Chapter 32
Chapter 32
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Translator: Ebonarch
Chapter: 32
Chapter Title: We Are Friends
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"Come on, come on. Didn't I say we should try everything possible?"
"No, even so... just for some hair..."
"There are plenty of women in the world who stake their lives on managing even that mere hair, miss. Don't underestimate it."
He finally sat me down in the chair, comb and strange oil in hand.
"How often do you usually tend to your hair?"
"...Never."
"That's surprising—it's in really good condition. Is this the effect of your martial arts too? I'm jealous."
Most martial arts, excluding a few special ones, have the effect of expelling bodily waste and optimally maintaining the body's condition once you reach a certain level.
There are rumors that some young ladies from good families learn even third-rate martial arts for that purpose, though I don't know if they actually see results.
"But what's that oil?"
"It's a kind of oil that improves hair texture... but since your hair's in better shape than I thought, I'm not sure it'll make much difference."
"Then maybe we should just..."
"Even so, it has cosmetic benefits on its own, so that's reason enough."
-Squish
A liquid sound came from behind my back.
-Swipe
The comb, slick with oil, began gliding through my hair.
As I savored the strange, unfamiliar sensation, I spoke up to him, now humming a little tune.
"...Are you always this gentle with women?"
"Why do you ask?"
"...Just answer the question."
This man was far too ignorant about the opposite sex.
Most guys wouldn't shower someone with gifts and compliments like yesterday, or engage in this kind of physical contact so openly—whether it was a clever scheme or genuine innocence, he showed no restraint at all.
-Thump thump
'Hah...'
Enough to make me misunderstand.
But I couldn't scold him or push him away; there was no impure intent behind it.
If he were just kindly by nature toward everyone—or all women—I could brush it off as him being a nice guy...
"I don't treat every woman gently. I'm human too—how could I? I just act kindly toward people I like."
"...Sigh..."
That attitude was the problem.
He tossed out those innocent words so casually, but they hit me hard.
If he'd openly confessed his feelings, it'd be one thing, but this ambiguous approach left me uncertain, making it hard to respond properly.
If I firmly rejected him only to find out it was a misunderstanding, how embarrassing would that be?
-Swipe
"Does it hurt anywhere?"
"...It's fine. Don't worry."
"Good thing my skills haven't rusted yet."
I sensed something off in his words as he resumed combing, oblivious to my pounding heart.
'Skills have rusted...?'
That was something only someone with experience would say.
It couldn't just be about combing his own hair...
"...Just to be sure, do you have a woman you're currently involved with?"
I jumped to the conclusion that he'd combed other women's hair too.
He surely wouldn't go so far as to oil up and comb a man's hair.
"Haha, nothing like that. I was talking about my master. She had hair just as long as yours."
"...Ah. That's what you meant."
"Yeah. Back then, we extracted oil from plants, but luckily I found something similar at the market. It saved my skin."
Come to think of it, he'd said he'd trained alone in the mountains for ten years.
He definitely hadn't been completely by himself.
"So no other women in the secular world? I heard you've been staying in Shaanxi for a while now. Surely there must've been someone you got close to during that time."
"Are you that curious about my love life?"
"It's because you...!"
"Well, I don't know why you're so curious, but if you are, I'll tell you. There aren't any."
"...Really?"
"Well... there is a woman who helped me set up my fortune-telling shop, but we're just friends. I'm sure she sees me the same way."
-Swipe
"Hmph..."
His relationships with women didn't seem complicated.
"People often misunderstand because I hang out at taverns every night drinking and gambling. But I'm not interested in chasing women."
"...Ah."
I'd forgotten for a moment.
That he'd been betrayed by a woman he once trusted.
-Grip
'To think I was developing feelings for a man like that.'
A man deeply scarred by a woman.
He probably wouldn't open his heart to one again.
'Sigh...'
I calmed my wildly beating heart with a cooled head.
"...Sorry."
This settled my confused feelings for now.
We both had our circumstances; no need to make things awkward.
So, let's end it cleanly here...
"There's no need for you to apologize, miss."
"...Huh?"
"What did you do wrong? It was that woman, not you."
"..."
He was considerate to the very end.
Now that I'd steadied my heart, I wouldn't be shaken like before.
-Swipe
This was just him helping prepare for the future based on my fortune—nothing special, just pure goodwill.
'Heh.'
So, let's leave it as a brief worldly connection...
"Life's too short not to enjoy it, so clinging to old wounds forever would be foolish. People learn from their scars, after all. And miss..."
"......"
Leave it as...
"Wounds inflicted by people are healed by people."
"......."
'Ughhh...'
-Thump thump thump
My barely calmed heart began pounding even harder than before.
'Whew, I forgot about that.'
I'd used that excuse myself and then forgotten it.
The backstory where I was betrayed by a woman and drank to forget the pain.
She suddenly apologized, which jogged my memory, so I spat out the first thing that came to mind.
'Did I say the wound was healed for no reason?'
I'd meant to reassure her so our relationship wouldn't get awkward and make it hard to stick around, but in hindsight, it was risky.
If it was fully healed, I'd lose my excuse for drinking.
'Ah, just say it became a habit.'
I don't know if this world recognizes alcohol addiction, but who could argue if I said I couldn't live without booze?
-Swipe
The combing was done before I knew it.
It definitely had some effect—my hair gleamed like fine silk, nothing to envy.
'Glad it doesn't sting the eyes.'
My master's hair was golden, sometimes blinding in the sunlight.
Come to think of it, I took it for granted back then, but after coming to the outside world, I realized blond hair isn't common in the Central Plains.
'Westerner? Or mixed blood?'
Her figure suggested it was possible...
'Who knows.'
She's gone now anyway.
I'll enjoy my own life.
"There, all done. Here's a mirror."
I handed the mirror to the woman, who for some reason had her hand over her chest.
Her face was flushed red as I did.
"Are you feeling unwell? Your face is red."
"No... I'm fine... Just stay back a bit..."
'Is she really sick?'
Her face was beet red.
At her level, she wouldn't catch a cold, but maybe some other ailment.
"You don't look well, so you should rest in your room today."
"It's not that bad... I just need a moment to think..."
"If you're embarrassed, there's no need. Everyone has weaknesses. I know how strong you are."
"It's because of you...!"
"Pardon?"
"N-no. Don't mind it."
She kept rambling incoherently; something was definitely up.
"I'll be next door if you need anything—don't hesitate to call. Thanks to my master, I'm good at tending to the sick."
'As long as they don't lift a finger, it's the same as not being sick.'
As I turned to leave the room,
"...Wait."
The woman stopped me.
"You plan to stay next door the whole time?"
"Huh? Yeah, of course."
"Didn't you come to Hainan to travel? You said there were places you wanted to go."
"Well, that was the plan... but how could I go have fun alone when you look ill?"
'I'm scared to go alone.'
Hainan has good public order, but in the Central Plains, brawls erupt in inns whenever someone gets bored.
You can never let your guard down.
My appointment with the merchants isn't pressing, so wasting a day is fine.
Increase her favorability more, then suggest traveling together to Anhui.
"...Where were you planning to go?"
"Oh... North from here, there's a lake with spirit beast fish. They're supposed to be incredibly beautiful, so lots of people go to see them. They even have boats..."
It's a traditional tourist spot that's lasted decades.
Rumors say confessing love in front of the spirit beast guarantees success, so couples flock there too—but I'm not interested in that.
"...I'll go with you."
"Huh? Are you sure?"
"Really, I'm fine. Don't worry—I know my own condition."
"Well... if you insist that much, alright."
For some reason, her eyes seemed to burn with intensity, but I chalked it up to imagination.