Chapter 14 - The Confused Diamond(Part 2)
"I don't know... I don't know what's wrong with her. Doctor, please, I'm begging you, please save her!"
The helpless father, almost kneeling on the ground, pleaded with Ash to save his child.
Ignoring the completely stunned parents before him, Ash lifted the baby's drooping eyelids and confirmed her loss of consciousness. He then realized the fact that the child had stopped breathing completely.
"Did she eat anything?"
"I don't know... Oh, oh! Cake! She saw the cake in the bakery and liked it, so I bought her a cake!"
"Feeding such a small child cake..." Ash, half-crouching, shook his head. He opened the baby's mouth and placed her face down on his thigh, then called out to Rikka, who was still sitting on the ground.
"Hey, Diamond!"
Rikka, suddenly called by her warrior name, pointed to herself. Me? Is he referring to me?
"Who else could it be? Time it for me!"
"Time it?"
"Why are you just standing there? Hurry up!" Rikka's loud shout made her tremble, and she instinctively responded, "Yes," before obediently starting to count.
Listening to Rikka's trembling voice counting, Ash used his other hand to support the baby's neck and rhythmically patted her back with the heel of his hand.
The chaotic sounds around them were like waves in the sea, but Ash could only hear the voice of the girl.
With perfect force and precise rhythm, he continued patting until, on the fifth pat, the baby "pu" spit out a cherry pit.
"Waaah!"
At the moment the baby cried loudly, the heavy stone that had been hanging in Rikka's heart finally fell safely to the ground.
That's great! That's great...
"Take the child to the hospital for a check-up. Also, make sure you understand when and what kind of food a child should eat. If you can't even do this, don't become parents!"
After scolding the young couple, who were being educated with anger, Ash had no mood left for battle. He put away his stamp and returned in disappointment.
"Thank you, thank you, thank you...!"
Without looking back, he left, leaving behind the applauding onlookers who praised the successful rescue and the young couple who kept thanking him.
A short distance away, Ash turned around and, as expected, saw Rikka following closely behind with a guilty expression.
"Well, this time you didn't try to run away but followed instead?"
"Well, um..."
Ash interrupted Rikka's words. "How long did you time it?"
"8, 8 seconds..."
"8 seconds.." Ash muttered the number and showed displeasure. "I was too slow, I lost my touch?"
Was my timing just about counting? Rikka was a bit dumbfounded, thinking that she had helped Ash in some way.
"Is there anything else... Hm?"
He unexpectedly noticed Rikka, her eyes were red, and she kept wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. However, her glistening tears continued to fall to the ground, shattering.
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"I... I can't do anything—"
In that moment when the child's parents needed help, all I could do was stand there foolishly, unable to accomplish anything.
Almost, so close to helplessly watching such a young life slip away from my grasp.
This was something Rikka couldn't accept at all.
"This has nothing to do with you, so why are you so anxious?"
Ash couldn't understand why Rikka was crying. He had no way to deal with her tears.
As her voice gradually took on a heavy nasal tone, Rikka began recounting the story of her mother, who dreamed of becoming a doctor. She had also placed her aspirations in the goal of becoming a doctor.
"I... I strive for the dream of being a doctor, just like my mother. I study hard and learn various medical knowledge, but, but!"
"But when the time comes that I should be able to be of help, I... I can only watch..."
This was a completely different experience from being a Precure. During battles, she usually didn't have much time for contemplation.
However, just now, she was completely stunned by her surroundings. It was difficult to imagine someone like her becoming a doctor who often faced life and death situations.
"Well, indeed, in that case, it would be more practical to consider a different dream."
Ash, who speaks without consideration, not only fails to console but also adds insult to injury. It's better not to say the phrase "I have no dreams but can destroy other people's dreams" because it might lead to being pursued by certain individuals who are sensitive to such remarks.
