"Little Butterfly."
"Miss Mitsuba?"
Inside the Butterfly Clinic, the young female doctor who had been sitting behind the counter, head bowed as she read a medical text, hurriedly looked up upon hearing the voice.
The moment she saw Mitsuba approaching under an umbrella outside the clinic, she immediately put away her medical book and rushed out to welcome her inside.
The female doctor was the owner of this Butterfly Clinic. Her name was Butterfly Sumire—Sumire as in the violet flower.
Her parents had passed away early, and she had no siblings.
Like Mitsuba, Butterfly Sumire was also an "outsider" to this town, though she had arrived here much earlier than Mitsuba.
It was said that ten years ago, when she was only sixteen, she had come here alone carrying a medicine basket on her back.
And two years later, relying on her exquisite medical skills, she successfully opened her own clinic in this town.
A remarkably excellent and hardworking woman, she and her grandmother might as well have been carved from the same mold...
"Why did you come so early today? Didn't I tell you to try not to go out during the day?
Especially at this time, with such intense sunlight—your skin won't be able to handle it..."
Speaking these reproachful words, Butterfly Sumire hurriedly examined every inch of Mitsuba's exposed skin, and only after confirming everything was fine did she look up again, staring directly into Mitsuba's eyes with a tone that seemed to scold:
"Mitsuba, I've told you many times—your illness is very special.
Normal people can stay in the sun for a while without issue, but if you stay in the sun, you'll really have serious problems. Do you understand?"
"Yes, yes, yes, I know. Little Butterfly, don't be so nervous. Look, didn't I come here with an umbrella?"
Facing the concerned reproach of the doctor before her, Mitsuba simply smiled and spun around once under her umbrella.
Everyone in town knew that Master Mitsuba of the Centenarian Dojo and Doctor Butterfly of the Butterfly Clinic were good friends.
Every evening, as long as she had time, Master Mitsuba would basically come to help Doctor Butterfly manage the shop. Their relationship was quite extraordinary.
But only Mitsuba knew that the Butterfly Sumire before her was the descendant of her only human friend—Butterfly.
Mitsuba wouldn't mistake this.
Not only because they shared the same surname, not only because the butterfly before her also wore that butterfly hairpin she had personally given as a gift upon her head.
More importantly, the instant she saw this butterfly in this town five years ago, Mitsuba had personally confirmed it using the Transparent World.
There was no mistake—the blood flowing through this butterfly's body was the same as that of the Butterfly in her memories.
[To think that after all these years without seeing her, she's grown so much...]
Smiling as she watched this butterfly still chattering away with nonstop reproaches, Mitsuba subconsciously sighed internally.
Yes, their meeting in this town was not Mitsuba's first time seeing Butterfly Sumire.
Perhaps this little butterfly no longer remembered, but roughly twenty years ago, Mitsuba had indeed seen her from afar when she was still very young.
At the funeral of the original Butterfly—that was Mitsuba's first time seeing the Butterfly Sumire before her, and also her last time seeing Butterfly.
Presumably, this child before her had long since forgotten her by now...
Hmm, a somewhat sorrowful memory—best not to think about it.
Forcibly pulling her wandering thoughts back, Mitsuba looked at Butterfly Sumire before her and said with a smile:
"Little Butterfly, help me prepare some medicine for bruises and injuries. A child got hurt."
"Ah... alright."
The words of reproach in her mouth suddenly halted. Butterfly Sumire nodded and turned to retrieve medicine from the cabinet.
"Oh right, also give me the medicine you usually prepare for Mr. Keizo's daughter. I'll bring it to him together."
Suddenly remembering this matter, Mitsuba added.
Since she was here anyway, helping Keizo with one more small favor was nothing.
"Alright—"
Dragging out a long final tone with her back turned, Butterfly Sumire couldn't help shaking her head and sighing as she retrieved the medicine:
"Mitsuba, if you're always so warm-hearted, you'll easily suffer losses, you know?"
As a friend of many years, she certainly knew that Mitsuba definitely wouldn't make Keizo pay for these two prescriptions in the end.
"What's the big deal~"
Tiptoeing up and sitting rather impolitely on the corner of the clinic counter, Mitsuba spread her hands and said:
"It's just occasionally paying for two prescriptions. It's not like they're precious medicinal materials—completely fine~"
"But I clearly remember that your monthly salary isn't high either. Or has that centenarian elder finally shown kindness and decided to raise your salary?"
"That hasn't happened at all. It's just that I normally don't really use much money myself, so somehow I've accumulated quite a bit..."
As she spoke, Mitsuba's gaze suddenly noticed the stack of books placed on the nearby counter.
On top were two medical texts explaining human meridians and acupuncture techniques.
And beneath these two medical books, there was also a book pressed underneath with something about flower cultivation records in its title.
Because it was blocked, Mitsuba couldn't fully see the book's complete title.
But it didn't seem like an ordinary medical book?
Could it be a book teaching people how to grow flowers?
Little Butterfly actually reads this kind of book?
Curious about this internally, Mitsuba subconsciously reached out, wanting to pull out this book to take a look.
"Here you go~"
At this moment, Butterfly Sumire had also quickly prepared the medicine, smiling as she handed two medicine packets to Mitsuba. Her body happened to coincidentally block Mitsuba's hand that was reaching for the book.
"The one on the left is for Mr. Keizo's daughter, the one on the right is for bruises and injuries. You know the usage, Mitsuba—don't mix them up, alright?"
"Yes, yes, yes, thank you, Doctor Butterfly~"
Not noticing anything unusual at all, Mitsuba smiled as she accepted the medicine packets, casually tossing her money pouch onto Butterfly Sumire's hand, then jumped down from the counter, opened her umbrella, and ran out of the clinic in a flash.
"I'll be going then~ No need for change. Just deduct it directly from this the next time Mr. Keizo comes to buy medicine!"
"Got it~ warm-hearted Master Mitsuba~ Be careful on the road and don't get sunburned~"
Watching Mitsuba gradually depart until her silhouette completely disappeared from view, only then did Butterfly Sumire let out a long sigh of relief.
"Phew, really... almost got discovered..."
Setting down the money pouch in her hand, Butterfly Sumire turned around and reached out to pull out the book Mitsuba had been curious about earlier.
The name of the book was—
**Blue Spider Lily Cultivation Records**
"I need to be more careful next time..."