Friday morning, I woke up on time but didn't make breakfast.
Worried that a certain young lady would stomp off with a sour face again, I stuffed the sandwiches and milk I'd bought in advance into her black school bag. This way, even if she didn't eat breakfast, she'd find the sandwich in her bag and avoid a stomachache.
One of the bite marks on my arm had faded, but the other was still stubbornly there.
Looks like it'll take a few more days. Was she a dog in her past life?
That soft yet stinging sensation still lingered on my skin, like lips as red and soft as cherries.
They must be very soft... right?
A stray, inexplicable thought. I stiffly cut off the train of thought and forbade myself from thinking about it any further.
As for how I knew Kusanagi had a stomachache, I had Mr. Kuroki's little notebook to thank. It stated that if she didn't eat on time, stomach trouble would surely come knocking. I put a pillbox in her bag containing vitamins and calcium supplements; she needed to take those regularly too.
Speaking of Mr. Kuroki, my feelings were a bit complicated.
He helped me when I was poor, provided me with a roof over my head, and specifically asked me to look after his daughter. He was the head of a wealthy conglomerate in Tokyo, a kind and respectable man.
But no one is perfect. Mrs. Kuroki by his side was perhaps the true source of Kusanagi's heartache.
Such matters are not for outsiders to comment on—everyone knows that—but I couldn't ignore the sympathy and heartache I felt for Kusanagi.
I was the type of person who never sought the spotlight. I always sat in the first three rows of the classroom, always wore both earbuds, never raised my hand to answer the teacher's questions, and never volunteered for sports meets or school anniversary galas. I only ever liked beer and soda.
That's just the kind of person I was—conventional, rarely changing myself, maintaining the same habits since childhood without ever considering other possibilities. My family had already arranged a job back home; after graduating from my master's degree, I could start an internship at the Provincial Hospital. It seemed there were no obstacles and nothing amiss.
Rebellious, arrogant, haughty, rude, spoiled—these words were far removed from me, so far that I even thought they didn't exist in this world. That was until a girl who embodied all of them crashed into my life. My previously tranquil life seemed to become lively, interesting, and vivid because of her presence.
It was someone like me who drenched myself from head to toe in public, willingly, just to ask the gods for a wish. At that moment, I had only one thought: to make her happy.
I never thought I'd be so brave as to do something so bizarre in front of everyone.
My mind was a complete blank at the time. I didn't care what others thought; I just thought about how to make the girl in front of me happy, so she wouldn't pretend to speak as if nothing were wrong or show that sad expression again.
Thinking back now, I feel embarrassed in hindsight. Kusanagi wouldn't think I have a problem with my head, would she?
I covered my face. How was this behavior any different from chuunibyou? Would she think I'd watched too many movies?
"What's wrong with you, sighing like that?" Li Shijia was wearing a light-colored short skirt. Her proportions were excellent, and the skirt flared out as she moved; every gesture was graceful and charming.
"Anyway, some things happened..."
I slumped weakly on the desk. "I just received an email from the Cardiothoracic Surgery. I have to report there for my internship next Monday."
"That's a good thing! Start your internship early to accumulate clinical experience! I want to go to the Anesthesiology Department. I actually want to be an anesthesiologist. Anesthesiologists are the guardians of life during a patient's surgery, after all."
I wanted to laugh but didn't dare. "If it's a glamorous guardian like you, they probably wouldn't want to be anesthetized."
"Oh? Then this glamorous guardian will be the first to anesthetize you."
She tickled me until I was squirming all over, laughing so hard I almost lost my breath. "Hahaha, let me go..."
"This guardian will stop teasing you. There's something serious later, so don't leave yet."
"What serious thing?"
She was dressed very beautifully today, as if she were meeting someone, having put a lot of effort into her appearance.
"You'll find out in a bit. Come with me."
In another teaching building, right next to the university's famous affiliated hospital, students in white uniforms were coming and going. It was my first time here, and I couldn't help but take a few extra looks.
This was where I would report on Monday.
