Even though that smile was a genuine smile, it felt unnatural for some reason.
[Ghost-san. What are you doing here?] (Mimiru)
“I told you that I’m not a ghost, already. Besides, I just came here by chance.” (Hiiro)
[Do you know where this is?] (Mimiru)
“The , right? It’s not like I sneaked in here. As a matter of fact, I was brought here by my companions.” (Hiiro)
However, he made sure to leave out the fact that he was just wandering around the aimlessly.
[I see. Is this your first time being here?] (Mimiru)
“Aaah” (Hiiro)
[I like this place as well. When I was five, an illness took my voice. Ever since then, I come here really often.] (Mimiru)
From what she just said, it seemed that she wasn’t born a mute. A severe illness caused her throat to be so damaged, she lost the ability to speak.
Silence enveloped the area. This was a sign that meant there was nothing left to say.
(Well, I’ve solved the puzzle that had been bothering me. I guess I should…)
As Hiiro was about to leave, the girl’s leg had suddenly slipped.
“Tsk” (Hiiro)
Hiiro instinctively rushed towards the girl. As he prevented her from falling, he caught her in his arms.
“Darn…without thinking I just…” (Hiiro)
As Hiiro began making up excuses in his mind, he lied the girl down on the bench to rest. However, as he looked at the sky, he noticed a blazingly bright sun. It was currently the season of Raer (Summer). If someone stayed out in such conditions for a long time, it will not doubt drain their vitality.
(The fever and her fainting. Along with this amount of sweat. Without a doubt, these are the symptoms of heatstroke.)
Hiiro contemplated about how he should deal with this situation. He had considered just leaving her on the bench, however, there were strong rays of sunlight beaming down which would only worsen her condition.
(A cold towel should be applied to the skin. The subject should be moved into the shade and laid on the side of their head with arms placed underneath. The feet need to be raised with a cold object applied to the sole…wait, am I seriously thinking of treating something like this?)
In that instant, treatment methods for heat stroke had surged through his mind. However, Hiiro realized that he such thoughts were unnecessary.
He carried her to the shade, placed a finger on her forehead and proceeded to write something before pausing.
“Why do I have to do this for her?” (Hiiro)
He let out a sigh as he removed his finger. He had no obligation to help her. The symptoms were nothing major either. He judged that if she just rested, she would recover without issue.
As he let go of her, the girl opened her eyes. She trembled as she desperately began to write on her plank of paper. After she was done, she showed it to Hiiro.
[Sorry for causing you trouble. Thank you for carrying me all the way here] (Mimiru)
She displayed an apologetic smile. Looking at her face, he saw a single tear drop fall from her eyes. Hiiro narrowed his eyes. He suddenly felt irritated for some reason.
(As I thought, this brat’s face is really annoying.)
He had discovered the source of his discomfort throughout the encounter. It was that face filled with a sense of inferiority and pain. That smile, it was one that flipped between pain and happiness. Hiiro scowled as he noticed that expression plastered on to the face of a child.
If its painful then just say it hurts. Even if it’s just an expression of agony on your face, its fine. Yet, for her to force a smile when exposed to such a situation would only make someone feel irritated.
(This brat’s such a…even the Chibi’s more honest than her.)
Whether it was good times or bad times, Muir was still honest with herself. Actually, she’s trying to be true to herself. She has the will to be honest with herself. However, the girl before him probably put on that smile so as to not hurt those around her. It reeked of deceit, for a child to act mature and put on such a facade, it was not something that can be easily accepted.
If it was the usual Hiiro, he would have just ignored the girl. He would just tell it to her face. That he met her by accident while wandering around, taking that chance to leave.
However, in this instance, Hiiro felt that he shouldn’t leave the situation in its current state. The feeling was the same as when he had approached the [Gree-Caves]. If he didn’t face this properly, something unpleasant may happen.
He felt that if he didn’t address the issue with the utmost effort, he would stray away from his path. However, he was unable to grasp the reason behind his current premonitions.
He was just grasping the situation by instinct. An important crossroad of his life was lying before him. He felt that if he made a mistake now, his existence would turn into a lie.
(I don’t really have any deep connection with this person, but…)
Hiiro was a human from another world. This girl was a Gabranth living in this world. There was no way that there would be any sort of connection between them. Yet, at this moment, it was as if his soul was telling him that this was the best choice.
Thus, Hiiro approached the girl whose name he did not know.
“Oi, what I’m about to do now, you are not allowed to tell anyone, got it?” (Hiiro)
Saying this, Hiiro approached the girl as he concentrated on his fingertip and started writing.
(Ku~, as expected, the finger’s barely moving.)
It was even slower compared to when he was writing the word [Sleep]. He thought of stopping, however, he was aware that if he stopped while trying to write two words, he would receive a harsh effect. The moment he had started writing two words, he had no choice but to go through with it.
The girl looked at Hiiro with a blank expression wondering what he was doing. Hiiro just ignored it and concentrated on writing the word. Unlike the [Transparency] word, Hiiro knew that if he lost focus he would definitely fail.
(This definitely feels like something that cannot be done without a lot of concentration.)
While thinking so, Hiiro focused really hard on moving his finger
[Restore]… Hiiro was writing a word created to help another person.
[Cure] and [Revive] also came to mind, but he felt that the word [Restore] would fit the situation better. In reality, the magic Hiiro chose by instinct was very similar to an already established magic. Of course, Hiiro was unaware of this.
This instinct, in regards to , would actually become a very crucial factor in the future.
Although this was not the first time Hiiro chose a word by instinct, somewhere inside him, he felt satisfied with his word choice.
A brilliant white light appeared, wrapping her body in a pale aura. As the light seeped into her body, her sunburnt red skin returned to it’s former fair white. Her sweating had also stopped.
Following this, the girl felt that she wasn’t as feeble as before. She suddenly shifted her gaze towards Hiiro, who was arrogantly looking down at her.
“Now then. Try talking, Ribbon.” (Hiiro)