Chapter 15: Sleep Versus Endless Rest

Chapter 15:
Sleep Versus Endless Rest

 

OH, CRAP. I screwed up. Mina was in my bed, fast asleep. What should I do?

“M-Mina…?” She showed no sign of waking.

I was in something of a panic when I heard the door open. “Where Mina, Master?”

I hurriedly covered her with my blanket. “Sh-sh-she w-went shopping. Yeah!”

“Got it.” Noela trotted out.

That was way too close. Not that it’d be a huge deal if Noela saw Mina in here, but… Wait, would it be? I couldn’t judge this situation properly. In fact, I’d panicked so hard, I’d fibbed to Noela.

“H-hey, Mina. Lovely little Mina?” No response. “If you don’t wake up, I’ll flip your skirt.”

Still no response. She was fast asleep.

“Augh! Mina, how long do you plan to snooze for?!”

 

***

 

Last night, Mina had come to me with something on her mind. “I haven’t been able to sleep recently,” she’d told me. “I’m so tired, I can barely focus on work or chores.”

“That’s got to be rough.”

Mina said that even the drugstore’s bubble bath didn’t help. I guess that makes sense. The bubble bath just enhances bedtime. Being warm helps you nod off, but it doesn’t actually make you sleepy.

“Could there be a problem with my bed or blankets?” Mina inquired.

“Wanna try a different bed? I’ll use yours, and you can sleep in mine.”

We gave it a shot, but Mina still couldn’t doze off. That night, she shook me awake.

“Sorry to wake you like this, Mr. Reiji.”

“Still can’t sleep?”

She shook her head apologetically.

Mina helped a lot at the drugstore and always did her best with the housework. Insomnia might really bother her, and if it did, the domino effect would make things tough for Noela and me too. I needed to do everything I could to help her sleep.

“Let me see if I can make a simple treatment,” I offered.

“Thank you, but it’s late. It can wait until tomorrow.”

“Nah, that’s fine. I’m already wide awake,” I replied, heading to the lab.

I wasn’t making something complicated with tons of rare ingredients, so it didn’t take me long to finish up.

 

Sleepy Sleep: Sleep aid. No side effects. Suitable for small children.

 

Figuring that that would get Mina to sleep, I went back to my room and found her in my bed. Ideally, she would’ve drifted off while I concocted the sleepy-sleep treatment. Unfortunately, reality hadn’t worked that way.

I heard Mina sniff. “Smells like Mr. Reiji…”

Why’s she smelling my bed?

“I sort of feel as though I’m doing something I shouldn’t,” she murmured to herself. “My heart’s racing.”

“You’re never gonna get to sleep doing that.”

“Eek! M-Mr. Reiji! Wh-what is it?”

“I made your prescription. Here.”

“F-for the record, I certainly haven’t been lying here, smelling your bed,” Mina stammered. “I just couldn’t sleep, so I got curious!”

“It’s fine. Please don’t explain yourself.” She probably hadn’t lied about her insomnia; I’d seen bags under her eyes these last few days. I handed her the brand-new formula. “I fine-tuned it so it’s safe for kids. Its effect on adults may be mild.” On the other hand, whenever I make a product, it always works too well. “Don’t drink the whole thing. Just take a sip, okay?”

“All right.” Mina drank about half the bottle’s contents.

I definitely told her only to take a sip! “You should be fine now. Let me know if you still can’t sleep.”

“I will. Thanks so much, Mr. Reiji.”

After we said goodnight, I made my way back to Mina’s bedroom; Noela was already fast asleep.

 

***

 

This morning, Mina still wasn’t awake. I left her alone until noon, since she hadn’t been sleeping much. Now it was lunchtime, and she still showed no sign of waking up.

Jeez, what am I supposed to do? What if Mina never gets up again?!

“Wait…wouldn’t that be my fault? After all, a drugstore product knocked her out. Mina, please! Wake! Up!” Grabbing her shoulders, I shook her as hard as I could, but she was still fast asleep.

That evening, there was no change in Mina’s condition. Noela and I had dinner out; needless to say, she continued to dream even after we returned. This isn’t good.

Looking at the unconscious Mina, Noela said with certainty, “Mina wake if tummy hurt, for sure.”

“Uh, really? I mean, I doubt that’d be enough to…”

“Tummy hurt if put pill in butt.”

“You mean a suppository?!” I gaped at Noela. “Y-you’d handle that, right?”

“Impossible.”

“Yo! Mina! Wake up!” I shook her shoulders again and even pinched her cheeks. “If you don’t, I might have to prescribe a suppository!”

It was no good. There was zero sign of Mina regaining consciousness. As I yelled at the sleeping beauty, Noela turned to fetch a suppository from the drugstore.

“Hold on, Noela! Let’s have Mina drink tons of water and see whether she wakes up to use the bathroom,” I suggested. “Your plan…definitely isn’t tentative, but it’s possible Mina would never speak to me again.”

I filled a pitcher and, bit by bit, helped Mina drink a liter of water. There was a good chance she’d just wet the bed. But since I didn’t want to invade her privacy, this was the safest strategy by far—and the only one that prevented anyone from being hurt.

Noela and I headed back to the girls’ bedroom and went to sleep, hoping Mina would wake up the next morning.

Mina finally regained consciousness just after noon and dropped into the drugstore. Her face was well-rested, her skin silky-smooth. “Goodness, I slept so well! Thank you, Mr. Reiji.”

“G-great,” I stammered. “I’m so… so glad you’re awake. I mean it. Otherwise, I would’ve gone on my last mission tonight.”

“Hrm?” Mina looked at the clock. “Oh, but I’ve overslept a bit! It’s already after lunch.”

“Today’s the fourth, Mina.”

“Huh? You mean the third, right?”

“Uh-uh. Over thirty hours have passed since you took that sleepy-sleep formula.”

“Wha—?! B-but…”

“What’s wrong?”

“Uh…um…n-nothing. Ah ha ha!”

Mina was clearly hiding something. I was puzzled over what it could be, but I decided not to let it frustrate me. Later that night, after she shook me awake, I discovered what she was concealing.

“Hrm…what’s up, Mina?”

“Um…I still can’t sleep, Mr. Reiji.”

“Seriously? Well…if I prescribe some sleepy-sleep, and you dilute it with water, it should work fine.”

Mina seemed to struggle to find the right words. “To be honest, last night…I got up to use the bathroom.”

“Huh?” I guess my water plan worked. “That means…”

“On top of that, when I woke up this morning, I just curled up in your bed, and…”

“Nodded off? You’re telling me you went back to bed again? Well, well. You sure enjoyed your beauty sleep, huh?”

“Tee hee!” Mina giggled.

“Don’t you ‘tee hee’ me! Do you realize how worried I was?”

“I’m sorry! Um…could I have some of that sleepy-sleep medicine tonight too?”

“It sounds like you don’t regret sleeping late at all.” I pointed at her. “I’m prescribing you a suppository!”

“E-excuse me?! Those go in your butt, right?!” She balked. “You’ll see everything!”

“It’s for your health! No point in resisting!”

“I requested the sleepy-sleep formula!”

“For Little Miss Sleepyhead who goes back to sleep twice, that formula is prescribed alongside a suppository. If you don’t want to suffer through it, you’ll have to fall asleep by yourself. You better remember that!”

By sunrise, Mina hadn’t drifted off; she’d basically already overslept. She wasn’t the least bit tired, though, thanks to all the rest she got the previous night.

I diluted the sleepy-sleep formula before putting it on sale. It proved especially effective for insomnia patients and sleepless, crying children; it sold particularly well to married couples.