25 Only I Will Remember
As a small side effect of my High-Level body purification, it seems the recovery rate of my body has been strengthened greatly.
To recover from this amount of injuries I had all over my body, it wouldn't just take a day or two, but fortunately, after barely two days, I was back to perfect shape.
I did not move my body too much as of yet, as you can never be too careful, but I'm not one to idle away in a hospital bed. I did some light exercises to keep things from rusting. A certain nurse wasn't thrilled about it.
"...How many times have I told you, Yozu-san, you should not move around so much!"
Hospital life treated me like royalty, and I could get used to it. Fresh sheets changed by the day, chef-cooked meals, and a 'personal nurse'—Sieze-San—assigned to my every whim. Yeah, they were gunning for a generous donation, but with the mountain of cash I raked in during the Festival, it wasn't a bad idea.
The amount of money I gained was way too much for me to just spend it, as even if I did, I would probably not be able to finish it within a few days.
Unless I just go around buying everything in Berlint or something...
"Rest is important, but I cannot just sit still all day. That's boring, you know?"
Well, gotta admit, with this whole Perfect Human Body Skill, it's like I've hit the jackpot.
Evolving a skill was not a simple matter. Even if the description itself didn't change, there were some incredible changes which I could already understand.
Soon after gaining it, I found out this Passive Skill's aim to perfect my body was more serious than I thought.
First, the normal reaction of the body to accumulate fat as stored energy and for muscles to stagnate if you do not stimulate them was completely removed.
In fact, [Perfect Human Body] takes the fat I munch on and turns it into rocket fuel for my muscles. So, stuffing my face while being a couch potato actually keeps these muscles growing or at least maintaining their A-game, which was nothing short of incredible.
As for the Growth Skill I gained, I did not know how it worked yet. Even with my own [Observe] and [Sixth Sense] to absurd levels currently, coupled with my Talents, could not see any change that was directly attributed to it.
I will ponder more about it when I can understand or speculate how it works.
"I do understand where you're coming from, but..."
She tried to argue with me, but I was not in the mood for that.
"Moreover, Sieze-San, inform the higher-ups I wish to make a donation to this hospital. Also, please tell them you will not be forced to check on anyone as a personal nurse or something anymore. If I find out you are used like that again, I will expose them and I will retract all the money I gave them"
I can't stand that kind of stuff. Call it my selfish way of 'punishing' these folks, but I still wanted to do something for her.
But before I could dive deeper into my thoughts, she... laughed?
Nah, more like she was crying tears of laughter.
Did I miss something?
"I'm sorry, that was...you said something really funny, so..."
She coughed while holding her belly, trying to once again return professional, but that would not cut it, as I looked at her in confusion
"Don't stare at me like that, Yozu-san. I laughed for but a simple reason. The higher-up you were talking about...is me!"
It was like a bucket full of cold water was splashed on me as she proudly announced the truth.
"...Huh? If you're a higher-up, why are you working as a nurse?"
I've got nothing against nurses, but in my mind, the heads of an hospital had their hands full with other kinds of tasks, like paperwork, pulling in funds for surgeries, managing staff...
You know the drill. But playing nurse wasn't on the list.
"Because, truth be told, I've always wanted to do this kind of job since I was little. But, you know, my family owns this hospital. So, I usually have to play the part of a nurse, slipping into the role to be able to take care of patients myself. But hey, at least I've got the proper nurse license and all, so no worries on that front...!"
Like I cared about that now. Seriously?
....I couldn't hold it against her when she was smiling with such a sad expression, though.
"Got it. But then, why do you keep showing up here? Not that I don't like your care for me, but I figured the hospital head was strong-arming you into doing that to subtly nudge me towards a donation or something like that."
Although by tomorrow, this place will be but a memory in my mind, I already said I will not close in myself simply because of that. If you're afraid of even making memories like this, when you look back once you reach the end, what would you have to cherish?
"...Because I was curious about you. Sure, the others here might be eyeing your wallet, but deep down, they mean well. They just want to spruce up the hospital for the patients. And while that's one of my interests too, I just found you amusing to hang out with. So, whenever I had some free time, I ended up here..."
Turns out, I had it all wrong. My bad.
Lesson learned: Don't assume everything is the way you see it.
Just because I think I am right, it's not an excuse to assume whatever I see is the truth. I had to ask her if I was right first.
I noticed that when someone shows care for me, even in the simplest form like this, my judgement tends to be a little bit clouded.
Am I insecure about myself? Do I think I don't deserve another person's care?
No, that's not it.
It's because I am still afraid, deep down, to make connections with people and then have them forget about me.
It's a reasonable fear to hold, but I should not let this cloud my judgement.
Smart move not to immediately go back. Every lesson learned is a notch in my belt, making me a bit better as a person.
While I'm wrapped up in my thoughts, I notice her face's a bit red.
"Still, thank you for caring about me so much, Yozu-san. I appreciate it..."
She gave me a cheeky smile as I smiled back
Yeah, let's leave it at that.
---
So, after dropping the donation and getting my body patched up, it was time to go home.
Stepping out of my room, on the way to the exit, I spot like 30 folks at the entrance – I'm guessing doctors, nurses, and other hospital peeps.
I'm thinking of asking what the heck they're all doing just loitering there, not saying a word. But then, bam! As soon as they see me, the whole bunch bows and chant out in unison:
"Thanks for the donation, Yozu-sama!"
"Thanks for the donation, Yozu-sama!"
"You will forever be remembered by us. All our patients will know who to thank for the services we'll be able to provide them!"
.
.
.
I'm standing there, completely baffled, scanning through the crowd shouting their gratitude to their hearts content. And there she is – Sieze-san, grinning cheerfully and blowing kisses my way. Made me chuckle a bit.
No matter where I roll, it seems I'm building connections left and right.
But you know what? I'm not mad about it. Even though this memory is gonna be a one-way street, I'll carry it for all of you too.
That is my promise to you all.
---
Author's Note:
[Once again, I would love to thank everyone for your support. May it be in the form of comments, power stones, reviews. I'm glad everyone is having fun on this ride along with me!]
[I would also like to give special thanks to AcrosstheSKy as the first Patron!]
