Crossing over, and then being blocked by a rich JK

"..."

Ryoko Hamabe closed her eyes and her chest heaved violently several times.

calm! calm!

I can't lose this job!

Grandma is still waiting for me!

After taking a deep breath, she loosened her clenched fists.

All the emotions that were about to explode turned into a light sentence.

"Okay, wait a minute."

She turned around, squatted down, picked up the note, and completed the checkout with a stern face.

"Here is your change of 3300 yen. Please keep it."

"Remember to smile more sincerely next time."

After putting away the change, the middle-aged woman twisted up the plastic bag, opened her umbrella, and walked into the rain with a proud look on her face, as if she had won a great victory.

Hamabe Ryoko said nothing and lowered her head silently.

She hasn't encountered such a situation for a long time.

You can't do anything about someone who deliberately finds fault with you and makes things difficult for you.

Rumble, rumble of thunder.

The sky became increasingly darker as it was raining heavily.

Time slowly passed until four o'clock in the afternoon.

The sky was so dark that it seemed like it was only half a step away from plunging into the night.

There are not many customers in the convenience store at this moment.

"Hamabe, come here for a moment."

A sturdy man in his early forties raised his hand and greeted Hamabe Ryoko.

He is the manager of this convenience store.

"Hai (hai)"

Hamabe Ryoko forced herself to cheer up, responded, and walked up to the store manager.

"I just received a complaint call. A customer said that your smile was very forced when you were cashing."

The store manager considered his words carefully but decided not to say the harsher words that came from the other end of the line.

——The original words of the sharp female voice were that if she was unwilling to serve with a smile, she might as well go to the street to engage in prostitution.

"But don't worry too much. I've dealt with it." The store manager paused and tried to negotiate in a gentler tone. "Of course, if we have the energy to spare, we should try to pay attention to facial expression management, okay?"

He knew about the changes in Hamabe Ryoko's family, and he felt sorry for this little girl who depended on her grandmother and was extremely nimble, but he was the manager of this convenience store chain, and he had to follow the necessary procedures.

The only thing he could do to take care of her was to increase her hourly wage slightly on the grounds of "excellent work".

"..."

Ryoko Hamabe was silent for a moment, and the heavily made-up face appeared in her mind again.

Don’t be angry, it’s not worth it. Don’t punish yourself with other people’s emotions!

After comforting herself with a few words, she suppressed her turbulent emotions.

"I'm sorry to trouble you. I will pay more attention to my smile in the future."

She lowered her head, bit her lip, and said this sincerely.

She had no explanation.

In this case, explanations are of no use.

Besides, she also knew that from the perspective of the store manager, he had done enough.

"Don't think too much. Let's stop here for today. Next, you take a rest and I will take your place."

The store manager stood up, greeted her, motioned for her to sit down, and then walked towards the cashier counter.

Just by listening to the phone call, he could imagine how mean the woman on the other end of the line was on a daily basis.

He could see that Hamabe was very tired and needed time to adjust.

"Excuse me."

Ryoko Hamabe nodded slightly and did not reject the manager's kindness.

After watching the store manager disappear among the shelves, she slumped down in the chair as if all the strength in her body had been drained.

The white light from overhead poured down and cast a shadow on her face.

White halos were reflected in her eyes.

The soft lights of the past suddenly became inexplicably dazzling at this moment.

call.

She let out a breath and raised her hands to cover her face, her mood becoming increasingly worse and worse.

The howling wind was getting stronger and stronger, and the store manager at the cash register had no choice but to close the glass door that opened outwards.

Boom!

The sound of rumbling thunder rang out again.

A few seconds later, a bolt of lightning as thick as a giant snake pierced through the thick clouds and lit up the entire sky.

As if it was foreshadowing something.

Buzz. Buzz.

Suddenly, the cell phone in Hamabe Ryoko's shirt pocket vibrated.

Oh, can't you let me take a break?

Sighing deeply in her heart, Hamabe Ryoko weakly picked up the phone and glanced at the caller.

