Part 27

It's been a couple of months since that holiday weekend and everyone is working hard right now.

Kyosuke, Tengan and I had started to do the Reserve Course in earnest, and to our relief it was almost finished; when three talented people are working on something, it's a lot better to execute the plan, and even more so when we already had a foundation to build on, a building, a curriculum that wasn't too different from the main course. We also found teachers for next year and support staff. All that was left to do was sharpen some corners and make an announcement to people about the course itself and we could say that the back-up course was done.

Also, to my surprise, Kyosuke was able to establish himself well. So, he was summoned by the steering committee, and as he told me later, in confidence of course, he was going to be sent abroad to begin building the new Hope Peak branch there. So it's safe to say he got some connections and respect.

My next project went less smoothly of course, but there was also some progress in it, that we even had the first half prototypes, which of course could not be used on humans, but in a couple of months I think you could find a person at death. Of course, it will only be a prototype and won't be as effective as planned, but it should help a lot already.

Miaya and Seiko were almost completely dedicated to this case, and of course I, as a good teacher, wouldn't let them do that. And I told them to mind their own business, and also told them to rest often, or else their lack of sleep might cause problems in their work and they might also burn out, so sometimes it's better to distract from their main goals, or they might stop paying attention to their personal lives altogether. And while Miaya didn't take my words to heart and just spent her time reading books or at least shopping with some of the girls, Seiko...

Seiko surprisingly took my advice to heart too much, she of course remained in the lab, but sometimes she would take in labs or travel to veterinary clinics to help animals, and develop drugs for them, and for free. That's nice. And of course, I didn't forget that I was their supervisor and teacher, so she would often ask me for advice on how and what to do in such cases and of course I would give her and Miaya lessons about medicine and raise their classification in their Ultimates and maybe touch on other departments not related to it a bit.

And also, as far as I learned her relationship with those two was no longer so warm, they remained friends of course, but such... cold friends. As I understood it was not because of me, but because she did not come to her room at night and there, word for word, they seemed to have said some unpleasant things to themselves. She came crying into the lab at the time and, besides hugging her, I didn't know what else to do.

No, I did, and I did. I gave her chocolate. She had told me that she was allergic to sugar, so I had to work a little harder to make sweets with a sugar substitute that Seiko wasn't allergic to. You should have seen her face when she saw the box of chocolates in front of her face.

And after my little explanation, without further question she took off her respirator, under which there was nothing scary, unless, of course, her braces counted as something horrible, and put the first chocolate bar in her mouth. A minute later, when she realized she was alive, she popped the second chocolate bar into her mouth, a trail of tears appeared on her face, but judging by her smile, they were tears of happiness.

After that we had a little talk in which she told her little secret that she could guess people's emotions, what they were thinking or feeling, just by the look on her face and because of that she was hiding her face behind a mask. After that, as if in secret, said that she had never once made out my emotions, as if I did not feel anything, to which I had only to laugh. It's true and not the most pleasant ability and it must be hard to live with it among people.

And then there are the not-so-pleasant moments, or more accurately, ------. Who practically stopped sleeping because of my absence and which made me worry about her. She, of course, said she was fine, but I often had to go home for her to get a good night's sleep. Which made her a little worried, since she was distracting me from my work.

The next unpleasant item during those months was Juzo, who seemed to take my request for training too hard and stomped me into the dirt with one punch the first training session, which showed my minimal fighting experience. Over time, of course, it stopped being that bad, but I couldn't level with him yet. He was, of course, pressed a little on the conscience of the girls, but he didn't listen to them much because of my request. So, the girls had to go along with it grudgingly.

And today was supposed to be a completely free day for me, so when I woke up, I was in no hurry to get up, because ------ had too much pressure on me and if I tried to get out, I would have woken her up anyway. And it would have gone on like that for who knows how long if it wasn't for my cell phone, which was lying next to the bed, that vibrated.

As I reached for it, I saw on it the familiar number of someone I hadn't talked to in a while, so it was a bit of a surprise to me.

"Good morning, Igarashi-san. It's been a long time." - I said quietly into the phone so as not to wake the girl, but after my words I felt the girl's breathing change. She likes to know and control everything.

