episode_0097

The next morning.

As soon as Tia woke up, she quickly got ready to go out.

Today, she had to head to the pharmacy earlier than usual.

She had accidentally blown up the still while purifying Ritsu’s recovery medicine, turning the shed upside down… so she had to clean it thoroughly.

Although yesterday ended in failure.

Still, the color was now transparent, and the nasty smell was gone.

If only the taste improved, Ritsu would praise her immensely, wouldn’t he?

With such anticipation, Tia hurried up the hill.

Creak—.

She opened the pharmacy door and inadvertently stepped inside.

Tia’s eyes widened.

Sitting there was… someone she hadn’t imagined in the slightest.

It was Ritsu.

Too surprised to say anything, Tia finally managed to open her mouth.

“Oh, Ritsu?”

Ritsu lifted his head and smiled.

“Hello, Tia.”

“…Why are you here, Ritsu?”

“I need to get back to my work now.”

Tia knew that the ‘work’ Ritsu was referring to meant making medicine for the villagers again.

The true owner of the pharmacy had finally returned.

It was joyous news beyond compare, yet Tia couldn’t smile.

Ritsu’s face, as he spoke, was extremely haggard.

And there was no vitality in his voice.

“…Haven’t you fully recovered yet? You said you weren’t feeling well yesterday.”

“No, it’s fine. I felt bad staying in bed any longer, especially with Aunt Sherry.”

“Ah…”

Ritsu said it was his own will, but in truth, it wasn’t.

He had been forced to get out of bed and dragged to the pharmacy due to the villagers’ pleas.

If it was the kind Ritsu… there would be no other choice.

Thud.

Ritsu closed the book he was reading.

“I need to quickly make medicine and give it to the elders. It looks like I’ll be busy for a while.”

A chill ran down her spine.

Looking at Ritsu’s unadorned smile, it seemed he still didn’t know the state of the shed.

Tia hastily made excuses.

“Today? Ah, um… can’t you do it from tomorrow? You haven’t fully recovered yet… and you’re still coughing—”

“There’s no time to delay. There are elders in more urgent need than me.”

Ritsu stood up, took the recipe, and headed towards the shed.

“Wai-wait a minute—”

Tia rushed forward to stop him.

Clatter.

An empty bottle, kicked by Ritsu’s foot, rolled weakly away.

“…”

Tia could clearly see it.

Ritsu’s shocked eyes.

Until he lifted his head and looked around.

Watching the disastrous shed in silence, until the sound of his teeth grinding could be heard.

If the Divine Dragon had told her to have hope… she had hoped Ritsu, even if he didn’t smile, would at least joke, ‘Tia must have caused a lot of trouble as a beginner, after all.’

Then she would awkwardly smile, apologize, and be confident that she could restore everything to its original state.

…But that wouldn’t happen.

Because Ritsu had a terrifying temper when things didn’t go his way.

“What… what happened here?”

At Ritsu’s voice, colder than she expected, Tia’s voice trembled.

“I’m sorry… I, I… was making a new recovery medicine… and I accidentally made a small mistake…”

“This isn’t ‘a small amount’ at all.”

“That’s…”

Tia held her breath and looked at Ritsu’s trembling fist.

A long and painful silence stretched.

Finally, Ritsu spoke.

“…Tia, I’m sorry, but…”

“Yes…”

“All of this. Please clean it all up and leave.”

It was a declaration.

A declaration for Tia to stop everything she was trying to do, right now.

“…The recovery medicine?”

“Don’t make it anymore. It’s not needed.”

“…”

Suddenly, Tia felt a strange relief inside her chest.

She couldn’t understand it herself.

Everything she had done for Ritsu until now was being negated by a single phrase, ‘it’s not needed’.

She should have been sad.

Her chest ached so much she could cry.

But strangely… she felt a sense of liberation.

Tia herself couldn’t comprehend this unknown feeling, as if she had escaped from something.

Clatter.

Even as she cleaned up the scattered debris on the floor, that question remained unanswered.

Ritsu sighed.

“Thank you so much for making the medicine until now, Tia. Truly. From now on, I’ll handle it. You don’t need to go through any unnecessary trouble.”

“……Okay. I understand. I’m sorry.”

“Instead of doing this difficult and tough work, I heard the aunts have been very busy lately. It would be better if you helped them.”

It was then that Tia realized.

What ‘it’ was that had so terribly held her back.

“…”

Ruyef’s words echoed in her ears.

That’s right.

If Ritsu tells her to do it, she has to.

Because Ritsu was now the village chief of Breezedon.

Before that sad truth.

She could only quietly nod her head.

***

Modaless General Store.

In that place where no one visited, an unpleasant laugh echoed from midday.

“Heh-heh-heh.”

Fosao, the owner of that laugh, was sitting in front of a table.

He wasn’t wearing pants, and he continued to let out a sinister laugh, proudly displaying his lower body covered in thick fur.

“Hee-hee-hee…”

He was masturbating.

