Knowing that what this person entrusts to us is usually problematic, I made a suspicious face.
Naomi-san showed no sign of remorse and laughed, showing her sharp teeth.
“Yeah, it’s case materials. My room’s getting cramped, so keep it for a while.”
Honestly… treating us like a convenient safe deposit box or rental garage. I reluctantly agreed.
“Sigh, I understand.”
“Thanks. Well, if something happens to me, open it… Oh, the password is the usual one. Tell Koyomi that and she’ll understand.”
“The usual one?”
“Yeah, just say that and it’ll be okay. I’m not telling you—you’d forget anyway. You’re the one who confused cabbage with lettuce.”
“That old thing… Besides, that okonomiyaki was surprisingly delicious, wasn’t it?”
“Are you stupid with your tongue as well as your head? That okonomiyaki made with lettuce—it felt like eating vegetables and flour together.”
As Naomi-san complained about the past as if it happened yesterday, I was giving a wry smile when my name was finally called.
“Oba Kanako-san, please go to examination room number two.”
“There, you’re being called, ‘Oh-big-stupid-kid.’ Well, I’m going to get some food. I’ll be back by the time you two finish your examinations.”
Laughing heartily, Naomi-san left the waiting room… Her mentality and behavior are like that of a bandit.
After seeing her off, I headed for my examination.
I was nervous at first, but since I’ve had this done many times now, it feels as casual as going to the bathroom. Apparently mind-reading ability has something to do with radio waves and such, but even when examined normally, there’s hardly any difference detectable, so if there’s nothing particularly abnormal, it’s just a quick test and done.
So, after a quick brain wave check, it was over. Having finished first, I sat alone on the sofa, quietly waiting for my little sister.
“Hmm, I’m bored. There’s nothing to do by myself.”
I was thinking, “I wonder if something interesting will happen…” when it happened… I guess I raised a flag.
“GYAAAAAAAH!”
“Wh-what?”
An ear-piercing female scream.
Curious, I ran toward the direction of the voice.
“What is it? What is it?” “What happened?”
Doctors in white coats came running too.
In the midst of this, the scene I witnessed was:
“Ah, awawa…”
A middle-aged nurse who had collapsed in shock.
“…”
A beautiful woman covering her mouth.
And in the room—
“—”
There was a dignified man sitting in seiza position with rolled-back white eyes, foaming at the mouth.
The man convulsed occasionally, twitching and shaking.
It was such an eerie and bizarre sight that everyone present was left speechless for a moment.
READ THE ORIGINAL TRANSLATION AT LOCALIZERMEERKAT.GITHUB.IO
Let me organize the situation.
Hearing the scream, I headed toward the voice with the curiosity of a bystander.
There, I found Hospital Director Shimoda Heisuke foaming at the mouth and collapsed.
No, to be precise, it wasn’t quite “collapsed,” was it? He was foaming at the mouth, eyes rolled back, convulsing—and in seiza position. It would have been better if he had just fallen on the floor; this will appear in my dreams.
“That’s probably poison.”
One of the doctors who rushed over said so.
Speaking with the honest face of a country boy was Dr. Katsura Ryoma, a digestive system specialist who’s said to be a candidate for the next hospital director.
“Anyone can see that without you saying it.”
The doctor who snapped at his comment was Dr. Kai Goromaru, a sophisticated-looking internist popular with patients. He’s also said to be a candidate for the next hospital director.
“…”
Crossing her arms and looking around coolly was Yuuno Fuuko-san, a cool beauty of a clerk who’s apparently quite popular—I heard that both Dr. Katsura and Dr. Kai are rivals competing for her.
Eh? Why do I know the hospital’s internal affairs so well? Well, you see…
“—And so, Fuuko-chan just started working here recently, and there are many people trying to make a move on her. But with that coolness of hers, she’s apparently shot down quite a few.”
The one telling me, a complete outsider, all about the hospital’s affairs is Kabemura Mimi-san, a veteran nurse known for being well-informed. She’s apparently the one who screamed earlier, but now she seems excited about the incident, which is hard to believe.
