Chapter 8

「Good morning, nice weather, isn’t it?」

「Welco, me.」

I froze when I noticed an unfamiliar color above the head of the beautiful man who entered the shop wearing a worn, dirty cloak. Since I normally keep a blank expression when dealing with him, perhaps it didn’t seem strange even when I froze while remaining expressionless. Hector smiled, handed me an empty bottle, and immediately headed toward a seat in the back.

While silently beginning to wash the bottle, I cast a glance toward Hector. More precisely, toward the projected line above his head.

(Love’s color… yeah… without a doubt…)

A faint, semi-transparent color of love was stretching out just slightly. Semi-transparent emotional colors usually indicate something that hasn’t yet happened, strong emotions that will occur in the future, but when it comes to love, it is a special case.

When someone is in love without realizing it, an unconscious love, it also appears semi-transparent. If someone has experienced love even once, they usually become aware of their own feelings, so in cases like this, it is typically what you would call a first love, and it brings about a somewhat bittersweet feeling. It is something often seen in adolescents, and rare to see above an adult’s head.

For some reason, this projected line does not show when someone is about to fall in love for the first time. It only appears as a semi-transparent color after they have already developed feelings of love. In other words, having a semi-transparent love line means either an unconscious first love, or the state before falling in love again after the first time. If it does not gain color even after more than a day, it can be judged as the former.

(Still… Spring has come even for that flower knight, huh… congratulations)

Six years since I first saw him. A color of love that I had never once seen on him in all those years. Given how short it is, it is probably still a very faint feeling, but I find it somewhat moving, likely because we have gotten a little closer. I at least think something like, I hope he can be happy. I will pray to the gods that Hector’s love comes to fruition.

…Though it may be difficult. If someone were to become his lover, they would receive the jealousy and envy of women from all directions, so they would need considerable resilience. I wonder if such a woman even exists in this world.

As I washed the bottle while thinking about Hector’s partner, the doorbell rang. I lifted my head and called out, 「Welcome」.

「Cyril, are you free right now?」

「Ah, Jean-san. I’m fine.」

The one who entered was Jean, an influential figure in the town and also my guardian. Since he was carrying a medicine box, he must have come to restock. I stopped washing, wiped the water from my hands, and waited for him to come to the counter.

Normally I would serve customers in order of arrival, so I should prioritize Hector, but since I want to keep his presence hidden, I have no choice but to accept Jean’s request as if nothing is unusual. I feel a little guilty about it, but it cannot be helped.

「Sorry for coming so early. I was about to run out of medicine, so I came to restock.」

Smiling naturally at his boyish, carefree grin, I took the medicine box he brought and checked its contents.

Inside, everything was neatly sorted by type, making it easy to see which medicines were running low. Though Jean doesn’t seem like the type to dwell on fine details, he is actually quite meticulous.

「You’re low on bandages, bruise medicine, wound medicine, and disinfectant. I’ll refill anything else that’s low as well. For this amount… 3000 bell.」

「Yeah. Your medicine really works well, it helps a lot.」

「I’m glad I can be of use to you, Jean-san.」

I gathered what was missing from my stock, carefully arranged everything, and packed it into the box. After confirming the payment placed on the counter was exact, I returned the now full medicine box to Jean.

「Thanks, Cyril. Do your best today too!」

「W-wait…!!」

Jean roughly ruffled my hair and left the shop while humming. Does he really feel the need to mess up my hair every time we meet?

Letting out a small sigh, I fixed it with my fingers and returned to washing the bottles. If even a little of the previous medicine remains, it will spoil, so I have to wash them thoroughly.

「…Are you close with him?」

I was asked in a slightly lowered, hushed voice. There are no other customers, so there is no need to whisper, but I also end up answering quietly.

「Close… rather than that… he’s someone who took care of me after I lost my parents.」

Jean is my benefactor. When I was a child, he came to check on me every day. Now that I have grown up, he only comes every few days, but I know he still worries about me.

That is why I must show, through my actions, that I am fine now as a proper pharmacist. …Though for some reason, my reputation as a fortune teller is what is spreading. Why is that?

「I see… I thought…」

Hector started to say something, but it was cut off by the sound of the doorbell. A new customer had arrived. While other customers are present, Hector cannot speak, and I cannot work on preparing his medicine either.

After that, two more customers came one after another, received fortune-telling, or rather love advice, and left, so it took time before I could refill his medicine.

