Immortality Starts With Selling Pills

Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Rebecca’s Worries

Derrick walked toward the changing room, every step sending a dull throb through his ribs. His mouth tasted like metal but there was no blood in it.

He raised his head and saw someone at the gates of the men’s changing room.

Maki was already there, leaning against the wall. The receptionist looked oddly serious for cone.

He braced himself for the usual. The batting eyes or a teasing smile. Something flirty and sweet enough to make his teeth ache.

But she did none of that.

With a worried look on her face, she calmly asked. ”Would you like some medicine for that?”

Derrick blinked, caught off guard by the shift. ”...What?”

”Medicinal help,” she repeated, already pushing off the wall. ”You faced her and survived but that must hurt. Doesn’t it? If you want I can help you with the bruises or do you want to go home like that.”

It is like she is saying I survived a disaster. It’s not that bad— Derrick tried to open his mouth but even his cheeks hurled. Scratch that, it is worse.

He thought about refusing her kindness. Thought about just toughing it out and heading home.

But then he pictured Rebecca’s face the second she saw him like this, swollen eye and split lip and bruises blooming dark across his skin.

She’d panic. Cassie too.

He nodded.

Maki gestured for him to sit on the bench and got to work without another word, pulling a small kit from somewhere behind the counter.

Her hands moved fast, cleaning the cut on his lip, pressing a cool patch against his swollen eye. She wasted no movements and showed no hesitation.

”I used to patch myself up whenever I got into a fight. It happened a lot in the area where I came from.” Seeing astonishment in Derrick’s eyes she said, ”Even when I trained under Miss Keira, I would get injured often so I know enough to deal with cuts and split skin that needs stitches.”

She pulled a small pill from the kit next, holding it out to him. ”Take this.”

”What is it?”

”Minor healing pill.” She dropped it into his palm. ”Your master told me to give it to you without telling who it came from but I think it is better to know.”

Derrick swallowed it dry, the same familiar coolness spreading through his body a moment later, chasing down each individual point of damage.

”Thanks,” he said.

Maki just waved a hand, already packing up the kit. ”Don’t thank me. Thank her.”

Within minutes, the swelling around his eye had gone down noticeably. The bruises were fading too, slower, but visibly shrinking at the edges.

This body heals fast.

They sat in silence for a bit, Derrick resting on the bench, letting the pill finish its work.

Then a line of men appeared in front of him.

Derrick sat up straight, startled by the sudden change. There were six of them, maybe seven, all standing in a neat row like they’d rehearsed it.

Without warning, every single one of them snapped into a salute.

”You made a great sacrifice for all of us today,” the man at the front, the same guy with specs who had praised his performance before said, voice thick with something close to reverence.

”A hero among men,” another added solemnly.

Derrick stared at them, utterly lost. ”...What?”

”We will never forget this,” a third chimed in, fist pressed against his chest.

What is happening right now.

He forced a smile, having absolutely no idea what to say back to any of this. ”Uh. You’re welcome?”

Maki sighed, already stepping between them, waving her hands to shoo the group away. ”Alright, alright, show’s over. Go home.”

The men dispersed reluctantly, throwing one last respectful nod Derrick’s way before filing out.

Derrick stared after them, still processing. ”...Are all the people at this gym insane?”

Maki just shrugged, unbothered. ”You get used to it.”

...

By the time Derrick got home, most of the bruising had faded to faint yellow-green patches.

Rebecca still panicked the moment she saw him, hands flying to his face, checking him over like he had just walked in bleeding out from all orifices arms chopped off or soemthing.

”What happened? Who did this? Do I need to call someone?”

”I’m fine,” Derrick said, catching her wrists gently. ”It was training. I’m okay.”

Once he actually explained what happened, minus a few of the more embarrassing details, Rebecca’s panic melted into something else entirely.

Her eyes narrowed.

Twach!

Then she flicked his forehead, hard.

”Ow.”

”How could you smack someone’s ass like that?” She crossed her arms, staring him down like he was twelve years old again. ”That too of someone who is close to me in age. Do you know how that looks?”

”I had to win the bet,” Derrick muttered, rubbing his forehead.

”You could have won it otherwise. Her ass could not have been the only thing in front of you”

Rebecca’s expression didn’t budge.

If you had seen how big it was, maybe you would not have said that.

Then, after a long pause, something shifted in her eyes, a teasing glint creeping in. ”...Should I start worrying about grandkids this soon?”

Derrick’s lips twitched.

Two can play this game.

He smirked, leaning back against the counter. ”Maybe.”

Rebecca swatted his arm, but she was smiling now, shaking her head as she walked off toward the kitchen.

Derrick spent the rest of the day resting in his room, working on his novel from bed, only coming out when Rebecca called him for food.

Cassie, however, gave him nothing but cold, silent glances the entire day.

She’d clearly heard the story by then, and judging by the way her eyes narrowed every time she looked at him, she had opinions about it.

She didn’t voice them, just let the silence do the talking.

...

The next morning, Derrick arrived at the address on the card a few minutes early, phone in hand, double checking the location.

The building in front of him didn’t look like much. Rusted metal walls, no windows, no sign anywhere indicating what it actually was.

It was a huge warehouse.

Wait, is this woman secretly a rich heiress or do all teachers make as much as her?

He tucked his phone away, walked up to the single door cracked open at the front, and stepped inside.