[HP] Can you be gentle with me

This is a village near Kaluk.

If anyone had asked before, Tahlia never thought she would choose to come to Scotland one day, but she fell in love with it the first time she set foot on its soil.

And at this moment, she was walking slowly on the road here, holding Nigel with one hand, no, it should be said that Nigel was holding her—after so many days, she was finally convinced that she had completely lost her sight.

She couldn't tell whether it was day or night, whether the people passing by her were men or women, and similarly, she couldn't tell whether the scenery here was the same as when she came here more than a year ago.

Along the way, she asked Nigel to ask for directions several times before she managed to confirm which direction the store she bought earlier was in.

It's just... so unaccustomed.

She couldn't see anything, no matter whether she opened her eyes or closed her eyes, what she perceived was always darkness, and the surrounding noises rushed into her ears, but she couldn't adapt for a while, causing her head to be intermittent. It hurts.

"Tahlia, are you still unwell?" Nigel's voice drifted into her ears slowly, muting the rest of the noise for an instant.

"Too many voices." She lowered her head slightly in the direction of the voice and said. "I'm not used to it." As she spoke, she felt the hand holding her pull down slightly, and she immediately squatted down. "How—" the words were just out of his mouth, but he shut up because of Nigel's next move.

The ears on both sides were covered by two small and soft palms the moment she squatted down, and the warmth from the palms was transmitted into the body from the place of contact. At that moment, it seemed that all the discomfort was just like that... It disappeared naturally.

"Is this better?" Nigel asked softly. "It seems that they have some activities today, and there are many people on the street now."

"It's much better." Tahlia smiled, putting her own hand on the small hand as well. "I only hear your voice now."

Nigel giggled into her ears, and she couldn't help but laugh along with her.

"Okay, don't forget, we haven't reached our destination yet." Tahlia smiled, stood up slowly, and continued to hold Nigel's hand. "Come on, I think we're almost there—"

"Yeah." Nigel replied, and then pulled Tahlia to continue walking slowly.

It wasn't long before Tahlia felt Nigel stop.

"Are you there?" she asked in a low voice.

"…Hmm." Nigel hesitated for a moment before answering. "Here...this place seems to be different from what you described──"

Tahlia froze for a few seconds. "What's the meaning?"

"This... seems to be a toy store."

Tahlia was completely bewildered.

"Toy store?" she said suspiciously. "...Did we go to the wrong place──"

"Tahlia!"

While Tahlia was confused, her name was suddenly called out.

It was a man's voice, and it seemed a little familiar...

"Tahlia!" Sensing someone moving in front of him, Nigel's grip on his hand was visibly a little stronger. "You're Tahlia, aren't you?"

"You..." Tahlia blinked unconsciously, even though this action could not restore her vision suddenly, she should know this person, right?She was sure that she had heard his voice—but she couldn't see the face of this person now, and it was too difficult to judge a person who might be familiar with just from the voice...

"Derek!" the man said again. "Derek Hilton! Remember?"

Derek Hilton...?

Tahlia looked confused, Derek...Hilton?

...Derek?

"Ah!" She suddenly remembered. "You were from that time—" At that time, the man she met was still holding the key to the house she bought, but she changed her mind temporarily and asked him to keep the key and take care of the house for her..." Sorry, I didn't recognize you."

"But I saw you when I was in the store!" Derek's voice sounded excited, and then he paused for a moment. "Uh...I mean—this should be your store...cough cough, I mean, when you asked me to look at it for you, I thought, instead of putting it here, I might as well borrow it a little There were some cabinets and stuff that were already in there—umm... you would, mind?"

Tahlia looked stunned.

So this toy store is really the house she bought?Would she mind—Merlin's beard... Of course she would!Originally, she only planned... In short, she never thought about running a toy store or anything, at most... at most selling some groceries──this...what did this man think?

She minds!

Even so, when she opened her mouth dryly, she could only say such a sentence. "No... no." Whoever asked him to do it has already done, and now she can't just ask him to empty everything. "I do not mind."

The man seemed relieved. "Huh, I knew it... I was worried that you would be angry──"

Tahlia was completely speechless.

"You...let me show you around!" After a while, Derek's voice sounded again.

Tahlia was stunned for a while, and then suddenly remembered that after all, the nominal owner of this room is her. She nodded, but suddenly realized that she can't visit anything now...

She couldn't see anything at all.

