CH 52

“Good morning, today too please take care of me!”

“Y-Yes…”

Every morning, he greets me enthusiastically.

It may seem like he’s just showing his motivation, but in his case, it’s a little different.

He seems to be pushing himself too hard, thinking he’s pathetic, despite his injured body.

And that’s probably the truth.

No matter how much Yuren-kun and I tell him not to overdo it, he still does it anyway.

Last night, we talked about it, but we concluded that letting him do as he pleases is the best option.

Even if we strongly warn him and try to make him rest, he’ll probably just overwork himself in another way.

I can feel the danger in that.

So if he could just stay within reach, it would be reassuring.

“I really want him to rest, though.”

Those words don’t reach him.

No, they reach him, but he won’t listen.

In a good or bad way, he’s still a child.

Not too long ago, he seemed more composed than me, surveying his surroundings and able to handle things fairly well. He seemed mature.

But as soon as one weakness appears, he crumbles in an instant.

It’s like a sand mountain flying in the wind.

“Nee-san, the box is here.”

“Fusaki-kun!”

Fusaki-kun, who was carrying a large wooden box, suddenly dropped it and fell to his knees.

As I hurried over, I could see that he was enduring pain from his expression and sweat was dripping down his forehead. I turned my gaze towards his back.

“Fusaki-kun, blood is coming from the wound on your back.”

“Ugh…”

“The wound has opened. I’ll fetch a healing potion right away!”

“W-Wait, please!”

Fusaki-kun weakly grasped my arm as I tried to stand up.

“You don’t need to use a valuable potion for someone like me.”

“What are you talking about? Don’t tell me, you haven’t even drunk the potion I sent you.”

“…”

I had a feeling that something was off.

Even if it was a serious injury, I had already given him a variety of healing potions after proper treatment. Even deep wounds would be healed after drinking it a few times. The pain would also weaken, but there were no signs of improvement.

In other words, he hasn’t been drinking.

“Why?”

“…because of someone like me.”

“Don’t be ridiculous!”

I yelled in a surprisingly loud voice.

If Irina-chan had been nearby, she might have been surprised and taken a step back.

That’s how angry I was.

“You only have one life! How can you not value it?!”

“Nee-san…”

“First, drink this! If the wound has been healed this much, you can fully recover with just this.”

“…but…”

Fusaki-kun hesitated.

Feeling more excited than usual, I became irritated with his attitude.

Out of frustration, I forcibly thrust the potion into his mouth.

“Gu-guh.”

“Just drink it already!”

It was really surprising.

This was the first time I had ever been so forceful.

Maybe I couldn’t tolerate his way of not valuing his life.

“…pfft.”

“How is it? Is the pain from the wound gone?”

“…the pain is gone. It’s probably healed.”

“Really? Show it to me just in case.”

To confirm, I rolled up his clothes and checked his back.

I lightly touched it on top of the bandage wrapped around it in circles.

If it hurt, there should have been a change in expression.

Since there was none, I removed the bandage.

In any case, since there was blood on it, it had to be replaced with a new one.

When I removed the bandage, the wound was exposed.

“It’s closed. It looks like there’s still a scar.”

“I see…”

He didn’t seem very happy.

He was probably thinking he had caused trouble again.

“I’m sorr——”

“Apologies are forbidden.”

“Huh?”

“Apologies are meant for when you actually do something wrong, right? Fusaki-kun didn’t do anything wrong. It’s probably more like a time to say thank you, isn’t it?”

I felt embarrassed saying that myself.

Despite speaking so haughtily, I often apologized and prioritized apologies over gratitude.

That’s why I learned.

Being thanked is more pleasing than apologizing for helping someone.

“Thank you…very much.”

“Yeah.”

As expected, being thanked is nice.

Even more so when it comes from important people.

“Fusaki-kun, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“About Fusaki-kun. Before you became Irina-chan’s bodyguard, before coming here.”

I didn’t plan on asking, but the words naturally came out.

It was something I wanted to know.

Yuren-kun could have asked Duke-sama, but I want to hear it from the person himself.

“…asking about that isn’t really interesting, you know?”

“It’s not about being interesting. I just want to know about Fusaki-kun.”

“You’re asking someone like me?”

“Don’t say it like that again. Please.”

I gently hold his hand.

As Yuren-kun did for me once.

“I want to know. Because it’s about someone I’ll be with in the future, I want to know properly.”

“…in the future…?”

“Yes. I feel the same way, as well as Yuren-kun and the others.”

“…I see.”

Fusaki-kun seems somehow melancholic, and he lowers his eyes relieved.

I felt my hand, which I was holding, tremble slightly.

“I understand. Please listen to what I have to say.”

“Okay.”