Chapter 36
While Arno might not be smarter than Nathan, he’s certainly no fool. In terms of wisdom, he might even be a step ahead.
‘Besides, since he brought up werewolves first, he probably won’t laugh at my observations.’
“I don’t think you’ll laugh, Arno. So, I’ll share my thoughts too.”
Alice took a breath to organize her thoughts.
Where should she start?
‘Should I begin with Doki’s characteristics and then move on to her cat friend’s story?’
About how Doki’s joint movements were more like those of dogs. How her movements, inappropriate for humans, must be negatively affecting her hip joints…
Wait.
‘If I say that, what would happen?’
She remembered how Arno had gleefully declared “This is the villagers’ weakness” when he heard about Cherry’s injury and saw the rules list.
Alice’s lips froze as her mind imagined what might unfold.
Would Arno try to hunt down Doki the way he used to deal with dogs? Would he give her friend a bouquet of tulips, knowing they’re dangerous to cats? Who would be next…?
Would this really end as just imagination?
‘Damn.’
She didn’t want to tell him. But she had to. After all, Arno was her companion now.
As her brain desperately searched for a compromise.
Suddenly, Arno put his index finger to his lips. When his finger then pointed toward the window, she understood what had happened.
Someone must be approaching Arno’s containment facility.
A resident, perhaps.
Arno let out a rough sigh and then spoke casually as if nothing had happened.
“If you ever find a flower you like, come ask me about it. I’ll tell you if it’s a weed or some expensive foreign plant.”
“Thank you. But since I don’t have an eye for these things, I’ll probably keep asking about wildflowers.”
“Take care. Thanks for telling me about the murderer.”
Alice left Arno’s containment facility. Her heart nearly stopped when she saw the man leaning against the wall beside the door.
‘Ah…’
It was Fiore.
After avoiding her like a ghost all this time, they meet now when she’d finally given up chasing him.
Alice spoke without looking up at him.
Why bother looking at that face that always seemed to be mocking people? It would only irritate her and make her neck hurt.
“I’m done here. Arno is inside if you want to see him.”
Alice hurried her steps.
She hadn’t decided on a destination. Where should she go? The weather was too nice to go straight back to the clinic – maybe she could take Gon or Carla out for some sunbathing?
How about looking for traditional herbs by the stream?
…Even as she piled on plans that felt like escaping reality, the heavy footsteps behind her wouldn’t fade away and kept following her.
She could no longer ignore that Fiore had business with her.
“Fiore. Do you have something to say?”
She tried to sound as rigid as possible. In contrast, Fiore’s response clung stickily to her question. Just like the day they first met in the village.
“Is talking what’s important? Maybe there’s something I need to do.”
“If you need an examination, go to the clinic.”
“Is an examination all there is between us? How disappointing.”
“…Wait. Since when did we become an ‘us’?”
Her voice naturally turned sharp.
No, forget it. Don’t pay any more attention… As she tried to hurry her steps, thoughts of expressing gratitude caught her ankle.
Words she should have delivered sometime.
Though she didn’t understand why he was suddenly clingy today after avoiding her all this time, she might as well throw the words at his face and be done with it when the opportunity presented itself.
Determined not to get caught up with him, Alice slowly turned around.
Before her eyes, Fiore held out two large paper bags.
“I’m back from the errand. Could you check these with me?”
In his other hand was a memo listing ingredients. It was Nathan’s handwriting.
‘Ah, so he called me for the professor’s errand.’
Her confusion and tension dissolved.
Thankfully, it wasn’t something troublesome.
“Thank you on behalf of the professor. Could you hold one bag while I check the items?”
“Of course. Actually, even now, they’re so heavy my arms are creaking like they might break… But if you want, my poor arms are yours!”
“That joke isn’t very funny right now.”
But the tension in Alice’s brow muscles relaxed a bit.
If he’s making such jokes, he probably isn’t angry with her.
…That’s a relief.
‘Now, first item to check is one bottle of methyl alcohol…’
“I’ve noticed some people can’t find humor in harmless jokes. Are you one of those?”
Is he starting again?
Fine, let him ramble all he wants.
She could ignore it. She had something to focus on now, didn’t she?
