On the second day of the toothache.
Emily stood in front of the bathroom mirror, on tiptoes, looking to see if her right cheek was swollen. She touched it with her hand; it felt swollen, but her reflection showed no sign of redness or swelling. It must be all in my mind, she thought. After checking several times and confirming this, she looked at the toothpaste and toothbrush. I brush my teeth every day, yet I still have cavities! This toothpaste is completely useless, she complained internally. She gently squeezed out some toothpaste, silently lamenting, Humans really are fragile. Any abnormality in a single organ can trigger a whole series of chain reactions. A small cavity in one tooth is causing me unbearable pain.
If I were a Superpower User, I probably wouldn't have such troubles. Emily filled a cup with water. I can't imagine Dio avoiding brushing his teeth because of a toothache. Speaking of which, does Dio even need to brush his teeth? As the ancient monster Griffith talked about, who has lived for thousands of years, his physiology must differ from that of a normal human. It's quite possible he doesn't need to brush his teeth or even eat. Such a body would be very convenient indeed.
Her train of thought was once again interrupted by the toothache, causing her to frown. She brushed lightly for a few moments then rinsed her mouth. She washed her face once more and strode out of the bathroom.
The living room was filled with the aroma of toasted bread. Maybe I can draw some sugar from the scent, Emily thought, taking a deep breath. She then walked to the dining table and picked up an egg sandwich. She bit into it slowly.
Previously, Emily used to stuff her small mouth full, puffing out her cheeks like a hamster at mealtime. Now, she dared not fill her mouth like that anymore. She could only take small, careful bites, chewing gently to minimize the pain.
Miyaji Yosuke felt a fatherly concern stirring. Emily looked about fourteen or fifteen years old, very young. With a good head on her shoulders, her daily habits were quite casual, like a child's. Maybe it's the eccentricity of a genius, he thought. It reminded him of his own unruly daughter at home.
"Emily, I think it's better to see a dentist sooner rather than later," Miyaji Yosuke said. "If you keep delaying, the pain could cause nerve damage in your face, and your mouth might end up crooked."
Emily swallowed her food and retorted, "Miyaji, you're exaggerating a simple toothache way too much."
"If you don't believe me, you can look it up online," Miyaji Yosuke replied with a serious expression.
Emily rolled her eyes and retorted irritably, "Looking up illnesses online will make you think you have a terminal disease even when you don't."
"It's not all lies," Miyaji Yosuke explained. "However, doctors online can't diagnose conditions specifically, so they tend to describe the worst-case scenario. It's good if people are fine, but if there really is a problem, they can get timely hospital treatment."
"You're being so fussy! I'll just grit my teeth and bear it," Emily countered and continued eating, much slower than usual.
By the time Okayama Buji arrived, she had only eaten half of her sandwich. When Morimoto Chiyoda got there, Emily still had a small piece left, eating it at a leisurely pace. Her movements were more elegant than those of ancient princesses.
Upon seeing this, Morimoto Chiyoda immediately strode over, bent down, and slipped her right arm around Emily's waist.
"Wait, Morimoto, what are you doing?"
"Taking you to the dentist," Chiyoda replied simply. Then, with a burst of strength from her right arm, she lifted the petite Emily from her seat and carried her on her shoulder like a sack of rice.
"Put me down this instant!" Emily protested loudly, her small hands pounding on Chiyoda's back. Her efforts felt like little more than a tickle to Chiyoda, who only needed to watch out for Emily's feet to avoid kicks to the chest.
"Behave yourself," Chiyoda said. "It's because you weren't being good that I have to resort to this to take you to the dentist."
"Damn you, Katerina! Okayama! Miyaji! Ito..."
Her cries for help fell on deaf ears as the rest of the task force pretended not to hear. Emily felt a chill in her heart but resigned herself to the reality. Seeing the exit looming, she hurriedly said, "Just put me down, and I'll go see the dentist, alright?"
Going by myself would preserve a bit more dignity than being carried out over someone's shoulder. I still have my pride, after all, she thought.
Upon hearing this, Chiyoda set her down and grabbed her shoulder, warning, "Don't even think about running away."
"Bastard! I'm the team leader! You just remember this; don't even think about resting on weekends," Emily grumbled, still walking out. Civilization has once again succumbed to brute force, she thought sorrowfully.
She overstated that a bit.
...
「Noda Dentistry, Okubo.」
It was here that Emily realized she wasn't the only one troubled by a toothache. There were two others in line before her: an African person and a Korean person. Her number was four. She sat on a chair in the waiting room, waiting for her number to be called.
