Tap tap tap! Tap tap tap!
Urgent footsteps shattered the corridor's tranquillity.
Doctors and nurses in white coats turned towards the sound, immediately spotting a white-haired girl wearing what appeared to be a bodysuit beneath her fluttering coat as she sprinted down the hallway.
A female doctor called out sternly: "No running in the medical ward! You'll disturb the patients!!"
Yet the running girl seemed deaf to the warning, rushing straight past the doctor and deeper into the corridor.
Watching this, the doctor sighed helplessly:
"Why won't she listen..."
Meanwhile, a nearby nurse remarked curiously:
"Wasn't that the girl from earlier? The daughter of that vegetative couple in Ward D?"
"I think it was her. I wonder what's happened?"
Hearing the nurses' conversation, the doctor seemed to understand something and muttered:
"Never mind, never mind. Just don't let it happen again."
"Alright, alright. If there's nothing else, stop chatting and continue with the ward rounds."
"Yes, Doctor." x2
The three nurses hastily responded in hushed tones.
Meanwhile, Origami Tobiichi, who had been running quickly, had already reached the vicinity of her destination. After turning a corner, she abruptly stopped, panting heavily as she stared at the tightly shut door ahead.
Through the oval-shaped mirror in the middle of the door, Origami could faintly make out a figure with long pink hair turned away from her.
Finally, she took a deep breath, her slightly pale face now tinged with nervousness and anticipation.
With a click.
The girl reached out, opened the door to the room, took a deep breath, and stepped inside.
As Origami Tobiichi entered, she saw Lacus Clyne standing at the centre of the room.
The pink-haired girl sighed slightly upon seeing Origami's arrival:
"I had a feeling when I sent the message that the special consultant doctor had arrived at headquarters, but to reach the ward in under three minutes... It seems I'll have to ask the doctor to examine you as well later, Origami."
Noticing Lacus beside her, Origami's tone carried a hint of emotion:
"Chairwoman."
Though she addressed Lacus by title, Origami's gaze never strayed from the direction of the hospital bed.
Especially when she saw the emaciated middle-aged man lying there, her breathing grew noticeably quicker.
But the stern expression on the black-haired young man seated by the bedside made Origami hold her tongue. She stood quietly to one side, barely breathing.
At that moment, Lacus handed her a glass of water and said softly:
"Don't worry. When it comes to difficult diseases, Luo Shu is arguably the best doctor in the SDS."
Origami hesitated slightly before asking:
"But I heard Mr Luo Shu was previously on a secret mission in Japan?"
"He came back specifically for this."
Lacus didn't elaborate on why he'd rushed back, merely reminding her:
"The treatment seems to be nearly finished."
Origami immediately turned to look at her father on the bed.
Just then, the thin middle-aged man's fingers, resting on the sheets, twitched slightly.
As Origami's face lit up with joy, Luo Shu rose from his seat beside the bed and stated calmly:
"I've completely repaired the brain damage. Judging by the patient's current condition, he should regain consciousness in about two hours."
"Considering he's been kept alive by medical support recently, I also fixed some physical issues. But after he wakes up, stick to liquid foods for a while."
Before Luo Shu could finish, Origami threw her arms around him with a thud, squeezing out repeated thank yous through tears.
Caught off guard by the sudden embrace and gratitude, Luo Shu hesitated:
"I understand how you feel, but you've already paid the fee."
"There's no need to thank me like this."
In exchange for healing Origami's parents, she would join the SDS's core team and serve under Luo Shu.
This was the deal Lacus and Meer had struck with Origami in Luo Shu's name.
When Luo Shu learned of it, he didn't mind them making promises in his name - if anything, he wished there were more such arrangements.
Still, having gotten what he wanted, seeing Origami's overly emotional reaction made him briefly wonder if he was being too unscrupulous.
After all, trading a simple treatment for the girl's entire future seemed rather exploitative.
But soon, such reflections vanished from Luo Shu's mind.
When it came to advantageous deals that didn't violate morality, he was always happy to take more.
That being said, Origami Tobiichi was hugging him a bit too tightly, wasn't she? You're not a koala, you know?
Luo Shu gently patted Origami Tobiichi's back and reminded her:
"I don't particularly mind being hugged like this, but I still need to treat your mother's intellectual disability next."
"Miss Tobiichi, you wouldn't want your mother to remain a mentally disabled child for much longer, would you?"
Hearing this, Origami immediately released Luo Shu, wiping the corner of her eye with the back of her hand:
"...My apologies, Mr Luo. I got a bit carried away."
Although her mother had awakened from a vegetative state thanks to the SDS's medical technology, her brain had suffered damage, regressing her mental capacity to that of a child. Naturally, upon hearing Luo Shu's words, she was eager for him to begin treatment immediately.
"I'll take you to my mother's ward right now..."
Origami turned to leave but suddenly paused, then turned back to Luo Shu and said:
"Oh, Mr Luo, could you please hand over the contract document to me first?"
"After all, you've already fulfilled your promise."
"But your mother's treatment isn't finished yet?" Luo Shu glanced at Origami's serious expression, hesitated for a moment, then retrieved a contract from his Mist Ring.
Origami expressionlessly took the document, looked at Luo Shu, and said, "Please wait a moment."
She walked straight to the bedside cabinet, opened the drawer, took out a pen, and began writing.
Luo Shu watched as she deftly drew a thick horizontal line across the contract terms. He was momentarily stunned before walking over and asking:
"What are you doing?"
As he spoke, Luo Shu watched Origami cross out all the clauses, then write a single new term: Origami Tobiichi voluntarily becomes Luo Shu's slave.
Then he watched helplessly as Origami signed her name.
Finally, Origami rolled up the revised contract and handed it to Luo Shu:
"The amendments are complete. Would you like to review them?"
"..."
'You've already signed it. What's there for me to review?'
Luo Shu fell silent for a moment, then turned to look at Lacus, who stood behind him with a stunned expression.
As Origami staggered from the influx of information about the Divine Pantheon, Luo Shu caught the girl and said quietly to Lacus:
"Didn't Meer do her recruitment job a bit too well?"