v2 Chapter 12: True Name

"Haru."

The master healer crouched down on the floor. Being a large man, this put him at eye level with Haru.

"You were placed in the wrong place. In this world, people live long lives, and children are rarely born. That’s why children, even those without parents, are cherished. Haru, you deserve to be cherished."

Could she believe that? Haru turned to look at Shou. Shou nodded seriously, and the master healer smiled gently before continuing.

"Besides, you’re like a sister to Shou. That just means Deep Forest’s town will have one more adorable resident. Don’t worry—return to the place where you were truly meant to be."

"The real place..."

Haru murmured.

"Let’s gain the power to protect others together."

She remembered what she had said before. Shou had remembered too.

"If we think together, I bet we can come up with some totally over-the-top magic straight out of a teenager’s fantasy."

"Absolutely not."

This time, Haru spoke firmly.

Shou and the master healer let out a breath of relief.

"Alright, let’s begin the healing."

Shou gave instructions to Haru.

"Sit on the bed."

She knelt in front of Haru, who obeyed hesitantly.

"Give me both of your hands."

Haru cautiously held them out.

"I’m going to channel magic into you."

With those words, something warm flowed into her. Shou had called it magic, but it was different from the power magicians used. It was pure energy itself.

So bright.

Her body resisted.

Did someone like her, who had lived in such darkness, truly deserve to accept such a straightforward light?

"Don’t run away!"

Shou’s sharp voice made Haru flinch.

"It’s not your fault you ended up in a harsh place. Miharu, have you ever hurt anyone?"

Of course not. Haru shook her head.

"You did your best to survive. There’s nothing to be ashamed of. So let’s reset. Let’s start over. Accept it."

Breathe deeply.

Let the energy flow through you.

"Your right thigh—it’s healed, but not fully. Your right shoulder and collarbone—the alignment is off. Your back—a large diagonal wound. And..."

Shou’s voice trembled.

"Do you want me to take over?"

"I’m fine, Master Sain."

Shou opened her eyes and looked up at Haru.

"For now, I’ll just heal the major injuries so the carriage ride won’t be painful."

"Okay. Please."

Haru was still growing, so her body had no major distortions.

Shou mirrored and copied her soul’s proper form.

Goddess, you brought us here, so don’t be stingy—give us more energy.

Haru winced. It wasn’t painful, but receiving so much energy at once made her body burn with heat.

The shoulder, restored. The collarbone, smoothed. The thigh bone, fully realigned. The back, mirrored and reconstructed from the center.

The pain should be gone now.

Shou slowly opened her eyes.

"Haru, try raising your arm."

"Oh... it doesn’t hurt!"

"Good. The worst of it is healed now."

With the added energy, Haru’s face had regained some color.

The master healer’s eyes softened.

"Excellent work, Shou."

"Thank you, Shou."

Haru smiled gratefully.

"Healing takes a lot of energy, so rest well tonight. And remember, keep pretending you’re still injured."

Haru nodded as Shou tucked her into bed.

Once she started dozing off, Shou and the master healer quietly left the room.

"Shou, how was it?"

"There were so many wounds."

Shou pressed a hand to her lips.

"Judging by her reaction, she’s barely had proper treatment before. I doubt she even knew how to use potions correctly. In our world, old wounds naturally leave scars, but here, if you don’t use enough potion, the injury never fully heals. That’s exactly what her wounds looked like."

"Will she recover?"

"Completely? Maybe not. But if I stay by her side and monitor her properly, I can improve things a lot."

"I see. I’ll leave it to you."

"Of course, Master Sain."

Shou nodded firmly.

She sensed a presence—Falco had come to get her.

"Shou, if you’re done, let’s rest."

"Yeah, Falco. Goodnight, Master Sain."

"Goodnight."

Tonight, Shou was sharing a room with Falco.

Normally, he would try to put her on his lap, but tonight, he simply sat beside her on the bed and gently took her hands.

"Hmm? Do you need healing?"

"No."

Falco took a deep breath and looked at her.

"Shou... Quo."

Oh. He had been listening.

"It’s Shouko."

"Shou... Quo."

"Shouko."

"Shou... ko."

"That’s right."

Shou threw herself against Falco’s chest, hugging him tightly.

"Shouko."

"Yeah."

"Shouko."

"Yeah."

Even in Japan, most people had called her Shou. She had never minded.

But hearing her full name now, she hadn’t expected it to make her this happy.

Falco gently stroked her back and called her name once more.

"Shouko."

She looked up and smiled.

"Shou is fine."

"But—"

"Shou is fine. I was reborn in this world. The first person to call me Shou was you, and that name is enough."

"Shou."

"Thank you, Falco."

Shou adjusted herself to sit on his lap properly. Falco, still holding her securely, looked a little flustered.

She stretched up and placed a small kiss on his cheek.

"Wh— hey—what—"

"It’s a thank you."

Falco turned completely red and fell back onto the bed, still holding her.

Shou giggled on top of his chest.

"Shou is just fine."