Overloaded With Attributes Chapter 11

Interlude: The Case of Saitou Kikuko, Part 1 

My name is Saitou Kikuko. As for my age... I just realized, I'm already 32... It was three years ago that I was assigned here, to the "Male Ward" at Ouji Hospital in Osaka.

Mind you, while it's called the Male Ward... we almost never actually get any male patients. I mean, what man would go out of his way to choose a hospital staffed only by female doctors?

Most of my work is just examining female patients. It's... a little lonely, but perfectly peaceful.

And then, one day, into my life—a life with even fewer encounters with men, let alone young men, than I'd imagined—"he" suddenly appeared. Yes... just like a cruel prank of fate.

His name is Kashiwagi Yuugiri-san. A 15-year-old boy, slender, with refined features. It was about a week ago that he was brought to this hospital.

For a young man his age, you have to consider the mental care he'd need during his stay. Normally, they would have transported him to a hospital with male doctors, even if it was further away... but it seemed they didn't even have that luxury. It was a race against time. He was carried in on a stretcher, his clothes torn, covered in reddish-black blood and mud... It was a sight I could barely stand to look at.

Apparently, he'd been in a car accident with his family. He was unconscious, his breathing shallow. His heart could have stopped at any moment... He was in an extremely precarious state.

Was he thrown against the car's interior? Or ejected from it? Full-body contusions, broken bones. And, most critical of all... ruptured organs.

"...It's a miracle... he's still breathing in this condition..."

I'd gotten the basic info from the ambulance radio, but the moment I saw him in person, I felt dizzy. An injury that was clearly beyond help. A case where any ten doctors out of ten would have declared it "a lost cause."

But... even in this hopeless situation... there was one move... I could make!

"Fujiwara-san! The high-purity potion from Refrigerator 3! ASAP! The lock code is 3-1-1-0...!"

"Roger!"

The nurse ran off, and I immediately began to prep. This wasn't surgery. It was a "treatment" that required even more focus.

It possessed a regenerative effect that could only be described as magic—a potion. Using that—our hospital's "ace in the hole," which almost never sees the market—was an act that required me to be prepared to take full responsibility... if he died.

I unsealed the potion ampoule that Fujiwara-san handed me and drew the thick, greenish liquid into a syringe.

"Administering solution."

While I'd been prepping the syringe, his arm had been cleaned of blood and mud. I carefully inserted the needle. The moment I slowly pressed the plunger with my thumb... The EKG line jumped, and the pulse that had been on the verge of stopping... returned.

"Doctor, pulse is back! ...It's stabilizing!"

"Good! Check his blood pressure and respiration! Set the fractures before the potion fuses them! Immobilize everything you can, fast!"

"""Yes, ma'am!!"""

We kept moving. To save his life. Cleaning, disinfecting, controlling the bleeding. In the end, he was completely wrapped in bandages and casts, immobilized like a "mummy," and carefully transferred to a private room.

"Doctor... I think... that's the first time since I was assigned to this ward that I've seriously treated a male patient."

"...I know exactly what you mean." Because it was the same for me.

＊　＊　＊

And so, Kashiwagi-san, the boy who came back from the brink of death. The potion's effect was outstanding. His wounds healed so cleanly he didn't even have a scar. He regained consciousness three days later. The day he woke up, Miyoshi-san, who was on duty for his room, came to get me... face bright red, acting completely suspicious... I honestly had no idea what was going on...

And when I went to his room, what I saw was... A boy, with features that were age-appropriate, but also... somehow... just adorable. W-Wait, what is this destructive power?! A younger guy... is this... precious...?!

I almost collapsed on the spot, but I am a doctor and an adult woman. If I start breathing all hard through my nose like Miyoshi-san behind me, I lose!

Don't make him nervous. Don't make him anxious. And above all, don't scare him! I put on my best "normal smile" and spoke softly.

"It seems you're awake. How are you feeling right now?"

And in response, what came from his mouth was: "Mmmgh... mmmh...?"

...AHHH! I-I'm so sorry! You can't talk with the respirator in, can you?! But he still tried to answer! That earnest effort!

Oh... honestly! Is this the "kindness of a younger boyfriend" I read about in manga?!

Just as my giddy delusions were about to run wild... Miyoshi-san, who was waiting behind me, made a flustered move... but I body-blocked her! Sorry, but there's no way I'm letting a "suspicious nurse" like you handle him!

"I-I'm just going to touch you a little, but this is purely a medical procedure, okay?! I have no ulterior motives or anything like that!! No, really!!"

...Wait? Aren't I supposed to be the calm, adult woman...? I'm so excited my blood vessels feel like they're about to pop. At this rate, I'm just as much of a "suspicious person" as Miyoshi-san!!

...But then... after I took the respirator out... he cleared his throat, just, "Ah, ah." ...And that!!! It was so cute, I thought my sanity was going to collapse!! ...And after that, his—Kashiwagi-san's—triumphant march... was just getting started.

"Dr. Saitou."

...IS WHAT HE CALLED ME! I guarantee, if you polled every doctor in Japan... ...maybe five of them have ever received it... a "Doctor-call" from a younger guy!! I got it!! And he used my last name, too!!

And then, when he said, "I don't think I'll have a problem going for an hour or two." ...Honestly... I was ready to throw my entire life savings at him. ...Okay, right. I need to calm down. At this rate, a blood vessel in my brain is literally going to burst.

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