The words on the screen were reflected in those tired eyes.

【Dr. Morikawa】

This is the hospital's phone number.

call.

Ryoko Hamabe immediately sat up, patted her cheek lightly with her free hand, rubbed her face vigorously, adjusted her mood, forced a smile, and answered the phone.

"Hello, Dr. Morikawa, what's going on?"

A tired female voice came from the other end of the phone.

The doctor named Morikawa didn't exchange pleasantries or small talk, but went straight to the point, "Hamabe, we have double-checked your grandmother's condition.

"The results of the second preoperative examination showed that Hamabe Rie's actual condition was much more serious than the initial examination.

“The specifics of her gastrointestinal tumor were much more complicated than we initially thought, and the surgical plan needed to be changed.

“That is to say, the cost of surgery and subsequent recovery costs are much higher than the figure I told you before.

“Through your grandmother, I also got a general idea of ​​your family’s financial situation.

"Honestly speaking, from a personal standpoint, I would recommend that you transfer to a larger hospital to complete the surgery.

“The success rate will be much higher, and the probability of complications will be much lower, but the cost may be higher, but this is indeed the treatment option with the highest success rate and the cheapest in the long run.

"Of course, if you insist on completing the surgery here, that's fine too.

"But as for the success rate, I can only say I will try my best."

After saying that, Yuri Morikawa sighed silently and took off his mask.

She talked a lot with Hamabe Ryoko's grandmother, Hamabe Rie.

I clearly know how difficult it is for this pair of grandparents and grandchildren who depend on each other.

He also understood how much of a blow these words would have on Hamabe Ryoko.

But that's why she had to tell it.

There is only one disease in the world, and that is poverty.

There was nothing she could do.

"..."

There was silence on the other end of the phone for a long time.

It took a full half minute for Hamabe Ryoko to respond.

"Dr. Morikawa, can I ask you how much the surgery would cost if we went to a better hospital? Just, roughly?"

There was a hint of caution and obvious uneasiness in Hamabe Ryoko's tone.

"Including the cost of recovery after surgery, it will probably be close to three million yen."

Yuri Morikawa gave a truthful answer.

"What about you guys?"

"About two million four hundred thousand yen."

"Okay, I understand the situation. Thank you for informing me. I have something else to do here, so I'll hang up now."

"Ok."

After hanging up the phone, Hamabe Ryoko closed her eyes, and the feeling of powerlessness and suffocation enveloped her like a tide.

The white light was slightly cold, and she felt inexplicably cold.

By five o'clock, the heavy rain was pouring down in torrents.

Ryoko Hamabe changed into casual clothes, opened an umbrella, and walked into the rain carrying two discounted lunch boxes that the store manager had stuffed in her hands.

All she had on her now was 1.8 million yen.

There is still a full 1.2 million yen short of 3 million yen.

Even if we take a step back, there is still a gap of 600,000 yen to 2.4 million yen.

She had no idea where to get the money.

pat pat pat.

The sound of rain was getting louder and louder, and the rain from the sky seemed to be pouring down completely. At this moment, the city seemed to be completely submerged in the heavy rain.

Wow.

Suddenly, a white car sped past her.

The accumulated water caused by the tires splashed and wet her shoes and trouser legs.

The cold rain soaked her skin almost instantly.

Ryoko Hamabe hesitated for a moment before taking a step, but soon she took another step.

It's okay, Ryoko.

As long as you persist, you will see hope.

As she thought this in her mind, she inexplicably felt a little numb, and the mental pressure was becoming more and more overwhelming, making it hard for her to breathe.

The convenience store where she works is 2.1KM away from Yaleju.

Before my grandmother was diagnosed with the disease, she always felt that the walk home was very short and she would arrive there before she knew it.

But today, she felt that the road was so long.

It's so long that there's no end in sight.

What she saw was an impenetrable rain curtain, and she was the only one on the road.

It’s raining and so cold.

Negative thoughts popped up in my mind one after another.