Weren’t You the One Who Was Dying? Chapter 45

“What happened?”

My voice shrank a little.

“Would it be better if I told you?”

“Yes.”

Not knowing can be a comfort, and knowing can be a burden—but right now, I needed the burden more than the comfort.

“Very well.”

Ehit, who had been sitting at the edge of the bed, reached a hand toward me. Without realizing it, my body stiffened.

The hand heading toward my face passed me and went to the wall behind. As his body leaned forward, he came closer and closer to me.

“……”

I wanted to ask what he was doing, but no words came out.

Only later, when I thought back on it, did I realize it was because I was pretty tense.

“The person who had clearly gone to another room came back to my room late at night.”

“……D-did I?”

“Yes. You pushed me—while I was sitting on the bed—like this, pinning me against the wall.”

At the low voice so close to me, I swallowed without meaning to. I hoped the sound was loud enough that only I could hear it.

“……What did I say?”

Please. Dapflen. You’re an educated person. You didn’t say anything weird… right?

“You said, ‘Move.’”

“I see……”

I blinked a couple of times and asked again.

“Not ‘please move’?”

“No.”

“So… did you move?”

“No.”

“Then why am I here?”

“When I said I wouldn’t move, you said it was your wish. That since you were using that wish now, I should please move.”

“…….”

“And then you lay down on my bed and said, ‘This is comfortable after all,’ and fell straight asleep.”

“…….”

I had thought that the bed in the other room was too hard, and that my already aching body just couldn’t fall asleep.

But to think I’d actually gone all the way back to Ehit’s room……

“Thanks to you, I learned how hard the bed in the other room is. I’ll have it replaced. The fleet members will be grateful for the opportunity.”

Ehit smiled slyly.

Wait. Then the wish I mentioned yesterday—

“Just grant me one wish next time.”

“Very well.”

—I used that wish… on this?

So I really wasted such a good opportunity like that?

“Wahaha…… I see.”

Ignoring my hollow laugh, Ehit suddenly took something out of the wardrobe and tossed it to me. A blue robe.

A robe? Why all of a sudden?

“Put it on.”

“Why?”

“It’s complicated to explain. Just put it on.”

“Just… put it on?”

I held the robe halfway over my shoulders and looked only at Ehit.

When Ehit, looking annoyed, tried to put the robe on me himself, I stopped his hand.

“Then I have a condition.”

“What is it?”

“About that wish I used yesterday—I honestly don’t remember it at all. Can’t you just reset it?”

Ehit glanced at me once, then draped the robe over my shoulders again. He started tying the ribbon at the front of my neck.

“Pardon?”

“You really have no conscience.”

“If you don’t want to, you can just say so. Fine.”

I did think it was a bit shameless myself. I just thought I’d ask—guess it really was obvious.

“There’s a condition.”

“Huh?”

“There’s a condition to resetting the wish.”

“What is it?”

“You must grant one of my wishes as well.”

“What?”

Isn’t that just even, then?

As I snapped back, Ehit chuckled and suddenly pulled the hood of the robe down over my head.

“If you don’t want to, you can just say so.”

Thanks to that, even his annoyingly relaxed expression was hidden.

When I lifted the hood slightly, I saw Ehit walking out of the room.

“Will you do it?”

I did a quick calculation in my head.

“Alright. But wishes that threaten my safety are off-limits.”

As long as it wasn’t something like that, I didn’t really have much to lose.

“I have conditions too.”

“What are they?”

“Wishes that cost more than my annual salary, threaten my safety, or otherwise put me at major risk are not allowed.”

“……What do you think I am, Ehit…?”

“Then let’s go.”

Ehit left the room.

Wondering whether I’d really made the right choice, I hurried after him.

 

 

****

 

 

 

The train finally began to move.

‘Finally……’

Even after arriving, there would be mountains of things to do. I’d have to send telegrams explaining things to areas I couldn’t visit for medical rounds, clean the residence after leaving it empty for a while, and……

It seemed some sort of agreement had been made, because quite a lot of people from the ship had moved onto the train. Apparently there had been empty cars kept for emergencies, and thanks to that, they’d secured space.

‘But the weather…’

Why does it seem to get worse the closer we get to Bellachen?

