Edogawa Nishiguchi Ayakashi Clinic - Chapter 3
The afternoon of the next day.
The clinic was empty when I opened the glass door and peeked in.
I wondered if the receptionist had already gone on lunch break even though there was still time before the clinic’s morning shift ended.
The waiting room in the clinic seems to have gone through a renovation recently since the floor was strangely shiny. The wallpaper was in a chic beige color and the sofa was also nice. The room also featured huge windows that brightened up the place so much that it didn’t look like your ordinary hospital or clinic.
But nobody was around.
“Excuse me.”
No response.
It didn’t seem like anyone was in.
“Um… hello? I’m Nanakida who is scheduled for an interview this afternoon.”
“Hey, so you’re that girl?”
“Hahih!”
Who is this?
I don’t know when he got here, but there was a handsome guy who looked like a host standing right behind me.
He had reddish-brown hair and was wearing a flashy black suit with a dark blue shirt underneath. His loose necktie was a bit distracting, but I guess his face would stand out too much if it wasn’t.
I thought it was unfair that he looked that good even without makeup.
“Hey Tengooo, the applicant’s here!”
“Wai—”
Too close. This guy is too close!
Suddenly putting his hands on my shoulders would normally be considered s****l harassment, but it didn’t seem like he meant anything bad by it.
Also, it should be a crime to smell this good.
“Ummm… What was your name again?”
“I-it’s Nanakida.”
“First name.”
“Huh?”
“What’s your given name?”
“…It’s Azuki.”
“Your name has such a nice ring to it, so cute.”
“Uhh, thanks.”
“I’m Takeru. You can just call me Take-chan.” [1]
Who the heck is this?
Why is he introducing himself?
After removing his hand from my shoulder, he suddenly shakes hands with me.
While I was confused with his overfriendliness, the door to the examination room opened.
The cool, bespectacled doctor in the white coat yesterday peeked out from the door.
“Takeru, you’re making her uncomfortable.”
“Well, what about you? If you were in there, then you should’ve greeted her.”
“I was making lunch at the back.”
“Even though you have an important interview today?”
“That’s because it wasn’t busy in the morning.”
And without another word, the doctor beckoned me to the examination room.
Over the course of my job hunting, I have already been turned down 57 times.
Whenever I enter an interview room, I can already tell whether I’m going to pass or not from the room’s atmosphere. I haven’t even handed in my resume yet, but I could already tell that I’m not going to be a good fit.
I walked into the examination room followed by the unknown host guy, Take-chan, and found a simple examination bed and a desk with a computer that stored electronic medical charts.
The doctor offered the curved seat across from him that patients always sat on.
“Please, have a seat.”
This looks more like a consultation than an interview.
It didn’t feel like I was in an interview at all with the host guy sitting on the examination bed.
As I gave in to the idea that I was only called in to pass the time, the doctor suddenly handed me his business card with both hands.
“Nice to meet you, I am Tengo Niimi, the head doctor.”
“I-it’s a pleasure to meet you…”
Then, Dr. Tengo glanced over at Take-chan to which he also hurriedly offered his shiny business card.
“Nice to meet you, I’m Takeru Yoshiya, the board chairman.”
“YOU’RE THE BOARD CHAIRMAN!?”
I really have to do something about inappropriately raising my voice in situations like these.
Translator’s Notes:
[1] Honorifics
Is a way of addressing someone in Japan. In this instance, -chan is usually a form of address used for little girls, but Takeru is using it to sound cute/endearing by attaching ‘-chan’ to his and Azuki’s name. Absolutely do not use this when addressing your boss or someone you’ve met for the first time even if they’re cute 😅 If you want, you can use -san (e.g., Seimei-san) which is a generally accepted honorific.
Anyway, I will be using ‘miss’, ‘mr’, ‘doctor’ etc. for readability and will only make exceptions for nicknames such as Take-chan and such.
