Sensing danger, Tein slowly turned his body toward Sharti.
Then he quickly ran to Sharti and hid behind her.
“…?”
Sharti looked at Tein with a puzzled expression.
Tein, who was tightly holding onto her robe, looked like a kitten raising its fur.
It was a gaze that showed vigilance rather than fear.
‘How cute.’
Sharti stroked Tein’s head with a pleased expression.
Feeling excluded from the atmosphere, Ren cleared his throat.
He needed to quickly gain Tein’s support.
“Perfect timing. Someone has arrived who can make a decision.”
Sharti and Tein looked at each other, tilting their heads in confusion.
“When opinions differ, it’s good to listen to a third party.”
Ren was weak against Sharti, but Sharti was weak against Tein.
And Tein was weak to the title of “doctor.”
Ren looked at Tein, hiding his satisfied thoughts.
“Then I’ll first have a talk with my doctor.”
Tein, who was tensing his eyes like a kitten just moments ago, looked up at Ren with round eyes.
Watching the exchange of glances between the two, Sharti felt a strange sense of alienation.
Sharti suddenly realized that Tein’s bright, sparkling gaze and Ren’s trusting look were not exclusively for her.
And soon, Sharti would realize something else.
“Doctor! You must take Ren!”
Tein was not on her side.
****
Getting Tein’s support was simple and easy for Ren.
[What is an epidemic?]
[An epidemic is a frightening disease. Many people can get sick, and they can also die.]
Tein explained with a serious expression, reciting epidemic incidents he had read about in books.
The child’s face darkened with the horror he had seen beyond the printed words.
Ren gently stroked Tein’s head with his large hand.
[It seems Sha will go on a treatment trip.]
[The doctor often goes on treatment trips in winter. In winter, there are many isolated patients. The doctor is needed.]
[Yes. That’s why Sha wants to go to a village where an epidemic is suspected.]
[…!]
Tein covered his mouth with both hands in surprise. Reflexively about to blurt out that it was dangerous and shouldn’t be allowed, Tein gulped repeatedly.
A doctor must treat people and help those who are sick.
And Sharti was an excellent doctor.
She was the teacher Tein admired and was proud of.
[I’m worried. I’m worried about catching the epidemic, and I’m also worried about her heading to an unfamiliar village alone.]
At Ren’s honest feelings, Tein slowly lowered his hands.
Ren hid his smile at the child’s upright and moved expression.
[I want to follow Sha. I want to go with her and help her.]
He informed Tein as gently as possible that ‘but your cold-hearted teacher is against it.’
Tein didn’t nod to indicate that Sharti’s decision was right.
But he didn’t look like he was supporting Ren’s will either.
With a face that seemed to be pondering something, Tein wrinkled his nose.
[Ren is a good person.]
After a long pause, Tein looked up at Ren with clear eyes and spoke.
[That’s why the doctor said she doesn’t want to be a burden to Ren.]
[…What?]
Tein looked at Ren solemnly, as if he had made a decision.
[Ren will leave when he finds his memories. That’s why the doctor doesn’t waver for Ren.]
While listening to Tein’s disjointed words, Ren swallowed an incredulous sigh.
He recalled Sharti’s sudden mention of relationships between men and women.
Thanks to Tein, he could now guess the reason, and suddenly felt stifled, unable to manage his expression.
[…Then, do you think I shouldn’t follow her?]
Ren asked Tein. Tein shook his head from side to side.
What Tein had overheard was an adult conversation between Sharti and Virena, and relationships were still difficult for a young child to understand.
But he understood one thing.
“The doctor needs Ren!”
Tein strongly asserted his opinion toward Sharti.
Sharti hurriedly wrote a note with a flustered gesture.
<Tein, Ren is not needed for the treatment trip. Rather, it’s dangerous.>
“Doctor, you are also in danger.”
At Tein’s firm attitude, Sharti rolled her eyes to glare at Ren.
Ren, who had stepped back far from Tein, was maintaining a calm expression as if he had nothing to do with it.
His attitude of tattling everything to Tein and then slipping away was extremely annoying.
<I am Tein’s teacher. I can prepare sufficiently to avoid infection.>
Even when she explained as if coaxing him, Tein stubbornly shook his head.
