Demon Capital Slayer

Chapter 54 Hospital Night Talk
"I almost died." The great painter clutched his chest and dodged backward.

"Hey, Sisi's out here too. Why did you bring her to a place like Kabukicho? Has she finally gone completely mad?" Ryoko glared at Isshiki Ran, then greeted Isshiki Akane with great familiarity.

The latter shrank his neck and managed to utter a muffled "Hello, Auntie," but even so, the female doctor immediately smiled.

However, she quickly became serious and her expression turned solemn.

"Let's deal with the important matters first. Which one is injured?"

"Here, on the palm, there's a cut, and the wound is bleeding profusely."

Yujian quickly pushed Baihexiang over and succinctly stated the information he knew. The girl looked at him with a helpless expression as he carefully observed her.

"Wow~" Ryoko raised an eyebrow when she saw Mitsurugi, then looked at Yurika and raised her eyebrow again.

“If that’s all, I’ll stitch it up so that you can’t see a single scar.” After saying that, the female doctor winked at Yu Jian.

"Don't worry, my boyfriend."

"..." Yu Jian was stunned for a moment, and just as he was about to deny it, he heard Yuriko say something.

"Thank you doctor."

Then, the two entered the treatment room/operating room, which was marked with a sign that read "Perm Room".

"Don't worry, Ryoko is a professional," Isshiki Ran patted Mitsuki's shoulder reassuringly.

"hope so."

Not long after, definitely no more than fifteen minutes, the sign for the hair salon changed from red to green.

Lily even walked out on her own, her expression unchanged, with her usual gentle smile that seemed to never change. Her palm was bandaged again, and it seemed that the treatment was complete.

"Are you alright?" Yu Jian stepped forward and asked.

"Yes, Dr. Kuro's technique is amazing. It didn't hurt at all. He stitched up the wound in the time it took to chat with me for a couple of minutes," Yurika exclaimed.

Perhaps due to fatigue or the effects of medication, she looked sleepy and began to yawn as she spoke. Yu Jian reached out to support her, and she smiled and simply closed her eyes to take a nap. Yu Jian then smelled the familiar scent of laurel once again; that delicate herbal fragrance made him feel relaxed.

Seeing Yurika's expression for the first time, Yuken couldn't help but take a second look before snapping out of his daze and thanking the doctor.

"Thank you doctor."

"Hmph, there's no need for such words. I never give discounts when I take money. Even if you say thank you twice, I won't accept a penny less." Liangzi shrugged, seemingly unconcerned about the thanks, maintaining a businesslike demeanor.

Isshiki Ran shook his head, suppressing a laugh. As an old acquaintance, he knew very well the guy beside him—sharp-tongued but kind-hearted.

"I understand, I definitely won't delay payment."

Yu Jian nodded slightly. As a swordsman with the skill to cut through iron, he could quickly become a leader in the industry even if he robbed a bank. Of course, he would not do that. In short, money was not a problem.

"No, Aizen was injured while saving me, how could I let you pay for her medical expenses?" The great painter patted his chest and stepped forward, only to be grabbed by the collar by Dr. Kaneko.

"Alright, now that we've dealt with the patient, let's talk about why you suddenly disappeared. Old Wu called me seven or eight times already. You two really aren't... that kind of relationship? I've heard that artists often get confused about... you know." As she spoke, Jian Hei Liangzi made a gesture, her expression turning strange, with a hint of gritted teeth.

"Don't slander my innocence! There are children here!" Isshiki Ran exclaimed in shock.

"Your innocence was lost the moment you were hung naked on a grill by African cannibals. Be glad those primitive people didn't have a fetish for playing with food." Ryoko Mako looked at the great painter, Isshiki Ran, with a mocking expression.

"How can you say this in front of a child?!" Isshiki Ran shouted indignantly, then immediately offered a sophistry.

"I was clearly sketching!"

"O-shaped body sketching? I'm an O-shaped body type? Hahaha!"

In fact, that was the first time the two met. Ryoko Maguro, who was on her way to Africa as a Doctors Without Borders, met Ran Isshiki, who had exiled herself to Africa after being widowed, at a bonfire party in a cannibal tribe.

However, one side is the guest, and the other side is the ingredients.

In short, those are stories belonging to the elders.

