Chapter 9

Today is the pharmacy’s regular day off. However, there is one scheduled visitor. Right on time, there was a knock at the back door, so I immediately unlatched it and opened it.

「Welcome.」

「Sorry to bother you on your day off.」

「No, it would be far more troublesome if other customers saw you here, Hector-san.」

Recently, the number of customers at the pharmacy has increased, rather, more people have been coming in wanting fortune-telling and buying products for that purpose. Thanks to that, business is thriving, but it has become difficult to provide Hector with his medicine. As a result, we’ve ended up having him come on days like this.

After all, he is known as the Flower Knight, a peerlessly handsome man, and it’s said that about eighty percent of the women in this town who don’t have a lover are in love with him. If it became known that he was a regular customer here, women would flood the shop just to see him, and business would become impossible.

…Well, perhaps it isn’t serious love. There are probably many who simply admire him.

And because of that beauty, Hector has been chased around by women since childhood, which has made him quite the woman-hater.

(So it really is first love… still half-transparent.)

When he visited the shop last week, I noticed a half-transparent line of predicted romance extending above his head. The fact that it’s still half-transparent even now means it’s safe to assume he’s in an unconscious state of first love.

(If it’s first love at his age, it might get complicated. Maybe I should leave him alone until he realizes it himself.)

He knows about my ability, and since I’m a woman he can talk to casually, I should be able to give him advice about love. I silently cheer him on, thinking that when he eventually worries about it, I’ll listen seriously, and I guide Hector to a seat in the shop.

「I’ll take the empty bottle.」

「Yeah, thanks.」

As I wash the small bottle and begin refilling it, I think to myself that I should have left some magic bottles empty. All my magic bottles are filled with various potions for storage, so Hector has no choice but to keep using the same one.

Normally, refills are done by taking an empty container from the customer and handing back a different one that was pre-filled. But since I have no empty magic bottles, I can’t do that.

(If I were nearby, I could protect it with magic power, so it wouldn’t need to be a magic bottle, but that’s not really feasible.)

In fact, the large bottle in the shop that stores Hector’s medicine is just an ordinary bottle with no special mechanism. It only maintains its quality because I protect it daily with magic power; if I forget, it would become unusable immediately.

The medicine for Hector, made from materials I just gathered recently. It will probably run out in about two months, so I’ll have to go gather more before then.

(It would help if Hector-san came with me, but he’s in the middle of his first love… I want him to prioritize the girl.)

I’ve always gathered materials alone, so I’ll be fine continuing to do so. Last time was just special.

Once I finish filling the magic bottle, I bring it over to Hector, who has been waiting. I settle the payment on the spot, but he doesn’t get up to leave.

「If you have time… could you recommend some tea leaves? Sorry to ask on your day off, but can’t really ask properly during business hours.」

「Ah, sure. In that case, please wait a moment. I’ll prepare some samples.」

Since Hector can’t really browse the shop during business hours, he’s only really seen the products once before. Today is technically a day off, but serving just him as a customer is no problem. After this, I only planned to go shopping and make potions, so I have time.

Customers who come for fortune-telling usually buy tea leaves, and they seem to like the tea itself as well. I prepare three small cups using two popular kinds and a new one I’m thinking of releasing.

A relaxing herbal tea and a fruit-scented black tea are the standard popular choices. The third is a green tea with a distinctive aroma that lingers in the nose, which I’m considering as a new product. I’d appreciate hearing someone’s opinion before putting it on sale.

「These two are popular with women. The third is something I’m thinking of releasing as a new product… I’d like your opinion, though I’m not sure how it pairs with sweets.」

「Oh, in that case, I bought some sweets that are said to be delicious, so maybe I’ll try them together. You should have some too.」

What Hector took out was a box of cookies in cute packaging. They’ve been trending around here lately, decorated with jam or chocolate drawings, making them very adorable. They’re fairly expensive and quite popular as gifts for women. Expensive, though.

「…Wow.」

The moment he took them out, a line of sorrow-colored light began to extend above his head. And it was half-transparent. That means if either Hector or I eat these cookies, it will result in him becoming deeply sad.