"Good Yasuke. It really has been a long time. Sorry to call so early, but I need your help." - The man's-tired voice went straight to the point.

"What is Igarashi-san?" - I worried, as it was unaccustomed to hearing notes of despair in such a strong man's voice.

"Could you come to my hospital today? I'll explain everything to you on the spot." - There was an open plea in his voice.

"Yes, of course. I'll be there today in... well, I don't know how long I have to drive to the hospital, so I'll be there within a few hours." - I didn't say no to the man who had helped me a lot at the beginning of my journey.

"Thanks, Yasuke." - The man said and hung up. Despite my agreement, his voice didn't change one bit and was still full of despair, as if he had just decided to try and didn't hope for anything.

...

"Okay, you heard the whole thing. Get up. I have to go." - I said as I patted the girl on the back.

"Good morning Yasuke." - she immediately opened her eyes and said to me, and then began to get up to do her morning procedures.

The journey to the hospital surprisingly took much longer than I had anticipated, namely three hours. Of course, there was nothing wrong with that, but three whole hours. Lately I have become much more appreciative of my time than before.

But no matter how it was, I still made it, and right now I was standing in front of the hospital. You might say I practically stood on the spot because of the memories that came flooding back to me. From when I went looking for Mukuro with ------ to my last day here. So, a lot of pleasant and unpleasant memories came flooding back to me, and after shoving them deep inside, I walked through the door for the memories to come flooding back to me, but at least they went a lot faster this time.

Looking around, I didn't see any familiar faces. It seemed like only two years had passed, and already so much had changed. So, I didn't say hello to anyone, I just walked to the elevator, not paying attention to anyone. I called the elevator and waited for it to arrive, which in principle did not take that long, and I stepped into it.

Again, a familiar elevator and a familiar floor. I even walked over to my office for the sake of decorum, but logically there was already a new sign with a different name on it. And here I was again standing in front of a huge door that I felt I had stood in front of ten years before, allowing me to open a new chapter in my life. So without any hesitation I knocked on the door.

"Come in." - came a voice from behind it.

"Long time no see Igarashi-san." - I said, opening the door.

"Yasuke..." - he stopped talking and looked me over from head to toe. "You've grown."

"I see you've been through a lot." - I said, looking at the bags under his eyes and the unnatural gray in his hair.

"You're right... I hope you're doing well?" - he said with the saddest smile he could muster.

"Can't complain." - I answered optimistically. "Let's get right to the point."

"You're right. You are my last hope." - He said as he stood up. "Let's go."

I left the office, and then Igarashi-san followed me out, and we went to the floor below, where the most expensive rooms or the most powerful clients were. Once down there, we went almost to the very end of the corridor and stopped in front of one of the doors. We stopped not because the door was closed, but because Igarashi-san was afraid to open the door. So, without bothering both of us, I knocked on the door, and after hearing permission from the other side, I opened the door.

It was, I think, one of the most expensive chambers I have seen in my already long career. So, I wondered who the owner of this room was, which I immediately did by looking at him.

He was a tall man with pale, painful skin. Also, I understand his hair had turned a sickly white color due to his illness, but you could still see black hair in some places. You could tell from his body that he was a muscular guy, but now he was severely gaunt and most of his muscles weighed down, and he had a red scarf tied around his neck. Even so, he had a smile on his face and his light brown eyes were full of confidence and were looking at me.

"Yo." - I said hello to him.

"Good afternoon, and you are..." - his voice was soft and calm.

"You can call me Yasuke, he brought me." - I said pointing to the man who was standing behind me and had just entered the room.

"Father." - The guy said.

"Kenshiro." - The man said sadly. "This is Yasuke Matsuda. The Ultimate Physician. I told you about him."

"Oooh!" - he wondered. "Yes. Heard about it. Sorry I can't get up and say hello."

"That's okay." - I said and walked over to shake his hand, to which he happily agreed. "It's nice to meet you. Your father told me a lot of things about you, too, so it was interesting for me to meet you, too."

"It's really not a good situation." - he said still calmly.

"Well, it's a fixable thing. Especially for me." - I said and went over to his bed to get a sick sheet on it. "Well, what is it."

