I know she knows that I'm not fond of asking
True or false, it may be
Well, she's still out to get me
I may say it was your fault
Because I know you could have done more
Oh, you're so naïve, yet so

Without further ado, I searched through the cabinets in the examination room for the small bottle labeled Diazepam. Within seconds, I had the medication in hand-Ann's sense of order could always be relied upon. I returned hastily, but before I even reached the door, a piercing scream urged me to quicken my pace. When I reached the bed, I saw Izumi, wide-eyed, clutching her cheek, stepping back from the patient. Staring at her hand, I noticed it was smeared with red liquid.

"Get out of the way," I ordered curtly, pushing past her to approach the patient. With practiced hands, I administered the drug via the already inserted IV catheter. Then, I took a step back, waiting for it to take effect. My gaze drifted to the ECG monitor, where the sinus curve slowly normalized, the waves recording longer intervals between each peak. I turned to Izumi. She was awkwardly wiping the blood from her cheek with an embarrassed smile, though the scratch across her face made it a futile effort.

"Did I tell you to touch him?" I asked, slightly annoyed.

Izumi took a deep breath.

"I thought I could calm him down, but he almost fell out of bed. I tried to stop him, but he suddenly started thrashing around," she explained, indignant.

"That man had a seizure. Calming him down wouldn't help."

"I thought it was better than doing nothing," she mumbled, pressing her hand to her cheek.

"You still have a lot to learn. Let me see." I stepped closer and took her wrist firmly to examine the scratch.

She immediately pulled away to escape my grip.

"It's nothing."

"'Nothing' is running down your face and dripping onto your uniform." I took hold of her shoulders, steering her into the adjoining room and guiding her onto one of the examination beds. "Sit down."

I handed her one of the paper towels from the dispenser. Izumi took it and pressed it to her bleeding wound slowly, watching me with large, wary eyes. Quickly, I gathered some bandages and returned to her. Her expression remained skeptical as I pulled a stool closer. She clearly hadn't expected me to care, and honestly, my reasons were entirely selfish.

"You can move your hand now," I said, picking up a sterile swab with tweezers.

Reluctantly, she uncovered the wound, which was still bleeding a little. The scratch wasn't deep enough to be worrisome. I leaned in a bit, carefully cleaning it. Izumi's breathing visibly hitched, and I could almost hear her pulse racing as I drew closer. When the swab touched her skin, she involuntarily flinched.

"Hold still," I chided, as she kept leaning back. Noticing the faint blush spreading across her cheeks, I had to work hard to keep a grin at bay.

This was easier than I thought.

I leaned a little closer on purpose to gauge her reaction, and with amusement, watched her face turn bright red as she shrank back, her gaze fixed firmly downward.

"Um, so... that man will be okay, right?" she asked with a nervous smile, casting a worried glance toward the door leading to the other room.

"That depends on what triggered his seizure," I replied calmly.

"He was bitten by a snake, but he didn't know if it was venomous. Ann treated him with antibiotics yesterday as a precaution."

I nodded in understanding, cutting a piece of tape for the bandage.

"There are snakes with neurotoxins that don't take effect until hours after the bite. If he's lucky, not much venom was injected. Otherwise, he might die. For an effective antidote, we'd need to know the snake species."

She frowned, looking at me thoughtfully for a moment.

"Isn't there something like a universal antidote?"

"There's one that works against a variety of snake venoms, but this isn't a region where those animals are common, so it's unlikely any medical facility here would have it in stock."

"Isn't there any way to find out which snake bit him and make an antidote with that information?"

"In theory, yes, but given our situation and the time since the snake bite, that would be a hopeless endeavor."

She groaned in frustration.

"So that means if his condition worsens, there's nothing we can do?"

"We can ease his symptoms and hope for the best."

Her expression showed clear dissatisfaction with my answer. Her sincere concern for this stranger seemed, frankly, absurd to me. Did she seriously think she could save every life as an assistant? That notion struck me as extremely naive.

I took the adhesive bandage out of its wrapper and was about to place it on her cheek when a demanding knock sounded at the door.