The hospital here was different from the ones back home. At first glance, the vast expanses of pure white made it look like a cathedral. But in some sense, doctors are indeed believers; after all, we are snatching people from the Grim Reaper and witnessing the birth of angels.
Li Shijia pulled me along toward a guy standing at the entrance.
"Alex! Over here!" She held her head high and waved her arm at the guy. A tall man in a white lab coat walked toward us.
"Let me introduce you. This is my good friend, Nozawa Mizuki. And this is the senior I asked you to add last time. His English name is Alex, and his Chinese name is Zhang Junze. By the way, you added him on WeChat, right?"
The guy was very tall, with sharp, handsome features and a clean, neat white lab coat.
He smiled friendly and extended his right hand to shake mine. "Hello, Miss Nozawa." He spoke in clear, standard Mandarin, though his tone sounded slightly unusual.
I shook his hand in return. "Hello, Mr. Zhang Junze."
Although I had added this person through Shijia last time, he had been sitting quietly in my friend list. After a simple "hi," we had tacitly stopped messaging each other.
"Miss Nozawa is much prettier than I imagined. Just call me Alex." He held my hand and raised an eyebrow at me.
"Are you unwilling to let go because you've met a beauty?" Li Shijia smacked his hand away with a 'thwack,' took my arm, and started walking, whispering in my ear: "This senior of mine is half-Chinese, half-Japanese, but his Chinese isn't great, so he thinks Chinese beauties are particularly charming. Don't let him charm you."
"No wonder. I thought his Chinese sounded a bit stiff." I smiled.
"Don't be fooled by his looks; he's a proper doctor at our affiliated hospital, selected through layers of assessment. He's already obtained his medical license. I called him here today to get some information. Since you're starting your internship soon, I thought I'd come along to keep you company."
"I owe you a big favor, Shijia." I leaned my head on her shoulder, my gratitude plain to see.
"Alright, I have my own little motives too. An internship is bound to happen sooner or later, so there's no harm in me finding out early, right?" Li Shijia winked playfully. "But for now, let's eat. I'm starving."
I understood she didn't want me to dwell on it too much, and my eyes crinkled in a smile.
Alex didn't get annoyed after having his hand smacked. He caught up and switched to fluent Japanese. "Beautiful ladies, would you do me the honor of having lunch together later?"
We had come to ask him for help, so how could we let him treat us?
"That won't do. How can we let the ladies pay?" Alex insisted. "It's only right for a gentleman to treat." He had quite the gentlemanly manner; someone like him must be very popular with girls.
"My car is parked over there. I'm quite familiar with the restaurants in this area." Alex was young but drove a Mercedes; it seemed he did indeed come from a wealthy family. Someone who could stay and work at the affiliated hospital certainly wasn't an ordinary citizen.
The car arrived at a French restaurant. The valet at the entrance took the car away. I rarely ate in such places and felt a bit uneasy.
Alex quickly ordered the food and skillfully poured green tea into the cups, filling them for Li Shijia and me as well.
I habitually straightened my back. "Thank you."
"Thanks, Senior~" Li Shijia drawled in a flirtatious tone. She unreservedly ordered a few more main courses and two desserts. Alex seemed long accustomed to this and just smiled helplessly beside her.
He took a sip of tea. "So, tell me, why did you look for me?"
I took the cue from Li Shijia and spoke. "Senior, it's like this. A few weeks ago, I was selected by my supervisor to start a practical internship early during my undergraduate years. After graduation, I might be recommended to the hospital of The Jikei University School of Medicine. I was wondering if you had any advice or suggestions regarding our school's internship assessments?"
"The Jikei University School of Medicine?" A flash of surprise crossed his eyes.
"Yes."
"Miss Nozawa, you truly are outstanding. As one of 'The Big Three' prestigious medical institutions, they only take a few interns each year, and the competition is quite fierce."
My gaze fell on the emerald-green tea. "I know. Actually, my mindset is quite relaxed; giving it my all is enough."
