Scars

Seeing Ava agreeing, Ahri smiled and walked over to the side of the bed. "Alright then. If you don't mind, could you lie down on the bed? If you're comfortable, take off your clothing too, I'll help you check for any rashes or diseases while I'm at it."

Nodding, Ava looked at Lily, who was blushing a strawberry red, and got on the bed. To the side, Lily patted her cheeks before meekly saying, "Um, I'll wait outside the room Ava. Ahri, let me know when you're done, please."

Then before waiting for a response, Lily ran out.

Smiling, Ahri gave Lily a look before turning back to Ava and half-bowing while gesturing with her hand, making a please motion.

Nodding, Ava stripped and lay down on the bed.

Seeing all the scars on Ava's body, Ahri couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, but in the end, didn't act surprised. Although she hadn't had a clear view, she had already seen a bit the night Ava had arrived, and her intuition and experience as a doctor had let her know that Ava hadn't experienced an easy life, just based on the way she moved and the callouses on her hands.

It was really hard to get callouses on a nine-year-old's hands. After all, they're still in the phase of life where they're growing rapidly. Thus, the flesh on their hand is also constantly rejuvenating. To work and rough up the skin to the point that it was calloused at such an age was an indicator of just how hard of a life Ava had had.

Roughly looking over Ava's body while taking out an instrument or two here and there, Ahri first did a quick checkup to confirm that Ava didn't have any infections or diseases. Confirming that Ava was quite healthy, Ahri let out a soft hum of approval. Then, putting away her tools, she turned to look at Ava, who was still lying on the bed, and said, "You can put on your clothes now."

With a nod of agreement, Ava quickly dressed before turning to look at Ahri, who clearly had more to say.

Seeing Ava was comfortable, Ahri said, "I heard from the Madam that you plan on doing some physical training in the near future?"

Hearing this, Ava raised her eyebrows and nodded.

Smiling, Ahri said, "If that's the case, we should figure out a nutrition plan for you. As things are, you're experiencing some level of malnutrition that has partially stunted your growth. It should be fine, as you're still young, so with proper nutrition, you'll still be able to catch up, but if you're planning on starting a training regiment too, we'll have to account for that."

Blinking, Ava couldn't help but nod.

Seeing Ava agree, Ahri said, "You don't have to worry too much about what it consists of. For today I just want to ask if there's anything you don't like or are allergic to. Afterward, I'll help you devise a general plan and set up meals, so you just have to eat what's placed in front of you, okay?"

Nodding, Ava thought for a second and said, "What's an allergy?"

Coupling, Ahri couldn't help but laugh. Alright, she had forgotten Ava was still young and had likely never been to a doctor before. Although she was wise beyond her years, there were some things she had no reason to ever come in contact with. Calming down, Ahri explained with a smile on her face, "An allergy is your body reacting negatively to certain things. Lily, for instance, has a minor peanut allergy, so if she eats something with peanuts in it, her throat will swell up and itch."

Thinking for a moment, Ava shook her head, "Not allergic to anything I know of. Not picky either."

Nodding, Ahri said, "Alright, that'll make things easier… the other thing I wanted to ask…."

Hesitating for a moment, Ahri didn't know if she should say it.

Seeing Ahri's hesitation, Ava looked at her and said, "Just say it."

Letting out a somewhat bitter smile, Ahri said, "I don't know if you're interested in scar medication. Similarly, I have a few ointments that will help keep your hands soft and free of callouses. Of course, there's a limit to this effect, but it might be helpful, especially as you're going into training."

Hearing this, Ava couldn't help but be surprised and asked, "Is there any problem with the scars remaining?"

Ahri hesitated for a moment before saying, "If they don't bother you or irritate the skin, there isn't really a huge issue with the scars being there. The medication doesn't really heal anything, and it just helps cover up the color difference. The main problem is that some people might look at you differently because of your scars."

Thinking for a moment, Ava tried to make a connection and recalled how Lily reacted when she saw the scars and couldn't help but ask with hesitation, "What's wrong with people looking at me differently?"

"Uhm." Slightly startled, Ahri didn't quite know how to explain. After a moment, in a slow voice, she said, "Well, for most people, it won't matter. I promise you that none of the girls here will treat you worse for it, at the very least. It's just that in the future… In the future, if you ever start dating or seeing a partner, some of them might reject you for your scars and no other reason. It's superficial, but some people are just like that."

Confused, Ava simply shook her head and declined the scar medication. Although what Ahri said seemed a bit problematic, it didn't seem like a problem that particularly involved her. Anyways, as long as all of the girls here were fine with her, and she was fine with herself, she didn't really see the big fuss. Anyways, the scars had long since stopped bothering her, and she would all but forget they were there if she wasn't reminded from time to time.

Seeing this, Ahri couldn't help but smile, although a trace of sorrow was hidden. She couldn't help but mutter to herself, "What a sweet girl. I really hope you can stay that way."