Dirty, Dirty Liars [Mature/Editing]

[27] 二十七

A/N: The actions and events described in the following chapter are fictional. Do not attempt.

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Ryuzo was right. Few things scared me, but not being able to talk to him while having his father's goons stalk me every minute of every day, did. Since we went out earlier in the week, the four of us — Ayumi, Ori, and Kat — had gone out every day. Ayumi was behind it, being as subtle as her brand allowed. Part of me thought she did it to give me some level of protection from my stalkers.

At the mercy of his surgery schedule, Ori's shifts started before ours, but he met us for meals and at our station when he was between patients. He came over with a tray of hot drinks in his hand. He still had his scrub cap on, as well as his bright, cheery smile.

"It's evening recharge time," he sang. Being around him was more of a mood boost than the caffeine he brought.

"Thank you, Ori! You are the best!" Ayumi cheered. Their energy levels were similar in that way.

Ori rotated the tray to give her the one marked with her name. "Where is Kat?" he asked.

"Emergency room," Ayumi answered, switching back to Japanese. "It is a busy week, but she should be here soon —"

"Did someone mention me?" Kat's voice said behind me.

Ori's eyes squinted with his smile. She took her cup from the tray with thanks. Ori rounded the counter to give me mine, stealing the chair between Kat and me, all of them laughing quietly and carrying on. They were fast friends and always seemed happy and at ease. It was infectious and appreciated, but with everything else on my mind, it was exhausting. I took a sip of the matcha latte, closing my eyes to focus on its delicious flavor and the calm it gave me.

My nerves were at their peak. Ryuzo's warning stuck in my head, leaving my mind spiraling, trying to figure out how to be careful while also doing what the oyabun demanded. I only had until tomorrow night to figure out whether to rick Ryuzo's safety and call a crime boss' bluff, or risk my neck to steal medicine and complete the task as asked. 

I shivered.

"Are you cold?" Ori asked me.

My eyes snapped open, finding his attention back on me. "No. I mean, yes, but this will help."

Without hesitation, he shrugged off his sweater and draped it over my shoulders. Before I could protest, he said, "You should wear a thicker shirt under your scrubs. You'd be miserable in surgery with me."

"Don't you have surgery soon? You should keep this."

"No, it's fine. I don't wear it in the room. Speaking of which, have you ever considered becoming a surgical nurse?"

I blinked with my surprise but was relieved to have a distraction. "I did right after passing my test, but not really since." Because I had been running from my reputation too often to gain any experience.

"You should reconsider! Especially while you're here. Dr. Yoshida was talking about you the other day in surgery," he said. I barely recognized the name. "He said you helped him with a gunshot wound and kept him calm. He was very impressed."

"For real?"

"For real," he laughed. I finished pulling my arm through the sleeve of his jacket, not noticing I knocked my ID off my pocket. "This is so cute," Ori said, looking at my alligator badge clip as he held my ID in his hand.

Straightening my collar, the memory of when Ryuzo gave it to me returned. "I love it. My . . . boyfriend got it for me."

He ginned. "Why the pause?"