“Ren can also prepare sufficiently. Ren listens well to the doctor. He promised.”
“……”
Sharti looked at Ren again with clouded eyes.
Why did he make such a promise to Tein?
Sharti crouched down to match Tein’s eye level.
<Tein, why do you want Ren to come along on this treatment trip so badly?>
“I trust the doctor. But I still worry.”
Tein fidgeted with his fingers while watching Sharti’s reaction.
“Ren also trusts the doctor. And he worries. So Ren promised me.”
Tein held out his pinky finger to Sharti.
His round eyes were sparkling with pure expectation.
“He promised to protect the doctor from getting sick, to not leave the doctor’s side, and to cherish the doctor.”
“……”
“So…”
Tein leaned toward Sharti and whispered softly into her ear, creating a shield with his hands.
“The doctor can be greedy.”
“…!”
Tein grinned at the surprised Sharti.
Then his small body hugged Sharti’s neck with all his might.
“Like grandmother, like big sister, I will also protect the doctor.”
It was a bright aspiration.
Sharti’s nose stung and her eyes reddened.
When Sharti hugged Tein back, the child’s laughter in her ear tickled her.
And Ren, who had been watching the scene with his arms crossed, relaxed his posture and put one hand on his waist.
Vireta’s family, including Tein, were beings who could instantly crumble Sharti’s iron wall.
‘No, it seems like Sharti herself tears down her walls specifically for that family.’
It was an area absolutely not permitted to the current Ren.
Ren recalled what Tein had told him.
‘As long as I leave the possibility that I might leave, the distance between Sha and me won’t change.’
Although he didn’t show it in front of Tein, he was actually quite shocked.
‘A burden, really.’
He had never once thought of Sharti’s kindness in such a way—she who had saved his life, taken him in, fed him, and taken care of him, showing nothing but grace.
Ren seriously reflected.
‘I must have acted in a way that made her feel that way.’
And he became even more determined to follow Sharti.
He needed to help Sharti focus on her treatment in the unfamiliar place and protect her with all his strength.
‘From what I hear, the village atmosphere doesn’t seem friendly to Sha. I must prevent anyone from speaking carelessly to Sha.’
Above all, Ren did not like the skinny, pale pink-haired young man with glasses.
More precisely, he disliked the memories that only Sharti and Ashu shared.
Additionally, he disliked his changing expressions and gazes whenever he looked at Sharti.
‘I have a bad feeling.’
From the moment Ashu appeared, he instinctively had a bad premonition.
Letting Sharti go alone seemed like something he would regret for a long time.
“……”
Ren pushed away his thoughts as he watched Sharti approaching.
Sharti stood in front of him and handed him a note.
<If something happens to Ren, I won’t take responsibility. Since Ren brought it upon himself, I’ll leave you there and return alone. Still want to go?>
“I will never trouble you by failing to take care of myself. Sha, I promise.”
“……”
Sharti, who had been glaring at him, finally nodded with a small sigh.
Just as Ren’s expression was about to soften at the finally granted permission, he sensed her glaring gaze and nodded as calmly as possible.
Sharti rolled her eyes at his annoying demeanor.
Watching the two, Tein felt satisfied and grinned.
“Ren is trying. He will be loved.”
And Tein also made a resolution.
“I must tell grandmother.”
An epidemic was not a problem that could be handled by one person alone.
For Sharti to be safe, she needed help.
That evening, Tein immediately informed Vireta about Sharti’s treatment trip.
****
The day of departure for the treatment trip was two days later.
During that time, Sharti prepared emergency medicines and collected information on the suspected disease spreading in Ashu’s village.
For the former, she received help from Tein, and for the latter, from Vireta.
On the morning of their departure, unlike Sharti who only carried a treatment bag, Ren left the log cabin with bundles of luggage on his back.
“Be careful on your journey.”
“You know your health is most important, Sha? Don’t overdo it.”
“Let Ren handle the difficult things!”
Carrying the concerns of Vireta’s family, Sharti departed on her trip with Ren.
‘I wonder how long it will take. When I went alone, it took about a week.’
The winter mountains inevitably slowed one’s pace due to frozen ground and snow, and especially for Sharti, walking too long made her legs stiff and limp, preventing her from moving quickly.