AI Model: gemini-3.1-flash-lite
He looked at me with interest and said seriously, "I have been working at this hospital for 3 years. If I remember correctly, the final practical assessment is ranked based on credits and grades. It is a knockout system; the higher the score, the safer you are, and those with tied scores will also be eliminated. There are also performance assessments, daily points, and so on, which form a comprehensive score."
"Does that mean even coming in second isn't good enough?" Li Shijia frowned from the side.
"You can put it that way. Your mentors should have told you that if you just want to graduate simply or slack off during your internship in the department, that's actually fine. But if you want to get into The Jikei University School of Medicine, these are things you must face. Only the top, most outstanding handful of people can possibly get a ticket."
Alex thought for a moment and added, "It's just an initial assessment, yet every year quite a few people are still eliminated. They are all careless folks, making low-level mistakes like failing to remove an indwelling needle. You don't need to be under too much pressure. It's good to keep a relaxed mindset, like Miss Nozawa."
"He's right, Nozawa, you can definitely do it. I believe in you." Li Shijia nudged me with her elbow, "You are the only girl selected; you are much better than those boys!"
I touched my earlobe, feeling embarrassed by her praise.
The waiter knocked on the door and served the appetizers: salad and pan-fried foie gras.
I had never eaten foie gras before. The foie gras in front of me was sizzling with oil, plump and tender, looking very delicious. Do I eat the whole piece? Or cut it into small slices?
Alex noticed my dilemma. He carefully cut up his own appetizer, then suddenly took my plate away and swapped it with his.
"It won't taste good if it gets cold. My plate is hotter. Please enjoy, Miss Nozawa." He smiled, a charming, mixed-race look in his eyes.
"Thank you, Senior." I nodded slightly, feeling a bit more favorably disposed toward him for this thoughtful gesture.
Li Shijia rolled her eyes from the side, "My plate is cold too, why didn't you swap with me?"
Alex glanced at her, "Your plate is hot; it's still steaming."
"..." Li Shijia looked as if she was about to roll her eyes to the heavens.
I picked up the knife and fork in front of Shijia, cut it into small pieces for her, and then carefully skewered them to make it easier for her to eat.
"Good girl, eat this plate that's already cut."
Li Shijia was coaxed, her eyes and brows dancing with delight. She pouted, "Little Nozawa, if you keep this up, I'm going to fall for you~ How are you so good at understanding a woman's heart?"
I was amused by her and couldn't help but coax her a few more times. Alex watched from across the table, completely dumbfounded.
"Ahem, let's continue. Where were we?" Alex wrapped the foie gras with salad; it tasted more refreshing that way.
"Just tell us directly what we need to pay attention to, and what departments there are. Anyway, we'll have to rotate through all of them eventually, right?" Li Shijia took a bite of salad, sounding annoyed.
I had heard a little about these things, but I remembered what I wanted to ask, "Shijia is right. I'd like to know what departments we have and what the specific work entails."
Alex gestured with his fork in the salad plate, "That's simple. Our school's affiliated hospital is the most important affiliated hospital of the medical university. It includes a critical emergency center, an intensive care unit, a central operating department, and so on. In addition, it is equipped with surgical intensive care units and medical intensive care units. It is considered one of the few top-tier university hospitals (Specified Function Hospitals) in Japan."
"Can members of the public come for treatment too?" It was a bit like the medical universities back home, forming a complete supply chain, not just the social attributes of a university.
"You're right, they can." Alex nodded, "Our school's medical resources are no worse than national hospitals, so many people from all over travel here specifically for treatment, and it's packed with patients. Therefore, no matter which department you are in, you need to have a very sound theoretical foundation, as well as surgical cooperation with colleagues. In particular, you need to have rich practical experience. None of these can be lacking."
Li Shijia and I exchanged glances. Although we had prepared ourselves mentally in advance, hearing him say this still made us subconsciously nervous.
With people coming from all over the place, spoken language was truly the first priority that had to be solved.
I even made mistakes in daily conversation; it was hard to imagine what would happen if I made a mistake during actual practice, like mishearing a patient's medical history. Just thinking about it was scary.
My head started to ache faintly. Why couldn't God give me better hearing?
