Chapter 107: Hospital Room

“Hey, what happened to that woman later?” Kurata Ryoko asked.

“Are you talking about someone’s mistress?” Masashi countered.

“Obviously, who else?”

“What could happen? She seemed in good spirits that morning, so I left,” Masashi replied nonchalantly.

“She didn’t say anything to you?” Ryoko pressed.

“She did. She wanted to return the hotel money to me, but she only had a credit card and no cash at the time, so it didn’t work out.”

“That’s it?”

“What else do you expect?”

“To be honest, I think that woman is actually quite pitiful.”

“Pitiful? There are plenty of people worse off than her. Countless women her age work nine-to-five jobs, endure their bosses’ and supervisors’ tempers, and then go home to serve their husbands and children. That’s life. When people aren’t preoccupied with survival, they start creating unnecessary troubles for themselves,” Masashi said dismissively.

“You seem to dislike her. Don’t tell me it’s because she embarrassed the Gennai family or something,” Ryoko said, looking at him curiously.

“I wouldn’t say I dislike her. It’s just that I find it frustrating to see such a privileged woman willingly throw herself away. Plenty of women starve themselves, get facelifts, or undergo breast augmentation and still can’t achieve half her appeal.”

“Still, everyone chooses their own path. Take these materialistic women, for example. Some women are obsessed with love, others want to be career-driven and stand out, and some simply prioritize money above everything else. There’s nothing wrong with that,”

“I think your views are a bit contradictory,” Ryoko remarked after a moment’s thought.

“And I think you’re pretty naggy, always asking endless questions. By the way, how much longer until we arrive?” Masashi changed the subject, clearly unwilling to continue the conversation.

“Almost there. When we get to the hospital, don’t say anything inappropriate. I’m worried you might scare someone,” Ryoko said, slightly annoyed that their discussion had been abruptly cut off.

“Are you afraid I’ll suddenly propose to your classmate’s younger sister?” Masashi teased, his eyes sparkling with mischief.

“Can you stop irritating me for a second?” Ryoko snapped, reaching out to pinch his neck.

Their two companions sitting nearby smiled quietly at their antics.

Fifteen minutes later, the taxi stopped in front of a large hospital.

Looking up at the bold sign in front—Aomori General Hospital—Masashi smiled. “What a coincidence. It’s this hospital.”

“What’s the matter?” Yamaguchi Tomoko, who had found the boy surprisingly easy to get along with during the ride, asked curiously.

“Nothing,” he replied, staring at the hospital building thoughtfully.

Two years ago, Lei Yin had reincarnated into his current body in this very hospital. Seeing it again now brought back a surge of emotions.

Yamaguchi Tomoko led the group to a well-lit private room on the second floor.

Inside, a pale-faced young girl lay on the pristine white bed, leaning against her pillow and reading a book.

The girl’s face lit up with a brilliant smile the moment she saw Yamaguchi Tomoko. “Sis, you’re here!”

“Sayaka, are you feeling better today?” Tomoko asked with concern, walking to her bedside.

“I’m fine. Don’t worry so much about me,” the girl reassured her.

“That’s good. You really scared me yesterday,” Tomoko said as she placed the flowers she had brought into a vase on the table.

“Ahem, excuse me. Could you two sisters not treat the rest of us like we’re invisible?” Kurata Ryoko said, clearing her throat.

“Ah, so Sis Ryoko and Sister Sui are here too! This is wonderful,” Yamaguchi Sayaka said with great joy.

“You little brat, so you really were treating us like air,” Kurata Ryoko said, walking over to her bedside and pretending to be angry.

Sayaka giggled, “I just didn’t notice for a moment. I was just thinking earlier, wondering if Sis Ryoko and Sister Sui would visit me today. I didn’t expect you to actually come!” She clung to Ryoko’s hand, pouting and acting spoiled.

Ryoko’s resolve softened almost immediately after a few shakes, while the short-haired Tachibana Sui smiled and placed the fruit they had brought on the table.

“Sis Ryoko, don’t you have classes today?” Sayaka asked, looking up at Ryoko.

“When your sister told us you suddenly collapsed and were admitted to the hospital, how could we concentrate on class? But don’t worry, today’s classes were just electives—nothing important. Want an apple?” Ryoko asked, taking one out of the fruit basket.

“Yes, thank you, Sis Ryoko.”

“Silly girl, no need to thank me,” Ryoko replied as she picked up a fruit knife and began peeling the apple.

The once-quiet hospital room became lively with the presence of the three girls. Ryoko’s chatter and lively personality had Sayaka laughing nonstop.

“Ryoko, where’s your cousin?” After a while, Yamaguchi Tomoko finally noticed someone was missing.

“Oh right, didn’t that guy come in with us? Where did he go?” Ryoko stood up abruptly.

“You’re his cousin; you shouldn’t be the one asking us,” Tachibana Sui said with a hint of exasperation.

“Come on, you only just noticed he wasn’t here either!” Ryoko retorted indignantly.

“Let’s not argue. Go look for him—he’s probably nearby,” said the more composed Tomoko.

“That guy is such a hassle. If I’d known, I wouldn’t have brought him,” Ryoko muttered as she walked out of the room.

It was obvious she had dragged him along in the first place, making her complaint both funny and exasperating to the other two girls.

“Big sis, is someone else here?” Sayaka asked.

“On the way here, we ran into her cousin, and she dragged him along with us. But it’s strange; he was clearly following us upstairs. How did he disappear now?” Tomoko explained.

“That really sounds like something Sis Ryoko would do,” Sayaka said, covering her mouth as she laughed.

At that moment, Ryoko’s voice could be heard from outside, raised in irritation:

“Are you kidding me? You’re here to visit someone, not to sleep!”

“You said you were afraid I’d scare the kid, so I figured I’d just take a nap instead. Sigh, I just fell asleep, and you woke me up. Disturbing someone’s sleep is a serious offense,” the boy said with a yawn.

“But you can’t just sleep on a chair in the hallway! Don’t you feel embarrassed?” Ryoko fumed.

“Relax. If anyone asks, I won’t admit you’re my cousin,” the boy said lazily.

“That’s not the point!” Ryoko was nearly losing her temper.

“You’re so noisy. Fine, I’ll just sit outside and wait. Let me know when you’re leaving,” the boy said.

“Hey, where are you going now?” Ryoko demanded.

“Since I can’t sleep, I’m going to buy a newspaper to read.”

“Why a newspaper? Just come in already!”

“Do I really have to? I don’t even know her,” the boy said in a negotiating tone.

“You’ll know her once you meet her!”

Hearing the exchange between the two cousins outside, Tachibana Sui and Yamaguchi Tomoko couldn’t help but laugh.

Finally, with an expression of resignation, the boy was dragged into the room by Ryoko.