Flea

Chapter Twenty Four

Kaminari had tried not to think about you know... Having brain surgery. Which worked great, denial was awesome. Until Maeve was walking him through the doors of a medical clinic and reality crashed down like a less pleasant confetti shower. 

"Um, what did you say the chances of becoming a vegetable were again?" He asked while fidgeting with his charger. 

"I don't think you should be worrying about that. It's a low-risk operation and because I have the blueprint of your brain currently it can be reversed. Instead, focus on the positives! There's always chocolate mousse after surgeries. I'll make sure it still raises your dopamine levels no matter what happens," Maeve joked. His eye twitched. 

"Very comforting. Thanks."

The surgeon tuned into how worried he actually was and became more empathetic.   

"Kaminari, are you more concerned about the damage that could be caused or that you might not be yourself after?" 

He shrugged hopelessly.

"I don't know. I just... I feel like being dumb is part of what makes me me. If you take that away you're taking away part of who I am. The smart version seems like just another polished snob who would judge regular old Denki."

Maeve's smile grew as she said,

"The fact you're saying that alone is a good sign. I can't say for certain how this will affect you and your personality. But based on research, the most likely scenario is that you remain your slightly pervy, hamburger loving and good-humoured self. With the added bonus of doing more in class than doodling lightning swords."

"Those were support item designs!" Kaminari protested. 

"Uh-huh. Anyway, we can talk through things as much as you want before the procedure so you're more comfortable. But I actually find the more I overthink something the greater my anxiety. Funny, that." 

Kaminari couldn't tell whether she was being sarcastic, funny, or ironic. He wasn't sure if Maeve knew either.   

"Can I help y'all?" An old lady at the desk asked. She had an overweight cat sitting on the desk beside her, which didn't fill Denki with confidence about the place. It was in a small town close to the Iida estate that consisted of a grubby general store, ramshackle pub, shelter for the protection of an endangered subspecies of peacock he'd never heard of, and a dentist. Why the place had both a dentist and a medical clinic while missing public bathrooms was a mystery to him. 

"Well, that depends. Do you know how to assist in an extended bifrontal craniotomy?" Maeve asked with a cheerful smile, offering exposed fingertips for the cat to sniff. Kaminari could honest to god hear a cricket start outside in the silence that followed. He wasn't sure which part of the situation was worse: Being so far in the middle of nowhere that towns had greater insect than human populations, or having his head cracked open by a lunatic. 

"Nevermind. Sorry, I wasn't allowed my second-morning coffee so I'm a bit hyper," Maeve confessed. Denki really didn't think that was how it worked but kept his mouth shut. 

"I'm Maeve Aizawa, an internal surgeon at Musatafu general hospital and this is Denki Kaminari, a student from UA High. I booked a room here for today to perform quite a fiddly operation. I know that's not how things usually work but these are extenuating circumstances."

The woman unfolded spectacles and perched them on the very end of her knobbly nose. She then leant forward so far over her computer that said glasses became obsolete.

"Uhmm... Let's see... What did you say your name was?" 

"Maeve. M A E V E. Aizawa. I sent through the required paperwork 2 days ago."