Logically, after a night together, with or without a shower, a person would have a specific body scent. This is true for both men and women. So when Tae Takemi approached them and only smelled sweat on the two teenagers, she immediately realized her joke was out of line. She had to apologize to the girl. As for the other one who was misunderstood… a guy who could openly joke about a "five-finger mountain" workout on their first meeting wouldn't be phased by a few offhand jokes.
"…Did you run a full-speed marathon?" In the consultation room, Tae looked at the data on her computer with a strange expression, then swiveled her chair to face Taichi, who was lying on the examination table.
"...If you put it that way, it's not wrong," Taichi said, his mouth twitching as he thought about his condition when he first left the Palace. "At first, it was more like I'd run three full-speed marathons, with return trips." The fatigue from the other two and a half marathons had been eliminated by X's abilities on the way back. After all, Taichi's body was still human. X didn't dare restore him to full power all at once, fearing the boy's body would collapse.
"...Fine. If you don't want to talk about it, we'll go with that," Tae said, staring at Taichi for a few seconds before turning back to her computer, her expression unchanged.
"Um, Dr. Takemi, is Taichi-kun's body okay?" Ann, who had been silent for a while, finally spoke up.
"I'll give him a prescription, and then a full-body massage. He should be relieved by tomorrow," Tae replied, glancing at the girl. A high school girl who seemed bright and cheerful but with a shadow in her eyes. She wasn't someone a person like Tae, who had been in the social jungle for a long time, could casually mess with. Even though the girl was at a crossroads in her life.
"Ann, you should go home before it gets dark," Taichi reminded her. "It's getting late."
"Don't worry about that... Well, it's not like anyone's waiting for me at home anyway," the girl's eyes grew a little dim. From the afternoon until now, Taichi hadn't seen her take a single phone call. It was clear that her social circle was limited to just Shiho Suzui. As for her parents, Taichi remembered they were both fashion designers who worked abroad year-round. They were probably completely unaware of their daughter's situation. So, in the girl's world, there was only Shiho Suzui.
"So, are you staying the night?" Tae asked, raising an eyebrow. "I can make a temporary business trip. But this boy's body probably isn't up for any more strenuous activity."
"I told you already! Taichi-kun and I aren't like that!" Ann retorted, her face beet red. "And Taichi-kun, stop giving that wry smile and refute her properly!"
"The more you refute her, the more interested she gets. You have to respond with silence. Once she gets bored, she'll stop teasing you," Taichi replied with a helpless shrug. "Besides, I don't dare refute her, especially since I'll be relying on her medicine and free massages to recover."
Tae's expression as she looked at him was not a good one. But Ann accepted Taichi's explanation. This shocked Tae greatly, and she silently shook her head. What a naive and good girl. It was a shame she couldn't see through a scumbag's lies. Tae felt that if things continued this way, she would one day see this girl being led by the waist to her clinic, with two other strange women following behind.
In the end, Ann did stay the night. The reason? To prevent the girl from falling for a scumbag, Tae used all sorts of tricks to scare her out of walking home at night, hoping to teach her what a scumbag was. She was essentially harming others for no gain of her own. As for Ann, she saw a different side of the world. She never imagined that a guinea pig's pay would be so low. She was taking an unknown drug with unknown side effects, and her body and future were at risk. And she was doing it while completely drained of energy. But in Tae's words, it was a mutual agreement. The money she gave wasn't much, but people were willing to do it. If Taichi hadn't been taking the medicine with a mouth that was already accustomed to it, and wasn't doing a dead-end job as a school janitor, Ann would have seriously considered reporting Tae. This was neither legal nor moral. So when Tae tried to have a heart-to-heart with her, Ann cleared her mind, not letting a single word sink in. She was terrified of being "brainwashed" by this "vicious" woman, just like Taichi. After all, this woman was calling Naruto Taichi—who had "selflessly saved Shiho this morning, spent the afternoon with her, and fearlessly ventured into the Palace, all while protecting her"—a scumbag!
She was pretty and had a cool demeanor, but her heart was dark, and she was a liar. This was Ann's first impression of Tae Takemi.
"Huh? You guys have school on Saturday?" Taichi asked, surprised, as he ate his breakfast at the dining table. Today was Saturday, April 16th.
"I don't know about other schools, but Shujin Academy has classes on Saturday," Ann replied with a nod.
"...I suddenly regret taking this job at this school," Taichi said, clutching his forehead. His contract had stated that his workdays were the same as the school days. So not only was the pay low, but they were essentially getting four days of free labor from him every month! Just like a private school, the capitalists were so cunning. They didn't even give him time to read the full contract for a temporary worker.
"More importantly, I'm curious about your body," Tae said, blinking. "Based on your reaction yesterday, you shouldn't have been able to recover overnight... Ah, could it be the new medicine I gave you last night worked? Hmm, if only I had a control group." Tae's gaze unconsciously flickered to Ann, who shivered all over.
"I'm not going to be a guinea pig for you!" Ann's parents gave her an allowance, and she also had her own modeling job, so her income was reliable. Ann was adamant that she would never sell out for money.