Tokyo: Let the wicked women pay the price!

Fujino glanced at Saki, his eyes filled with concern.

She's a perfectly fine young girl, but she's not very bright.

However, it was clear that Saki was just being flirtatious; she walked straight into the house.

Seeing Saki sit down next to Lemon on the bed, Fujino asked, "Saki, do you know Lemon?"

"You're not actually eyeing lemons, are you?"

The sound was very soft, but it exploded in Saki's ears, startling her so much that she trembled uncontrollably.

"Uh...I...I know her," she said through gritted teeth. "Lemon is my best friend, how...how could this be..."

"Oh dear, you're usually so lively, but you're so shy around Mr. Fujino." Nadeshiko patted Saki's shoulder. "Fujino-san, she's Lemon's good friend and classmate. You should be allowed to visit her, right?"

Fujino's gaze, filled with suspicion and scrutiny, swept over Saki's body.

A classmate? A only friend?

You little devil, are you eyeing Lemon's meager wallet?

He touched the phone in his pocket.

Then I really need to control you.

She felt that Fujino's scrutinizing gaze was like a living thing, as if it had licked her entire body, leaving her with goosebumps.

Fujino leaned close to her ear and whispered, "Wait, let's talk."

Saki froze, her cheeks flushing red.

Is...it's going to...blackmail me again...?

She bit her lower lip, nodded slightly, and squeezed out a soft "Mmm" from her throat.

Having received a satisfactory answer, Fujino turned and left the ward.

"Auntie, how's Lemon?"

"Haha, Lemon's in good health right now, she's just waiting for the surgery." Nadeshiko covered her mouth with one hand and laughed. "Are you shy, Saki-chan?"

"What?! Shy?!" She blushed bright red, as if someone had guessed her secret. "Are you kidding me?!"

"..."

Saki glanced at Nadeshiko helplessly, then ignored her and kept talking to Lemon, trying to get her attention.

This woman is talking incoherently, and Lemon is in this state; she is largely to blame.

Besides, what's with the "handsome" part?

She glanced at the hospital room door.

This busty auntie really has no idea how wicked that guy is!

......

"In other words, based on your assessment..." Assistant Professor Matsushita rubbed his temples, "Is Miss Lemon's condition dangerous?"

Fujino opened his notebook and glanced at it: "Matsushita-senpai, based on my experience, the probability of Miss Lemon waking up after general anesthesia is less than 30%."

"Her will to live is almost zero, and I strongly recommend postponing the surgery."

Matsushita stood up and went to the small blackboard for scheduling surgeries: "Fujino-kun, although pituitary tumors aren't exactly a life-threatening condition, but... the Okubo family is in the hospital every day..."

"If they don't leave the hospital, I suggest surgery three days later. What do you think?"

Fujino did not respond immediately.

It was obvious that Matsushita was asking him if he could resolve Lemon's psychological issues in three days.

To be honest, he wasn't sure.

No psychiatrist would dare say they could cure severe depression in three days.

But he had no choice; he couldn't very well advise Nadeshiko to take the lemon home first.

He rubbed his chin.

That could be worse.

Home?

That was where Nadeshiko's authority was most significant.

It must be a nightmare for lemons too.

This issue definitely needs to be addressed during hospitalization.

"Matsushita-senpai, please postpone it as much as possible. I will do my best."

Matsushita nodded, took out a marker, and made a mark on the whiteboard: "We need to do checks every day. If you can do it in advance, it'll be good for them too."

"learn."

Fujino pushed open the office door and took out his phone.

We need to obtain some information from a third party.

......

I sat at a small table outside the coffee shop.

Saki Wakaba sat in the chair, shaking her leg and unconsciously rubbing her buttocks against the chair surface.

"Relax, Ms. Wakaba." Fujino handed Saki's phone back to the restless Saki with a puzzled look. "You're incredibly resourceful. You can even fake bank statements? There really aren't any large sums of money deposited into your account."

"They're all 3000 yen and 5000 yen. Did you have them pay you in installments?"

Saki's hands were still trembling as she held the espresso: "I already told you to check on me anytime, so I definitely wouldn't dare do anything wrong."

"That's money I earned working at the convenience store, and as a customer service representative...it's all my hard-earned money!!"

"Alright, I'll believe you for now." He raised an eyebrow, took a sip of his cappuccino, and said, "Tell me about the lemons."

"Why should I tell you?" Shaqi pursed her lips. "You're very suspicious right now. You were just in the bathroom with Aunt Nadeshiko..."

Seeing Fujino gently shaking his phone, Saki's face turned ashen and her smile froze.

"Why do you have to take it out again? I already know I was wrong!"

She lowered her head, her voice full of resentment.

Fujino put away her phone and handed her a tissue: "Alright, Miss, you want to help Lemon too, right?"

Saki took the tissue, blew her nose, and said in a muffled voice, "Her mother, that is, Aunt Nadeshiko, is a single mother who raised Lemon alone."

She took a few deep breaths before she could utter a coherent sentence: "The tuition at our Moon Forest is very high. Aunt Nadeshiko must have had a lot of trouble to raise the tuition fees."

