases by 100,000 yen)]
Under normal circumstances, this would be his course of action.
This reward was nothing short of a timely blessing for him, given his currently strained financial situation.
[Branch Four: You are vindictive. Not only will you report her, but before that, you will humiliate her (Reward: Kirschner Wire Fixation · Perfect)]
Kiryu Kazusuke was working as a resident in the First Surgical Department, which was equivalent to orthopedics.
This skill was right up his alley.
He had already mastered Kirschner wire fixation in his previous life, but only at an ordinary level.
From a long-term perspective, the value of this skill definitely could not be compared to a mere 100,000 yen.
But the problem was that you had to look at it long-term.
Just as he was making his decision…
Nagata Ayaka suddenly slid out from the opposite booth and sat down beside him.
“Kiryu-kun, I know I’ve put you in a difficult position.”
“I also know you’re still angry with me about Professor Mizutani…”
“But I really have no other way. As long as you’re willing to help me this once, I’m willing to do anything.”
Saying this, Nagata Ayaka licked her red lips, then looked at Kiryu Kazusuke with eyes like a pool of spring water.
“Really. Anything.”
“As long as you’re willing to testify for me… I can come to your apartment tonight.”
After saying this, two unnatural blushes appeared on her cheeks.
She believed she had shown sufficient sincerity. Kiryu Kazusuke had always harbored feelings for her; he had no reason to refuse this condition.
When it came to mulling over trivial matters like this, it was best to let the lower body do the thinking.
And at this moment.
Kiryu Kazusuke finally moved, picking up his coffee cup and taking a sip.
Then he looked down at Nagata Ayaka, who was nearly pressed against him, smiled faintly, and spoke.
“Sure.”
This answer caused Nagata Ayaka’s tense body to relax instantly.
Wonderful.
She let out a long breath in her heart.
As expected, Kiryu-kun was still the same as before.
Although the process had been a bit more complicated than expected, the result was good. As long as she got through this crisis, everything would return to normal.
As for tonight…
She’d just treat it as being bitten by a dog.
Anyway, as long as she could keep her job and her current life, it was nothing at all.
Nagata Ayaka showed a sincere smile. “Thank you so much, Kiryu-kun. I knew you were the best.”
However, Kiryu Kazusuke suddenly shook his head.
This caused Nagata Ayaka’s expression to freeze.
Kiryu Kazusuke looked down at her and said while shaking his head, “Nagata-senpai, one night isn’t enough.”
An immediate surge of displeasure welled up in Nagata Ayaka’s heart.
One night isn’t enough?
The old Kiryu-kun would never haggle like this.
But she quickly suppressed it, forcing out a smile. “Then Kiryu-kun, how many nights do you want?”
At worst, she’d just treat it as being bitten by a few more dogs.
Kiryu Kazusuke looked at her with a smile. “I want you to be my long-term lover.”
Nagata Ayaka was stunned for a moment.
Had she heard wrong?
Lover?
He wanted her to be his long-term lover?
Was this still that shy, even somewhat cowardly and self-abasing resident, Kiryu Kazusuke?
She should be the one firmly holding the dominant position in this relationship.
She could bestow a little gentleness and retract it at any time, while Kiryu Kazusuke had to keep waiting in place.
Not like now, where he had turned around and made demands of her.
But she didn’t flare up.
Reason overcame emotion as her brain rapidly weighed the pros and cons.
If she refused, her career at the hospital might end right here; more than a decade of effort would go down the drain, forcing her to return to the rural hometown she had desperately fled.
And Associate Professor Mizutani would absolutely never offend the hospital for her sake in a matter like this.
She was merely one of his three or four lovers.
If she agreed…
It didn’t seem out of the question?
Kiryu Kazusuke was still a resident with busy and irregular hours. As long as she managed her time well, it was almost impossible for Associate Professor Mizutani to discover their relationship.
“Fine, I agree.”
Nagata Ayaka took a deep breath and made her final compromise.
Just as she thought a massive stone had settled in her heart—
Kiryu Kazusuke stood up.
He took out a one-thousand-yen bill from his wallet and placed it on the table, then picked up his coffee cup and put it on top of the bill.
“Sorry, Nagata-senpai. I was just messing with you earlier. Please don’t take it to heart.”
Saying this, Kiryu Kazusuke got up from the inside of the booth.
“What…?”
The bewildered Nagata Ayaka instinctively shrank back.
Messing with her?
Did that mean he didn’t want her to be his lover after all?
That was wonderful.
She could resolve this without even being bitten by a dog.
By now, Kiryu Kazusuke had already stepped out of the booth.
He leaned down close to Nagata Ayaka’s ear and spoke softly. “Nagata-senpai, when I said I was messing with you, I meant…”
“Regarding yesterday’s medical accident, I will report everything I saw to the hospital administration truthfully.”
“Good luck.”
When his words fell, he straightened up and walked toward the door.
After he pulled open the glass door and his figure vanished into the night, Nagata Ayaka—still hearing the words “good luck” echoing in her ears—finally came to her senses and understood what had happened.
A tremendous sense of humiliation and the fury of being toyed with instantly surged to the top of her head.
“Kiryu Kazusuke, you bastard!”
Nagata Ayaka screamed. Furious, she grabbed the coffee cup from the table and hurled it fiercely in the direction of the door.
Bang—
The coffee cup smashed into pieces, brown liquid splashing everywhere, leaving a complete mess.
Several tables of guests in the restaurant turned their heads.
“What are you looking at!”
Nagata Ayaka gnashed her teeth and cursed.
Then she grabbed her coat and handbag, stepped into her high heels, and stormed toward the exit.
Before she had taken two steps, a waiter who had rushed over upon hearing the noise blocked her path. “Miss, before you leave, you need to pay for this cup.”