"Come in," I called, letting my arm drop automatically. It was unlikely to be Ann-she wouldn't bother knocking. I turned to the door and couldn't help a wry smile as the puppy-like young man poked his head in, then entered with a silver serving cart. When his eyes fell on me, his expression almost collapsed.

"Makoto," Izumi sprang off the bed, her face lighting up. "What are you doing here?"

Makoto. Typical name for a puppy.

"What happened to your face? And what's he doing here?"

His gaze shifted back to me, openly scrutinizing.

What's it to you, mutt? Go gnaw on a bone.

Izumi chuckled briefly, a bit uneasy as she turned back to me.

"Well, Chishiya's helping us here in the medical ward. He knows a little about medicine, you know?" she said quickly, as though she didn't want to elaborate.

I raised an eyebrow silently.

A little? That's quiet an understatement.

"Well, that... sure is a surprise," he said, feigning nonchalance, though his distrust was clear as he scrutinized me coolly. Then he turned to Izumi, concerned. "Are you okay?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes, of course. It's just a scratch," she waved off.

"One you wouldn't have gotten if you'd simply followed my instructions," I cut in, earning a defiant look from her.

"Ann asked us this morning to bring meals for the patients. And here I am."

The young man named Makoto pointed at the serving cart, topped with some warm dishes and utensils.

So, he worked in the kitchen. Interesting information.

"Well, you did that now," I interjected, "so no reason to keep us from our work. Also, I wasn't finished." I waved the bandage still in my fingers.

Izumi's smile grew strained again.

"Chishiya's right. Thank you for the food."

"Will I see you after dinner?" he asked, hopeful.

"Well, I'm not sure when I'll be done here," she replied vaguely. "But I'll try."

"You need to eat regularly, Tsu. If necessary, I'll come by later and bring you something myself."

"That's sweet of you, but don't go to the trouble." I rolled my eyes. Hopefully, this guy would leave soon, or I'd throw him out myself. I didn't want to listen to this mushy drivel any longer. "We really need to get back to work," she said apologetically.

Makoto nodded.

"Have fun, and take care!" he said, with an unmistakable glance in my direction that didn't escape me.

Shortly after, he was gone.

"May I finally finish now?" I asked as we were alone again, holding up the bandage once more. She nodded absently, sinking back onto the bed.

"An acquaintance of yours?" I asked casually as I pressed the adhesive bandage onto her skin.

Not that I cared.

"Something like that," she murmured, nervously tugging at her earlobe, avoiding my gaze. Her body language quickly clued me into the situation.

"I see. You two were together," I concluded. Her gaze snapped to me, surprised. "The way he looks at you says it all. He's obviously still hoping for something."

Which I'd soon pop like a soap bubble.

I suppressed a grin.

"Makoto and I are just friends," she insisted firmly.

"Friends, huh?" I echoed, amused. "Sure..."

She raised her chin defiantly.

"And even if we were more than that, what's it to you, Chishiya?" Boldly, she hopped off the bed as if the topic was closed for her. "We should get back to the patients."

An inexplicable pang flared in my chest, momentarily throwing me off. Why on earth did I care about her and this Makoto? It didn't matter for my plan. I'd charm her, regardless. She might be a bit stubborn, but she was surprisingly gullible. It should be easy to wrap her around my finger and steer her in the desired direction. After all, I'd never failed to achieve what I set out to do.

"I'll start distributing the food. With the amount here, there's bound to be some left for us," she said confidently, pushing the serving cart towards the door.

Then she paused and hesitantly turned back to me.

"Oh, and thanks," she said in a low voice, pointing at the bandage on her cheek, which took on a hint of color. I just shrugged indifferently.

"Don't mention it."

For the next two hours, Izumi busied herself with our only female patient, who'd arrived the day before with extensive burns. Due to her severe pain and limited mobility, Izumi even helped her eat, while I took my time reviewing the information Ann had documented on each patient. Meanwhile, I mentally went over each case:

Patient A: Male, snakebite, potential poisoning by an unknown neurotoxin, treated with Diazepam, risk of cerebral hemorrhage temporarily controlled, outcome still uncertain.

Patient B: Female, extensive second-degree burns covering most of the body, possibility of superinfection due to compromised skin barrier; treatment with broad-spectrum antibiotics initiated.

