The picturesque rice cakes are delicious today

18 Stories: Scarlet Dragon * 5

When I woke up, it was on the bed. But it's not my bed.... I wonder where, here.

When I looked at the ceiling, I saw a soft white ceiling.

The walls in my eyes a little sideways were soft white and slightly dull red, then vertical stripes of different widths made of calm gold.

Yeah. It's a stylish wallpaper I've never seen. Where would it really be?

When I tried to get up, I couldn't get up because I couldn't help myself. I worked a little hard, but my body is surprisingly heavy.

At the end of the heavy body sink, a fuzzy bed.... so fuzzy. Your body is sinking amazing. So is the futon on me. [M] So fuzzy. As for me sleeping on one blanket, hey this... I don't know, I'm not comfortable rejecting it.

If you can't move and you're doing it, all of a sudden, there's chatter.

"... hmm? Thogo, could it have happened!?

There he was... Mr. Redgard.

"Is your body okay? Where does it hurt? Can you move? Oh, you know what I mean? Where are we?

Mr. Redgard approached me right away and asked me a lot at once. Yeah, I can't answer that much at once.

... and there's more to it than me.

"The wound..."

Mr. Redgard, half his face… around his left eye, is wearing a bandage. Besides, one hand is wrapped around with a bandage and hung with a triangle towel...

"Hmm? Oh, well, that's no big deal. So, what about you?

"Yeah... my body is heavy, but I think I'm fine. Where am I?

"My guest room. Let me carry you."

... Oh well. Is this Mr. Redgard's house? Sure, somehow, the air in the room, or the smell that drifts there, doesn't sound like it.

"What happened after that? What about that injury? And then, what about dragons?

"Sort of calm down.... Drink this for now"

I was supported by Mr. Redgard and woke up. [M] It was a little difficult to sit but I tried my best there. And I had a fuzzy cushion in the back of my back so that I could lean over, so I was supposed to sit there like I could bury half of it in the cushion.

So I was given a cup with a drink in it, and I grabbed it with both hands and drank the contents. The contents were fruit juice. Sweet and delicious. It tastes better.

"Delicious?

"Yeah."

"Oh well. Then no. No, you, I don't really see it on my face..."

... Is that right? Though I think I'm the type to get out.

"In the meantime, after that, maybe after the Red Dragon came out, right?

"Yeah."

The Red Dragon, I painted with blood, must mean that scarlet dragon. After all, that wasn't a dream, was it?

"That, after all, you let it out? All of a sudden, I'm surprised at all the people on the black market."

"Yeah. Drawn"

I was surprised, too. I really didn't think it would come out...... no, I was wondering. Maybe so. Though I'm not sure.

"... that red dragon turned it all upside down"

That's what Mr. Redgard said, and he came out a chair beside the bed and sat down.

"I'm also the one who says too much detail, so just to conclude, we've got this figured out for now. You're right, I got you out of here, and the people on the black market beat you up. Whatever it is, it's enough to cover all the evil that spreads over Redgard territory. Me too... well, I saw some sore eyes. This street is alive."

That's what Mr. Redgard says and laughs at, but he's not very good at watching, but he's not funny.

"Um... that, my eyes"

"Yeah. Just one"

"The hands."

"A few fingers. And bones. Well, he just didn't die. Cheap. Besides, you were safe. That's fine."

... It just hurts to watch. I hope you don't smile like that because I'm safe. I don't feel like looking like that.

"Hey, Togo. Don't look like that. For me, it's more of a problem that the guy who's not me is not safe because of me."

"... so am I."

Saying so in protest, Mr. Redgard laughs somewhat happily.

... and.

"And then... well, it was worth about one eye and a scratch and a finger and a bone. Look at that."

When Mr. Redgard gets up to my bed, he opens the window ahead of me. And out the window, Huey, and when I whistle... I hear a feather outside the window.

Bashful, and when I thought I heard a noise that would make a big sheet hang... out the window, a scarlet dragon peered.

"Look, Togo!... of my Summoner, the Red Dragon!

"Become a subpoena, are you?

"Whoa! You're surprised!? You're surprised!? I'm surprised, too, really!

...... yeah. Surprised.

The dragon I drew came out of the painting, and he helped Mr. Redgard, and his subpoena.

I mean, Mr. Redgard's dream came true.

"That's... good for you. Congratulations. It was a dream."

"Whoa! It's happening! I didn't expect it to happen, but it did! Totally, I want to dream, really!...... na!

As Mr. Redgard reached out the window, a scarlet dragon stretched his neck and began to cheek into his outstretched hand. He looks pretty scary because he's a big dragon, but he's kind of cute about how he narrows his eyes and rubs them off.

...... hmm? Is that it?

Uh... I don't know, weird.

Scarlet dragons, sticking their necks through windows, are caressed very hard, but... was this guy this big?

"Could that dragon have gotten smaller...?

"Huh? Really?

Yeah. Absolutely shrunk. 'Cause this guy, he broke through the ceiling. I don't think it was the size of an automobile, but it had a few floors of buildings... I think this is about as big as a giant bird coming to the fountain to take a water bath...

"Hmmm...... if it shrunk. If yeah, that's it. Lack of magic. Look, if I'm the contractor, I'm not gonna have enough magic."

Oh, that's what I have.

... Mr. Redgard looks a little sorry, but I think this dragon should be cuter this size.

"Quickly, find a good demon stone that can mediate..."

That's what Mr. Redgard said, he was doing stroking the dragon's neck. And the dragon sounded, and rejoiced again.

"So this one's fine. If only you woke up afterwards, that would've been all right."

That's what Mr. Redgard said, pounding my shoulder. It doesn't hurt like when I slapped you on the back before. He cares about me.