「I’m sorry for the delay. This week’s supply is 5000 bell.」

I hurried over to Hector’s seat with the medicine bottle. He did not seem particularly concerned and was smiling, but when I told him the price, he widened his eyes slightly.

「It’s half the price, you sure?」

「Most of the usual price is hazard pay… and these were made using materials from when you escorted me.」

Thanks to him, I was able to gather other materials as well, and if I were to hire a knight as an escort, even making this medicine free would not be enough, so I don’t mind.

Since I did not have to deal with danger myself, I also did not use up any emergency medicine, so I still make a proper profit even like this.

「I didn’t intend for you to drop the price this low, it feels a bit wrong.」

「Please don’t worry about it. If you think of it as escort payment, it’s actually nothing… more importantly, I’m sorry for making you wait.」

「No, it couldn’t be helped since there were other customers. I also don’t want to be seen.」

Even though he had been the first customer of the day, I had made him wait quite a while, which I felt bad about. Hector does not want others to know about his right hand, and I also do not want people to know he is a regular customer, so it cannot be helped. …I wonder if there is a good solution.

A way to never run into other customers. That would mean outside business hours. Early morning or evening. I am not too keen on it since those are busy hours for me too, but…

「Ah, right. Would you like to come on my day off next time?」

Hector smiled, and a line of surprise stretched out, but I thought it was a good idea myself. If it is my day off, there will be no other customers, so I will not make him wait, and there will be no need to worry about being seen. He could also enter and leave through the back door.

This shop is closed in the middle of the week, on Forest Day, so if it suits Hector, it would be easier for both of us if he came on that day from now on.

「That would be great for me, but is it really okay? Even though it’s your day off?」

「Yes. Even on my day off, I either make medicine or go gathering. If you come in the morning, it wouldn’t be an issue.」

There are hardly any days where I can relax for an entire day. The shop has become quite busy, so it is difficult to manage everything alone. Tea leaves, in particular, run out quickly, and gathering stock is a struggle. Even though I prepare new batches every day, it never feels like it increases.

Lately, I have even started thinking it might be better to shorten business hours and use that time for work instead.

「I see. Then on days you go gathering, I’ll come along as your escort.」

「That would… honestly help, but please don’t overdo it.」

A knight is not a profession with much free time. They are either going on subjugation missions, assigned to escort duty, training, or guarding the town. That is likely how they spend their days outside of their days off. The knight order’s rules are probably not lenient either, and I doubt they are allowed to wander around freely alone.

Hector does not seem pressed for time when he comes to see me, so he is probably using his days off. But it feels wasteful for him to spend his valuable free time on someone like me.

(He seems to have someone he’s in love with, so I want him to use his time for that instead)

If he accompanies me on herb gathering, the entire day will be gone. He will lose time he could spend with the person he likes.

「I’m not overdoing it. I’m doing it because I want to. More than anything, I enjoy it.」

He said it in a joking tone, so it is probably his true feeling. I can tell from the projected lines that he feels comfortable with me and enjoys talking to me.

Does he prefer talking with me, someone who knows his secret and is easy to be around, over going to see the person he has faint feelings for? Or is it that he cannot meet that person on his days off?

Someday, he will become aware of his love. Until the day he faces it directly, I will at least be someone he can talk to. And if he ever comes to me for love advice, I will take it seriously.

Thinking that, I replied, 「I see」, and he sulked, saying, 「That’s cold」.

「Even though the butterflies wouldn’t leave me alone.」

「I am not a butterfly. Now then, please head home before other customers arrive.」

Even as we spoke, it felt like the doorbell might ring at any moment, making me uneasy. Hector, who shrugged lightly and headed straight for the door, likely felt the same.

「…If you’re not a butterfly, then what are you?」

He placed his hand on the door, then suddenly turned back and asked. It was a continuation of the earlier conversation. If Hector is the flower, and the women drawn to him are butterflies, as people often say, then my role would be only one thing.

「I’m medicine. I heal your wounds.」

「I see.」

The expression he showed looked somewhat pleased, and judging from the color of joy extending above his head, it was no misunderstanding. Still, I did not understand what part of my answer had pleased him.

(…What a strange person)

He is bad at showing his emotions, quick to hide his true feelings, endures even pain with a smile, making him hard to read, and even the things that make him happy are unclear. Can someone this difficult really manage a proper romance? It feels like it would be impossible unless the other person is exceptionally perceptive.

I felt a little, no, quite, worried about how his love would turn out, but there is nothing I can do right now. For the time being, I decided that if it ends in heartbreak, I will comfort him.