"What was that all about, my maternal family?" She puts her hand on her head.
"Listening to a cat that just disappeared into thin air, totally not weird." She looks down and glances at the fish the cat just ate.
"Oh, forgot about it…" She keeps looking at the fish and grabs its tail.
"Sigh, today is the worst. What thing do I even focus on?"
"Excuse me? What is this? Did you put this into a skinner or something? Just the meat is… gone."The shopkeeper starts talking, surprised, looking at the perfect bone of a fish.
"I am sorry, this is all I could get."It's just that a green-eyed black cat had more magic than me. It just ate all the meat, leaving only bones. Like I would say those things.
She bows. "I'll have to leave."She walks out as the owner looks at her stunned, scratching his head.
That stupid cat appearing out of nowhere making my day even harder… but he mentioned my maternal family. There won't be any clue about it if it's something not public. Maybe books? Might help.
"Ahhh, so many books! This place just looks so awesome."She stares at the books excitedly at the library as she gets in. These books… they even have the older printed volumes.
Wait, I need to calm down and look for what I am actually here for.
Maybe if I start with the historical books. She starts with a shelf on the far right.Not in this one… even not this one.She keeps searching other shelves as she goes through them one by one, hoping to find something on her family—curious and desperate.
Maybe I should think more… The family name my mom had was Uminoryu. Wait, the name sounds like Umino-ryu. Wait… the country. Mom was from Umino?
She starts walking toward the book reception."Excuse me, is there any book regarding other countries?"
"Ma'am, there are some books related to some things of other countries, but full books are not allowed. It's not permitted by the country to have books from other nations like that. If you want more details, you should head to their country. We do have details for Lanark in that section right there."
I see… so that means I need to go to Umino.She thinks, disappointed at the work she put in. The receptionist feels uncomfortable looking at her.
But it's so far. Do I really want to? How am I even going to? It's too much to take in for one day. I'm just thinking too much because of the events that happened today.
She walks inside a bit and looks at a book: "Love Is the Best Illness Vol. 3."
Maybe if I look on the bright side, everything will be normal. I guess Kara was having a bad day too, that's why he was like that today.She gets out of the library and starts walking toward her house.
He showed me some care. He was just hesitant. Maybe he will be fine after a couple more days.The sun starts to set, the golden light shining on the hills covering the place. She stops walking and looks down.
But… the look on his face when we met for the first time… it was…She remembers the face he made at the hospital—devastated, sad, disappointed.
Looking down in the darkness, she starts to walk little by little.
Almost shedding tears, she stops in a tight alley, standing still.
A guy comes up with two others behind him and bumps into her intentionally.
"Whistle… Look at this girl. Hey, I haven't seen you here. Are you new around? Maybe you can give me something for the accident that just happened."He puts his hands in his pockets and leans down to see her face.
"You see… I am not in a good mood today, so please, would you be kind enough to leave me alone?"Sera looks down—devastated, unmotivated, irritated.
The leader of the pack comes a bit closer to look at her face."Awhh, girl, you're crying? Don't cry, there are more like you, and we'll be gentle."
"I said I am not in a good mood, you pigs."The guy with the earring tightens his grip on her shoulders.
"Huh? Ey, what is this girl trying to say? Are you looking down on us? We're ranked higher than C, so better watch out… but it seems it's already late for—"
Swish.
"Ey, what just happened?"The three guys seem to have gained some distance.
The guy with earrings looks in front of him.
"Hmm, dude, who the fuck are you? I thought I was talking to a girl. Are you maybe trying to save the girl from us?"He says confidently, a little confused about what just happened.
"Man, you do talk too much, huh," says the guy. "And it's not that I saved the girl, but saved you from the girl. Why don't you take a look behind?"Kara tells him, pointing behind, smiling slightly.
He glances back and sees Sera looking down in silence, her right hand on the wall—the wall cracked with a hole.
Sera clenches her other fist, silent.
"She is actually a leader of a B-rank party, so I guess she is quite strong—"
"What!? This cute lady is a B-ran—"
"So what, is there a problem with that?"Kara looks at them with a menacing expression.
The goons get scared and run, one falling on the ground before scrambling away.
"Hey! Did I forget to tell you guys that there is a guard waiting for you at the exit over there?"
He puts his hands in his pockets."Well, they left and didn't listen. Bad for them, I guess. Anyway, are y—"
Without a second thought, Sera grabs Kara in a comforting hug. Her almost-shed tears finally pour out as she weeps in silence.
Kara's cheeks start to puff up with his body temperature."Um, Ser-a… Is everything all right?"