It hadn’t been great earlier either. I mean, there was a storm.

I looked up at the sky through the window. In the direction the train was heading, the sky was growing darker.

The black, layered storm clouds hanging overhead made my heart pound for no good reason.

‘I’ve got a bad feeling about this……’

Lately, bad things happened even on days with good omens—and on bad-omen days, really bad things happened.

So seeing a sky like this only made that feeling stronger.

“We’ll be arriving shortly!”

The voice of a train attendant rang out. Exhausted sighs rose from all around.

‘How long has it been since I last set foot in Bellachen?’

A few days had felt like several months.

But the sky didn’t seem eager to welcome the weary returnees. The rain grew heavier and heavier, and it started to feel like the kind of weather where a natural disaster might happen.

With a whooo sound, the train finally stopped. People poured out all at once.

I also tried to hurry out of the train car.

“Please wait here a moment.”

At that moment, Ehit stopped me and pulled the hood of my robe back down over my eyes.

When I took it off with a pout, Ehit turned back and put it on me again.

“Wasn’t the condition for resetting the wish that you’d wear it properly?”

Unlike before, his movements were gentler.

Instead of pulling it all the way down, he set it neatly.

Leaving me standing there, Ehit went to give a few instructions to his fleet members. While he was gone, I obediently kept the robe on and looked outside the train.

Then, suddenly, I felt a strange gaze.

‘What was that?’

I turned toward where I felt it—but there was no one there.

‘Was I imagining it?’

Not long after, Ehit returned, opening the train car door. He scanned outside briefly, as if searching for something, then gestured to me.

“Let’s get off. Follow me.”

And just like handling luggage, he guided me off the train.

Since it was in my best interest to leave before Ehit ran into Naya, I followed him without complaint.

‘It’s dark.’

Thick white fog hung around the station, making it feel like all of Bellachen was submerged in rain. The echoing footsteps inside the station mixed with the loud patter of rain—it was overwhelming.

The closer we got to the exit, the heavier the rain sounded.

Ah, I should take out my umbrella.

Just as I started fumbling through my bag, Ehit suddenly held his umbrella out in front of me.

“Are we sharing?”

“It’s only a short distance.”

I was about to say I had my own umbrella when I saw Nya approaching from the other side.

“Eek!”

“What’s wrong?”

“N-no, nothing.”

I quickly pulled the robe hood back down over my face.

‘……We need to leave quickly.’

There was no time to take out my umbrella. I lifted my head to agree to share—but there was no need.

Before I could answer, Ehit pulled me firmly into the crook of his arm.

“Let’s go.”

“……Yes. Quickly. It’s raining hard, so let’s get out of here fast.”

“Judging by the wind and cloud direction, this area should be lighter.”

“You even know that?”

“Anyone who works at sea knows these things. Watch your step ahead.”

I quickly turned my gaze forward and avoided a loose stone—though I couldn’t avoid the puddle beside it.

“Ah!”

“I’m not sure the road for the carriage will be alright. Passing the hill near your residence is fastest, but it worries me.”

Once inside the carriage and after taking off my robe, Ehit tossed me a towel.

“There are towels in the carriage too? Did you predict it would rain?”

“Yes.”

“Really? You know that kind of thing too? Wow.”

“Yes.”

Isn’t that basically cheating?

“Then do you know when the weather will be good too?”

“Actually, no.”

“Huh?”

“I don’t know when it will rain or not. I just keep towels ready because my job often involves wiping water away. You fell for a joke like that.”

Saying that, Ehit used the towel to dry the water on his own shoulder.

A joke? He doesn’t even smile when he jokes.

I looked at him with a slightly sulky face, then lightly tapped the toe of his shoe.

“There’s something on there.”

“I’m not falling for it.”

Arms crossed, Ehit looked out the window like he didn’t care.

No, seriously. There is something there.

When I stopped myself from adding more, Ehit—who usually wouldn’t look—finally tilted his head and looked down at his shoe.

Wait… is that gum?

As I leaned forward to look closer, Ehit used the towel he was holding to peel it off.

“What is it?”

Ehit didn’t answer. His expression didn’t look very good.

As he wrapped it in the towel, his brow furrowed, as if deep in thought.