episode_0087

Fosao stumbled inside and sat on the bed.

Seeing his sweat-soaked, frowning face, Tia asked.

“Are you hurting somewhere?”

“My, my back has been hurting since the day before yesterday. I must have been, been crouched in the warehouse for too long.”

“Hmm, something to support your back…”

As she looked around, she noticed the silk pillow Fosao had left behind.

She immediately picked it up and used it to support his large body.

“How is it?”

“It’s a little more comfortable…”

“I’m sorry I made you come all this way when your back hurts.”

“N-no. *Heh heh*. Thanks to you, I, I saw something good.”

“…Huh?”

The man, who had been letting out a sly laugh, quickly made an excuse.

“The scenery is n-nice!”

“Ah, right? The view by the stream is lovely!”

Fosao scratched his head awkwardly.

Just then, Tia, seeing his elbow, widened her eyes.

“Huh? What’s wrong with your arm?”

“Hm?”

“You’re hurt!”

There was a wound on his arm.

Seeing the dark red scab, it didn’t look like he’d been hurt long ago.

“This? N-nothing much. I was walking around yesterday and… scratched it a little on a carriage.”

“Stay still for a moment.”

Sure enough, Tia examined his arm with a serious expression.

Even though the person involved said he was fine, she began to treat it as if she were a doctor herself.

Was it because she’d seen me treating patients over her shoulder?

She mimicked me almost exactly, asking about Fosao’s condition.

“This won’t do. It needs proper treatment. If you leave it like this, the wound might get worse.”

“I-I’m really fine…”

“When I got hurt like this in Deseo, what did Mister-nim do?”

“Ugh…”

Fosao, directly contradicted, had nothing to say.

Tia crossed her arms.

“Mister-nim, go to the general store first. I’ll get the necessary supplies from the apothecary and come down.”

***

Arriving at the apothecary, Tia opened a drawer.

She carefully chose and took out a clean cloth. She also prepared herbs to wash the wound.

Everything was something I had prepared just before I collapsed.

If it was Tia, it didn’t matter if she took out my supplies as she pleased. Truly, it was no problem at all.

But… I didn’t know it would be for Fosao.

After finishing her preparations, Tia told the people she was going to the lower village and ran to the general store.

“I’m here!”

As soon as she arrived, she knelt before Fosao.

Then, she soaked the wound with water steeped in herbs, and carefully removed the scabs.

Fosao asked.

“This… where did you l-learn this?”

“Ritsu used to do this for me. I used to get hurt a lot when I was little. He said doing this prevents it from getting worse and helps it heal faster.”

I thought she wasn’t very interested in medicine. But she remembered everything I used to do.

Although the process was a bit clumsy, the touch of her healing hands was as meticulous as a professional doctor’s.

I could be sure. Tia would have been excellent even as a doctor.

Finally, as she wiped his arm with the cloth, the wound was cleanly purified.

“If you don’t touch it and just leave it for a day, it’ll get better!”

“Th-thank you… Tia.”

“You’re welcome!”

Tia tidied up neatly and stood up.

“I’ll be heading back now.”

“W-wait a moment…”

*Clink-!*

Fosao took money from the safe and placed it on the table.

It was 5 gold.

“You t-treated me… and even cleaned the yard… I’m giving it to you out of gratitude.”

It was a small amount considering he was trying to show off.

Still, for Tia, who had cherished every penny to make my medicine, it was the best allowance.

“I’ve already received so much that it feels a bit burdensome to accept more…”

“Please don’t refuse and j-just accept it.”

“Ugh-. Alright! I’ll take it for now!”

Tia took the 5 gold.

“Then, shall I cook something for you? How about scrambled eggs?”

“No… you don’t have to strain yourself… Just…”

He cleared his throat once.

Fosao said in a voice as small as an ant’s.

“A, a kiss of encouragement…”

“Huh?”

“…if you could give me one…”

“…”

When Tia’s face went blank, he seemed to realize something was wrong and hastily made excuses.

“J-just a joke. A joke…”

“A joke, you say?”

“…”

In the suddenly chilling air.

A single drop of cold sweat ran down below Fosao’s ear.

Yes.

No matter how ugly one’s true intentions are hidden, they eventually trip them up.

It’s over, Fosao.

Because Tia noticed your wickedness.

So, naturally.

I thought she would turn away with a serious expression.

But my expectations… were wonderfully off the mark.

“Ahahaha-! What was that-!”

Tia held her stomach and burst into laughter.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“I was surprised because I thought you were serious! Really- if you keep making jokes like that, I’ll dislike you-!”

As she spoke so cheerfully.

Something flashed past the window momentarily.

It was only for a very brief moment, but I recognized it immediately.

The boy from the general store.

What was there was…

The ‘me’ from the past.

I was secretly watching this scene from the window there.

Honestly… I wished I hadn’t seen myself.

Because I wanted to believe that this vision was merely my own unsettling imagination, and not the truth.

But when I saw my past self, which perfectly matched my memory of that time.

I had to admit that all these events had truly happened, that they were facts.

Tia leaned against the table, swinging her boots gently.