Derek, who had already turned around and was about to go back to the store, realized that the woman behind him hadn't followed. He turned around in confusion, only to find that she was just standing there holding the boy in a daze, with that look... what should I do? Saying—seems hollow.

"Tahlia?" He called tentatively, then walked back, hesitated for a moment, and waved a hand slightly in front of her eyes.

Nothing happens.

Shake it again...

Still no response.

"You..." Derek was surprised, the last time we met was less than two years ago, when her eyesight was absolutely normal!How could she...be blind in such a short time? "You...can't you see—"

"I don't—" Tahlia reflexively wanted to refute, but shut up immediately.

For her to admit that she was blind so frankly... She really couldn't do it for a while.

"... There was an accident." Finally, she whispered.

For a split second, Derek didn't know how to react.

He never knew how to say comforting words to such a sad woman, what should he say, did he?

But what should he say?

Ask her to mourn?Want her—to make her work hard?Tell her... how do you say that?When God closes one door for her, will he open another window for her?

No no no no.

These are not comforting words at all, he knows it very well!Most people just get more impatient when they hear these clichés.

They may need some help, but it is by no means these words of encouragement on the surface, but secretly forcing them to follow suit──

"Don't cry." He blurted out suddenly.

And immediately wanted to sew his own mouth, since Tahlia wasn't crying at all...

Tahlia looked stunned.

When did she look like she wanted to cry?It should be said that she didn't even think about it...how did this man──

"Tahlia's not crying," came Nigel's voice to the right, saving her trouble.

Of course she didn't cry, how could she be so easily...

──Huh?

Tahlia raised her hand slowly, and was completely shocked when she felt the tears running down her cheeks at some point.

She blinked, but more tears were shed because of it.

"I……"

what happened?

What Derek said just now was like a switch.

In the past few days, no matter how she tried to hide the panic after being blind, and how she pretended that she was still the same as before, it couldn't change the fact that she had become useless.

No matter how proficiently she was able to use magic in the past, and was even trained to dodge and attack opponents, she couldn't do it now.

Sure enough, even Merlin thought she should leave that place.

What can an invisible person do if he stays in the magic world?What was she to do but stay in the hospital, waiting for a cure that might never come?There is no way for her to be like before──

"Don't...don't cry!" Derek panicked for a moment, he didn't expect Tahlia to shed tears because of his words, which was not what he expected. "Please... I--it's my fault! I shouldn't talk nonsense..."

"You didn't say anything." Tahlia wiped the tears from her eyes carelessly. "I think it was just a little windy—"

"Is it windier?"

"So presumably the sand was blown into the eye as well."

"sand?"

The corners of Derek's mouth twitched, but seeing that Tahlia had already smiled at her, he didn't say anything more...

Although there is no wind at all in today's weather──

"No matter what, I'll bring you in first." After a while, he said. "I cleared a few rooms upstairs, you can stay there for now—" As he spoke, he motioned for the child next to Tahlia to lead her to follow him.

Nigel didn't follow up immediately, and raised his head uncertainly. "Tahlia?"

This man named Derek appeared so suddenly...

Although Tahlia seemed to know him—but he didn't!He'd never met this man... what if Tahlia was bullied by this man?

"Go with it," Tahlia whispered, wiping the tears off her face one last time. "He's just a... Muggle."

What else could it be?

After a while, they were standing in a room on the second floor of the house.

Tahlia vaguely remembered that she planned to use this room as a bedroom at the beginning, because among the several rooms on the second floor, only this one had a balcony to the outside. She has always liked the space with a small balcony, and at this moment, slowly The wind blowing in from the open balcony instantly gave her a magical sense of relief.

"Uh…sorry." Derek's voice came from Tahlia's right. "I haven't put much furniture here—"

"It's okay," Tahlia said casually. "I can buy myself..."

"No no no!" Derek said hastily. "Please let me prepare it for you—ahem, I mean, I am very grateful to you for letting me stay here, so no matter what, I can't make you have to spend money to prepare furniture—"

"Derek." Tahlia cut him off. "Don't mind, we just want to deal with it ourselves, you—you just concentrate on managing things downstairs." There was a pause. "But if you still want to express something, please take us to a place where we can buy furniture."

"But I—"

"Derek."

Derek was silent for a moment.

"...Okay." Finally, Tahlia heard Derek agree.

"I'll take you there tomorrow.