Ryô went to see the children as usual. He stopped and watched the show, annoyed. Six months had gone by since the arrival of the French. Since his arrival, Seishi-san, the young doctor, had spent as much time with the children as possible. He had even managed to learn their language. He decided to go and take care of the children playing on the sidelines when a voice interrupted him.

“Oh Ryô-kun, could you please give me my briefcase? I left it at the foot of the tree next to you.”

Oh yes, and he had "nicely" insisted on using first names... Ryô turned around, furious.

“I'm not your...” He paused He paused when he discovered the big smile Sama was giving Seishi-san.

“Do you have magic items in your bag? Can you really remove the evil spirit in me?”

Seishi-san wagged a finger disapprovingly.

“I've already explained to you that it wasn't an evil spirit. If you trust me, we'll be able to make you better, even if it is not magic that I have in my bag.”

Seishi-san paused, seeming to realize that Ryô hadn't brought his bag. Ryô understood immediately. He dashed and hurriedly grabbed the briefcase. He then approached and held it out without a word, avoiding his gaze. Seishi-san hesitated for a moment, then took it and thanked him. After giving Ryô a fleeting glance, he searched in his bag while Sama watched him. The latter also hesitated but couldn't help but stay a little behind and watch. Finally, Seishi-san took out a small box.

“There you go! Good thing I decided to leave it after all!”

He pulled out a pack of pills to show Sama.

“You see now, when you're sick, when it hurts and you can't breathe, you'll have to take it. But be careful!”

Sama looked on without a word, attentive.

“It's not for all the time. Only one tablet when you're very sick like yesterday. But always keep them with you for if you need them. Do you understand?”

Sama nodded gravely as he took the pack held out by Seishi-san.

“Well, and then you'll have to come and see me every day. I will give you another medicine and make sure that the evil goes away. Do you agree?”

Sama gave him another nod. Ryô couldn't help but admire the bright smile that lit up Seishi-san's face.

“You'll see”, he continued, running a hand affectionately through the little girl's hair. “Your heart is a little lazy, but we're going to force it to honor its adorable owner. And I’d better never hear you pretend you have the evil eye again!”

The child shook her head and, clutching the precious box to her, ran away.

“See you tomorrow!” Seishi-san shouted with a final wave of his hand.

~

Once the child was out of sight, Seishi sighed and sat up and stretched his arms toward the sky.

“How did you do it? How... How did you know...”

Seishi almost jumped, only then realizing that Ryô had stayed there all this time, observing the scene. The young man kept his eyes averted and danced uneasily from one foot to the other. Seishi then returned his gaze to the children playing nearby.

“Did what?” he asked.

“For Sama...” Ryô replied in a tone oscillating between impatience and embarrassment. “I’ve been trying for months to gain her trust and find out what was wrong with her... I could see that there was a problem but she always ran away from our attention. Ikeda-sensei said that no one in the village had reported any issues.”

Seishi didn't answer right away and turned his head slightly towards the young man.

“You love her... You love all of them very much, don't you?”

Ryô glanced at him furtively as if to judge his intentions, then, clasping his hands behind his back, nodded imperceptibly.

“I've been watching you, you know... What you do with them is really remarkable.”

Ryô's eyes widened slightly, but he forced himself to appear detached.

“Winning the love and trust of children is the hardest part... And for you it's natural and well-deserved, because you give them everything...”

Ryô looked at him again for a few seconds. Was he spying on him? Strangely enough, he was hardly irritated. The doctor's words were not tinged with reproach, on the contrary. Ryô had long since stopped looking for any compliment or sympathy, he didn't know how to react to these words. He didn't think he would inspire the slightest appreciation in the other members of this camp... apart from, he dared to hope so, the children... They didn’t know how to lie.

“As for Sama”, Seishi continued, not wanting to embarrass the young man anymore. “Well,” he smiled, “I guess my age is more impressive... And then there's no helping it, somehow, my hair seems to remind them of something like a demon or a wizard I don't really know... I guess it helped me in this case, and a little more firmness did the rest.”

He couldn't help but laugh at the young man's astonished look. Ryô quickly composed himself and looked at him, furious. Seishi raised a hand.

“Please, I'm serious, I wasn't making fun of you!”

Ryô seemed skeptical for a moment and then folded his arms, absorbed in the contemplation of the children.

“Did you understand what was wrong? What exactly is wrong with her? It's not too serious, is it?”

The last words had been uttered almost regretfully, tinged with embarrassment... A few moments passed before Seishi answered.

“It wouldn't be so bad anywhere else but here... It turns out that I have what's needed to take care of her for a while but... I can't examine her properly here but I think that her heart has a malformation, fortunately not too important, but which causes the symptoms she sometimes suffers from. The medication can alleviate the symptoms to a large extent. I will do everything to relieve her.”

~

Ryô couldn't help but turn his attention back to the young doctor, the sudden change in his tone surprising him. The world of pain and sadness that those midnight-blue eyes now betrayed left him unsettled and speechless.

“I... Someone I cared about deeply had the same problem...”

The doctor barely breathed the words. He seemed to realize his companion's confusion and tried to continue in a more relaxed voice.

“I guess I know this condition well.”

Not knowing what to say to the pale smile that Seishi-san was trying to put on, Ryô preferred to remain silent. He found himself almost wanting to offer his support and console his elder. But he restrained himself and did not dare to question him further, astonished to find himself feeling such sympathy.

“I have to remember to thank Sama”, the doctor continued in a seemingly light tone.

Ryô looked at him, questioning.

“Thanks to her, I had the honor of having a conversation with you!”

He had turned away before Ryô could retort.

“Keep watching over her, unfortunately I can't devote myself entirely to her but I'll be there if needed...”

He walked away and disappeared behind one of the huts in the camp.

Ryô stood there for a moment, lost in thought, then dropped to the ground and planted his chin on his arms crossed around his knees. He sighed. For a long time, he had been forcing himself not to pay attention to anyone or anything... Except for these children, and that's how he had detected and tried in vain to elucidate Sama's problem. He hadn't paid more attention to the surgeon than to the others, besides the fact that the latter was encroaching on his territory by taking care of the children so frequently. But after all, he could help and treat them, as had been the case with Sama... Something that he, Ryô, could not accomplish despite all his good will. Now that he was thinking about it, the young doctor must have been the only one who had never grown tired of dealing with him. And he had always treated him with a sort of polite respect, suggesting, without imposing it, a certain sympathy.