Translator: larvyde Editor: DCThanatos Proofreader(s): Merp-Merp
EDIT: Note: I totally forgot the note and to finish the title… I knew I was forgetting something. Anyways also wanted to say that I may or may not begin a new translation, I may make some sort of poll later for what it may be. That said it will require many more helping hands, so if you are interested in any of the proposed projects, please feel free to help out.
Without further aideu, Enjoy~
With the girl in tow, Shizuru headed to the clinic instead of his original destination, the Third Squad base.
Naturally so, he couldn’t possibly bring an outsider to an assassin’s hideout, even if she were a child.
If he did, then he might even end up having to kill her.
Shizuru walked slowly, matching his steps with the girl’s, taking more time than usual, and arrived at the clinic that was closed for the day.
The entrance was locked. He lightly perked his ears listening for sounds from the building. It was quiet; there were no signs of people.
Looks like Ludmila’s away.
“Come in.”
Using the key, he opened the entrance door.
Shizuru entered first then turned back towards the to the staggering girl and invited her in
“… ah … eh”
“No need to be shy. Come in.”
Shizuru once again urged the bewildered girl in.
The girl looked terribly flustered, making small unintelligible noises from her throat, hesitating.
She then timidly passed through the entryway.
“Let’s heal you up first. Can you go and take a seat over there?”
Shizuru put the box containing the cakes and the things he bought along the way on the desk in the treatment room.
He pointed to a backless chair and set the girl down.
“I’m going to heal you up, so stay still for a moment”
“… un.”
Still bewildered, the girl nodded like a rusted hinge.
Shizuru made a reassuring smile gently held his hand over her head.
“— O Goddess of White — El Shamas Iste — Heal”
As he chanted, a faint white light flowed out of Shizuru’s hand.
It washed over the girl’s body and healed the numerous scratches, cuts, and bruises.
Vividly, as if plastering skin-colored paint over her wounds, leaving no trace of wounds ever being there.
Small wounds, though they don’t look like much to the eye, still hurt.
All the more if there were many of them one over another.
The pain thus crawled over her body.
But when all of it disappeared entirely in an instant, the girl twitched her shoulders in surprise and widened her eyes.
“d … doesn’t, hurt …?”
“Is this the first time you saw magic? Anyway, you’re alright now.”
She looked at her now uninjured hands and feet, opening and closing her fist
Looking at the girl, Shizuru said,
“… next is the bath. Come along little lady.”
The little girl that couldn’t be called pretty even as a compliment, smiled slightly.
She nodded, she came along and went towards the bathroom.
“Do you know how to use a shower?”
“eh … uh, no.”
The girl shyly shook her head as if to say she never even saw one.
Well, I thought as much, Shizuru wryly smiled again
He then muttered, I wish Ludmila was here.
“Can’t be helped if she isn’t, I suppose … I can wash you if you don’t mind, do you?”
“…”
shake shake
She shook her head, this time stronger than before.
She’s at a delicate age so she might object, or so he thought, but it seemed not to be the case.
Shizuru took of his coat and went ahead inside the bath.
He then turned towards the girl and urged her in.
“Let’s take your clothes off, come over here.”
“… un.”
It was likely the influence of the healing.
The girl’s bewilderment and flustering lessened little by little, and while she’s still diffident, she meekly nodded.
She then took off the tattered rags she was wearing that couldn’t even be called clothes.
Soap and shampoo were rather highly priced items in this world.
But in the capital where lots of goods flowed through, you could find some for cheap if you put your mind to it.
Shizuru wasn’t strapped for cash to begin with.
The fundamentally thrifty Shizuru would always try to get goods for a little cheaper if it wasn’t too much work.
“Auu …”
Smooth white foam covered the girl’s body.
As she was dreamily feeling the soft texture, he washed her face
“Feels, good …”
“Good then. I’m not too used to washing a child like you, please tell me if it hurts.”
Though he does groom Lady’s fur and sometimes even wash Casca, Shizuru had no experience washing children. “(ED: Don’t lie, we know you’re a lolicon, even if you deny it. Every harem needs a loli)
But that said, through his natural handiness and knack, he did it extremely conscientiously.
“Washing with warm water … and soap? Washing with soap … first time”
“Is that so.”
Only people with a certain level of affluence had a bathroom at home.
But the capital had public baths and they don’t charge too much for it.
So he was able to gain a little insight on how the girl lived from the words she said.
“It’s warm …”
She became relaxed, as if her tension and nervousness were washed along with the water as she let out her voice in relief.
Shizuru lathered her hair with delicate hands so as not to get his fingers caught in her hair. He then asked,
“That reminds me, little lady, what’s your name? I never got to ask”
“Name?”
The girl turned around.
Her light green eyes carried a more defined shine than they initially had.
“Name … name … I don’t know. I, mother, never called me by name”
“… I see”
From how waifish she was, he was half sure that the girl didn’t have parents.
Did they die, did they throw her away. Seems to be the latter, Shizuru thought inwardly.
It wasn’t anything rare. Totally not rare at all.
Still, for the parents to not even give the girl a name.
Shizuru’s heart was filled with melancholy.
“I’m Shizuru. Now close your eyes, I’m going to rinse”
“Shizuru …? Shizuru … kyuu.”
Showered from overhead, the mud ran down along her body and drained away.
She quickly covered her eyes so it didn’t get into her eyes and mouth.
After she got off the shower, Shizuru put clothes on her.
Not the rags she was initially wearing, of course. That couldn’t properly be called clothes.
He had bought some children’s clothes on the way back to the clinic after he took the girl along.
“Yep, looks good on you.”
Short pants, a camisole, and a pair of boots.
A complete change, as if her appearance an hour ago never happened. The girl widened her eyes looking at herself in the mirror.
“You’re completely different, very cute”
“… ah … uh.”
Shizuru’s compliment made the girl’s face heat up, embarrassed and ticklish.
Her face instantly reddened, as she noticed from the reflection in the mirror.
She hung her head and covered her face with both hands.