NOVEL NEXT Chapter 7
Side Case File 7 The Value of Life
Ash felt terrible now.
After experiencing in the previous world the tragedy of being beaten up by all nine members of the Nine Linked Ones as soon as he was caught loitering irresponsibly on the street by Rachi, and being forced to join them, Ash deeply reflected on his experiences and life in this world, especially since he had been rescued from the river by a kind lady.
If he wanted to avoid getting caught and then beaten up by the hero, he should find a job for cover.
Originally, this wasn’t a problem; all he needed was an excuse to fight the righteous hero, and the villainous organizations would come out to interfere. He would infiltrate these groups and steal a salary, sign in daily, chat with the officers, command the subordinates, and occasionally engage heroes in thrilling battles. It would be splendid!
The issue arose because he started things but couldn’t finish them properly. He had searched for a long time and found nothing about any dark organization in this world. It was as if the eight-year-old final monsters had suddenly emerged from the ground.
Maybe they really did?
Finding a job at a company posed no problem with a fabricated resume. The boss from his last job who wanted him to work as an employee had been turned into a grotesque figure on the roof by Ash’s shenanigans.
As for working in a factory… he’d have to lose his memory for that to happen.
Therefore, he decided on running some individual business with the best control over workhours and minimal contact with people, which was perfect. So, what should he do exactly?
As he was pondering whether to open a coffee shop, Ash noticed his medical license, carefully stored in his inventory, catching his eye.
Thanks to Mirror Fly-Cai, whose unintentional action saved a city from Mars coffee.
Decisive action, he chose a good location and used some gold particles from his funds to rent a building. Medical equipment was directly “donated” by Schick and Destron, without removing the bloodstained egg slicers and binding straps. The desk and chair in the consultation room were taken from Phoenix, where items were missing every day without anyone caring. As for the medicine, he got it from Daiwa, who didn’t like it much, resulting in multiple battles with the black doctor.
Lastly, he placed a showcase filled with all his model collections from Visionary Inc.
“Perfect.”
His first patient in this world fainted right in front of him.
A broken Gundam model fell to the ground, and Ash rushed up, pulling back his coat to check, disregarding the distance between men and women as if it mattered.
“Lower abdomen, this bruised condition…”
Ash frowned. There were other areas not examined, but he intended not to waste time. The lower abdomen clearly required urgent attention.
Besides exceptional medical skills, Ash inherited his teacher Dr. Death’s ethics. Holding the familiar-looking woman, he rushed through everything hindering the way, straight towards the backstage operating room.
Princess placed Wild Flower, who was unconscious, on the platform decorated with a giant eagle mark, with instruments labeled by various dark organizations lighting up red the moment Ash kicked the door open, casting eerie light like a place for cyborg modification.
Wild Flower’s body was burning hot even through her clothes, still trembling unconsciously. Her petite body compared to peers made Ash feel sorrow.
“What a hard hit.”
“[Identity authenticated! Welcome, Senior Researcher Doctor Ash. Your teacher Professor Death has three messages remaining…]”
After identity authentication, ignoring additional information, Ash stripped off Wild Flower’s jacket, casually discarding it. The life support system and diagnostic equipment activated simultaneously. Multiple needles were inserted into Wild Flower to inject life-sustaining fluids, and restraints automatically fastened but were pulled off by Ash, as he was not conducting actual surgical procedures unless absolutely necessary.
To save time, only the lower abdomen was scanned. Soon, the image appeared on Ash’s tablet.
“It was inevitable. Internal bleeding, kidney rupture leading to exsanguinationshock.”
Did you really crawl from the car crash here?
“Never expected this first patient would give me such a tough case. If delayed, my only choice would have been to treat you like Homura Akashi.”
The room transformed. Part of the walls receded, revealing a full set of black surgical attire. Four nozzles emerged from the corners, spraying disinfectant liquid and killing UV light around. The large machine carrying Wild Flower deformed to become a simple operating table among the grinding gears and metal sounds.
“Fortunately, you’re having surgery done by me.”
“And…”
He recognized who she was, and out of emotion or duty, he must help her. She had helped him once before.
“You owe me.” He murmured softly, his masked mouth possibly stopping sound production.
The surgical gown bearing an eagle emblem adhered itself onto him. Only troublemaking clothing around Wild Flower’s waist was cut away, two mechanical arms completing every step perfectly.
Ash raised both hands, just like his master, Mirror Fly-Cai.
“Now, the operation begins.”
“There isn’t anything I can’t cut.”
In a daze, Wild Flower seemed to hear someone speaking, feeling more acutely the passage of her own life.
Is the doctor trying to save me? What a pity, with no energy tomorrow, I doubt I can make it through.
Am I… dying? If there’s a next life, I’d love to experience a sweet romance…
“Never give up!”
The voice of a man rang like a thunderclap, awakening the Sleeping Beauty from her dream, and the flames of light seized her arm, extracting her from the abyss of darkness behind.
When Wild Flower breathed heavily, waking up on the operating table, Ash had already changed out of his surgical gear, now flipping aimlessly through the local comics.
“Boring.” Tossing away the energetic comic books, Ash’s eyes shifted to the bewildered Wild Flower.
Hmm, am I not dead? Is this heaven?
“Congratulations, you died from internal bleeding and shock. Welcome to hell,” Ash laughed, noticing how dizzy she looked. “Just kidding, though I’m not surprised you see me in hell.” His rapid speech confused her even more.
“Doctor… what’s happening?”
“Internal bleeding due to ruptured kidneys led to hypovolemic shock. If not treated sooner, you’d likely be competing for revival with a beach guardian.”
“So, am I…?”
Holding her chest, she truly felt her heart pounding,
Really, I’m still alive?
I can still see Mom and Dad! And Kotori, Yu…
The joy of living brought tears to Wild Flower’s eyes.
“You almost died, but you survived because I was here.”
“T-Thanks!”
She lifted her torn clothes, her previously sore lower abdomen no longer hurting but now wrapped in a red-streaked bandage.
“This is sutured without needles. Destron technology, which I had never tried before, shows excellent outcomes.”
“Doctor, you…”
Caught up in thoughts about the experiment, and about the unregulated surgery, Ash shrugged, handing Wild Flower the bill.
“Never mind that. Check your bill.”
“Oh, definitely—ugh!”
Sophisticated woman with a graceful look was nearly fainting when she saw eight zeros, but her blood pressure steadied upon seeing her name signed by Ash as payer. She looked questioningly at the young doctor.
“Regarding the surgery costs, since your aid last time was already beyond adequate, don’t worry.”
“Huh? Aid?”
“Only a day and you’ve forgotten me?”
Ash displayed a gleaming smile.
“What?” Cutely tilting her head, studying him until yesterday’s face in the water aligned with the man in front of her.
“A-Are you kidding me! You’re the one who fell in the river!”
Who could have thought saving a life would lead to saving myself the very next day!
Warmth surged in her heart; her actions weren’t pointless after all.
“Yes, I almost bit the dust, thanks to you. By the way, my baseline fee is 200 million yen. But given how much my life is worth, I’ll forgive it all. You have plenty left.”
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