Chapter 11

Everything in the ward was just as usual: a table, ten beds, a bright lamp.

Borya nodded to Kyon meaningfully, and he nodded in response. They understood each other without words, unlike Mike, who was left out in the cold again, but he didn’t worry about it. He felt like shit and hit the sack soon. In a couple of hours, it was dinner time, and immediately after dinner, they would be escorted out of the hospital back to the mines, so he’d better not waste any time and have a good rest.

After raging Martha calmed down a bit and tamed her anger, Bob told her briefly what had happened. He also mentioned that Kyon was going to stay in the ward until Martin got his tools.

Then Bob went back to work.

Kyon closed his eyes wearily. The grey space reappeared. A small azure ball was located ten meters away. It was beckoning him, but Kyon was in no hurry to approach it. Experience told him that as soon as he touched the sphere, the dream would begin, and the formation would get “demagnetized.” He could not let it happen for the time being. It was so tempting to use Synergy for body upgrade, but Kyon was afraid that Martin might be using a tracking formation. In the end, he just stayed in the grey space, waiting for dinner.

The evening had come. The cook brought in their meager meal, and then Mob came to pick up his “toilers.” He had a sugar-coated bun for Kyon to appease stern Martha with a generous gesture.

«Ah, it’s you…» – The doctor coldly greeted him.

Her voice was so scathing it could wither the plants around. Mob shivered, hurried to Kyon and pushed the present under his nose, mumbling in one breath:

«I’m sorry about the last time.»

There was no remorse in his eyes or voice. He was staring with an expecting expression in the direction of the woman who was watching all that farce.

«Accepted.» – Kyon replied in tune with his voice.

He had no desire to indulge the cruel supervisor, but he decided it was still too soon to make enemies in this world. Reluctantly, he took the bun and bit off a decent chunk, giving him a thumb up.

Mob was about to punch the arrogant brat, but when Kyon played along, he calmed down and turned to the doctor. The plan had worked. Martha stopped being the cold-hearted bitch she was every time Mob was there. His mood had immediately skyrocketed.

«I’ve come for the patients.» – Mob said quietly.

«Hmm, okay.» – She turned away. Her face softened. {He came to take the patients to apologize to Kyon in front of me… What a persistent fool.}

Borya and Mike said goodbye to Kyon, their admiration for the reckless boy grew with each day. He was rude to Mob and didn’t even get an earful. The bald miner added that he could find Kyon later in the common hall to pay the debt.

Mob and the two miners left the hospital. As Kyon watched them go, he admired Mob’s skill to completely ignore the angry looks of those he had beaten for the sake of the lady of his heart.

Finally, there were only Martha and Kyon in the ward. {The time has come.}

Kyon had no designs upon Martha as a woman, but she was an important part of his plan.

Fortunately, there were no new patients yet. But even if there were any, Kyon would still have found a way to have a few minutes alone with her.

A glance in her direction, eye contact, and there it was a gentle blush on Martha’s cheeks. She got angry at herself. Why on earth was she so embarrassed, he was just a boy, after all! Martha shook her head and headed toward Kyon to give him a good scolding:

«Do you have anything you want to tell me?»

«How did you like my drawing?» – Kyon smiled, completely ignoring her serious voice.

«You draw well.» – Martha had to admit. She put her hands on her hips and hissed indignantly: «But what a nerve? How dare you give me drawings like that!?»

Much depended on Kyon’s reaction to her question. However, he pretended not to notice the seriousness of the situation. She could see laughter in his dark eyes, his voice sounded carefree and full of fun:

«Tell me how it feels to imagine kissing my neck?» – He purred to her.

«I… You… Asshole! You are still a boy! Why do you have so dirty mind? And what if someone else had seen your drawing!?» – Martha’s voice grew hoarse as she imagined the consequences of her embarrassment.

«Well, the male part would find their pants too tight. It’s impossible to keep calm looking at that. As for you, your red, angry face I would remember for a long time! Haha.» – Kyon laughed merrily and cordially, trying not to offend the embarrassed woman too deep.

