One Heart and Mind
*Huff* *Huff*
A dead end...?!
Finally... *Huff* I caught up... Huh?
...Why?
How can you not get it? Don't you understand?
Everyone on the Lavistar continent has the right to know!
I'm just telling them now what they'd learn once they become adults anyway! So why?!
Because exposing someone to such information before they've formed proper values isn't education. It's violence.
You really don't understand the danger of those harmful flyers you keep handing out...
You can reflect on your actions in prison.
...Did you think you had me cornered?
Did you truly think this was over?! If so, you're dead wrong!
The fiend reached inside his coat.
A hidden weapon...?! Lyn, get down!
Ah?! Captain!
Cold water splashed down my back.
Heh heh, nice and cold, isn't it? Straight from the valley stream!
Water...? What for?
Water is fatal to printed material!
What's that got to do with anything?!
Such a strange line of thinking. Just what I'd expected from a notorious oddball from the East...
Huh?! When did you get behind me...?!
Distributing obscene flyers. Vandalizing books with malicious intent.
And lastly, dousing the Captain with water.
Time to accept your punishment, don't you think?
Aaaagh!
We caught him quickly.
It's thanks to your help, Captain.
But are you all right? Even your shoes are soaked...
Let's leave the clean-up to the others and get you home to wash up.
I started to follow Lyn, then stepped on a flyer the fiend had dropped.
This is...!
After checking what was on it, I tucked it carefully into my pocket.
(I'll handle this myself.)
(This, too, is an adult's responsibility...)
Captain? What are you doing?
Nothing. I'll be right there—achoo!
...Did you just sneeze?
Wait a second...!
...Did I catch a cold?
By the time Lyn helped me back to the quarters, my whole body was burning up.
I didn't think I'd really come down with a cold.
Must be because you were exhausted and then got drenched with cold water.
Would you like to take a bath first?
I'll cook while you do. You haven't eaten anything since morning, right?
I appreciate it, but...
Fufu, no need to feel bad.
You're always helping me too. Please let me repay you this once.
...In that case, I'll leave it to you!
Of course! I've got it.
While I was in the bath, I wondered what Lyn would cook...
And then...
A sinister smell unlike anything I'd ever smelled before began drifting in.
Alright, these are all in... now this...
What in the name of Lavistar is she making...?
Ta-da! It's an Eastern medicinal cuisine!
If you want more, just say so. There's plenty left.
On the table were freshly grilled meat, vegetable soup, and fried seafood.
Every dish was sprinkled with colorful powders and tiny slivers of bark.
What's that on top...?
Atractylodes, poria, angelica, ginseng, astragalus...
It's a seasoning made from ground medicinal herbs from the East.
Kids hate how bitter it is, but since you're an adult...
Fufu, go on. Eat up.
...I took a spoonful of the soup as my tongue curled in agony.
How is it? Does it suit your taste?
Uh, yeah... I could eat this every day...
Pardon...?
...
Oooooh! You mean you really like it?!
I'm glad the soup is to your liking. Let me have a bite too.
...Mm!
Fufu, maybe it's because I'm eating with you, but it tastes better than usual.
What would you like me to make for you next time?
Next time?
I'd been thinking about it, actually.
You help me so much, but I haven't done anything for you.
If you don't mind, I'd like to come by and cook for you again.
Oh, right! I almost forgot the laundry.
Wet clothes grow bacteria really quickly. I'll wash them right away.
I can do it later.
It's fine. Leave it to me.
I'll be right back. Enjoy your meal, Captain. Fufu.
As I scraped off the herbal powder with my spoon, I heard a scream.
Lyn? You okay?
Captain...
I checked your pockets before doing the laundry and...
AND...!
In Lyn's hand was the flyer the fiend had dropped, the one with "adult knowledge".
On second glance, it seemed even more explicit than I remember. But it's fine.
Lyn is calm and rational. If I explain what it means to be an adult...
Oh dear...
I know what it is, but to actually look at...
This was bad.
Lyn, listen. This is...
R-right! Of course! C-Captain, you're an adult so... you have sound judgment, so...!
So it's perfectly fine for you to be interested!
The love between a man and a woman... The harmony of yin and yang...
It's a necessary step if future generations are to exist! So...
So, um...! That means...!
...I'm sorry! I have to go!
Wait, Lyn! This is part of being an adult!
I chased her outside, but Lyn had already vanished.
In the end, I finished the medicinal meal alone. At least my cold went away quickly.
The next day.
...
...Hey.
Kyaah?!
H-hello, Captain. G-good morning.
N-n-nice weather, isn't it?
...It might take a while for things to return to how they were.