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"Whoa, look who's just walked into the infirmary!"
"Can you just shut up for once?"
"Oh, alright, what's going on with my favorite patient now?"
"Check this out"
"Ah, you're injured again What happened this time?"
"Well... it's because Abe-sensei carelessly threw a knife at my palm because of his slippery hands"
"Yeah, no surprise there... it's fine! I'll treat you quickly, my favorite patient!"
Akira quickly grabbed his medical equipment while the patient waited anxiously.
He returned with bandages and other medical supplies, then skillfully wrapped Izuna's injured palm.
"Hey..."
Akira hummed softly in response to Izuna's call.
"Can you stop calling me your favorite patient?"
Akira paused, looking at Izuna with a puzzled expression.
"Is there something wrong with that?"
"Of course, it's annoying."
"Really? I think it's fine to call you my favorite patient because that's just how it is."
"You asking? there's something wrong with it. Calling me 'favorite patient' makes it sound like I'm a regular at the hospital, like I'm some kind of repeat offender or something. Get real."
"Hmm? It's because you're an animal youkai and I'm responsible for your vaccinations and other care, and you just happen to be my favorite among the others."
"What bullshit." The response only made him more annoyed.
"Calling me 'favorite patient' like I'm something special when I'm just an animal youkai is just ridiculous."
Izuna hissed, turning his face away, unable to bear what Akira was saying.
"... what do you mean by that?" Akira asked with a confused look.
"Are you kidding me? I'm an animal youkai with a shorter lifespan than other youkai, especially compared to you, an oni youkai! There's nothing special about us except for our below-average intelligence and the chaos we cause. When I die, you'll just find a new favorite patient and forget about me easily." Izuna's voice rose at the end of his sentence.
Izuna closed his eyes, gritting his teeth, feeling extremely annoyed now. All the frustration and anger he'd been bottling up came pouring out after so long, making him a bit dizzy.
After a long silence, Izuna hoped Akira would laugh and say something like, "Ah, of course! I'll definitely find a new favorite patient!" and then move on with life.
But nothing happened.
Feeling like he'd let the silence go on for too long, Izuna opened his eyes and slowly lifted his head to see if Akira was still there or if he'd gone to see other patients.
Before he could react, he suddenly felt a flick on his forehead.
"What the...?!" he shouted in disbelief, clutching his forehead.
"Izuna-kun," Akira finally spoke.
"Huh?" Izuna was still a bit shocked from the sudden flick, and now Akira was calling him by his first name.
"What do you think you are?" he asked.
"What the hell do you mean? Didn't you listen to what I was saying?" Izuna retorted, a bit harshly.
"No, I was listening. But I want to hear it again from you." Akira replied calmly, though his expression was unreadable.
"I-i already told you..."
"Are you sure?" Akira cut him off quickly.
"Y-yes! Just like you heard..." Izuna replied nervously, unaccustomed to Akira's very calm tone.
"So, do you not value your own life?"
"What the heck are you saying?" Izuna was genuinely confused now.
"You're talking about your lifespan and how unremarkable you are like you're trash."
"That's not what I meant!"
"You think I'll just find a new favorite patient after you die and forget about you easily, you're also belittling me, you know." Akira said with a sad tone.
"Huh? What the fuck do you mean?"
"Didn't you learn from the Meiji incident? After all that? Seriously?" Akira cut him off again.
"N-no! I just..."
"or maybe you're just... feeling insecure?"
Izuna's eyes widened at the last word Akira used.
"What the hell kind of bullshit is this? Besides, where did you even get that word?"
"If that's really the case, then you really didn't learn from the Meiji incident... you know, I wouldn't value someone's life until I met you and Mister... you guys changed my life." Akira gazed at the ceiling.
"Alright alright! I do value my life, i just think it's ridiculous to be special to you! Am i just a special experiment subject to you?!" Izuna's voice rose in frustration.
"You're still questioning that...? I mean, you're definitely special. From you, I learned about the harsh reality of the lifespan difference between animal youkai and oni, and how precious 'time' is. You definitely hold a special place in my heart, believe me." Akira said with conviction in his eyes.
"What kind of bullshit are you spouting... talking like someone with a strong sense of humanity and all..." Izuna felt weird.
Akira smiled, his eyes softening as he gazed at Izuna with a calm expression.
"Well, whatever you say, you're really weird today, you know? What's with the wise words, like-"
His words were cut off when he felt something slightly heavy touching the top of his head.
Izuna looked up, and their eyes met as Akira stared at him with gentle eyes.
Akira's hand rested on Izuna's head, stroking it softly, making Izuna's face turn red. "What the hell is this mad doctor doing...?" Izuna thought to himself.
Suddenly, the gentle stroking turned into a messy ruffle, Akira's hand tousling Izuna's hair roughly, making his hair stand on end.
"Hey! What's wrong with you?!" Izuna felt annoyed because Akira had messed up his neatly styled hair.
But Akira just smiled back at him, his eyes closed in a smile, looking happy with what he was doing. "You're really precious, you know." He said with a soft chuckle.
Izuna's face turned even redder, all the way to his ears. He didn't expect Akira to say something like that without any ulterior motives.
After finishing his actions, Akira stood up, straightening his white coat and medical equipment. "Alright, you're all fixed up. I'll go out for some fresh air now. Your wound is treated, you can go now, my favorite patient." He said with his usual smile as he walked towards the door.
Izuna stared at his palm, which was now all bandaged up.
"Hey, since when did you..."
But his words were cut off by the door closing behind Akira.
All that was left was Izuna, annoyed with his messy hair.
"That moron..."