I began to read into the text. Skipping the basic gag, only two lines stood out. "Terminally ill" and "Six months to go." Looking at the date, you could tell it was put a few days ago. Interested, I began to look at the diagnosis in more detail. But no sooner had I delved than a new person walked in the door.

"I apologize for interrupting." - said the girl who, opened the closed door without knocking.

Surprisingly it was a pretty girl of short stature and in a school uniform. She had white hair with a braid haircut, pale skin, and very pale blue eyes. There was also no denying that all over her body you could see just steely muscles that looked harmonious. I have to say that he was lucky.

"It's no big deal, Sakura. Come on in." - Kenshiro said and looked back up at me. "It's okay if she's here?"

"As long as she doesn't get in the way." - I said and went back to the text.

"This is Sakura Ogami. She's my friend and rival." - He decided to add.

...

Fuck what? If it wasn't for the system, I'm afraid my lower jaw would hit the floor. Is he really trying to tell me that this cutie is going to be a two-meter-high mountain of muscle in scars? A mosaic began to form in my mind. Kenshiro is an Ultimate Fighter, after which he gets sick and gives the title to Sakura, after which in order to match him, she started gaining mass, and after he failed to recover and most likely died, she was invited to the academy. I even sort of remembered that in the game she talked about the man she couldn't beat, most likely it was Kenshiro. Fuck.

For a distraction and some sort of soothing of my soul and sense of beauty, I went back to reading. And I have to say I frowned more and more with each word. The 6 months they promise him is most likely under the happiest of circumstances, I personally wouldn't give him even a month. Especially when you look at his body, which is almost rotting alive. It probably hurts like hell to even move. But maybe the Ultimate Fighter's body is a lot stronger than normal people. Also, don't forget that this may not be the strongest world, but it's not the most ordinary one. So, you could say that on willpower or something like that he might be able to survive.

I looked at him again from the piece of paper. Respect. I think that's the only thing I feel for him right now. Incredible guy. I also threw a glance at Sakura, who was also looking at Kenshiro with some despair. I guess it hurts to see such a strong man in such a state.

"Well, what can I say." - I said, hanging the sick sheet back on the bed. "Tell me... Did you have a fight with all the witches in the world?"

"What?!" - he didn't understand. "No."

"Ohhhh." - I realized. "You have a necromancer friend! Since it would be hard for me to explain why you're still alive."

"Neither." - He tried to justify himself.

"Hmm." - I showed some suspicion at his words. "Well then, I don't know how you collected so many diseases."

"Don't bore Yasuke." - came a voice from behind me. "What do you think? Is there even the slightest chance of helping him."

"I'm a doctor, not a wizard. If he wasn't so neglected at least we could think, but right now..." I heated the atmosphere and saw Igarashi-san face darken and Sakura's fists clenched almost to blood, but Kenshiro face was still calm. "NOW it can't be done." - I emphasized the word.

The atmosphere in the room darkened and it was obvious that the people in it didn't know where to put themselves or what to do. Everyone only looked worse, and even Kenshiro let out a sigh of regret. As calm as he was, and even if he accepted death, no one wanted to die. But then the only girl in the room had her eyes raised sharply in disbelief.

"You made a point of highlighting the word 'Now', didn't you? Yes?" - she asked with some disbelief and to which the heads of the others turned to me.

"Yes. Right now, I'm practically powerless." - I began to build up the atmosphere again. "But in about seven months, and if you push it, about five. I think I'll have a working prototype on hand that can cure it."

"W-what?" - Igarashi-san didn't understand.

"A couple of months ago, I started developing one project with a group of people that's supposed to help with moments like this." - I gave hope for the future to the people in the room. "I'm sorry, but I won't go into detail."

"I'll g-give it all to Yasuke. Just ask!" - Igarashi-san began to offer his soul and began shaking me by the shoulders as he did so.

"I can't offer as much as Igarashi-san, but you can ask me anything you want." - said immediately Sakura, who ran up to us and watched me being shaken.

"Well..." - I hesitated for a moment to stop shaking me. "Unless you have someone with an Ultimate connected to medicine who can go to school this year, there's no way you can help me. Right now, the main problem is that I'm short on people and time. Funding has been offered to me by the school."

"And what's the catch?" - came a voice from the bed. "It can't be all that good."

