Just as Imagawa Shiori's body was about to slide down along the wall.
A hand reached out from beside her.
But it wasn't to support her. Instead, it passed directly over her shoulder and latched onto the small window that the female clerk had just shut.
*Clatter—*
Accompanied by the grinding of the track, the window was pulled open again.
"Hey! Have you had enough or what!"
The clerk had been about to light a cigarette. Seeing the window forced open again, she flew into a rage.
"I already said there are no rooms! Can't you understand human speech?"
She slammed the lighter onto the counter, a string of curses spilling from her gum-chewing mouth.
Kiryu Kazusuke ignored her shouts.
He turned sideways, extracted two thousand-yen bills from Imagawa Shiori's hand, and placed them on the reception counter.
"I'm not here to cause trouble, nor do I intend to force my way into a room."
"Here's two thousand yen.
"I only need to borrow the store's phone to call Gunma University Hospital for an ambulance."
"And get two dry towels and borrow the linen room to wipe the water off her. That's all."
"That's not a problem, right?"
Two thousand yen was the hourly wage of an ordinary worker for two or three hours.
No one would argue with money, and his request was only to borrow a phone and towels—this was definitely enough.
The clerk's gaze swept over the portrait of Natsume Soseki.
If this money didn't go on the books, it was pure profit.
In this day and age where everyone was killing themselves for a few hundred yen an hour, earning two thousand yen just for handing over two towels—if you turned down a good deal like that, you needed to schedule an appointment with psychiatry.
Besides, looking at these two... they probably weren't the type of vagrants who would cause trouble.
"Tch." The clerk reached out and swept the money into her pocket. "If you'd said that earlier, it would've been done."
Her attitude didn't become particularly respectful, but it did soften considerably. At the very least, it was no longer the posture of someone ready to throw them out.
"Phone's over there. Call yourself."
"I can't let you use the linen room. If anything goes missing, I'll have to pay for it."
"But looking at you two..."
"Sit on the couch in the lobby for a while. The heater's on anyway."
As she spoke, she turned around and yanked two large, thick bath towels from the shelf behind her, tossing them out through the window.
"Here, wipe yourselves off."
"Don't get water everywhere, or I'll have to mop."
"Wait, I'll go pour you some hot water."
Even if it was just for the two-thousand-yen service fee, pouring a cup of water was the least she could do.
"Thanks."
Kiryu Kazusuke reached out and caught the towels.
He really wanted the "External Fixation Application: Advanced," but since there were no vacant rooms, he couldn't spend the night here.
If they forcibly stayed in the lobby, the police would probably arrive before long.
Might as well go to the hospital then.
He turned around and draped one towel over Imagawa Shiori's head, rubbing vigorously a few times to dry the melted snow from her hair and face.
"Come on, sit over there."
Kiryu Kazusuke wrapped his arm around her shoulder and led her to the two-seater sofa in the corner of the lobby.
Although it was just a simple front hall, because it connected to the interior corridor, the heating was turned up high.
Compared to the icebox outside, this was practically heaven.
But when the dry, thick fabric touched her skin, Imagawa Shiori instinctively tensed up.
"It... it hurts..."
She shuddered. Her previously numb hands and feet began to prick with needle-like pain.
"Pain is good. It means the nerves aren't dead yet."
Kiryu Kazusuke draped the other dry towel over her and helped her remove her wet, cold overcoat.
Imagawa Shiori didn't resist. She no longer had the strength to resist.
The usual aloof reserve and pride that kept others at a distance had been buried by the cold wind and snow.
Now, she was like a kitten that had been drenched and retracted all its claws and fangs. Not only had she lost her thorns, but she even showed a trace of docility born from craving warmth.
Imagawa Shiori, her consciousness somewhat hazy, leaned forward and snuggled closer.
The human body was also a heat source; it counted as a rewarming tool.
"Only hot water. Make do with it."
The clerk walked over carrying two paper cups and set them on the coffee table in front of them.
"Thanks."
Kiryu Kazusuke picked up one cup and held it to Imagawa Shiori's lips.
She obediently opened her mouth and sipped in small mouthfuls. The warm liquid flowed down her esophagus into her stomach, bringing a wave of warmth.
After a while, Imagawa Shiori's complexion finally improved somewhat.
Just as Kiryu Kazusuke was preparing to call for an ambulance.
*Bang—*
The wooden door connecting to the rear corridor was shoved violently open, slamming against the wall.
"Ah, that bastard!"
"The toilet in Room 206 is clogged again!"
"The trash can is full of condoms. Ah, can't these guests do anything besides have sex!"
A young man in work clothes came striding out furiously, carrying a plunger and a bucket, shouting loudly as he walked.
Because of the blizzard, there were especially many guests tonight, and all sorts of messy problems too.
He had been running up and down so busily his feet barely touched the ground.
Imagawa Shiori was startled by the sudden commotion.
For someone in the recovery phase from hypothermia, the nervous system was already in an extremely sensitive and fragile state; any external stimulus would be amplified.
She subconsciously curled her body deeper into Kiryu Kazusuke's embrace.
"Ah, what now? We're full. Get out."
The young man saw the two extra people in the lobby, set down the bucket in his right hand, and waved impatiently.
Kiryu Kazusuke turned around.
Their eyes met.
Kiryu Kazusuke hurriedly explained, "We are..."
But the young man suddenly spoke with a face full of pleasant surprise. "Ah, Doctor!"
Kiryu Kazusuke looked down at himself. "Huh?"
Dark turtleneck sweater, gray overcoat. He wasn't wearing a white coat, didn't have a stethoscope hung around his neck, and certainly no employee badge.
How did this person recognize him?
Then, the young man suddenly smiled rather sheepishly and hid the plunger in his hand behind his back.
"Dr. Kiryu, what are you doing here?"
"Huh?"
"I'm Watanabe! Watanabe Tsubasa!"
He tossed the plunger into the bucket, wiped his left hand on his work clothes, and walked over excitedly.
"A few days ago in the ER, my shoulder was dislocated. It hurt like hell."
"You reset it for me!"
"With one click, it was fine. Amazing!"
As he spoke, he deliberately moved his left shoulder, showing it to Kiryu Kazusuke with large, even somewhat exaggerated motions.
Kiryu Kazusuke remembered.
It was that shoulder dislocation case on Christmas Eve, after obtaining "Joint Dislocation Reduction: Basic" from Imagawa Shiori.
At the time, the other party had even questioned his skill.
"Oh, it's you."
"Looks like the shoulder recovered very well."
He was a bit surprised to run into someone he knew in a place like this.
But thinking about it, it made sense.
Present-day Maebashi City had a total population of only about two hundred eighty thousand. It wasn't a particularly large place to begin with, so running into someone wasn't exactly unusual.
"What are you doing here?"
"Hehe, I'm working a part-time job. Saving up to buy new motorcycle parts."
Watanabe Tsubasa scratched his head, a little embarrassed.