Chapter 10

When I saw Lyme again, he looked even worse than before. His beautiful long golden hair was disheveled by water droplets dripping from the ends, and even his clothes were soaked.

But do you remember seeing blue skies and white clouds before you came to the infirmary? It was a sunny day.

Given the lingering trauma from yesterday with Lyme, you're not keen on being alone with him in a room. But you know Lyme meant well by taking you out; it's just that things didn't go as smoothly as you'd hoped.

Thinking of this, you suppress the unconscious trembling in your body and softly ask Lym, who is standing silently at the door, about the purpose of his trip.

"Are you injured somewhere?"

Because Lem was wearing sunglasses, you couldn't see his expression when you were face-to-face with him. The next second, Lem, still soaking wet, took a few steps up to you and pulled out a pretty seashell.

"This is for you."

Looking at the seashells still damp with water, you seem to understand why Lime is soaking wet. And just as this makes you even more confused about Lime's behavior, so too are you about the seashells.

Why are you giving it to me?

Your relationship with Lyme isn't close enough for you to exchange gifts. This simple question elicited a reaction from Lyme that seemed to be one of embarrassment and anger.

He stopped waiting, grabbed your uninjured hand, and placed the seashell in it. Because he acted so quickly, you didn't have time to refuse him.

Your gaze swept over the wet seashell in your hand and over Lyme, whose expression had improved considerably after doing all this. Only after realizing you were looking at him did Lyme continue with the question you had asked not long ago.

"...Take it if I give it to you."

After saying that, Lem, soaking wet, turned and left, leaving traces of water droplets on his body along the way. Lem probably ran into Hongo as he left, because even if you were still in your room, you could hear Hongo asking Lem where he was going, all soaking wet.

This silenced you as you saw the water stains scattered throughout the infirmary. Knowing that Hongo would soon find out what Ryme had done, your hand holding the seashell trembled uncontrollably with fear.

Sure enough, when Hongo saw the water stains at the door and inside, and saw you grinning with the conspicuous seashell in your hand, his expression changed.

"I knew it, what could that guy Lem possibly be doing here..."

It's quite unexpected to see Hongo so furious. But in the blink of an eye, Hongo returns to his usual expression when he's with you.

"Lime gave me raw seashells, right? I'll polish them into ornaments that you can display."

I must say, Benxiang is very thoughtful; he solved your problem of not being able to get the seashells right away.

Of course, if you were in charge, regardless of whether there was a solution or not, you would eventually throw them back into the sea when no one was on deck. The reason is simple: you don't need them; the thing that gave you the seashells was lime, which leaves you with mixed feelings.

With that in mind, even though Hongo offered to help you polish it, you still asked a polite question.

"May I?"

"Sure, I'm just killing time anyway."

With Honjō's affirmative reply, you handed over the seashells, still damp with salty seawater, to Honjō.

Seeing the slight frown on Hongo's brow when he received the seashell, you realized that this texture was a trigger for the cleanliness-obsessed Hongo, so you immediately took the seashell back from him and apologized.

"I'm sorry, I should have washed it before giving it to you."

Hongo, who was still stunned by your sudden change of heart, smiled knowingly after hearing your apology.

“You’ve misunderstood. I’m just worried that Lem hasn’t thought about this issue.”

Speaking of the lime that almost turned the infirmary into a waterfall, Hongo, who took the seashell from your hand and casually took a wet towel from the table next to you to wipe your hands, started talking about the lime.

"Isn't he strange? He came over soaking wet and stuffed some unprocessed seashells into your hands, then left without saying a word."

"I guess someone told him he might like this kind of item, and he went to sea to find it."

Hongo's words reminded you of Rem's soaking wet clothes and hair when he arrived. So... was Rem caught and delivered on the spot?

Perhaps your expression was too obvious, Hongo, who could only laugh, continued to patch up Ryme's behavior.

"Lyme probably wanted to apologize for scaring you yesterday. But he knows you're afraid of him now, and he's not very good at talking, so he gave you something."

You understand the logic and reasoning, but you probably won't understand Lyme's reaction and behavior even after several more months.

At the same time, Hongo let go of your hand that was dirty with seashells, realizing that the temperature on your face had risen slightly because you had wiped your hand with Hongo like that.

If the person doing this isn't a local who can remain impassive, you'd probably suspect they're using your supposed cleanliness as an excuse to take advantage of you.

Seeing that the village had put down the towel, you went to get the cleaning tools from behind the door, and you, who had witnessed the medical room being soiled, hurriedly got up.

"Um, let me clean it. After all, I'm partly to blame for the state of the infirmary."

Upon hearing this, Hongo looked you over. You thought of your hand, still wrapped in bandages, and added conditions to your actions.

"I won't get my hand wet, so feel free to leave the cleaning to me."

"I'll feel bad if I do nothing."

As your voice grew weaker, Hongo handed you the mop.

"I understand. Then I'll leave the cleaning of the infirmary to you. I'll take care of the seashells. Is that alright?"

Not only did they get you to do what you said, but they also created work for themselves. The local's thoughtfulness made you feel grateful and relieved at the same time.

"OK."

Hongo left with the seashells, while you used a dry mop to wipe up the water stains in the infirmary. If your dominant hand weren't still bandaged, you would have wanted to wipe down the tables and chairs in the infirmary as well.

Keep the already clean medical room as clean as it is. Unfortunately, wetting the towels always gets your hands wet, so you changed the table-wiping process to changing the bed sheets.

Since you took up a permanent post in the infirmary, you've basically been the one resting in this bed. Even though it's highly unlikely that anyone on the ship will come to the infirmary to lie down, you should still get some real work done.

