Chapter 15
Realizing that Hongo is also someone you need to be wary of, you find it hard to accept his kindness, but you still have to honor your promise to assist him. To avoid a repeat of previous situations, you arrive at the infirmary before Hongo and clean up all the dust and trash in the room.
Boiling water, disinfecting, tidying up the messy sheets and blankets—who knows who's been sleeping there? Hongo, who previously said he rarely came to the infirmary, was doing all this. Apparently, the overly tidy environment made Hongo momentarily lose his composure. Realizing it was you, Jin, who had created this mess, Hongo gave you a helpless smile.
"You came to clean up so early? You didn't really need to do this."
You know the clinic rarely gets any visitors and doesn't need much cleaning, but you can't just leave without doing something. If you do what you can first, the village won't have any reason to keep you here, right?
You respond to Hongo's helpless expression with a polite smile.
"It's no trouble at all, just a quick favor. Is there anything else I can do for you?"
Even someone as oblivious as Hongo could sense the meaning behind your unusual behavior. Clearly, you didn't really want to be alone with him right now. This realization troubled Hongo, but he was the one who had caused this situation, so he couldn't blame anyone else.
He knows that even if he tried to force you to stay, you wouldn't refuse, but the outcome would definitely be very different from what he wants. Already wary of the people on the ship, you might become the person he least wants to befriend if he continues to get close to you.
After clarifying the situation, Honjo, with a kind smile, gently made a suggestion to you.
"No, that's all. The weather's lovely today, perhaps you could go up on the deck and soak up some sun?"
"However, the guys on deck are a bit careless, so you need to be careful."
Two sentences made you, who was wary of your fellow townsman, feel guilty. It wasn't for anything else, just because your fellow townsman's advice was overly considerate. But since he'd already spoken, you couldn't very well refuse.
"That's true. I'll go sunbathe on the deck. If you need any help, feel free to ask me anytime."
Basic etiquette is still necessary, and your answer brought a smile to Hongo's face.
"Okay, I will."
As you left the infirmary, the smile on Hongo's face gradually faded. Looking around the clean and welcoming infirmary, Hongo felt a pang of regret that he hadn't seen you tidy it up. Thinking of your impassive conversation, trying to distance yourself from him, Hongo felt a sense of helplessness.
"Okay, we'll have to tone it down for now."
Pushing you too hard is not a good thing.
-
It wasn't time to cook in the kitchen yet, which meant you could only choose between the room and the deck. You'd prefer the room, but faced with the choice between a dimly lit room and bright sunlight... you chose the latter.
You've almost forgotten how long it's been since you looked up at the sky, let alone a clear blue sky.
After making up your mind, you walked halfway around the deck, during which you saw one or two people sleeping in the railing of the corridor. Those who weren't sleeping greeted you warmly when they noticed you; Lu was one of them. Others didn't seem to care about you, continuing to play cards with their companions or chat about topics they could understand.
No one pays you much attention, and no one talks to you. This feeling of being ignored makes you feel at ease until you encounter Shanks and his crew at the bow of the ship, who seem to be deciding the outcome by fishing.
The first person to notice you was Beckman, who was acting as the referee on the sidelines, but the first person to speak to you was Shanks, who noticed you after Beckman.
"How rare to see you out for a walk?"
Shanks' approachable tone made you temporarily forget the fear in your recent dream. You smiled back at Shanks, your gaze falling on his, Lyme's, and Yasopp's fishing rods.
"The weather is so nice, I thought I'd go for a walk. Are you...?"
"We're having a competition to see who catches the most fish. Interested in joining? The winner can get the last-place person to do something for them unconditionally!"
Yasopp has extended an invitation to you first, and you're wavering between accepting and not accepting. From a long-term perspective, participating in their activities can strengthen your relationship with them, and it will also give you more options if you want to spend your time elsewhere later.
Honestly, you're more afraid that you'll be the last one in Yasopp's list. If you were last, you feel like you'd be finished. After weighing the pros and cons, you still decide to refuse.
Before you could even speak, Beckman, who was acting as the referee, made an unexpected suggestion.
"Come on, give it a try. If you come in last, I'll fulfill the bet for you."
Not only you, but Shanks and the others were also surprised by Beckman's proposal. In the blink of an eye, Shanks composed himself and gladly extended an invitation to you.
"That's right! Let's give it a try, Baker said so! I can't wait for Baker to make my wish come true!"
Shanks grinned wickedly, convinced that you would be last after joining. Yasopp, who meant to help you relax, couldn't help but slap Shanks.
"How can you talk like that? How can she dare to participate after hearing that!"