Martha opened and closed her mouth, stunned. He was a very cheeky boy! It was unthinkable to hear such indecencies from a fourteen-year-old, even in jest!

«Nonsense! Now I understand why you ended locked up in the mine! You must have deserved it!» – She snorted bitterly.

Kyon did not respond to her attack. A look of deep resentment appeared on his face, and his eyes glistened suspiciously.

There was an awkward pause. Martha had already regretted her outburst.

«I admit, I overreacted. I am sorry!» – She sighed sorrowfully. How could she stoop so low? He draws all kinds of nasty and indecent things, and she apologizes to him in the end!

Kyon sobbed:

«Do you think you can earn my apology so easily?» – He said, making a confident step towards her.

«Stop it! You’re exaggerating! I didn’t mean to sting you to the quick.» – The doctor moved back until she bumped against the wall. There was nowhere to retreat.

Kyon defiantly brushed away a single tear and pathetically exclaimed, embracing the bewildered woman:

«Of course, you didn’t. That’s why I forgive you.»

Martha was perplexed. She couldn’t imagine what his next trick would be. She was so shocked that she had no strength to resist the cheeky invasion into her private space. There they stood: she, stupefied, not knowing where to look from embarrassment, and he, flashing a smug smile, his face buried in her orchid-sсented hair, feeling through the white coat pleasant softness of her boobs.

Kyon didn’t let Martha finally come to her senses and push the cheeky boy off herself. He soon let go of her and asked as if nothing had happened:

«Does Mob know you’re in a relationship with Byron?»

His distractive maneuver was a success. Martha didn’t think about the recent hug anymore and couldn’t come up with a decent excuse. She murmured instead:

«H-how did you know?»

«Your hair smells of man’s care.» – Kyon gave her the first romantic bullshit that crossed his mind.

Martha shook her head:

«N-no, it’s impossible! You can’t tell it by the smell!… Care? It doesn’t smell! Are you kidding me?!»

Kyon was quick to interrupt her. He couldn’t let Martha recover and get angry with him:

«You see, I am not only good at drawing… What will Mob say if he gets to know about it. He adores you, doesn’t he?»

«Nothing!» – She snapped. «I don’t want to see him. I have no interest in him!»

«And what about his feelings? What would people say (especially those who regularly get into your hospital because of the lovesick supervisor)? What if someone finds out that you have been enabling him to get closer to you all this time instead of saying that he had no chance?» – Kyon cornered her as if she was a cowardly rabbit, forcing her to make excuses.

Martha looked down, guilty:

«I don’t know… I didn’t think about it…» – Indeed, she didn’t let Mob understand that he had no chance. She kept his hopes up to get his attention and small presents from time to time. It was so nice to have someone chasing her.

«Don’t you think that Byron will be in trouble if Mob finds out?» – Kyon said softly, bringing her to the point he had started the whole conversation for.

«I do. But how will he know? You’re not going to tell him, are you?…»

There was an awkward silence and intense staring into each other’s eyes.

«Of course not. I’m a decent man. Will you introduce me to Byron. I want to get to know someone who could win you over.» – Kyon smiled, patting Martha on the shoulder reassuringly.

«Alright, I’ll introduce you to each other…» – She smiled with a quiet sigh, still feeling embarrassed.

«Thanks! You’re a good person. I noticed it at once.»

Martha remembered the recent events that, for some reason, had taken second place and slightly blushed.

«Um… Wait! Why did you hug me? It was rude of you! You shouldn’t hug people so unexpectedly!»

«Oh, nevermind. I’m sure we both enjoyed it.» – Kyon winked playfully and went back to bed, his hands behind his head.

«You…» – Martha had no more strength or desire to argue with the rude, unscrupulous boy. She went to her office, angry, thinking over Kyon’s irrational behavior, and the situation with Mob and Byron.