The next morning
As I wake up in the room Akari gave me, I let a sigh of comfort escape my lips as I begin to sit up.
"What should I do today?" I think while standing up and walking toward the door. As I open it, I see Akari drinking tea on the couch. My smile widens as I look at her. She turns her head after hearing the door open.
"Good morning, Noroi-kun," she says with a warm smile on her wrinkled face.
"Good morning, Akari-san," I say as I walk toward an armchair next to the couch. As I sit, I look around, and for the first time since I arrived, I notice what the house is like. It is modest, with little furniture placed at the corners of the room so Akari wouldn't trip. The room we are sitting in has a sliding door that leads to the small yard she has.
"Would you like some tea, Noroi-kun?" she says gently while carefully placing the cup on the table.
"Yes, please," I say with a bit of excitement in my voice. After all, this is my first time trying tea. As she stands up, I stand up too and help her walk to the kitchen.
"Here you go. Be careful, it's hot," she says, handing me the cup carefully.
"Thanks," I say as I accept the cup in my hands. I take a sip. "Hot!" I shout slightly as my mouth burns from the liquid.
"I warned you," she says with a small amused laugh.
After waiting a little while, I take another sip. "Bitter," I say while making a grimace.
Akari giggles, amused by my reaction, and reaches forward to take the cup from my hands, but she accidentally touches my bandaged shoulder.
"What is this, Noroi-kun? Are you hurt?" she asks, her voice full of worry.
My body tenses at the question. "It's nothing, Akari-san. It's just a scratch," I say without much emotion in my voice.
She frowns. "No scratch needs bandages," she says, the worry in her voice deepening. "Let's go see the town doctor," she adds as she starts walking toward the door.
My heart warms at her concern, but my mind freezes at the thought of her discovering my appearance. "Akari-san, I'm okay. Don't worry," I say with a slightly panicked voice.
"Don't say nonsense, Noroi-kun. We are going to the doctor," she says, noticing the worry in my voice. "Are you perhaps afraid of doctors?" she asks with curiosity and concern.
"Yes, Akari-san, I'm afraid of doctors," I say, even though I don't know what a doctor really is. I assume it is a person and answer with a lie. My heart aches when I lie to her, but if she knew the truth, the look of horror on her face would hurt even more.
She turns toward the sound of my voice and sighs worriedly. "Well… we still need to treat those injuries," she says softly as she starts probing with her walking stick, searching for the bathroom. I follow her.
When we enter the bathroom, she says gently, "Can you open the cabinet and take the box with the red cross on the front?"
I look up at the cabinet on the wall above the sink and prepare to climb onto it. Akari notices the sound of me climbing and opens her arms behind me so I won't fall.
"Be careful, Noroi-kun," she says.
I open the cabinet and grab the box. As I drop to the ground with a light thud, Akari starts explaining, "Take off your bandages, grab the white bottle, and put small drops on your wounds."
As I undo the bandages from my arms and torso, I realize the cuts have already started to close. When I apply the liquid, I flinch and let out a small grunt of pain.
"It's okay, Noroi-kun. It stings, but it's to disinfect your wounds," she says gently.
When I finish, I put the bottle back in the box and place it on the sink. "I'm done, Akari-san," I say as I look at her.
"Very well, Noroi-kun," she says as she reaches out, trying to pat my head. I visibly flinch, expecting a hit, but the gentle touch of her hand makes me relax, and I melt into the warmth of her touch.
"Hm? Why is your hair so dirty?" she says, not noticing my reaction. "Let me prepare a bath for you," she adds as I guide her to the bathtub.
"Okay," I say quietly, enjoying the care of the older woman.
As the bathtub fills with warm water, I start taking off my clothes. My body is very slim from eating only two bowls of rice a day; some of my ribs are visible beneath my skin.
"Thank you for preparing my bath, Akari-san," I say with a smile.
She smiles back. "I'll leave you to wash yourself. Be careful," she says gently.
Akari's POV:
After leaving Noroi-kun alone in the bathroom, I probe with my stick, searching for the couch.
"What a sweet child," she thinks as she sits down. But in the next moment, worry appears on her face as thoughts of Noroi's past surface.
"Why did Noroi-kun have all those bandages? Was he abused in the shrine he lived in and escaped because of that?" she wonders, her worry growing as she imagines the child being beaten by monks.
Even so, she doesn't want to ask him. If he doesn't want to talk about his past, she would never force him.
"Poor child… maybe his bandaged appearance is what caused the crowd in the market to fall silent," she thinks sadly. She hasn't touched his body much, so she only noticed the bandages on his shoulder.
Thinking of a way to make him happier, she smiles. "Maybe if I hire a teacher to teach him how to read, he'll be happier." She decides to tell Noroi when he comes out of the bathroom.
3rd Person:
After thirty minutes, Noroi comes out of the bathroom with a single thought in his mind.
"That energy I used in the shrine… what was that?" he wonders in confusion. "When my negative emotions flared, that energy came to life and made me feel stronger."
But when he hears Akari's voice, the thought fades away.
"Noroi-kun," she says with a smile. "Would you like me to call a teacher so you can learn how to write?" she asks warmly.
"Akari-san, that's too much… I can't keep taking advantage of your kindness," Noroi replies with a worried tone.
"Don't worry, little one. I'm doing this because I care about you," she says gently.
"R-really?" Noroi asks, hope in his voice as tears begin to well in his eyes.
"Really," she replies warmly.
The boy throws himself into her arms and starts bawling in Akari's lap.
Surprised by the sudden weight, Akari steadies herself and hugs him as she hears him cry. A small tear escapes her eye.
"Poor child," she thinks as night falls, the two of them embracing quietly under the lamplight.