21st Century Necromancer

"This place is a late-night diner, which normally opens from midnight to six in the morning, but if we go now, the owner will still serve us," Chen Yu introduced the little restaurant to Zhu Yiting, because he and Hiromi Jounouchi often visited for dinner after late shifts at work and had gotten to know the owner. As a result, the owner didn’t mind serving them outside of business hours.

Though visiting outside of regular business hours might be a nuisance to some owners, the scarred-faced proprietor of this small establishment didn’t seem to mind. After all, Yu Chen and Hiromi Jounouchi were only occasional visitors, and the owner knew they were both medical professionals with unpredictable schedules, only stopping by when they finished work exceptionally late, so he didn’t mind accommodating them after hours.

"Good evening, boss," Chen Yu greeted the owner, who was busy behind the counter, as he walked in. To his surprise, another patron was already inside—a middle-aged man in a karate uniform—sitting with a glass of alcohol and a plate in front of him, prompting Chen Yu to ask, "Boss, are you starting business early today?"

"Not yet, he’s getting the same special treatment as you. What would you like to eat today, same as usual?" The owner asked warmly, smiling at Yu Chen.

"I have a friend with me today, so let’s have something a bit more substantial," Chen Yu said, his eyes already noticing the scallops in the kitchen behind the owner; he asked, "Can you make butter scallops, boss? If so, I’ll have an order of butter scallops, an order of steamed clams with wine, and also some fried chicken nuggets... Hiromi, do you want anything particular today? What about you, Zhu Ting?"

While ordering, Chen Yu turned to ask the two women who had come in behind him.

"For me, I’ll have a chicken rice; I’m a bit hungry," Hiromi Jounouchi said as she took a seat next to Chen Yu. She ordered with practiced ease, then greeted the owner, "Long time no see, boss."

"Long time no see indeed, Doctor Jounouchi," the owner replied with a smile. But his gaze was drawn to Zhu Yiting who was still standing at the entrance, curiously examining the small diner. He then asked Jounouchi Hiromi, "Is she your friend? I haven’t seen her before."

"She’s my classmate from China," Chen Yu answered while beckoning Zhu Yiting to sit down. He then explained to her, "The menu is on the wall. While it’s only these items, you can order anything you like as long as the boss can make it. So, what do you like, Zhu Ting?"

"Is this the place where I can order dishes?" Zhu Yiting began to understand the style of the diner. She smiled at the good-natured owner with a fierce-looking scar on his face as a greeting, and then told Chen Yu, "I’m not sure what to order. Why don’t you choose for me?"

"If that’s the case, in addition to the butter scallops, steamed clams with wine, and fried chicken nuggets I just ordered, let’s also have a chicken rice, a curry rice, and a braised pork belly," Chen Yu continued to fill out the order before suddenly remembering and mentioning to the owner, "Oh, and two highballs. Are you drinking tonight, Hiromi?"

"I’ll have a little—give me a highball as well," Hiromi Jounouchi replied after a moment’s consideration and nodded her head in agreement.

"Then boss, make it three highballs," Chen Yu said, looking at the owner.

The owner nodded, noting down what Chen Yu had ordered, "Alright, please wait a moment," and then he went into the kitchen to start preparing.

As the owner busied himself, Chen Yu finally started to chat with Zhu Yiting, "If you come to Japan, you’ve got to try curry rice; it’s really a cultural symbol here. I ordered a drink for you too. It’s been a long time since we drank together after graduating from high school, hasn’t it?"

"Do you still remember the time we climbed over the school wall to drink? How many years has it been?" When Chen Yu mentioned this, Zhu Yiting also remembered how they, as boarding students, had climbed over the school’s wall in the middle of the night to eat supper and drink at a street food stall.

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"What, fifteen years? Haha, I still remember that it was me who carried you back after you got drunk. You were so plastered you couldn’t climb over the wall, and nearly pulled me down from it too." Chen Yu couldn’t help but feel a bit sentimental when reminiscing about the past.

"Just like that, so many years have passed! I remember in the end, you had no choice but to jump back over and let me step on your shoulders to climb over," Zhu Yiting said with a touch of wistfulness. Back then, she had been determined to become a strong independent woman and had planned out her life and future, seeing Chen Yu merely as an ordinary friend. She never imagined how wonderfully life’s encounters would turn out, and now Chen Yu had become someone she admired.

As the two reminisced about their reckless youth, the owner set three glasses of drink in front of them.

"Highball, whiskey with soda water; I really like drinking this, give it a try," Chen Yu said, placing one of the drinks in front of Zhu Yiting and another next to Jounouchi Hiromi.

Soon, the food they ordered arrived, and the three of them started chatting while eating, with a mix of Chinese and Japanese. The topic that came up the most was still related to their professions as doctors.

The man sitting nearby and drinking overheard their conversation and suddenly asked the owner, "Hey boss, are those three doctors?"

"You mean Doctor Chen Yu and Doctor Jounouchi? Yes, they’re doctors at Tokyo University Hospital nearby. Why do you ask?" the owner said, eying the seemingly thoughtful man and after a moment asked, "Is it about your mother’s health? She really should get checked out at the hospital."

"Yeah, my mom, she likes to drink a lot, and I’m really worried about her health." The man’s expression was a bit awkward, but out of concern for his mother, he spoke earnestly to the owner, "So if it’s possible, I’d like to take her for a thorough health check-up."

"Then I’ll mention it to Doctor Chen Yu for you in a bit," the owner replied with a smile, agreeing to his request.

The owner returned to the kitchen and took the butter scallops Chen Yu had ordered off the grill, placing them in front of him, "Doctor Chen Yu, your butter scallops. Please enjoy."

After setting down the dish Chen Yu had ordered, the owner naturally remembered the request the man had made, so he turned to Chen Yu and asked, "Doctor Chen Yu, does your hospital offer health check-ups?"

"Check-ups, of course we do," Chen Yu nodded slightly. As a comprehensive hospital, Tokyo University Medical School Hospital certainly offered health check-ups. However, after glancing at the owner, Chen Yu turned his gaze to the man who was looking at him and said, "But I wouldn’t recommend getting a check-up at our hospital, not only do you need an appointment, but it’s also quite pricey."