33 The Medicine.

After getting a message from Tae Takemi that she needed him for some more tests, Ren went to Tae's clinic after school. Ren headed to Tae Takemi's clinic after school. Upon arrival, he was met with the sight of a stern police officer grilling her.

"I'll need to see a detailed report of all your medical expenses and medical records. I bet you didn't have any chance to hide any incriminating records, huh?" The officer demanded, his tone laden with insinuation. However, Takemi remained unfazed, her response cool and collected.

"By all means, feel free to examine my computer," she gestured nonchalantly towards her workstation.

As the officer moved to investigate, Ren, seizing the moment, knocked and put some weakness in his voice.

"Excuse me, I have an appointment. Will this take much longer?" His sudden appearance caught both the officer and Takemi by surprise.

"We're in the middle of an investigation here, kid," The officer started, only for Ren to clutch his head in feigned agony and collapse to the floor.

Seeing this, Tae quickly moved to his side, yet the moment she looked at his face, she let out a slight smirk before hiding it. She pulled out a flashlight and pointed it at his eyes before saying.

 "I've warned you about overexerting yourself with that concussion. It's only going to worsen." She said in a concerned tone as she helped Ren stand up and walked him over to the clinic's bed.

Addressing the officer, she stated firmly.

"Whatever report you got, it's nothing but an attempt to harass me. Nevertheless, I'm willing to cooperate with your investigation after I've attended to my patient here."

The officer, momentarily taken aback by Ren's condition, grudgingly backed down.

"Forget this," he muttered, then turned to Ren with a warning, "Kid, better seek treatment elsewhere. You don't want care from 'the plague'."

As the officer left, Takemi shook her head in disdain at his retreating figure. Once she was sure the officer had left, she turned to Ren.

"You didn't have to do that, you know? I'm used to dealing with them, though it is starting to get annoying." She admitted with a weary smile.

"Why are they after you?" Ren asked, genuinely interested.

Takemi sighed, her frustration palpable at the question.

"I'm sure it is my former superior who keeps making false reports. He is trying to put pressure on me since we parted on bad terms. But let's not dive into that mess right now. " she said with a sigh of annoyance as she stood up and grabbed some things.

Ren acknowledged Takemi's situation with a nod, shifting the topic to a more positive note. 

"So, how's the progress on the medicine?"

The shadow of annoyance on Takemi's face faded as she heard the question, and with a smile, she answered. 

"It's going quite well, thanks to your assistance. I'm on the brink of a breakthrough with the next version, but I'll need a blood sample from you for some tests. Here, drink this first." she explained, positioning herself beside Ren to prepare him for the procedure.

"Feel free to take as much as you need." Ren said jokingly after drinking the bitter medicine, eliciting an amused eye roll from Takemi.

"Good, I like people who listen to their superiors. There might be some mild anemia, but only temporarily. You can stay for snacks to bring your blood sugar back up afterward." She said as she skillfully drew his blood.

Despite a brief moment of discomfort, Ren was soon distracted by Takemi tossing him a bag of snacks once the procedure was over.

While Ren snacked and Takemi set the blood sample for analysis, she paused, turning to him with a question sparked by genuine curiosity. 

"Why are you really helping me? The amount I am paying you isn't really worth the trouble. There must be another reason, right?".

Ren met her inquisitive gaze with a simple yet profound response.

"Why not?" His answer seemed to catch her off guard as he continued. "I also thought maybe I could learn something by spending time with you." He continued truthfully.

One of the main reasons he was helping her out was due to The Death arcana she represented. He had learned the meaning of The Death from the fortune teller, but from the small amount of time he had spent with the doctor, he hadn't entirely understood how she embodied it.

The Death Arcana symbolized the process of letting go and embracing change as a necessary step toward growth and renewal. It challenges the fool to confront their fears of change and to recognize the transformative potential within endings, promising a new beginning and the opportunity for profound personal evolution.

Takemi, amused and perhaps a bit intrigued by Ren's answer, chuckled and shook her head. 

