#692 Tea’s Judgment

I’m Creepie, a human.

I’m in a huge bind right now.

My beloved father has fallen ill and has been bedridden for quite some time. 

According to the doctor, he might not even see tomorrow.

Oh, why has this happened...?

Just a few days ago, my father was healthy and lively...

He handled his work brilliantly, even welcoming a new mother into our home.

He was so enthusiastic, saying, “I’m going to work harder from now on.”

Where did my stepmother, who just married into our family last month, go?

Another ball, perhaps?

Oh, what is happening to us... While my father is in this state, she’s out having fun without a care in the world?

If my father passes away at this rate, I, who am not yet of age, won’t be able to take over the family estate.

My stepmother will become the head of the family, and all the assets will be at her disposal.

Even when my father was still healthy, she was already quite prodigal. If she becomes the head of this household, she’ll undoubtedly go on a shopping spree, not caring if our house goes under.

Even if I come of age in a few years and regain control of the estate, we might be flat broke by then.

No, before that, if she becomes my guardian, she could marry me off to some man and kick me out of the house, or even worse, abuse me to death.

Father... You were the only one who stood by me...

Why did it have to come to this...?!

“Haa... Haa... C-Creepie...!”

My father, lying in his sickbed, looks terribly in pain.

All I can do for him in this state is to stay by his bedside...!

“wheeze... Y-You... I...!”

“Father, please don’t push yourself...!”

My father has weakened to the point where he can barely speak.

He can convey basic needs like “I want water,” but that’s about it.

“Pe...P-p-p-pen...! G...Gi...!”

“You mustn’t move, sir. You need complete bed rest.”

The doctor restrains my father, who is struggling to move his body.

My stepmother introduced him as a noted doctor, but what happened to our family doctor?

“Miss, I regret to inform you that your father has little time left. You might want to prepare yourself.”

“Yes, I understand...!”

“I believe we should shift our approach to his treatment to minimize his suffering. Please understand.”

“…!”

Even though I understand, the pain cuts me like a knife.

I have to give up on my father’s life, for his sake...

“I’ll take some time to compose myself. I’ll step out for a bit.”

“Please take as much time as you need.”

After excusing myself, I stepped out of my father’s room for a moment.

Oh, God, why are you making us suffer like this?

Taking away my kind and beloved father and leaving me with a spendthrift stepmother who doesn’t care about me at all...!

I’m sure my future will be full of difficulties.

No, right now, it’s about my father.

He has so much left to do, yet he has to depart now...

I must do what I can to ease his pain and make his departure peaceful.

That’s my duty as his daughter.

I can worry about what happens later.

What can I do for my father...?

Ah, I know.

I found this by my pillow a few days ago when I woke up.

Velesares Elf Tea ~ The best-colored tea is Shizuoka, the best-flavored tea is Uji, and the tea with the best taste is from the Elves. ~

I have no idea what any of the words mean.

Rather, I was scared to find such a thing in my room without knowing.

But it seems like it’s something delicious, so wouldn’t it be perfect for my father to taste it in his last moments? 

My father is already weakened, he seems to have no strength left to chew, but this seems to be a drink, so he should be able to handle it.

In that case, I must act while my father is still breathing.

The instructions for brewing the tea are on the package, so if I follow them, I should be able to manage.

I’ll ask the maid to prepare the hot water... Then, I throw in the exact amount of tea leaves as indicated.

After waiting for the tea to steep properly in the water...

I transfer it to a cup, careful not to mix in the tea leaves.

“Father!”

I put the prepared tea on a tray and barge into the hospital room.

“Please drink this! Let your last journey be a happy one with something delicious!”

“W-What are you doing, young lady?! You must not let a sick person consume something unknown! Please refrain...gah?!”

You’re in the way, Doc!

This might be my last act of filial piety!

Here you go, Father. These are my heartfelt feelings.

I tilt a cup of steaming hot tea into my father’s mouth, who is on his back...

...

“Hoooooooooooooooot!!!”

Oh my, Father.

To think you’d make such an energetic reaction...

Did you find the tea I made that delicious?

“No! That’s not it! Of course it’s too hot if you pour something that’s boiling hot into your mouth without letting it cool down! You are still a sheltered, naive girl, despite all the education I thought I had given you!”

F-Father?

How come you’re talking so eloquently all of a sudden?

“Huh, now that you mention it...”

Weren’t you on your deathbed, unable to move freely?

And what’s this? Your face, which was pale just a moment ago, now has a healthy color?!

“I don’t know either... But my body feels incredibly light...! My body, which had been poisoned and had nothing left but to face death, is now overflowing with vitalityyyyyy!!!”

Oh my, Father!

Father?!

Can this really be happening?!

Can my father, on the brink of death, recover instantly?!

“Creepie, it’s all thanks to you!”

Huh?

Could it be that my love for my father has caused a miracle?!

“No, it wasn’t anything spiritual... The medicine you gave me must’ve neutralized and flushed out the poison ravaging my body. Thanks to that, I was able to recover my health immediately!”

Wait, was the tea a medicine?

I thought it was just a novelty I served...!

“I would have preferred it if you had let it cool down before drinking it...! Is this what they mean by good medicine is bitter to the taste?!”

But wait a minute.

What have you been saying all this time, Father?

Weren’t you supposed to be suffering from a fatal disease that was impossible to cure?

But you keep talking about this “poison...”

“That’s right; I was on the verge of death, but not from a disease. I was poisoned and was about to die from it... isn’t that right, quack doctor?”

Doc?

Why are you packing up your stuff and heading for the exit? I didn’t notice at first because you were being so sneaky.

“The poison completely ravaged me, and I was paralyzed, unable to move my mouth or fingertips. You thought it was safe, so you were chatting away by my bedside?! It’s clear that you and my wife conspired to poison me!!!”

“W-W-What?! That’s a false accusation, sir! You made a miraculous recovery! You don’t need a doctor anymore! I’m done here, so I’ll be taking my leave!”

“Not so fast! If you’re going, leave the poison in that bag! I’ll turn it in to the authorities as evidence of your and my wife’s crime!”

With that, my father lunged at the doctor, looking really energetic!

Could it be that the tea has revived my father, who was on the brink of death, to full health?!

Tea is amazing!

* * *

To sum up what happened next, it turned out that my father’s illness was indeed due to poisoning, a conspiracy between my stepmother and her lover posing as a quack doctor.

My ex-stepmother, whom I no longer feel obligated to call “Mother-in-law,” seems to have married for money from the start.

After securing her position as a second wife, she planned to silently kill my father and legally take over his property by slowly weakening and killing him with a poison mimicking a disease’s effects.

That woman, thinking her plan had succeeded as my father was on the brink of death, was celebrating early, drinking the night away at a bar.

She was then arrested by the police, who stormed in and sent her to prison.

How terrifying.

My father was almost poisoned to death by that devilish woman.

And I, too, would have inevitably ended up her victim sooner or later if such a woman had become my guardian.

The tea saved us from this crisis in our home.

It appeared in our home at some point; we don’t know where it came from, but thanks to it, our household was saved from being taken over by villains.

Thank you, tea! You’re the best!

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the tea's sub-title references a part of Sayama Tea's tea-picking song

"Sayama Tea evolved to have thick leaves that can withstand cold weather. Tea extracted from such thick leaves resulted in a distinct sweet and rich flavor. Sayama tea has been found to have some of the highest levels of the beneficial antioxidants found in green tea." -wikipedia

incidentally, shizuoka, uji, and sayama tea formally make up japan's three finest teas (日本三大銘茶)