Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior

“Haaaaah…”

Sion, who had been agonizing over the mountain of candies, fruits, and chocolates for a while, finally seemed to have made up her mind.

She returned with Serin, having paid and carrying a plate of the desserts they’d chosen.

“Here you go, Sion.”

I had already taken a seat at an outdoor table while Sion was happily picking out her treats.

It was a busy Sunday morning, but luckily, I managed to snag a spot.

“Director Hope, you’re finally showing some initiative.”

“It’s just that Sion took so long that a table opened up.”

“Isn’t that the fun part?”

“So, did you enjoy yourself?”

“It was really fun. Just like you said, Director Hope. I didn’t realize agonizing over choices could be so enjoyable!”

Sion sat down with a beaming smile.

The desserts on the plate she placed on the table were a few chocolate-covered kiwi slices and some jelly dusted with white powder.

“That’s less than I expected.”

“I’m saving some for later.”

“Saving what?”

“I’ll be able to try everything eventually, so I’m just tasting a little bit of each.”

After finishing her sentence, Sion popped a kiwi slice into her mouth, chewing with a blissful expression.

“The sweet, melting chocolate goes incredibly well with the juicy fruit. I’m so glad we came here.”

“Really? Maybe I should have tried something with that combination.”

“What did you choose, Director Hope?”

“This.”

I showed her the sticky, sugar-preserved strawberries and the chocolate-covered trapezoidal cookies.

The strawberries weren’t quite Tanghulu since they lacked the crispy shell, but I bought them thinking they might taste similar since the ingredients were alike.

“Strawberries…”

Sion’s expression hardened as she looked at them.

“Sion?”

“Ah, no. I don’t really want to see the color red.”

Red? Oh no. Is this related to her Trauma?

I quickly scanned through the original story in my mind, but nothing came to mind.

Could this be something that happened after the original ending?

I subtly glanced at Serin, but…

“…”

Serin just shook her head, as if she didn’t know anything.

She understood what I was asking just from that quick glance. As expected of Serin.

This seemed dangerous, so for now…

“Director Hope? What are you doing?”

“Mmmmph?”

I stuffed all six strawberries into my mouth.

Thankfully, they weren’t Tanghulu, so they didn’t stick to my teeth uncomfortably.

The texture was similar to a regular strawberry, but a bit stickier.

‘So sweet…’

With each chew, the juice burst in my mouth.

The combination of the sticky sweetness and the refreshing juice was surprisingly harmonious.

I could understand why these were so popular.

-Gulp

It took a while, but I finally managed to swallow all the strawberries.

Now that my mouth was empty, I could speak again.

“You said you didn’t want to see them.”

“And you ate them all at once because of that?”

“There wasn’t anything else to cover them with.”

“I just said I didn’t want to see them. You make it hard to say anything casually when you react like that…”

I did it because I was worried Sion might be triggered, but seeing her so dejected…

I could have felt hurt that my actions weren’t appreciated, but my thoughts were completely different. I was relieved.

Sion thinking I overreacted meant she herself wasn’t aware that she could have had a traumatic episode just now.

If my concern was unnecessary, then that in itself was a good thing.

“Like I’ve said many times, you don’t have to apologize to me. You can rely on me, okay?”

“So, from now on, if I say I don’t want to see something, you’ll eat it to make it disappear?”

“If it’s something edible.”

“Tch. That won’t work.”

What a waste, she thinks.

With a light joke, the atmosphere returned to normal.

Sion smiled as she ate her kiwi and jelly, and I enjoyed the sweet treats and the leisurely time.

Time flew by, and the sun was high in the sky, indicating lunchtime.

It was getting quite hot, a sign that summer was approaching.

“Come to think of it, Sion, you seem to like saving things.”

“That’s right. Is there something strange about that?”

“I was wondering if it was a Flag.”

Her tendency to save things for later, whether it was food from the village or from the shops, was a bit odd considering she was a hero.

“A Flag…?”

“It’s like a jinx where if you promise or resolve to do something later before going into battle, you won’t return. Have you heard of it?”

“Ah, that. It’s a common trope in novels.”

It was a strange feeling to hear a novel protagonist talk about novel tropes.

Sion seemed to want to have a serious conversation.

She swallowed the remaining food in her mouth, took a breath, and continued.

“Director Hope, do you know this saying?”

“Which saying?”

“What comes to mind at the moment of death: unfulfilled dreams or uneaten meals?”

“Ah, I know that one.”

It was a famous quote. It existed in this world too.

“In my case, it would be the meals.”

Sion smiled bitterly, looking at the remaining jelly on her plate.

“I don’t think that’s what the person who coined that phrase intended.”

“I know, right? But… I have to put things off. It’s better for me to always have lingering attachments to this world.”

Did I say something I shouldn’t have?

Worried that bringing up memories of battle might trigger her, I carefully observed Sion’s condition.

Thankfully, she just seemed a little melancholic, nothing more.

“If my dreams are broken, it means the world’s destruction.

Unfulfilled dreams don’t apply to me.

I’m not in a position to talk about dying with unfulfilled dreams. If I ever face death, my job is to come back to life.”

Sion, who had been speaking dejectedly, picked up a piece of jelly with her fork, examined it, and then looked up.

“Putting things off, saving them, having lingering attachments… these things help in those situations.

For the world, for my mission, for my comrades… for anything, the feeling of having something to live for gives me strength.

Even if it’s just for this uneaten jelly, I have to come back to life.”

-Pop!

Sion ate the jelly the moment she finished talking about it.

“Now it’s a jelly you’ve eaten.”

“There are still plenty left~ There are so many kinds here, enough for a lifetime.”

Sion craned her neck, happily surveying the desserts on the shelves she hadn’t tried yet.

“And so many people, too.”

Sion looked around again.

Everyone sitting at the tables and standing in the park, bathed in the sunlight, was enjoying the sweetness of this dessert shop, a must-visit spot in the Kingdom’s Capital.

“I must protect them. I have to complete my treatment, get back on my feet, and once again, everyone…”

Sion seemed to be reaffirming her resolve as she watched the people of the kingdom enjoying their daily lives.

She had a faint smile on her face, filled with a sense of fulfillment and pride in having protected them once before. But then…

“…”

Her expression suddenly hardened, and her eyes widened.

“Sion?”

Sensing something was wrong, I cautiously called out to her, but she didn’t seem to hear me. She remained frozen, staring in the same direction.

“Witch…”

“What? What did you just…”

“There’s a Witch… I have to kill her…”

“Sion!”

I quickly followed her gaze.

There, sitting at a table, was an adventurer, likely a Magician, completely cloaked in a robe, their face obscured.

“Holy sword… the holy sword is gone…”

Still seated, Sion trembled, frantically fumbling at the table, her Wheelchair, and everything within reach.

This was clearly a dangerous sign.

“S-Sion!”

“I’ll handle this, Serin. Please step back.”

I calmed the equally panicked Serin and quietly moved to sit next to Sion.

Serin’s reaction confirmed that while she had maintained a perfect facade, she hadn’t been properly prepared to deal with Sion’s episodes over the past three years.

It was probably too much to expect medieval caregivers to understand psychological intervention.

If Sion were to start screaming and lashing out in such a crowded place, it could lead to an irreversible situation.

Damn it. I had to do something…