32-A troublesome kid

Krish-san moved steadily forward, carrying me all the while.

We got to Pochi in no time at all. It almost made me think, 'Then what was all that time I spent moving around on all fours for?'

Krish-san really was amazing.

"Pochi, Pyonkichi, I made you guys wait. Here's your water."

Pochi and Pyonkichi were huddled up together waiting for me. Krish-san let me down from his arm and set the bucket of water in front of Pochi. Pochi then plunged his face into it and started gulping down water.

Pyonkichi, who was beside him, twitched his nose and rested his forelegs on the bucket, seeming to be thirsty, too.

He similarly thrust his face into the bucket from Pochi's side and lapped at the water.

Finally recovered, Pochi lifted his head away from the bucket and licked at his mouth. Pyonkichi began grooming himself with his forelegs, looking satisfied.

"Are you both done?" Seeing that they were finished drinking, I put the shirt that I'd used as a bandage into the remaining half-bucket of water.

I used the wet shirt to carefully wipe at the blood on Pochi's fur, sniffling a little as I thought about how grateful I was that he was alive. I told Pochi, "Your fur's gone all stiff. I'll give you a good brush later, okay?"

"It looks like he bled a lot. Let me see," Krish-san said.

"Right here. He has a cut going from his hip to his tail." I parted the fur to show the raised, pink skin. The immediate area around it was devoid of fur. It looked a bit like Pochi had a bald spot; how pitiful.

Would it grow back once he was completely healed?

"It looks like the wound's closed up." Krish-san rubbed at the skin with his index finger to make sure. I'd also tested it when I was cleaning off the dried blood, but it really was completely closed now.

"That reminds me!! Pyonkichi found me some of this world's aloe. It's really amazing—when I applied it on Pochi's wound, the wound closed right up. It even healed the scrapes on my palm."

"Aloe?"

"You've never seen it before? It's a fleshy plant with spiky leaves. We have it in my world too, but this one's amazingly effective." I showed him my palm, but because I'd been crawling around on all fours, the thin new skin had gotten abraded again. "Oh, it's grazed again. But Pyonkichi's leg was hurt and hanging limply earlier, but now it's all better.

"Even though you were screeching in pain earlier, you're all lively now, eh Pyonkichi?"

Krish-san lifted Pyonkichi and started examining his hind legs. Pyonkichi looked relaxed even with his leg caught in Krish-san's hand, so it looked like he really didn't feel pain anymore.

Krish-san said, "I have gone to many places, but I've never heard of such a medicinal plant. Healing a wound as soon as it's applied—it sounds like magic."

"Is that so? I was sure it was a normal thing here."

Just as I was marveling over this, Krish-san lowered Pyonkichi back on the ground and touched his fingers to my swollen right eye.

His cool hand felt nice. Maybe I should ice my eye later.

"You didn't use it on yourself?" Krish-san asked.

"Hm?"

"If you put some of that medicinal plant on your eye, wouldn't it take care of this swelling?"

Ah!!

I see. I guess I should've done that. But in any case, I'd already used all of it on Pochi's injury.

I would've hated it if I'd used some of it on my eye and ended up with there being not enough to heal Pochi. So I was fine with this.

I tried to laugh it off, but Krish-san stared at me and exuded an aura of not accepting anything but an explanation.

So I explained, "Ummm, well, at the time, the only thing in my head was Pochi's injury. It didn't even cross my mind. It was a really horrible wound, you know. I thought Pochi was gonna die......"

As I spoke, the memories came trickling back and my nose stung. Really, I always became such a crybaby in front of Krish-san.

When I went to rub at my eye with a fist, Krish-san caught that hand.

"I'm not questioning you. From the amount of dried blood, I can see that it was a touch-and-go situation. That's not what I'm trying to say." Krish-san uncurled the fingers of my hand and brushed the dirt off my palm. He spoke in a slow and calm voice, as if he were lecturing a misbehaving child, "I've said this earlier, but Shinobu, you're always putting all your efforts for other people, and treating yourself as an afterthought. That's how you got this injured.

"I want you to remember that just as you worry about those close to you, the people who like you also worry about you. If your friends were to see these wounds, I'm sure they'd want you to treat your injuries first before the animals. Of course, that includes me."

He took my other hand and brushed the dirt off that palm. There were no scrapes on that one so it was fine, but Krish-san inspected it for any cuts as he cleaned anyway. "It's also more efficient this way. If you had healed yourself first, then you'd have been able to let Pochi have some water to drink quicker, right?

"And once you're better, you can look after your family then, but Pochi and the ravi can't look after you. Do you understand?"

I nodded. What Krish-san was saying was probably right.

"As long as you understand. I'm glad you're alright."

I relaxed, relieved, as the sternness disappeared from Krish-san's tone. When I staggered, Krish-san caught my shoulder and pulled me closer. I rested my cheek on his armor; the coldness of the metal felt good.