You take out clean sheets and change the sheets on the few beds you have. Although changing sheets doesn't require getting them wet, it's still a bit difficult to do it manually since the seams haven't been removed yet. Fortunately, you manage to get every corner clean using your household skills.

Next comes the pillowcases. Not knowing which pillow had been used, you replaced all the pillowcases with new ones. After doing all this, you looked at the neatly made bed and smiled with satisfaction.

"It looks very comfortable. Can I take a nap here?"

The sudden male voice made you instinctively turn to look at the door. Standing there was Shanks, the man you had talked to yesterday. Perhaps because of the time, Shanks, backlit by white light, seemed more approachable than last night.

You have no idea when Shanks, with a faint smile on his face, arrived, or how long he'd been standing at the door. The thought that Shanks might have seen everything you'd just done makes you feel awkward.

However, your focus right now shouldn't be on that; it should be on Shanks' problem.

"Should...should this be okay?"

Although Hongo said that few people from the ship would come, he didn't say they definitely wouldn't. As for whether uninjured people could sleep in the infirmary... well, that's hard to say. But then another problem arises: Shanks is the captain; if he wants to sleep, can Hongo kick him out?

In conclusion, you believe Shanks can sleep in the infirmary, and your uncertain tone has gained some confidence.

"OK."

It's unclear what triggered Shanks's laughter, but he was standing at the door laughing so hard his upper body was shaking as he walked in.

Under your puzzled gaze, Shanks walked over and sat down on the bed closest to you. His male voice, which even had a hint of laughter in it, brought up a new topic.

"You're really funny. Usually, locals won't let me sit down after they change the sheets."

It would have been better if Shanks hadn't said anything, because the person who agreed to come in gasped in shock. Shanks, having acted first and asked for permission later, lay down and remarked on how nice the new sheets and pillowcases smelled.

According to the law of conservation of smiles, smiles do not disappear, they only shift.

When Hongo returned to the infirmary, he saw Shanks lying on the hospital bed, and you standing awkwardly to the side, looking at him anxiously. Even though no one told you what happened, Hongo knew the gist of the matter.

"Don't worry, I didn't blame you."

Hongo, who had just entered, first comforted you as you realized you had made the wrong choice. Then, under your gaze, he walked to the bedside where Shanks was lying and slapped Shanks on the back without any mercy.

The force was so great that even someone some distance away could hear it clearly. Shanks, who had been slapped, lost his smile and frowned, complaining that Hongo's slap was too heavy.

Hongo responded with an indifferent expression.

"Are you comfortable lying down? If you've had enough, get up."

Realizing belatedly that you had witnessed a scene that could be considered an act of insubordination, you tried to shrink into a ball to avoid Shanks blaming you for the slap Hongo gave you afterward.

The truth is completely different from what you imagined. Shanks not only didn't blame you, he didn't even spare you a glance.

"Okay, okay, get up now."

Shanks sat up in bed, yawned, and gave you a smile that was far too bright for a pirate, amidst Hongo's muttered "neither one nor one is easy to deal with."

"Would you like to take a walk on the deck? The weather's nice today; maybe we'll see some sea kings."

So far, you've only seen the banana crocodile with Crocodile, and various of Robin's animal mounts. As for the Sea Kings Shanks mentioned, you haven't actually seen them.

Thinking of the other people on the ship, and not wanting to attract too much attention from them, you declined Shanks' invitation.

"I'd better stay here; I can't be of any help outside anyway."

Hongo, who was still debating whether or not to stop Shanks from taking you to the deck, inexplicably breathed a sigh of relief at your answer. Shanks, who had been rejected, noticed Hongo's reaction, subtly concealed his discovery, and continued the conversation with feigned regret.

"Alright, I'll be going now."

After watching Shanks leave the infirmary, Hongo turned to you and started talking about Shanks.

"That's just how the boss is. He only puts on airs when it comes to serious matters; otherwise, it's good enough if he doesn't cause trouble."

Although it sounded like a complaint, Hongo's tone was more of a reassurance. You know, Hongo wanted you not to take what Shanks just did to heart.

If the owner of the clinic doesn't care, how could you, an outsider, possibly care?

"No, I think Shanks is cute even like this."

His casual remark caused Hongo to widen his eyes in disbelief, as he looked on in disbelief.

"Cute...? You mean the boss? Shanks?"

The unexpected reaction made you quickly change your mind.

"Ah...sorry, is that not a good way to put it? How about...approachable?"

Realizing there was no ambiguity in your words, Hongo laughed, laughing so hard his upper body swayed from side to side, waving his hand as he laughed to tell you not to mind.

When Hongo stopped laughing, he wiped away the tears that had spilled from the corners of his eyes from laughing too hard, and repeated what you had said last.

"You're right, she's approachable."

Just when you thought the topic would end there, Hongo brought up your rejection of Shanks's offer.

"Then why don't you go to the deck with the boss to see the sea kings?"

This question contrasts sharply with your previous answer. I must say, Honjo is very good at grasping the key points.

Having just said that Shanks is approachable, you naturally wouldn't say you're afraid of others, so you made up an excuse to fool Hongo.

"Because I'm afraid of getting a tan."

As you speak, you look out the window of the infirmary, where you can immediately see the sunlight streaming through. The glass windows reflect halos of light, making even the plants on the windowsill appear more vibrant.

The thought of Alabasta being so hot you want to bask in the evening sun makes you chuckle.

"After all, the sun is shining so brightly today, isn't it?"

As you spoke, you turned to Hongo for his opinion. Hongo, who had been chatting and laughing with you, turned his head away, a blush seemingly rising on his wheat-colored skin.

"Yes, yes, the sun is so strong, it's easy to get a tan."

It must be the temperature; the place you're looking at is the one that's so hot.