episode_0115

Flip-.

Bubbling-.

Those sounds always echoed in the general store.

The rustle of turning pages and the sound of boiling water.

Occasionally adding logs to keep the furnace fire alive, Tia engrossed herself in researching treatments.

“This isn’t it.”

Scrape.

She drew a straight line across the words.

“This is impossible too.”

Another set of words was erased.

There were an enormous number of ‘treatments’ that had been excluded this way.

She wasn’t doing this without reason.

She meticulously calculated each one in her head, judging its effectiveness, and if she deemed it ineffective, she boldly discarded it.

This process filled nearly ten thick books.

It was the result of just two days of work since she brought me to the general store.

It truly was an incredible display of persistence and dedication.

“…I’m done.”

Ten treatment methods, meticulously sifted and extracted from the clues.

Without delay, Tia began to create the medicines according to the treatments.

She would dedicate all her time to making one medicine, then immediately feed it to me, observe until a reaction appeared, and record it.

It was highly inefficient, but it was the best she could do given the poor circumstances and facilities.

“This is a failure.”

The ten treatment methods were crossed off one by one.

The next one too.

And the one after that.

No effects were seen, and with each failure, Tia grew more exhausted.

It was around the time she had given me the fourth medicine and was resting briefly beside me.

“H-hard work, isn’t it? I brought something to eat.”

Suddenly, Fosao entered the kitchen.

Tia flinched in surprise and rose from her seat.

“I’m fine!”

Fosao hesitated.

“Ah, oops! Did I, did I tell you not to come into the kitchen?”

“Yes. It’s… dangerous.”

Last night, Tia had asked Fosao not to enter the kitchen.

It was for the same reason one shouldn’t carelessly let outsiders into an apothecary’s shed.

Handling medicine required high concentration and delicate work, so she didn’t allow anyone to enter.

Fosao asked with a worried tone.

“…But T-Tia looks too tired. I’m worried.”

“I’m fine.”

“W-wasn’t the forest fire caused that way too?”

“……!”

At those words, Tia fell silent.

Because it was true.

She still hadn’t forgotten the guilt of having burned down Breezedown due to her carelessness, and hearing those words, she couldn’t bring herself to say ‘I’m fine.’

Fosao grinned and held out something.

It was bread and herbal tea.

“You need to eat to get your energy back, don’t you? You’re s-suffering because of your p-period…”

Fosao forced his way into the kitchen, even mentioning something that didn’t need to be brought up.

Tia, after hesitating, finally reached out a small hand and took the herbal tea.

“Thank you…”

“I, I’ll be careful too. Sorry for suddenly showing up. *Hee-hee*…”

“No, it’s fine. I’m truly grateful for your help, Mister-nim.”

“N-no, don’t mention thanks! We’re, we’re used to this kind of thing now, aren’t we?”

Slide-.

Fosao sat down next to Tia.

“Thank you’s too… that’s enough, it’s fine now. I’ve heard it t-too many times. You can stop.”

“If I don’t even say this much, I’m afraid I’ll start taking your help for granted. I’ve received so much kindness from you, Mister-nim.”

“No way! W-well, think of it this way… Tia.”

He shouted in a loud voice.

“Think of me as your f-father!”

“Father…?”

Thud.

Fosao’s large hand landed on Tia’s shoulder.

In the past, she would flinch, unaccustomed to such gestures.

Now, she naturally accepted his touch.

“Tia, you didn’t have a ‘father’, did you?”

“No, I don’t remember him. I heard he disappeared when I was an infant.”

“I, I still remember. When Tia called me, me, ‘father’ in Rottenbahn.”

“That was…”

“I know. You, you just said it to quickly make an excuse.”

The hand gripping Tia’s shoulder tightened.

“But I, I’ve thought about it ever since then… that I should become Tia’s father.”

“……”

“And a father, originally, is someone who gives, gives without reservation.”

Tia turned her head.

“So don’t, don’t feel burdened. Tell me. I’ll help you.”

Beside me, where I lay sleeping, the two of them sat side by side.

However, in Tia’s and Fosao’s eyes, only each other’s faces were reflected.

Tia, who had been silent, brought the herbal tea to her lips.

After taking a small sip of the tea, a slightly brighter aura began to emanate from her melancholic face.

“…Actually, I too wished I had a father. I often wondered what kind of person he would be if I had a father, or how I would have lived if I had a father.”

“Ti-Tia…”

“You may not be able to be my real father, Mister-nim… but thank you.”

Suddenly, her words trailed off.

A subtle atmosphere hung in the quiet general store.

Fosao looked down at Tia with a lingering gaze, and Tia looked up at him with clear, transparent eyes.

Watching them… I couldn’t tell what each of them was thinking as they looked at each other that way.

All I could feel was that the distance between them was unusually close.

Slide-.

Perhaps uncomfortable with the atmosphere, Tia was the first to stand up.

“I’ll eat the bread a little later. I need to tend to Ritsu right now…”

“Oh, oh! Right! Ri-Ritsu will get better quickly. Tia is amazing!”

“……”

The heavy thudding footsteps went up to the second floor.

Tia watched him blankly, then lowered her gaze.

And drank the remaining herbal tea.

* * *

Fosao’s general store was a large and spacious house, not only having two floors but also requiring ample space to display many goods.

However, despite that, a man and a woman who weren’t a married couple living together in one house… presented several awkward problems.

Tia opened the back door to get logs for the furnace.