After shaking his hand for a long time and fondling his genitals.

“Uwooo—”

He made strange noises like a pig gobbling feed, his face contorted in pleasure.

“Hoo—hoo—. Ti, Tia…”

Even though there was no one else in the general store, he muttered Tia’s name.

Clink.

Fosao’s hand, which had been under the table, came up.

A black bottle was gripped in his hand.

“Uh-heh. Uh-heh-heh.”

He tightly sealed the still unsealed bottle with a stopper.

“Tia is… m-mine.”

Fosao continued to mutter like a madman.

“Hee-hee—B-Breezedon’s fools wouldn’t know. Tia trusts me more… more than you all. A cackle.”

His tongue licked his lips.

Eyes gleaming with madness.

A face that felt chilling just to look at.

Fosao shamelessly revealed the distorted expression that he always kept hidden, never allowing it to see the light of day, always cowering before others.

“She let me t-touch her chest…! With those cute hands, she even touched my… p-penis…! Yesterday, she even showed me her bare chest…! Something even that R-Ritsu guy hasn’t done… she did it for me! A cackle—!”

He continuously shrieked in a voice mixed with inferiority and superiority.

Rustle.

He took out a calendar.

He rubbed his palms together as he looked at the remaining dates in December.

“Hoo-wook—hoo-wook—Soon… I, I want her to suck it with her mouth—.”

Fosao’s calendar was peculiar.

There were no words written on it, but he had recorded all the events so far using symbols only he could understand.

The unique thing was the ‘♥’ symbol drawn a few days ago.

Fosao stroked the symbol with his thumb and muttered.

“W-What should I do? Should I make her kneel n-naked in front of me? And with a little mouth… like a baby bird… make her l-lick my penis… A shriek! A cackle… Nyaaaah—!”

It was a truly gruesome sound.

As if this general store were a stage for a play, he shouted Tia’s name.

“Hoo—hoo—. Tia… Tia…! Uh-heh-heh…”

It was then, as Fosao, excited by his fantasies, was pacing around half-naked.

Knock. Knock-knock.

He was startled by the familiar knocking sound from the entrance.

“Nyaaaah!”

Fosao hastily pulled on his pants and rushed to the entrance.

And opened the door with a benevolent smile.

Clunk.

Tia was standing at the top of the stairs.

The girl lifted her head to meet his eyes, then looked down again and quietly greeted him.

“Mister… hello.”

“Oh, welcome. Tia.”

Fosao grabbed Tia’s shoulder with the dirty hand that had just been fondling his genitals.

And gently, yet firmly, pushed her into the general store.

Clunk.

Her pure eyes, oblivious to what the owner of this house had just been doing.

Looking at Tia’s profile, he let out rough breaths.

“Hoo. Hoo.”

It was the sound of excited breathing.

Fosao’s eyes gleamed wildly, imagining something.

He took out the medicine he had prepared and offered it.

“Here. H-here. The black medicine.”

“…”

But today, Tia’s demeanor was unusual.

She didn’t take the medicine, simply shaking her head quietly.

“Um—Mister.”

“Hm?”

“You don’t have to get me that Cheonjinju mixed medicine anymore.”

“…Wha-what?”

Tia smiled as if nothing was wrong.

“Ritsu says he’ll make his own recovery medicine now. His condition has improved a lot… I’m so relieved.”

“R-really? That’s great!”

“Right?”

“Uh-huh… G-good news!”

Fosao smiled back, feigning happiness, but at the same time, a hint of anxiety flickered in his eyes.

“So—today I need this item.”

Tia held out a note.

The necessary items were clearly written in beautiful handwriting.

“Mister, you’ve gone through a lot of trouble because of me too. Ritsu returning to the pharmacy in good health is all thanks to you.”

“Nyaaah—No—no.”

Fosao scratched his head.

“I’ll g-go check if the items are in the warehouse. Just wait a moment.”

“Okay—”

He waddled into the warehouse and shut the door hard.

His face hardened rapidly.

“Damn it… I was s-so close. How… how did this h-happen?”

He clenched his fists in anger.

“Did the poison’s effect w-wear off? No… Ti-Tia is too smart… she made the medicine well, so that’s it, it must be that.”

He was pacing around nervously, his voice filled with anxiety.

From beyond the warehouse door, Tia’s voice was heard.

“Um—Mister! Is it going to take long?”

“Nyaaaah!”

He hastily burst out.

“I-I’m sorry, Tia! The warehouse is a mess… it might t-take a little time.”

“Honestly—that’s why I told you to keep it tidy normally. I can wait, but what will you do if another customer comes?”

“Uh-hee-hee…. I’m sorry…”

“And when did you clean your room? Honestly, it’s too dirty for me to even want to go in.”

“…Ugh.”

“You’re not thinking that since you live alone, you don’t need to clean, are you?”

“Ack!”

Struck in his weak spot, Fosao narrowed his eyes and made excuses.

“N-no…! I, I’m just not good at it…”

“Haa—I figured as much.”

