I’ve been feeling quite tired lately. With marches in cold regions, battles, and work keeping me busy, I haven’t been able to manage my health well. As a result, I’ve caught a cold.
Hello, it’s Shuri here. I’m currently suffering from a cold. My throat hurts, my body aches, I’m both cold and hot… I can’t really tell what’s what. In this condition, I can’t even taste the food properly. My nose is stuffed, my mouth is dry… the flavors are all messed up.
“Sorry. I should’ve hired you an assistant cook sooner.”
Gungrave apologizes as he’s taking care of me in the tent. He has an apologetic look on his face.
“No… if I had taken better care of my health… this wouldn’t have happened…” “It’s also my fault for not stocking up on medicine… I relied too much on your cooking…” “I’m… happy to be relied on… it’s part of my job…”
It’s my job, and it’s fulfilling when people say my food is delicious.
“More importantly… how is everyone… Are they eating properly…?” “Yeah. But the taste is terrible. Everyone’s wishing for your recovery.” “That’s an exaggeration…”
It’s something that will heal if I just rest. Still, Gungrave’s face remains sad.
“It’s not an exaggeration. We don’t have a doctor nearby. We don’t have medicine. If something were to happen, it’d be scary.”
Well, it would be terrible if it turned into pneumonia. But he’s still exaggerating. It makes me laugh.
“I won’t die… that easily…” “I believe you. Actually, everyone wants to come and take care of you. You’ve got everyone here for you, you know.” “Haha… please tell them… thank you…”
Gungrave leaves the tent with a regretful look. I light the stove next to my futon, put in some alcohol and an egg, and stir it round and round. Egg sake. This is the go-to when you catch a cold.
“…I can’t taste it.”
But I can’t taste anything. Still, I drink it all and lie down. At times like this, I wonder what I used to do back on Earth. My dad and mom would have made that dish for me. Things like rice porridge or congee. And there was one more thing we used to make at home.
“Dad… Mom…”
When humans are weak, these words just come out, don’t they? I thought I had no lingering attachments. It’s been nearly half a year since I came to this world. Dad, Mom, friends, boss, colleagues. I’m gradually forgetting their faces. Not knowing how to go back, I’ve been trying to get used to this place without realizing it, maybe trying to forget. I wish I could see them just once…
It seems I fell asleep at some point. My condition is better. The fever, fatigue, and pain have subsided.
“…Need to go to the bathroom.”
Nature calls. When I step out of the tent, it’s a beautiful moonlit night. After relieving myself against a tree trunk and returning, there’s someone in front of the tent.
“Oh, Tegue?” “Ah, yeah, Shuri. Feeling better?” “Yes, much better.”
It’s Tegue, the captain of the archer unit. He’s a guy with brown dreadlocks and a playful demeanor. But his archery skills are perfect. He’s a man with exceptional abilities.
“It’s cold, would you like to come inside?” “Ah, no, it’s fine. Shuri, you should go back to sleep.” “I’m feeling better, so it’s okay. Besides, I’d like to talk to someone for a bit.”
After all, these past six months have been so noisy. Suddenly having this quiet time makes me feel a bit lonely.
“Is that so… Then I’ll take you up on that offer. I’ve got something I want to talk about too.”
Oh, I wonder what it could be? Inside, Tegue sits with a serious face.
“Shuri. Don’t you want to go back to your homeland?” “Huh?”
What’s this all of a sudden?
“Of course I want to go back.” “I see…” “But I might not be able to.”
Tegue looks puzzled.
“It’s hard to explain, but it’s far away. So far that it’s not easy to reach. It’s not even on this continent.” “Not on this continent?” “Well…”
Tegue makes a sad face and says, “I see.” This won’t do. I can’t make everyone make such faces.
“I’ll make a little midnight snack.” “Ah, then I’ll be going…” “No, would you eat with me?”
He looks a bit surprised.
“This dish. It’s something my family used to make for me when I caught a cold. So, I think it’d be better to have someone around.”
Eating this dish alone might bring back memories and make me feel lonely.
I set a pot on the stove and start cooking. I brought ingredients just in case.
I’m making potage. Mom used to make it for me when I had a cold, saying it’s nutritious. It’s a potage made with consomme soup that I had prepared to serve sometime, along with potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and sausages. Ah, it brings back memories. Even now, I don’t think I’ve matched my mom’s version. That’s how delicious my mom’s potage was.