"So you think her mother loves her very much?"

"I feel loved more than my mother."

"Tell me about her recent strange behavior, the things that made her suddenly become emo."

"Recently... or rather... recently..." Saki rested her chin on her hand, looking thoughtful, "It must have been when she was in second grade that her mother made her quit the track and field club."

"Leaving the company because of studies? It's a very common scenario." Fujino squinted, rubbing his coffee cup.

"Hmm!" Saki nodded emphatically, her ponytail bouncing with a touch of playfulness. "She's very good at running, but not so good at studying. Maybe she doesn't want to leave the club."

Fujino closed his eyes.

It's connected.

Removal of a pituitary tumor may lead to a decrease in motor skills.

She can't accept it.

Lemon used to be good at running, but now... she's not good at anything.

Even returning to the track and field club in college has become a distant dream.

No wonder there's no point in living anymore.

Fujino subconsciously picked up his coffee and took a sip.

For now, all he can do is wait until he gets back and prescribe two pills for her to temporarily suppress her depression.

and then?

If her environment doesn't improve, she will continue to have relapses.

This is mental illness.

As long as one remains in hell, this incurable, bone-deep ailment will never be cured.

Without a change of environment, Lemon's current mental illness will most likely stay with her for life.

In Lemon's mind, a mother is someone you can't easily replace.

From this starting point, unable to find a way to live, he chose death.

So... the key to the problem still lies with Miss Nadeshiko.

In other words, if Nadeshiko doesn't make changes, lemons won't fare well.

The eerie silence didn't last long.

Saki tentatively asked, "Dr. Fujino, I'm not a family member, but I'd like to ask you a question."

A layer of mist veiled her beautiful peach blossom eyes as she stared intently into Fujino's eyes: "Just how dangerous is her situation?"

Fujino's lips were a little chapped, and he took a sip of cappuccino.

"I shouldn't have told you this at all, but you're her friend, and considering her illness is related to her mother's paranoia..."

His eyebrows furrowed, and his voice was hoarse: "There is a certain probability that Lemon will become a vegetable because she gives up her will to live."

Upon hearing this, Saki froze, her face filled with disbelief.

"How...how could this be..."

She was no longer afraid of Fujino and grabbed his arm: "Aunt Nadeshiko said the doctor thinks Lemon is in good condition and will recover after the surgery!"

"Mr. Fujino, you're a doctor too! You should be able to save her!"

Fujino remained silent, his gaze complex.

Saki slowly released her grip on Fujino's arm.

A moment of silence.

She suddenly knelt down in front of Fujino, grabbing his trouser leg once more: "Dr. Fujino. Oh my!"

"Please! She's my only friend."

"Although I have no right or room to maneuver, please help me—"

"Stand up." Fujino didn't look at him; his eyes remained fixed on the coffee cup.

But his gaze grew increasingly resolute.

"Fujino-san—"

I said stand up.

Looking at Saki, who stood timidly in front of him, Fujino took out a tissue from his pocket and wiped the red marks on her snow-white knees from kneeling.

It was as if he was explaining to her, or perhaps talking to himself: "I am a doctor, and treating patients is my duty. I don't need anyone to ask me to."

Saki didn't speak, but her legs were still trembling and tears were welling up in her eyes.

Fujino patted her head: "I will do everything I can to bring your friend back."

Saki froze, wanting to dodge, but then didn't.

She bit her lip and didn't say anything.

However, Fujino changed his tone abruptly: "As for you, you'd better not let me catch you doing something bad again! Next time I catch you, I won't let you get away with it."

Saki took two steps back, her cheeks flushed: "How could you say something like that in this atmosphere?"

"Oh, right," he seemed to remember something, "Miss Saki, aren't you short of money? I can introduce you to a job as a caregiver at the hospital. Would you like to do it?"

"Damn it!...Damn it my ass!" She pointed at Fujino with her right hand, her voice trailing off, "You...you just want to keep me by your side..."

Are you bullying me?

"If you don't want to do it, then forget it." He straightened his tie, paid the bill, and said, "Where are you going? I need to go back to the hospital."

"I'll be going now." Her legs were trembling.

"It's still a bit cold, why aren't you wearing stockings?"

"None of your business!"

Fujino smiled as he watched Saki walk away unsteadily.

Who would have thought that Saki, despite being a wicked girl, would actually care about her classmates and even be willing to kneel down?

Would you be willing to go to such lengths for someone else's life?

You rascal.

He shook his head, his smile fading, and dialed Nadeshiko Okubo's number.

"Miss Nadeshiko, yes, I am the psychiatrist from this afternoon, Kazuhiko Fujino."

"I'm currently prescribed paroxetine hydrochloride, an antidepressant; and aripiprazole, an antipsychotic. I'll have Lemon take them when she gets home. I hope her surgery goes smoothly tomorrow."

"Cure it completely? Are you kidding me? This thing is just a temporary fix."

"I told you, the key to a complete cure lies with you."

"Want to save Lemon? Let's talk."