Chapter 95: Do I Look Like a Rogue NPC to You?
Natsuya paused mid-step.
New Quest Prompt?
He looked at Nobuko's pale, tear-stained face, then turned to the duo. "You guys
stay here and wait for the Kakushi to take over. I'm going to go check out the
situation."
The Owl and the Snake-Maru nodded in unison.
Natsuya turned back to the girl. "Lead the way."
The two of them ducked out of the noisy bridge area and wove into the darkest
corners of Tokyo's alleyways. The air grew stagnant and foul. In this era,
poverty and disease were the primary themes of life outside the lantern light.
Finally, in a drafty, rotting wooden shack, Natsuya saw Nobuko's friend.
It was a little girl named Sayo. She looked barely ten years old, curled up in a
pile of tattered futons like a dying kitten. Her breathing was ragged, and her
cheeks were flushed with a deep, sickly red. She had clearly been ill for a
while.
"Lord Physician, Sayo has been like this for three days," Nobuko said, clutching
Natsuya's sleeve as if afraid he would vanish into the rain. "I called the local
doctors, but their recipes did nothing! That's why I tried to steal medicine
from the warehouse..."
"Please, she's my best friend. If you save her, I'll do anything! Anything you
want—!"
Seeing Natsuya stand there motionless, Nobuko assumed he was refusing to treat a
"low-tier" civilian. She immediately dropped into a heavy Dogeza, slamming her
forehead into the floor.
For a girl who lived on the streets, begging wasn't a matter of pride—it was a
survival tool. But this time, it was different. To keep her friend alive, she
was willing to endure any humiliation Natsuya might demand.
Natsuya: [?]
Bro, I'm literally just scrolling through my 'Mixed Medical Strategy' menu. Why
did you 'Duang' into a kowtow all of a sudden?
"I never said I wouldn't help."
The diagnosis on the HUD was clear—even a modern person would recognize it. High
fever and pneumonia caused by a bacterial infection. Compared to Lady Ruka's
"Lore-Level" incurable disease, this was a walk in the park.
The ointments I have might not be enough... I need to trigger a 'Sanitation'
buff.
"Go get some water. Boil it first," Natsuya ordered, lifting Nobuko up by her
collar with one hand like she was a scruffy puppy. "And bring whatever herbs the
previous doctor left behind."
"Her condition isn't that complicated."
Even if he couldn't "Full-Heal" her today, he could bring more supplies tomorrow
and get her back into the green.
The girl's eyes overflowed with tears. "YES, SIR!"
She scrambled to follow his orders. Natsuya, meanwhile, put on his "blank mask"
and began a more thorough examination.
Stethoscope check. Pulse reading.
Then came the decoction, the needles, and using damp cloths for physical
cooling. His movements were methodical and precise, far exceeding the level of
any slum clinic. Even Nobuko, a total amateur, could sense the gap in skill.
As the System's "Surgical Mini-game" ended, Natsuya snapped back to reality. He
watched as the little girl's breathing gradually smoothed out.
Mmm. The System's medical skills are definitely inheriting my pro-gamer
precision.
[Medicine Level Up: LV.4] (NEW)
The moment the treatment was finalized, his skill ticked over. It was the first
of his Life Skills to break past Level 4. The XP he had farmed from Lady Ruka's
"Endgame Boss" disease had finally pushed him over the threshold.
Seeing the flush leave Sayo's face, Nobuko felt a literal weight lift from her
heart. The exhaustion of the flight, the terror of the demon, and the anxiety of
the rescue all came crashing down at once. She slumped to the floor.
"Thank you! Thank you so much, Lord Physician!"
"She's not fully recovered yet. For the next few days, we'll need to—"
Natsuya didn't finish. A sudden "Danger" indicator flared red in his HUD.
CRASH!
The window of the shack shattered.
A petite figure, wreathed in the cold night wind and rain, lunged into the room.
A Nichirin Sword was extended in a lethal thrust aimed directly at Natsuya's
back!
Nobuko's look of relief froze. The broken window frame hadn't even hit the floor
before Natsuya reacted.
