"Ch... Chiba-sama, Ch... Chiba-sama!"
Amid the rapid chopping sounds, Chiba softly responded, "Hmm?" Hearing the somewhat nervous voice, he turned his head toward the window.
Has the medical report arrived? That thought rose in his mind.
"Th... th-this is something the Teachers asked me to give you."
At that moment, a hand extended through the window, holding a scroll as if offering it to Chiba.
Those old scholars are certainly efficient. Seeing the scroll, Chiba could not help but sigh inwardly.
However, Chiba did not take the scroll right away. He first wiped his hands clean of water and vegetable scraps before accepting it.
"Have you eaten?"
After doing all that, he leaned his head out and looked at the rather nervous boy outside the window, who was about the same physical age as him and was standing on tiptoe to hand over the scroll.
"N... no, no, no! I... I ate already."
Hearing Chiba's question and seeing his head emerge less than half an arm's length away, the boy seemed to get startled. He practically jumped backward, staggered upon landing, and nearly fell. After regaining his footing, he turned and ran as though he had just seen the most terrifying thing imaginable, leaving behind those words that completely baffled Chiba.
Uh...
So did he eat or not?
And is my face really that scary?
He runs every time he sees me.
Watching the boy flee into the distance, a particularly stiff, wry smile crossed Chiba's bewildered face.
It had been the same the previous times he came to deliver the medical reports. As long as Chiba got a little closer, the kid would turn and run as if Chiba were some monstrous beast. It gave Chiba a profound sense of frustrated defeat at how frightening he apparently was.
What