Seeing the three teenagers listening intently, and even Akane peeking out from behind the other two, Ran noticed that the three teenagers were listening with great interest. "Speaking of children, why do you and the other kids around you seem to have that other world's aura about you? Is it related to tonight's big event?" Ryoko asked in a low voice, the other world she was referring to being the Netherworld.

"You saw it? Well, that's not surprising. After all, witchcraft and medicine have been inseparable since ancient times. You even know how to use the rituals of the Zhuyou School." Isshiki Ran sighed.

There were no other patients in the hospital at the moment, and Maya, who worked at the front desk, was tidying up the operating room, so she certainly couldn't hear what was happening here.

"Is Dr. Kaneko also from that side?" Mitsuru asked cryptically.
"I'm only half an insider. I didn't have the luck to formally train; I only possess some esoteric knowledge. Aside from that, I'm just as intuitive as this guy. Great painters have good eyesight, while I have a keen nose." Ryoko shook her head, then circled around the group with interest, sniffing occasionally.

"Isn't inspiration a sixth sense?" Yu Jian asked.
“Theoretically, that’s true, but the official name for this perception is psychic perception, which is actually completely different from the five senses.” Ryoko Mako spread her five fingers and shook them.

"There are limits to the comprehension abilities of ordinary people. If you don't want your brain to explode like popcorn, it's best to use inspiration in combination with your five senses. If you really want to make an analogy for the actual experience, it's a bit like AR (augmented reality technology, a concept first proposed by Ivan Suretz in the 1960s)."

Mikoto's words confused Mitsurugi. He had thought that inspiration was inspiration, not physical perception, but a special perception that allowed him to directly perceive the world with his consciousness.

Did I use it wrong? Yu Jian couldn't help but fall into thought.

“Kid, you smell of blood, very strong, part of it is from a dead person, and there’s also a smell like paint. Smell it, it smells like a large beast, no, even more exaggerated than that. Oh, let me guess… a legendary monster?” Ryoko looked at the group with interest, her nostrils flaring a few times before she suddenly showed a look of surprise.

"The smell of burning flames, and this terrifying aura... could it be a dragon?"

"What the hell? What kind of world did you go to? How did you encounter such a monster?" Ryoko Mako stared wide-eyed at Ran Isshiki.

"Uh, you might not believe it, but I drew a world of eternal life, though you can't tell its exact scale," Isshiki Ran explained weakly. He couldn't say too much, as it involved many secrets.

"Pfft? Artificially stabilize the universe? Don't you know that this is a well-known problem in the underworld? Apart from ancient remnants, only a few countries have mastered the relevant technology. If you, an outsider, can do it, then I can try to resurrect the dead."

Ryoko Mako burst into laughter, but her laughter stopped abruptly when she saw the serious expressions on the faces of the others, and the smile on her face gradually faded.

"You're joking, right...?"

"It should be different from what you said. After all, it only lasted for a little over a month. The grand scene before was the consequence of the collapse of the world." Isshiki Ran gave an innocent look.

"..." Ryoko looked at the group.

"You really do manage to create a huge mess without making a sound," the female doctor sighed, rubbing her forehead.

"So, I've already bought a plane ticket and am preparing to go abroad to avoid trouble."

"Bring Sisi along too," Ryoko Mako said decisively.
"That's what I was thinking all along. Her talent has awakened, and it's related to color and painting. It's a good opportunity to introduce her to Lao Wu."

"But is it really necessary to worry so much? What kind of illegal psychic or underground organization would dare to do something like that?" Isshiki Ran looked at Dr. Ryoko with some uncertainty.

"I'm just a doctor, how would I know what those people are thinking? But when it comes to this level of technology, can you guarantee that there aren't powerful figures backing them?"

"Luckily, the world you drew collapsed. Although failed cases have value, they may not be of particular interest to the other party. Better safe than sorry. Someone saw you here earlier, so I also need to go out and hide for a while. You really screwed me over!"

Ryoko kept shaking her leg, and finally couldn't resist taking out a cigarette, but then angrily put it back when she saw that there were minors present.

"Uh, I'll pay for the plane ticket?" Isshiki Ran asked timidly.

"I want first class!" Ryoko Mako shouted.

Yu Jian was watching a TV series when he suddenly heard Lily, who was half-asleep and seemed to be dozing off, say something in a low voice.

"Doctor, I'm almost laughing out loud."

"Ah."

"Sir, you're really indecisive."

"really."

"You're about the same."

"..."

Their eyes met for a moment, then silently looked away.

(End of this chapter)