Your hair is messy (19)

Naoki travels to a parallel universe where Kotoko doesn't love him. (2013 Japanese TV series)

38

The success of Nami's surgery gave Kotoko great encouragement, and her life took off again, this time in her career.

In the subsequent national unified examination, Kotoko miraculously passed it on the first try. Everyone thought that during the time Kotoko went to Kobe, she was receiving one-on-one tutoring from Irie. After years of persistent efforts, Irie, the tutoring tool, finally opened up the Ren and Du meridians of the stupid Kotoko. She was reborn and was starting to move towards becoming a reliable adult. This is what everyone imagined.

But once Kotoko got to work, they discovered that it wasn't. Kotoko was still the same Kotoko, clumsy, forgetful, and capable of sending the entire ward into a panic over a single injection. She was the epitome of someone who had the will but not the ability. Perhaps the reason she passed the national exam was the same as Irie's love for her: there was no reason at all. She was simply a lucky person chosen by heaven, blessed with the ability to make the impossible possible.

Even more fortunate things were yet to come. Irie was transferred back to Tokyo from Kobe for work, and in the evening, Irie's family held a celebration party at home.

Jin and Chris also arrived, presenting a dried fish as a gift, which also served as Jin's weapon. He pointed the fish's mouth at Irie and said reluctantly, "Irie, you're trying so hard to get back to Tokyo just for Kotoko, right? You're a sensible guy. When are you planning on getting married? I'm telling you, Kotoko has been looking forward to her wedding since high school. Don't make her wait too long, and don't let her down, or I'll have you back!"

Irie glanced at Kotoko with a blank expression. He thought back to the time when they first started dating, when their mother had arranged a trip to Okinawa together. It had been the worst trip of his life. His only cherished memory was of him and Kotoko walking down a long, sea-breezy road past a brand-new ceremony hall. Kotoko had stood in front of the hall and told him, "I like wedding dresses, but I'm not really looking forward to marriage just yet."

Irie never thought much about it. He naturally believed that Kotoko could not bear the responsibility of a family and should be afraid of marriage. The moment Kotoko stood on tiptoe to kiss him, Irie seemed to have found Kotoko, whom he loved deeply and who responded to him with love. He was sure that he could find Kotoko back. He believed it without a doubt.

How could the naive Irie have imagined that Kotoko didn't not look forward to marriage, she just didn't look forward to marriage with him.

It's all a joke.

It always tarnishes every memory he carefully treasures, making those fleeting beauties completely unrecognizable. It's so disgusting.

Irie couldn't think of any other adjectives except disgusting. The Kotoko composed of "lies", "Sano" and "indifference" was not the Kotoko he wanted, but she still looked so innocent, no different from the little sun shining in his memory. Kotoko would send the sick Yuuki to the hospital regardless of the past, and stayed up all night to take care of the annoying grandmother Yoshida. Even though Matsumoto was so sarcastic to her, she had never heard her say a bad word about Matsumoto. Kotoko in front of other people would still be Kotoko, only Irie was an exception. Only he was not the same.

Irie, who realized early on that time travel was a punishment, always thought that the price he had to pay was just to work twice as hard, just like Kotoko had done for him. If he showed patience and tenacity comparable to Kotoko's to change and improve himself, they would move towards a bright future.

It turned out that he was wrong. No matter how he changed, he could no longer impress Kotoko. What awaited them was their ending. Even if it ended with a grand marriage, they would surely repeat the same mistakes after marriage. The lows and difficulties they experienced during their relationship would be repeated over and over again. The real punishment Irie received was the loss of his love forever.

Irie walked alone to the small courtyard of his home, and Kotoko followed him.

It's quite strange that she can catch up.

"Irie-kun, please don't take what Kin just said to heart." Kotoko bit her lower lip until it turned white, looking uneasy. "When I was in high school, I was too naive, so I kept saying I wanted to get married. But then I realized that marriage isn't like playing house, where just being together is enough. Marriage means starting to take care of the family... To my shame, even now, I still rely on the care of those around me, so I really haven't considered getting married yet."

