Lynn remained calm and said,"If that's the case, then my preliminary diagnosis is that you ate the wrong thing.Specifically, you ate your doll's arm."
The girl's smile instantly froze.
However, the doll's laughter continued unabated.
"Doll loves Mommy! Mommy loves Doll! Heeheeheehee!"
Lynn raised his head, staring at her with lifeless, dead-fish eyes.
"Have you felt any discomfort in your stomach lately?"
The girl replied stiffly,"My stomach keeps rumbling. It feels like something's scratching inside."
Lynn nodded, jotting notes into his notebook as he spoke casually,
"Then that confirms it. It doesn't seem to have been digested yet.Would you prefer surgery, or physical therapy?"
The girl asked stiffly,"…What kind of surgery?"
Clang—!
Lynn stabbed the bloodstained boning knife straight into the counter.
"Cut open your abdomen, take out your doll's arm, and stitch you back up."
In an instant, the doll's laughter stopped dead.
A chill shot from the girl's feet straight up to her scalp.
"Th-then what about physical therapy…?"
Lynn stood up.
He took gloves and a mask from behind the counter and looked at her indifferently.
"That's simple. No surgery required.Do you want me to retrieve it from above, or from below?Either way works, and it's cheaper."
Girl: "!!!"Doll: "!!!"
[Girl SAN -20]
The girl said numbly,"F-from… from above…"
"Alright."
Lynn pushed aside the clutter on the counter and rolled his wrist.
"You're small, so there's no need to go to the operating room.I can do it right here.Just endure it—and don't bite my arm off."
Under the girl's horrified gaze,Lynn's massive shadow loomed over her.
He wore a mask and leather gloves,his eyes calm and steady.
The girl sat on a small stool and hugged her doll tightly.
"C-can I not watch…?"
Lynn replied flatly,"No. My teacher said once you enter this shop, you must receive treatment.Otherwise, you'll have to leave something behind—one way or another."
The girl trembled stiffly, then finally gave in.
"…Alright."
She forced her mouth open.
"Open wider."
Riiip—
The girl tore her mouth all the way back to her neck,revealing a massive, blood-filled maw.
A wave of rancid stench rushed out.
Lynn remained composed.He took a metal mouth retractor from the counter and locked her jaws in place,preventing a stress response.
Then he rolled his shoulderand shoved his arm straight into the girl's mouth.
Splurt—!
It went straight in.
Deep insertion.
The girl's eyes flew wide open.
"Mmm—! Mmm—!"
"Don't move," Lynn said sternly,calmly probing around inside her stomach.
"This will be over soon.If you don't want your doll to remain incomplete, stay still."
[Ding! You have obtained Hair x50][Ding! You have obtained Unknown Ears x2][Ding! You have obtained Rotten Flesh x5][Ding! You have obtained Comb x1]
Under the horrified gaze of the doll on the counter,Lynn patiently continued pulling outone slimy, unidentified object after another from the girl's stomach.
The girl stared blankly, mouth stretched wide,letting out terrified, muffled sounds.
"Found it."
Lynn's heart stirred.
His fingers touched something still wriggling.
[Ding! You have obtained: Still-Wriggling Arm x1]
Riiip—!
Amid the overwhelming terror of both the girl and the doll,Lynn pulled a small arm coated in viscous fluid out of her stomach.
It was the doll's missing arm.
Lynn calmly rinsed it off and placed it on the counter.
"That should be it.You must have been starving that night and ate your doll's arm unconsciously.Your doll noticed you were hungry, so it didn't stop you."
"But in the future, be careful.Don't eat strange things at random—they're hard to digest."
The girl sat frozen in place,her mouth still forced open by the retractor,unable to speak.
"Physical therapy costs 10 Skull Coins.Stitching costs 30."
Wearing his mask, Lynn calmly took out rope and a long, sharp needle,its tip gleaming coldly.
"Shall I stitch it now?"
The doll in the girl's arms immediately burst into terrified sobsand flailed wildly, trying to escape.
"N-now—l-let's—stitch—!"
The girl said numbly through the retractor.
Lynn put on gloves and said calmly,"Alright. Hold it down for me. I'm starting."
The girl instantly widened her eyesand slammed the struggling doll onto the counter.
In the doll's eyes,the cold light in Lynn's gaze was reflected,causing it to scream in terror.
"Starting."
Slash—Slash—Slash—Slash—
[Ding! Beginner Surgery EXP +1][Ding! Beginner Surgery EXP +1][Ding! Beginner Surgery EXP +1]
More than half an hour later,accompanied by the doll's agonized screams,Lynn took scissors, cut the thread, and said,
"All done. Apply the potion once per day.Within a week, the arm should fully recover."
He found a bottle of green potion on the counter.
After opening it,he poured it directly onto the stitches.
The doll let out a piercing shriek.
The girl asked numbly,"…I-it's… over?"
Lynn clapped his hands calmly.
"Treatment complete.You may pay now.Physical therapy: 10 coins.Stitching: 30 coins.Potion: 10 coins per bottle, seven bottles total.
Total: 110 coins.Thank you for your patronage. Please come again."
The doll leapt back into the girl's arms,trembling as it stared at Lynn in terror.
Clearly,Lynn had left an unforgettable psychological scar.
The girl fumbled over herself.
After a long while,she pulled out twenty coins and shakily placed them on the counter.
"I… I only brought twenty…"
Lynn replied flatly,"That's fine. You still owe 90.Which part of your body would you like to use as collateral?I can cut it for you—free of charge."
As he spoke,Lynn picked up the boning knife.
The girl instantly made a (wДw) expression and stepped back.
The bloodthirsty aura of that knifewas even more terrifying than she was.
"I—I have ten more!"
She quickly pulled out ten more coins and placed them down.
Lynn said calmly,"You still owe 80."
The girl, (wДw), placed the six bottles of potion on the counter.
"I-I'll come back for these later…"
Lynn retrieved the potions and replied calmly,"You still owe 20."
The girl trembled.
"C-can I put it on credit…?"
Lynn stepped forward with the knife and said flatly,
"Small business. No credit. I don't make the rules.But 20 coins isn't much.Leave one of your eyeballs, and I'll give you the potions—and even return 40 coins in change."
The girl hugged her doll and stepped back,covering her right eye.
"C-can I pay another way…?"
Lynn replied calmly,"Say it. I'll assess the value."
The girl swallowed hard and trembled as she said,
"If… if I let you do it with me once…will you waive the entire bill?"