Talent Reborn
Episode 9: The Limits of Talent
The Mistake
For the first time since returning to the past, Haruto failed.
The moment it happened, he knew.
The patient—a construction worker from the collapsed building—had a spinal injury. His lower body was completely paralyzed.
Haruto had seen Dr. Kuroda perform spinal decompression surgery before. He had copied the technique perfectly.
Or so he thought.
As he made the incision, something felt wrong.
"Why does this feel different than what I saw before?"
Sweat formed on his brow. The pressure in the ER was overwhelming. Doctors rushed around him, voices overlapping in a chaotic storm.
But Haruto pushed through.
"I've seen this done. I can do it too."
His hands moved with practiced precision. He used the same method Kuroda had—but something still felt off.
A nurse's gasp made his blood turn cold.
"The patient's blood pressure is dropping!"
Haruto's mind froze.
"What did I do wrong? I followed every step!"
Dr. Yuki Sato shoved him aside. "Get out of the way!"
With rapid efficiency, she corrected his incision, stabilizing the patient. The heart monitor returned to normal.
Haruto stared at his bloodstained gloves.
His body copied talent perfectly.
But his mind lacked experience.
And in surgery, one mistake could kill.
A Harsh Lesson
Outside the ER, Haruto sat on a bench, hands trembling.
He had been so confident.
Yet, when faced with something he had never truly experienced, he hesitated—and nearly lost a life.
"You're shaking."
Haruto looked up to see Dr. Renji Kujo standing over him, arms crossed.
Renji's usual smug smirk was gone. His expression was unreadable.
"What happened in there?" Renji asked.
Haruto hesitated. "I… miscalculated."
Renji scoffed. "No. You copied something without understanding it."
Haruto stiffened.
Renji sat beside him, staring at the hospital corridor. "I don't know how you've been learning things so fast, but let me tell you something."
His voice darkened.
"A surgeon isn't great because they can follow a technique." His golden eyes flickered to Haruto.
"A surgeon is great because they know when to use it."
Haruto felt those words cut deeper than any scalpel.
Renji stood up. "If you don't figure that out, your talent will be nothing more than a cheap trick."
Then, without another word, he walked away, leaving Haruto alone with his failure.
True Growth
Haruto didn't go home that night.
Instead, he went to the hospital library.
His mind replayed the surgery over and over, searching for his mistake.
"I copied Kuroda's movements exactly. So why did I fail?"
Then it hit him.
Every patient is different.
The surgery he had copied was done on an elderly man.
But today's patient was a younger construction worker.
His spine was stronger, his muscle density thicker.
The same incision wouldn't work the same way.
Haruto clenched his fists.
"I can copy techniques, but I can't copy experience."
If he wanted to be more than just a fraud, he had to do something different.
He had to truly learn.
He grabbed a spinal anatomy book from the shelf and opened it.
Tonight, he wouldn't just memorize.
He would understand.
Renji's Suspicion Deepens
Meanwhile, Renji stood on the hospital rooftop, looking down at the city.
His mind replayed Haruto's earlier mistake.
"He's different."
Renji knew medical prodigies existed—but Haruto was something else.
One moment, he was performing surgeries like a seasoned doctor.
The next, he was making rookie mistakes.
"It's as if he doesn't actually understand medicine."
Renji's eyes narrowed.
Something was off.
And he was going to find out what.
End of Episode 9.