I serve the completed potage on a plate and offer it to Tegue.
“Here, let’s eat.” “This… is this sausage?” “Yes, it goes well with this dish.”
I scoop it up with a spoon and put it in my mouth. Ah, it’s warm. But I still can’t match my mom’s version.
“It’s delicious. I used to think potatoes were just filler ingredients.” “They’re not just fillers. Potatoes are full of nutrients and good for your body. Potatoes that have absorbed the flavor are exceptional.” “I see…” “My mom used to make this for me.”
It just slipped out.
“It’s a bit nostalgic, or maybe sad… Everyone in this group has been so kind. But it’s hard not being able to see my family.”
Ah, I must still be sick. For me to voice such weakness.
“All of us!”
Tegue?
“All of us are orphans. Gungrave, Lill, Kuuga, Arius, me, everyone. But we consider each other family. And that includes you, Shuri. So if you’re feeling lonely, you can rely on us. We’re a family bound by fate.”
…I’m a fortunate person. There are people who call me family even though we’ve only been together for half a year. I feel like I’m about to cry.
“Yes… thank you…” “We’ll definitely protect you, Shuri. So Shuri, you just need to be our home. If we had parents, I think they would have made such delicious meals for us. We’re the ones who should be thanking you.” “Yes… yes…” “It’s delicious. This soup.”
It makes me happy. Even someone like me has found a family.
💬 1
The next day, feeling better, I returned to my duties as the cook. I received kind words from everyone in the group. Things like, “Glad you’re better.” Or, “Don’t catch a cold again.” Or, “Looking forward to your delicious meals again.” Just as Tegue said. Here, there are people who accept me as a comrade, as family. Dad, Mom. I probably won’t be able to return there. But I’m happy here. Don’t worry about me, and I hope everyone there is doing well too. Looking up at the clear sky after the snow stopped, I prayed that these feelings would reach my family.
From that day on, Tegue started to take his training more seriously and became much stronger. Tegue, who always tries to lighten the mood with his playful attitude. He was actually a very kind and strong person.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link
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Chapter 9
I’ve been feeling quite tired lately.
With marches in cold regions, battles, and work keeping me busy, I haven’t been able to manage my health well.
As a result, I’ve caught a cold.
Hello, it’s Shuri here.
I’m currently suffering from a cold.
My throat hurts, my body aches, I’m both cold and hot… I can’t really tell what’s what.
In this condition, I can’t even taste the food properly.
My nose is stuffed, my mouth is dry… the flavors are all messed up.
“Sorry. I should’ve hired you an assistant cook sooner.”
Gungrave apologizes as he’s taking care of me in the tent.
He has an apologetic look on his face.
“No… if I had taken better care of my health… this wouldn’t have happened…”
“It’s also my fault for not stocking up on medicine… I relied too much on your cooking…”
“I’m… happy to be relied on… it’s part of my job…”
It’s my job, and it’s fulfilling when people say my food is delicious.
“More importantly… how is everyone… Are they eating properly…?”
“Yeah. But the taste is terrible. Everyone’s wishing for your recovery.”
“That’s an exaggeration…”
It’s something that will heal if I just rest.
Still, Gungrave’s face remains sad.
“It’s not an exaggeration. We don’t have a doctor nearby. We don’t have medicine. If something were to happen, it’d be scary.”
Well, it would be terrible if it turned into pneumonia.
But he’s still exaggerating. It makes me laugh.
“I won’t die… that easily…”
“I believe you. Actually, everyone wants to come and take care of you.
You’ve got everyone here for you, you know.”
“Haha… please tell them… thank you…”
Gungrave leaves the tent with a regretful look.
I light the stove next to my futon, put in some alcohol and an egg, and stir it round and round.
Egg sake. This is the go-to when you catch a cold.
“…I can’t taste it.”
But I can’t taste anything.
Still, I drink it all and lie down.
At times like this, I wonder what I used to do back on Earth.
My dad and mom would have made that dish for me.
Things like rice porridge or congee.
And there was one more thing we used to make at home.
“Dad… Mom…”
When humans are weak, these words just come out, don’t they?
I thought I had no lingering attachments.
It’s been nearly half a year since I came to this world.
Dad, Mom, friends, boss, colleagues.
I’m gradually forgetting their faces.
Not knowing how to go back, I’ve been trying to get used to this place without realizing it, maybe trying to forget.