"Well, yeah. I already told you; it'll be a prototype and it won't be as effective as the full version. It probably just won't make it in time. It's also not certain that the prototype will work." - I immediately revealed all the bad cards. "You'll be the test subject who will already determine the effectiveness of the vaccine. I think that's all the downsides there are."

".../.../..." - The whole room fell into silence.

"So, what? Sure, we could still wait and take the vaccine after, but that would be more likely, well, and when there's a person to test and when it's still working. So, it's better to go first. If you want... I'll add your name as one of the creators as a bonus." - I threw him another plus one. Really useless, but people never turn down a freebie.

"I... I certainly... I certainly agree." - he successfully articulated the thought.

"Well, that's fine. As you understand, your condition doesn't hold out much hope. So your health support I take on my team. No offense Igarashi-san." - I said, turning to the man, who was looking at me with shocked eyes. "But my team is all Ultimates, so their medicine and treatment will be superior to what an elite hospital can show. And me, of course."

"Yasuke..." - he muttered, and tears began to accumulate in his eyes, "Thank you." - he said and pressed me against his muscular chest, while still lifting me up a couple of dozen inches.

"I haven't done anything yet. So, it's too soon to thank you," I said to the crying man and patted him on the shoulder in a friendly way.

"You've already done a lot." - said the girl next to us. "You've given hope for a good future, and that's already very much worth it."

(From the author: it says on Wiki that Sakura has an "Old-Fashioned Way of Speech." I have no idea how to spell that, so... just an FYI.

"If it makes you feel better, the way is this." - I didn't argue.

We sat for about half an hour more and discussed the little details about me having to get all of Kenshiro research and test results and that I wouldn't be able to come and give pills today, to which, to my surprise, Sakura volunteered and said that she would come to my house at least every day. But having said that I didn't need to, I suggested that we exchange numbers, to which the girl was embarrassed and pulled out a touch screen phone, even though it's been a while since I had a touch screen phone.

When she opened the book of contacts, I was able to glimpse that there were only two numbers and my number was the third. I do not remember if it's in the game, but most likely Sakura little friends because of her lifestyle and constant training which did not allow her to have free time, and then most likely she and looked like in the game, which further deterred people from it.

I was about to leave when Kenshiro interrupted my thoughts.

"Sakura." - He turned to the girl.

"..." - she was silent to that and only moved closer to his bed.

"While I'm lying-in bed and can't fight, I give you my title of 'World's Strongest Man'!" - he confronted her with the fact. "So until I come back for it, keep it warm for me."

"Yes." - Sakura accepted him. "I swear to everyone in this room that I will hold that title and not let anyone beat me until you're better."

"Of course." - He smiled a happy smile, unlike his past quiet ones. "And when I'm fully recovered, we'll have a rematch."

"Yes." - Sakura said and smiled a happy smile, too. "But this time I'm going to beat you and really win that title."

"Here." - He said, holding out her red scarf, which he had tied from his hand. "This will be proof of our words."

"Yes." - she said and hung this scarf around her neck, while tying it beautifully.

They looked at each other with the most serious looks they could make, and then they looked at me and Igarashi-san, only this time with a happy smile, and in my opinion this time with a real smile, not a feigned one.

After that I said goodbye to everyone, saying that I would come back tomorrow with the pills, at the same time I had to wait a bit for what Igarashi-san had promised to call me a cab, which I waited outside and which did not keep me waiting long. Already sitting in it, I realized that my thoughts had finally calmed down and I could think things through properly.

I had no doubts about Kenshiro surviving to the prototype vaccine, he might even live another year since in the game Sakura didn't say that the person, she can't defeat is dead, I don't know about the erased memories, but he will definitely live until she goes to the academy, so I think we cannot worry about his condition, but with my treatment at least he will be much easier to live this term. I think even if he didn't agree I'd still help him.

About Sakura. I think she's the only character that really commanded my respect in all the two parts I've played. And I think she was the only person I regretted dying in this game, especially the one she had. Still, committing suicide to help everyone else is worth a lot. She was a traitor, sure, but hell, I didn't have a thought in my mind that she was bad.

It was with those thoughts in mind that I returned home. Where I was happily greeted by the man who would be indirectly involved in Sakura's death.