NOVEL NEXT Chapter 32 - Meeting Eyes with a Beautiful Little Girl
Meeting Eyes with a Beautiful Little Girl
Mmm, what a good night’s sleep! I returned Dr. Ludo’s greeting when he realized I was awake and stretched, reaching my arms high above my head. Even as Hasegawa Megu, I rarely had dreams, but this feeling of waking up refreshed was completely different! I didn’t even think, “I want to go home…” the moment I woke up! Come to think of it, I was a bit of a mess back then.
“Good morning! Did you sleep well?”
A red-haired girl entered the room and spoke to me. Um… Have I seen her somewhere before?
“Ufufu, you don’t remember much, do you? You were very sleepy yesterday, so it’s understandable!”
Her words, spoken with a smile, her braids that reached past her shoulders swaying gently, made me realize. I think she was the one who helped me with my bath yesterday… And even brushed my teeth and helped me change! Whoa, thinking back, she’d done a lot for me!
“Um, um, thank you for evewything last night!”
“Ahah, you’re welcome! I was happy to help such a cute child! So please let me take care of you again! Now, let’s get you ready?”
The freckles on her smiling face were adorable. It reminded me of a famous red-haired girl from somewhere. By the way, her name was Maryla-san.
Once I finished washing my face, Maryla-san helped me get ready with an excited look on her face. Seeing her so happy made it hard to activate my ultimate move, “I can do it myshelf!”
“Now, let’s fix your hair! Sit down right here!”
As instructed, I sat down on the chair in front of the vanity. The height was adjusted with a cushion, and I met eyes with a beautiful little girl in the mirror.
…I met eyes with… a beautiful little girl?
“Your hair is so soft and fluffy, I’m jealous! Just a quick brush, and it looks this cute!”
Maryla-san said and took out a simple indigo hair tie, shaped like a ribbon, from seemingly nowhere and clipped it to the left side of my hair. …Standing behind this beautiful little girl was definitely Maryla-san, so the girl sitting in front of the mirror… was me!?
Eh, wait, what? Who is this beautiful child? She’s too adorable! And she’s giving off that clear, elf-like aura that Schlie-san has. Her large, deep blue eyes are so round, her eyelashes so long, aah!
S-So this was me now…!
And yet, my first thought was, “I’m sorry for this unfortunate office worker inside, this washed-up woman nearing thirty!”
“Dr. Ludo! Look! Isn’t she adorable!?”
“…You did it again, Maryla. Perfect.”
I was in a daze as she finished getting me ready. Then, she took my hand and brought me over to Dr. Ludo. I was half in shock.
It’s not my fault! This is what I look like now. Honestly, it was still hard to accept it as myself, but I was sure time would fix that. I’m a very adaptable woman, I’m a very adaptable woman!
“What are we doing next?”
“Let’s go have breakfast together. Then you can do whatever you want. Maryla, you’re off today, right?”
“I am! Let’s go then, Meg-chan!”
Wait? Were they both just getting off their night shift? It seemed like Dr. Ludo still had work to do. I needed to thank them first!
“Ludo-sensei, Maryla-shan, thank you for evewything last night!”
I bowed deeply. When I looked up, they were both staring at me with surprised expressions. Eh? Did I say something strange?
“You’re very welcome. Come back here tonight. I want to keep an eye on you for a while. I’m on night duty again tonight, so you can relax.”
“…Is that… ok?”
“It’s my duty as a doctor. Your body is more tired than you realize. You might develop a fever during the night. It’s easier to treat you if I’m nearby.”
I see. That’s right. I can’t be complacent just because I felt fine today. If I continued to view things from an adult’s perspective, my body might give out. I wasn’t used to being a child; I needed to be extra careful.
“Ok. Thank you vewwy much!”
“You’re welcome. Now, go have a good breakfast.”
“Okii! I’ll be back!”
“Yes, have a nice day.”
Eat well and get plenty of rest! While following these basics, you can start getting used to life here. No rushing, little by little!
Telling myself that, I held Maryla’s hand and left the infirmary.
“Everyone’s staring at Meg-chan! It’s annoying! I can’t help it, she’s so cute!”
Annoying, Maryla-san…? She’s surprisingly blunt. Or rather, I got the feeling she was the type who couldn’t lie. We were kindred spirits.
But it was true that I felt everyone we passed was staring at us. Maybe I was just being self-conscious!
Probably word hadn’t spread that there was a child in the guild. So they must be thinking, “Why is there a child here!?” I could only apologize. Since I was freeloading, they’d just have to get used to it.
“Oh, isn’t that Meg? Did you sleep well?”
As we entered the cafeteria, someone called out to me from behind. It was a voice I’d heard before… As expected, it was Juma-kun! …I wondered if he was alright after yesterday’s punishment. He must be fine. There was no sign of him dwelling on yesterday’s events.
“Juma-nii-cha! Good mowning! I shlept a lot!”
“Yeah, that’s great! Hey, you’re wearing a nice outfit today. It suits you!”
“Kei-shan picked it out for me!”
He ruffled my hair. He’d ruined Maryla-san’s hard work. It seemed like Maryla-san was glaring at Juma-kun…
“Ahem! Juma, we’re about to have breakfast! Would you mind not interrupting us?”
Maryla-san coughed theatrically and said this with a clear look of annoyance. Perhaps, due to her neat braids and attire, she was the organized type and clashed with the free-spirited Juma-kun. Or maybe there was a past incident that made her dislike him. …I had a feeling it was both.
“Ah, I’m having breakfast too! Perfect tim—”
“It’s not a good time! Don’t ruin our elegant morning! Request denied! Go away!”
“What the heck?!”
Were they… starting a fight? They were bickering at the entrance to the cafeteria. …Juma-kun, you get yelled at by a lot of people. I don’t think he’s a bad person, though.
Anyway, I’m hungry. Let’s eat! I couldn’t get a word in. I stared off into the distance. …Fooood…