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“Iris… Iris…”

The scene of Iris’s death remains etched in my mind, one of those moments that stick with you, where I could recite every exact word because it marked a significant point.

It struck me naturally while thinking in front of Iris’s grave, but…

‘Is this reaction expected from someone who witnessed Iris’s death firsthand?’

Is this moment such a trauma for her that she cannot even rise to her feet while weeping? Perhaps this is a considerable reason why Zion is in this state…

‘I guess I’ll have to deal with this trauma someday.’

I am a rehabilitation expert. While I wish to support Zion through her pain, it’s a burden I must heal as well.

And as the leading figure in rehabilitation medicine in this world, the only method I can apply in this situation is…

“…”

There was really nothing to do but watch. All I could do was wait.

The trauma of war—especially the memory of losing a companion right before your eyes—is not something I could remedy with a few words, especially since I was a stranger to it.

Though I learned about psychological treatment as a rehabilitation specialist, I am not a professional psychological counselor.

“Huff, huff… Iris…”

The ragged breaths and the heated air gradually calmed with time.

Humans, even with unbearable pain that they can never forget, are creatures that cannot grieve for more than 20 minutes at a time.

It’s natural for emotions, the bigger and grander they burn, to extinguish quickly too.

“Hwaaargh…”

And when the outburst of sorrow dries up, people become flustered.

Their hearts scream that they should be sad, yet strangely, their minds become tranquil.

I just had to wait for that moment to arrive. Zion, struggling to hold together her body, was sobbing into the carpet soaked with her tears.

As I watched her wrecked state, the excitement I once felt began to settle into a more rational calm. Her emotions would soon dissipate as well.

“Huff…”

‘It looks like forced tears are starting to come out.’

When extreme excitement fades, it’s natural that another feeling emerges to take its place.

If that sorrow was based on guilt, the new emotion usually is a sense of self-disappointment for not being able to grieve properly.

I needed to stop that for now. While I can’t read others’ emotions, I surely couldn’t know the exact timing, but I could get a general sense of it and…

“Have you cried enough? It’s okay if you want to cry more.”

I let her know that there was no need to hold back. On the surface, it sounds like I’m saying it’s okay to cry more, yet in reality, no one thinks, ‘Not yet, I need to cry more,’ upon hearing it.

“…”

Zion lay face down, silent. At least that she wasn’t forcing herself to cry again was a relief.

“Hop… Hop Harvey.”

“I’m here.”

Her back rose and fell greatly with her breathing. It looked like she was taking deep breaths to calm herself, even though I hadn’t asked her to.

Even broken, a hero remains a hero, huh? Just a little support, and she’s managing her feelings by herself.

“You witnessed Iris die too, didn’t you?”

“Do you trust me?”

“How could I not trust you? You recited the words I always hear in my dreams right in front of me.”

Zion moved her arm, which had been covering her face, and rubbed her tears away before once again hiding her face against her arm.

“Iris, thank you always. I’m always sorry. I will never forget. Forever…”

A self-soothing spell. If she could just forget it all, then she wouldn’t have to suffer.

But Zion wouldn’t do that. After all, Iris was an important companion to her.

The more precious someone is, the greater the pain—but also, the harder it is to forget. How pitiful and contradictory humans are!

After quite a long time, I continued to wait, and eventually, Zion raised her head to look over this way.

“You’re a time traveler, right? Given what you said about there being a next time, it feels like it’s not your first time.”

“That’s right.”

Has she regained her composure? Though her voice still wavered, Zion began to talk calmly again.

“Wasn’t it possible to save Iris?”

A question I couldn’t answer directly. Since it was a lie that I was a time traveler, I always needed time to fabricate an answer when asked relevant questions.

One lie leads to an endless string of lies. But since I already told it, I must ensure it never gets discovered.

“If I had saved Iris, we would have lost that war.”

“I see. It must all be my fault then. If it weren’t for her sacrifice, I would…”

Is she recalling that time again? I worried she might cry once more, but she didn’t, managing to gather herself and attempting to rise by pushing against the ground.