"How long have I been asleep?

Ten days.

...... oh. Yeah. Right. I thought my body was weird by reason. If I stayed asleep for 10 days, this would happen too, wouldn't it? Yeah.

"... glad you're awake. Really."

Maybe I got a lot of worries. I'm really sorry about that, and I'm sorry I left all the cleanup to you during the 10th.

"There's nothing for you to worry about. Go home to the woods again, too, and take your time here until you feel better. You owe me my life."

But I'm so sorry. Mr. Redgard laughs at me. [M] Plus, he stroked it like a gentle tap on my head.

… If he is a benefactor of my life, he must also be a benefactor of my life.

You've been protecting me for a long time. If I hadn't been here, if he had been alone, he might have done better. Still, he doesn't grudge against me. [M]

That's... not really. Then, isn't it? I'm so, so sorry.

That was the time. The door to the room is knocked.

It's open.

And when Mr. Redgard replied before me, the door opened... two people came in.

"Oh... you're Togo. Good, you're awake."

The first is a young man who looks a little older than Mr. Redgard.

He has hair closer to gold than Mr. Redgard, with rosy eyes. I felt softer in my hips than he did, and, oh, you're an adult.

"Did I surprise you suddenly? I'm sorry."

And the second, a magnificent man. Close to brown hair, dark red eyes. It's called a robust body, it's called a soggy atmosphere, and it has a dependable body.

These people, Mr. Redgard's brother and father, what is it?

"It's Van Millio Redgard. Lord of the Redgard realm, and this time the father of Faye Brad Redgard, who was helped by you."

"Oh, thank you, uh, Kiryu Sky, it's"

I wanted to put two adults in front of me, be careful, but the raw haters don't move. So I decided to just sit in bed and stay buried in the cushion and manage to keep my head down a little bit.... Isn't this rude? I'm worried.

"I'm Roses Rufus Redgard. I'll meet Faye's brother. My brother bothered you this time. Looks like I got you involved..."

And that's what Mr. Redgard's brother says and he looks sorry for me.

"No, I caused you trouble."

In a hurry, I corrected it properly. I have trouble getting you there wrong.

"Mr. Redgard helped me. So..."

"I guess so. Sure, my brother must have helped you. Because that's what this guy is."

But that's what your brother said on the way to correction...... then he laughed and made me laugh in a way that looked a lot like Mr. Redgard.

"But I hear it's because of you that my brother came back alive. You were helped by my brother, and my brother was, indeed, helped by you. Thank you so much."

"Until you get back in shape... no, whatever. After that, make sure you take your time. Thank you so much. Thank you for your courage."

In addition, your father said the same thing, holding my hand on the futon, and laughing after all.

... It was strange. How can they laugh at me?

"... you don't get angry"

"Huh?"

"If I hadn't been here, Mr. Redgard wouldn't have had to get hurt like this."

I grabbed a lot in the back of my chest and the words didn't come out well. But I... felt angry, hated, hated, I think. Or maybe you wanted me to be angry.

If someone gets hurt, the person you were with at the time can be blamed. Whether the injured person cares or not, that's what it is.

I took that for granted, and I was there...

"Hmmm... even if I say I'm angry. Without you, Faye would probably be dead."

That said, Mr. Redgard's father looks in trouble.

"It was done to this extent because you were there. There's life. I've never crossed it. One or two of the wounds can also be severed as an injury to honor. I think I'll get a good pill with a handover. Maybe your fingers can go back, even if your eyes are hard"

"Is it true"

Medicine. Right, is there such a thing? Although I don't think it's okay to have that because this world is definitely a different world......

Just a little bit, I can hope. Maybe they have hope, too.

"But when lives are lost, they don't either.... so it's not your fault. Thanks to you. I don't know where to be angry... thank you, I'm angry, I can't believe it"

... but when they say this, I'm in trouble.

I don't know... I feel weird. There's a completely different word out there than I thought, and I don't know... yeah, I'm probably confused.

"I'm glad you're okay, too. Thanks for waking me up."

Plus, when they even say that... I don't know what to do.

... You've made me so good, you've got me to say warm words, and no one blames me. That's terribly unsettling.

What am I supposed to do?

Then Mr. Redgard's father and brother shook hands with me and left the room softly. Because I'm sick, he decided that if I made him nervous, he would feel sorry for me. Will you care that much, these people?

"... that's the thing. Let me tell you something. Thank you so much. Thanks to you for saving me."

And that's what Mr. Redgard left in the room says, and then he tries to leave the room, too.

"Well, just go to sleep. He asked me to bring the rice to his room."

"Um, me."

"Hmm?"

I caught Mr. Redgard's clothes hem trying to get out of the room, and I asked him to.

"... when my body starts to move properly... can I paint your picture?"

"... Pictures?

"Yeah. Pictures. Portrait"

There's no clapping. Please. I know that. But I really, really want to draw.

If you want, I want to do what I can.

... and apparently, Mr. Redgard didn't give a shit about my sudden favor.

"Mine? Well, that's fine."

Mr. Redgard looked a little... and then smiled a little painful, like a little lit up.

"If you wanted me to draw it anyway, you should have done it before you got hurt."

... Never mind, though you told me. Red Dragon, although he also told me that it was okay because he missed that scarlet dragon. But there's no way he'd think anything about his injury. Absolutely, it must be hard.... but he still doesn't say anything about that.

"Ma, no. If you're going to draw, you're going to have to be very cool! About 30% more!

"... yeah"

I didn't know if I was going to succeed, so I didn't say anything to make you expect weird.

But... the horns and feathers of the horse have healed, so I think I can return this man's eyes and fingers.

… I want to put it back, I think.