Yasopp's slap didn't stun Shanks, but it terrified you, who was standing nearby, leaving you frozen in fear. Meanwhile, Shanks, seemingly unfazed, continued chatting with Yasopp about the topic, laughing and joking.
"Oh, isn't this a reverse psychology tactic? If we can't get her excited, we can at least get Baker excited!"
Watching Shanks so honestly reveal his entire plan, you have a completely different understanding of him. At the same time, Beckman appears out of nowhere, pulling out a brand new fishing rod and walking up to you.
"Come on if you want to play, ignore them."
Having said all that, you seem to have no reason to refuse. Besides, Beckman has taken on the most troublesome task for you, so what else is there to worry about?
With that thought in mind, you reached out and gripped the fishing rod, looking at Beckman with a determined gaze.
"I understand. I will try my best not to be a burden to you."
As you spoke, you took the fishing rod from Beckman, who was still stunned, and walked to the empty seat between Lyme and Yasopp. Before sitting down, you looked at Lyme, who hadn't said a word, and asked for his opinion.
May I sit here?
Upon hearing this, Lem looked up at you and replied with two words.
"Can."
After receiving Lym's permission, you sat down on the floor, mimicking their posture. As you sat down, Shanks, standing a yoke's distance away, let out a sigh.
"Not bad! You've got a great stance. Now we'll see who comes in last."
Yasopp, sitting between you and Shanks, waved to you, indicating that you should ignore Shanks, and you complied. Mainly, you wanted to talk to Shanks, and Yasopp's height was blocking Shanks' view, so you couldn't see where Shanks was.
Honestly, this is your first time fishing, so you don't know if there are any techniques involved. But you do know one thing: when you feel a fish bite, pull it up. That's pretty universal knowledge, right?
When you doubt your own understanding, Lyme, sitting next to you, speaks up to remind you.
"It's time to pull it up."
"Ah, okay!"
Awakening as if from a dream, you hurriedly pulled up your fishing rod, and your first ever fish took the bait. With Beckman's help, the fish that had taken the bait was put into a bucket where it could swim for a while. In the blink of an eye, bait was on your hook. Judging from Yasopp's gesture of waving to you to continue the game, he was the one who put the bait on your hook.
"Thanks."
When you thanked him, Yasopp laughed heartily, indicating that you shouldn't take it to heart.
"No need to thank me! If you really want to thank me, then catch a few more fish to make an extra meal for everyone!"
You felt that Yasopp's expectations of you were a bit too high; you were a newbie, how could you possibly have that kind of skill? But since Yasopp said so, you didn't want to offend him, so you nodded in agreement to his expectations.
But you seem to have underestimated your fishing talent.
Not long after casting the line, another fish took the bait. Having watched Beckman remove the fish from the hook and gained some experience, you politely declined Beckman's offer to help and tried to remove the fish yourself.
Perhaps you're not skilled enough, or perhaps this fish is stronger than the last one. You couldn't hook the fish as easily as Beckman did; you could even say the fish broke free of the hook and fell onto the deck.
Watching the lively fish splashing on the deck, you felt a flush rise to your face. The three people behind you quieted down, but you could clearly tell from the discomfort behind you that they were watching you. Beckman, who was temporarily on your boat, seemed inclined to help you and took half a step toward where you were crouching down.
Seeing this, you quickly spoke up to stop Beckman from getting closer to you.
"Um, I can do it myself! I can do it!"
If there were a mirror, you would definitely see your bright red face. Fortunately, there isn't, and thanks to your efforts, the thrashing fish was finally put into the bucket.
When you return to your original seat, you can clearly feel that your body temperature and the temperature on your face have risen.
That's why Lyme, who was closest to you, noticed the change in your expression and asked what was wrong.
"Should we go and check with Hongo?"
It's obvious that "Lyme" refers to your face. Running around and feeling embarrassed like that, you're probably red as hell by now. Even so, you still have to stick to your post in the game.
"It shouldn't be necessary, thank you for your concern."
You turned to Lyme with an awkward smile to express your gratitude. He hesitated for a moment, then nodded in thanks before turning back to focus on his fishing rod.
Fishing requires a lot of patience, so it seemed strange that Lyme would leave his spot and then return shortly after. But it wasn't surprising that he took more bites than you and Shanks combined.
In your and Shanks's plan, you were supposed to be last. So you were surprised when Beckman announced that you and Yasopp were tied for second, Lyme was first, and Shanks was last.
"No way? I'm the last one? Really?"
