Chapter 18 - 18 Goats

Chapter 18: Chapter 18 Goats

As a megacity with a population of over ten million people, it boasts abundant resources and a wide variety of goods that could satisfy the needs of anyone living in the city. The prerequisite, of course, is that you have enough money to satisfy your own needs.

As a surgeon, and one with the skills to operate, Chen Yu undoubtedly belonged to the high-income bracket in Japan. Although his income wasn't as high as those of professors or associate professors in the university hospital, in Tokyo, as long as he didn't want to buy luxury items worth several million yen, there was very little he couldn't afford.

Taking a bus to a market some distance from his home, Chen Yu browsed casually. It was a fairly ordinary market, not on the scale of Tsukiji Fish Market, but it still gathered quite a few merchants, offering a diverse range of products.

Chen Yu did not frequent this place often since, in Japan, advanced commerce meant that residents could meet everyday needs at a nearby convenience store or a larger supermarket; consequently, going to the market was quite rare.

However, because his research into necromancy occasionally required the purchase of live animals, Chen Yu would sometimes visit this market, as supermarkets and convenience stores did not sell live poultry and the like.

In Japan, buying live animals or other creatures was an uncommon practice; people tended to prefer selecting meat that had already been slaughtered or even pre-processed at supermarkets or markets. Only rarely would someone specifically purchase live poultry. It was only because Chen Yu had specific needs that he knew this market sold live animals, and he would occasionally come to buy some.

"Oh, Doctor Chen! Good morning! Are you here to buy live poultry again? What is it this time? Actually, you don't need to come every time; just give the order, and my boy can deliver it to your door," the owner of the shop where Chen Yu regularly purchased live poultry greeted him enthusiastically as he walked in.

The owner had once been a patient of Chen Yu, having been hospitalized for liver cancer, and Chen Yu was his attending physician. After being cured by Chen Yu, the owner was very grateful to him, and because he knew the owner's business involved selling live poultry, Chen Yu would often buy the live creatures he needed from him.

"It's just a small matter; no need for any deposit!" The owner quickly refused, declining the deposit Chen Yu had pulled out, "Last time when I was hospitalised with liver cancer, if it weren't for you, Doctor Chen, I wouldn't even be here! You also patronize my shop often. If I still made you pay a deposit, it would seem like I'm an ungrateful person!"

Chen Yu was at a loss for words in the face of the owner's adamant refusal; in the end, he accepted the owner's kindness without paying the deposit. After arranging to be informed as soon as there was definite news, he left the market.

Originally, Chen Yu had planned to continue studying Inomata Naoki's medical records at home, but to his surprise, he received a call from Kube Rokuro halfway there, inviting him out for a drink that evening.

Although it was a bit strange that Rokuro would take the initiative to ask him out for drinks, as one of Chen Yu's few friends, he happily accepted the invitation.

However, before meeting up, Chen Yu made a call to Jounouchi Hiromi to explain the situation.

"So you're telling me, Mr. Chen Yu, that you will be going out to drink with a friend tonight?" Hiromi's voice had a hint of sulkiness on the other end of the phone. After all, it was only last night that she and Chen Yu had made their relationship official, and they were in their most affectionate phase. Hiromi had even planned to ask Chen Yu to a restaurant to relish some romance that evening, but she had not anticipated being interrupted by someone else's plans.

"I'm sorry, Hiromi, but it seems Rokuro has something important to discuss with me, so I can't be with you tonight, my apologies!" Chen Yu could sense his girlfriend's disappointment and comforted her before suggesting, "Do you have time tomorrow, Hiromi? Let's have dinner together! I know a really nice restaurant."

"Alright, but no breaking promises!" Jounouchi Hiromi relented upon hearing Chen Yu's invitation.