Tokyo: Let the wicked women pay the price!

The next morning.

Lemon opened her eyes very early.

Sleep quality in people with depression?

It's just a joke.

She simply opened her eyes but did not move.

Meaningless.

I'll have to talk to Nadeshiko when I wake up, but I'll just stay here and lie here.

But the murmurs of Nadeshiko behind her made her feel somewhat irritated.

"Lemon jam, Mom won't force you anymore. Do whatever you want to make."

"I just hope you're healthy. Mom just loves you too much."

"If you really want to learn something else, well... it's not impossible."

Lemon's shoulders twitched.

What does this woman mean by saying such things now?

What use is it then?

She slowly got up, didn't speak to Nadeshiko, and walked towards the toilet.

Tears streamed down my face involuntarily.

What were you doing earlier?

If I go for a run earlier, I can still go for a run!

Now, to talk about this... I... I.

She stood in front of the mirror, looking at the girl in the mirror who had a haggard face and dry, yellow hair.

I'm just a useless person who can't run and can't study.

She stared blankly at the tears reflected in the mirror.

Even earlier, Ms. Nadeshiko...

Am I destined to live like this, a useless piece of trash?

In the hospital room, Nadeshiko quietly peeled an apple, a slight smile on her lips.

"Dr. Fujino's advice really worked!"

She looked at the hospital bed with a smile in her eyes.

Just last night, Fujino stood at the ward door with the medicine and told Ms. Nadeshiko about Lemon's condition.

Of course, he was blunt: "Miss Nadeshiko, if you continue to treat Lemon with the same extreme possessiveness as before, there's a 50% chance she won't wake up after the surgery."

If Fujino hadn't provided a possible solution, Ms. Nadeshiko would probably have fainted long ago.

"Try telling her tomorrow that you will no longer restrict her and let her develop freely."

Nadeshiko still remembers Fujino's expression, which was tinged with sorrow and warning: "Please remember, Miss Nadeshiko, if you cannot do this sincerely, things may go in the opposite direction."

She kept it in mind and put it into action.

Once I'm discharged from the hospital, I really won't care about lemons anymore.

She no longer interfered with what Lemon wanted to do.

......

morning.

After finishing his rounds, Fujino quietly arrived outside Lemon's ward.

Through the window, he saw Nadeshiko feeding lemons and chopped apples.

Although Little Lemon's face still looked like she was about to die, at least there was a hint of a smile at the corner of her mouth, a smile that could be observed even without micro-expression analysis.

That's good. It seems that Miss Nadeshiko is a sensible adult. She wouldn't be so clear-headed as to pretend to comply while secretly going against her wishes.

He knocked gently on the door, and to his surprise, he was greeted by Lemon's smiling face.

She sat up straight, a smile on her face: "Thank you, Mr. Fujino."

He smiled, hands in his pockets, looking at the vital signs monitor: "Miss Lemon, how are you feeling?"

Lemon nodded. "Fujino-san, I feel great. The doctors told me I can stand up again, but my spine hurts so much. Is it because I've been lying down for too long?"

Fujino knew that this was a normal phenomenon.

On the one hand, prolonged bed rest can lead to such a result; on the other hand, it's hard to say whether Lemon's depression has progressed to the point of somatization.

Although it is a mental illness, when it develops into somatization, it can cause pain in the body without any lesions.

This is a part of life that causes great distress to every severely mentally ill patient.

"It's okay, Lemon Jam," he said, raising his hand to rub Lemon's head. "Once you've had the surgery and recovered smoothly, all this pain will be gone."

Lemon squinted, rubbing her dry hair against Fujino's palm.

Silently, Fujino glanced at the success rate of implanting the subconscious desire to survive, which had already reached 45%.

Wow.

How much does a mother's change of heart help her child?

Yesterday I spent a lot of effort to save 10%, and this mother's work in one morning is three times as effective as his work.

He glanced at Nadeshiko discreetly.

She was peeling an orange with a smile when she noticed Fujino's gaze, and she smiled and nodded.

She seems to be a mother who truly cares about her daughter...

But Fujino frowned.

In previous instances, when world line options involved phrases like "sincere repentance," a notification was provided upon success.

For example, if things had really gone that smoothly this time, there shouldn't have been no reaction, right?

Mathematics, however, doesn't lie.

45 > 10.