Patient C: Male, acute smoke inhalation injury due to inhaling hot fumes, oxygen therapy started; patient is stable for now but requires close monitoring.

Patient D: Male, head injury with mild traumatic brain injury; can be discharged by tomorrow morning at the latest.

At the moment, these four patients had us stretched to capacity. If we had more personnel and resources, the medical ward could at least double its size. Space wasn't an issue on this floor; most rooms were just dead storage space. There was certainly no shortage of space, and we could likely scrounge up more beds as well.

Shortly after, a young man showed up on the ward to inquire about the well-being of our only female patient. He seemed almost as surprised by my presence as Makoto had been. It was another clear reminder that few would expect someone like me in the role of a doctor. Given my reputation here, I couldn't blame them.

Izumi exchanged a few polite words with him before the young man took a seat beside the woman, Satō Nanami, and hesitantly took her hand. For a brief moment, she watched the intimate scene, seeming completely absent, as though a private film played in her mind. Eventually, she turned away from them.

"We should probably give them a moment alone," she whispered to me.

I gave a brief nod and followed her back to the treatment room.

"Honestly, I'm starving," she groaned, eyeing the leftover food in the warming containers.

"A small meal couldn't hurt," I agreed, realizing the scent of soy ramen had stirred a bit of hunger in me as well.

Izumi smiled and handed me a steaming bowl, which I accepted with a curt nod. Unlike before, she seemed more relaxed now. I couldn't help but wonder what had caused the sudden shift in her mood. As she began filling her own bowl, I noticed a slight tremor pass through her body. She immediately lowered the bowl, and the ladle slipped from her hand with a clatter. A soft gasp escaped her lips as her hand moved reflexively to her chest.

"Everything okay?" I asked with a frown, my voice sounding a tad more concerned than I'd have liked. Then again, maybe that wasn't such a bad thing.

Izumi straightened, her expression tinged with mild confusion. On cue, she forced a smile and continued filling her bowl as if nothing had happened.

"I'm fine," she assured me, her smile widening further. Yet her tone betrayed the obvious lie behind her words.

Who did she think she was fooling?

Maybe it worked on the naïve puppy, but I could see the pain behind her eyes, so carefully hidden.

"If you say so..."

We hadn't known each other long enough to share personal details, so I decided not to pry further. Patience was all I needed to win her trust...

...and her heart.

Izumi sank onto one of the stools while I leaned against the low windowsill, glancing outside. We ate our ramen in silence, each lost in our own thoughts.

"You still haven't answered my question," she eventually broke the silence.

"Which question?" I responded automatically, though I already sensed where the conversation was going.

"You said you're not a doctor, so why do you know so much?"

"Correct, I'm not-at least, not yet."

"So you're... studying medicine?" she asked with a mix of disbelief and admiration.

I nodded.

"I was just about to take my exams before I came here."

The amazement was clear on her face. By now, I'd almost grown accustomed to people's reactions, yet their astonished expressions still amused me each time.

"Why did you keep that from the Beach?"

"When I arrived, the Beach already had medical personnel."

"But when they called for volunteers to staff the medical ward due to an urgent need for medical personnel, you didn't lift a finger."

She gave me a reproachful look.

"I had my reasons."

"I'd love to hear them," she countered with a biting tone.

I sighed quietly.

"My reasons are my business. And I'm here now," I sidestepped, hoping she'd let it go.

"Do you really think Hatter will grant you amnesty when he finds out you've deceived him all along?"

A smirk tugged at my lips.

"Are you worried about me?"

"As if," she scoffed, focusing intently on her bowl as she fished out a few noodles with her chopsticks. Even from a distance, I could see the blush coloring her face.

"How touching that you've grown so fond of me in such a short time," I teased her a bit. She looked up, glaring at me indignantly.

"You conceited-"

But I never found out what I was, because just then, the door burst open and the young man came rushing in.

"Something's wrong," he blurted out, panicked.

Izumi and I exchanged glances before we sprang to our feet almost simultaneously.

I plan to upload a new English chapter every Monday (CET) from now on so that I can finally make some progress. Sorry that it took so long until now.