SSS-Ranked Surgeon In Another World: The Healer Is Actually OP!

The driver turned his head slightly. “I’ll pull in right here.”

The vehicle drifted gently to the curb and came to a smooth stop.

Outside, the sounds of the crowd were louder now, voices buzzing with excitement, the murmur of hundreds of conversations blending into a lively hum.

The door slid open.

Cold air rushed in.

For a moment Lily simply stared.

Then she jumped out.

“We made it!”

Ash immediately fluttered after her, circling overhead with excited chirps.

Lucy stepped out next, adjusting her coat as she looked up at the massive theater building with quiet appreciation.

“It’s even bigger than I imagined.”

Sophie followed, brushing a strand of hair away from her face as she stepped onto the pavement.

Bruce exited last.

He reached into his coat, retrieving several coins from his spatial ring and handing them to the driver.

The driver glanced past him toward the floating advertisement above the theater.

Recognition flickered briefly across his face.

Then he smiled politely.

“Enjoy the show.”

Bruce nodded once.

The mana mobile lifted smoothly off the ground and drifted away, disappearing back into the flow of traffic.

Meanwhile Lily had already begun tugging Sophie toward the massive theater entrance.

“Come on!”

Ash darted overhead like an excited red streak, weaving between the glowing mana signs.

Lucy laughed softly as she walked beside Bruce.

“Looks like we might actually be late.”

Bruce glanced ahead at Lily racing toward the entrance.

A small smile touched his lips.

“Then we’d better catch up.”

Bruce and Lucy quickened their pace slightly as they followed the others toward the towering entrance of the Velmora Grand Theater. The closer they approached, the louder the lively atmosphere became. The wide steps leading up to the building were crowded with people arriving in small groups, families, adventurers, merchants, students, everyone drawn in by the same excitement.

Large lanterns hung from elegant iron poles along the entrance path, their warm light reflecting off polished stone floors that had been carefully cleared of snow. The golden glow mixed with the soft hum of floating mana projections that drifted above the crowd, displaying brief scenes from the Adventurer Trial.

Lily was already halfway up the steps.

“Hurry!” she called over her shoulder, waving impatiently.

Ash swooped around her head like an excited red comet, chirping happily as it circled in the cool evening air.

Bruce shook his head slightly with a faint smile.

That girl really had no brakes when she got excited.

They reached the top of the steps and began moving toward the large entrance doors, where streams of people were filing inside.

Then Bruce paused.

His eyes drifted slightly to the side.

A row of brightly lit stands had been set up along the entrance hall, each covered in colorful banners and glowing signs. Behind the counters, workers moved quickly, handing out containers filled with steaming snacks and large cups of drinks.

The smell hit him first.

Sweet.

Buttery.

Lightly salted.

Bruce stopped walking.

Sophie noticed immediately. “What is it?”

Bruce tilted his head slightly toward the stands.

“Let’s get some of those.”

Lily, who had already turned toward the entrance doors, froze.

“What?”

She looked back at him as if he had just suggested something absurd.

“But the movie is about to start!”

Bruce chuckled softly.

“It’s fine. We still have time.”

He gestured toward the stand again.

“You’ll like it.”

Lily narrowed her eyes suspiciously.

“What even is that?”

“Popcorn.”

She blinked.

“…Pop…corn?”

Bruce nodded.

“It’s a perfect combo. A good movie deserves something like that.”

Lily stared at him.

Then she let out a long, exaggerated sigh that sounded like it had been dragged straight from the depths of her soul.

“Fiiiiine.”

The dramatic tone of it made Sophie laugh quietly.

Lucy shook her head with a warm smile.

Bruce just chuckled.

For a brief moment as they walked toward the stand, a strange sense of nostalgia crept into his mind.

’This.’

He had done this before.

Standing in lines.

Buying snacks before movies.

The familiar smell of popcorn.

The quiet anticipation before the lights dimmed.

Memories of Earth drifted through his thoughts like distant echoes.

He had almost forgotten how simple moments like this felt.

Bruce glanced up toward the night sky beyond the theater roof.

If this place had also possessed a solar system like Earth.

If the stars above followed the same constellations.

Then perhaps he could have called it a parallel world.

But this world was different.

Completely different.

The laws of nature.

The continents.

Everything.

’Can i really call it a parallel Earth if it lacked the very foundations that made Earth what it was?’

Bruce sighed softly.

Sometimes it almost felt as if he had forgotten Earth.

But he hadn’t.

Not really.

Every memory.

Every moment.

Every piece of that life still existed in his mind.

He had simply learned to place it in the quiet corners of his thoughts.

Where it wouldn’t weigh him down.

“Bruce?”

Sophie’s voice pulled him back.

They had reached the stand.

“Oh, right.”

Bruce stepped forward and ordered several large containers.

The vendor moved quickly, scooping fresh popcorn into wide paper buckets before handing them across the counter along with several drinks.

Lily stared at the overflowing container Bruce placed into her hands.

The sweet buttery smell rose from it immediately.

She hesitated.

Then carefully picked one piece and tossed it into her mouth.

Her eyes widened.

“Oh.”

She grabbed another handful.

Then another.

“…Oh.”

Ash fluttered down onto Bruce’s shoulder and leaned over curiously, sniffing the popcorn bucket Lily held.

Lily held one piece out.

Ash gently nipped it from her fingers.

Then chirped excitedly.

Bruce laughed quietly.

“See?”

Lily tried to keep a serious face.

But the way she kept eating gave her away.

Bruce handed Sophie and Lucy their drinks before placing the payment on the counter. The vendor thanked him quickly before turning to the next customers in line.

With their snacks in hand, they finally moved toward the grand entrance.

The large doors opened smoothly as they approached, revealing the massive interior of the theater.