episode_0041

Episode 41. Graduate Student Diary (1)

****

The first patient I saw when I came to the academy was a boy from the academy who broke his arm while riding a horse last time. His name was probably Benjamin. He came to the outpatient clinic today.

“Did you remove the thread on your arm?”

“Yes.”

“Are you having any trouble moving?”

Benjamin moved his arms cautiously.

“Oh, I think there’s still a problem with the range of motion. Is this how it’s supposed to be?”

That may be the case originally.

Of course, I’m not an orthopedic surgeon, and the surgery may not have been perfect. It may have been unavoidable.

It’s a bit difficult to say for sure without an X-ray. I thought about it for a while.

“I think you should exercise.”

“Really?”

“Your ligaments may have stiffened after surgery. You will probably need to loosen them up and exercise for a while to get them back to normal.”

“Aha.”

“Your wrist is uncomfortable right now after surgery, so it would be a good idea to exercise that area.”

It’s hard to say anything rashly, because the results are different for each person. It could be a foreign body sensation that is natural after surgery, or the reinforcing plate inserted into the bone could be rubbing the ligament.

Which one is it?

Oh, I just thought of a way to check.

“Would you like to stretch out both arms? Move your fingers and wrists symmetrically on both hands.”

Up, down, left, right. And even your fingers.

It looks fine. There doesn’t seem to be any difference in function between the two hands. I can’t be sure though, since there’s no X-ray.

“You don’t feel sick, do you? And you don’t feel a fever?”

“Yes.”

“It looks like you’re getting better.”

Benjamin thought about his words for a moment.

“Professor, I have something to tell you.”

“What is it?”

You seem to have something to say, but what’s wrong? Did you get sick somewhere?

“There was a swordsmanship competition, and I too. He really saved many people. I went to see other healers, and they said that if your arm is broken to the point of being twisted, it’s normal for it to not be usable.”

“I guess so. I was lucky, too. If I had touched a joint or a blood vessel, there wouldn’t have been much I could have done.”

Benjamin nodded.

“I’m telling everyone around me that I’m alive thanks to the professor. I can use my arms too.”

****

This student’s name is Lisellote.

Academy girl. Of course, we shouldn’t take the patient’s symptoms as trivial, but this friend wasn’t seriously ill.

I came here because of kidney stones.

“Aren’t you still dizzy these days?”

“Oh my, you remembered that?”

It’s a medical record. I wrote it down.

“I remember all the information about every patient I’ve seen. That way, I can diagnose faster and more accurately.”

“Wow, that’s amazing.”

It was a joke. Liselotte was mildly impressed by my lie.

“By the way. Why did you come here?”

“I’m worried that I’ll get dizzy again. And my eyes have been blurry lately. Is this a disease that can be cured by shaking my head?”

“Oh, it can relapse. If your sense of balance is not right, you can get dizzy or have vision problems. Are you dizzy?”

“No, not right now.”

Liselotte shook her head.

“Since when has it been like that?”

“A day before.”

“There’s an academy exam these days, right?”

“Oh my, how did you know?”

The princess told me. The princess is also in the middle of an exam period.

When you’re tired, your eyes can get a little bleary, right? I’ve had that happen to me many times.

“You can’t see it at all, right?”

“Yes.”

“Can you read the text?”

“It is visible.”

“Hmm. There might be a problem, but it doesn’t seem to be a serious illness. Get some sleep for a week, and come back after the exam is over.”

A relieved expression. Liselotte nodded. In this case, there’s nothing I can do, but oh! I can do that. I took out a small paper bag from the desk.

“Professor. Me. Should I come to the hospital for nothing for a minor illness?”

To be honest, I do feel that way. But that doesn’t mean I can ignore it.

“Well, healthy people don’t pretend to be sick. Feeling dizzy and not being able to see is a serious matter. Even if I don’t know the cause.”

Liselotte nodded.

“Right?”

“It’s medicine. Take one pill every morning.”

“What kind of medicine is it?”

“It’s a medicine that makes your head work well.”

This is something I prepared to give to patients when there is nothing I can do for them, or when it seems like they came to the hospital for no reason.

It’s just a glucose candy.

