kscans

Chapter 256 - Emotion and Training

The surgery began.

As everyone watched on, Milfy and Matilda stood rooted to the spot in front of the operating room, their eyes fixed on the door.

Tina said, "...You two, you’ll be in the way of anyone coming out. Come over here."

They reluctantly moved.

Bardos and I leaned against the wall, watching. The old men kept glancing our way. It seemed they wanted to ask something, but they couldn’t say a word. Kuroda’s warning must have been effective.

Bardos grumbled, "This is annoying. Can I do something?"

Such a dangerous thought.

I told him, "...Don’t. They’re different from that other bunch. It’s not a good idea to start something now. At least, not yet."

I stopped him.

...The men here were VIPs whom Kuroda had judged to be harmless. Causing a scene here would only put us at a disadvantage. It wouldn't matter to people from another world, but since we were concerned about the post-operative progress, we wanted to avoid damaging the relationship as much as possible.

Bardos, though with a dissatisfied look on his face, agreed.

...These kinds of stares must be unpleasant for him too. They weren’t looking to pick a fight, nor were they just watching. It was more of a resentful gaze.

The kind of look that said, ‘A new discovery has been made by this young punk.’

It’s a common story. ...Researchers who have spent years on their work being surpassed by some nameless kid who just appeared out of nowhere. But from my perspective, it was just a nuisance.

All I did was try to save a friend.

The story just blew up on its own. ...You could say they made a big deal out of it themselves, and now they resent me for it.

Just as I was thinking this, the light on the operating room door went out.

As everyone watched intently, the door opened. A single doctor wearing a sterilized coat came out.

I asked, "Doctor, what are the results?"

In response, the doctor silently cleared a path.

...Then, Rumily, asleep on a stretcher, came into view. Milfy and Matilda approached her. They looked relieved. It seemed she was okay. ...And under the blanket, there were two distinct mounds where her legs were.

"...It was a success, then," I said.

The doctor replied, "Yeah. Reattaching the leg was difficult, but the Reverse Slime did the rest of the work. I really felt like that thing can do anything."

He looked drained.

His expression was a mix of joy and discontent. ...Well, that made sense. You study hard and become a doctor, but some problems remain unsolved forever.

And then a monster comes along and solves it in a flash. It’s only natural to feel discontent.

But this would bring happiness to many people. There was no other choice.

Just then, one of the old men asked, "And? Did you collect the data properly?"

At this, the doctor nodded, and went with the old men into another room.

...I said nothing, thought nothing. I was just relieved for Rumily.

After returning to the hospital room, Rumily woke up after a short while.

...As Milfy and Matilda watched over her, Rumily looked down at her own legs. Her lost right leg was there. The muscle and skin tone were slightly different, but she didn’t seem to care about that. She just shed tears.

The other two also cried and embraced her.

Tina and Bardos, who were watching, had warm expressions on their faces, like parents seeing their daughter fully recovered. I watched in silence. To say anything here would be tactless.

Once the three of them had calmed down, Milfy asked, "Now that Rumily is back to her old self, shall we go home?"

To this I replied, "...I’d love to, but they want to observe her post-operative progress. And I also want to make sure Rumily can move around as usual. Please bear with it for a little longer."

Milfy looked down as if she had just remembered.

Just then, a nurse came in.

"Excuse me. I’m here for Rumily-san’s regular check-up. Are you feeling any pain or anything unusual?"

In response to this question, Rumily shook her head.

As the nurse was writing something on a chart, I asked, "...Excuse me. About how long will it be before Rumily can be discharged?"

To this, the nurse replied, "I’m sorry. I can’t decide or even predict that on my own authority. The doctors are currently in a meeting with the executives in the conference room, so I can’t even confirm with them."

She looked down.

Well, that can’t be helped. Without a decision from above, nothing can be done.

I said, "...I understand. But if you happen to see them, please ask for me. We have no intention of staying here for long."

I gave a slight threat.

...It was as if I was saying we wouldn’t hesitate to just break out if necessary. The nurse nodded repeatedly and left.

Rumily said, "...Um, I have a request for everyone. I’d like to have a friendly match to test the condition of my right leg."

Bardos was about to volunteer, but Tina said, "...I will be your opponent. Bardos, in this world, there is such a thing as public perception."

A giant man fighting a young girl.

...Even in a mock battle, it would seem strange. Between two women, there would be no problem. Rumily got out of bed and started walking, a profound expression on her face.

In the hospital courtyard.

There was no one around.

...Tina and Rumily faced each other. We were watching from a short distance away.

The two stood in silence. And then, the first to move was Rumily.

She closed the distance to Tina with a speed that made it seem like she was flying. She tried to punch Tina in the stomach with her right fist, but Tina instantly deflected it with a right-handed knife-hand strike. Rumily dodged to the right, her punch hitting nothing but air.

With that same momentum, she landed a right fist to Tina’s side. ...Tina coughed slightly.

She immediately countered with a right backfist, but Rumily blocked it with a defensive stance. However, she couldn’t kill the momentum completely and was sent flying several meters. She quickly regained her posture, but Tina closed the distance in an instant, following up with a left fist.

But Rumily jumped with all her might. She reached a height of about five meters.

Tina looked up. Rumily was in the stance for a right-legged axe kick. Tina instinctively crossed her arms in a defensive posture.

...The two clashed. The ground beneath Tina caved in.

Tina immediately threw her off. Rumily landed with a flow that was breathtaking to watch. Both of them took a deep breath.

I thought it would continue, but Rumily said, "Phew... Thank you. This is enough to know I’m okay."

As Rumily bowed, Tina replied, "...It’s fine. You seem to be in good shape too. But don’t overdo it. You’re not back to your best yet, are you?"

To this, Rumily said, "Yes. It still feels a bit strange. There are times when my right leg doesn’t move exactly as I want it to."

She gave a light jump.

...To think it’s not moving right after all that. I can’t tell from the sidelines.

Just as I was thinking that, a round of applause erupted.

When I looked around, I saw that a crowd of spectators had gathered. There were patients, visitors, nurses, and even doctors.

"Amaaazing!! What was that?! Are they actors?!!"

"No, no, no, not even an actor can move like that!! ...Of course, not even a stuntman could do that!!"

"Seriously, what is going on? That girl has an incredible jumping ability!!"

"And the beautiful one closed the distance in an instant. What kind of training do you have to do to get like that?"

The air was filled with surprise and questions.

If this continues, the questions will only grow and things will get complicated.

Just as I was thinking that, one person, clapping, said, "...Well, that was truly wonderful. As expected of SP agents. You are always training, aren’t you?"

Kuroda appeared.

Bardos had a look of confusion, but I stopped him. Milfy and Matilda, having understood the situation, remained silent.

Tina said, "...Thank you. This was just a warm-up to check my friend’s condition. We weren’t being serious."

Kuroda replied, "...That’s good to hear. I look forward to your future work."

Hearing this conversation, the surrounding people seemed to understand and began to disperse.

This was due to the understanding that they were strong because they were SP, and the fear that they might get involved if they stayed any longer.

I said, "...Thanks. I couldn’t think of a way to resolve this situation."

Kuroda replied, "Please don’t worry about it. This is a trivial matter compared to what you have brought us."

He had a huge smile on his face.

Tina asked, "...Mr. Kuroda? ...Is there a reason you came here?"

Kuroda replied, "...Yes, there is. Let’s talk in the room."