"I understand." Rujiang looked up at the sky. It was pitch black, and there were no supernatural phenomena. It was just like the day he traveled through time. It was so ordinary that there was no memory of it. He had no idea where to start looking for the opportunity to travel through time.

Seeing that he was calm, Qinzi probably didn't perceive any deep meaning in Ajin's words, so she finally felt relieved and decided to go back to continue the party.

The moment she turned around, Irie asked her, "What if it was with Sano?"

The evening breeze suddenly swept past, and the sound of Irie was so light, like a dandelion, lightly passing by Qinzi's ears, but drifting away with the wind in an instant.

Kotoko didn't hear clearly: "Irie-kun, what did you say?"

Irie lowered his eyes, his attitude remaining calm: "Nothing."

--------

Regarding Irie's return to Tokyo, the nursing department was happy for Kotoko, but also felt it was magical. Since they met Kotoko, their understanding of her had been constantly refreshed by her.

Kotoko, who even stood Irie up when he was angry, was still able to successfully achieve her previous goal of "reconciliation".

Even though Irie went to work thousands of miles away, Kotoko insisted on staying in Tokyo just for her own convenience, and she could still continue to receive Irie's love.

Kotoko, usually so clueless she'd bang her head against the wall, would, at crucial moments like exams, perform exceptionally well. Her life was smooth sailing, her only regret seemingly the absence of her lover. Then, Irie returned to Tokyo from Kobe. (I don't know if it was a coincidence, or if Irie, unable to let go of Kotoko, had somehow managed to transfer back...)

It was so magical. The nursing department directly experienced the power of the "Legend of Dounan" and asked Qinzi about this series of operations. Who in the whole Dounan can compete with it?

Kotoko herself didn't feel much. She was neither happy nor disappointed that Irie came back.

Logically, she should have been a little disappointed. She had finally managed to detect a little of Irie's beauty from such a distance, and now her filter was shattered? But she soon discovered that Irie was like her mascot, able to bring her unexpected surprises, so something was better than nothing; her existence was acceptable.

For example, Irie has extraordinary teaching ability, and he can continue to guide Kotoko in her studies after he moves back. With Irie around, Kotoko is assisted by God all the way. First, she was inexplicably transferred to be an assistant nurse in surgery, assisting Dr. Orochimori, whom she feared the most. Thinking of Irie's careful teaching of her, Kotoko was nervous, and dizzy after seeing the blood, but she didn't make any mistakes. When she walked out of the ward in a daze, Dr. Orochimori snorted coldly: "You barely look like this today." Kotoko realized that the operation had been successfully completed.

Later, when an emergency occurred, Kotoko and Irie performed an operation together and saved a patient's life in time.

Exciting, too exciting.

Kotoko herself felt it was quite magical. She was confused and seemed to have been reborn.

"Perhaps you've absorbed Irie-kun's luck." Ogura Tomoko put on a witchy look and said in an enigmatic manner, "Have you noticed, Kotoko? When you're together, you're always blessed with good fortune and look radiant, while Irie-kun suffers from one unfortunate misfortune after another. Even the successful assisting surgery you were so proud of was at the cost of Irie being judged by the hospital."

"No way." Kotoko didn't believe in time travel, but she believed in supernatural powers. Tomoko's strange expression, as if she was possessed by a mysterious power, made all the hairs on her body tremble.

Having successfully frightened Kotoko, Tomoko laughed contentedly, "Don't worry, even if it's true, it won't affect you. There's only one victim, Irie-kun, who you slowly drained dry."

39

Yuki accompanied Kotoko shopping. Both his hands were filled with merchandise, making his walking posture uncomfortable. He couldn't help but complain, "That's why I don't want to go shopping with you. If you hadn't been so nice to my brother lately, I wouldn't bother with you."

"I know," Kotoko said enthusiastically. Having endured verbal attacks for years, she had developed a layer of invisible defensive armor. Her ordinary sarcasm wasn't enough, let alone Yuuki's weak attack power. His stubbornness, coupled with his uncomplaining dedication, made Kotoko think he was adorable, so she praised him, "Yuuki, you're the best little brother in the world!"