I wish I could see them just once…
It seems I fell asleep at some point.
My condition is better. The fever, fatigue, and pain have subsided.
“…Need to go to the bathroom.”
Nature calls.
When I step out of the tent, it’s a beautiful moonlit night.
After relieving myself against a tree trunk and returning, there’s someone in front of the tent.
“Oh, Tegue?”
“Ah, yeah, Shuri. Feeling better?”
“Yes, much better.”
It’s Tegue, the captain of the archer unit.
He’s a guy with brown dreadlocks and a playful demeanor.
But his archery skills are perfect. He’s a man with exceptional abilities.
“It’s cold, would you like to come inside?”
“Ah, no, it’s fine. Shuri, you should go back to sleep.”
“I’m feeling better, so it’s okay. Besides, I’d like to talk to someone for a bit.”
After all, these past six months have been so noisy.
Suddenly having this quiet time makes me feel a bit lonely.
“Is that so… Then I’ll take you up on that offer. I’ve got something I want to talk about too.”
Oh, I wonder what it could be?
Inside, Tegue sits with a serious face.
“Shuri. Don’t you want to go back to your homeland?”
“Huh?”
What’s this all of a sudden?
“Of course I want to go back.”
“I see…”
“But I might not be able to.”
Tegue looks puzzled.
“It’s hard to explain, but it’s far away. So far that it’s not easy to reach.
It’s not even on this continent.”
“Not on this continent?”
“Well…”
Tegue makes a sad face and says, “I see.”
This won’t do. I can’t make everyone make such faces.
“I’ll make a little midnight snack.”
“Ah, then I’ll be going…”
“No, would you eat with me?”
He looks a bit surprised.
“This dish. It’s something my family used to make for me when I caught a cold.
So, I think it’d be better to have someone around.”
Eating this dish alone might bring back memories and make me feel lonely.
I set a pot on the stove and start cooking.
I brought ingredients just in case.
I’m making potage.
Mom used to make it for me when I had a cold, saying it’s nutritious.
It’s a potage made with consomme soup that I had prepared to serve sometime, along with potatoes, carrots, cabbage, and sausages.
Ah, it brings back memories.
Even now, I don’t think I’ve matched my mom’s version.
That’s how delicious my mom’s potage was.
I serve the completed potage on a plate and offer it to Tegue.
“Here, let’s eat.”
“This… is this sausage?”
“Yes, it goes well with this dish.”
I scoop it up with a spoon and put it in my mouth.
Ah, it’s warm.
But I still can’t match my mom’s version.
“It’s delicious. I used to think potatoes were just filler ingredients.”
“They’re not just fillers. Potatoes are full of nutrients and good for your body.
Potatoes that have absorbed the flavor are exceptional.”
“I see…”
“My mom used to make this for me.”
It just slipped out.
“It’s a bit nostalgic, or maybe sad…
Everyone in this group has been so kind. But it’s hard not being able to see my family.”
Ah, I must still be sick.
For me to voice such weakness.
“All of us!”
Tegue?
“All of us are orphans. Gungrave, Lill, Kuuga, Arius, me, everyone.
But we consider each other family.
And that includes you, Shuri.
So if you’re feeling lonely, you can rely on us.
We’re a family bound by fate.”
…I’m a fortunate person.
There are people who call me family even though we’ve only been together for half a year.
I feel like I’m about to cry.
“Yes… thank you…”
“We’ll definitely protect you, Shuri.
So Shuri, you just need to be our home.
If we had parents, I think they would have made such delicious meals for us.
We’re the ones who should be thanking you.”
“Yes… yes…”
“It’s delicious. This soup.”
It makes me happy.
Even someone like me has found a family.
💬 1
The next day, feeling better, I returned to my duties as the cook.
I received kind words from everyone in the group.
Things like, “Glad you’re better.”
Or, “Don’t catch a cold again.”
Or, “Looking forward to your delicious meals again.”
Just as Tegue said.
Here, there are people who accept me as a comrade, as family.
Dad, Mom. I probably won’t be able to return there.
But I’m happy here.
Don’t worry about me, and I hope everyone there is doing well too.
Looking up at the clear sky after the snow stopped, I prayed that these feelings would reach my family.
From that day on, Tegue started to take his training more seriously and became much stronger.
Tegue, who always tries to lighten the mood with his playful attitude.
He was actually a very kind and strong person.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link
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