Becoming the Guide of the Mysophobic Villain? Absolutely Not! - Chapter 345

“Eeeh, I’m injured…”

I whined, shamelessly.

As usual, Irene launched into her nagging.

She reminded me that I hurt my legs, not my hands, and asked whether the world was ending just because of a leg injury. She said this was exactly the kind of situation where I should practice standing on my own two feet—metaphorically, at least—instead of relying on others. How could I approach rehabilitation with such a weak mindset?

But despite her harsh words, she calmly stuck the straw into the drink and handed it to me.

Nagging was Irene’s default setting, and there was no changing that. Given the situation, I decided to make the most of it.

After all, when else would I have the excuse to boss her around like this? It was a small form of compensation.

Anyway, the three of us—Oscar, Irene, and me—formed an odd yet well-matched trio. Our conversation flowed, sometimes teetering on the edge of stopping but never quite breaking.

On one side, Irene’s lectures disguised as concern, and on the other, Oscar’s constant teasing grated on my nerves. I kind of wished they’d both disappear from my sight, but I also had the feeling I’d miss them if they actually left.

As I was lost in those pointless thoughts, I suddenly felt someone’s gaze. I lifted my head and locked eyes with Claude.

He was leaning against the doorframe, silently watching us. He had made no noise, so I hadn’t realized he was there.

“Where have you been?” I asked.

He just stared at me without answering.

“Did you meet with the doctor?”

“……”

“Claude…?”

“……We should be going, Rose.”

Irene set down the apple she had been peeling along with the knife, then stood up. Naturally, Oscar looked confused.

“Huh? ‘We’? I can stay a bit longer if—”

“Stop yammering and come out. We need to talk.”

Irene dragged a bewildered Oscar out of the room.

“……What are you doing standing there? Come and sit down.”

Unable to bear the silence, I patted the spot where Irene had been sitting just moments ago. Only then did Claude finally take a slow step forward.

Even though I spoke to him, he didn’t respond, and the unreadable expression on his face made me feel uneasy.

“Did you meet with the doctor? Why? Did he say it’s bad?”

I had somewhat prepared myself for the possibility of never walking again.

At some point, I might feel regret, but right now, I felt surprisingly calm.

After being kidnapped, I had braced myself for death multiple times. Compared to that, this injury felt like a lucky escape… Maybe it wouldn’t even be so bad. I’ve always been lazy and disliked moving around, so perhaps it wouldn’t be too inconvenient…

Of course, that wasn’t entirely true, but it hadn’t fully sunk in yet. I’d always taken walking for granted, and the thought of not being able to do it anymore felt surreal.

But for now, I felt okay—no need to worry before anything actually happened.

In the meantime, Claude had sat down next to me. He pulled my hand into his and, holding it as if in prayer, pressed his lips to it and whispered softly.

“……The doctor said…”

“Yes?”

“Things look good. If you work hard at rehabilitation… you’ll be able to walk and run again soon.”

“Oh, really?”

“…Yes, really.”

“See, I told you. I might look fragile on the outside, but I’m tougher than I seem. Could you ask the doctor when I can start rehab next time you see them? I’m really determined to do my best.”

“……Sure, I’ll ask.”

At his reply, I beamed.

As if I hadn’t noticed how choked up Claude’s voice had been.

***

Am I… maybe more popular than I thought?

There was a reason this ridiculous thought crossed my mind—my hospital room had been flooded with visitors nearly every day.

I mean, we weren’t even that close. Irene stopping by after work to nag me daily could be expected, but Oscar, who I thought would visit once and be done, kept coming back religiously.

There was even a time when Oscar brought Shana with him.