“…Ah?!”

“Huh? N-nooo?”

She froze, encountering Fosao in the backyard, taking off his pants.

He hurriedly made excuses.

“Th-this is, well…”

The general store didn’t have a separate outhouse.

Tia would go deep into the forest to avoid being seen as much as possible, but Fosao, the owner of the house, seemed too lazy to go that far and simply relieved himself in the backyard.

“It’s good for the fl-flowers too, giving them water…”

He awkwardly pulled up his pants, making such a ridiculous excuse even though it wasn’t the season for flowers to grow.

Tia turned her head, pretending not to have seen.

“S-sorry. Next time, I’ll t-tell you so this doesn’t happen again.”

“No, it’s fine. This is your house, Mister-nim. It can happen.”

Come to think of it, being informed about Fosao’s bathroom breaks was indeed strange.

The morning passed that way, but at lunchtime, there was another problem.

Rumble-!

Fosao, claiming to be cold, sat by the furnace, then nodded off and soon began snoring loudly.

Tia was now so accustomed to his noisy snoring that she barely reacted.

Grumble. Ahem. Grunt.

Almost naked, covered by the blanket Tia had used all night, scratching his stomach — it was an embarrassing sight for a young girl to witness.

Just as she was trying to ignore it and concentrate on making medicine…

Rustle-.

He shifted his body, and the blanket fell to the floor.

And as Tia inadvertently turned her head, her eyes caught sight of his bulging lower body.

“……Hah.”

Startled, Tia quickly retreated.

And placed her hand on her chest, catching her breath.

“……”

She didn’t know why.

Why Tia’s cheeks and ears were turning red.

Simply due to surprise? Or embarrassment?

No. To me, it wasn’t like that.

Perhaps… she recalled what happened then.

The time she had touched Fosao’s penis and taken it into her mouth.

Tia’s head no longer turned that way, but looking at her trembling eyes… it seemed she was earnestly trying not to look at ‘it’.

Grumble- cough.

Fosao, who had been sleeping, opened his eyes.

He noticed the blanket that had been covering him had fallen to the floor, and he looked back.

Then he scratched his head as he saw Tia making medicine.

“Oh. *Hee-hee*… I, I accidentally fell asleep.”

“……”

“Oh, it’s cold. I, I should put on clothes.”

Only after his bulky body had completely disappeared did Tia finally let out the breath she had been holding.

Evening was no less awkward.

After Fosao filled his stomach with meat stew bought from the lower village, Tia was in the bathtub, washing herself first.

Clatter!

Suddenly, Fosao entered behind the naked Tia.

“…Gasp?!”

“Oh.”

Fosao had also taken off his clothes to enter, so both were naked.

Only a hazy steam lingered between them.

Fosao, flustered, stepped back.

“Ah, ah! Tia was al-already here! Sorry!”

Bang!

The intruder hastily closed the door and left, but Tia stood there with a blank expression for a long time.

When Fosao suddenly entered.

Her expression seemed to indicate that even she didn’t know why she hadn’t instinctively covered her chest and genitals with her hands.

To say she was too surprised for her body to freeze was unlikely, as the agile Tia shouldn’t have failed to react.

That her hands didn’t move even as those dirty, disgusting black eyes completely scrutinized Tia’s body… was utterly incomprehensible.

Why?

Because he had already seen everything?

Because they had already seen each other’s shameful parts?

“……”

Tia, who had been motionless, splashed water onto her flushed cheeks again.

Splash-.

Night fell.

Tia lay down on the cot to sleep.

She was still wearing her shirt and pants, covered by the blanket, when she closed her eyes.

Creak-. Creak-.

Irregular noises echoed in the quiet, darkened general store.

Creak… squeak… creak…

Tia, with her eyes closed, turned onto her side.

She had heard that sound before. And she remembered it.

Creak… creak-.

When she had sucked Fosao’s penis.

It was the sound of the bed pressing down on the wooden floor each time her head swayed back and forth.

“……”

The fact that the same noise continued to be heard meant that Fosao was currently engaging in a ‘similar act’ on the second floor.

Rustle.

Unable to fall asleep, Tia crossed her legs beneath the blanket.

The ceiling continued to creak.

The sound of Fosao roughly masturbating echoed distinctly on the first floor.

“…Haa.”

Tia exhaled a humid breath.

Now that I looked, the blanket was twitching slightly.

She squeezed her eyes shut, her brows slightly furrowed.

“Haa… haa…”

She rubbed her legs continuously as if they were numb.

Before long, small beads of sweat began to break out on her forehead and the nape of her neck.

Creak.

Had Fosao’s masturbation finished? The noise suddenly stopped.

Clank.

Soon, the second-floor door opened, and a bright light descended into the darkened first floor.

Startled, Tia froze. And she pretended to be asleep without moving a muscle.

Fosao, having come downstairs, wandered around with a lantern.

Thump. Thump.

As he passed by Tia, he glanced back once.

“Pant… pant…”

If Fosao had pulled back the blanket right then and there.

If he had seen Tia with her hand inside her pants… what would have happened?

Tia’s heart pounded as if it would burst, and her neck and shoulders glistened, drenched in sweat.

“*Hee-hee*…”

Fosao let out an unintelligible chuckle.

Then quietly exited through the back door.

“……”

Belatedly, Tia pulled her hand out from inside her pants.

Even in the dark, she could tell.

That her small hand was soaked.