As written in the memo, one bundle of gauze. A skein of silk thread, and lamp wicks. Oh dear, the wick quality isn’t good. Looks like it won’t last long before breaking…
“Is the checking going well?”
It would go better if there wasn’t someone talking beside her.
Next is oil paper. She could roughly tell how many sheets there were just by holding them, but better count them one by one just in case.
Then that noisy voice that keeps trying to burrow into her mind…
“When you’re done, I’d like some praise. Since your boyfriend won’t do it for me.”
Her hands stopped. Almost simultaneously, her mind froze.
Boyfriend?
And ‘my’’ boyfriend at that?
Alice opened her trembling lips. Her hardened voice fell like a brick.
“Who are you talking about?”
This wasn’t a question. It was a warning to take back those words immediately.
But Fiore either didn’t understand the warning, or deliberately ignored it.
“Ah, not quite lovers yet? But you don’t mind people assuming, do you? At least, you don’t.”
“…”
I see.
This bastard Fiore wanted just one thing.
Regardless of the truth, he just wanted Alice to provide entertainment for his boring life.
Alice took a deep breath. Stay calm. The more angry and excited she got, the more this guy would enjoy it. Just state the facts rationally and end it.
“Fiore… You seem to be seriously misunderstanding something. Professor Nathan is not my lover.”
“Hmm. You seem pretty close though? You’re comfortable living together, and Professor Nathan seems quite at ease with you.”
“Not all close relationships are romantic. Especially when the person is both my father’s old friend and my mentor, I could never see him ‘that way.'”
Stay calm, stay calm.
“After my father passed away, he made tremendous efforts to help me become the first female medical student, so I only see him as a good mentor…”
It’s true. At Canary Medical School, Nathan was the only one who believed Alice could study as well as the male students.
That alone gave him the right to be called her mentor forever.
When she was kicked out of anatomy class because it was deemed inappropriate for a female student to see male nudity, he convinced the dean to let her attend. When she couldn’t afford textbooks, he found her old editions that professors had used.
Memories of Nathan from university days kept flooding back.
“A good… Really, someone I was grateful to…”
The words broke in her mouth.
Grateful. Precious. Good. Person. All these words swirled wetly in her mouth.
Finally, something mushy pushed its way out.
Damn it.
Since being told “She’ll probably run out crying from the first class” at medical school, she had never cried in front of men…
“Ugh…”
Teardrops began falling one by one beneath her now-damp chin.
Damn, there’s a mountain of things to say, but all that comes out are sobs when she opens her mouth!
‘Are you satisfied now, Fiore?’
He must be dying of amusement. The woman who only spoke coldly is suddenly crying her eyes out!
Determined not to lower her head even if she couldn’t stop the tears, Alice lifted her chin.
And…
Surprisingly, Fiore before her was at a complete loss.
‘Why?’
She didn’t think this bastard had any sense of shame.
When their eyes met, he avoided her gaze like a dog that had done something wrong, but soon faced her with a troubled expression, as if prepared to be scolded.
“Um… Alice. I’m sorry.”
Looking for a handkerchief, he rummaged through his pants pockets only to pull out and toss away trinkets like sea sand and seashells. He gritted his teeth and lowered his head.
“I’m truly sorry. I took the joke too far.”
“…”
“You two seemed to go way back, so I asked Nathan about your relationship. He said you had a one-sided love that he was trying to ignore. Of course, I thought it was his delusion. I mean, he’s not exactly the type to be loved by anyone, is he?”
“…”
“But I didn’t expect you to cry just from bringing up this topic, if you liked him that mu-“
“You’re wrong! Completely, utterly wrong, you bastard!”
Sorrow evaporated into anger. If she looked in a mirror now, she’d probably see an incredibly ugly face. What a sight, getting angry with a tear-streaked face.
But she had to shout now.
“Of course it’s Nathan’s delusion and arrogance. I have never, not once, liked that man romantically!”
“What?”
Fiore’s eyes went wide.
“Then why were you crying just now…”
“I have only one regret. That I didn’t shove these words – ‘I don’t like Nathan as a man‘ – into everyone’s ears back in university!”
Really, I should have said it then. Especially to Nathan’s ears, should have shouted it loud enough to pierce through his external auditory canal all the way to his eardrum!
Such belated words, Alice was finally beginning to speak them now.
