GalaxyTL
Gil-san brought me a simple bowl of porridge. It made sense, I’d been asleep for days. It was best to start with something like this. It reminded me of when Gil-san first rescued me… It hadn’t been that long ago, but it felt like ages.
But this porridge had more vegetables than back then. That yellow one must be pumpkin. The added sweetness was delicious!
“It’s a special menu prepared just for you by Leopolt, the head chef.”
“Wow!”
Even the head chef was kind…! I felt bad for troubling them when they were busy, but I was so happy! It was a little past breakfast time, so Gil-san had already eaten. It felt like… 9am or something?
“Want to go thank him later?”
“If it won’t be a bother… I’d love to!”
“Alright, we have to return the dishes anyway, so it should be fine.”
Speaking of dishes, wasn’t there someone who’d made these special child-sized dishes and the chair for me?
“Um… if it’s possible… I’d also like to thank the people who made the dishes and chair…”
“Hmm, you mean Carter and Maille. It should be fine. Let’s go there after the cafeteria.”
“Thank you!”
It was a little late, but I wanted to properly thank them! Today was thank-you day! I had to eat properly to prepare myself.
With that in mind, I pumped myself up and finished off the porridge, all the way down to the last drop. Yay!
After breakfast, Gil and I had the herbal tea Reki had brewed, and once I was feeling a bit more calmed down, it was time to change! Someone had thoughtfully prepared some clothes and folded them up by my bedside.
…I wanted to change, but you know? When I tried to take off the clothes I was wearing… I got stuck.
Because everything hurt. I couldn’t raise my arms any higher, I couldn’t get them off! I pictured myself stuck with my arms raised, unable to pull my clothes over my head, my tummy exposed. H-How embarrassing…!
“Uu! Uu!”
“…Should I… help you?”
“P-Pwease…!”
This is so embarrassing! Out of context, it sounds like a completely different scenario! To think a cool, handsome man would say that! But in reality, it was just a very stupid situation, so sad!
It was mortifying, but Gil-san effortlessly helped me undress. My plain, childish underwear, my round tummy… Ah, yeah. Nothing to be embarrassed about.
“It’ll probably hurt to get dressed too. I’ll help you.”
“Pwease…”
I was ready to give up on everything… I wish there was someone nearby to laugh at me. Sniff.
Thanks to Gil-san, I was quickly dressed. But I winced a few times during the process, and I was rewarded with lines like, “S-Sorry” and “I’ll try to be gentle…” that sounded straight out of an R-rated situation. Thank you for this auditory treat!
And so, after all that commotion, we finally headed for the cafeteria. They must have chosen my outfit, a comfortable dress, out of concern for my aching body. A pale yellow-green chiffon dress with a graceful silhouette… but there was no trace of grace or sexiness when I wore it.
It had an elastic band around the chest and thin shoulder straps, so I was wearing a matching, three-quarter-sleeved cardigan over it. The short length meant it wouldn’t hinder my movements, how wonderful! A pair of comfy, cute sandals were placed under the bed. A perfect outfit. I wondered who prepared it? It reminded me of Nephry-chan and Fuu-chan, so maybe it was Schlie-san?
I was ready to leave the infirmary. Ideally, I’d carry the dishes myself, but… I was afraid I might drop them with these intense muscle aches. Gil-san, understanding this, took the dishes for me.
“It’s rehab, you know. You need to walk by yourself.”
“Okii!”
Of course! I wasn’t expecting to be carried or anything.
“…But tell me if it’s too much.”
Gil-san, being the doting parent! Or rather, everyone here was either a doting parent or incredibly kind. If they kept doing everything for me, I’d end up a helpless child.
Huh? So, kids were pampered here? And yet, they weren’t spoiled or arrogant. That’s strange. Wouldn’t growing up pampered make you into a… useless adult?
Maybe there was some kind of coming-of-age ritual in this continent where adults were beaten up and told to stop acting spoiled? I shivered at the thought. I-It was just my imagination! …But maybe I should try not to get too comfortable, I thought.
“…Are you okay?”
“I-I’m… okii!”
I was moving at an incredibly slow pace. I walked with my hand on the wall, practically a patient in critical condition. I felt bad for all the people who looked at me with concern, for those who tried to help. But I had to try my best on my own!
“Haa, phew… I made it!”
By the time we arrived at the cafeteria, my body had loosened up, and it was much easier to move. As expected of a child, my recovery was amazing!
But the pain was still there, and even though it wasn’t that far, I was exhausted, as if I’d climbed a mountain. I asked to sit down on a nearby chair for a bit. I had to catch my breath before greeting the head chef!
“Meg.”
Gil-san called out to me just as I finished getting my breath under control. An old man with a white beard was standing beside him. He had a chef’s hat, so he must be the head chef. I hurried over as quickly as I could, even though my body ached. S-Sorry, I can’t move any faster, but I’m trying my best!
“There’s no need to rush, young lady. I’ve heard what happened.”
He must have sensed my eagerness. The old man said this with a gentle smile, wrinkles etched all over his face. Ah, how kind!
“Head chef…?”
“That’s right. I’m Leopolt. Call me Leo-jii.”
“Leo-jii-cha! I’m Meg! Nice to meetchu!”
I greeted him energetically, and he patted my head. Ufufu. But being the head chef, he must be a very strict person. I couldn’t imagine it from this kind demeanor.
“Meg, Leo’s the head chef now, but he’s actually retiring soon.”
Eh… What!? I’d just met him, and he was already retiring? I wonder why… Was it because of his age? In this country, with so many long-lived races, how long had he lived? I felt a sense of awe thinking about it.
As I was feeling dejected, Leo-jii knelt down so he could look me in the eye. His gaze, the way he looked at me like I was his grandchild, reminded me of something… nostalgic. It captivated me.
——
TL Note: “Jii-san” is used for referring to old men/grandpas in Japanese. While I could have translated this instance to ‘Grandpa’, I wanted to keep up the consistency of retaining honorifics since there are a lot of honorific cases that don’t feel as natural in English.