Tokyo, 1994, starting with medical training

Chapter 63 The Pulse of the Times

The next day.

The rare warm winter sun shone through the curtains and onto Kiryu Kazusuke's face.

Although he was a medical trainee, he had to be given a day off because of his previous continuous shifts and the hospital's disregard for the Labor Standards Act.

When Kiryu Kazusuke woke up, it was already 10 a.m.

He stretched.

A series of crisp popping sounds emanated from all the joints in his body.

The energy I expended last night dealing with my neighbor's crazy outburst has been fully restored after a night's sleep, and I even feel more energetic than before.

Saionji Mina is indeed very useful.

We'll have to rely on her to improve our physical fitness from now on.

His physical functions are now about 30% stronger than they were half a month ago, and his endurance has doubled.

I got out of bed, poured myself a glass of water, and drank it.

Then, Kiryu Kazusuke had a thought, and a pale red light screen unfolded before his eyes.

[Name: Kiryu Kasuke]

[Assets: 92,120 yen]

[Item: None]

[Skills: Kirschner wire fixation - Perfect, Surgical incision suturing - Advanced, Joint dislocation reduction - Basic, Fracture anatomical reduction - Perfect]

Kazusuke Kiryu looked at the assets section.

More than 34 yen.

This includes the salary from the hospital, the rewards from the worldline mission, and the 100,000 yen envelope given to him by Assistant Professor Mizutani.

This means he has no survival anxiety and can even live a good life.

After all, a bowl of Yoshinoya beef rice only costs 400 yen these days, and renting a single room within the Yamanote Line in Tokyo only costs 6 to 8 yen.

Most importantly, he won't be like the original owner, who ate convenience store bento boxes nearing their expiration date for a month just to give a bag to senior Nagata Ayaka.

Next, let's look at the skills.

This is his greatest asset.

The most valuable techniques are undoubtedly "Kirschner wire fixation - perfect" and "anatomical reduction of fracture - perfect".

Unless it's a finger replantation requiring extremely advanced microsurgical techniques, or an exceptionally difficult surgery involving the spinal nerves, routine limb fractures are practically no challenge for him.

"Advanced Surgical Incision Suturing" is also very useful on the operating table.

This ensures that he can suture beautifully and that the patient recovers quickly.

As for "Joint Dislocation Reduction Technique - Basics"...

It's better than nothing, at least it'll save some effort during the emergency room.

I turned off the light screen and went into the bathroom to wash up.

Looking at his young face in the mirror, he splashed cold water on his cheeks.

The 90s.

It was a good time, and it was a bad time.

For ordinary people, the pain of the bursting bubble has only just begun: banks are collapsing, companies are laying off employees, and the once-prevailing lifetime employment system is starting to crumble.

But no matter how bad the economy is, people will always get sick and break bones.

It could even be argued that the worse the economy, the more accidental injuries, suicides, fights, and alcoholism occur.

This means that Kiryu Kazusuke has more opportunities.

We should make good use of the three months of "priority access" we received from Imagawa Ori to maximize the number of surgeries performed.

Only by demonstrating value can we truly shed the consumable label of "training physician".

After washing up, I changed into casual clothes.

He wore a dark black turtleneck sweater with a gray wool coat over it; it was the most presentable outfit he could find in his wardrobe.

Although it's not a designer brand, its sharp tailoring makes it stand out, and it gives him a rather imposing presence.

I pushed open the door and went downstairs.

In this era of sluggish consumer spending, as a law-abiding citizen, he has a duty to stimulate domestic demand.

I walked out of the apartment building.

Although the sun was shining brightly outside, the air was still cold.

As the year draws to a close, there are quite a few people on the streets.

This is the central area of ​​Maebashi City. Although it can't compare to the bustling city of Tokyo, it's still quite lively.

The streets were plastered with posters advertising various discounts and promotions.

"A Grand Year-End Thanksgiving Ceremony!"

"50% off everything!"

"Huge clearance sale!"

These red banners may seem festive, but they are actually desperate cries from businesses desperate to recoup their investment.

Of course, the government is still trying to downplay the situation, claiming that the economy is experiencing a "soft landing."

Unfortunately, ordinary people's wallets don't lie.

Kiryu Kazusuke passed by an electronics store.

The shop window displays Sony's latest Trinitron television, priced at 198,000 yen.

A group of office workers in suits were standing around, pointing and whispering, their eyes filled with longing, but they didn't dare to go in.

"This is way too expensive."

"Yeah, this year's bonus is gone again, looks like I won't be able to buy this TV."

"I heard that Yamamoto next door got laid off last week."

"Isn't he still paying off his mortgage?"

"So he's finished."

Whispers drifted into my ears; this was the pulse of the times.

However, Kiryu Kazusuke didn't have much sympathy to spare.

Since we've enjoyed the Plaza Accord and reveled in it, we should also be prepared for the mess that will follow.

He continued walking forward.

After walking for about twenty minutes, we arrived at a large chain bookstore called "Kinokuniya Bookstore".

No matter how bad the economy is, bookstores are always packed with people.

After all, the internet is not very developed now, and even mobile phones are still expensive brick phones that only a few people can afford. Books are already a relatively inexpensive form of entertainment.

Kiryu Kazusuke pushed open the door and went in.

The heating is on very high.

The bestseller section is filled with novels by Haruki Murakami and various self-help books that teach people how to get rich quickly.

He went straight to the professional books section on the second floor.

"Medicine and Nursing".

There were significantly fewer people here; only a few young people dressed like medical students were browsing through the books.

Kazusuke Kiryu walked up to the "Plastic Surgery" bookshelf.

His fingers slid across the thick, hard-covered spines of the books.

Grignard's Anatomy, Campbell's Orthopaedic Surgery, AO Principles for Fracture Treatment, Standard Orthopaedic Surgery...

They are all classic teaching materials.

But what he's looking for today are journals and the latest cutting-edge monographs.

In the medical profession, technique is the core, while theory is the foundation.

Therefore, he wanted to know just how far modern medicine had progressed.

Although Kiryu Kazusuke had extensive clinical experience in later generations, it was all based on modern medical equipment and consumables.

If you don't understand where the limitations of the times lie, and you come up with a solution only to find it constrained by technology, wouldn't you just look like a clown?

He walked up to the bookshelf.

Most of these are original English or German books, and the prices are shockingly high.

An original copy of "Campbell's Orthopaedic Surgery" can cost tens of thousands of yen.

His entire fortune is basically gone after buying a few books.

In an era where intellectual property rights are strictly protected and professional books are printed in limited quantities, books are a luxury.

Especially medical books, which many poor students simply cannot afford.

The only options were to borrow it from the library or have several classmates pool their money to buy a copy and take turns reading it.

Kiryu Kazusuke was quite pleased with himself before leaving.

Seeing that I had over 30 yen, I felt like I had a little money.

It's getting a bit chaotic.

An extra chapter today. In the future, the author will carefully consider the plot and length of female characters. I hope you will continue to support me. Thank you.

(End of this chapter)