Mei waited for Harumi and the blonde girl to prepare for their departure. There was much to do before they could actually leave but the two were taking their sweet time and driving Mei up the wall with their nonchalance, "Can the two stop dawdling, please? I don't have all day." She tapped her foot impatiently.

"Mei, that's rude. A lady must be given enough time to prepare and if you're so insistent on this going faster, then how about you lend a hand?" Harumi scolded her somewhat insensitive friend who was, by all means, intelligent except when it came to dealing with people.

The raven-haired girl grumbled at the scolding. She always hated how Harumi treated her like a little child and there was also no force in this good earth that would compel her to touch another woman's belongings, much less their clothing. "I'll pass on that offer." She scoffed while rolling her eyes.

"Why don't you go busy yourself downstairs? I'm sure there's something that would occupy your mind for a while." Harumi having noticed the growing scowl on Mei's face decided that it would be better to keep the raven-haired girl occupied and happy, otherwise she would take out all that frustration on Yuzu when they got home.

Mei didn't like that suggestion one bit. She felt like Harumi was passively telling her she was a nuisance and she was prepared to throw in a hundred choice words at her friend but the blonde girl smiled so sweetly at her that it prevented her tongue from spewing such venomous insults, "We'll be done soon, Miss Aihara. I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that. Thirty minutes and no more." Mei looked at the girl and waited for her to answer but she received no confirmation aside from the annoying smile that the blonde kept plastered on her face and a weak nod of agreement. Once Mei had her answer, she sighed and left the room. Heading back down the flight of stairs, she decided to check on some of the patients and see if she could find anything interesting to pass the time.

Mei peered through each sick bed she could find and carefully examined each patient's condition. The hospital was even more rundown than she initially thought as she noted each and every sanitary precaution which was ignored by the staff. The nurses seemed untrained and simply took care of their patients in the same way a mother would take care of their child at home. It wasn't bad but it definitely didn't reach her practice standards.

'How can this place help anyone?' she thought to herself before she was interrupted by a light tug on her dress.

"Big sis, big sis!" Mei looked down and found a boy who was no older than six years old pulling on side of her dress. His messy light ginger hair hid the green eyes which shone brightly as if he found something amazing. "Wooooow." the boy gawked at her.

"Hey, Anthony! Who's that?!" A girl emerged from one of the rooms and ran towards Mei. "Big sis... you're so pretty!" she said as she got closer.

A few seconds later and there was already half a dozen children crowding Mei. They asked for her name, who she was, and numerous other questions which served no other purpose than to drive her completely mad. Mei couldn't contain the overflowing annoyance she was currently feeling and it bled through her expression, scaring the children.

"Come on, everyone. Stop bothering her." The sweet voice of the blonde called out, scolding the children as she approached and the little ones ran towards her as if she was their mother.

"Waaaa! Yuzu, that lady is pretty but she's so scary!" A child cried.

"She's probably one of those witches that eat children!" Another screamed.

Mei was reaching the very end of her patience and hearing Harumi laughing loudly behind her wasn't helping in any way, "Did you hear that? She called you a witch!" The plum-haired girl continued laughing at her expense.

"You rascals... she's a doctor. If you don't stop teasing her, she's not going to help you if you get sick." The blonde chided them, which Mei assumed was an attempt to salvage her reputation but as she would soon find, it was a lost cause and the children were too far gone in the idea that she was some witch from Snow White or some similar fantasy book.

"You mean we need to be nice to her or she'll let us die?!" Harumi died at the child's conclusion, gagging in laughter and nearly collapsing her own lung from the excessive strain.

"That's not what I meant!" Defended the blonde, "Really, you're all a handful. Now apologize and stop bothering the doctor!"

Mei kept her stern look and gazed down at the children who lined up to bow their heads and apologize at the blonde's command. She wasn't going to hold it against them and this was hardly necessary but she was impressed by the blonde's command over the unruly children. They respected and loved her if nothing else. After the children apologized and left, Mei looked at her unwitting savior and noticed a smile on the girl's face.

"You're terrible with children, Miss Aihara?" She inquired.

"Children? She's terrible with humans in general." Harumi answered for her.

"Prepare to leave. You have ten minutes left." The doctor coldly stated, not wanting to bother with any more nonsense. She couldn't stand staying at this place any longer and she felt like she just 'socialized' for ten years' worth during the hour and a half she spent inside the building. Leaving through the entrance, she returned to the coach and asked the coachman to help the blonde load her belongings when she arrives... whenever that was going to be.

Peace and quiet where things that Mei appreciated more than anything else. When she was alone, she could drown in her thoughts. Even without her laboratory, she could calculate and theorize, and as if she had a private library inside her mind, she recalled all the medical books she had consumed over the years and searched for any known diseases which could provide a hint towards her newest distraction.

'Knock, knock' A sound disturbed her concentration and she looked out to find Harumi looking inside the carriage and beckoning her to exit. Questioning Harumi with one brow raised, the doctor decided to heed her friend's request and leave the safety and comfort of the coach. "What?" she asked as she exited the vehicle.

"They want to say something to you," Harumi whispered towards her.

"Miss Aihara?" An old lady who looked like a nurse approached her and held her hands, "Please take care of that young one. She's bashful but she's a good girl with a kind heart." The woman told her and Mei simply nodded in reply with her eyes fixed on the blonde who was saying her farewells to the children.

"You guys be good to Nana, All right? The blonde lowered herself and opened her arms, inviting the crying children in for a hug which they warmly accepted.

"We'll miss you, Yuzu. Come and visit." They bawled.

