Vol 4 Chapter 10 (1/2)

Sick people find a certain relief in co Without it, they are drowned in loneliness and isolation, which eats into their hearts and drains thethey need to heal: their will to recover This claim is self-evident and uncontradicted by experience, as it requires neither verification nor explanation

I didn’t think my close friend, who excelled at dynamic methods, could use this passive approach

“Now then, Akito You can rest easy now that I’m here”

It was Ginbei’s turn, and she had switched with Nasuhara-san Ginbei’s confident demeanor was that of a veteran benchwarmer who finally had her once in a lifetime chance to play

“Rest assured and leave everything tothere is to know about this I’ll remove those demons inside you”

“Ah, yeah, thanks… Or wait…”

Sht in It was antic It looked like she was about to climb Mt Everest; her backpack was so overpacked that stuff was spilling out It seemed she intended to nurse me with it

“Isn’t that a bit… too much?”

“I had to wait three hours for ht? So I went to a couple places for preparations”

“No, I’ all of that just to nurse a mere cold… you know?”

“The cold is a precursor for all kinds of diseases, and it’s dreadful on its own too With all due respect, this thing you call a ‘mere cold’ has taken countless lives since the ancient tih outbreak rate, and it’s harder to eradicate than any incurable disease or plague by far It would unforgivable if I took this ‘htly and you had an unlikely corave stain on me”

So here, but in the end, she’s just a close friend who’s worried about me It’d be stupid to Tsukkomi her

And yet…

Setting aside cookware like saucepans and kitchen knives, I could swear I gli on her backpack What the heck?

“In ancient ti”

Ginbei, who probably had noticed aze, looked triumphant

“No matter how far they advance in y, they’ll never completely understand the complicated and mysterious human heart And that’s where spiritual treatments like shamanism come into play These charenerations They’ll bolster your willpower, h”

“I’ht them, but, how should I put it… Quite frankly, I don’t think stuff like praying to Gods is that effective”

“It’s fine These Sawatari charms ork nontheless”

Ginbei was bri with confidence Well, if she was that confident, I can probably believe her — or so she’d want me to think However, I was a staunch atheist

“Well, be at ease There are multiple charms Didn’t I tell you? I, Sawatari Ginbei Haruomi, am aware of every method known to man At least this time I’ll — no, not just this time, I’ll always do everythin’ I can to keep you healthy”

“Is that so? Okay If you’re going that far, then it’s definitely trustworthy And the bulge in that backpack is evidence of that, right?”

“That’s right Now then, shall we start?”

With that authoritative declaration, Ginbei rolled up her sleeves Looking at how she was psyching herself up, you’d have thought she was preparing for a life or death surgery It was pretty exaggerated

With that, she started taking care of me That style was just like her

“Regardless of the ti the supply lines is the basics of basics It’s a crucial factor in deteret that you can’t fight on an empty stomach Naturally, it’s the same with colds”

…Ginbei was putting a lot of emphasis on that I see, so that backpack isutensils

“That’s it, right? This comes first after all”

She said, handing ayu, which was co It can instantly cure any cold, or so they say

But putting aside whether or not that was true, this porridge was a enerously seasoned with spring onions and ginger I could feel the flavor spreading throughthis every day even if I wasn’t sick

“I’lad you like it Next, how about this?”

Next up was the standard egg sake It was just japanese sake with added eggs and sugar stirred over a low flaredients, it was a si like it

Since each ingredient didn’t taste good on its own, I was nervous at first But, to ood

As for the taste, I wouldn’t have been surprised if there was a cocktail with the same flavor Also, if she had addedthis with pudding

“It’s good, right? I specifically choose sake that ell suited for heating I was picky about the eggs and sugar too, of course”

Ginbei said, puffing up her chest with pride

Although, I was a minor, and I didn’t really drink, so she didn’t need to fuss over it She was being considerate, I guess It was a problerateful for her effort

After that, I had various other food from Ginbei’s backpack:

Charred garlic

Dried burdock

Boiled German camilla

Mandarin powder

kuar

Besides that, she also fed me a diverse selection of food that were reputed to have some medical effect

Without a doubt, she had e full courseof this size Her course had excellent nutritional value; it was leaps and bounds ahead of that of regular

“Phew… My stomach’s really full”

“My, you’re done already? I still have h”

“If I eat any more, my body will break, and it won’t be the cold’s fault, you know… But thank you, Ginbei These re I had was incredible As expected of you, huh?”