Twist. Step. Parry with the Wind-Breaker gauntlet.
The movement was pure "Flow State" efficiency.
CLANG!
Sparks sprayed into the dark room. The attacker's strength was far inferior to
his own. With a casual flick of his wrist, Natsuya sent the intruder reeling
back.
Oh? A Demon Slayer is trying to assassinate me? Is this some old-school
'Internal Power Struggle' plot where they prune the lower ranks? Or did a
'Traitor Ninja' infiltrate the Corps?
Natsuya assumed a combat stance, but then he noticed the nameplate.
Wait. A Yellow Name?
Specifically, the tag above the figure was rapidly shifting from yellow to green
as the System recognized the entity.
The attacker performed several graceful backflips to stabilize themselves before
looking at Natsuya.
Purple hair. Butterfly ornament.
It wasn't a traitor. It was Shinobu Kocho, the girl who had been brewing
medicine at the Rengoku estate just hours ago.
"Why are you here?!" they both shouted at the same time.
Natsuya recovered first. "It's you. Let me guess, you're mad I 'poached' your
patients, so you came here to settle the score?"
Shinobu gave him a murderous glare. "You were supposed to be on a mission with
Kyojuro and Iguro! Why are you in a place like this—"
She glanced at Nobuko kneeling at Natsuya's feet, then at the little girl on the
bed. Sayo was too small and sickly to be a threat, but Nobuko—while not as
pretty as Kanae—was quite cute in a rugged, street-smart sort of way.
"—getting 'intimate' with this young lady?!"
Natsuya ignored the "Spite" debuff in her voice. "The demon is already dead. I
came here to save a life. What's your excuse for being in the slums?"
His tone was so blunt and sincere that Shinobu's anger deflated.
"I heard the rumors about a 'Miracle Doctor' appearing in Tokyo," she sighed,
sheathing her blade. "After what happened with Mukago, I couldn't ignore it. I
had to investigate personally."
After all, the last "Miracle Doctor" they found was Lower Moon Four. Finding
another one in the capital was a massive red flag. She thought the "Miracle
Doctor" might be a remnant of Mukago's spores or a new demon operating in the
shadows.
She had wanted to team up with Natsuya to investigate, but they had missed each
other during the mission shuffle. Tonight, while searching the slums, she had
heard a girl crying out for the "Miracle Doctor" and followed the sound.
And she'd run right into Natsuya.
"Sorry to disappoint, but the 'Miracle Doctor' is me," Natsuya said.
He gave Shinobu a skeptical look. "Also, if you run into a 'Lower Moon One' or
'Two' with those stats of yours, you're going to be a permanent ghost. Be more
careful."
Natsuya knew Slayers didn't know an enemy's stats before a fight, but he still
wanted his "Reliable Teammates" to be a bit more cautious so they didn't end up
as a "DEFEAT" screen.
"I've gotten a lot stronger, Natsuya! Look!"
Shinobu huffed, rolling up her sleeve to show her thin but toned arm. "Besides,
if I run into a Boss I can't handle, En will call for help."
"You were right in the neighborhood tonight. If I sent a signal, are you telling
me you'd refuse to help me?"
En was her Kasugai Crow.
Natsuya paused. Does this kid... really trust me that much?
I'm actually a little embarrassed. My 'Charisma' stats must be higher than I
thought.
He checked Shinobu's panel. She was indeed stronger than when they first met.
[Shinobu Kocho (Power Level: 46)]
- Low-tier Breathing Styles: Various.
It seems my [Mentorship] grinding actually worked on her, Natsuya noted.
"Since you're here, make yourself useful," Natsuya said, turning back to the
unconscious Sayo. "I assume you're carrying a standard medical kit with you?"
Shinobu blinked, stunned by how quickly he had shifted the conversation.
"Are you going to help me save her or not, Dr. Kocho?"
The girl let out a helpless smile and stepped forward. Aside from being a
Slayer, Natsuya-aniki is just like me... another doctor who can't ignore a hand
reaching out for help.
☆☆☆
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