「Hector-san, could I take a look at those cookies for a moment?」

「Sure, here you go.」

I take one from the offered box and examine it carefully. The sweet scent of baked goods… mixed with a strange odor. If eaten, it would probably be spat out immediately.

A gift popular among women, bought by the Flower Knight. Naturally, it’s meant to be given to some woman. …I felt from the bottom of my heart that it was a good thing he hadn’t given this to the girl he’s in love with.

The sorrow line started extending just now, so perhaps he had the idea to show it to me, another woman who doesn’t have romantic feelings for him, before giving it to her. Or maybe he didn’t have the courage to give it to the girl and ended up bringing it out here instead. Either way, showing it to me was the right decision.

「…Did you buy these directly from the shop? There’s poison on them.」

「What? That can’t be…!!」

This wasn’t aimed at Hector, but at the girl he intends to give it to. A message like, 「Don’t you dare get close to the Flower Knight」 Or something along those lines. It’s astonishing that someone could commit such harassment against someone they’ve never even met.

But something like this could make a person lose heart. I find myself sympathizing, thinking his first love might not come true. When you’re too handsome, maybe you’re not even allowed a normal romance.

「That’s really terrible… and such a waste…」

They were such cute sweets. I don’t dislike cute things or sweets myself.

Judging by the smell, it’s a pesticide. It would taste awful and cause stomach trouble if eaten.

I don’t know which employee did this, but it’s truly cruel. It would ruin the shop’s reputation, and above all, it’s an insult to food.

(Is there any way to eat it… no, there isn’t. Even with my resistance… this is too much…)

The cookie in my hand depicted a scene from a fairy tale. A story from another world told by a hero, about a girl riding in a pumpkin carriage to a fairy party, or something like that.

As I stared at it, thinking how wasteful it was, I heard a small 「Sorry」 and looked up.

「I almost made you eat something strange. Sorry. It looked cute, so I thought it’d be good…」

Despite his bright smile, a blue color of sadness extended above his head, shorter than before, but still there. I had checked the sweets to avoid making him sad, but it seems I failed.

Giving advice and acting yourself are different things, I realize. Since I can’t clearly see the future, it’s really difficult.

「Hector-san, you’re the victim here. If anyone should apologize, it’s the person who sold, or rather ruined, these sweets. Even I, with my resistance, can’t eat them. This is unforgivable.」

「…Resistance?」

「I have some resistance to poisons, but taste is… unavoidable…」

The pesticide on the sweets causes an intense bitterness when eaten. I explain that if it had been a tasteless, odorless poison, I might have been able to eat it, and Hector’s smile deepens.

A line of surprise extends above him, so he’s probably hiding his shock behind that smile.

(But… the sadness is gone, so that’s good.)

That’s what matters. Hector is someone constantly affected by others because of his appearance, so things like this must happen often. Even if he’s used to it, it must still hurt. If I was able to lessen that even a little, then that’s enough.

「It really is easy being around you. You even remind me a bit of my best friend.」

「Your best friend?」

「Yeah. No matter how I try to keep up appearances, they always see through me.」

I see, he has a friend who can see through his perfect mask. They probably don’t have an ability like mine, so they must just be very good at reading people.

For someone like him, who almost always wears a constructed expression, someone who 「sees through him and interacts anyway」 must be incredibly rare and precious. …That’s probably why he bothers with me too.

「Just now, you were trying to cheer me up with a joke, weren’t you? You said it with a straight face, so I almost believed you.」

The faint smile on his face isn’t overly sweet. Compared to his usual charming smile, it’s more subdued. But a smile that leaks genuine joy is captivating and beautiful.

If people were shown this expression, some might faint. Even I nearly found myself entranced. …It felt like looking at a masterpiece.

「…Well, if it were a tasteless, odorless poison, I probably would’ve taken a bite.」

「Wait. You were serious?」

His breathtaking smile collapsed back into his usual one, and I felt relieved. It somehow felt wrong to look at that expression, so I told the truth to make it disappear.

But when I saw a faint indigo line of worry appear above him, I realized he was now thinking something like, 「Is this person really okay?」 , and felt strangely conflicted.