"Tsk, stop it!"

The two of them were bickering all the way, and when the topic turned to "Omi", Yuki suddenly stopped and did not move. Kotoko was caught off guard and bumped into his back. Then she followed his line of sight and saw Omi who was being approached by other boys. Omi said that she did not have a boyfriend, but did not accept the other party's confession. She apologized and ran away.

Yuki was so angry.

Qinzi knew why he was angry, so she comforted him: "Although it's a bit regrettable, it's such a beautiful answer, and it's understandable."

Yuki got even angrier: "What do you mean by understanding? Haomei is not the same woman as you!"

"Hey, hey, hey, I've never done anything, why are you talking like I'm a bad person?"

"I don't want to bother with you, go away!"

"...What a beautiful answer. It's really understandable."

Kotoko's understanding is that after Haomi came into contact with the real Yuki Irie, she discovered that behind his halo, he was just a noisy little brat. Her girlish heart was broken, so she refused to publicly admit that Yuki was her boyfriend... Although he was not originally, it would have been fine to just say "I already have someone I like", why leave any wiggle room for the other party and let them have the illusion that "they still have a chance".

...It's not necessarily an illusion. If Haomi no longer likes Yuki, then she can indeed choose the one she likes most among her suitors. It is understandable that she doesn't like Yuki, it is understandable that she chooses a better one, and it is also reasonable to test the other person's sincerity before choosing one. The more Kotoko understands Haomi, the more shocked she is when Haomi comes to Irie's house the next time and brings the scarf she knitted for Yuki.

What happened? In just a few days, the flames of love were rekindled? Young people are so fickle.

Kotoko held Haomei's arm and said, "You are really tenacious, but Yuki actually cares about you a lot. Listen to me, last time..."

Just as Kotoko started to reveal the news, Yuki came home. He looked into Haomei's eyes with an expressionless face, and the atmosphere suddenly became a little subtle.

"What are you doing here?"

Kotoko teased him, "Don't act stupid, is that even necessary? Haomei is here to see you, Yuki."

Yuuki couldn't help but think of Haomei's words, "I don't have a boyfriend." His anger was boiling, and he vaguely found an outlet in Kotoko's simple words. He wanted to say, and he could have said, "You want to come see me? That seems like something only girlfriends would do, right? You're not my girlfriend."

But when he turned around, he saw Kotoko.

Just the sight of Kotoko standing next to Haomei with a smile on her face was like a huge warning sign. The complicated disputes between her and her brother penetrated through the cracks of anger and pressed down on Yuuki's heart, making it difficult for him to breathe for a moment.

He believed that Haomei was different from Kotoko, but he was too afraid of Kotoko. It was not because Kotoko was so hateful... No, Kotoko was hateful. She personally destroyed all of Yuuki's beautiful fantasies about love and made him understand that love can also be full of torment and pain.

Yuki was afraid that one day Haomi would suddenly turn into Kotoko, no longer being gentle to him, no longer coaxing him in a nice voice, but suddenly putting away her smile, and then leaving him as if nothing had happened without looking back. No matter how he chased her and tried to keep her, Haomi would just stop and look at him, with a smile on her face, but her eyes were extremely cold, and in the end she would still leave.

His brother was a lesson for him, and Yuuki definitely didn't want to end up like him.

So he thought for a long time, and just said lightly: "I feel a little uncomfortable, I'll go upstairs first, sorry."

In the evening, Yuki went to see his brother and told him about his troubles.

Yuuki didn't want to lose his temper with Haomei, as he was afraid that Haomei would be sad because of him, but he was really angry. Seeing that Haomei wanted other boys to confess their love to her, the flames of anger were about to engulf him completely, and he couldn't face Haomei.

Naoki turned his eyes away from the book and said, "You are being pursued passionately by the girl you like, so you don't still want to get comfort from your brother, do you?"