“Fufu, Glad to hear that Well then, shall we e two?”

“Stage two?”

“You thought I was done? Nutrition and ”

Ginbei said and closed one eye Then she started stage two

She smashed a dried plum and put it on my forehead Then she had me smell baked medicinal plant oil

…Etc

It looked like a display stand for folk reins and uncertain effectiveness She also used the charht that this was turning into a world expo on alternative cold treatments

“This is a”

“I used e and ive you the best I could offer”

“Aren’t you still overdoing it though? Pulling out all the stops seems a bit uncalled for”

“That doesn’t matter With s up one by one”

“Even so… I feel like I’m a lab rate here”

“Isn’t that what itovermedicated and subjected to drastic procedures…”

“That’s too unrestrained, you know…”

Although, nor care of someone with a cold And besides, I had only overworkedreally kind to me

“Ginbei”

“Hm? What is it?”

“Thank you I’e hassle to prepare all of this in three hours, right? Youall over the place I owe you one”

“Yeah That’s great”

My close friend smiled satisfied, but…

“…Ah— By the way, Akito…”

“Hm? What?”

“How are you doing? Do you feel better?”

“Of course I feel better, Or that’s what I’d like to say, but I collapsed recently, and you only just started nursing me It still needs some time, you know?”

“Yeah, guess so That’s true…”

Ginbei was nodding slowly It was as if she were flustered

…What now? She looks a bit strange?

“Eeehm, Akito…”

Ginbei coughed to clear her throat

“As you e consists of merchants”

“Yeah That’s right”

“To e the sum, no matter how priceless the item, in the end, personal connections are what are most valuable”

“Yeah That’s true”

“But it’s annoying Personal connections are harder tosince they’repersonal connections carries substantial risks of its own For example, I owe quite a few favors for the treatments I collected today I can’t deny that those debts don’t have value of their own — this is one— however,”

“…Eeehm, Ginbei I’m terribly sorry, but could we postpone your business lecture until after I’one out of your way to take care ofif it wouldn’t be better for me to rest now”

“Ah, s-sorry! I of all people…”

Ginbei shrugged her shoulders and coughed several times She was ashamed

Yep Soe after all

She was cal It seeue

She’s tense? Is that it? That would be rather unusual — I’ve never seen her so tense Maybe she’s trying to say so important, and that’s what made her so stiff?

“Eeehm, I’ll be as brief as I can In other words, Akito”

“Yeah”

“I’ve tried usingI haven’t tried”

“Ah, is that so?”

“Yeah This treatenerations It’s ainst all illnesses too”

“All illnesses? Is it really so a?”

“Yeah, there is In truth, I had initial doubts too, but on researchin’ it I definitively verified its effectiveness By the way, I asked people ere familiar with our relationshi+p…”

Ginbei explained, flustered So it’s that?

I kneas a bad idea to tsukkomi here, but I dare say her explanation wasn’t exactly short She had already given ood rest

Hmm

So, to make the most of her kindness too, it’d probably be better to decline her offer

“You know, Ginbei”

“Hm? What is it?”

“I’rateful, but how about you hold off on the secret treatenerations? There will be another chance one day”

“You id— what are you sayin’?!”

Ginbei’s eyes grew big, and she see impatient

“The treat culinary teruest would dare stand up and leave before the main course?!”

“That ht be true, but your full course already has me full with just the hors d’oeuvre…”

“That won’t do, Akito If we stop the treath to make that preten—— IIt’d be as sad aspotatoes”

“I don’t put potatoes in in with…”

“Your preferences don’t matter in this case Anyways, if I let this chance slip, ould be the next—— Iselfish and obey”

“You’re being strangely stubborn, aren’t you… Well, fine, I got it So, do what you need to do, quickly So, what exactly did you have in mind?”

“Y-Yeah…”