Shanks, still unwilling to give up, let out a wail. Yasopp, who had initially been bickering with Shanks, laughed and said that Shanks underestimated him. In contrast to the bustling corner, you looked at your bucket, which contained far more fish than you remembered, and your heart remained unsettled for a long time.
"What's wrong? You look surprised?"
Beckman's smiling voice brought you back to your senses. You looked up at Beckman, and his gentle smile conveyed your thoughts.
"Hmm...it's a bit of a surprise, considering it's my first time fishing. And...I don't think I've ever caught so many fish before."
Upon hearing this, Beckman chuckled softly, his gaze falling on the area behind you. You looked in the direction Beckman was looking and saw Lyme arguing with Shanks about whose bucket had more different kinds of fish.
Compared to the silent Rem just now, the Rem who is now arguing with Shanks is quite novel.
"Lyme cares about you, but he doesn't talk to women much, so don't take it to heart."
Even if you're slow on the uptake, you'd understand what Beckman meant. They invited you to the match, clearly to ease tensions between you and Lem.
As for why there are so many fish in your bucket, it's most likely Lyme's doing.
Realizing this, you seem unable to pretend nothing's wrong in front of Lym anymore.
But what can you give Lime now? You can't think of anything. You can't exactly make Lime another fried rice, can you?
Considering the large number of people present, it's not appropriate for you to admit to Shanks and the others that you were cheated and escaped punishment.
-
According to Lu, Lyme will come to the kitchen to find food at a certain time, so you wait in the kitchen at the time Lu said to, until Lyme appears as scheduled.
Perhaps it's because of Lime's care for you during the day and his willingness to share fish with you that you, who previously thought Lime was difficult to get along with, are now able to greet him proactively.
Good evening, would you like something to eat?
Slightly dazed by your appearance, Lem hesitated for a moment before nodding. In the kitchen, where it was just the two of you and Lem, you expressed your gratitude to Lem first.
"Thank you for what happened during the day."
"...You found out?"
Perhaps it's your imagination, but you feel that Lyme, who is turning his head away and not daring to look at you, is being shy.
"After all, it's difficult to know if the numbers don't match."
Lem, who had turned his head away, remained silent for a while before turning back to look at you and speaking to you in an uncertain tone.
"You're not angry?"
Lem's words puzzled you. Did Lem perceive you as someone easily angered? It's normal to be misunderstood, but you felt it necessary to correct the image Lem had of you.
"I'm the one who benefits, so why should I be angry? On the contrary, I should be giving you something in return."
"Didn't I not reciprocate when you gave me the seashells last time?"
You paused for a few seconds, and seeing that Lym didn't seem inclined to respond, you continued the conversation.
"I can't give you a material gift right now. But I can cook you something to eat. Is there anything you'd like to eat?"
As your voice rose slightly at the end, the atmosphere in the kitchen seemed to change. Lyme, who had previously kept a certain distance from you, took a step forward, closing the gap.
If I said, "You have something you can give me, will you give it to me?"
When you finally hear Lem's voice, your unconsciously retreating body forces you into a corner. And Lem, standing right in front of you, blocks your only path.
You can't see Lyme's expression behind his sunglasses, but his barely suppressed laughter makes you feel that the person in front of you is trying hard to restrain something. This situation is terrible, terrible for both you and Lyme.
Unable to turn away or escape the corner, you can only try to soothe Lyme's emotions by following his words.
"I... can only do my best. Perhaps you could tell me first, so I can be mentally prepared?"
You forced a smile, suppressing your instinct to escape under Lem's gaze. Unfortunately, Lem, whose emotions were in turmoil, failed to understand your meaning and further closed the distance between you.
The distance between you and Lyme's jaw, just by looking up, is too dangerous. And at that same distance, a slightly trembling male voice whispers in your ear.
I want you to touch me first.
"Hands or feet are fine. Any part of the body that can feel your touch... is fine."
Wait, you seem to have heard an incredible request?! Realizing that the person in front of you is trembling with excitement, unable to distinguish whether it's fear or a request beyond your comprehension, you find yourself unable to squeeze out a sound to answer Lyme's question.
Instead of giving up on getting an answer from you, Clare took your hand and pressed your trembling palm against his cheek.
"Are you going to back out?"
The fact that it seemed certain you would agree filled you with dread, and you tried to pull your hand away from Lyme's grasp.
"No, I haven't—"
Even faster than your refusal came Hongo's voice, which appeared in the kitchen at some unknown time.
"Lyme, that's enough, you've scared her."
Not only you, but Rem also didn't notice Hongo's arrival. And just like that, you took advantage of Rem's distraction to escape from the kitchen, leaving Hongo and Rem staring blankly at each other.
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