The Elf Is a Freeloader

"Mumps cold?

The day after Elle had a fever.

Yasushi overheard Kaori, her mother, who examined Elle, in an unexpectedly bare voice.

"Yes, the official name is Flow Row Sex Ear Lower Gland Flame. Mumps Cold is a common name, but I'm sure no one knows this name first."

Epidemic otitis - mumps A cold is a viral disease caused by an infection of the mumps virus.

"Mumps can be infected by a splash infection or a contact infection. Do you have any idea what El might be infected with?

"Even if they say so... because we all went out everywhere later in the summer vacation... didn't we get infected somewhere then?

"Suppose you had a child who just had a mumpy cold before you went out, a patient during the latency period, or a carrier of viruses even if you had antibodies and didn't develop... you could have been infected with some kind of applause. The latency period for mumps colds is about two weeks... and it matches at times."

"But a mumpy cold is a childhood disease, isn't it? How could Elle..."

Mumps colds are common infections in children between the ages of two and twelve, but can also be infected at other ages. Other organs, such as the testicles, ovaries, central nervous system, pancreas, prostate, chest, etc. may also be involved if a person of higher age is infected, and in some cases there may even be sequelae to reproductive function after healing.

"Generally, once you get mumped cold, they say you have antibodies to the mumps virus and you will never get it again... you don't think Elle has ever had mumped cold before, do you?

"Oh well... because Elle came from another world... that virus doesn't exist in another world"

"That sort of thing. When I measured my temperature earlier, my fever was close to thirty-nine degrees, but I think my fever will continue for another three or four days. The fever period is about three to five days."

"Oh well..."

Yasushi, hearing about Elle's condition from her mother, gets up to go see how she is worried.

"Where are you going?

"Huh? Well, go to your room to see how Elle is..."

"No, you can't. I can't go into that girl's room right now."

"Why not?

You will still suffer from high fever, El. There will be nothing that Yasushi, who is only an amateur about medicine, can do for her.

Still, you can just say a word by your side. If you were banned from entering the room where you thought you would, you wouldn't be convinced even if you weren't healthy.

However, Kaori sighed and showed such a frightened sigh at Yasushi.

"Even you know the typical symptoms of mumps cold, don't you?

"Typical symptoms... both cheeks are swollen, right?

"It's not exactly the cheeks, my ear glands are swollen and my face looks swollen... think about it. Elle's a girl, right? How do you think a girl would feel if someone saw her face all swollen up?

"Ah..."

"Sure, Elle is already our family. But don't forget how much family they are, because they're girls of their age?

I'm wondering if it's okay to call someone over 150 years old, but Kaori heartily decides that it won't be a problem to call Elle about his age because his mental age is not very different from yours anyway.

"So don't let Yasushi enter that girl's room until the swelling on that girl's face pulls off. All right?

"Wow, I get it. So, how long before the swelling pulls off?

"Well... sure, the second day or so is the worst, and then it should gradually disappear... after that"

"Then it's about three to four days... hey, Mother. You don't have any special effects for mumps and colds?

"Well, there is no specific cure for epidemic otitis. Cooling or warming the swelling may reduce the symptoms... but there is no cure for this."

Warm salt water bites, soft foods, and special liquid foods may reduce the signs, but nothing particularly effective is present in mumps colds.

"The only thing you need to be aware of is that you don't forget to drink moisture because you may experience dehydration due to a fever. Oh, but just because it's palatable, you shouldn't drink sour fruit juice because it can cause sore ear glands when you swallow it."

Yasushi hears Kaori's words with a strange face.

Elle is suffering from high fever right now. I guess he's desperate to do what he can for Elle at all.

"But... if I can't get in the room, what are you gonna do with Elle's medical attention?

"Of course, I'll see you."

"Huh? Because the job..."

Yasushi turns her gaze to her father Yuji, who is reading the newspaper on the couch in the living room.

"Don't worry about me. It's certainly a long way from here to work, but I don't care about it for a week or so. I mean, parents don't have a hard time or anything about that for their kids, do they?

