Rehabilitation Therapist for the Broken Warrior – Chapter 51

“Uwaaa, there are flowers everywhere…”

“It’s a massive crowd and welcome.”

As we got off the wagon and headed towards the center.

Rumors spread that Nao and Hanamana were visiting our center, attracting a swarm of welcoming people who waved and greeted us.

I had told the staff not to hold any welcome ceremonies to match the procession, but there was no way to block the influx of civilians.

Because of this, we had originally planned to ride the wagon to the center, but I intentionally got off to walk and return the people’s support.

Zion waved at everyone, but unlike him, Hanamana was hiding behind Nao, observing the crowd.

“Princess, is your leg okay now?”

“Yes, the rehabilitation is almost finished. I can walk now, though it’s a bit tough… Once inside, I’ll need to sit and rest.”

“I’m glad to hear that. I’ll prepare a place for you to rest.”

In the case of rehabilitation after an injury, even if the rehab is completed, there often remains some aftereffects.

It would still take quite some time for Nao’s leg to recover enough to participate in battles.

No matter how much time is spent, it might not be possible for her to recover to that extent.

“By the way, why did you two suddenly come here?”

“I sent a formal request for a tour… but honestly, I just wanted to see Zion. I wanted to check on the rehabilitation progress and see the training.”

“I see. Today is a day for the exercise program, so you’ll be able to see Zion exercising.”

“Is that so? I actually have a rehabilitation program today, but I had to skip it to join.”

“Then you can do it together with Zion. I’ll look after you.”

“Oh, would you? Then I would be grateful.”

Today is going to be a busy day.

I just agreed for Zion and Nao to do their rehabilitation together, and I had to handle my usual duties while also receiving guests.

Moving through the crowd and flowers, before I knew it, we reached the entrance of the center.

Once inside, I would prepare a resting area for Nao, and then…

“Nao, look at that…”

“Ha, haha… You’ve really prepared a lot, Director Hop.”

While I was walking and organizing my thoughts about today’s tasks, the two suddenly showed expressions of surprise.

What’s going on? What did I prepare?

‘Ah…’

As I paused my thoughts and looked ahead, I immediately understood what surprised the two of them.

It was the flashy banner that the staff had prepared. Anyone would be startled to see their name sprawled so large in the sky.

This is exactly what I didn’t want… I couldn’t exactly ask them to take it down since it was already set up, so I let it be and ended up hearing a remark about it.

“Hahaha, I didn’t prepare that. The staff did it to show their welcome. It’s really flashy.”

“Is that so? Hmm…”

“Blaming others… lack of leadership…”

“Ha… Hanamana?”

What? Did I mishear something just now?

Hanamana, who was hiding behind Nao, seemed to have said something strange.

I nervously called out her name, but she didn’t respond and continued to hide behind Nao, engrossed in whatever she was doing.

I tried to subtly turn around to see what she was up to, but Hanamana was also cautious about my gaze, moving in the opposite direction from Nao to keep her presence hidden.

But looking closely, it seemed like she was holding her hands up in front… was she clinging to Nao’s collar? What on earth was she doing…

Anyway, I arrived at Zion’s ward and guided Nao and Hanamana there so they could rest with Zion.

While I go in for my morning appointment, it should be fine for the three of them to spend time together without me.

“Then I’ll go in for my morning appointment. If you need any guidance or explanation, call one of the staff through Serin or me.”

“Got it. Good luck, Director.”

“Take care, Senior…”

“See you later, Teacher Hop.”

Are my companions just happy to be gathered after a long time? After waving at Zion, who greeted me with a smile, I bowed and left the ward.

But I can’t shake off the serious expression on Hanamana’s face until the end. What was going on?

Hanamana might be shy and lacking in confidence, but I didn’t think she was the type to hide away like this or dampen the mood…

What is she hiding from me? Did I do something wrong? Or maybe she was overwhelmed by the crowd, or having a hard time adapting to the unfamiliar surroundings?

I could think about it all I wanted, but I wouldn’t figure it out right away, so I decided to focus on my appointment for now.

There’s still plenty of time, so I can check it out slowly.

************

In the afternoon rehabilitation gym.

Everyone gathered in the exercise room to check on Zion’s rehabilitation progress and observe or participate in the training.

Nao, the princess, was supposed to engage in rehabilitation exercises, but although there were visitors who occasionally came to meet the hero during training when Zion was exercising, it was unlikely there would be any crazy people wanting to see the imperial princess exercise, so the atmosphere in the rehabilitation gym felt even more solemn than usual.

It was strangely fascinating how normal it was for Nao to be exercising at the Empire’s rehabilitation center.

Anyway, Nao and Zion changed into the comfortable training clothes provided by the center.

Hanamana sat on a chair against the wall, holding a pen and notebook, carefully observing us.

That posture… Could it be that she was taking notes while hiding behind Nao earlier?

Well, it probably isn’t something to stress about.

“What kind of rehabilitation are you doing, Princess? Is there any equipment or setup you need?”

“I’m focusing on my knees and ankles. Just some resistance bands would be fine.”

“Got it? Mirae.”

“Yes, Teacher. I’ll prepare it right away.”

If we’re doing joint exercises with bands, would it be stretching and balance exercises?

Nao’s injury was serious enough that she couldn’t walk at all, but after about a year and a half of rehabilitation, she seemed to have almost fully recovered.

