Tokyo, 1994, starting with medical training

Chapter 6 Practical Character

The next morning, the First Surgery Department held its morning meeting as usual.

The twenty-odd doctors stood in a staggered arrangement according to their respective positions within the medical bureau.

Senior colleagues occupied the front row, while trainee doctors like Kiryu Kazusuke could only stand in the back.

In front of the medical office, Assistant Professor Mitsuma Mizutani stood in front of the projection screen.

He was in his forties, slightly overweight, but wearing a well-tailored white coat, with a gold watch chain showing on his wrist.

As Professor Sumika Nishimura's right-hand woman, the head of the medical department, she is responsible for overseeing most of the daily affairs.

Professor Nishimura herself rarely appears on such occasions; her presence is more like a symbol, hanging high above the small kingdom of the First Surgery Department.

"..."

"The above is last week's surgical report and this week's schedule."

Mitsuma Mizutani tapped the whiteboard with a marker, drawing everyone's attention back to him.

His voice sounded tired, and his eye bags were heavier than usual.

Last night was really not a good one.

First, he was pestered by Ayaka Nagata at a love hotel, who asked him to help cover up the medical malpractice incident from a few days ago.

He agreed without even thinking.

After all, we were at a point where the die was cast and we had no choice but to proceed.

Once he regained his senses, he naturally forgot what he had promised in bed.

What a joke.

A woman who actively pursues you is someone you can just play around with.

Moreover, Nagata Ayaka has been making more and more demands lately, sticking to me like a piece of chewing gum that I can't shake off, and even trying to extend the relationship from the bed to the floor.

This is a serious breach of boundaries.

After returning home, his wife demanded that he fulfill his duties as a husband.

Caught between two attacks, the fact that he's able to stand here and preside over the morning meeting today is a testament to his incredible willpower.

"In addition, the emergency department admitted a patient with a comminuted fracture of the distal radius yesterday."

"Shinya Suzuki, 43 years old, a construction worker, said he fell from scaffolding by accident."

"Kiryu-kun is in charge of the patient's admission assessment."

As he spoke, Mizutani Mitsuma glanced toward the corner.

The intention behind putting Kiryu Kazusuke in charge was to find a pretext to give him a warning, and also to give Nagata Ayaka an explanation, making it seem like he had done his best.

Who would have thought that a one-year medical trainee could do such a good job of admission examinations?

All the test reports and examination reports were neatly organized.

In that case, there's no need to deliberately make things difficult for a resident doctor at the morning meeting over a trivial woman.

Doing that would only make others in the medical department think he was making a mountain out of a molehill and that it was beneath his dignity.

After all, he still needs to prepare for the professorship election.

So Mizutani Mitsuma only glanced at Kiryu Kazusuke and didn't waste any time on it.

Doing a good job is simply a matter of course, and it doesn't deserve praise.

He scribbled an anatomical diagram of the radius on the whiteboard with a marker.

"This patient's fracture type is quite complex."

"It belongs to type C3 of the AO classification, with severe comminuted articular surfaces."

"While the conventional ORIF procedure is feasible, we have high expectations for the recovery of wrist function, considering that the patient is a construction worker."

"If the joint surface is not smooth enough, postoperative traumatic arthritis and limited mobility are very likely to occur."

He paused for a moment at this point.

Mizutani Mitsuma's gaze swept over the specialists in the front row.

"Dr. Imagawa, you will be the surgeon."

Then, his gaze fell on a woman with neat, shoulder-length short hair.

Imagawa Ori, who chose to stand against the wall, stood out among the group of doctors who were generally of average appearance due to her delicate features.

He obtained his plastic surgery specialist qualification at the young age of thirty.

Her superb surgical skills are matched not only by her exquisite and beautiful facial features, but also by her extremely pragmatic personality.

Simply put, it means being obsessed with money.

He would not hesitate to take action for high surgery fees and to curry favor with the powerful and wealthy. There are also rumors that this Dr. Imagawa seems to be doing part-time work elsewhere.

She would do everything she could to avoid miscellaneous tasks within the medical bureau or meetings that didn't pay her.

"learn."

With her hands in the pockets of her white coat, Imagawa Ori responded listlessly.

Afterwards, Mitsumasa Mizutani gave a few more instructions and then hastily adjourned the meeting.

Throughout the entire process, he didn't look at Kiryu Kazusuke even once more, nor did he show any intention of causing trouble.

Although Kiryu Kazusuke was somewhat surprised, it was ultimately a good thing.

The crowd gradually dispersed.

Kiryu Kazusuke was also preparing to return to his corner to organize the medical records.

"Kiryu-kun, wait a minute."

At that moment, Imagawa Ori came over and called out to him.

"Yes, Dr. Imagawa."

Kazusuke Kiryu straightened up.

Imagawa Ori stopped in front of him. She was slightly shorter than Kiryu Kazusuke and had to tilt her head up slightly to meet his gaze.

"You performed the admission examination for that patient with the radius fracture, didn't you?"

"Yes."

"These are a few additional tests that need to be done before the surgery. Go get the forms, compile the results, and put them on my desk before I get back."

With that, Imagawa Ori picked up a pen and paper, quickly wrote down the request, and handed it to Kiryu Kazusuke.

The examination was listed in messy handwriting: wrist joint CT 3D reconstruction, X-ray films in anteroposterior, lateral, oblique and carpal tunnel positions, and ulnar nerve conduction velocity measurement.

These are indeed necessary examinations for a more accurate assessment of the degree of articular surface comminution and neurological condition.

Although Imagawa Ori's attitude wasn't great, her professional skills were impeccable.

"I see."

Kazusuke Kiryu nodded in agreement.

Just then, the pale red light screen reappeared before his eyes.

[Imagawa Ori: Honestly, just an ordinary construction worker, he can't even give me much in return. That fat Mizutani always dumps this thankless surgery on me! Ugh, and now I'm on my period again.]

[Can converge world lines]

[Branch 1: You prioritize avoiding mistakes over achieving great things, fulfilling your duties as the second assistant and handling all the miscellaneous tasks before, during, and after the surgery. (Reward: 20,000 yen cash)]

[Branch 2: You've worked over 80 hours in the past week and decide to take a day off, delegating all your work to others. (Reward: A 100,000 yen shopping voucher for a limited time at Takashimaya Department Store for 10 minutes)]

[Branch 3: Head to "Kagura Club" in Chiyoda-cho, request permission from Imagawa Nao, and obtain authorization to perform temporary Kirschner wire fixation during the surgery. (Reward: Advanced Surgical Incision Suturing)]

There are three timelines, but after reading them, Kiryu Kazusuke looked completely bewildered.

He wasn't at all surprised that Imagawa Orihime was considered a wicked woman, so that wasn't the reason for his confusion.

The first two branches are fine. If there's anything special about them, it's that the second branch finally offers a reward item.

However, the real problem lies at bifurcation three.

The Chiyoda-cho mentioned here is not the Tokyo center that symbolizes Japan's political power, economic lifeline, and historical culture.

Instead, it's Chiyoda-cho, the most bustling commercial district in Maebashi City, Gunma Prefecture, with its rows of department stores, izakayas, cinemas, and various adult entertainment establishments interspersed among them.

Most importantly, Kiryu Kazusuke was certain that he did not know anyone named "Imagawa Nao".

Could this person be someone related to Dr. Imagawa Ori?

Moreover, the most well-known use of the word "designation" is in the sex industry.

Is this "Kagura Club" legitimate?

(End of this chapter)