GalaxyTL
“Reki, you passed today’s exam.”
“Eh?”
I was surprised when Dr. Ludo told me this after the shrimp went to take a bath. Because I’d thought I failed.
Honestly, when I’d first heard about the exam, I planned to just go through the motions, ignore the shrimp, and easily pass. But I couldn’t help but act coldly towards her, she was so small, so fragile, and yet she was always smiling cheerfully. It was frustrating.
“Why…?”
The words slipped out before I could stop them.
“If we were to judge based on today, you failed on all counts. As expected, your attitude was unacceptable, and you let Meg get injured. There was no point in having you around if you couldn’t even prevent that, even if your treatment was perfect.”
“Yes…?”
Then, why did I pass? I didn’t understand. I wanted to pass, no matter what, but I hated results I couldn’t accept.
“Then why did you pass? Because that’s what your patient (Meg) wished for.”
“!”
My eyes widened at the unexpected answer. But my mind was still confused, I couldn’t comprehend it. Dr. Ludo continued,
“As long as your skills are good, there’s no need to thoroughly explain things to a patient. And there’s no need to be nice. There are many medical professionals who think that way. I’m not saying they’re wrong, but it doesn’t align with my methods, and with the guild’s. Understand?”
That’s right. Those who could perform reliable treatments were actually quite valuable in this world. That’s why many doctors and nurses, misunderstanding their importance, had such arrogant attitudes. I hated such people, and I was learning here precisely because I knew that wasn’t how they did things at this guild. And yet, I couldn’t help but act coldly towards others. It was a source of constant frustration.
“Meg is young. But Reki, you thoroughly explained things to her, a young child, right? That attitude is correct.”
“Eh, but I only answered her questions. Isn’t that… normal?”
“It is. But many people would probably skip the explanation, thinking it would be a waste of time with a child.”
Dr. Ludo said that he was giving me a good evaluation because he’d heard that I’d patiently explained things to Meg. But that was… normal, wasn’t it? I still didn’t quite understand, but apparently, many people didn’t even do those basic things. The thought of all those terrible adults made me sick.
“Meg is wise beyond her years. If you’d given her half-hearted explanations just because she was a child, she would have seen right through it. I thought she’d be a good test subject for you.”
I see. But to me, it was so obvious, so normal, that it left me speechless. As I was spacing out, Dr. Ludo’s expression turned serious, and he looked at me, so I straightened my back. He looked gentle, but he was a strict person.
“But I won’t tolerate that attitude of yours forever. That’s why I said you passed ‘today’s exam.’ I understand your past, and I want to be considerate. But that’s precisely why I want you to overcome this.”
“…Of course. I don’t… need your pity.”
Dr. Ludo chuckled at my awkward attempt at speaking formally. Ugh, I’m terrible at this.
“In that case, let me give you an assignment. Reach out to that child.”
“Reach out…?”
“I’ll explain the details during my night shift, but that child is carrying a lot of baggage. But she doesn’t remember.”
Amnesia… I was shocked. The thought of that cheerful shrimp… It made my chest tighten.
“That’s why we don’t know what she’s carrying. She’s unstable. So, reach out to her.”
Perhaps because of that conversation, I offered my hand to the shrimp when we were taking her back to her room after her bath. I surprised myself. Of course, that’s not what reaching out meant, but… I wanted to at least try to be nice to her. That’s all.
I didn’t want her to have a childhood like mine, it was still possible to change things. That was my only thought.
“Well then, I’m going to a meeting, let me know if anything happens.”
“Understood.”
After she fell asleep, after I’d heard all sorts of things, Dr. Ludo headed for the meeting room. The guild leaders were gathering for a meeting. It seemed like even Gil-san, who was currently out on a mission, would be participating through shadows. And of course, the topic was that shrimp. Gil-san had apparently gathered some information, so it was an emergency meeting.
I was on night duty alone, but I couldn’t relax, not with the shrimp here. I’d heard about last night, but it was my first time dealing with someone with somnambulism, so I was nervous. Though I didn’t know if she’d have another episode tonight.
Just in case, Dr. Ludo had entrusted me with one of his threads, so I could alert him if something happened.
Dr. Ludo was a Gossamer Spider demi-human. A rare spider demi-human who could control transparent threads, literally. The threads weren’t just invisible; he could make them undetectable, both physically and magically. But he could sense when something touched them, which made him a formidable opponent. I’d heard even Gil-san had trouble detecting them.
He’d strung one of those threads on my desk. If something happened, I was to flick it three times with my finger. Flicking it once or twice could be an accident.
Dr. Ludo had these invisible, undetectable threads strung up all over the guild, and even throughout town. I’d heard that their range didn’t extend beyond the town, but even so, it was a terrifying ability.
That’s why you couldn’t hide anything from Dr. Ludo. Though I’d heard that constantly monitoring everything was mentally exhausting. Well, that made sense. But he was probably paying extra attention to today’s exam. Meaning there were two people monitoring me, the idiot oni and Dr. Ludo. Not for my sake, but for the child’s. I was a little annoyed by how lenient they were being with the shrimp, but after hearing about her past, I understood.
Well then, I’d review the reports and then check on the shrimp, I thought, when it happened.
I knew what it was, intellectually. But actually seeing it firsthand… it was a little frightening. I don’t know why, but it felt like… she wasn’t herself.
She emerged from her room silently and began wandering around the infirmary unsteadily, as if searching for something.
“Paper and a pen, maybe… I need to tell Dr. Ludo.”
I quickly flicked the thread three times and then placed paper and a pen in front of the shrimp.
She accepted them without hesitation, placed the paper on the table, and began scribbling something down with intense focus. It seemed like it would be hard to write with her short stature, but she didn’t seem to mind.
That said, her expression was blank, as if she was thinking about nothing.
As I was silently observing her strange behavior, Dr. Ludo, who seemed to have rushed back, and the other members who’d been at the meeting, arrived all at once.
Well, of course they’d be concerned. So, I gestured towards the shrimp with my eyes.