Eating sugar in the morning can help you stay alert. Let’s see if the placebo alone will help you get better. It might work surprisingly well.

“Thank you again today!”

“Yes. If you are sick, come right away.”

Lisellote said goodbye and left the examination room.

Are you done with your appointment today? I checked the time. I wonder if I should go back to the lab.

****

Meanwhile, in the lab.

As Istina headed to the lab, she met the princess who was also going to the same place.

Istina was flustered. Can I say hello? We often meet, but usually, if I close my eyes, the princess will pass by on her own.

“Your name is E.T. Let’s talk for a moment.”

“Huh? That… … !”

Istina dropped the book she was carrying on her feet. She rolled on the floor with a single scream. The princess looked at Istina, who had fallen, holding her feet on the floor as if she was pitiful.

Istina looked up at Mint.

The princess looked down at Istina.

Their eyes crossed.

“I’m Istina. I’m, I’m sorry, but, what do you want with me, Princess-”

“Are your feet okay?”

“Oh, maybe.”

Even though the Academy was a place of equality, it was true that to Istina, who had been attacked because of her status, the princess felt like an ivory tower that was out of reach.

It looked like that too.

From the beginning, the situation where he was still sitting and looking up at the princess was clear to Mint, as if there was an overwhelming sense of pressure in the situation.

“If your feet hurt, just sit down.”

“Oh, thank you?”

The princess didn’t seem to notice the vague irony in her words, though she was trying to be kind.

Mint continued speaking.

“How is the teacher in private?”

“Is that what the professor said? I don’t know. Wouldn’t the princess know better?”

Mint tilted her head this time.

“Why? You work together.”

“There are many days when I don’t say a word to the ward shift change. Even though I’m usually busy.”

“Aha.”

“I’m just a graduate student, so I think the princess would know more about what kind of person the professor is.”

“What do you usually do? Aren’t you close with your teacher?”

Istina was a bit worried. What on earth would the princess be asking this? No, how could they possibly be close?

“Can I be friends with the professor… … .”

“We spend a lot of time together, right?”

“Your Highness. I think there is some misunderstanding. I need to receive a salary from the professor, get a degree, be a co-author of a paper, and take classes.”

“So, is it that good?”

“No, it’s that uncomfortable… … .”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

He had an expression on his face like he was hearing this for the first time.

“Still, a teacher like you is a good person.”

Istina opened her mouth and then closed it again.

The princess may repeat exactly what the professor said, either out of spite or just out of oblivion. The two are usually close friends.

“Yes, a professor like you is a nice person.”

“So you like the teacher?”

Is the princess stupid, is she doing this to get screwed, or is there something clouding her judgment? Istina sighed.

“No.”

“Really?”

He seems satisfied with this answer.

“Has the teacher made you do anything strange?”

Again, the princess’s eyes were filled with curiosity. Istina thought for a long time. Strange, strange. There were a few things.

“Oh, that’s what happened last time. He didn’t have time to go to the execution ground himself, so he told me to buy a body. He needed to do bone marrow research… … .”

“What are you doing?”

Istina paused for a moment. The largest bone, with the most marrow, is the femur.

“I wanted to buy some human femurs. So I went to the execution grounds, but the execution grounds guard said they don’t sell them by part and gave me a saw.”

Mint frowned.

“So what did you do?”

“If you tell me to do it, I’ll do it. I cut it.”

“Oh, really?”

Istina nodded vigorously. The princess seemed speechless at this fact.

“Yes.”

“Aren’t you hated by the professor?”

“Ha, I don’t know. If I get kicked out from under Professor Asterix, I really have nowhere to go.”

This is the truth. Istina’s voice contained the resentment that had been building up.

“Okay, cheer up.”

An indifferent voice.

Istina got up from the floor and dusted off the hem of her clothes. The princess stared blankly at Istina.

“Oh, I’ll go.”

Istina disappeared into thin air.

****

Princess Mint scratched her head.

“What is it?”

I came to ask you because I was wondering if Istina liked the teacher or if the teacher liked Istina.

Far from liking her teacher, Istina almost treated him like an enemy. Well, in a way, that was fortunate.