I closed my eyes, satisfied, and listened as the grass rustled as though something was making their way through them.

With Krish-san by my side, there was nothing to fear, so I let myself slump on him, completely relaxed.

At that moment, two men who were wearing the same armor as Krish-san stepped out from the grass. "So you were here, Krish-san. We've been looking everywhere. We have a report for you."

Oh, so these two were Krish-san's subordinates. As I blankly watched on, one of them whispered into Krish-san's ear.

"......Got it. You guys continue with the ongoing search. And send someone to town to call a doctor. There's an injured person."

"Krish-san," I tugged on Krish-san's arm.

He turned towards me. "What is it?"

"Are there veterinarians in this world? It's a doctor for animals. If there are, can you ask one to examine Pochi and the others? Brain was whipped, and the sheep were kicked; I'm worried about them."

"Call a veterinarian too," Krish-san immediately told his subordinates. I smiled happily.

Then Krish-san once again lifted me in one arm and carried me the same way as before. "Alright, now we're treating your injuries, Shinobu."

"Ah, before that, we need to move Pochi and Pyonkichi into the barn to let them rest. Brian and the others too."

I tried to get off Krish-san's arm, anxious, but he tightened his hold on me. "Shinobu, did you listen to what I said earlier?"

"I did. But I'm fine already."

"I can't trust your 'I'm fine.'"

I was struck by Krish-san's blunt reply.

"Shinobu, you're the type who'll endure everything and keep saying you're fine." Krish-san brushed my bangs aside and lay his big hand on my forehead. "You have a fever and your body feels weak, right? When you're having a hard time, don't just try to do everything by yourself. It's alright to ask for help from the people around you. Or do you not think you can rely on me?"

Really?

Was it really alright?

Back when I was in my original world, there wasn't anyone beside me whom I could ask for help, so I just did everything by myself.

When I was younger I had my babysitter, but that was only until the first half of elementary school. The housekeeper we'd hired after that would finish early and go home before I even returned from school, so we never saw each other much.

Grandma had taught me how to do household chores, but after that I had to do everything—whether it was cooking, washing clothes or cleaning—by myself.

I only learned that you had to drink medicine and stick a cooling pad on your forehead when you had a fever from the school clinic.

After that, on the rare occasions that I caught a cold, I would just do the same things I usually did during the day, and after a good night's sleep I was largely okay by the next day. My parents wouldn't even realize that I'd caught a cold.

And I was fine with that. I didn't want them to look at me like I was troublesome. I'd rather that they didn't know.

If I were a good child who didn't cause a hassle, I wouldn't be hated, see?

I wonder when it was that I'd started just secretly throwing away the school notice for observation day after I saw my parents fighting about who would attend.

One time, a teacher saw me throwing the notice away and told me, 'You need to show that to your mother.' But I would rather that my teacher think I was a troublesome kid than for my parents to think I was one. So even though I was scolded, I still secretly threw it away.

Krish-san said it was alright for me to ask for help, but I was really scared that Krish-san would think I was a troublesome kid.

Similarly, I was afraid that Norn and Couge would think I was troublesome, too.

I snuck a glance at Krish-san. He was looking straight at me, waiting patiently for my answer.

His face was hidden by his helmet so I didn't know for sure that he was looking at me, but I could feel a gaze boring a hole into me.

Was it really alright for me to say it? Was it alright to ask for help from Krish-san?

I felt scared, and lost. I wanted to take Pochi and Pyonkichi with me and run away. But Krish-san was holding on to me and wouldn't let me go.

So I shut my eyes tight and said, "Krish-san, 'please.' Please take Pochi and Pyonkichi to the barn."

"And? There's more, right?" Krish-san touched my right eye, then squeezed my left hand.

Was he telling me to ask for more? Would he really not hate me for asking?

"Krish-san, my whole body hurts."

"Yeah."

"I feel sluggish, and hot, and tired."

"Yeah. You did well all by yourself."

At that praise, my eyes watered and a tear fell down my cheek.

Really, I was always crying in front of Krish-san. It was embarrassing; I was already an adult.

Krish-san was still waiting for me to say the words. So I gathered my courage and said the one thing that I wanted to say the most: "Help me, Krish-san."

"Okay, leave it to me."

Krish-san sounded happy. He patted my head as if to say, 'You did well saying it.' Perhaps because I felt relieved that I was able to say it, but the dizziness returned. I slumped forward and rested my cheek on Krish-san's shoulder, exhausted.

"Carry these two animals into the barn before you return to your search. Those animals we found in the wagon too. They're Shinobu's precious family so take care in handling them.

"And tell me as soon as the doctor arrives."

I listened dazedly as Krish-san relayed further orders to his two subordinates.

Things were alright now. Now that I'd left it to Krish-san, everything was alright. Relieved, I started feeling sleepy.