Mei thought of how cliche the scene was. She almost felt sorry for the youngsters despite what they said earlier, "Don't get eaten by the mean witch doctor, Yuzu." Another kid spoke and Mei instantly took back everything she just thought of... they're brats, not children. Plus they practically called her a quack just now.

When all the goodbyes were said and done, the trio boarded the coach bound for Mei's manor. Her family owned a larger castle in the countryside which boasted of their family's wealth but she preferred the smaller manor which she had purchased for herself when she came of age. The decision was partly because of her wish to live closer to the city in hopes of furthering her medical knowledge but it was also due to a disagreement with her grandfather and his disapproval of her chosen profession.

There was a time when Mei felt strongly about pleasing the family patriarch but those days were long gone and she had very little concern with regards to the family's standing and their wishes. As long as they didn't get in the way of her pursuit, then she found no reason to waste time and energy on dealing with them.

Mei watched the blonde and Harumi who were chatting merrily at the seat across from her. Harumi was always the social one, able to whip up a conversation from thin air and start a party with it. The fact that she's still friends with the doctor after all these years was living testament of that since she practically spoke to herself whenever she was with Mei.

"You talk as much as Harumi." Mei unintentionally babbled while observing.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Harumi furrowed her eyebrows at what sounded like an insult.

"Is that so? I'm sorry, do you find it disagreeable." The blonde apologized with her usual sheepish smile.

The raven-haired girl didn't reply and choosing to stare at the girl as she pondered on the question. Harumi has been around her for so long that she doesn't even notice how much the girl talked when they were together, however, she would be living with this blonde version of Harumi from now on and that might pose a problem in the future if she doesn't set the boundaries now.

"No, Just don't direct that loquaciousness towards me." Mei realized that the blonde was staring at her as if confused by what she just said, "What's wrong?" she asked.

"I-I'm sorry but I'm not quite sure what you meant."

Mei tilted her head to the side and wondered what the girl was so confused about, raising one of her brows in the process. Harumi motioned for her to bend closer so that the plum-haired girl could whisper in her ear and Mei did as she was told.

"She didn't have a proper education. Can you simmer down on the academic level talk?" Harumi spoke in a nearly inaudible volume.

Mei was taken aback by what she heard. It wasn't like she never met people who weren't fortunate enough to receive schooling but it was the first time that she was having such a person in the same coach as her, not that she minded that but it did throw her off a little. She felt bad at her lack of sensitivity for once.

"I meant that you should avoid talking to me unnecessarily." Mei quickly explained her previous statement and she observed that the blonde seemed to have caught wind of what Harumi whispered as she was now blushing madly of what Mei assumed was a feeling of embarrassment and no further conversation happened during the trip.

The sun was nowhere to be found when they arrived at the manor. Fortunately, the lanterns around the spacious home had already been lit though it was admittedly a little difficult to see the entirety of Mei's home during the evening. The cobblestone exterior, marble floors, and grand windows all screamed in testimony of Mei's wealth and social standing.

"Welcome back, Mei-Mei." A small girl greeted as the doctor dismounted from the coach.

"Hello, Himeko. How was your day?"

"Lovely! Oh my, did you bring guests?"

"Yes."

"Hello, Himeko. Did you miss me?" Harumi appeared behind Mei and greeted Himeko.

"Mei-Mei, I asked if you brought guests not strays." Himeko quickly retorted. There was obvious animosity in between the two, at least on Himeko's end, but Harumi simply kept on bugging the small girl like she was immune to the insults being thrown her way.

"There's one more." Mei cut in on the 'friendly' greeting. "How long do you intend to stay there?" She directed at the coach, pulling Himeko's attention along as she did.

"S-sorry," the blonde apologized as she carefully left the coach and appeared in view, "I didn't know if I should come down without being told so..."

"Mei-Mei... are you feeling especially charitable today?"

Mei looked at the dumbfounded expression on Himeko's face as the latter stared at the blonde. Mei couldn't help but sigh at how troublesome it was to deal with this, "This is Himeko, my housekeeper." Mei waved her hand at the short girl in a purple victorian dress which was accompanied by a headdress that sat in front of her permed pigtails.

"Nice to meet you, Miss Himeko." The blonde bowed and greeted.

"In any case, she will be staying with us from now on. Please give her a bedroom. It doesn't matter which one just don't put her too close to me or my laboratory." Mei directed at her housekeeper before pausing for a second and looking at the blonde. "Also, show her around the estate and make sure that she knows where she can and can't go."

Mei started walking inside the manor without a second thought nor care for what Harumi was shouting at her. She was nothing short of exhausted and all she could think of doing was to soak in a nice bath before retiring for the night. She might not have done anything productive today but she was sure to make up for that by thoroughly immersing herself in her new research material in the morning.

Harumi kept shouting insults at Mei outside of the manor, citing the girl's utter ignorance for human rights and all the social norms before finally giving up when she realized that the raven-haired girl was not listening to a single word she was saying. "Really now..." She looked at Yuzu with an apologetic look on her face.

"I'm sorry, Yuzu. She'll warm up to you, I swear."

"Don't worry about it, Miss Harumi. I'm not that bothered by it." Harumi noted that the blonde was obviously lying by the way she looked a little down at Mei's refusal to address the girl like a person; choosing to simply refer to Yuzu as "You" or to not even address her directly.

"Himeko, tell that girl to grow some common sense."

"She has more than you do, stray."

"No wonder why she doesn't improve. You're as terrible as she is." Harumi let out a sigh of disappointment before focusing her attention on the blonde, "Hang in there, Yuzu." She cheered before excusing herself and leaving the manor.