Banri sobbed and wept bitterly, wiping away tears that poured down his cheeks. Juza furrowed his brow in sombre thoughtfulness. He saw Settsu's sister once when she and Settsu's mother came to the dorm to check up on him after he got into trouble with some louts. She was nice and looked like two peas in a pod with Settsu... Juza looked up at Banri. Settsu's face reddened and scrunched in emotional pain as he continually rubbed it with his hands; the corners of his mouth were twisted downwards, and his eyes were overflowing with tears. Juza extended his hand and patted Banri's head gently. He wasn't going to get him to stop crying... Settsu just needed to cry it out...

- She came to say goodbye to me in my sleep… - Banri said in a broken voice between sobs.

- Seems like it, - Juza responded quietly. He hardly believed in supernatural stuff, but what did he really know about this enormous, intricate world?..

After a while, Banri finally stopped crying and stared into space blankly with tearstained eyes when there was a knock on the door and Doctor Fujita entered the ward.

- Good afternoon, Settsu-san. Please accept my condolences. It's a heavy bereavement. But nevertheless, you should keep your strength up for the sake of your loved ones, - Doctor Fujita spoke considerately. – How are you feeling? Do you feel any pain or aches in your body?

- Uh, thanks, Doctor. - Banri answered impassively. - I have a dull pain in the lower abdomen.

- That's par for the course. – said Doctor Fujita. - You need to take pain medication, here's the prescription.

- Thanks, - Banri took the slip of paper in his hand.

- That's not all. The matter I've got to talk to you about concerns your private parts, so can I ask your friend to wait outside for a bit? - Doctor Fujita looked from Banri to Juza.

- I'm his partner, Doctor. Can I stay here, please? – Juza asked politely.

- Oh, in that case you can stay, of course. It'll be helpful for you to listen, - Doctor Fujita assented.

- So, as you already know, Settsu-san, you've got the donor's, that is your deceased biological sister's, uterus, as well as her vagina transplanted to you, - Doctor Fujita began to explain. – Besides that, we used your pubic skin to form the vulva that's necessary for protecting your vaginal opening.

Upon hearing this, Banri and Juza involuntarily stared down at the floor while their cheeks and ears flushed red. Completely unperturbed, Doctor Fujita continued:

- In order to heal correctly, your vulva and vaginal opening need to be dilated. To that end, you'll need to insert a dilator into your vagina regularly to keep it open for a certain amount of time. I'll show you how to do it.

Utterly embarrassed, Banri fidgeted under the blanket, and Juza nervously bit on his lip as Doctor Fujita called his assisting nurse and asked her to bring everything necessary. The nurse, a plump young woman with a short stature, brought a cardboard package and a plastic bottle with some sort of liquid, and then left the ward, much to Banri's relief.

- These are the dilators, - Doctor Fujita unboxed a kit of several different sized oblong glass molds. - You'll need to start using this, the smallest one, and then gradually move on to the larger sizes. Make sure they're clean before use. Now, can you open up your thighs for me, please?

Feeling acutely self-conscious, Banri slowly moved the blanket aside and spread his legs apart, bending them at the knees, while Doctor Fujita put on medical gloves on his hands. Juza gulped nervously as his gaze fell on Banri's crotch. Settsu's dick was gone, and in its place was the vulva, which looked rather miserable at the moment: wearied out and painfully red after the surgery, with multiple sutures and two thin tubes sticking out of it and connected to two plastic pouches attached to each of his leg with a rubber cord.

- Please don't worry, these are a catheter and a surgical drain. They'll be removed before you go home, - Doctor Fujita explained, seeing Banri and Juza's confusion. – But back to the dilators. Before you use it, you need to apply a water-based lubricant on the dilator, as well as on your vulva.

Doctor Fujita handed Banri the dilator and the bottle of lube. Red with embarrassment, Banri lubed up the dilator and then, reaching out his hand between his legs, gently touched his new organ, moistening it with the lube. He wanted to sink through the ground... The damn doctor and Hyodo were watching him do something so embarrassing, and he couldn't even tell them both go to hell…

- Now, please hold the dilator with one hand and find your vulva with the other hand, - the doctor instructed and, leaning in, took hold of Banri's hand with the dilator. - Relax, breathe deeply and evenly. Insert it slowly, angling it towards your spine, like this.

Doctor Fujita applied light pressure, guiding Banri's hand and gradually sliding the dilator inside him. Banri reflexively gasped for air and hissed, feeling the sharp pain of his stitched, sore flesh being stretched.

- This is when you're going to need pain medication, - Doctor Fujita stated casually and then looked over at Juza: – Young man, can I ask you to bring him the analgesic I've just prescribed?

Frozen with tense anxiety up to this point, Juza snapped to attention and, grabbing the doctor's prescription, briskly stood up and exited the ward. Closing the door behind him, he breathed out a deep, rugged exhale and wiped the sweat that had bead on his forehead with the back of his hand. He wouldn't have expected something like this to happen... Not that he wasn't embarrassed with what he'd just seen, but he was absolutely not prepared to see Settsu suffering from pain... He couldn't look at it calmly… Rather, he couldn't stand to see that... He felt so helpless and weak when Settsu was in pain... Juza shook his head, trying to regain his composure. Now wasn't the time to feel down. He just had to do everything that depended on him... He'll be nursing Settsu and help him to the toilet and with the dilators, if necessary, until Settsu's health is fully recovered.