Flower Spelling - Chapter 22.5
Chapter 22.5 – Devil’s Sunstroke
“Mr. Takasugi, this is Sogetsu. I am entering.”
Late in the afternoon snow was falling with a hint of sleet. Sogetsu opened the door of Takasugi’s tenement quietly, carrying a small pot and a tray of medicines in her hands.
Within the six tatami mats of the room, books were piled high, and an iron kettle clinked on a brazier in a barely empty space.
Then, by the wall, covering the writing desk, there was a lump of futon??
“??Mr. Takasugi!? What are you doing!?”
“You can tell by looking. I’m reading a book.”
The futon, or rather Takasugi, peeked out from under his futon, wrapped up like a daruma doll, and said in a tone of voice that suggested it was only natural.
“You haven’t been reading properly these past two days.”
“Of course, I couldn’t! I was in bed with a high fever. Even now I’m still not in top form.”
Sogetsu flipped Takasugi off his desk and pushed him into bed, refusing to be questioned.
“You are being very fussy. The fever has gone down already. You’re worrying too much.”
“Of course I am worried! Because…”
… It’s my fault, after all.
She swallowed the words down her throat.
“Just when I thought you were getting better, this happens. If you want to recover quickly, you have to eat a lot and build up your strength.”
Saying cheerfully, she opened the lid of the pot she brought with her. Steam rose from the lid, spreading the gentle smell of eggs throughout the room.
“It’s egg porridge. If you have the energy to get off the floor, you can finish it all.”
“… Did you make it?” Takasugi stared at the bowl in front of him and said.
“What’s with that peculiar look you’re giving me? It’s true that I don’t get much chance to cook here but??”
Clansmen basically prepare their own food, but in the case of Sogetsu, the maids prepare it for the guests.
“I was trained in all the household chores at Tatsumi Residence, so I can produce at least this much.”
“That’s new.”
Takasugi took the bowl, despite his disapproval, and, blowing on it, ate bite after bite, savoring each mouthful.
Moving the clean empty pot aside, she gave him his medicine and put him to bed.
Sogetsu reminded him not to get up again, before exiting the room.
After washing the dishes and thanking the maid for the use of the kitchen, she stepped outside. Although the snow had ceased to fall, the cold wind was still blowing relentlessly. As she rubbed her hands together, which were still chapped from exposure to the cold water, she was abruptly interrupted from behind.
“Mr. Kusaka. What’s wrong with that?”
There was a lump of huge animal meat that Kusaka was carrying in his hand.
“I thought I’d give Takasugi something to nourish him. It’s wild boar meat. I’ve learned the method for cooking it, so we’ll have botan nabe for dinner. Is Takasugi feeling well? Will he be able to eat?”
“Yes, he appears to be improving. But earlier, when I brought him his medicine and food, he was lying on the floor reading a book. Unbelievable. Just yesterday he had a high fever and was moaning.”
“Well, don’t be angry with him. He’s probably thinking of you in his own way.”
“Mr. Takasugi is?”
She must have been awfully skeptical.
“His manner is difficult to discern,” Kusaka muttered with a wry smile and invited Sogetsu to join him inside for a chat.
As it was the beginning of the year, the town was bustling far beyond its usual level with merchants and people preparing for the New Year, even within the residence of the clan was no exception.
They chose a tranquil spot and went into an empty room in Yubikan, where they settled down across a brazier. Their cold body gradually warmed up. Once feeling comfortable, Kusaka was the first to break the silence.
“You probably assume it’s your fault that Takasugi caught a cold.”
“Yes.” Sogetsu nodded without a second thought.
A few days ago, Takasugi jumped into a river in the middle of winter soaking himself to the bone. He swiftly changed into dry clothes and seemed fine at the time, but the following day he developed a high fever and fell asleep. And it was Sogetsu who was responsible for causing him to jump into the river in the first place.
… But to the apologetic Sogetsu, Takasugi stubbornly insisted that it was his own fault and would not accept any apology.
Sogetsu didn’t say too much, fearing that if she retorted strongly enough, an argument would break out and aggravate his health, but the feeling of guilt persisted within her.
“Ah, look at that face. That’s how he knows you’re worried, so he acts like he’s fine.”
“Eh?”
Kusaka laughed a bit, and then suddenly grew serious. “Takasugi might have a wild, crazy, egotistical appearance, but he’s also quite sensitive. However, he is a stubborn man, and he hates it when people find out about it.”
That’s why people misinterpret him, Kusaka explained.
“You know Mr. Takasugi quite well, don’t you, Mr. Kusaka? Not only the two of you but all your comrades and co-workers at Shokasonjuku are so understanding of each other that I envy it somehow.”
“But even if we all aim for the same goal, it is not necessarily the same path for all of us…” Kusaka muttered to himself mid-sentence.
“When he went to Shanghai, he changed. No matter how bold his words were, he would never act on them out of fear of his father, but once he returned, he was in a state of rebellion. His experience in Shanghai must have had a profound effect on him. We were told again and again that expulsion of the barbarians was reckless. Even so, we didn’t take it to heart. And that is still the case today. So, Sogetsu, please stay with Takasugi. You are the only one who can talk about the foreign country. You can understand things that we can’t relate to. I know you will return home one day, but until then, please do this for me.”
“I…”
He smiled reassuringly at Sogetsu, whose eyes wavered in bewilderment.
“Don’t think so deeply about it. I simply want you to talk to Takasugi as you always have.”
“Yes.”
Yet the words seemed to suggest that one day they would have to part, and the words lingered in her ears.
T/N:
Devil’s Sunstroke – The chapter’s title, ???? (Devil’s Sunstroke}, means a person of strong constitution rarely falling ill, referring to Takasugi