"No, no! You can't touch that!"
"If you keep this up, I'm really going to get mad!"
Watching shimizu puff up like a pufferfish, the group of "merciless" nurses finally withdrew their mischievous hands, looking a bit embarrassed.
shimizu let out a sigh, rubbing his sore cheeks. He hadn't meant to look angry on purpose, but after all the pinching, his "soft and delicate" face was already swollen.
In some ways, his life had always been tied to these fearsome women. Since childhood, he had been their favorite target—was he really that much bigger than a cat or a dog? Did they have to rub and squeeze him like this?
"Ah… Even if this is just surface-level affection, I'm still a beneficiary of it."
Perhaps because of the strange entanglement between his past and present life, his current appearance wasn't much different from his childhood in his previous life.
That meant trouble, of course—but also, this troublesome "cuteness" could be turned into an advantage in certain situations.
For example—using it as a survival tactic.
"shimizu, shouldn't you be at school right now? What are you doing at the hospital?"
"Hehe, did little shimizu miss his big sisters?"
"Oh no, my boring day just got a lot better. Come here and give me a shoulder rub!"
Though they had stopped their playful attacks, the nurses launched a new round of teasing.
Seeing his small face "turn red," the oldest head nurse, Morikawa, stepped in, hands on her hips.
"Alright, don't you all have work to do? Are we suddenly short on patients?"
Although she was called the oldest, she was only about thirty years old. But compared to the lively sixteen- and seventeen-year-old nurses, she was certainly a senior.
Hearing her speak, the younger nurses quickly scattered. Even outside of wartime, the hospital was always overloaded with work—after all, the nature of a ninja's life was never peaceful.
That's why, despite being just a child worker, shimizu was still needed—of course, that was also because his work was exceptional. Thanks to his efficiency, he alone saved the hospital the manpower of three people.
At this moment, Morikawa bent down slightly, resting her hands on her knees as she narrowed her eyes at him.
"shimizu, is something wrong at school?"
Several nurses who had stayed behind also looked serious.
"Are you being bullied?"
Having all graduated from the Ninja Academy themselves, they knew about the unspoken rule in school—"Respected families over civilians and orphans."
"If someone dares to bully you, I won't let them off!"
"That's right! They'd better pray they never end up in this hospital!"
Just the thought of shimizu being bullied made them want to storm the school gates and teach those bullies a lesson.
shimizu felt warmth surge in his heart. Although he was usually rational, these bonds made him feel a true sense of belonging in this world.
"Actually, I'm doing really well in school. My classmates are supportive, and I even became class president! I've made lots of new friends."
"Wow, little shimizu is amazing!"
"Phew, that's a relief."
"Yeah, if Senior Kaori knew, she'd be so happy… Oh—sorry!"
"Beautiful Elder Sister, you don't have to apologize. You didn't say anything wrong."
shimizu's expression softened, a trace of longing in his eyes.
"I'm doing well now. If my mother knew, she'd be really happy too."
Seeing that he was speaking from the heart, the nurses finally relaxed.
His mother had once been a member of Konoha's medical corps and a close friend of Morikawa. She was also the teacher of Yumiko, one of the nurses.
She had left behind her most precious treasure—shimizu.
They had all helped him through his hardest times.
Of course, his own personality also played a big part—he was intelligent and kind, a far better child than the wild troublemakers running around.
"So, shimizu, did you come here just to share the good news?" Morikawa asked, clearly pleased.
"Not just that." He grew serious.
"I actually have two things to talk about."
"We're listening," said the nurses. Morikawa's hands twitched, itching to pinch his cheeks again—his serious little face was just too adorable.
shimizu, oblivious to the danger he was in, continued earnestly:
"First, I need to speak with Dr. Yu. From now on, I can only help at the hospital on weekends."
Saying this, he looked a little anxious.
"Even if I don't get paid, that's fine! Just… don't kick me out, okay?"
Morikawa burst into laughter.
"Oh, shimizu, you really underestimate yourself. Do you have any idea what a mess the hospital was while you were gone? The medication supply and patient turnover almost collapsed! The department heads were worried sick, wondering how to hold things together without you."
"Mhm, mhm." himari nodded.
"Without the workflow you designed, everything became a nightmare."
himari sighed dramatically.
"Yeah, I've been suffering ever since he left!"
Yumiko added with a playful smile.
"Even the senior nurses were talking about how much they missed you, shimizu!"
"Oh? I should check on them later," he said calmly.
"Actually, creating efficient workflows isn't hard. You just need to understand people's daily habits, eliminate unnecessary time gaps, and estimate everyone's Chakra recovery rate. That way, efficiency stays high. Lastly, you—"
Morikawa suddenly interrupted, curious.
"Wait, shimizu… how do you even know all this?"
He blinked, puzzled.
"Isn't it obvious just from observing?"
His natural response left the nurses stunned.
Was this… something a normal person could do?
himari forced an awkward smile.
"I think I finally understand why I've been struggling so much."
Morikawa sighed.
"This must be the domain of geniuses..."
Then, shaking her head, she smiled again.
"But this is good. It means the hospital can't afford to lose you!"
"Alright then, what's the second thing you wanted to say?"
shimizu took a deep breath, his voice steady.
"Aunt Morikawa, I'd like you to teach me medical ninjutsu!"