Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior

“Sion! Director! I’ve been waiting!”

As I entered the restaurant and followed the employee’s guidance into the VIP room with its magnificent table, Hanamana, who had arrived first, rose from her seat and greeted me warmly.

After work, Hanamana had woken up from her nap and suggested we have dinner together, and I agreed.

“Come on, sit down quickly! The food will be here soon.”

Hanamana quickly guided me to my seat and also guided Sion’s wheelchair to the empty spot where a chair had already been removed.

Once Sion and I were settled, Hanamana returned to her seat at the head of the table and greeted us.

“Thank you so much for today… Ow!”

Hanamana, who had just sat down, bowed her head in greeting.

However, she couldn’t finish her greeting before crying out and tilting her head back.

“My hair got caught on the chair…”

Apparently, her right twin-tail had gotten stuck in the chair’s decoration.

Hanamana turned to the right to check the back of the chair, then made a tearful face as she twisted her waist, struggling to free her hair from the frame.

“Oh dear, Hanamana. Just stay still and look forward.”

“Ow, ow!!”

Unable to watch any longer, Sion moved to Hanamana’s side and freed her hair.

Hanamana tidied her hair, pulled it forward, and bowed her head again.

“Thank you so much. And I’m so sorry…”

“About the apology…”

I thought about telling her to forget the apology, just like I did with Sion…

“No, I think Hanamana ‘should’ apologize.”

“Right? It’s Hanamana after all…”

I decided to just let her apologize.

Hanamana was someone I wouldn’t see again after her business trip.

Unlike Sion, whom I saw every day, there was no need to worry about it.

What I was more concerned about was Hanamana’s condition.

Humans would experience disrupted sleep rhythms and fatigue for about three days after staying up all night. I wondered if elves were the same.

“Hanamana.”

“Yes?”

“Did you get a good rest today?”

“Yes! I feel very refreshed. I don’t know how long it’s been since I’ve slept so soundly.”

Hanamana smiled brightly and shook her head.

She didn’t seem tired, which was a relief.

Perhaps, being a race that looked young even at 200 years old, they might be healthier than humans.

“That’s good to hear.”

As Hanamana had said, the food arrived quickly and the table was filled with dishes.

I had tried various high-class dishes in this world, but the Holy Law Nation was known for its unique culinary culture due to its difficult terrain and physical inaccessibility, so I was looking forward to it.

“Actually, I wanted to treat you to a meal I made myself…”

“Please refrain.”

“I’ll pass as well.”

Hanamana looked dejected, while Sion recoiled in horror. I also politely declined.

Hanamana’s cooking was a famous meme in the original story.

She loved to cook and always put in the effort, but her dishes weren’t just bad or strange; they often didn’t even reach completion.

Explosions, fires, inedible creations, or ending up on the floor…

Experiencing a meme from the book in real life would be interesting, but I wanted to avoid being part of such an incident.

“Huh? Director too?”

Hanamana tilted her head when I also refused.

“Have you seen me cook before, Director?”

Oops, only Sion knew that I was originally a member of the Hero’s Party.

To Hanamana, I was someone she met yesterday, so it was natural for her to find it strange that I knew so much about her.

“Sion told me.”

“That’s mean, Sion. What did you say to make the Director react like that…”

“Um… The truth?”

“Ugh.”

Fortunately, Sion seemed to be playing along.

While we were talking, the staff finished setting the table and left the VIP room.

Hanamana clasped her hands and looked at Sion and me in turn.

“Let’s pray before we eat.”

Since we were in the Holy Law Nation and invited by Hanamana, a cleric, it was natural to have a prayer.

Following Hanamana, Sion and I closed our eyes and bowed our heads as her solemn prayer, different from her usual demeanor, resonated through the room.

“Lord of Creation.

We accept Your creations, and may our bodies and souls grow through this daily bread.

Also, in this place,

Three people who perform unparalleled righteousness for the world and humanity You created are gathered.

Please watch over us so that the righteousness we perform does not cease due to our being harmed.

Lastly, I pray that Sion here, along with countless adventurers and veterans living with the scars of war,

will soon recover and be able to walk this world You created with their own strength.

We thank You, Lord, for hearing the earnest prayers of Your creations today.

All these prayers are from,

Your creation, Hanamana.”

After the prayer, we opened our eyes and looked at each other.

A solemn atmosphere settled.

I was a little surprised by Hanamana’s unexpected side.

“Now, let’s eat!”

And it was Hanamana who broke the solemn atmosphere with a single sentence.

At her signal, we finally began our meal with smiles.

Since we were enjoying dinner together, I thought it would be nice to have a little chat.

“Hanamana.”

“Yes, Director?”

“I’ve been a bit harsh on you, haven’t I?”