Then, let’s get started with Zion first.

“Let’s begin with you, Zion. Grab the parallel bars and stand up.”

“Sure.”

Zion stood up and grabbed the parallel bars.

As a result of continued rehabilitation even after buff addiction, Zion’s body had recovered to the point where he could hold the bars and walk again. All without a buff.

“Take your time and come to this point slowly. Nice and easy.”

“Ugggh…”

Zion trembled, closing his eyes tightly.

Walking with the parallel bars is effective for gait training, but honestly, this training is meant for those who have difficulties walking due to leg problems.

For a patient like Zion, who has weakness in his arms as well, maintaining proper walking posture was a difficult challenge.

“Don’t grip too tightly with your arms. Use your legs to support yourself. If it gets too tough, it’s okay not to walk; you can just stand.”

“Ugh… I’ll try to push through a bit more!”

“While pushing through is good, you need to tell me immediately if it gets hard. Don’t overdo it. Got it?”

“Got it.”

Zion held onto the parallel bars and stood for a moment.

He closed his eyes, focused on his breath, and held on, before opening his eyes and looking at me.

“Um, Teacher Hop…!”

“I’m here, just say it.”

“If I make it there, do you need to catch me?”

“Sure. You’re almost there, so keep going.”

Zion, using his limbs in a crossing motion, slowly approached, relying on the parallel bars.

Like a child taking their first steps while looking at their mother, he moved step by step towards me, who was standing at the end of the bars.

“Wah!”

As soon as he reached the end of the parallel bars, Zion suddenly threw himself towards me.

I was prepared to support him as he got close, but Zion threw himself into my arms unexpectedly.

“Are you okay?”

“Yeah… that was a bit tough.”

“If it was hard, let’s start a little further next time. Let’s sit down for a bit and then get back up.”

“No, I’d like to rest like this.”

“Huh?”

“I want to rest like this. It’s hard to get back up if I sit down.”

“Then let’s do that.”

I gently knelt down to lower my posture so that Zion could rest comfortably in my arms.

Feeling Zion’s breathing become softer, once he stabilized, I would send him back to the other side for another set.

This was the rehabilitation program that Zion, who had regained the ability to walk, was currently following.

“During the training process, there’s natural skinship, Zion requests first…”

“?”

Hanamana softly muttered something while diligently writing down notes from behind.

Despite being a bit far away and speaking too softly to hear clearly, was she recording the process of my training with Zion?

“You’ll return to the wheelchair through the parallel bars now. I’ll shorten the distance for you.”

Zion nodded.

He grabbed the parallel bars again and stood up, and I moved toward the wheelchair to roll it a little closer.

Zion used his limbs to walk back along the path he had taken, returning to the wheelchair, concluding one set.

If we repeat this to gradually increase his walking sense, Zion would soon be able to walk somewhat like Nao.

“Great job, Zion. While you rest, Princess, let’s start your rehabilitation exercise.”

“Sounds good.”

Since her leg still wasn’t completely healed, Nao, who was sitting beside Zion, got up as the training began.

Nao stood still, waiting for instructions. She mentioned focusing on her ankles and knees, so if we’re doing flexibility and balance training…

“I’ll stand on one leg first. Is that okay?”

“Yes, of course. It’s training you’ve done before.”

“Then let’s aim for three sets of 30 seconds on each side. When I signal, let’s start with the right leg. Please keep your arms in the basic stance and focus on your ankles as they get fatigued.”

“I understand.”

“Great, then let’s begin right now…”

As soon as I signaled, Nao stood on her right leg. Even though closing her eyes made it harder, she chose to close them and stood calmly, maintaining her balance.

She said it was familiar training, and it showed; she was calmly focused, striving to minimize movements while concentrating on her ankle.

“30 seconds. Let’s switch.”

Without responding, she nodded while keeping her eyes closed, then switched to the left side for 30 seconds. Alternating left and right.

Is she really a patient? Even for an average person, maintaining balance like that would be tough—but Nao showed an unbelievably stable posture.

“I’ll do the last set.”

“Got it.”

But after about three sets, it seemed like Nao began to struggle a bit, losing her balance here and there.

It appears that her leg still ached, making it challenging.

“10 seconds left. 9, 8…”

Counting down often helps to push through, motivating you to hold on a little longer.

Nao pressed her eyes tight and gritted her teeth, striving to maintain her balance. But in the end…

“Ah!?”

As she lost her balance, I instinctively caught her to prevent her from falling.

“Are you okay?”

“Director Hop…”

That was close. No matter how much she was undergoing rehabilitation, having a princess tumble to the floor would cause quite the uproar…

“What did you do to Nao!!!!”

Huh? Suddenly, I turned around at the loud shout, and it was none other than Zion yelling.

“Let go of her this instant!!!”

Wait a minute, if Zion reacts like that…

‘Oh.’

Looking around, I saw that everyone was indeed focused on us.

The unexpected commotion had all the patients and staff in the exercise room staring at me in that moment.

The sight of me clasping Nao tightly, pressing her body against mine, was now etched into the minds of everyone in the center.

And it’s paired with the hero’s shout to let her go.

‘This is it. I’m done for.’

A strong sense of impending doom washed over me.

If things continued like this, I’d surely end up meeting my fate as a joke, being accused of harassing the princess due to a ridiculous mishap.

What on earth should I do…