After her rebirth
Chapter 99

In the morning, there were just two classes. Once they were done, Katniss had a break until the afternoon.

The afternoon was jam-packed with internal medicine classes.

After class, Katniss stuffed her books into her backpack, getting ready to hit the library and prep for the afternoon's internal medicine session.

She'd never really dug into systematic medical theory before.

Juniper had gone abroad last week, right when Katniss was still stuck in the hospital.

At school, with Juniper gone, Katniss was pretty much on her own. She'd just switched departments and didn't know most of her classmates. So, she went to and from classes solo.

Just as she stepped out of the classroom, a guy with black-framed glasses suddenly blocked her path. "Katniss?"

"Yeah, that's me. And you are?" Katniss nodded, eyeing the guy with some confusion. He looked familiar, but she couldn't quite place him.

Honestly, she didn't know anyone in the class except for Cecil and his two buddies, who'd caused trouble on day one.

Jeremy adjusted his glasses, a hint of surprise on his face. "I'm Jeremy Wright, the class president. The notes your friend Juniper borrowed were mine."

Katniss's eyes lit up in realization, and she thanked him repeatedly. So, it was his notebook Juniper had borrowed.

"Can you give me your contact info and address? I need to register the new students," he said.

Katniss gave him her phone number and address.

After swapping numbers, Jeremy added, "Oh, and one more thing. Professor Jenkins asked me to tell you to go to his office. He needs to see you."

Brent wanted to see her?

Katniss nodded, put away her phone, and headed towards Brent's office.

After some effort, she found Brent's office and knocked on the door. A steady voice from inside said, "Come in."

But as soon as Katniss walked in, she saw Cecil and a tall, pretty girl with a high ponytail in the office. She didn't seem to be from their class.

Cecil glanced at her and then looked away, hands in his pockets, looking all cold and aloof.

Katniss looked straight ahead. "Hello, Professor Jenkins."

Brent's usually stern face broke into a smile when he saw Katniss. "Katniss, you're here. I checked your schedule, and you don't have any more classes this morning, right? Come with me to the hospital. You and Cecil will be my assistants, and Nova Ramirez will assist Dean Palmer."

As he spoke, he stood up and started packing documents into a black briefcase.

Cecil frowned and said coldly, "She and I are not a couple."

Katniss raised her eyes slightly, looking somewhat indifferent, like she was dealing with a child.

Brent clicked his tongue, his face stern, and he gave Cecil a hard punch. "Katniss is so pretty, and you think she's not good enough for you? You're so arrogant."

Nova, standing close to Cecil, glanced at his indifferent expression and then walked over to Katniss with a smile.

Nova extended her hand, smiling warmly. "Hi, I'm Nova Ramirez, a year ahead of you."

Maybe it was because Nova's expression was too similar to Clara's, but Katniss felt a sense of dislike.

"Hi, I'm Katniss Manners." Katniss raised her beautiful eyes slightly and responded briefly.

A flicker of displeasure crossed Nova's eyes, but she quickly masked it and wrapped an arm around Katniss, all friendly-like. "Professor Jenkins is super strict. Even Cecil and I have been chewed out plenty of times. But Professor Palmer? Total sweetheart. Even if you mess up, you won't get yelled at. How about I talk to Professor Jenkins and we switch?"

She added, "Katniss, you look so sweet. If you got scolded and cried, it would be heartbreaking."

Everyone knew Brent was famously strict. Even Cecil, a once-in-a-century genius and Brent's star student, rarely got praise.

On the flip side, Dean Palmer was gentle and always smiling, even when mistakes happened.

Katniss blinked. "I'll stick with Professor Jenkins's plan."

She figured it was best to steer clear of people like Nova, who could easily manipulate you without you even knowing.

Nova's smile faltered for a second, but she quickly recovered. "Alright, if you change your mind, just let me know."

Katniss nodded coolly and stepped aside. "Sorry, I'm allergic to perfume."

Nova's face soured, unable to keep her composure.

Once Brent finished packing, he led the group to the parking lot and drove them to the hospital.

In the car, Brent laid out the situation.

This time, several medical schools had organized a free clinic, with three professors from each school participating. Each school would have one professor on duty at the hospital each day.

For the professors, having so many real-life cases in front of them was a golden opportunity to teach their students.

In their line of work, theoretical knowledge wasn't enough; practical experience was just as crucial.

After all, the reality of illness is rarely as straightforward as medical textbooks suggest.

The accuracy and skill in diagnosing conditions were what really mattered.

Katniss got that Brent was bringing them along as free labor to help with consultations and errands.

In her previous life, Katniss had done this countless times at Aurora's clinic, so she felt calm and even a bit numb, responding with a faint acknowledgment.

Nova laughed cheerfully. "Alright, don't worry. Cecil and I have been through plenty of consultations, and we won't let you down."

"Don't get cocky. This time, the joint consultation involves the best young talents from several schools. Ordinary grad students can't compare, and there are even some with family medical backgrounds, including the genius Jesse Turner," Brent warned sternly while driving.

Nova and Cecil exchanged glances, their expressions turning serious. "Got it."

Katniss didn't know any of this and had no clue who Jesse Turner was.

Finding it boring, Katniss turned her gaze from the scenery and pulled out her internal medicine book from her backpack to review.

Nova glanced over. "Are you studying internal medicine?"

Without looking up, Katniss continued marking her book with a pencil and responded calmly, "Yeah."

A complex expression flashed in Nova's eyes. Studying internal medicine wasn't a problem; it was a normal course for a sophomore like Katniss. But it wasn't the level of progress expected from a student Brent would take out. Feigning surprise, Nova said, "Oh, Katniss, you haven't finished the undergrad content yet? Cecil and I finished it ages ago. Will you be able to keep up with us?"