Around nine o'clock, once the examination was over, Kamijima Chusei, head of the medical department at Konoha Hospital, warmly clasped Shennong's hand. He insisted on treating the man, who had worked hard all night, to a late-night meal.
Shennong tried to decline, but couldn't, so he went along.
Several doctors from the medical department joined them. Keiko, an ordinary member of the medical staff, wasn't going, so Hanfu could only watch helplessly as Shennong left with his backpack.
But Hanfu wasn't in a hurry.
Shennong had come to Konoha to teach medical skills and share herbal medicine formulas, acting like some sort of gift-giving saint. Hanfu didn't believe for a second that he'd just leave like that.
"Feng-chan, you should go home."
Keiko checked the time and hurried Hanfu along. "Be careful on your way home. Don't dawdle, okay?"
Hanfu nodded and was just about to leave when something occurred to him. He turned back and asked, "Mom, where is Doctor Shennong staying?"
Keiko paused, looking puzzled. "Why do you ask?"
"I want to get his autograph!" Hanfu pretended to be a fanboy. "Doctor Shennong is so cool! I really admire him!"
Keiko smiled. "Doctor Shennong is staying at Shencao Izakaya, in Block 4 of the Furuta District, north of the hospital."
"An izakaya?" Hanfu was confused. "Why would he stay at an izakaya?"
Hanfu had been to the Gekko Izakaya run by his clan. The place was nice enough, but it was for eating and drinking, and could get noisy. Sure, it also offered rooms, but given Shennong's "standing in the world" and Kamijima Chusei's attitude toward him just now, there was no way they should have put Shennong up at an izakaya!
Keiko smiled. "Doctor Shennong chose it himself. Apparently, he really likes the sake there."
He liked the sake there?
Hmph. That excuse might fool a six-year-old kid like his little brother, but that was all.
A glint flashed in Hanfu's eyes. He could already smell a strong whiff of conspiracy!
With so many inns in Konoha, there had to be something fishy about choosing Shencao Izakaya in particular!
Hanfu wanted to head straight over to Shencao Izakaya and investigate, but it was too late. He'd have to wait until tomorrow.
By the time Hanfu got home from Konoha Hospital, it was almost ten. The living room was dark, and there was no sound of anyone pounding a wooden post in the backyard. He was surprised. Had his little brother really not snuck out to practice swordsmanship?
Hanfu turned on the light and saw a workbook on the living room table. It was his little brother's five-hundred-character reflection.
Hanfu checked it over. It was pretty good.
Then he went to the backyard, but his little brother wasn't there either.
Had he gone to bed already?
Hanfu returned to the bedroom and gently slid open the door. Sure enough, his little brother was lying on the tatami, fast asleep.
Seeing him sleeping so soundly, Hanfu couldn't help letting out a breath of relief.
Looks like my screen-time restrictions worked!
Now he just had to think about what to do tomorrow. Hanfu lay on the tatami and stared at the ceiling, a glint in his eyes.
The next morning, the two brothers got up and washed. But just as they were about to head out, Hanfu suddenly started coughing—and couldn't stop. He was coughing so hard it felt like he was about to cough up a lung!
"Brother, what's wrong?" His little brother panicked, at a loss. Tears welled in his big eyes.
As he coughed, Hanfu wondered to himself when his acting had gotten so good.
Cough, cough!
Hanfu coughed twice more, then said painfully, "Hayate, I think I've caught a cold. I... I need to go to the hospital."
"Brother, I'll take you!" Hayate blurted out.
"No, you have to go to school! I can't make you miss class!"
Hanfu spoke weakly. "And could you ask for a day off for me?"
"But, Brother..." Hayate was worried.
"Don't worry, Hayate. Go on. I'll be fine!" Hanfu patted his little brother on the shoulder. "I'm in Class 8 of the second year, and my homeroom teacher is Kashima Isamu. Don't forget, okay?"
"Got it, Brother."
Hayate agreed, then walked toward the door, looking back every few steps.
"Wait a second!"
Hanfu held out a hand.
"Brother!"
Hayate immediately hurried back.
"Um... cough, cough. I'm out of pocket money, and I'll need money to buy medicine at the hospital." Hanfu looked a little embarrassed.
He'd already loaded all his pocket money onto Anko's tab to cover the picnic expenses. He'd just have to ask for an emergency loan.
Without a word, Hayate took out his pocket money.
The corner of Hanfu's mouth twitched. Other people's kids even had twice as much pocket money as he did.
Then Hanfu took half of it.
As soon as his little brother left, Hanfu stopped coughing and made straight for Shencao Izakaya in Block 4 of the Furuta District.
He'd pretended to be sick so he could move around freely. After all, there were no cell phones in this world, communication was inconvenient, and his mother was busy at all hours. Hanfu wasn't worried about getting caught.
As soon as Hayate got to school, he hurried to Class 8 of the second year.
But Kashima Isamu hadn't arrived for work yet, so Hayate had to wait outside. Before long, someone recognized him.
"Are you... Hanfu's younger brother?"
Iruka spotted the boy as he entered the classroom. He looked vaguely familiar, then remembered: wasn't this Hanfu's younger brother, the one he'd met at the start of the school year?
"Hello, senpai. I'm Gekko Hayate, Hanfu's younger brother."
Hayate was very polite when he saw that someone recognized him. "Um, my brother caught a cold and went to the hospital, so he asked me to request a day off for him."
"He caught a cold?"
Iruka paused. Was that true?
There was a Theory Exam this morning. Could Hanfu be pretending to be sick to get out of it?
But Iruka had already agreed to "pass along information" for him. Hanfu had no reason to fake an illness.
Iruka looked at Hayate's worried expression and decided Hanfu really was sick.
"I understand. I'll request leave for Hanfu. Hayate, you should get back to your classroom, too," Iruka said seriously.
"Thank you, senpai!"
Hayate bowed earnestly, then turned and left.
Half an hour later, the bell rang, and Kashima Isamu walked in carrying a stack of exam papers.
"Let's get started!"
Kashima Isamu cut straight to the chase.
At that moment, Iruka stood up to request leave for Hanfu, but...
"Sensei, Tanaka asked me to request leave for him. He's sick!"
"Sensei, Ah Ren has a fever and caught a cold. He's taking the morning off!"
"Sensei, Ichiro is sick too."
"Sensei, and..."
Kashima Isamu's expression grew darker and darker. He looked around the classroom, then fixed his gaze on Iruka, who was standing at the back and still hadn't said anything.
Kashima Isamu asked sharply, "Iruka, who are you requesting leave for this time?"
"Uh, um..."
Iruka was sweating. He said awkwardly, "Hanfu caught a cold."
Kashima Isamu was too exhausted to comment. He waved Iruka down and said, "All the students who've requested leave will fail this Theory Exam. Once they've 'recovered,' I'll give them another exam! Ito, hand out the papers."
"Yes, sir!"
Ito Nipan strode up to the front of the classroom like a triumphant hero who'd slain a dragon and rescued a milk-tea princess.
Gekko Hayate must have faked being sick because he was afraid I'd crush him. Hah! I, Ito Nipan... I, I, Ito, will never forgive him!
The nerve!!
P.S. Did you think I was taking a sick day?
Think again! o(^｀)o
Thanks to reader 20190212183155890 for the generous reward!
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