“Ugh…”

As she tried to lift her body from the floor with all her might, her arms trembled but did not straighten. Eventually, Zion’s strength gave out, and she slumped back to the ground.

“Should I call that employer from earlier?”

“Why? Are you hoarding me for yourself?”

Hearing that, I realized I might feel that way too…

“Aren’t you supposed to get up?”

“…”

After hearing my remark, Zion glanced up at me once with an annoyed expression but then squeezed her eyes shut, extending her arm toward me.

“…You could help me, you know.”

Zion, who was requesting help.

Earlier, when I tried to assist at the national cemetery, she scolded me not to touch her, so I couldn’t help. But maybe now that I’ve proven I’m her companion, she’s starting to open up a bit?

“Alright.”

To lift Zion back into her wheelchair, I passed her arm, reached around to grab her under her armpits, and lifted her up.

“Wha—what are you doing!!!”

“You asked for help.”

Then I gently set Zion back down into her wheelchair. Thanks to me, she was able to sit securely in it again, but she still shot a sharp glare at me, looking displeased.

“Are you handling me too roughly?”

“I was just taking the most efficient approach.”

“Please take my feelings into account next time.”

“My feelings? What about them?”

“It’s embarrassing! Lifting me like that!”

“Hm~ I suppose you’re right; it did seem a shame to hoard you all to myself.”

“More than that, it annoys me that I’m the only one using honorifics.”

“Oh really?”

“You just called me your companion, didn’t you?”

“That’s right.”

“Companion…”

Zion stared at me intensely, almost as if trying to figure out who I was just by looking.

“Hop. Hop Harvey…”

She murmured my name, as if she wasn’t really calling me.

After a while of her groaning, she finally sighed and shook her head.

“I thought I’d try being comfortable with you, but it seems too much for me. After all, you’re just someone I met for the first time today.”

“You don’t have to force it.”

“And please stop with the ‘Teacher’ thing.”

“…Huh?”

“Do you treat your patients like this? Please treat me like other patients.”

That suddenly established the title of ‘Teacher’ for me. Plus, her request to be treated like a patient…

“Then that means… you’ve decided to undergo rehabilitation treatment.”

“I don’t think I’m lying about that, at least.”

That was a relief on multiple levels. Not only had Zion decided to go through rehabilitation treatment, but I was also just barely managing to treat her as a companion in this awkward situation.

“That’s good to hear. Since you’ve decided on rehabilitation treatment, I will make sure you recover.”

“Recover…”

Zion let out another deep sigh and averted her gaze.

“It’s hard to believe that Hop the Teacher is a time traveler and my companion from a past life. Am I really able to get better?”

I set a treatment limit of two years for myself. I had to ensure she could fight again like before within that timeframe.

Naturally, it’s a lie that war will break out again, so even if rehabilitation fails, the world won’t end. However…

If she starts to feel that the rehabilitation goal is unrealistic, then we’ll be in serious trouble.

In the worst case, given her earlier attitude, she might kill me for deceiving the hero.

“I guess we’ll have to confirm your condition first.”

“Since you’re a time traveler, is verification necessary?”

“The situation is different from when Zion was my companion. That body is damaged due to the aftereffects of injuries sustained in the war. She must have been involved in even fiercer battles without me; so her condition could be different from previous iterations.”

I marveled at how I seemed to be more skilled in improvisation than I thought. It was curious how all my excuses seemed to flow together seamlessly.

“Hmm… So you’re saying that our party managed to defeat the Demon King and saved the world, despite one less companion from the original lineup?”

Ah, guess that works out that way. What a ridiculous situation.

“That’s right.”

Could it be that I’m going to get caught because of that? Is there some contradiction in what I said…

“Wow, Hop the Teacher was a useless companion then.”

Seems my worry was needless.

“Let’s get on with the examination.”

Now it’s time to check Hero Zion’s condition.

What state is Zion in right now, and what on earth has rendered her body so damaged?

To confirm that, I first needed to touch her all over.

 

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