Tia scratched her cheek.

“Well—just getting the items and leaving feels a bit off… so as a thank you, I’ll clean your bedroom today, Mister.”

“Ah, uh… uh-huh.”

“Call me when you’re done preparing the items!”

Tia casually picked up cleaning tools one by one and went upstairs by herself.

Soon, the sound of her humming and cleaning could be heard.

“Ugh…”

Fosao went back into the warehouse and checked the items written on the note.

It said new bowls and glass bottles were needed.

As he was rummaging through the messy warehouse, barely picking out the items.

Suddenly, as if a good idea struck him, Fosao abruptly lifted his head.

“…That’s it.”

He went to a corner of the warehouse.

He unlocked a box, revealing a blue poison.

Next, he found a sack filled with medicinal herbs.

Inside, it was full of Mushulin.

Fosao began to liberally apply the poison to the flowers.

Just as he was doing that for a while.

“Mister! I’m done cleaning! Where are the items?”

Startled, he hastily grabbed the Mushulin flowers and came out.

“H-here! The items you ordered.”

“Thank you. Oh? This is… Mushulin?”

“Uh-huh. This isn’t e-enough, is it? It’s Ritsu’s c-celebration gift.”

“Wow—thank you! I’ll make sure to deliver it well!”

“Um… excuse me, Tia.”

Fosao called out to Tia, who was about to leave with a happy expression.

The beautiful red-haired girl turned back, looking at him intently.

“Yes?”

“If you’re grateful… hee, hee-hee.”

He tapped his cheek with his finger.

At first, Tia had an uncomprehending look, but soon realized what he meant and her eyes widened.

“It’s you who should be grateful, Mister! Do you know how neatly I cleaned your room?”

“Then… since I’m grateful, can I k-kiss you, Tia?”

“Whaat—?!”

Tia recoiled in shock.

“J-just kidding!”

As if he hadn’t expected such revulsion, Fosao hastily claimed it was a joke.

But why was it?

Tia’s ears were visibly turning redder and redder.

“If it’s just on the cheek… then…”

“R-really?”

“…”

Tia shyly nodded her head slightly.

Seeing her, Fosao stammered.

“Th-then… hoo—hoo—.”

Loud, forceful snorts of breath escaped him.

The moment Fosao’s dirty lips were about to touch that pure white, soft cheek.

“Ah-ha-ha! Your breathing tickles!”

Tia giggled and leaned back.

“Oh, ohhh…. Hoo—hoo—.”

Again, as Fosao puckered his lips and was about to touch her cheek.

“Ha-ha! It tickles!”

She started to move away again.

“Ah-ha-ha! Your breath is so strong, it keeps tickling my ear!”

It was then.

Thud.

To prevent her from escaping further, Fosao forcefully gripped the girl’s small shoulders.

“……!”

A surprised Tia looked up at him.

In that moment when their breathing ceased.

Towards her delicate cheek, Fosao boldly extended his lips.

Finally.

Press.

His lips touched.

He didn’t stop there, but pushed further, pressing firmly.

Tia trembled slightly, but Fosao’s hand held her tightly and didn’t let go.

As if to prove that he was the owner of this girl.

He pressed and imprinted a seal proving that fact… for a long time.

Until every single droplet of saliva had thoroughly soaked into her cheek.

Leaving a very deep mark.

Smack.

When he pulled his lips away, Tia’s cheek was stained red.

Was it from embarrassment? Or was it because Fosao had pressed his lips there for so long?

Either way.

The fact that it was sullied by saliva remained unchanged.

“…”

Wipe—.

Tia wiped her cheek with the back of her hand.

And lightly pushed away Fosao’s hand resting on her shoulder.

“I’ll go now.”

“Uh, excuse me.”

Fosao leaned towards Tia’s ear, who had paused briefly, and asked.

“Tonight… will you come?”

“…”

Tia, who had been silent, weakly shook her head.

“…No. Not today…”

“Ah. O-okay.”

Creak.

Tia ran out, her red hair fluttering.

Watching her go, Fosao let out rough breaths.

“Hoo-wook—hoo-wook—.”

He went up to the second-floor bedroom.

The room had completely changed.

It was neatly organized, without a speck of trash or dust.

The bedsheets had been changed to new ones, and clothes that were haphazardly thrown around were neatly folded and put into the wardrobe.

Even the curtains, which had gathered cobwebs from never being touched, were clean.

“A cackle… So, so nice—.”

Fosao plopped onto the brightened bed and giggled softly.

“It’s nice, but… c-cleaning is annoying… Ah—I don’t know. I’ll just keep m-making Tia do it.”

As if recalling the taste of Tia’s cheek he had just savored, he licked his lips with his tongue.

“If Tia becomes my… ‘my woman,’ she’ll clean for me every day, won’t she?”

Whether it’s the yard. Or the general store. Or the bedroom.

And even ‘there’.

Fosao chuckled lewdly.

“Hee-hee. Uh-hee-hee…”