Chapter 235: She Knows
The gates of the Hidden Mist Village emerged from the darkness of the night.
The guards recognized Terumi Mei and immediately snapped to attention, offering a formal salute. As their gaze swept over the blood-stained bandages wrapped around her right arm, they froze for a moment. Their eyes then shifted with a mixture of awe and trepidation toward the masked man beside her, who was likewise dressed in an ANBU uniform.
Kitahara Kaede ignored the stares. Without slowing his pace, he walked straight toward the hospital.
"I’ll take you there."
Terumi Mei blinked, momentarily stunned. She had been trying to figure out what excuse she could use to get him to accompany her to the hospital, yet he had offered of his own accord.
The lights in the hospital duty room were still on. The nurse on call was yawning when she looked up to see Terumi Mei entering with a severely injured arm. The pen in the nurse’s hand clattered onto the desk.
"Director, what on earth happened...?"
A pale smile played on Terumi Mei’s lips as she approached the clinic desk. "I picked up a few injuries outside. Please arrange for the wound to be redressed."
"Yes, right away!"
The nurse led them to the treatment room. After the situation was explained, the doctor quickly pulled out a chair for Terumi Mei to sit in. He used scissors to carefully snip away the temporary bandages Kaede had applied. When he saw the full extent of the wound, his tense expression finally relaxed.
"A puncture wound, is it?"
The doctor examined the edges of the injury, noting that it had already been covered with medicinal powder and the bleeding had largely stopped. His tone carried a hint of relief. "Fortunately, it was treated promptly and the medicine was applied correctly. Otherwise, with dust and grime in the air, this would have certainly become infected by the time you returned."
Kitahara Kaede stood to the side, watching in silence as the doctor cleaned the wound with forceps. Opening a fresh pack of sterile gauze, the doctor applied new medication while offering the routine warnings.
"The wound itself isn’t too severe, but infection is the primary concern. Your right arm must absolutely stay away from water for the next few days, and you must not carry anything heavy, otherwise the wound could easily tear again."
Terumi Mei nodded obediently. "I understand. I’ll keep that in mind."
As the doctor wrapped the new bandages, he continued his instructions. "Be especially careful when bathing. It’s best to wrap the entire arm in waterproof cloth; not a single drop of water can get in."
Terumi Mei’s gaze drifted, seemingly unintentionally, toward Kaede’s profile. This was the exact sentence she had been waiting for.
The doctor tied off the bandage. Considering the recovery process, he took two small bottles of anti-inflammatory medication from the cabinet and handed them to her. "Remember to come back in three days to change the dressing."
Terumi Mei stood up, tucked the medicine into her ninja tool pouch, and thanked the doctor with a nod. Kaede had already turned around, holding the clinic door open for her.
The two walked out of the hospital and headed toward their residences. Soon, two small, facing buildings appeared before them. Kaede stopped at his own door, about to offer a formal "get some rest."
However, Terumi Mei didn’t head toward her own door. She stopped in her tracks, looking down at herself. The blood on her bodice and sleeves had dried into an unsightly dark brown, mixed with dust from the ground. She frowned slightly, tugging at a prominent stain on her collar with her left hand before letting go with a look of distaste.
"What’s wrong? Aren’t you going back?" Kaede asked.
Terumi Mei looked up, her emerald eyes reflecting a hint of hesitation. "I’ve been running around all day... I’m filthy." She looked down at her right arm, which was wrapped tightly in bandages, and her voice grew softer. "I want to take a bath, but..."
She didn’t finish the sentence, but the implication was crystal clear.
Kaede’s mind buzzed. *Bathing... the arm can’t touch water... she lives alone...*
These fragments suddenly coalesced into an absurd conclusion. ’She can’t possibly want me to...’
"Um, could you... help me go inside and run the bathwater?" Terumi Mei finally whispered, her voice almost inaudible.
Kaede stood there, wondering if he had misheard. Entering her home, going into the bathroom, and running the water—any one of these actions crossed the boundary of a typical mission partnership. All three combined were utterly ridiculous.
’Does this woman have no sense of caution at all?’
"I know this request is a bit much," Terumi Mei added, her eyelids drooping further as she saw his silence. "I’ve put you in a difficult position... it’s fine, I’ll find a way myself."
With that, she turned away, fumbling for her keys in her tool pouch with her good left hand. As the keys came out, they slipped in her palm. She gripped them firmly and tried to guide them into the lock, but the one-handed operation was clumsy. The key collided with the lock several times without fitting.
On the fourth attempt, her wrist wobbled, tugging at the injury in her right shoulder.
"Ugh..."
Terumi Mei let out a soft moan of pain, her entire body stiffening as her injured arm instinctively recoiled.
