The fluorescent lights in the duty room flicker white. He stares blankly at the pressure marks left on the back of his hand. Normally, he would have tidied up first, but today he has no strength to organize anything.

When the door opens a few minutes later and she enters, he doesn't even look up. He knows who it is just by the sound of the footsteps. A familiar rhythm. That stride that always walks toward him.

...Ah.

Without a word, he pulls her into an embrace. Not just leaning, but almost clinging to her. His forehead rests on her shoulder, and his breath escapes in ragged gasps. The life he failed to save in the operating room today keeps haunting his mind.

After a moment, the sound of sobbing begins to be heard.