“Next time, I’ll make you scrambled eggs here. I’m confident about that, if nothing else!”

“A-alright…”

“Look forward to it! Well then-”

“I-I’ll open the door for you.”

*Thump.*

As Fosao stood up, he dropped something that was on the table.

Tia immediately bent down and picked up the item.

She tilted her head.

“A calendar?”

“Oh… ah… it’s something the s-store uses.”

Fosao, after receiving the calendar, hastily put it into the drawer under the desk.

“Anyway, thank you. Since it’s gotten so late-”

Tia walked briskly towards the general store entrance.

Fosao also followed behind her to see her off.

The moment the two stood at the door.

Suddenly, Tia turned her head.

And then she raised her heels.

*Mwah.*

It was so sudden.

Both I, who saw it, and Fosao, had blank expressions.

Her raised foot returned to the floor.

Tia, who had kissed his cheek, smiled sweetly and whispered.

“A kiss on the lips isn’t allowed… but please bear with this.”

“…”

As if shy, Tia threw the door open.

And running outside, she shouted.

“Well then, I’m off-!”

Fosao, who had been dazed, belatedly waved his hand.

“Alright. G-go carefully-. Tia.”

Watching Tia wave back at him, he slowly stroked his cheek.

And then he let out a disturbing laugh, as if satisfied.

“Hoo-. Hoo-. *Heh, heh heh… heh heh*…”

The memory vision ended here.

I leaned weakly against the wall.

“…”

I felt like I was losing my mind.

I… had a sliver of hope.

When I stopped Fosao’s hand from trying to touch her chest again.

I had been glad, thinking that Tia was still rejecting that pig internally.

But at the end.

What was the meaning of that kiss on the cheek?

Since she had shared a kiss of promise with me on the lips…

Did she think it was okay to just kiss him on the cheek?

No, Tia.

I hate the very fact that your small, beautiful lips touched that pig’s disgusting skin.

It’s chillingly repulsive, like a pure, clean snowfield being trampled by dirty shoes.

This… isn’t normal.

My body swayed.

I had seen something shocking.

Yet, the more terrifying fact was that there were still more blanks I didn’t know about.

When was that… that I just saw?

I looked down at Fosao’s table.

Casually, I reached out and opened the drawer beneath it.

There was a calendar.

This very month.

It was set to December.

I skimmed it to calculate the exact date.

“…What is this?”

This calendar, something was strange about it.

Although the months and days were clearly recorded accurately.

Each date box had a circle symbol drawn in it.

These strange symbols were regularly marked, extending into the next year.

Was it marking periods for ordering goods?

No. Fosao always brought in goods irregularly.

He wasn’t diligent enough to do something twice a month like this.

The cycle of the red circles was about one month.

Once a month…? What is it?

“…”

Could it be.

Is that it?

At the same time a shocking intuition struck me, I felt an irresistible force at my fingertips.

The powerful memories of *that man* imbued in this calendar were rising.

These were… Fosao’s memories, which I had never directly seen before.

Just as I had entered Tia’s memories and become one with her.

Perhaps I could also feel Fosao’s thoughts and emotions.

*Gulp.*

It was very unpleasant and unsettling.

With the sole intention of seeing all the truth, I slowly entered the memory vision.

***

“Hoo- hoo-.”

Fosao was climbing a mountain path.

With an herb bag slung over his large shoulder, he walked a steep, narrow path, breathing heavily.

A lush, tree-covered side path that ran alongside a cliff.

It was a ‘secret passage’ connecting Tia’s house to the general store.

No one knew.

Even the villagers didn’t know of this path’s existence.

A stream flowed rapidly right below the cliff, and dense trees concealed it so that the side path wasn’t even visible.

Moreover, it was completely covered in brambles, making access difficult.

But Tia had cleared this path by herself.

Just for the large and clumsy Fosao, she removed dangerous rocks and cut away brambles.

Despite that, he kept grumbling.

“W-why do I have to do this… Damn it… to go through all th-this trouble because of Ritsu.”

Although it was hard, he willingly chose to climb this path because there was something he desired.

The cheek kiss Tia gave him yesterday…

Recalling that moment, his lips naturally spread into a wide grin.

If he brought a bag full of Mushurin today, he could get another cheek kiss.

If he asked a little more, he might even get a kiss on the lips.

And because it was an especially early morning, he might even see Tia sleeping naked.

With such expectations, Fosao arduously climbed the path.

“Hoo-. Hoo-. My back hurts…”

Early winter.

An early morning, with the sun just rising through the cold wind.

Finally, he arrived at Tia’s house.

*Click. Click.*

He matched the secret code Tia had taught him.

He opened the wooden door and ascended the stairs.

His heart pounded like Fosao’s heavy breathing.

He would wake Tia, who was still sleeping, and with her body, still warm with heat…

Even if she was shy, she’d give him a hug, right? *Ehehe*…

Wiping away the running sweat, he opened the door.

*Creeak-.*

There, the scene was completely different from what he had imagined.

Tia and Ritsu, with surprised faces.

The bewildered gazes of the two children fixed on Fosao.

“Uh, uh-oh… Ritsu?”

“Fosao… Mister-nim?”