rested on his chest. Hugging Enju to him, he noticed a pink nurse’s cap on top of her head.
When Rentaro pointed at it, Enju lifted her face as usual and laughed gleefully. “Isn’t it cute? They gave it to me since I was helping. They said workers had to wear this.”
“I-I see…,” said Rentaro.
Enju tilted her head slightly. “What’s wrong, Rentaro?”
“Nothing—”
“Oh, Satomi, you’re back early.” Turning around, he saw Kisara holding a washbasin with hot water in it. She also had a nurse’s cap on her head, like Enju. “Our shift is almost over, so please wait a bit.”
Rentaro looked around at the bustling atmosphere before looking back at Kisara. “Even Enju’s here. She’s not being a bother?”
Kisara smiled and shook her head. “Not at all. Enju’s a big help, holding the injured people’s hands tight and just being with them. Everyone seems to appreciate her. On the other hand, I can only do random chores, so I’m sure I’m more in the way of the doctors and nurses.”
Enju stuck out her chest proudly and sniffed. “You see? I am being of help.”
Rentaro watched Enju silently. It was possible that Enju was recovering from the painful incident of her classmates being killed in a bombing. He had the urge to ask her directly, but considering the possibility that he was stirring up a hornet’s nest, he could not speak carelessly. Rentaro hid his inner turmoil and patted Enju on the head, as if going through his usual movements, saying, “Yes, yes, good job,” pretending to act normally. Enju did not seem to notice.
“By the way, Satomi, have you met up with Dr. Sumire already?” Kisara asked.
“What? Doc? Doc’s here, too?”
Just then, Rentaro felt a weight on his shoulders as someone draped their arms over him from behind. Cold skin like a corpse. Said person put lips close to his ears. “Good evening, Satomi. It’s a nice night.”
“Gah!” Jumping away quickly and turning around, he saw a smiling face shining brightly with enjoyment through a curtain of hair that was left to grow as it pleased.
Dragging a long white lab coat, the coroner, Sumire Muroto, lifted her hand in casual greeting. “Yo,” she said. “I had some free time, so I left my basement room. The outside is nice sometimes, too.”
Rentaro’s mouth gaped in amazement, and he was unable to respond for a while. “Doc… Why are you here?”
“There was a request, so I came here today to supervise the doctors. Didn’t I tell you before? I’m a genius, so I have knowledge of everything. I’m just a coroner because it matches up with my hobby. In times of emergency like this, I get called in as a doctor, too.”
“So even Dr. Death saves people’s lives once in a while?”
“What, do you want to be euthanized, Rentaro?”
“I-I was just kidding. Don’t get mad, Doc.” Just then, a question crossed his mind. “Doc, didn’t you win a lottery ticket for the shelter? Why are you here?”
“I didn’t win it. I was given it. A government official came to my lab and said they couldn’t let Japan’s greatest mind die and gave me a ticket. I politely ripped it in half and threw it away then and there, though.”
“Huh?”
The corners of Sumire’s mouth lifted as she grinned. “What? Is that strange?”
“No… But if you’re going to rip it in half, then at least give it to someone.”
“Who would I give it to? Even if you had a single cup of water in the desert, it won’t do you much good, will it? At most, people will just start killing each other over the water. It’s more compassionate to resolutely throw the water onto the bare ground in this case.”
Rentaro paused. “Then, what fundamental solution would you propose for the lack of water?”
“Find a giant oasis that can quench everyone’s thirst, or get out of the desert. But looking at Tokyo Area’s current evacuation situation, I don’t see how we can find an oasis big enough to quench everyone’s
When Rentaro pointed at it, Enju lifted her face as usual and laughed gleefully. “Isn’t it cute? They gave it to me since I was helping. They said workers had to wear this.”
“I-I see…,” said Rentaro.
Enju tilted her head slightly. “What’s wrong, Rentaro?”
“Nothing—”
“Oh, Satomi, you’re back early.” Turning around, he saw Kisara holding a washbasin with hot water in it. She also had a nurse’s cap on her head, like Enju. “Our shift is almost over, so please wait a bit.”
Rentaro looked around at the bustling atmosphere before looking back at Kisara. “Even Enju’s here. She’s not being a bother?”
Kisara smiled and shook her head. “Not at all. Enju’s a big help, holding the injured people’s hands tight and just being with them. Everyone seems to appreciate her. On the other hand, I can only do random chores, so I’m sure I’m more in the way of the doctors and nurses.”
Enju stuck out her chest proudly and sniffed. “You see? I am being of help.”
Rentaro watched Enju silently. It was possible that Enju was recovering from the painful incident of her classmates being killed in a bombing. He had the urge to ask her directly, but considering the possibility that he was stirring up a hornet’s nest, he could not speak carelessly. Rentaro hid his inner turmoil and patted Enju on the head, as if going through his usual movements, saying, “Yes, yes, good job,” pretending to act normally. Enju did not seem to notice.
“By the way, Satomi, have you met up with Dr. Sumire already?” Kisara asked.
“What? Doc? Doc’s here, too?”
Just then, Rentaro felt a weight on his shoulders as someone draped their arms over him from behind. Cold skin like a corpse. Said person put lips close to his ears. “Good evening, Satomi. It’s a nice night.”
“Gah!” Jumping away quickly and turning around, he saw a smiling face shining brightly with enjoyment through a curtain of hair that was left to grow as it pleased.
Dragging a long white lab coat, the coroner, Sumire Muroto, lifted her hand in casual greeting. “Yo,” she said. “I had some free time, so I left my basement room. The outside is nice sometimes, too.”
Rentaro’s mouth gaped in amazement, and he was unable to respond for a while. “Doc… Why are you here?”
“There was a request, so I came here today to supervise the doctors. Didn’t I tell you before? I’m a genius, so I have knowledge of everything. I’m just a coroner because it matches up with my hobby. In times of emergency like this, I get called in as a doctor, too.”
“So even Dr. Death saves people’s lives once in a while?”
“What, do you want to be euthanized, Rentaro?”
“I-I was just kidding. Don’t get mad, Doc.” Just then, a question crossed his mind. “Doc, didn’t you win a lottery ticket for the shelter? Why are you here?”
“I didn’t win it. I was given it. A government official came to my lab and said they couldn’t let Japan’s greatest mind die and gave me a ticket. I politely ripped it in half and threw it away then and there, though.”
“Huh?”
The corners of Sumire’s mouth lifted as she grinned. “What? Is that strange?”
“No… But if you’re going to rip it in half, then at least give it to someone.”
“Who would I give it to? Even if you had a single cup of water in the desert, it won’t do you much good, will it? At most, people will just start killing each other over the water. It’s more compassionate to resolutely throw the water onto the bare ground in this case.”
Rentaro paused. “Then, what fundamental solution would you propose for the lack of water?”
“Find a giant oasis that can quench everyone’s thirst, or get out of the desert. But looking at Tokyo Area’s current evacuation situation, I don’t see how we can find an oasis big enough to quench everyone’s
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