My Patreon for more chaps:
Patreon.com/IndifferentVillain
"Chapter 25 is out on my Patreon*
____________
Ayane quickly fed Matsurize an entire bowl of porridge.
After that, she kept changing the wet towel on his forehead, making sure it always stayed warm. Then she fed him another round of the medicine, in the same way as before.
Ever since her mother passed away, Ayane had never been this physically close to anyone. Even in her daily life, she was a quiet, withdrawn person who didn't like interacting much with others.
By the time afternoon came, Matsurize still hadn't woken up, but his condition seemed to have improved a lot.
Ayane had been taking care of him by the bedside the whole time. During this period, she only stepped away to collect the laundry and tidy up the kitchen. Other than that, she did nothing else—just sat on a small stool in front of Matsurize, quietly watching him.
Just then, a voice came from outside.
> "Ayane! Little Ayane, are you home?"
Someone had come to visit her.
Hearing the voice, Ayane immediately went out. When she saw who it was, she said,
> "Uncle Ben, your hoe broke again? I just fixed it for you not long ago!"
The man was a middle-aged farmer from the same village. He spent most of his days working in the fields.
As for what Ayane said about fixing his hoe before—well, that had to do with her family trade.
Ayane's ancestors had all been blacksmiths, generations of them making their living by forging tools for the villagers.
Even at her young age, Ayane had relied on that same ancestral craft to raise herself. Unlike her forebears, however, she didn't only forge farming tools—she also made and repaired other kinds of equipment.
In her courtyard, the kitchen and woodshed were on the east side, while the west side housed her forge.
The forge was much larger than the kitchen and woodshed combined, wide and spacious.
Uncle Ben, standing at the gate, said,
> "No, no, the hoe you fixed is still perfectly fine! This time it's the plow—my dumb ox broke it while working the field. So here I am again, asking for your help."
After saying that, he took the plow off his back. It wasn't a large one—a small hand-plow—so when he carried it in earlier, Ayane hadn't noticed.
Ayane went to open the gate. The wooden doors were simple, made from a few thick planks. She unlatched them, lifted the plow with one hand, and brought it to the center of the courtyard.
Uncle Ben wasn't surprised—he had long seen Ayane's unusual strength.
Of course, it wasn't that she was born strong. She had simply built up her strength over the years by working at the forge since childhood.
After examining the plow for a moment, Ayane said,
> "Uncle Ben, you shouldn't be bringing this to a blacksmith. You need a carpenter for this kind of repair."
Uncle Ben scratched his head awkwardly, but still pleaded,
> "Little Ayane, you know there isn't a single carpenter in our village. Going all the way to Shipwreck Harbor would cost too much. Come on, be a good girl and help me out, yeah? I'll pay you five hundred Berries—no, six hundred! Alright, seven hundred, that's my limit. Please, Ayane! Without this plow, my family won't be able to work the fields!"
The plow wasn't made entirely of iron—otherwise, Ayane wouldn't have told him to go find a carpenter.
Looking it over, she saw that the main wooden handle was broken, but the metal blade at the bottom was still intact.
It wasn't a complicated repair, but it was the kind of thing Uncle Ben couldn't fix himself. That was why he had come to her.
Ayane didn't agree because of the money. She had a kind heart, and when she heard him say his family wouldn't survive without it, she softened.
In the past, Ayane would fix or forge almost anything for the villagers. But in recent years, she'd been spending much of her time at Shipwreck Harbor, so she rarely took on odd jobs outside her blacksmithing work.
Uncle Ben knew that, but since he had no other choice, he came to her anyway.
Another reason Ayane agreed this time was because she planned to stay home to take care of Matsurize for a while. Since she'd be around anyway, she figured she could handle Uncle Ben's repair too.
So really, Uncle Ben owed thanks to the stranger lying in Ayane's bed.
Still, she reminded him,
> "Uncle Ben, I'll take the job, but please don't tell anyone. I don't want unnecessary trouble."
Uncle Ben nodded quickly.
> "Of course, of course! You know me, Ayane—I keep my word. I won't tell a soul."
Ayane believed him. Uncle Ben was a simple, honest man—when he promised something, he meant it.
> "Alright then," Ayane said. "Come by tomorrow to pick it up. You bring the money, and I'll hand you the plow."
That was her way of saying the conversation was over. She didn't like being disturbed while she worked—another result of her naturally solitary nature.
Uncle Ben took the hint and didn't linger. He left happily, thanking her as he went.
Once he was gone, Ayane got to work. She moved quickly, disassembling the plow within minutes.
She found that only the wooden shaft was damaged; the rest was still solid.
Ayane had excellent hands-on skills. She remembered there was a plank of the right size in the woodshed, and she still had a few woodworking tools in the forge.
Within an hour, the plow was completely repaired—simple but sturdy.
Even if she finished early, Ayane always told the villagers to come back the next day for their tools. It helped keep people from disturbing her too often—and she didn't rely on this work for income anymore.
She left the plow in the courtyard, then returned inside to continue caring for Matsurize.
He was still unconscious, and it didn't look like he'd wake up today.
Ayane sat by his side, her eyes soft and gentle as she watched him. It was as if she were pouring all the affection she'd been missing into him—or perhaps, deep down, she was hoping that when Matsurize finally woke, he might give back the warmth she'd lost long ago.