I, Aki Tomoya, will not be a simp.

"Speaking of which, where is Dr. Nakado?"

At this moment, someone asked why everyone in the office was missing except for Zhongtang Xi.

Aki Tomoya waited in the office for a long time, but still couldn't see him. Seeing that it was getting late, he could only leave regretfully.

"I'm leaving now, but I'll come visit you all again when I have time!"

After saying goodbye to them and walking out of the door of UDI, Tomoya Aki was no longer the anatomical recorder here.

Shortly after he stepped out, he encountered Zhongtang Xi walking towards him.

He walked over, wearing his ever-present overcoat, expressionless, his gaze fixed straight ahead, as if he hadn't even seen Aki Tomoya.

But as he passed by Aki Tomoya, he stopped and after a couple of seconds said, "Aki, after you leave, don't run into a jerk like me again. Thank you for what happened before, and I apologize for any mistakes I made."

After leaving those words, Nakado walked towards the stairwell.

At this moment, Aki Tomoya called out to him, "Dr. Nakado, you didn't keep our agreement. You're not allowed to call me an idiot... I'll let it go this time, but please be more careful in the future. Also, I can accept Dr. Nakado's gratitude, but I don't deserve your apology. I'm not the one who should be apologizing."

Zhongtang looked back at him for several seconds, then slowly uttered a few words: "I know."

Good to know!

Aki Tomoya smiled as he watched his retreating figure. Whoever it was, may everyone be well.

And I'll still be busy in the future.

Chapter 386 Unable to Play Happily Together

Saying goodbye to UDI doesn't really mean severing ties with the place. Everyone has their own goals, and it was fate that brought us together. It wasn't easy for anyone, but as they say, all good things must come to an end.

Actually, Aki Tomo also wanted to stay until after the spring break and before the start of the new semester next year, but after thinking about it, he finally decided to get these things done by the end of the year.

So, in the end, I chose to say goodbye to UDI at this point.

The director, Mikoto Misumi, Kei Nakado, Yuko Tokai, Makoto Sakamoto, and Rokuro Kube each gave him different words before leaving, and the atmosphere wasn't really as sad as a farewell.

The only thing Aki Tomoya took away from UDI wasn't what he held in his hands, but what he kept in his mind and heart.

Even though there was nothing to remember him by, he remembered what everyone looked like.

Two medical students from the research institute applied for the job of recorder, one after the other, but in the end only Rokuro Kube chose to stay and pursue a career in forensic medicine.

Everyone has their own ambitions. At first glance, I was completely lost, like someone wading in the sea and not being able to find the shore. But eventually, I realized what I wanted to do.

Nakado Kei, who often lay on the dissection table, and whose reasons Aki Tomoya had been wondering about, finally had his worries put to rest.

The director, who works tirelessly to secure funding and maintain relationships with various parties, hopefully won't go bald so quickly.

Now that she's over thirty, and most men aren't exactly known for their sunny disposition, I guess Tokai Rin Yuko will find a good man in the future.

Mikoto Misumi, who embodies the rigor and dignity of forensic medicine, also taught him a good lesson.

Finally, there's Makoto Sakamoto, the uncle who's always had a good relationship with Tomoya Aki. He'll be facing the Nakado faction alone from now on...

At the same time, Aki Tomoya also shares a sense of guilt with that group of people.

He had been at UDI for quite some time, over a year, and had encountered many murder cases. Apart from one incident, Aki Tomoya felt that he had always adhered to principles and had not done anything outside of them.

But there was at least one thing he deeply regretted.

Those who have made mistakes they deeply regret, and who are able to learn from their experiences, will always be mindful of others and strive to avoid repeating the same mistakes next time.

After experiencing something like this, Aki Tomoya felt that he should always maintain this mindset.

Having witnessed tragedy, I realize that habit itself isn't terrible; what's terrible is not trying to stop it.

I've become numb from looking at corpses—all kinds: recently died, not long ago, long dead, skeletonized, gigantic, bloated and horribly gruesome…

The tragedy that ultimately left the survivors left the deepest impression on Aki Tomoya, like a blow to the head, and the pain was unforgettable.

"The doctor is also trying to prevent a tragedy from happening."

Although doctors can't guarantee anything, they can only do their best, but at least they've done their part.

But in the Suzuki case, Aki Tomoya didn't even have the chance to contact the person involved.

At UDI, Aki Tomoya really learned and saw a lot. Forensic medicine is still medicine, but how is the rigor and dignity of forensic doctors different from that of ordinary doctors?

The living at least have the opportunity to accuse others, but the dead don't even have the means to do so, and forensic scientists are their last messengers of information.

