After getting up, he suddenly swayed, nearly collapsing onto the floor, his legs as limp as two strands of noodles.
"I... Ibuki-sensei... are you... okay...?"
Araki reacted quickly and caught Ibuki-sensei, who looked completely drunk, his entire body limp and utterly without strength.
At that moment, if Araki let go, Ibuki-sensei would definitely fall straight to the floor and might even pass out.
"I'm fine~"
Ibuki-sensei waved a hand, slurring drunkenly. In truth, he knew perfectly well that a teacher should not behave like this, but under the influence of alcohol, he felt indescribably comfortable and simply wanted to cast aside the shackles that usually bound him.
"I'm fine~"
"I only had one bottle~"
"I'm not drunk~"
As he spoke, Ibuki-sensei tried to push away Araki's supporting hands, but he clearly lacked the strength. His body swayed unsteadily. Had the other students in his class seen him, their jaws would have dropped in shock, unable to believe this was their stern teacher.
Feeling the gazes of the people around them, Araki's face darkened. He wished he could dump Ibuki-sensei right there, but he knew he could not abandon him.
"I... Ibuki... sensei, how about... we... don't go... today?" Araki asked softly.
"We're going!"
Ibuki-sensei immediately rejected the suggestion.
"Why wouldn't we go!"
"We're going right now!"
"I told you I'm not drunk~"
Ibuki-sensei shook his head repeatedly and pointed out of the shop toward Hokage Rock, signaling for Araki to take him that way. That was where the Medical Team interviews were held.
For a moment.
Araki felt utterly helpless.
Had he known Ibuki-sensei would get drunk the moment alcohol touched his lips, he should have stopped him earlier. A couple of token sips would have been enough.
Now things had become terribly troublesome!
Still...
Araki only grumbled about it inwardly and said none of it aloud. He continued supporting Ibuki-sensei as they headed toward the Medical Team.
A dozen or so minutes later.
Under Ibuki-sensei's directions, the two arrived at the entrance to Konoha Village Hospital.
"This is it~"
Ibuki-sensei raised a hand and pointed straight at the entrance bearing the "Konoha Hospital" sign. His face looked dazed, as though he might fall asleep at any moment, especially with those heavy eyelids covering his bloodshot eyes, which he clearly could no longer keep open.
Ibuki-sensei had been exhausted these past two days!
He had spent all of last night dealing with Sora Hyuga's situation and had not slept a wink.
Now he had drunk a flask of sake, too.
On top of that, his emotions had gone from tension to anger and then to release...
Once all of it piled up, his taut nerves relaxed, and intense fatigue surged through every nerve in his body along with the alcohol.
In an instant, Ibuki-sensei fell into a drunken sleep, collapsing straight into Araki's arms.
"This..."
The corner of Araki's mouth twitched violently. He stood frozen at the entrance to Konoha Hospital, still unsure exactly where the Medical Team was or where the interviews were being held. On top of that, given his persona as someone with mental issues, it was hardly convenient to ask in person.
But he would never get anywhere without asking.
He could only bite the bullet.
This filled Araki with helplessness. Originally, Ibuki-sensei could have helped put in a word for him, and perhaps even pulled some strings.
Now that was just great. All of it was gone.
"Ah..."
Araki could not help sighing. With things as they stood, he had already gotten his hopes up, yet now he could only sort it out himself.
It was practically a case of handling takeoff but not landing.
Those who knew, knew the bitterness of it...
Left with no choice, Araki bit the bullet and supported Ibuki-sensei as he walked toward Konoha Hospital. He had just reached the entrance and had not yet opened the door when it was pushed open. Young women in white nurses' uniforms rushed out, instantly surrounding him.
"???"
Araki had never seen anything like this. Waves of fragrance mixed with the smell of disinfectant left his head spinning, while long, shapely, straight legs flashed brightly past him.
"What happened to him?"
"Has he gone into shock?"
"Quick, get him inside for emergency treatment!"
"The patient is in very bad condition!"
"..."
Every one of the young nurses looked extremely anxious. Seeing someone unconscious at the entrance to Konoha Hospital, they thought his life was in danger.
"He... he... he drank too much..."
The corner of Araki's mouth twitched violently. Faced with so many young women's urgent, questioning gazes, even someone as low-profile as him felt embarrassed. Saying it aloud was simply too humiliating.
