はとりあえず女が自身の身体についての認識があるのかを確認しようと、口を開く。
「見た所、あなたのその手は風湿病という病気でしょう」
「は?」
しかしこれを聞いた女は、「なにを言っているんだコイツは?」という顔をした。
反応が薄い女に、雨妹は風湿病について、
雨妹は出来る限り押しつけがましくならないように気を付けながらも、声に若干の熱を込めて語る。
「なんだい? 暑苦しいことを言う娘だねぇ」
――やっぱり、こう来るかぁ。
前世でも、患者に自分の身体にとことん無頓着な人がいた。
そう言った人は、どんなに周りが熱心に健康について語り、病院へ行くように勧めても、全く聞く耳をもたないのだ。
治療費の問題で病院に行かない、というのとはまた違う人たちであるのがほとんどで、共通して言うのが、「自分の身体は自分が一番わかっているんだ」的なセリフであった。
そして初めてかかった病院が最後の病院に......ということがままあったものだ。
この女からは、そうした患者と同じ雰囲気が感じ取られるのである。
本当に困っていて出来るならば医者にかかって治りたい人特有の、必死さが感じられないのだ。
――でも、楽師の指なんだよ? どうでもいいってことがある?
雨妹はこの謎な気持ちをそのまま、女に尋ねてみた。
「ですが、きっと楽師にとっての指は大切なものなのでしょう?」
この疑問に、女は口元を歪めた。
「たとえ、アンタの言うとおりの病気なんだとしても、アタシにゃあこの手を治してまで、琵琶を弾く気にならない......もう嫌になっちまったんだよ」
そう告げる女に、雨妹は眉をひそめる。
「......琵琶が、嫌に?」
だからこの手のおかげで弾かずに済んで、いっそせいせいする」
尋ねる雨妹に吐き捨てるように言う女の目は、どこか暗い影が宿っているように見えた。
――なんだろう、これもどこかで覚えのある目な気がする。
さて、それはどこだっただろうか?
雨妹が内心で首を傾げていると、女は強く言い過ぎたと思ったのだろう。
「アンタに言う話じゃなかったよ、気分を悪くさせたかねぇ。
女はそう語ると、身をひるがえして足早にごみ捨て場から去っていく。
「あの! 風湿病を治すためには、まずはなにより煙草をやめるんですよ!」
その背中に、雨妹はそう叫ぶ。
――あ、名前を聞いてないや。
去った後でまたもや名前を聞きそびれたことに気付いた雨妹は、続けて思い出したことがある。
あの、どこかで見たことがあると思った女の目だ。
あれは、前世の病院で患者を看取った家族がたまに見せる目と似ているのだ。
もしかしてあの人は、誰かを亡くしてしまったのかもしれない。
そんなことがあったものの、雨妹は本来の目的である落ち葉焼きを開始する。
「む~ん、なんか気になる」
雨妹の前世看護師としての性分と、後宮ウォッチャーとしての野次馬根性とが、己の中の「他人のことは放っておけ」という理性的な意識をグイグイと隅に押しやっていくのが、自分でもわかる。
あんな訳アリ感てんこもりな人物を、知らんぷりして通り過ぎて忘れるなんて、どうにもできそうになかった。
――くぅっ、気になって食事が喉を通らなくなったらどうしてくれるの!?
いや、今しっかりお腹が空いているし、これからまた落ち葉を焼くついでに焼き芋だって作るのだが。
しかし今後はわからないのだから、このモヤモヤをスッキリさせたい。
Yui Mei wanted to gauge how aware the woman was about her own body condition, so she started talking once again.
"Your hands appear to be a case of feng shi bing."
"Huh?"
The woman had an expression that said 'what the heck is she talking about?'.
Her reaction was poor, so Yui Mei explained arthritis just like how she did to Mei Na.
Yui Mei carefully restrained herself so she wouldn't come off as too pushy, but her voice still retained a bit of zeal.
"What? You're a lassie who likes spouting stifling words, ain't you."
'Yeah, I expected this much.'
Even in her previous life, there had been patients who were indifferent about their own body.
Those people wouldn't listen no matter how fervent the people around them talked about health and enthusiastically encouraged them to go to the hospital.
They were a different group from those who didn't go to the hospital because of treatment cost; instead, their usual line would be "I know my body best".
And more often than not, the first hospital that they went to would also be the last... There were also cases like that.
This woman also had the same air as those patients from her previous life -- insisting that "she can't see a doctor" while believing that she didn't need one.
They didn't understand the desperation of those patients who were really worried about their condition and had wanted to go to the hospital if they could just so they could get better.
'But, that's the fingers of a musician, right? Is she really fine with that?'
Yui Mei was perplexed as she tried to inquire further.
"But, I'm sure your fingers are very important to you as a musician, right?"
The woman frowned when she heard this question.
"See, even if this illness is just like what you said, and that my hands can be cured, I can't play the lute anymore...I have come to hate it."
Yui Mei scrunched her brows when she heard what the woman said.
"...You hate the lute?"
"That's right. That's why I'm glad I can no longer play, thanks to these hands of mine, okay."
The woman spat those words at Yui Mei, and her eyes had a hint of darkness lurking in the depths of them.
'What's with this, it feels familiar to me, as if I already saw this before.'
So, what was this all about?
Yui Mei was inwardly confused, but the woman seemed to think that she had been too harsh.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have said that to you, I made you feel bad. We're not even familiar with each other, but you're concerned about me, so I'm grateful about that."
The woman turned around after saying those words, and she hurriedly left the dumping site.
"Ah, wait! You have to stop smoking first to cure that arthritis!"
Yui Mei shouted after her.
'Ah, I forgot to ask her name.'
Yui Mei realized belatedly that she had failed once again to get her name, but she soon remembered something else.
It was the woman's eyes that she thought she had seen somewhere.
They resembled the eyes of a family member who had taken care of a patient in the hospital in her previous life.
Perhaps, that person had also lost someone.
Even after the incident with the woman, Yui Mei still continued doing what she originally came to do -- and that was burning leaves.
"Hmm~ I can't help but be bothered about this."
Although she understood the rational consciousness of "not sticking your nose into other people's business', she had been tucking it away deep inside her because of her nature as a nurse in her previous world and as an onlooker here in the Inner Palace.
There was no way she could just pretend that nothing happened and forget all about it when that person that was filled with special circumstances passed her by.
'Ugh, what am I gonna do if I can't swallow my meal properly out of anxiety for her!?'
No, her stomach was rumbling even now, and she had already burned the leaves, so there's nothing to do but make some baked sweet potatoes.
However, she didn't know what would happen afterward, so she just wanted to get it off her chest.
Housekeeper of the Hundred Blossom Palace
百花宮のお掃除係～転生した新米宮女、後宮のお悩み解決します。
https://www.novelupdates.com/series/housekeeper-of-the-hundred-blossom-palace/
Fantasy Romance Shoujo Slice of Life
Adapted to Manga Ancient China Complex Family Relationships Different Social Status Female Protagonist Imperial Harem Love Interest Falls in Love First Reincarnated in Another World Royalty
https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4104ev/
黒辺あゆみ