……

After handing over all his affairs at UDI and confirming his departure, Aki Tomoya began preparing for his big exam.

The exams started two weeks before Christmas, on the 9th.

The goal of the exams is obvious: pass all subjects without failing a single one. In the medical school, if you don't have enough credits for one subject, you have to repeat the year. This is especially true in the final year of the liberal arts faculty, where no one dares to relax.

Of course, for the students in the third year of science, passing all courses is quite a sure thing. Although the courses are becoming increasingly intense, this is how it should be for them.

The medical practitioner qualification certificate is jokingly referred to by some as an exam that is easier to pass than a driver's license.

This kind of banter originated from within the medical school.

Because the pass rate for the medical practitioner qualification certificate is very high, even higher than that for the driver's license!

Those who are eligible to take the medical licensing exam have all passed two exams, and most importantly, they are all medical students.

Getting into the medical school is no easy feat. After six years of intense study, those who persevere to the very end have a high pass rate.

This is why people within the medical community jokingly refer to it. If someone outside the medical field were to make such a joke, they would either be considered pretentious or simply have a mental illness.

After finishing the major exams on the 9th and 10th, there's basically nothing else to do until the end of winter break.

However, we can't completely relax, because after the winter break and before the spring break, there will be another big exam, which is the real final exam.

After that exam, it was time to start my third year, leaving the Faculty of Liberal Arts, and begin specializing in different fields.

The Faculty of Liberal Arts at the University of Tokyo is like this; specialization begins in the third year. Although the third year of science is the Faculty of Medicine, there are still different specializations within the Faculty of Medicine.

But actually, aside from these factors, it's not much different from the medical schools of other universities.

"The exams are finally over. I wonder how much further ahead Aki will be than me this time. You've been too ruthless, always chasing after him. Who knows, one day you might actually pull Suzutani down!"

After two days of exams, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

Although the exams themselves weren't particularly difficult, the sheer number of subjects required for each exam made it quite tiring.

Even the usually carefree Takagi had to take it seriously.

"I estimate that's where I'll stop. I'll be satisfied if I'm one place ahead of Takagi."

"...If you're so capable, pull Suzuya down! If you pull him down, I'll set off fireworks to celebrate!"

Upon hearing this, Takagi rolled his eyes at Aki Tomoya.

Meanwhile, Majima said in an incredulous tone, "Takagi-kun, just think about it, how terrifying would it be if Aki-kun could always stay ahead of you in the rankings?!"

Upon hearing this, Takagi first frowned, then quickly realized the reason behind it, and then looked at Aki Tomoya with feigned horror.

"You rascal, you've already traveled to a place so far away from us?!"

"Tsk, Majima-kun, aren't we allies?"

Aki Tomo ignored Takagi and instead looked at Majima with a somewhat speechless expression.

It's hard to say whether I'll be able to rank ahead of Takagi again in this exam.

But if it's in front of Takagi again, he's really satisfied.

Takagi, aside from other things, did have excellent grades in the third year of science, while Majima, who was next to him, had even better grades.

But what Majima just said was an unwarranted persecution of him!

If he could really control his grades that well, then Aki Tomoya would have become a god long ago!

"Who said that? Takagi-kun and I are good friends too!"

Majima smiled slyly.

It's pointless for Aki Tomoya to keep targeting Takagi; it's time for Takagi to turn the tables and take the lead.

When Takagi heard Majima say that, he was so moved that he couldn't speak.

Seeing that Takagi had inexplicably started to feel sentimental, Aki Tomo thought that this person was beyond saving and was too dramatic.

"Speaking of which, at this time last year, Takagi was still nagging Aki about his birthday, but this year he's calmed down. It seems Takagi has gradually quieted down, since he'll be officially entering the medical school next year."

At the same time, Majima made another remark.

Thinking back to this time last year, Takagi was very excited and insisted on using Aki Tomoya's birthday as an excuse to have fun together, but this year it's much quieter.

I guess it's because of what happened in the last two months, and now that I'm about to officially set my direction and face an even heavier workload, that I've gradually calmed down.

Even Aki Tomoya, who had just been persecuted by Majima, felt that this was a good thing.

When Takagi is serious, he may not be mute, but when he's not serious, they'd rather he be mute.

At this moment, Takagi explained quite seriously, "It's not that I don't want to, it's that I don't want to be a third wheel this year. I predict that Aki will most likely spend some time alone with his girlfriend, so I won't join in the fun!"

Takagi's words make sense; the situation this year is indeed different from last year.

Last year, they were both single and could hang out together amicably, but this year they can no longer have fun together.