DiMENSIONS [IDOLiSH7]

03: New Encounter

-Majabah-

Riku wanted to show Mitsuki to his room and then around town, but as they walked from the garden back into the mansion, Riku was out of breath. Of course, the doctor noticed that it was not normal. They were only walking at a moderate pace. No one should have been tired, yet Riku was drawing in deep breaths in an attempt to steady his breathing.

"Riku, let's stop for a bit." Mitsuki pulled Riku into a kitchen. Luckily, no one was there. "Sit down, Riku." Mitsuki ordered as he pulled a chair from the table for Riku.

"Eh? What's going on Mitsu- *cough!*" Riku was interrupted by a minor coughing fit, just like before.

"You're sick, aren't you?"

"I-I'm fine!" Riku denied it, even though he was clearly panting.

Mitsuki sighed. "Look, I'm a doctor back in Silica." When Riku gave him a confused look, Mitsuki explained, "I help sick people." Mitsuki then pulled another chair and sat in front of Riku. "I can tell you're unwell. Let's see if I can help. Do you have any known conditions?"

Riku hesitantly answered, "Um... I have asthma." He paused a little. "Only Gaku knows though."

Mitsuki's eyebrows shrugged. "Do you carry around an inhaler or some sort of medicine?" The doctor asked. He was not sure how this world worked yet, but surely if they could heal cuts instantly, there should be ways to help with illnesses, right? Well, he was wrong. While white magic could heal even near-fatal wounds, illnesses were a little tricky.

Riku explained, "If it gets really bad, Gaku calls a healer who can make potions."

Mitsuki was shocked to hear this but tried to keep calm. "Right, this can't be good." The doctor thought hard with his hands on his hips. Then an idea came to his mind - the herbs! Some of the herbs in the garden could be converted into natural, traditional medicine, which might help with Riku's asthma. The problem was, how would he convert them into medicine without proper equipment? The doctor thought maybe a dry powder could work.

"Riku, can I use the herbs in the garden?" Mitsuki asked. He did not know if his idea would work, but it was worth trying when Riku was clearly struggling.

"And just what are you planning to do with those, disrespectful brat!?!"

Gaku stormed in and grabbed Mitsuki's shirt on the chest. His gaze was so fierce that it felt like it could cut Mitsuki in half. Riku shouted for Gaku to stop, but it turned into a series of violent coughs. "Nanase-sama!" Gaku released Mitsuki and turned to support his master right away. Luckily, it did not escalate into a full-blown attack.

Mitsuki regained his balance and fixed his shirt. "Look, I'm trying to help your lord here, so don't work him up!" He scolded Gaku, much like when he scolded his naughty patients. The doctor was ready to counter all arguments for his patient and was surprised when Gaku did not try to argue back or cut him with a shuriken.

"Can you truly help Nanase-sama?" Gaku's face was filled with concern. He cared deeply about his master. He hated seeing his lord suffer every day and not be able to do anything much.

"Yeah, I can try. " Mitsuki quieted down after seeing how Gaku's behaviour changed. "Say, butler-san, why don't you help me get some herbs in the garden? And are there paper and pens around here?"

With that, Gaku cast some sort of magic on himself. He dashed super swiftly out of the room and reappeared with pens and some pieces of paper.

"Whoa, that's amazing speed..." Mitsuki shook his head. He had to focus on Riku right now. He wrote herb descriptions, taking care to make sure his handwriting was readable, and handed them to Gaku. "Can you fetch these for me? I'll look after R... your lord. Oh and get like a piece of wood too if possible?"