That sound of pain ended Kaede’s hesitation. He strode forward, sighed at her clumsiness, and took the keys from her palm to unlock the door with a quick twist.
"I’m only running the water," he said, his voice carrying a hint of helplessness and resignation that he didn’t even notice himself.
She followed behind him into the entryway, her previous look of disappointment vanishing without a trace. "Over there, the bathroom."
She pointed toward the end of the hallway. "Please check the water temperature first; I’ll go to the second floor to get a change of clothes."
Kaede nodded, his body slightly stiff as he walked down the hall. He pushed open the bathroom door and was immediately greeted by a sweet scent—shower gel mixed with a faint floral aroma. It wasn’t overpowering, but it was pervasive, filling the air.
Kaede walked to the bathtub, pausing for a moment before leaning over to turn on the faucet. He crouched down, testing the temperature with his hand. His gaze was locked strictly on the space between his hand and the spout; he didn’t spare a single glance at his surroundings.
Once the temperature was perfectly warm without being scalding, he immediately shut off the valve and stood up. As he looked up, his face was reflected in the mirror. Kaede noticed that his ear tips had turned a soft shade of red.
He immediately averted his eyes and stepped back out.
In the second-floor bedroom, Terumi Mei closed the door. Her calico cat followed at her heels, looking up and meowing. Mei crouched down and rubbed the cat’s head with her left hand.
"He’s downstairs," she whispered, glancing at her right arm. "This little injury was well worth getting him to enter the house."
She scratched the cat under its chin, and the feline purred, narrowing its eyes. Terumi Mei stood up and walked to the wardrobe, planning her next move. She used her left hand to grab a stack of clean clothes and walked downstairs.
Just as she reached the living room, Kaede saw her descending. He raised a hand and awkwardly rubbed the tip of his nose. "The water’s ready. The temperature is moderate."
Holding the clothes, Terumi Mei looked at his ears, which hadn’t yet lost their blush, and a tiny smile curled at the corner of her lips. "Thank you."
She paused, as if remembering something. "Right, the doctor said to use waterproof cloth."
Kaede blinked. Terumi Mei pointed to the bottom drawer of the TV stand in the living room. "The waterproof cloth should be in there. Could you... help me? I’m a bit inconvenienced with only one hand."
Kaede walked over in silence and opened the drawer, finding a roll of medical waterproof cloth and adhesive tape. He brought the items over to her. Terumi Mei placed the clothes on the sofa and extended her injured right arm.
Kaede tore open the packaging and carefully wrapped the waterproof cloth around her arm, starting from the elbow and winding upward. Terumi Mei watched him, noting the focus and seriousness on his face as he worked.
Occasionally, his fingers would inadvertently brush against her skin. With every touch, her heart skipped a beat.
"Done." After ensuring it was secure, Kaede sealed the end with tape.
Terumi Mei picked up her clothes again and gave him a small smile. "Thank you so much, truly."
With that, she turned and entered the bathroom, closing the door gently behind her. Soon, the sound of running water echoed through the door. The continuous sound, amplified by the acoustics of the bathroom, felt exceptionally clear in the quiet living room.
Kaede sat on the sofa. The air, filled with her fragrance and the warm mist drifting from the bathroom, felt even more concentrated than before. He felt enveloped by the scent, making him feel incredibly restless.
*Now is the best time to leave.*
The water was run, the arm was wrapped; there was nothing left for him to do. But... what if she slipped in the bath, or if something else happened to the wound?
A damned sense of responsibility forced him to stay. However, after listening to the sound of the water for a while, Kaede simply couldn’t handle the awkwardness any longer. He stood up and went into the kitchen, looking for something to do. He opened the fridge, but it was empty—there wasn’t even a single egg.
He closed the fridge and took one last look at the closed bathroom door. The doctor’s warnings flashed through his mind. Without further hesitation, Kaede turned, pushed open the front door, and walked out quickly.
***
Inside the bathroom, the air was thick with steam. Terumi Mei soaked in the warm water, letting out a comfortable sigh. As she slowly scrubbed her shoulder and neck with her left hand, she recalled Kaede’s flushed ears and the way he had been forced to get close to her. She couldn’t help but let out a low giggle.
The warm water and the medication made the pain in her arm feel distant. She carefully rested her injured arm on the edge of the tub, admiring the waterproof wrap he had applied with his own hands.
After finishing her bath and removing the waterproof cloth, the bandages beneath remained dry and intact. Terumi Mei changed into clean pajamas and walked out of the bathroom, using a towel to dry her damp hair with her left hand.
In the living room, the sofa was empty.
"Kaede?" she called out tentatively.
There was no response. Terumi Mei stopped mid-motion, the towel still in her hand.
She had thought... he might stay out of worry.
In the end, he had left.