Never look back to Yasushi. Yuji showed him with his right thumb sticking out, keeping his face to the newspaper.

"Well. I'll take care of Elle. It's time for you to go to school."

"Ah, oh. Okay, I asked for Elle."

Confirming that her mother snorted, Yasushi headed to her room to help her attend school.

After Yasushi and Yuji went out to work with the school, Kaori headed to Elle's room again.

In the room, on the bed, Elle sleeps with a swollen cheek with a high fever and a red face.

But when it comes to sleeping, you breathe fast and sleep seems shallow.

Noticing that Kaori had now entered the room, Elle nodded open her closing eyes.

"... mother-in-law...?

"Yeah, it's me. You don't have to. Go to sleep."

Kaori is an ear-type thermometer to ascertain Elle's current temperature.

"... I knew you still had a high fever..."

The digital display of the thermometer is "38.8". Despite how many elves from different worlds, body temperatures close to thirty-nine degrees must be high fever.

The cooling sheet of the forehead that has completely dried at body temperature is peeled off from the forehead in an attempt to replace Kaori.

But sooner than I took out the new cooling sheet, something jumped out of the pet bottle that had been placed on the side table on the pillow and onto Po Bin and Elle's forehead.

"Heh. This is what Yasushi said about the water spirits. I see. Is that a live ice sac?"

Perhaps Elle did not order it, but the Spirit of Water, the Water Elementary, does so voluntarily.

Moving his gaze, he saw a small figure around Elle's swollen lower ear gland. The shadow was worryingly touching Elle's swollen spot with a small hand, but she disappeared as soon as she was surprised that Kaori and her eyes met. This one will probably do it with the phantom spirits.

"The spirits are worried about Elle."

"Pi, hey... Tsir... sorry to make you worry...?

"Look, because you don't have to worry about that right now. Just think about getting better soon."

"... Yes... Oh, um..."

While repeatedly breathing shallow in agony, Elle turns her softly open eyes towards Kaori.

"Yastaka..."

"Yasushi would have gone to school. Don't worry, he won't let you into this room until your illness has healed."

Elle heard Kaori's words and closed her eyes as she was relieved.

"Good... my face is so terrible right now... I just don't want Mr. Yastaka to see me..."

Apparently, even with her, she still didn't want you to see who she is now.

(But 'only for Mr. Yastaka', right. My son can't believe how much he feels about such a pretty daughter.)

Perhaps Elle herself speaks without being sure because of the fever. But I can also say that's why it's her untrue heart.

Maybe the position of this new stepdaughter in the future will change to something called her son's daughter-in-law.

But even if "stepdaughter" became "son's daughter-in-law," her position is not so different now. Besides, I would still be happy as Kaori to welcome you anew as "son's daughter-in-law" rather than putting you to your daughter-in-law as a bad stranger.

About that, Kaori - and Yuji - thinks Elle is her own daughter.

(Yasushi doesn't seem to be full, and I'm looking forward to the future.)

Of course, though, there are some worries.

Even if the two are to be married in the future, will the marriage work out for them?

Two people who were even born and raised in different worlds, rather than lifestyles and cultures. There is no guarantee that they will be able to do well in the future, and there will be many problems to be found now, even better, ahead of them.

For example, can a child be between a human and an elf? Sometimes there is a half-elf mix in fantasy novels and such, but does that apply in the case of Yasushi and Elle as well?

Plus, it's a matter of life expectancy. He said that the average life expectancy of the Els is between five and six hundred years, but what will Els do after Yasushi has completed his full life expectancy? How will she live alone for hundreds of years?

In the first place, does Elle intend to return to the original world?

(Well, I can't help thinking about that right now. We're still ahead of us, and it's up to you and Elle to decide in the first place... as far as I'm concerned, I'd like the two of you to do well...)

Soon after, Kaori quietly followed Elle's room as she turned her loving smile to Elle, who had fallen asleep again.