Chapter 6

Third person perspective.

Dongshu felt dizzy, cold, and had a sore throat. She felt weak in her limbs.

She felt something warm and hard approach her mouth, and reflexively opened it. Warm liquid rushed in, but the bitter taste made her unconsciously push it out with her tongue.

Yagen Toushirou quickly wiped away the spilled medicine and then immediately shoved the next spoonful into his throat. Before the dazed Fuyuki could react, he swallowed the bitter medicine, which caused pain in his throat. Fuyuki frowned, but instinctively swallowed the bitter medicine that reached his throat.

After feeding him the medicine, Yagen Toushirou handed the bowl to Ran Toushirou, then fed him some warm water to remove the bitterness before letting Fuyuki, who had been helped to sit up, lie down.

He straightened the blankets for her, then felt the temperature of the Saniwa's forehead with the back of his hand before quietly leaving the room.

Since the morning, when the attendant Ran Toushirou noticed Fuyuki's abnormal condition, Yagen Toushirou, who was the only doctor in the area, was dragged by Ran to the Saniwa's room and ended up with a fever and a sore throat.

Then came another flurry of activity: feeding Fuyuki her medicine and preparing a specially made meal for her sick. Only now have the tense nerves begun to relax slightly, which means that no one in the citadel has had breakfast yet.

Everyone finished breakfast in silence, and as usual, the attendants arranged the day's battles and internal duties. Since Yagen Toushirou needed to keep an eye on the Saniwa's physical condition, he, who was originally in charge of feeding the horses, switched his duties with Ran Toushirou for the day.

Ran Toushirou bites his handkerchief: The chance to be alone with Aruki is gone.

Ran Toushirou is a reasonable person: I understand that the sick Aruki needs Yagenni more!

Kashuu Kiyomitsu and Yamato no Kami Yasusada are in charge of farming today. They chat from time to time, and inevitably, they think of the Saniwa who is currently running a fever.

"How is Master now?"

"With Yagen here, everything will be fine."

"...Kiyomitsu, are all humans this fragile?"

"I don't know. I remember the first time I saw my owner, she was so small..."

Kashuu Kiyomitsu sighed. He recalled the girl's figure running in the snow, a sight he would never forget—thin and frail.

The thought of protecting her was etched into my mind at that time.

Kashuu Kiyomitsu gripped the hoe tightly, frowning. "I hate jobs that get dirty—"

"However, we must work hard for our master."

Seeing Kashuu Kiyomitsu's smiling face, Yamato no Kami Yasusada also swung his hoe: "Yoshi, Kiyomitsu, let's finish today's work as soon as possible."

But... Kiyomitsu's worries are overflowing.

Lunchtime arrived quickly.

Gokotai and Ran Toushirou wiped the sweat from their foreheads with towels as they walked toward the dining room.

"I'm so hungry, I'm going to retreat~" Ran Toushirou rubbed his stomach, looking rather listless. "I wonder if my lord is feeling any better..."

Goko reassured him, "Don't worry, Ran, Master will be alright."

He patted the little tiger in his arms. "Right, little tiger?"

The little tiger nodded in agreement.

In the dining room, everyone was already seated, looking at the empty main seat, as the sick Saniwa had not yet arrived.

Suddenly, there was a knock on the door.

Kashuu Kiyomitsu immediately stood up and walked towards the door. When he opened the door, he saw Fuyuki walking in from outside, dressed in pajamas.

"Master..." Kashuu Kiyomitsu was stunned, "Your illness..."

"Hmm... I'm fine now." Fuyuki smiled, her complexion much rosier.

“Master, your body…” Shokudaikiri Mitsutada also seemed hesitant to speak, clearly indicating that Fuyuki’s words were not very convincing.

They were genuinely frightened by the Saniwa's inability to wake up this morning, since human children are inherently more vulnerable than they are.

Dongshu waved his hand, looking a little listless: "It's alright, I'm sorry to have worried everyone, but I still want to have dinner with everyone."

After lunch, Dongshu swallowed the unpleasant medicine with a bitter face and drank several cups of warm water before she felt better.

Feeling completely drained, she refused Yagen's offer to follow her and slowly walked back to her room.

The weather is nice today; the sun is gentle and not glaring, and the air is neither too hot nor too cold—perfect weather for finding a place to sit or lie down and read novels or watch anime.

But her body wouldn't allow it, and the rebellious wind wouldn't tolerate it.

Dongshu: I'm tired :) Really.

Wearing pajamas that looked terrible but were just the right temperature, Fuyuki drifted off into thought as she held onto the handrail to go upstairs.

Open the door, go inside, close the door, get on the bed, and roll around.

Fuyuki successfully tucked himself into the blankets, leaving only his head and hands exposed, and the terminal began to perform its mission once again.

The child's listless afternoon began.

Dinner consisted of different kinds of porridge and the same kind of medicine.

Pain Mask.jpg

The most comfortable thing when you're sick is to sleep soundly for a long time.

That night, in his dream, Tsurumaru Kuninaga appeared before Fuyuki again.

This time he was unharmed, and his entire body was full of energy. His golden eyes shone brightly, like dazzling pearls, radiating a sharp and captivating light.

"This Saniwa has really frightened me!"

He chuckled and leaned closer, his eyes gleaming with gold.

"It was a great scare, though."

Dongshu blinked.

...Oh, how can it not count?

—

midnight.

Dongshu woke up with a start, struggling to turn her groggy head, and suddenly felt that familiar sensation.

He roared in his heart.

—Yagen, your Saniwa needs you!