Tokyo, 1994, starting with medical training

Chapter 8 is really hard to evaluate.

Japan has been in a period of economic recession since 1991.

After the bubble burst, only a mess remained.

News of bank failures, corporate layoffs, and stock price crashes is repeated daily in newspapers and on television.

Even a highly respected profession like doctors cannot completely remain uninvolved, a fact that Kiryu Kazusuke himself deeply understands.

But no matter how bad the economy is, there will always be a wealthy class.

Places like "Kagura Club" provide a safe haven that money can buy for women who are not emotionally satisfied with their husbands and feel anxious during economic downturns.

At this moment, Kiryu Kazusuke was truly hesitant.

It wasn't that he had any concerns about specifically requesting Dr. Imagawa Ori to accompany him; rather, he had heard about the cost of living in such places.

The initial package might not be expensive, but it's just a stepping stone.

He only had 2 yen on him, which was probably just enough to pay for a seat, or at most, a registration fee.

Could it be that he sat down without even opening a bottle of wine, and directly called Imagawa Ori over to say that he wanted to perform a temporary fixation procedure using Kirschner wires during Suzuki-san's surgery tomorrow?

Well……

It doesn't seem to work either.

Anyway, the worst outcome would be being kicked out, and Imagawa Ori probably wouldn't want anyone to know about her part-time job, so she probably wouldn't do anything to him.

After making up my mind.

Kazusuke Kiryu then started walking towards "Kagura Club".

As he approached.

The waiter at the door, dressed in a well-tailored suit, bowed slightly and extended his hand, but instead of opening the door for him, he stopped him.

"Sir, is there anything I can help you with?"

"I want to go in."

Kiryu Kazusuke was stunned for a moment, not quite able to react.

"I'm very sorry, but our store has a policy of only serving female customers."

With an apologetic smile, the waiter pointed to the other side of the street.

I looked in the direction he was pointing.

That was the "Night Butterfly" brothel, and all the customers who came and went were men.

Kiryu Kazusuke immediately understood.

However, he wasn't really there to experience the sex industry.

The problem is that he can't even get into the "Kagura Club," let alone stop the branching of Imagawa Ori's world line.

Is giving up the only option?

Seeing that Kiryu Kazusuke was standing still and showed no sign of leaving, the waiter assumed that he did not believe him.

"Sir, rules are rules. I'm very sorry, but I cannot let you in."

So he added another explanation.

Kiryu Kazusuke responded twice and then took two steps back.

Just then.

A white Nissan Cedric was parked on the side of the road.

The car door opened, and a middle-aged woman dressed in a dark blue suit and dressed very elegantly stepped out of the back seat.

After the driver opened the car door for her, he went around to the other side and took out two paper bags with the Mitsukoshi Department Store logo.

The woman took the paper bag and walked straight toward "Kagura Club".

Kiryu Kazusuke noticed that the waiter at the door smiled much more sincerely and warmly when he saw her than before.

The waiter jogged up to greet him, bowing even lower.

"Good evening, Mr. Nakamori. Your presence today is truly an honor for our humble establishment."

"Is Imagawa-kun there?"

"Yes, yes, Imagawa-kun just started work today. I'll go get him right away."

As the waiter spoke, he solicitously took the shopping bag from her hands.

Just as Sachiko Nakamori was about to go inside, she noticed Kazusuke Kiryu out of the corner of her eye, stopped in her tracks, walked over, and looked him up and down for a while.

Kiryu Kazusuke is slender with a well-proportioned frame, and having just graduated, he still has a youthful air about him, untouched by the harsh realities of life.

Under the neon lights of the night, he exuded a clean yet slightly naive charm.

"Are you new here?"

Sachiko Nakamori suddenly asked, her skin was very well-maintained, and you couldn't tell her exact age from her appearance.

Before Kiryu Kazusuke could say anything...

