Chapter 11:
A Dubious Heart-to-Heart
AFTER HARVESTING SOME medicinal herbs from our meadow, I sat down in the shade.
What nice weather today. Perfect for this kind of work.
Ejil and Mina were watching the drugstore, and they were pretty much a dream team. I figured I could rest a bit before heading back.
“Master, here.” Noela presented me with a drink. “Smooth water. Try.”
“You used purifier on this, huh? Thanks.” The water was kind of lukewarm since we brought it from home, but it more than quenched my thirst.
Noela sprawled on the ground, looking comfy. Suddenly, her ears twitched. “Groo?”
“What’s the matter?”
“Loud voice.”
She hears someone talking? However hard I focused, I couldn’t hear a thing.
“Over there!” She stood and dashed off. I followed.
Just as Noela said, Annabelle was nearby, arguing with her second-in-command, Doz, and a few other mercenaries.
“You gotta stop, Boss!”
“Shut yer mouth!” Annabelle snapped. “When I’ve got a day off, I’m free to go wherever I want!”
“Sure, but you can’t take all this and—”
“Ah! Reiji, bro!” Doz noticed me.
The other mercenaries greeted me too. “You gotta listen to this, Reiji,” said one. “The boss is…”
“The pharmacist don’t need to know every little damn thing!” Annabelle sounded as prickly as a rebellious young girl. She was carrying a bunch of things, seemingly headed somewhere.
“You’re tryin’ to run away, ain’t you, Boss?!” Doz accused. The other mercenaries nodded.
“Wh-wha—?! Like hell I am!” She landed a kick on Doz.
Annabelle’s the type of boss everyone would’ve hated back in Japan.
“Heh heh heh…” her second-in-command snickered.
But Doz seems plenty happy…so I guess it’s all right?
“You’re so lucky, Doz, man!”
“Boss, if you’re runnin’ away, you gotta plant a kick on all our butts first!”
Yeah, I totally get why she’d want to leave town.
“How many times I gotta tell you jackasses that I ain’t runnin’ away!” Annabelle sighed.
The bag on her back was full. When I inspected it more closely, I saw tentpoles poking out. “Ah,” I said. “You’re going camping?”
“Yeah,” Annabelle glowered. “I wanted some alone time, but these dummies are makin’ a fuss about it. At this rate, I ain’t gonna get any chance to relax.”
I could see why she wanted solitude; she was literally surrounded by her men at all hours. Even at the barracks, guys came and went as their shifts started and ended.
Doz shook his head. “You could never camp solo, Boss.”
“I ain’t gonna know unless I try!”
“We already know! You can’t even cook. I can picture you comin’ home early with an empty stomach!”
The other men nodded. Annabelle didn’t respond, probably because she could picture that herself.
Doz turned to me. “Reiji, pal, if you got time, could you go with the boss?”
“H-hey, what do you… Th-that’s way too much to ask!” Annabelle protested.
“Red’s face red too!” Noela pointed out.
“We’d feel fine lettin’ her go if you went along,” Doz continued.
“I-I ain’t ready for somethin’ like that, damn it!” Annabelle insisted. “I-It’s too outta the blue!”
“Griping…but doesn’t mind!” Noela noted.
“Please, Medicine God. I know it’s a lot to ask, but would you look after her for us?”
“I told you, I don’t… I, er…” Annabelle kept glancing at me as she tried to interrupt Doz.
“No problem,” I told them. “The drugstore’s open today, but it doesn’t look like we’ll be too busy.” I already finished making some products, so I didn’t need to worry about stock running low.
“Y-you sure?” Annabelle asked. She fidgeted, clearly lacking self-assurance. “I’ll probably be real clumsy puttin’ up that tent.”
Her men watched approvingly.
“The boss is usually so confident.”
“This is adorable.”
“Cute. She’s all sheepish.”
“Yeah, seriously, it’s all good,” I assured her. “I’m not sure how useful I’ll be, either, but we can team up.”
Once I’d agreed, Doz grinned. “I feel more than safe leavin’ the boss with you, pal.”
“Take care of her, please!” another mercenary requested.
“I’m sure we’ll help each other out,” I replied. And, just like that, I’d agreed to go camping with Annabelle.