Fortunately, around this time, the weather was still less cold and there was no snow, but the problem was the fog stretching before their eyes.
‘Assuming we don’t lose our way, we might arrive in about five days.’
It was concerning to depart on such a foggy day, but it was perfect for crossing the mountains away from people’s eyes.
Thanks to the increasingly thick fog, Ren had also removed his stuffy bandages.
‘We need to move as fast as possible. We can’t delay too much.’
As they were already delayed more than expected, Sharti had made thorough preparations.
Even while studying about epidemics, Sharti occasionally went down to the village to check on injured patients. And finally, the injured patients whose conditions had improved enough to descend were set to leave the village as soon as the fog lifted.
Additionally, she had found clues about the disease spreading in Ashu’s village by developing various hypotheses with Vireta’s family.
Sharti fiddled with a palm-sized raw stone in her bag.
“Sha-.”
“…!”
When Sharti turned her head, Ren, who had already approached, picked her up in his arms.
Surprised, Sharti reflexively put her arms around his neck.
“You said we need to hurry, so this seems best.”
“…?”
Before Sharti could say anything, Ren increased his speed.
Despite carrying all the luggage, Ren ran without showing any signs of being affected by Sharti’s weight.
“Re-Ren! Put me down! If you trip because of the thick fog…!”
“Then hold on tight so I don’t fall.”
Ren rushed through the fog as if swimming.
“This makes it difficult for me to guide you!”
“I’ve seen the map too. I’ve already memorized it, and if the fog makes the path confusing, I’ll ask then.”
Running out of excuses, Sharti just clenched her fists nervously. If she struggled even a little, it seemed like Ren might drop her or they might roll together.
As tension kept building in her body, Sharti finally embraced Ren’s neck.
Swallowing a satisfied groan, Ren’s Adam’s apple noticeably bobbed.
“We should rest here for today.”
By the time Ren put Sharti down, the day had already faded.
Even though she had only been carried by Ren, Sharti’s arms and legs were trembling.
‘I-I survived!’
Supported by him, Sharti barely sat on the blanket Ren had spread and caught her breath.
Perhaps because she was frightened by a speed she had never experienced before, her entire body felt tired.
“Sha, drink some water first.”
Ren, who had put down potatoes wrapped in cloth, handed her a water bottle.
Sharti took it with both hands and quickly drank the water.
‘I’ll live…’
She also took a big bite out of the potato that Ren had peeled and split in half.
While observing Sharti, who was focusing on eating without speaking, Ren took out a blanket and covered her shoulders.
“Ren eat too.”
Sharti, with her mouth full of potato, chewing noisily, held out the remaining half of the potato to Ren.
“…I thought you’d be angry.”
When Ren admitted his guilt on his own, Sharti smiled awkwardly.
“I was surprised, but it’s true that we need to get to the village quickly. And…”
“And?”
“It’s hard to be angry when only Ren pushed himself, and I was just… just carried by Ren.”
Sharti, avoiding Ren’s gaze, wrinkled her nose in embarrassment.
Ren let out a small, silent laugh.
Sharti rolled her eyes at Ren, who seemed perfectly fine.
“Still, tell me in advance next time. I was really startled.”
“I will.”
It was a tacit permission that he could pick her up again.
Whether it was fortunate or not that she didn’t see him as a man, Ren, having achieved what he wanted, swallowed both a satisfied smile and the potato.
“Then Sha, I’ll run a bit faster tomorrow than today, so it would be better if you hold on, no, cling tighter than today.”
“What?”
When Ren declared with a calm face that he would run even faster than today, Sharti gripped the water bottle tightly.
She couldn’t gauge how much scarier it would be if the speed was even faster than today.
But Sharti composed herself by taking another sip of water.
‘At Ren’s speed, we’ll reach the village quickly.’
Sharti nodded.
“In exchange, I’ll keep watch alone at night.”
Even though Ren was physically superior, there was a risk that his immunity could decrease if his stamina dropped due to the arduous mountain journey.
Rather, taking responsibility for Ren’s sleep was a much more reasonable proposal than offering to carry the luggage instead of him.
Ren, who seemed to be contemplating for a moment, nodded.
“But I have a condition.”
