Tokyo, 1994, starting with medical training

Chapter 77 Money over Life

"asshole!"

Imagawa Ori kicked the snow on the roadside hard, sending snow dust flying everywhere.

After she returned from making the phone call at the tobacco shop, her face turned pale, and her chest heaved violently.

He was clearly very angry.

After hanging up the phone with "Kagura Club", she immediately called the taxi dispatch center, hoping to get a car sent over.

But the response I received was an apology.

So, at that moment, she vented all her dissatisfaction on the snow.

"Looks like things aren't going too well?"

Kiryu Kazusuke, who was standing to the side with his hands in his pockets, asked.

"What's it to you! Why are you still here?"

Imagawa Ori glared at him fiercely, her tone unfriendly.

"I want to go home too, but I couldn't get a taxi."

Kiryu Kazusuke ignored her fierce glare and helplessly shrugged.

This is indeed the case.

He was standing by the roadside. Even if he didn't wave, wouldn't the taxi driver have stopped to ask him?

"snort."

Imagawa Ori snorted coldly, turned her head away, and ignored him.

She's thinking about Sachiko Nakamori all the time.

Every second that passed meant that Fukuzawa Yukichi was leaving her.

anxiety.

irritable.

This emotion surged through her veins.

The snow was falling heavier and heavier.

What were just scattered snowflakes have now turned into dense snowflakes, carried by the wind like countless tiny blades, indiscriminately attacking everything in the world.

Kiryu Kazusuke stood a few steps away, pulling his collar up to cover his chin.

"Damn it!"

In the damp, sub-zero air, Imagawa Ori's clothing offered little protection against the cold.

She was already shivering uncontrollably in the cold wind.

But she couldn't care less about any of that.

She gritted her teeth, put on her high heels, and ignored the slippery snow on the road, stepping directly onto the curb.

"Taxi! Taxi!"

Imagawa Ori suddenly cried out.

In the distance, a taxi with its "For hire" light on slowly drove towards them through the wind and snow.

She stretched out her arm and waved frantically.

You absolutely must stop!

Please!

However, the car showed no intention of slowing down and even stepped on the gas.

In this terrible weather, plus the end of the year, taxi drivers have absolute choice.

They would rather drive long distances or pick up regular customers who have already made reservations than stop to pick up people who just hail a ride on the roadside.

Legally, the Road Transport Law stipulates that passengers cannot be refused service, except in cases with justifiable reasons.

It means, don't take it seriously, this is just toilet paper.

The driver can have a valid excuse by saying "I didn't see it" or "I forgot to turn off the roof light; I was just finishing my shift."

Slowing down is not the same as stopping. The car didn't even stop, so writing down the license plate and filing a complaint won't do any good.

"Stop the car! Stop the car!"

Imagawa panicked and frantically pulled her wallet out of her handbag.

Her fingers were stiff from the cold and somewhat unresponsive, but she still managed to pull out a stack of banknotes.

All of them were brand new 10,000 yen bills, which she originally carried with her to give red envelopes to her juniors at the store or to deal with emergencies.

"I have money! I'll give you the money!"

Imagawa Ori watched the taxi drive away and raised the banknotes in her hand high.

But... in the snowy night with visibility of less than ten meters, her action seemed both ridiculous and tragic.

This woman is really going all out for money.

Kiryu Kazusuke sighed, finally unable to bear it any longer.

He stepped forward, grabbed Imagawa Ori's arm, which was red from the cold and still holding the banknotes, and forcefully pulled her back to the sidewalk.

"Don't waste your energy, Imagawa-senpai."

"In this kind of weather, the bridge over the Tone River must be frozen over, so they won't go there."

"Moreover, this is a one-way street, and any cars that are willing to stop have already been intercepted by people at the intersection ahead."

"The tobacco shop up ahead offers some shelter from the wind; go there and take refuge."

"Let's talk about it when the snow subsides a bit."

"Otherwise, it won't be long before you suffer from hypothermia."

This is the most rational judgment from Kazusuke Kiryu.

Although Imagawa was wearing a well-tailored dark gray wool coat, which looked better than her single-layer garment, she didn't add any cotton lining for the sake of a slim fit.

The lower body was covered in slightly thicker velvet pantyhose, but even that little bit of fabric couldn't retain body heat at all.

This outfit should be fine in the biting wind and wet snow, as long as it doesn't last too long.

As long as you find a warm place quickly, you will recover soon.

But if she continues to stay in this extreme weather, continuing to stand by the roadside, she's committing suicide; she'll soon suffer from hypothermia.

"It's none of your business!"

But Imagawa Ori didn't listen, shook off his hand, and stubbornly took another step towards the edge of the road.

"Do you know how important tonight is to me?"

"If I go, and if I can make it in time, I can achieve my goal six months ahead of schedule!"

"Also, don't lecture me like a doctor."

"I'm a medical professional; I know the limits of the human body better than you do. This little bit of snow won't kill anyone!"

As she spoke, she raised the banknotes in her hand again and waved them in the air.

To make herself more visible to passing cars, she even took two steps into the middle of the road, stepping off the curb.

Kiryu Kazusuke watched her figure and stepped back to the lamppost.

It's hard to reason with a damned devil.

Since she has been blinded by money and overwhelmed by anxiety, she won't listen to anything I say now.

Then she'll behave herself when her physiological mechanisms forcibly take over her brain.

When he chose the second branch of the world line, he noticed that there was a hotel not far ahead, just a few minutes away.

We can take her for rewarming later.

Anyway, I'm wearing enough thick clothes, and I've also received three physical enhancements from Saionji Mina, so I can definitely withstand it.

Another ten minutes passed.

The snow fell thicker and thicker, and soon a thin layer of white frost accumulated on Imagawa Ori's shoulders.

Several more cars passed by after that.

But those taxi drivers seemed to be blind; even if the taxis had "vacant" signs, they would just step on the gas and speed past.

Finally, another empty car approached.

The driver clearly saw the woman covered in snow by the roadside, and also the waving stack of banknotes in her hand that made people's eyes water.

The car slowed down slightly.

Imagawa Ori's face lit up with joy, and she waved her hand even more vigorously.

It's like a drowning person seeing a lifeline in a desperate situation and desperately trying to grab it.

The taxi slowly came to a stop on the side of the road, and a crack was rolled down in the window, from which a warm breeze mixed with the smell of tobacco wafted out.

"Where to?"

The driver was a middle-aged man wearing white gloves. He didn't open the car door but asked a question first.

This is considered very impolite in the service industry.

But Imagawa Ori didn't care about these details anymore and quickly stepped forward.

"Chiyoda Town!"

"Go to Chiyoda-cho Ginza-dori, quick, I'm in a hurry!"

Her teeth were chattering because it was so cold, but that didn't affect her speaking speed, and her right hand kept trying to open the back door.

The back door of a taxi usually opens and closes automatically, but by this time she was already impatient.

As long as I can get on the bus now, I can still make it to the store.

(End of this chapter)