"Cough cough~"
"Let's run a quick check first."
Nagato blushed at Nonou's teasing and quickly tried to change the subject.
"You're no fun. You're spoiling it."
Nonou showed obvious dissatisfaction.
She glanced down at herself—what exactly was wrong?
"Please draw some blood from her. If there are no issues, bring her to Operating Room 5."
Nagato led Nonou to the blood-drawing window.
"Of course, Master Nagato."
Though Nagato didn't know her name, the nurse clearly recognized him.
"I'll go ahead and make preparations. See you later."
After saying that, Nagato hurried away—he hadn't even fully recovered from the previous joke yet.
"You're here for your nearsightedness surgery, right?"
The nurse tied the pressure band on Nonou's arm and began drawing blood.
"Yeah."
Nonou nodded, thinking it was just small talk.
"Then you're really lucky."
"You might not know this, but Master Nagato personally developed this nearsightedness surgery."
"Nowadays, he doesn't even perform the surgeries personally anymore."
The nurse wore an envious expression on Nonou's behalf.
"As the inventor, Nagato understands this procedure best and has the finest skills."
"Is that so? Then I really am quite lucky."
A warm feeling stirred in Nonou's chest—so Nagato had already done so much for her.
He waited until the surgery proved effective before calling her in—such a thoughtful gesture.
"Alright, please wait for a moment."
"If everything checks out here, I'll take you to the operating room."
The nurse took the drawn tube of blood and left, while Nonou remained seated, deep in thought.
Before long, the nurse returned with a blood test report.
"Follow me."
She signaled to Nonou and walked forward first.
Nonou silently followed behind, climbing a few floors and taking several turns.
Before them appeared a sign reading Operating Room 5.
"This is it. I have other work, so I won't be going in."
The nurse pointed toward the large door directly in front of them.
"Got it."
Nonou walked up herself and pushed open the door, watching as the nurse turned and left.
"You're here."
Inside the operating room, the lights weren't on, so the room was dimly lit.
The air carried a sharp scent of disinfectant.
"Hmm."
Nonou craned her neck slightly, finally recognizing the person standing beside the operation table as Nagato.
"Come here and lie down."
Nagato pointed at the surgical table, speaking straightforwardly.
"Shouldn't I change into different clothes first?"
This was Nonou's first time ever on an operating table.
"You're having eye surgery. What clothes do you need to change into?"
"Just come over."
Nagato waved off the suggestion and continued urging Nonou.
It seemed like getting the surgery over with was the only way he could settle his nerves.
"Fine."
Nonou figured there was some logic to what Nagato said and slowly walked forward.
A thick mattress was spread across the operating table—she reached out and pinched it.
She'd never seen anything this thick before. Was he worried she might feel uncomfortable lying down?
"Just lie down—I'll be giving you anesthesia soon."
Nagato grabbed a pre-prepared injection syringe from the side.
"So you won't try pulling anything funny while I'm out, right?"
Nonou feigned panic, clutching her chest with both hands.
A barely noticeable smile flickered at the corner of her mouth.
"I definitely won't."
"What are you thinking?"
"I'm not that kind of person."
Nagato nearly panicked and almost dropped the syringe.
"Haha～ I was just kidding."
"You weren't serious about the spanking thing, were you?"
Nonou kept teasing Nagato. Of course, she knew exactly how to administer anesthesia — she just enjoyed watching him squirm.
"Nope, nope."
"Just inject it into the arm."
At that moment, Nagato's mind was a mess. He'd completely forgotten that Nonou herself was also a medical ninja.
"Alright then."
Nonou stretched out her arm, looking courageous and fearless.
"Then I'm going ahead now."
Nagato tapped Nonou's arm lightly, making the vein more visible.
"Mm."
Nonou closed her eyes and softly responded.
Then she felt like an ant had bitten her arm.
Within just a few breaths, she completely lost consciousness.
Only then did Nagato relax. If Nonou kept talking like this, the surgery really couldn't proceed smoothly.
After calming himself down, Nagato began performing the operation.
He'd practiced countless times before—now, handling everything came naturally.
Removing Nonou's glasses and setting them aside, Nagato turned on the surgical light above the operating table.
Under the soft light, Nonou's serene face looked peaceful and gentle.
"It'll be over before you know it. Everything will be fine when you wake up."
Muttering, Nagato started his work.
...
Nonou felt like she'd been dreaming for ages.
Her eyes still ached faintly, and all she could see was darkness.
"Nagato, are you here?"
She called his name. The darkness stirred a quiet unease inside her.
"I'm here, I'm here."
That was Nagato's voice, followed by the sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
"Was the surgery successful?"
Nonou felt a warm hand holding hers, gradually dispelling the uneasiness in her heart.
"Don't worry — it all went smoothly."
"You're still wrapped in bandages for now."
"When they're removed, you'll see the results."
Sitting by the bedside, Nagato gently comforted her.
"That's good."
"How long until I can take off the bandages?"
Using her other hand, Nonou touched her head—indeed, there were bandages wrapped around.
"Not in a hurry yet. It'll still take some time."
This chapter isn't over yet!
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"Are you hungry? Should I go buy you something to eat?"
It was about noon now. Nagato wasn't sure whether or not Nonou was hungry.
"I'm not too hungry, actually."
"Can you go get a nurse for me?"
Nonou made another request, her tone sounding urgent.
"Why call a nurse?"
"You can tell me whatever it is. What do you need one for?"
Nagato didn't understand why he needed to call a nurse.
Didn't he, a medical ninja himself, already offer better assistance?
"You wouldn't understand. Go get a nurse."
Nonou insisted, her face turning red.
"Fine, I'll go call someone."
Knowing he couldn't win against Nonou, Nagato sighed and stepped out to get help.
"Here she is. What do you need?"
A moment later, Nagato returned to the ward with a nurse.
"You can step out for a moment. I need to talk to the nurse in private."
Nonou waved dismissively in Nagato's direction, motioning for him to leave.
"So secretive, huh?"
Grumbling under his breath, Nagato turned and walked back out.
"Miss Nonou, do you need to use the restroom?"
The young nurse seemed to figure it out the moment she arrived.
"Yes, could you please help me?"
Nonou sighed in relief. Teasing Nagato a little with her words was fine.
But she wasn't quite ready to let Nagato personally assist her to the restroom just yet.
"That explains why you didn't tell Lord Nagato."
Smiling gently, the nurse stepped forward and helped Nonou up.
Thankfully, the ward had its own toilet, so she wouldn't have to go far.
When Nagato heard the bathroom door close, he finally understood—this was clearly not something he should be involved in.
He decided to leave and grab some food instead, sparing himself any further embarrassment.
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