Emily glanced at Chiyoda beside her and said irritably, "Just go back to work. Don't slack off here."
Chiyoda crossed her legs nonchalantly, replying, "No can do. I have to watch you complete all the steps to make sure you don't bail halfway through."
"Damn you! You just want to skive off work, don't you?" Emily clenched her fists.
Morimoto Chiyoda smiled, ignoring Emily's frustration. "Don't be nervous," she reassured her. "This isn't Russia. No one here will forget to give you anesthesia because they drank too much vodka."
Emily fell silent.
That incident had happened when she was nine years old. She could never forget how she had held back her tears of pain for the sake of her pride, not wanting to cry out. She had thought all dentists were like that. It was only afterward that she realized it was because that particular dentist had drunk too much vodka that she underwent a dental treatment unlike any other child's. At the time, she hadn't thought it was a big deal, but the more she reflected on it afterward, the more scared she became. Although she had forgotten the dentist's face and where the clinic was, the experience left a lingering fear of dentists in her mind.
Deep down, Emily truly didn't want to see a dentist. Her eyes darted around. Dio, please commit a crime quickly! Kill anyone! Just get me out of here! she prayed fervently.
But such thoughts were doomed not to come true. Except during holidays, Dio rarely acted at nine o'clock in the morning.
Strange, do the souls of sinners lack strength in the morning? Emily's thoughts drifted back to the case. Recently, she had been working overtime, often communicating with scholars and doctors, beginning to understand why Dio committed crimes at noon. It's said that at noon, the yang energy is at its peak, symbolizing vitality and energy, which might affect the souls of sinners. But I still can't figure out why he chooses specific time slots at night.
As she pondered, Morimoto Chiyoda tapped her shoulder and said, "Alright, they've called number three. You better go in now."
"Okay." Emily stood up and walked toward the dental treatment room.
...
"Be more careful next time," Emily said, but still obediently sat down.
Noda Taro said with a smile, "Miss Emily, please rinse your mouth first. Then open your mouth and let me take a look at the situation."
After rinsing, Emily opened her mouth.
The cavity isn't severe; the toothache is probably mainly due to her staying up late and internal inflammation, Noda Taro understood at a glance. He then said, "Your condition is serious. You need to have the tooth extracted and then get an implant."
"Is it that serious?!"
"Miss Emily, I'm a professional dentist. With this condition, you must get an implant. Having come this far, you wouldn't want to keep suffering from the pain, right?" Noda Taro wore a serious expression.
I have to be so careful even when I eat, and it still hurts, Emily thought. So the cavity is so bad that an implant is unavoidable.
"Okay."
"Please wait. I will prepare the local anesthesia to avoid pain during the extraction."
Noda Taro didn't mention the specific price of replacing a tooth. Emily didn't ask. After all, it'll be covered by the special task force's funds, not my own money, she thought.
Noda Taro turned and entered an inner room. The honest expression on his face vanished, replaced by a cold look. He walked to a drawer, opened it, and took out a syringe. First, he drew some anesthesia, then poked the needle into a vial of the Z Drug, drawing a little to mix in with it.
The so-called Z Drug was a human evolutionary medication developed by Biological Research Lab 47 of the U.S. Army. Their philosophy was that Superpowers were akin to a potent toxin that forced evolution. If humans wanted to awaken a Superpower, they had to withstand that potent toxin. How to withstand it, and which potent toxin a Superpower was closer to, were the things Lab 47 needed to figure out. They chose to open a dental clinic in Okubo because of the high number of foreign residents there. Such people didn't have much influence locally; if they died from illness or had any other problems, it wouldn't cause much trouble.
Noda Taro closed the drawer and turned around, the kind expression returning to his face. He exited the small room and said with a smile, "Don't worry, the anesthesia will prevent any pain. Please open your mouth."
"Ah." Emily opened her mouth wide.
Noda Taro checked the position of the cavity and administered the anesthesia, saying, "For a single tooth extraction, only local anesthesia is required."
After the injection, he thoughtfully put a blindfold on Emily to prevent her from seeing the gruesome scene of pliers extracting the tooth. Under the effect of the anesthesia, Emily felt no pain.
"Alright, the tooth has been extracted. For the implant, come back here in three months."
"Mm," Emily mumbled in response, still feeling a numb sensation in the part of her mouth where the tooth had been extracted.
Noda Taro said with a smile, "Take the bill and pay at the front desk."
"Mm." Emily gave a short reply and walked outside.
Noda Taro, expressionless, called out, "Number four."