She then turned to the waiter and said, "Never mind, I'm getting a little tired of Imagawa-kun lately. Let him keep me company today. What's his name?"

"what?"

Kazusuke Kiryu was taken aback.

The waiter hurriedly stepped forward, approached Sachiko Nakamori, and lowered his voice to explain urgently.

"I'm very sorry, Nakamori-san, this gentleman is not an employee of our store, he..."

"Not from your shop? Then what are you doing standing here?"

As Sachiko Nakamori spoke, a hint of displeasure appeared on her face.

The waiter standing nearby was sweating bullets.

In the post-bubble era, customers like Sachiko Nakamori who maintain high spending habits are becoming increasingly rare.

If he upsets her, he might lose his job.

at the same time.

A faint red tinge flashed across Kiryu Kazusuke's eyes.

[Sachiko Nakamori: Why won't Imagawa-kun let me pick him up? Hurry up and get him! I heard a really cool girl moved in next door, I really want to switch partners. Where did this stinky guy come from? I want to use him to create some pressure for Nao-kun.]

[Can converge world lines]

[Branch 1: You pretend to be a new job applicant, and you don't think trying to please women is anything shameful (Reward: 10% cashback on Sachiko Nakamori's bill tonight)]

[Branch 2: Compete with her for Imagawa Nao's company tonight (Reward: 20% cashback on your bill tonight)]

Kiryu Kazusuke couldn't help but glance at Nakamori Sachiko a couple more times.

It's really hard to judge what these inner thoughts are like.

However, he quickly turned his attention to the two worlds that followed.

former.

Sachiko Nakamori is going to pop some champagne, so tonight's bill is definitely not going to be low.

If handled properly, and she's persuaded to buy a few bottles of expensive champagne to boost her sales, spending seven or eight hundred thousand yen in one night, then Kiryu Kazusuke's assets could double.

the latter.

Although this option offers a cashback rate as high as 20%, which is twice that of the former.

The problem is that it's Kiryu Kazusuke's bill, which means he has to pay for it himself.

So he made a decision quickly.

Kiryu Kazusuke smiled and asked, "Nakamori-san, although I don't work here, you can still take me in, right?"

Sachiko Nakamori, who was about to step into the store, stopped in her tracks.

She turned around and looked at Kiryu Kazusuke again.

Upon seeing this, the waiter immediately became nervous and stepped forward to block the two of them.

"Sir, please leave immediately, or I will call the police."

"Did I give you permission to speak?"

But Sachiko Nakamori raised her hand slightly, her voice not loud, and the waiter immediately fell silent.

Then, she looked Kiryu Kazusuke up and down with renewed interest.

"What's your name?"

"Kusuke Kiryu."

"Well then, I hope Kiryu-kun won't make me regret this decision."

After saying that, Sachiko Nakamori turned around and left.

She instructed the waiter, "Give him a seat too, right next to me, and put the bill in my name."

The waiter looked hesitant, leaned forward slightly, and said in a low voice, "Nakamori-san, the store's rules..."

"Rules?" Sachiko Nakamori's face immediately darkened. "Is my pride less important than your store's rules?"

The oppressive feeling unique to those in power is overwhelming.

"No...no, that's not what I meant. I'm sorry, Nakamori-san, I'll arrange it right away!"

The waiter quickly bowed and agreed, then led the two into the store.

The interior of Kagura Club is extremely luxurious.

Soft lighting, sofas covered in high-end velvet, and the air filled with a mixture of fine perfumes, wine, and a faint scent of tobacco.

The waiter led them through the lobby to a well-located booth.

Sachiko Nakamori casually placed her handbag on the sofa, took off her coat, revealing a well-tailored dark blue dress underneath, and wore a full pearl necklace around her neck.

"Please summon Imagawa-kun."

"Also, let's open a bottle of Dom Pérignon Rose."

However, it was Kiryu Kazusuke who spoke first, not Nakamori Sachiko!

(End of this chapter)