"Haha, why did your expressions suddenly turn so dark?" Seeing Li Shijia and me tensed up, he laughed loudly, "It's fine! Once you get there and get in touch with it, you'll know it's not that hard! Oh my, you two young ladies, is anyone going to give you a hard time?"
"What does it have to do with being young ladies? It's just that we don't fight battles unprepared."
I agreed with Li Shijia's statement and nodded thoughtfully.
The main courses were also served: French flambé crepes, Sino-French style pine nuts, pan-seared scallops with foie gras sauce, and a familiar dish, French escargot with baked cheese.
Finally, there were two desserts, French mushroom omelets.
"Knowing more certainly doesn't hurt, otherwise you wouldn't have come to me, right?" Alex said while eating, "Oh, by the way, we have been designated by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare as a 'Golden 6 Minutes' special emergency hospital, capable of performing interventional therapy around the clock."
"Really? If you do that, wouldn't the examination staff and doctors have to be on call 24 hours a day?" Li Shijia was also surprised.
I had never heard of this. Although most hospital emergency departments are open 24 hours a day, the operating hours of examination departments like CT, X-ray, and angiography are limited. Especially during emergency treatment at night, most patients often can only receive IV drips or medication, which is conservative treatment.
But 24-hour interventional therapy means that doctors can seize the best rescue time and not miss the "Golden 6 Minutes" of the examination department, because once the diseased tissue or blood vessels and brain cells die, the emergency room loses the significance of interventional therapy. The benefits of doing this are obvious; patients can get the most critical treatment anytime, anywhere, but physician resources are also overdrawn, and high-intensity work pressure follows.
"Saving the dying and healing the wounded, a doctor's heart is like that of a parent, is that how it's said in Chinese? Sometimes I feel that no matter how hard it is, it's worth it." Alex's Chinese was completely off-key, but there was a touch of seriousness in his humorous tone.
The reason for choosing to study medicine is simply the feeling that if you can let life gather in your hands bit by bit, to be reborn, then no matter how hard it is, it is worth it.
After the meal, Li Shijia's residence was near the restaurant, so she left first. Before she left, she kept telling Alex not to have any ulterior motives toward me, or she would bash his head in.
I couldn't help but laugh. Why does it feel like I'm her daughter? She is extremely vigilant toward any man who gets close to me.
"She's just like that; she hasn't changed since we first met." Alex smiled helplessly, his gaze falling on me, "But she has never had a friend as beautiful as you."
I was embarrassed by his straightforward compliment and awkwardly tucked a lock of hair behind my ear, "Thank you."
"I'm telling the truth. Most female medical students are science nerds; there aren't any like Miss Nozawa, who gives people such a gentle feeling."
Gentle? Perhaps. But female medical students are not nerds. That remark was not pleasant to hear.
"Miss Nozawa, shall I take you back to school?"
I actually wanted to refuse, but I couldn't turn down Alex's invitation, so I still got in his car to go back to school.
"Thank you, Senior. Please take care of me in the future. Ah, you can drop me off here." I signaled for him to drop me off along the street. I still had a part-time job at the bookstore today, and I had to go early and finish work before dinner, otherwise a certain young lady would go hungry.
Alex leaned against the car door, his long, muscular forearm resting on it, "Miss Nozawa, don't you need to go back to school?"
"I have a part-time job, if I don't go now, I'll be late." I smiled apologetically at him, "Senior, thank you very much for today. I'll treat you to a meal next time."
"Part-time job?" Alex didn't react for a moment. I guess he didn't expect me to be the type of person struggling to make ends meet, especially since a casual meal for him costs tens of thousands of yen.
"Yes, I have a part-time job every week." I pointed out the direction for him, "It's at the bookstore on the street corner ahead."
"Miss Nozawa works part-time at a bookstore? A bookstore suits your gentle temperament very well." Alex blinked his peach-blossom eyes.
"Does Senior always like to compliment women?"
"My compliments are not cheap. Miss Nozawa is very outstanding, which is why you deserve such flattery." He answered flawlessly.
Judging by his eloquence just now and the professional content, I could tell this person had real talent. He was just a bit glib.