“Ugh. It’s because Hanamana is lacking… I’m sorry for being scolded so much…”

Oh dear. The conversation wasn’t flowing as I intended.

I tried to start with a compliment, but Hanamana became dejected again.

Normally, wouldn’t one say, “No! I don’t think so at all!”?

Admitting to being scolded a lot and going into negative mode…

Maybe it’s better to get straight to the point without any build-up when talking to Hanamana.

“I was trying to tell you not to be discouraged, but you got discouraged before I could even finish.”

“I-Is that what you meant?! I’m sorry for being so clueless!”

“It’s okay. Based on the charts we reviewed yesterday and the patients today…”

Hanamana watched me nervously.

“You’re doing well, Hanamana.

Even with the influx of patients to the newly opened Center, the charts are well-maintained, and both the patients and staff trust and follow you.

Or rather… they worry about you and take care of you? Anyway, having good relationships helps with treatment.”

This was my honest assessment of Hanamana, Director of the Holy Law Nation Rehabilitation Center.

It wasn’t something I made up to encourage her, but a genuine evaluation.

“Director…”

Hearing this, Hanamana looked at me with teary eyes, on the verge of bursting into tears.

“But you need to stop crying and screaming so much. Patients need to be able to rely on their doctors. It seems like the patients are the ones taking care of you, Hanamana.”

“Ugh, I understand.”

At my words about her crying habit, Hanamana wiped her tears with her arm and tried to put on a brave face as she looked at me.

“I… I think we should just eat. The food is delicious.”

“Ah, should we? I ordered all your favorites!”

Everything here was Hanamana’s favorite? Did she enjoy eating out because she couldn’t cook?

Well, the restaurant itself might be of high quality, but all the various dishes were top-notch.

A pleasant dinner time continued.

Mostly, Hanamana and Sion enjoyed their meal while chatting about old times and Nao, and then Hanamana excused herself for a moment, leaving Sion and me alone for a short while.

“Um… Director Hope.”

“?”

Sion spoke to me as soon as Hanamana left the room.

Her expression and tone suggested she had something on her mind.

“What is it?”

“I was wondering if we should tell Hanamana that you were our comrade.”

Introducing me, a former member of the Hero’s Party, to Hanamana…

I thought it was a possibility, but…

“We didn’t tell Her Highness, did we?”

I hadn’t told Nao, who was also a comrade, the truth.

The reason was probably because Nao was injured, and Sion wanted to exclude her from the next battle.

So, was Hanamana different because she wasn’t injured?

“Nao is injured, but Hanamana isn’t. She can fight with us. We might… need Hanamana’s power someday.”

“Hmm…”

From my perspective as Sion’s rehabilitation therapist, Nao’s injuries were less severe than Sion’s, and she had started rehabilitation much earlier.

Depending on her progress, she could complete rehabilitation and be ready to fight sooner than Sion, yet Sion didn’t want her to participate in the next Demon King battle.

So, I thought Sion wouldn’t tell Hanamana about the next Gate and proceed with rehabilitation without revealing the truth, but did she think it was time to tell her?

“What do you think, Director Hope?”

“Sion, that’s not something I can decide…”

“Actually, I’m worried.

When I think about having to fight again… about having to return to that battlefield… I’m scared and terrified. No, I’m still on that battlefield. Maybe fighting is my destiny.

Maybe I can never escape it. But the two of them are different.

I don’t want Nao… Hanamana… to experience this fear.”

Sion trembled with her head down.

I moved to the seat next to Sion and held her trembling hand tightly.

“Sion, calm down. I’m here.”

“But I’m even more afraid of facing the Demon King without even Hanamana.

I’m not strong, I’m weak, I’ve held my comrades back countless times, and in the end, I couldn’t protect them.

I… I just don’t know what to do!”

I pulled the increasingly trembling Sion into my arms and embraced her.

Now, this was all I could do for her when she was afraid.

But when I did this, she naturally leaned on me and calmed herself down.

It was a truly grateful and heartwarming situation.

Sion’s determination to be a hero, despite being so weak and fearful, was always incredibly special to me.

“So, Director Hope, please decide. What should I do? Will you tell Hanamana your secret?”

“It’s okay, calm down Sion, I…”

Of course, I had no intention of telling Hanamana about my lie.

Lies were better kept to as few people as possible. So…

“To Hanamana…”

‘Slide’

“Are you enjoying your meal?”

Just as I was about to tell Sion that I wouldn’t reveal it to Hanamana, the sliding door of the VIP room suddenly burst open, and Hanamana entered.

“Huh? Sion? Director?”

A sudden silence fell. I was sitting in front of a cowering Sion, holding her tightly in my arms.

“…”

Hanamana, whose eyes met mine, had a bewildered expression, as if she couldn’t understand the situation.

What terrible timing…