Chapter 6

"Then I leave it in your care, Sir. I'll be sure to repay your kindness over the inconvenience I caused thoroughly." Toshiya turned off his cell phone before connecting the call through his office interphone, which was on hold. "Tell me what happened."

'We're not quite sure, Sir. We were waiting for your future instructions when he suddenly chased after a certain vehicle passing us. None of us followed him, but we monitored him using a drone. Around two kilometers ahead, the drone caught him in a crash.'

"Was there any other victim?"

'Miraculously, he was alone. We quickly evacuated him, but we didn't find anyone in the other car. Was he chasing an unmanned car? What for?'

Toshiya taps his desk, thinking. "Make sure to leave no trace about this incident. Don't let the media catch a wind of it."

'Yes, Sir.'

Toshiya cuts the call and sighs.

-Such a disobedient dog-, he thought, -always brings me troubles and think I will deal with it for him-

He has his fair share of doing underhand methods, but he dislikes the need to do so to clean the mess of his own people. With the big case he is currently handling, the best he can do is try to steer clear of a suspicious incident, as it will poorly reflect on his reputation and his client's trust. However, a particular dog he raises in the spur of the moment keeps stirring trouble when he isn't looking.

-Maybe it's time to kick him out-

However, Toshiya can't deny his work is also brilliant. This dog he raises understands the assignment without him explaining things; that's why he is pretty fond of him. Unfortunately, this dog is also a super troublemaker.

Toshiya sighs again and shakes his head in defeat. He rises from his seat and fixes his appearance before leaving his office. On his way down the lobby, his gentle smile plastered as he greets everyone he is acquainted with. Not once or twice his female coworkers openly swooned by his friendliness despite his doing nothing more than a simple greeting.

"Good afternoon, Sir." The driver greets him as soon as he gets on the backseat. "Where are we going?"

"Good afternoon. S Hospital, please. I am in a hurry."

"Oh, are you alright?"

"Not me, but my relative is currently in emergency, and I need to be there."

"Understood."

When he arrived at the hospital, someone was already waiting for him.

"Yuzawa-san."

Toshiya nods and follows the young nurse. "How is he?"

"Still hanging on. I was told to keep you updated, so I'll be sure to inform you. Depending on the situation, we might need your agreement to do follow-up surgeries."

Toshiya doesn't look at the papers, and he just signs everything as fast as he is walking. "Do whatever you all need to do. My request is to keep him alive no matter what it takes."

The young nurse gives him a puzzled look. From what he heard, Toshiya is a careful guy. As an attorney, he will read any form of contract sent to him before giving his signature. Yet, right now, he didn't even look at it.

"Is there something on my face, Nurse?"

"Oh…" The young nurse snaps and shakes his head. "No, nothing. I have received your signature, thank you. As for the administration…"

"I will handle it, don't worry." Toshiya gives his signature smile. "Thank you for your help."

The young nurse was flustered, and embarrassed for unknown reasons. Before Toshiya can say anything more, he excuses himself and leaves Toshiya in the empty corridor alone. Toshiya watches that figure disappear in the corner. He didn't mean to flirt or anything; he was just being friendly. But it seems the young man misunderstood his friendliness.

Many said Toshiya has that charm. Men and women alike, there are so many people who have fallen to that charisma. Toshiya knows precisely how to use that asset to his bidding and doesn't feel ashamed to manipulate people using it. He believes all human lives with their personal interest as the most important thing. Nothing is wrong with using others to fulfill one's best interest as long as one is willing to pay the equivalent price.

Because, for him, this world works with an equal give and take. You can't give too much nor take too much. You're not allowed to give too little nor take too little. Nothing is free, and no one deserves a reward before completing any work and responsibility. That's why he hates people who live through sympathy. He loathes people who feed on people's feelings of pity.

"Yuzawa-kun."

Toshiya turns around and immediately bows his head. "Yonehara-san, Sir."

The older man raises his hand and lightly taps Toshiya's shoulder. His gentle smile easily soothes anyone, a smile that Toshiya comes to fond of.

"You still look youthful, Sir."

"Oh, you still sound pleasant as ever."

Toshiya chuckles. He is aware, despite the look, that this man named Yonehara is no less than seventy-five. However, he doesn't look older than fifty at least. Toshiya always wonders what the secret is.

"My son-in-law told me about the incident," Sir Yonehara starts "Knowing you, I understand immediately that this is something truly important. Or else, you wouldn't bother to skip the formalities and come through the front door like anybody else."

"My deepest apology."

"It's nothing. My only regret is being unable to handle it myself."

Toshiya shakes his head. "I'm grateful you didn't reject my selfish request."

Sir Yonehara smiles in understanding then stares at the emergency light in front of the door, which is still active. He doesn't say anything for a while, and they stand there side by side, busy with each other's minds. As the owner of this hospital and one of its eldest doctors, he had handled so many emergencies in his life. He probably looks energetic as an old man, but his body can't lie. He has reached his limit. He shouldn't take the needles anymore.

However, at times like this, when he can only leave the job to the youngsters, he still feels regret. As much as he believes in his people's ability, he still wants to work himself.

"Is he that important to you, Yuzawa-kun?"

Toshiya turns his head momentarily before looking at the emergency room's door again.

"He is… my most competent aide." That much isn't a lie. "He makes my work easier." That part also isn't a lie. However, whether the one fighting for his life is that important in Toshiya's heart, is another story. Sir Yonehara is also aware that Toshiya didn't answer his previous question.