"However, when it comes down to it, is becoming a doctor truly your dream?" He couldn't help but recall a pediatric doctor from another world who was always busy, putting their life on the line to combat the Bugster virus. "Children often aspire to imitate their parents and lead lives like theirs, but aspiration doesn't necessarily represent one's true desire."
There's a saying that goes, "Aspiration is the farthest distance from understanding."
"Take some time to think it over and figure it out before making a decision. You still have plenty of time."
As he said that, Rikka, shaken by the recent events, couldn't ascertain whether becoming a "doctor like her mother" was truly her own desire or simply an imitation and aspiration toward her mother.
When it comes to certainty, is she truly suited to be a doctor?
"Perhaps... that might be the case."
"Rikka, don't give up so easily!" Raquel, who has been disguised as a doll until now, quickly consoles her. "Rikka will surely overcome such difficulties and become an outstanding doctor!"
However, unlike what Raquel believes, Rikka at this moment desires more than just comfort. She longs for someone to rely on.
Normally, her good friend, Ai, would readily take on that role, but now...
With a downcast mood and reddened eyes, Rikka suddenly recalls something and looks up at Ash.
"Ash-san, are you a doctor?"
"Speaking of doctors... I indeed am one."
In front of Rikka, he retrieves a medical qualification certificate from his pocket (system inventory).
"When I was strolling around a certain hospital, that doctor who loves sweets called me a once-in-a-century medical genius and insisted on teaching me a bunch of miscellaneous things."
Recalling how that stern person, upon discovering his talent, deviated from their usual behavior and compelled him to learn those things, Ash couldn't help but feel a shiver down his spine.
But even he was surprised to find out that he had actually learned everything that person taught him. It's possible that he might be a genius in this field as well.
"So, I casually passed the qualification exam, and it was quite simple."
"Well, then..."
Rikka looks at the qualification certificate in Ash's hand, her gaze flickering, indicating that she has some thoughts, but she hesitates to speak.
"If you don't clarify, I won't understand."
"Well, um..."
"Ash-san, perhaps, as you mentioned, I might not be suitable to be a doctor after all. I also can't determine what my true dream is..."
"But, I don't think there's anything wrong with striving towards the goal of becoming a doctor."
"So, not only my mother, but can I also look up to Ash-san, who holds a medical qualification certificate, as my role model?"
The girl's hopeful eyes turn to Ash, as she seeks an answer from him.
Ash's obsidian-like pupils meet the girl's gaze, and after a long while, he shakes his head.
Just when Rikka thought that the matter was dismissed, Ash's next words reignite her hopes.
"If it doesn't bother me, you can do as you please."
"Then... then, Ash-san!"
As she sees Ash about to leave, Rikka shouts out her last lingering question with all her might.
"Why, Ash-san, why did you go to save that child?"
Heh.
The radiant sunset shines upon his face, casting a warm light that hides the shadows. The man turns his profile to the girl, revealing a devilish smile.
"Just Because."
That night, as time quickly approaches the hour when good children should be sleeping, Rikka's friends are all asleep. Even her partner fairy emits a rhythmic breathing sound. Only the girl herself lies restlessly in her bed, tossing and turning.
Why?
A profound perplexity entangles the girl's mind, and she can't understand.
Why can Ash-san casually say he will summon a demon that could harm others without taking responsibility?
Why he didn't hesitate to rescue that child?
What exactly are you trying to achieve by fighting alongside us?
Faced with Ash, who seems to embody a convergence of contradictions, the girl finds that the simplistic definitions of good and evil no longer apply. In the end, if she weren't also a Precure in her other identity, there would be no need for her to ponder such matters.
For Hishikawa Rikka, a junior high school student, such questions are premature.
"Ash-san... Who exactly are you?"
Holding her pillow close, unconsciously, all the girl can think about is that person who doesn't seem so detestable anymore.
I just don't understand...
I'll ask Ash-san about it later.
For the girl, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.
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