Tokyo, 1994, starting with medical training

Chapter 41 Collective Supremacy, Selflessness and Public Service

Imagawa Ori emphasized the last half of her sentence.

Kiryu Kazusuke understood immediately.

In the food chain of university hospitals, the plundering of the intellectual achievements of junior doctors is not only tacitly approved, but even regarded as a form of cultivation.

This reminded him of a man named Shuji Nakamura.

At that time, in the small rural company of Nichia Chemical Industries, Shuji Nakamura had just invented the world-shaking high-brightness blue LED.

This invention will allow the company to earn hundreds of billions in profits.

And what did Shuji Nakamura gain?

2 million yen.

The patent award of only 2 yen is not even enough to take my colleagues to an izakaya for a decent drink.

This is Japanese corporate culture, and also Japan's white tower culture.

Prioritize the collective and eliminate selfishness for the public good.

An individual's talent and effort must be dedicated to the organization without compensation.

When the organization serves meat, individuals may not even get to drink the soup; they're only allowed to smell it. And after smelling it, they must remember to gratefully shout, "Thank you for your cultivation!"

This culture of exploitation is ingrained in the very marrow of this country.

The same applies to hospitals.

All the honors went to the professor, all the benefits went to the hospital, all the blame was placed on the surgeon, and all the miscellaneous tasks were assigned to the resident physician.

"Dr. Imagawa."

"If I heard you correctly, you mean I'll do everything?"

"And in the end, I only get a third authorship?"

Kiryu Kazusuke's gaze fell on Imagawa Ori's exquisite but indifferent face.

"What's wrong? Is there something you're unhappy about?"

Imagawa Ori frowned slightly; she disliked Kiryu Kazusuke's tone.

Isn't this what medical training should be like?

In order to stay in the hospital, to gain the favor of senior doctors, and for even the smallest opportunity, they worked desperately and performed their best.

She went through the same thing before.

Writing PPTs for professors, researching materials for assistant professors, and even helping senior colleagues take care of their children and wash their cars.

That's the rule.

When Kiryu Kazusuke becomes a professor, he can treat others the same way.

But right now, he's just a medical trainee. It's already good enough if his name gets published in a journal. What more could he want?

"I refuse."

Kazusuke Kiryu shook his head decisively.

Imagawa Ori was stunned. Her order had actually been rejected?

"What did you say?"

She thought she was hallucinating because she hadn't slept well the night before.

"I can rewrite the surgical records."

"But as for the paper, I'm sorry, please tell Professor Nishimura that I am powerless to help."

Kazusuke Kiryu shook his head, stating his position.

The surgical record was originally his job, and it had been taken over by Takikawa Takuhei before, so it was understandable that he was asked to write it again now.

Imagawa Ori's brow furrowed deeper and deeper.

If it were Kenji Tanaka, who was also a medical trainee, he would definitely be bowing deeply in gratitude at this moment.

Why?

Imagawa Ori's face darkened, and the atmosphere around her suddenly became tense.

But Kiryu Kazusuke just looked out the window; the snow was still falling, turning the entire city of Maebashi white.

A few seconds later, he turned around.

"Dr. Imagawa."

"When we were at Kagura Club, you promised to let me be your first assistant. I kept your secret and also helped you fend off Sachiko Nakamori's advances."

"This was a deal we had already agreed upon."

"Later on the operating table, I performed the Kirschner wire fixation, saving the surgery and preserving your reputation."

"So, I don't owe you anything."

"Well, I'm sorry, I don't accept this kind of unequal exploitation."

His words were clearly and logically presented.

Imagawa Ori, standing opposite, blinked her big eyes.

She wanted to say something threatening, like, "Do you still want to stay in the First Surgery Department?"

But I also have a feeling that if I really said it, Kiryu would probably take off his white coat on the spot and go off to enjoy life.

This job requires 24-hour shifts every other day; whoever wants to do it can do it.

That won't do.

However, on the other hand...

It's clearly exploitation, but they insist on calling it guidance; it's clearly taking credit, but they insist on calling it promotion.

No one dared to expose this secret.

But Kiryu Kazusuke didn't care.

It turns out there really are people like that who don't care at all whether they fit in or not.

Imagawa Ori gritted her teeth.

asshole.

How come this guy is even more realistic than me?

But she also knew in her heart that she couldn't do anything about him.

Such high-level papers involve extremely complex biomechanical analysis and surgical logic deduction, and only those who truly understand this technology can write them.

That is, Kiryu Kazusuke himself.

If he's unwilling to cooperate and just throws in a bunch of garbage data to fool people, then this paper is doomed.

but……

Imagawa Ori recalled Professor Nishimura's earnest gaze and the absolute order to "submit the first draft within one month."

Headache.

Since hard tactics don't work, let's try softer ones, or rather, moral blackmail.

"Kiryu-kun."

"This is to contribute to the department."

"Professor Nishimura values ​​this paper highly. If it can be published, it will greatly enhance the reputation of the entire First Surgery Department."

"You're a member of the medical department; shouldn't you have a sense of collective honor?"

"Moreover, if you can gain the professor's favor, even if the assistant professors in the medical department want to make things difficult for you, they will have to think twice."

Imagawa softened her tone, although the content still sounded a bit dry.

These are words that Assistant Professor Mizutani often says.

Every time he gets his subordinates to do something, he uses the same excuses: "for the collective," "for the future," and "for the greater good."

It usually works very well.

However, Imagawa Ori clearly did not grasp the essence of it.

Assistant Professor Mizutani usually has a big smile on his face, and no matter what he says, he looks genuinely sincere.

But Imagawa Ori kept a cold expression on her face while she spoke.

However, you can't blame her for this.

After all, she was only good at flirting with lonely women.

"Dr. Imagawa, you're not suited for ideological work."

"You'd be cuter if you just talked about money directly."

Kiryu Kazusuke smiled, naturally he wouldn't accept PUA, no matter who the other party was.

Imagawa Orihime choked.

Her cheeks were slightly flushed, I don’t know if it was from anger or something else.

"Are you going to write it or not?"

She was too lazy to pretend anymore and just laid her cards on the table.

"I won't write it."

After saying that, Kiryu Kazusuke accepted the surgical record from the windowsill and turned back to the clinic.

Imagawa Ori watched his departing figure.

"Okay, okay, very good."

"You've got guts."

She nodded several times, then laughed in exasperation.

It's just a paper, isn't it?

Who is Imagawa Ori?

He was admitted to the medical school at the age of 16 and became a genius with a specialized medical degree at the age of 28.

While the wealthy young men and women in medical school were busy socializing, skiing, and squandering their youth, she worked at a convenience store until 3 a.m.

Even with only 3 hours of sleep, you can still get a perfect score on the exam.

Upon arriving at the hospital, in the First Surgical Department, a place with a strict hierarchy and almost entirely dominated by men.

She had no background or connections, but she managed to rise to the top by working twice as many shifts and performing twice as many surgeries as others, stepping on the pride of countless senior colleagues.

So, even without Kiryu Kazusuke, I can handle it myself!

I should be able to handle it, right?

(End of this chapter)