"He drank too much! Then let's get him inside and sober him up!"
"We should be able to give him an IV, right?"
"I'm not really sure either. Let's get him inside first!"
"You have to let me try this time!"
"No, it's my turn. You can have the next one!"
"..."
The young nurses spoke over one another. Even through their masks, their excitement was visible. The gazes falling on Ibuki-sensei did not look like they were regarding a patient at all, but rather prey.
Almost instantly, Araki realized that Ibuki-sensei might become their test subject. These young nurses might be newly arrived rookies still in training!
"Little boy, how are you feeling? Are you drunk? Want big sister to take a look?"
Just then, however, one of the young nurses shifted her attention from Ibuki-sensei to Araki, her sparkling eyes full of mischief.
"I... didn't... didn't drink..."
Araki instinctively took a step back, very uncomfortable under that gaze that looked as though she had discovered prey. He hurriedly seized the opportunity to say, "I... I... I'm here... for the Medical Team... interview..."
Chapter 36: Nawaki
"An interview!"
A clear flicker of disappointment crossed the young nurse's eyes, as though prey already in her grasp had flown away. She had not gotten a turn handling Ibuki-sensei just now, costing her a precious opportunity to practice.
"You want to become a medical-nin too?"
The young nurse looked him up and down, the corners of her eyes curving slightly into crescents as she smiled. "Can someone as little as you manage that?"
"How am I little?"
Araki frowned and instinctively shot back. The question instantly touched on the territory where he defended his dignity, to the point that he could not even be bothered to act out his speech impediment.
"Heeheehee~"
The young nurse let out a silvery laugh, then stepped lightly up to Araki. Her pretty, smiling eyes studied him for a moment before she said, "I happen to have nothing to do, so I'll take you to the interview and see whether you've actually got any ability, little fellow."
After saying that, the young nurse grabbed Araki's forearm and pulled him into Konoha Hospital.
"Um... sensei... my teacher..."
Araki had never expected this young nurse to be so enthusiastic, and it caught him off guard. Watching Ibuki-sensei disappear among the other young nurses, he could not help worrying that his teacher would not be able to take it.
"It's fine. They're with him, so don't worry. This is Konoha Hospital, after all." The young nurse waved casually, still pulling Araki forward.
"Um... well... you... just tell me... where it is... I can go... myself..."
Araki felt this was not quite appropriate. With his strength, he could break free by force at any time, but considering her good intentions, he could hardly treat her so violently. Fortunately, there were few people inside Konoha Hospital at the moment, or he would surely have attracted a great deal of attention.
"You're quite shy, aren't you!" The young nurse turned to glance at Araki. The smile in her eyes had never faded, though it now held a meaningful glint. "If you pass the interview, we'll be comrades from now on. Don't be so reserved. Big sister won't mind how little you are!"
"I'm not little!"
The corner of Araki's mouth twitched violently again. He knew the young nurse meant his age, but he still felt offended.
"Okay, okay, you're not little. Hehehe~"
The young nurse humored him as though coaxing a child, but the more she said that, the more offended Araki felt.
Yet there was simply no way to resolve it.
If he answered something like this with silence, it would seem like tacit agreement, which would leave him feeling uncomfortable.
But explaining himself would make it seem as though he were putting on a brave front and making excuses.
No matter what he did, he seemed to be on the back foot.
"Sister China!"
Suddenly, a slightly excited voice rang out. Judging by its tone, it sounded like a girl's voice, yet also like a boy's, with a trace of innocence in its childishness, clearly giving the impression of a voice in the process of changing.
The greeting immediately caught Araki's and the young nurse's attention.
Under their gazes.
A boy of about twelve stood by the stairs, raising a hand in greeting.
The boy had brown hair and wore Konoha's ninja forehead protector on his forehead, marking him as a Konoha Genin. He wore a green robe, with a thick scarf wrapped around his neck and a necklace over the scarf.
The boy looked to be in excellent spirits, brimming with vitality. Enthusiasm shone from his eyes, and his cheeks bore two patches of ruddy red. His broad grin looked especially sunny.
"Nawaki, what brings you here?"
The young nurse immediately returned his greeting, her eyes still sparkling.