"Learn something, huh?" she repeated to herself, fetching an item from her cabinet before sitting closer to Ren. "I don't know when you would use this, but here, I'll teach you how to clean and bandage a wound; you can use my arm as practice. I don't really have the stuff I need for teaching anything else."

Looking at her sincere expression, Ren couldn't help but smile as he grabbed the bandages. He honestly doubted he would ever use it, but he appreciated the gesture, and he was always open to a learning opportunity. 

Shortly thereafter, their lesson was interrupted by the beeping of the machine analyzing Ren's blood sample. Takemi wheeled her chair over to her computer and began reading the analysis before letting out a confused murmur, her brow furrowing as she read the results.

"Huh?" Turning to Ren with a slightly confused expression, she asked. "You haven't eaten anything strange lately, have you? Or been sick?"

Ren shook his head, watching as Takemi re-examined him with her flashlight, then rechecked his vitals with meticulous attention.

"Interesting…" she murmured, a hint of intrigue in her voice as she briskly prepared another dose of medicine, jotting down observations all the while.

"Drink this. You should feel it almost immediately." She said as she observed him closely. And true to her word, Ren felt the small wave of nausea pass over him once again just moments after.

"This is good…" She mused, a small, satisfied smile forming. "You mentioned before that you had some friends you could bring over, right? Do you think you could bring them next time? I want to double-check some things before I continue refining the medicine."

"Yeah, I can probably bring at least one. However, the others will probably have some more questions. I guess I have never really asked, but what's the medicine for?" Ren asked, earning a chuckle from Takemi.

"It's for a patient of mine… or well, former patient. They have Crawford-Ende's disease, and right now, it is an incurable illness. With it, certain cells indiscriminately attack other cells in their body. And when it reaches the muscles, the patient begins to die." She began to explain, yet the further she went, the angrier she became.

After taking a moment to take a deep breath, she sighed.

"I used to be a part of the lead group developing a medicine, but my boss kicked me out trying to get the credit for it." She said with anger and annoyance before shaking her head. "I don't really want to get into it right now."

Noticing her expression, Ren nodded before standing up, ready to give her some space.

"Don't worry about it. Just send me a message, and I'll make sure to bring some more people." He promised, eliciting a genuine smile of gratitude from Takemi.

"Thanks, I couldn't have asked for a better guinea pig." She said as she stood up and led him outside.

"Just remember, if anything feels off, or you experience any adverse effects, reach out to me immediately," she advised, waving him off with a blend of professional concern and personal interest.

— — —

As Ren arrived home, Ren didn't waste any time and quickly took out his phone before sending a group message.

[Ren] Hey, I am helping a doctor develop a medicine, and she needs some more volunteers. Is anyone up for joining? It should only be for one afternoon.

[Ryuji] I gotchu dude.

[Shiho] I can join too. Do you know what it's for? Or what we will be doing?

[Ren] Crawford-Ende's disease. It should only be drinking a quick medicine and getting a blood test afterward. Slightly bitter but not too bad.

[Ann] Wait, a blood test? Does that mean needles?

[Ann] I don't know…

[Ryuji] Come on, you barely feel them!

[Shiho] They are not that bad.

[Shiho] You can probably just come along and hang out if you want.

[Ann] ....

[Ann] Okay, I'll be there… For moral support. 😄

[Ryuji] Dude, how are you scared of needles???

[Ryuji] We have been fighting freaking monsters that shoot fire.

[Ren] It's good, Ryuji and Shiho should be more than enough. Don't worry about it Ann.

[Ann] First of all, needles are different.

[Ann] See, even Ren says it's okay.

[Ryuji] …

Ren couldn't help but chuckle as he saw the two of them begin arguing over needles. Just as Ren was about to break up the fight, Shiho stepped in, ending the argument. Since it was already too late to go out again, Ren took out the crafting items Mona had brought before starting to tinker with them again.

~Confidants~

Tae Takemi (The Death) Rank 3