Compared to his unlucky brother who has always had a bad relationship and is abused by his girlfriend, Yuuki's troubles wrapped in happiness are more like a show of strength. But he is currently in great need of others' counseling, and perhaps only his brother can empathize with the problems that trouble him.

"Brother, what I'm most worried about is that one day Hao Mei will suddenly turn into Kotoko."

Without further ado, Naoki understood what Yuki meant and he agreed: "Your worry is justified. Accidents always happen quickly. Do your best and leave the rest to fate. All you can do is cherish Hao Mei as much as possible before God takes her away."

Yuki's focus had unknowingly strayed from the topic: "Brother, are you trying to say that God took Kotoko away? But Kotoko has always been Kotoko. She was like this before she started dating you. Honestly, brother, what exactly do you think of women?"

"I can't explain it to you clearly."

Yuuki stopped listening when she couldn't explain it clearly. He racked his brains for the whole night and rushed to find Haomei the next day. He gave her a straight confession and a kiss. Haomei was originally worried about his health, but then she was stunned by a series of surprises and burst into tears with excitement.

After Kotoko learned about this, she looked at Yuki with a completely new respect. Why did she think that Yuki and his brother were the same kind of people before? The disciple is better than the master. The younger brother is much more capable than the older brother. He is worthy of being a person who sees the world by standing on the shoulders of his predecessors. This kid Yuki never takes any detours.

Yushu smiled with a forced smile: "Thanks to you, Kotoko."

"You're welcome. Although I usually tell you to treat Satomi well, you listen to me. It shows that you are very perceptive. You don't need to thank me."

"Can you be any more stupid, stupid Kotoko?"

"Hello!"

While Yuuki's situation had come to a happy end, Naoki was still struggling. Sometimes, he'd perform surgeries that could stretch for over ten hours, and even then, he'd have to force himself to tutor Kotoko at night. It wasn't that Kotoko ignored Irie's fatigue, but she was too absorbed in her own goals, taking it for granted that doctors were supposed to be tired. Who doesn't tire from work? She was tired too; it was just normal.

Kotoko didn't take Irie's efforts seriously, but she still cooked a sumptuous dinner for him when he was working the night shift. It happened that Chris was recovering in the hospital because his leg was scalded by hot oil in the kitchen. Jin was so worried that he probably didn't have time to eat. After Kotoko delivered the meal to Irie, she also brought a portion for the two of them.

After trying them one by one and making sure they all tasted edible, Kotoko packed up the food and rushed to the hospital. However, she ran too fast and slipped and fell down the stairs.

Kotoko was not injured because her lucky buff took effect again. Irie, who was standing at the bottom of the stairs, became her human cushion and took all the impact and damage for her. Irie broke his leg and passed out on the spot. Although it was later proved that the reason for his coma was severe lack of sleep rather than brain injury, Kotoko was still to blame.

The nursing department collectively decided to forbid Kotoko from approaching Irie in the short term.

"Kotoko, please, please don't kill our Dounan's school treasure, Master Irie."

"Yes, you are Irie's natural enemy and have super powers that can restrain Irie."

"Even without mentioning superpowers, your professional abilities are the natural enemy of all mankind, Kotoko. Irie can't stand up to you."

Qinzi looked embarrassed and apologetic: "Okay then."

"...You agreed too quickly."

Now that things have come to this, what else can I do if I don't agree? Whether it's supernatural power or coincidence, it's an indisputable fact that Irie will become unlucky whenever he encounters her. When Irie is with her, he is always under a dark cloud and has bad luck. No wonder he has such a gloomy face all day long. Who can be happy?

Kotoko could fully imagine that if she took care of Irie herself, no one knew how many troubles would arise. She might even reopen his wound by pushing Irie's wheelchair for a walk.

She still has a lot of room to grow and improve. Perhaps at the moment, staying away from the weak Irie is the only thing she can do for him.

tbc

Irie is about to start a new round of madness, and then is severely punished by his nemesis B Kotoko.

But in the next update, my cousin will be here, and Irie, who has gone through many hardships, will soon go home. It can be regarded as the darkness before dawn.