The next morning, the morning conference of the First Surgical Department was held as usual.
Over twenty doctors stood in staggered rows according to their respective standing within the department.
Senior veterans occupied the front, while residents like Kiryu Kazusuke could only stand in the back.
At the front of the department office, Associate Professor Mizutani Mitsuma stood before the projection screen.
He was in his mid-forties, slightly stout, but the white coat he wore was impeccably tailored, and a length of gold watch chain peeked out from his wrist.
As the right-hand man of Department Chair Professor Nishimura Sumika, he handled the majority of day-to-day administrative affairs.
Professor Nishimura herself rarely appeared at such gatherings; her presence was more symbolic, hanging high above this small kingdom of the First Surgical Department like an overseeing authority.
“...”
“That concludes last week’s surgical reports and this week’s scheduled arrangements.”
Mizutani tapped the whiteboard with a marker, pulling everyone’s attention back.
His voice sounded somewhat weary, and the bags under his eyes were heavier than usual.
The previous night had been anything but pleasant.
First, Osada Ayaka had cornered him at a love hotel, begging him to help smooth over a medical accident from a few days prior.
At the time, he had agreed without a second thought.
After all, the arrow had already been nocked to the string and had to be loosed.
Once reason returned afterward, he had naturally forgotten whatever promises he had made in bed.
As if.
A woman who threw herself at him was fine for a fling.
Moreover, Osada Ayaka’s demands had grown increasingly excessive lately, clinging to him like sticky taffy that couldn’t be shaken off, even deluding herself into thinking she could extend their relationship from the bed to beyond it.
That was a severe overstepping of boundaries.
After returning home, his wife had demanded that he fulfill his marital duties.
Besieged from both sides, the fact that he could stand here today and conduct the morning conference was already being sustained by nothing more than sheer force of will.
“In addition, the Emergency Department admitted a patient with a comminuted fracture of the distal radius yesterday.”
“Suzuki Shinya, forty-three years old, a construction worker. He stated that he accidentally fell from scaffolding.”
“The patient’s admission assessment was handled by Kiryu-kun.”
Saying this, Mizutani glanced toward the corner.
Having Kiryu Kazusuke handle it had originally been intended as a pretext to knock him down a peg, while also giving Osada Ayaka an explanation to show that he had tried his best.
Who would have expected a first-year resident to perform an admission workup so well?
The lab orders and examination reports were all organized in perfect order.
Since that was the case, there was no need to deliberately make things difficult for a resident at the morning conference over some irrelevant woman.
Doing so would only make the others in the department think he was making a mountain out of a molehill, beneath his dignity.
After all, he still had to prepare for his campaign to become a full professor.
So Mizutani Mitsuma simply gave Kiryu Kazusuke a look without wasting any more time on the matter.
Doing well was simply performing one’s duty; it was equally unworthy of praise.
He used the marker to sketch a rough anatomical diagram of the radius on the whiteboard.
“This patient’s fracture type is rather complicated.”
“It is classified as AO Type C3, with severe comminution of the articular surface.”
“While conventional ORIF remains feasible, considering the patient is a construction worker, the demands for wrist joint functional recovery are very high.”
“If the articular surface is not managed smoothly enough, post-traumatic arthritis and restricted range of motion are highly likely to occur postoperatively.”
At this point, he paused.
Mizutani Mitsuma swept his gaze across the specialists in the front row.
“Dr. Imagawa, you’ll be the lead surgeon.”
Then, his gaze landed on a woman with neat, shoulder-length hair.
Imagawa Ori, who had chosen to stand against the wall, possessed refined features that stood out prominently among a group of doctors who were generally unremarkable in appearance.
At only thirty years old, she had already obtained her certification as an orthopedic specialist.
Matching her superb surgical skill was not only her delicate and attractive features, but also an extremely pragmatic personality.
To put it simply, she was single-mindedly obsessed with money.
She would act without hesitation for a substantial surgical fee or to curry favor with the powerful and influential. There were even rumors that this Dr. Imagawa was working a side job somewhere else.
When it came to odd jobs within the department or unpaid conferences, she would truly resort to any means necessary to avoid them.
“Understood.”
Imagawa Ori, with her hands in the pockets of her white coat, responded without much enthusiasm.
Mizutani Mitsuma then went over a few more matters and hastily dismissed the meeting.
Throughout the entire process, he did not look at Kiryu Kazusuke again, nor did he show any intention of causing trouble.
Although Kiryu Kazusuke was somewhat surprised, this was ultimately a good thing.
The crowd dispersed one after another.
Kiryu Kazusuke was also preparing to return to his corner to organize medical records.
“Kiryu-kun, wait.”
At that moment, Imagawa Ori walked over and called out to him.
“Yes, Dr. Imagawa.”
Kiryu Kazusuke straightened his posture.
Imagawa Ori stopped before him. She was slightly shorter than Kiryu Kazusuke and had to tilt her face up slightly to meet his eyes.
“That radius fracture patient—you handled the admission workup, correct?”
“Yes.”
“Here are several additional pre-operative examinations. Write the orders, organize the results, and place them on my desk before I return.”
Saying this, Imagawa Ori picked up pen and paper, quickly wrote down the requirements, and handed them to Kiryu Kazusuke.
Scrawled in messy handwriting were several examinations: wrist CT, anteroposterior, lateral, oblique, and carpal tunnel view X-rays, and ulnar nerve conduction velocity testing.
These were indeed necessary examinations for a more precise assessment of the degree of articular surface comminution and nerve status.
Although Imagawa Ori’s attitude could hardly be considered friendly, her professionalism was impeccable.
“I understand.”
Kiryu Kazusuke nodded in acknowledgment.
Just then, a pale red curtain of light surfaced once again before his eyes.
【Imagawa Ori: Damn it, just an ordinary construction worker who can’t even give much of a monetary gift. That fatty Mizutani knows exactly how to dump these thankless, exhausting surgeries on me! So annoying. Why is my period here again?】
【Converging World Lines —】
【Branch One: Seeking no credit but only to avoid blame, you stick to the duties of a second assistant, taking on all miscellaneous tasks before, during, and after surgery. (Reward: 20,000 yen in cash)】
【Branch Two: Having clocked over eighty hours this week, you decide to take leave and dump all the work onto everyone else. (Reward: Takashimaya Department Store shopping voucher—100,000-yen limit, 10-minute time limit)】
【Branch Three: Go to “Kagura Club” in Chiyoda-cho, request Imagawa Nao by name, and obtain permission to perform provisional K-wire fixation during surgery. (Reward: Advanced Surgical Incision Suturing)】
Three world lines. Yet after reading them, Kiryu Kazusuke looked utterly perplexed.
That Imagawa Ori was classified as a villainess came as no surprise to him whatsoever, so that was not the source of his confusion.
The first two branches presented no issues; if anything was special, it was that Branch Two had finally introduced an item reward.
However, the real problem lay in Branch Three.
The Chiyoda-cho mentioned here was not the one in Tokyo—the center symbolizing Japan’s political power, economic lifeline, and historical culture.
Rather, it was the Chiyoda-cho in Maebashi, Gunma Prefecture—the city’s most bustling commercial district, lined with department stores, izakayas, and movie theaters, interspersed with various establishments in the adult entertainment industry.
Most importantly, Kiryu Kazusuke was quite certain he did not know anyone named “Imagawa Nao” in his memories.
Could this person be some relative of Dr. Imagawa Ori?
Furthermore, the term “request by name” was most widely known for its usage in the sex industry.
Was this “Kagura Club” a legitimate establishment?