"My son-in-law leads the operation. I believe in his skill."

"So do I, Sir."

"And I also asked our new surgeons. He has been here for less than a year, but everyone already praises him."

"Oh?" Toshiya raises an eyebrow. "May I know his name?"

"Yukisada Kanryou. My son-in-law wrote his recommendation letter, so I happily invited him to join my hospital."

-Yukisada Kanryou… sounds familiar-

"I hope I can thank him in person later."

"I'm sure you will. I hope you two also become friends."

They chitchat a bit more after that to ease the mood. After Sir Yonehara leaves, Toshiya immediately digs into his memory.

-Yukisada Kanryou… I'm sure I know that name before-

Toshiya opens his smartphone while his head is still remembering, typing the name on the screen while guessing the correct Kanji characters for that name. It is undoubtedly easier to check the hospital's company profile to look for a specific someone, and he does just that. Fortunately, there is only one person with that surname registered.

"Oh?"

The picture shown on his screen is someone familiar, as he expected. But he wasn't one Toshiya had recently encountered. Rather, it was a face he often passed by more than a decade ago. No wonder this person's existence was nearly erased from his memory.

"So you're that Yukisada, eh?" The corner of Toshiya's lip curve. "I didn't expect to see an old acquaintance here."

=====

It was one of the longest operations Kanryou had ever handled. Fortunately, he doesn't need to send anybody to the morgue after the long work. He had stayed the night watching the patient's condition and now it's time to change shift. And when he finally came out of the emergency room, the sun was already peeking through the horizon.

-I slept in the hospital again today, eh? Well, technically speaking, I didn't sleep a wink-

With eyes barely open, he walks through the corridor and enters the elevator. Someone else was already inside, and he nodded with a smile just out of politeness despite not looking at the other person's face properly.

"Good work, Doctor." The person said to him, since there was no one else beside them. "Rough night?"

"Thank you. Just a long surgery, that's all."

"I see. So you're heading home now?"

"If there is nothing else that needs my attention, yes."

Kanryou glances at their reflection on the elevator's glass wall. Thanks to his tired eyes, he can't really make out the other person's appearance clearly.

-I better take a short nap first before driving home-

"Seems you are truly exhausted," The person continues, "I think it would be dangerous for you to drive home. Are you driving, though?"

"I am, and you're right." Kanryou smiles apologetically. "It's unfortunate, but I can't drive home like this. I'll take a short nap in my office first before heading home."

"If you want, I can drive you home, Doctor."

"Eh, no need to."

"It's okay. Consider it my small token of gratitude. After all, you helped my man get through the surgery."

Kanryou finally turns his head to look at the other person properly. Red hair, purple eyes; the combination Kanryou kind of despise thanks to a specific individual in the past. Kanryou involuntarily squints his eyes, though he tries not to scowl right at this stranger's face.

"Are you the patient's relative?"

"I am." The man smiles and offers him a handshake. "Nice to meet you, Doctor Yukisada. I heard a lot about you and I'm delighted to know you were the one helping him get through the… hard time."

Kanryou accepts the handshake and smiles politely. "It was all Doctor Yonehara's team's hard work. I was merely assisting."

"You were part of his team too, weren't you?" the man chuckles. "Oh, I forgot to introduce myself. My name is Yuzawa. Yuzawa Toshiya."

"Yuzawa-san, eh?" Kanryou can't shake the odd familiarity he feels. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"The pleasure is mine." Toshiya smiles wider. "We are going to meet more often after this. I hope you treat me kindly."

It's a strange way to say, but Kanryou cannot respond as the elevator arrives at the designated floor.

"I'm leaving ahead, Doctor. Have a good rest."

“Thank…you…”

Kanryou frowns deeply. He exits the elevator as well, strolling as his head is busy thinking. He rarely feels annoyed towards someone no matter how unhinged or annoying they behave. Yet, towards this man called Toshiya, his dislike is deeply unshakeable.

-Was it because of his red hair?-

As much as Kanryou dislikes red hair, it has never reached the point of hating strangers.

-His personality? No, that man is really polite and friendly-

He can tell Toshiya's friendliness is merely a sweet gesture with no hidden intention; he does the same towards anyone without exception. To anyone in this line of work, friendliness is number one, after all. At the very least, he knows being friendly is a reasonable manner, and Toshiya doesn't fake it. It feels real. It's too real, to the point of annoying.

Kanryou frowns. Towards someone who tries to give him a good impression, Kanryou's response is clearly strange. He never acted this guarded up before. The last time he did so was so long ago, that he barely remembers the small detail of the person he loathed aside from his red hair.

-Wait, red hair?-

The memories come slowly. The days of his teenage years were filled with the same, mundane activities, unless when that guy with red hair entered his vision. Each time, Kanryou suppressed his feelings out of politeness. Each time they accidentally saw each other, Kanryou hoped the guy would leave immediately.

-Yuzawa… Toshiya-

Kanryou supposedly remembered that person no matter how long had passed. However, with no time in his hand to recall any past memories thanks to his workload, some things ended up left forgotten. Kanryou's brain had already erased that name, and he didn't even remember how he looked like nor sounded. He only remembers the striking red hair. And a decade's worth of growth surely changes people's appearance.

-Is he… really that guy? The same guy?-