21st Century Necromancer

"Horse bones? The skeleton of a horse? Mr. Chen Yu, why do you want to buy such a thing?" Jounouchi Hiromi looked at the man in surprise as he pulled out a stack of photographs from his coat and handed them to Chen Yu. As Chen Yu also intently examined the photographs for selection, she couldn't help but express her astonishment.

However, Chen Yu, who had already directed all his attention to selecting from the photographs in his hands, seemed not to hear Jounouchi Hiromi's question at all. He was solely focused on the photographs in his hands and didn't answer her, instead, it was the man next to him who explained the reason behind the purchase.

"Hello, sister-in-law, I'm Brother Yu's classmate from the University of Tokyo, my name is Inomata Naoki, just call me Naoki.

Brother Yu used to tease my last name in college, saying that 'Inomata' sounds like 'boar' in Chinese, so just calling me Naoki would be fine," Inomata Naoki was very talkative, apparently mistaking Jounouchi Hiromi for Chen Yu's girlfriend, and explained to her why Chen Yu wanted to buy horse bones from him: "My family operates a horse farm in Kumamoto, Kyushu, and Brother Yu really likes collecting animal skeletons to make specimens, so he asked me to get him a fresh skeleton of a horse from back home so that he can make his specimen."

Although Jounouchi Hiromi was pleased that Inomata Naoki had mistaken her for Chen Yu's girlfriend, as a surgeon, she instinctively felt that something was not quite right with Inomata Naoki.

The lighting in the small tavern was warm-colored to create a cozy and friendly atmosphere, but even under the orange-yellow lights, Inomata Naoki's face appeared exceedingly pale, and his speech, expression, gestures, and demeanor all gave off a sluggish vibe. It was like a video that should have been played at normal speed but was somehow set to 0.5x.

This peculiar sensation gave Jounouchi Hiromi an odd sense of discord. Nevertheless, having already drunk herself half drunk before meeting Chen Yu, she didn't delve into it under the influence of alcohol and just planned to clarify to Inomata Naoki that she was not Chen Yu's girlfriend.

However, before Jounouchi Hiromi could speak up, Chen Yu pre-empted her, telling Inomata Naoki, "She's just a colleague of mine, don't assume she's my girlfriend just because you see us coming over together."

Hearing Chen Yu's denial, although Jounouchi Hiromi had long expected him to say that, actually hearing his denial still made her complexion darken, and her heart sank. So he really was still unwilling to accept her?

While Jounouchi Hiromi was thinking this, Chen Yu had already finished selecting what he needed and pushed one of the photographs towards Inomata Naoki: "This one, when can you deliver it to Tokyo?"

"Don't worry, Brother Yu, what you need will be there quickly." Inomata Naoki glanced at it, saw that Chen Yu had made his choice, then marked the selected photo and pocketed the rest: "Brother Yu, I'm running out of that stuff, can you give me some more?"

Speaking of which, Inomata Naoki took out a dark amber-colored medicine bottle from his pocket, which is commonly seen in hospitals. Jounouchi Hiromi, with a sharp eye, noticed that the bottle seemed to contain some white pills, but there weren't many left. What kind of medicine was this? As a surgeon, Jounouchi Hiromi couldn't help but feel curious.

"You increased the dosage?" Chen Yu frowned, casting only a glance at the medicine bottle before estimating how many pills were left inside, his tone revealing his dissatisfaction: "You know the side effects of this drug well, why would you increase the dosage?"

"Brother Yu, I'm afraid of death." Although Inomata Naoki's face wore a rigid expression and his eyes seemed dull, the longing for life that shone fiercely from his eyes was intense and fervent.

As surgeons, both Chen Yu and Jounouchi Hiromi had seen this kind of look in the hospital all too often, but none of the patients they encountered were as intense as Inomata Naoki at the moment. The gaze made both of them feel an involuntary burning sensation.

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But whether it was Jounouchi Hiromi or Chen Yu, both could understand the passion in such a gaze, a passion that arose from a desire for life and a fear of death. Unlike Chen Yu who knew the inside story, Jounouchi Hiromi was somewhat puzzled as to why Inomata Naoki would show such an expression.

"Afraid of death? Even if you take too much of this medication, you'll still die," Chen Yu said with a coldness that startled Jounouchi Hiromi. In her memory, as a surgeon, Chen Yu had always been kind and gentle to his patients, and even when he had rejected her confession earlier, he had not shown such indifference.

But the icy tone in his speech now still managed to scare a somewhat groggy Jounouchi Hiromi.

"Come to the hospital tomorrow for a full check-up," Chen Yu said without adding anything else, leaving the bar with Jounouchi Hiromi after dropping such a chilly remark, while leaving behind Inomata Naoki, who looked a bit stiff, holding the medicine bottle before finally pocketing it.

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"Mr. Chen Yu, I'm sorry, I got drunk last night and caused you a lot of trouble—I really apologize!" The next morning, Jounouchi Hiromi, who had arrived at the office before Chen Yu, bowed deeply to him before he even sat down, apologizing for her behavior the night before.

A beautiful woman bowing is always a graceful and charming sight, especially from Chen Yu's tall vantage, allowing him a view of the nape of her neck as she lowered her head.

According to Japanese customs, a woman's nape is considered one of her most enchanting features. Today, with Hiromi's hair tied up, her smooth neck was exposed, which was particularly appealing.

However, faced with Jounouchi Hiromi's apology, Chen Yu naturally didn't entertain any romantic notions, instead just offering a smile, "Hiromi-san, you're too polite. We're colleagues, after all—when you're drunk, of course I have to take you home. How could that be trouble? Besides, I'm partly to blame for you getting drunk."

"Mr. Chen Yu, do you know that with you being like this, girls can't possibly give up their feelings for you?" Jounouchi Hiromi looked up, her eyes betraying complex emotions as she playfully chided him, then she expressed concern over the incident from the previous night, "By the way, Mr. Chen Yu, what exactly was the matter with your friend last night? He looked…"

Upon hearing Jounouchi Hiromi's question, a wry smile appeared on Chen Yu's face as he set his bag on the desk and took out a medical record to hand to Hiromi, "This is Naoki's previous medical record. Take a look, Hiromi-san."

Jounouchi Hiromi took the medical records and flipped them open.

"This... Mr. Chen Yu, is this real? What exactly is going on here?" As an experienced surgeon, Jounouchi Hiromi of course understood medical records, but Inomata Naoki's records were simply too peculiar.

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