Kai knocked three times.
Then two.
Then paused.
"...A Doctor a day keeps an apple away."
There was a long silence.
Then from inside—
"Come in already."
Kai blinked.
"...Right."
He opened the door.
The clinic was exactly as strange as he remembered.
Medical tools.
Mechanical parts.
Glass jars.
Stacks of papers.
Egg cartons in the corners for reasons Kai still did not understand.
Dr. Z was bent over a table, adjusting a set of tiny metal clamps with surgical precision.
Without looking up, he said,
"You're late."
Kai frowned.
"...I came when you told me to."
Dr. Z finally glanced over.
"Then you're on time by Muscle City standards."
Kai decided not to argue.
That sounded like a trap.
Dr. Z tossed a clipboard onto the table and leaned back.
"How's the body?"
Kai hesitated.
"...Heavy."
"Hm."
"That is not a complaint I can fix."
Kai stepped further inside.
"...I can feel the circuits."
Dr. Z's eyes sharpened.
"Can you?"
Kai nodded.
"Sometimes."
"Not well."
"Whenever I try to push them..."
He pressed a hand against his chest.
"...it hurts."
The doctor folded his arms.
"Good."
Kai blinked.
"...Good?"
"Pain means feedback."
"Feedback means the body hasn't rejected them entirely."
Kai frowned.
"...That's your comforting answer?"
"It's the only honest one."