He could only convince himself that Nadeshiko had also made her efforts, but progress was slow or that the surgery would have to be completely finished before it could be considered complete.

Fujino stopped thinking about it and, after a quick calculation, instructed Nadeshiko to look after Lemon and make sure she continued taking her medication. If she didn't drink water before the surgery, she should swallow the medication directly.

Because of this, Fujino, who noticed something was wrong, has been frequently visiting Lemon in the hospital these past few days.

Lemon's smile grew brighter and brighter.

On the afternoon before the surgery, Fujino and Assistant Professor Matsushita conducted a final preoperative ward round in Lemon's ward.

"Mr. Matsushita, Mr. Fujino, how am I?"

Lemon's voice was noticeably clearer than it had been a few days ago, and it no longer had that awkwardness from not speaking for so long.

"Ms. Lemon, you are in very good health." Assistant Professor Matsushita put away the medical record. "Please rest assured, pituitary tumor surgery is a very minor procedure, and I am perfectly capable of performing it."

Fujino smiled at Lemon, one hand in his pocket: "Lemon, when you have time, think about where you want to go after you recover. Think about happy things; it will be very helpful for your surgery."

After saying that, he looked at Okubo Nadeshiko, who also wore a polite smile: "Thank you both. Is there anything else we should be aware of?"

"No food, no water," Assistant Professor Matsushita counted on his fingers. "Note that you should not eat or drink any liquids or solids."

"Water isn't just water, it's cola, juice, miso soup—nothing else! The same goes for food! Don't eat anything!"

Fujino interjected at the opportune moment: "Except for the medicine I prescribed."

Assistant Professor Matsushita was clearly much more relaxed: "Yes, Fujino-san's medication cannot be stopped."

"We'll be going now, you guys get some rest. Good luck, Miss Lemon." Matsushita led Fujino towards the door.

Fujino glanced at Lemon as he turned around.

[Want to survive] [88%]

That should be enough.

He said no more and left with Matsushita.

"Mom, did you hear that? Dr. Matsushita and Fujino both said I'm fine." Although Lemon didn't smile much, she had at least started chatting with Nadeshiko.

"Fujino-san even suggested where we could go for fun, that's wonderful!" Her eyes lit up for the first time. "I'll invite Fujino-san too, and thank him properly."

"Yes, where does Lemon Sauce want to go?" Nadeshiko was folding clothes on another hospital bed, her back to Lemon.

"Mom, I want to go to Ocean Park. Let's invite Fujino-san to come with us to see the penguins, haha. Fujino-san will be so happy to see the penguins; their colors are just like him wearing a black shirt and a white lab coat."

"Oh wow. So we're going to Yokohama?" Nadeshiko tidied up the folded clothes, her smile still warm. "The ocean park probably isn't that fun. Will Fujino-san be angry if I say he looks like a penguin?"

"..."

Lemon smacked her lips a few times: "How about going to Disneyland? I want to ride the Ferris wheel with Fujino-san. I heard that the Ferris wheel goes all the way to the top—"

"Lemon Jam, don't go to such dangerous places after your surgery. Ferris wheels are so high, roller coasters are so fast, they're not good for you."

"..."

"What if we go back to the countryside? We could invite Fujino-san to the shrine—"

"Who is enshrined at that shrine in the countryside...? My mother can't even remember. It's such a small place, it's just causing trouble for Fujino-san."

Lemon looked at Nadeshiko: "Then where do you want to go?"

Nadeshiko chuckled softly, stroking Lemon's head: "Silly child, it's your trip. Mom suggests you ask Fujino-san to show you around Tokyo University and let you experience the campus scenery."

"......"

Looking at the lemon in her arms, Nadeshiko was still filled with the joy of being able to have surgery tomorrow...

A sense of relief, finally over.

Speaking carefully and cautiously is more tiring than dealing with your boss at work.

"Hmm? Lemon jam? How is it?"

"..."

Lemon struggled gently for a moment, then left Nadeshiko's embrace, lay down on her side with her buttocks facing the ward door, and stared blankly at the corner of the wall.

"Go to sleep now, I have surgery tomorrow."

"Okay, lemon curd. What do you want to eat tomorrow? Mom will make it for you."

Nadeshiko didn't receive a response from Lemon, and she was already used to it. After a moment of silence, she left the ward.

Lemon lay motionless on the hospital bed, turned to the side, looking at the corner of the wall.

It turned out to be a lie after all.