Flower Spelling - Chapter 38
Chapter 38 – The Cynic and the Upright
In a daze of pain and fever, the nostalgia of her family members floated in and out of her senses. Just when she had lost all sense of time, whether it was morning or night, her consciousness surfaced suddenly, as though rising out of the water, and in the darkness, she caught a glimpse of an angered monk’s face.
“Monk…? Forgive me, but the sutra is early.”
Still alive, she told him in a faint voice and was promptly struck on the head.
“Of course. Stop talking nonsense and get well soon. It’s pathetic to be sleeping like this.”
Contrary to his words, his hands were unexpectedly gentle as he fixed the loose hair on her forehead. As if led by those hands, Sogetsu had fallen asleep effortlessly.
?
The next time she woke up, her consciousness was clearer and her fever had dropped considerably.
The following day, Sogetsu was able to rise up.
“At this stage, you should be fine.”
This was what Tokoro Ikutaro, a doctor, assured her.
“There will be a few scars, though… Presumably, you were not slashed, but the blade of the sword that was drawn struck you when you collided with the Tsujigiri. Otherwise, miss, you would have gone to the afterlife by now.”
The young doctor laughed nastily, and Sogetsu glared at him with her mouth agape.
Hailing from Mino, Tokoro was appointed as the governor of the Choshu domain’s medical academy as a result of his practice near the Choshu domain’s residence. Despite being not much older than Sogetsu, he was a talented man who had studied at the Tekijuku School of Medicine and thus was able to exercise his abilities not only in the medical field but also in the political and military fields.
The only drawback was that he was overly talented and somewhat cynical.
Even now.
“Oh, by the way, Lord Hamada is here to see you now that you’ve recovered. Wouldn’t it please you to show him your swollen face?”
And then he told her something rather significant.
“Mr. Hamada!? When!? Why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Although it’s frustrating to be played for a fool, a girl’s heart never wants to appear unattractive in the presence of her guests. He smiled at Sogetsu as she hurriedly adjusted her collar.
“Miss, you need not strain so hard to look good. No matter what you do, you can’t hide your terrible complexion.”
Having driven away the giggling bastard and combed through her tangled hair, she was looking presentable when she heard Hamada’s voice calling out to her from a shadow on the shoji.
“I am sorry you had to come all this way.”
As she bowed her head, she was sure that Tokoro had brought Hamada here just in time for her to prepare herself.
“No, I’m relieved to hear she is able to get up again.” Hamada heaved a sigh of relief.
But then??
“??I am truly sorry!”
All of a sudden, he lowered his head.
“Eh!?”
“You got hurt while I was with you… Please forgive me!”
“Please lift your head! It’s not your fault at all! If anything, I should be the one expressing my gratitude to you for saving me. Thank you for carrying me to the clan residence.”
“No, but I can’t leave a woman with a wound on her body. I will bear full responsibility for this.”
“Hah…?”
“I am still a novice, but please be my wife!”
It took a whole five breaths for the meaning of the words to sink in.
“… Ha!? Eh, h-hold on a second. Even if it’s a wound, it’s nothing more than a scratch from the sword. I mean, the doctor said there would be hardly any scars??”
Although she was told that there would be some residue, it would be the equivalent of barely any.
“??I can’t ask you to do that…”
“No, that would be dishonorable for a samurai. Let me be the one for you!”
It was not possible to refuse reluctantly after being told so, and Sogetsu swept her eyes from side to side in distress. Just as he was about to make his move, the door was flung open and a person carrying a tray of refreshments stepped out.
“Well, well, Lord Hamada. Why don’t you calm down a moment? The whole clan can hear you.”
“Oh, I am sorry about this.”
Never did she expect the day to come when she would be happy to see the face of Tokoro. Yet to arrive at such a timely moment she wondered if he had been listening nearby.
“As a doctor, I can vouch for the fact that her injuries are minor. The reason why she lay in bed for so many days was probably due to exhaustion. I admire your courage in deciding to marry such a wild horse, but I reckon your great bushido spirit should be applied in a better context… Wouldn’t you agree, Miss?”
“Huh? Ah, yes, I agree!”
He gave her a look and she hastily nodded her head. Though she didn’t realize what a nasty thing he had said.
“But…”
Hamada was still unconvinced.
“Well then, if I ever have a problem, please lend me your assistance, Mr. Hamada. That makes us even, doesn’t it? What do you think?”
“… If that’s what Ms. Sogetsu thinks.” Hamada seemed unsure, but eventually, he nodded.
“Then off I go, Ms. Sogetsu. Whenever you need me, just let me know. Wherever you are, I’ll be there.”
Seeing Hamada departing from the floor in utter earnestness, Sogetsu turned towards Tokoro.
“Thank you, doctor. You saved the day.”
“I never would have thought he will ask you to marry him.” Tokoro chuckled. “Don’t you think it’s a shame? I doubt there will be many people in the world willing to say something like that.”
“But that doesn’t necessarily mean I’m going to nod my head.”
I wonder if all Tosa people are so one-track minded.
Feeling strangely depleted, Sogetsu resigned herself to a deep sigh.
“But, Miss, even though I said that to Lord Hamada, you really were in danger.”
“Huh? But you said the wounds are minor…”
“Nothing to do with the size of the wound. You’ve been drinking, haven’t you? When you’ve had a lot of alcohol in your system, it’s hard to stop the bleeding. Fortunately, thanks to Lord Hamada’s good first aid and my skill, it was not critical. And even without consuming alcohol, you should not be careless even if the wound is shallow. The wound can turn into inflammation and fester. If it gets worse, it can lead to death. Be careful from now on.”
Sogetsu nodded mysteriously at the unexpected strong words, but.
“??And also for personal appearance… Your back, your sleeping habits are still intact.”
To the last word that was added.
“??You evil doctor!”
Sogetsu’s face grew crimson and she hurled a comb at him.
Incidentally, Hamada’s loud voice caused the surrounding people to hear about this marriage proposal, and later Sogetsu was teased profusely.