“Hey hey, do you think we’ll be questioned by the police? This old lady is getting excited.”
“W-well, I wonder…”
While I was getting fed up with this characteristic gossipy aunt behavior, Dr. Katsura began taking charge of the scene.
“Are you definitely the first person to discover this, Yuuno-san?”
Yuuno-san nodded slowly with her arms still crossed and calm eyes.
“…Yes, the director started suffering shortly after drinking his tea, so I hurried to call someone.”
(Tea, huh? Hmm? The color is strange though.)
Looking down at the table, there were what appeared to be two teacups. But what was inside was far too blue to call black tea.
As if answering my question, Kabemura-san explained.
“That’s a color-changing tea that the director has been into lately. Apparently some component called anthocyanin works on it. Tea doesn’t really fit the director’s character, but it’s better than having him drink alcohol during work hours. He used to get complaints from patients about that—but that’s off the record, okay?”
“Ah, okay.”
“Oh, that’s right! The person I bumped into in the hallway at that time was me. Oh my, I was so surprised—that Fuuko-chan with her face all pale, how unusual that was! So when she called me and I went to look, there was the director with his eyes rolled back sitting in seiza! This old lady nearly fainted!”
Yuuno-san looked a bit troubled by this machine-gun talk. I understand—it doesn’t stop.
“Director Shimoda is currently in critical condition, unconscious due to poisoning symptoms,” said Yuuno-san.
Dr. Katsura nodded quietly.
“I see, and while Yuuno-san went to call for help, the director was sitting in seiza… Perhaps this might be a dying message.”
At that point, the other doctor, Dr. Kai, interrupted.
“Ha, why are you taking charge, Katsura-kun?”
“What’s wrong, Kai-kun? I think it’s quite natural for me, the next hospital director, to take charge.”
“Hey now, you’re arbitrarily spreading the word that you’re the next director, but don’t forget that I’m the leading candidate for next hospital director.”
The two glared at each other. Kabemura-san was grinning at this scene.
“It’s like adults going at it, you know. The two of them compete over everything like this. Well, it’s entertaining to watch.”
Kabemura-san was enjoying herself as if watching a variety show.
“Um, by the way, who is this person?”
Finally, Yuuno-san noticed me, and the two doctors also turned to look.
“She certainly blended in naturally.”
“Are you an acquaintance of Head Nurse Kabemura?”
(Phew, they finally noticed me—I’m just an unrelated civilian.)
Just as I was about to leave saying “Well, I’ll be going now,” Kabemura-san began revealing my identity while gesturing with her palm.
“Oh come on, don’t you know? This girl is that—that, the great detective, the rumored high school girl detective Oba Kanako-chan.”
“Geh!”
Damn, I tried to escape because I didn’t want any trouble, but as expected of the well-informed aunt, she knew about me!
Everyone except Kabemura-san was surprised by the word “detective.”
(Ugh, I never thought that coming out of curiosity as a bystander would lead to such trouble.)
Hearing about my identity, Dr. Kai laughed at Dr. Katsura through his nose.
“Katsura-kun, were you spouting your theories about dying messages and playing detective in front of a real detective?”
“I-I wasn’t playing detective. I was making a comprehensive judgment based on observing the scene.”
“Heheh, you probably just wanted to look cool in front of Yuuno-san, but it seems to have backfired.”
The two continued their heated exchange. Proportionally, the head nurse was somehow getting more and more pleased.
And there was clerk Yuuno-san, staring intently at me… Don’t look at me with such strange expectations.
(This is troublesome, but I guess it can’t be helped.)
It’s my own fault for sticking my nose in out of boredom…
(Besides, I am curious. The true meaning of that seiza position.)
If it really is a dying message, what does it mean? Is the culprit among those present here…?
(If the police are called, Naomi-san is nearby anyway, so I’ll probably be dragged into it. It might be smarter to read their minds first…)
Half resigned, I decided to cooperate, saying “I understand, I’ll help as much as I can.”
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