symptoms and causes | satoru gojo x reader

chapter 01 | stepping into the surgeon's circle

"Who's that?"

All eyes turned in your direction.

"She's my student—," Dr. Geto responded, not needing to follow Dr. Gojo's gaze to know whom he referred to, "—a first-year medical student."

A murmur rippled through the group of students, their eyes stinging like needles in your neck. You were acutely aware of your position—the youngest, the least experienced, standing among those who had studied for years.

"What?" Gojo's voice was sharp, his piercing gaze turned to Geto. "You brought a fucking first-year into my operating room?"

Ouch.

Geto chuckled. "Relax, Satoru. She's good."

Gojo's expression hardened as he turned back to you. You could feel his gaze even behind his glasses, running up and down on you. It made your skin crawl. "You, first-year. Bypass, endovascular, or direct microsurgical approach?"

The air in the operating room was thick. Dr. Geto and Dr. Gojo had been like this for at least half an hour, discussing what to do with the patient's aneurysm, who lay open skull in front of them. None of the students dared to move. Everyone held their breath. It was a test. But hesitation wasn't in your vocabulary.

"You should do a hybrid approach. Start with endovascular coiling to reduce the risk of rupture. Parallel prep for a bypass, using intraoperative Doppler for flow assessment. Stabilize, then microsurgical clipping. Definitive closure."

Silence filled the room. Somehow the eyes of the other students stinging even more now. Your boldness given such a complex situation was either brilliance or audacity—perhaps both.

Geto's laughter broke the tension. "I might've forgotten to mention—she's my best student."

Gojo's gaze lingered on you, something unreadable flickering in his eyes. "That's some complex shit you suggest. The endovascular coiling has to be precise to reduce the risk of aneurysm rupture, and then we switch to microsurgery in an already compromised field."

"Complex, yes, but you have no other choice. The endovascular phase will stabilize the aneurysm, making the surgical field less precarious for clipping," you countered.

"And the risk of thrombosis?" Gojo probed.

"Could happen."

"Could happen?" Gojo repeated. "That's your statement on that?"

"It's either the hybrid approach, or the patient is dead anyway," you said, maintaining his unyielding gaze.

"Is this woman serious?" Gojo murmured, almost inaudibly. His gaze shifted to Geto, seeking perhaps a silent judgment or agreement. Geto, following the exchange with an unreadable smile, seemed more amused than concerned.

"So?" Geto prompted.

Gojo's gaze returned to you, assessing, evaluating. "Let's proceed with the hybrid approach," he finally declared.

The nurses bustled around, quickly preparing for the surgery you had suggested. You watched closely as the surgeons moved with practiced precision around the patient's exposed brain tissue—both undoubtedly the best neurosurgeons in the country.

"Your name," Gojo addressed you again, not looking up from his operation. "What is it?"

You gave your name in response.

He repeated your name, as if testing how the name felt. "Do you always approach problems with such boldness?"

"If the situation demands it."