"No, not really. So what will you do about it?" she responds, grabbing him with all the burden of the day and a slight crack in her tone.
Kara takes his hands out of his pockets, almost grabbing her."It's okay, go ahead."He tries to return the hug.
His hand twitches; he grabs her shoulders and gently moves her back."Hey, is something the matter? It's all right to tell me."
He changed the subject. She looks away."No, it's just—"
Kara tries to look at her."Your arms… they're quite cold. Why are you not wearing something? It's cold during the evening at this time."He removes his coat and gives it to her.
Sera crosses her arms, grabbing the coat, but quickly looks down at the floor, looking away from Kara.I wished I could just—
"Let's go. I will drop you home."He takes two steps and looks back.
"Sera, is something the matter?"Kara looks at her with unease. Her hands grip the coat more tightly.
Sniff sniff.
Tears fall to the ground.
Tip… tip…
Her face turns red as she tries to hold back tears, biting her lip.
Why can't I stop…? The tears just keep—
Tak tak.
Swiftly, Kara comes forward, grabbing her shoulders and completing the hug he failed to give just a moment ago. Faintly, she could still feel the hesitation in his hands.
"Sera… I am sorry you have to go through all this, but I still haven't gotten through the situation. It's just— I can't see you as one person yet…"His grip tightens.
"Uh-uh." She nods her head against his chest."It's all right. Sorry to make you worry."Like if I really was.She starts to tear up even more.
Kara uses his right hand and takes out a handkerchief, gently wiping her tears.
"Come on, don't cry. We should get through this fine, right? We've faced things a lot worse. Now let's go."He grabs her hand and locks it with his as he starts walking.
Sera and Kara walk together, hand in hand.
The full moon shines in the clear sky as they walk toward her house.
When they reach the front of her home:"Sera, we've reached your house. Do you need anything?" Kara asks as he grabs her other hand.
"Umm… I think I don't want anything more today. A lot has happened. I… am just gonna take a nap. Good night."Kara stares at her as she says those words and gives a little smile."You can return the coat later, okay? I have some extras."
"Um, okay."She runs from Kara and enters the house. Kara returns.
That 15-minute walk… neither I nor he spoke a single word. I would have loved to invite him in and have a sleepover like the first time we met.
"Mizuno, I'm home."She enters the house.
"Hey Mizu, can you warm up some food from the fridge? I don't feel like eating."She opens the door to Mizuno's room and sees him lying down, reading comics.
"Okay, sis."He looks at Sera as she closes the door.
Mizuno keeps staring."Did something happen to her again? This is quite unsettling."
Sera, in her futon, looking up, thinks:It hurts me… and it hurts him. The cat… what does it mean? Kara is just hurting himself forcing himself to be with me. I can't see him like that anymore.
She remembers his face when they were at the hospital.
She pulls the blanket a little.I don't want to see him suffer anymore… or maybe I don't want to suffer anymore. Since the day I got together in one body, everything feels like it's turning into something people didn't want.
The wind starts to blow, rattling the window.
Neither people remember me, nor can I go talk to them like usual. The only thing I had in mind was how lucky we were—being able to love the same person, and he could love us without worrying.
But… it seems it only hurts.
"Sigh…"
She pulls the blanket more and rolls into it until she falls asleep.
Splash
Splash
Sera looks in the mirror.My eyes… they're swollen. Must be because of last night.
She puts on her shawl, tights, and usual corset top.This might be sudden but…
"Mizu, I'm gonna go take a walk, okay?"She closes the door and walks toward Kioku.
This is a decision I made myself. I want to go to the Country of Umino. There must be something I can find out. I should find a quest for other countries as well. I want to learn more about why things happened the way they did.
She enters and sees bustling Kioku once again."This scenery feels quite nostalgic, doesn't it? It's been quite some time since I came here too."
She glances at the quest board.Umm… not these… and not that… and— there, found it.She points at one of the quests, tears it off, and takes it to the reception.
If I'm gonna do this, I need to be quick.She stares at the quest.
It says three days to reach the border. I think it would be fine. But… should I bring them along on this journey I set for myself? And what do I even say to them?
Hey, wait… let me check.
The reception reads: "Escorting traveling merchant to Umino."It says a party or a person higher than B-rank must do it solo.
"How many days will this quest be up for?"Sera comes a little closer, her words hasty.
The receptionist takes a closer look."It was just posted yesterday, so maybe a week is left. If you want it, I'll need your ID for acceptance of the quest."Sera could clearly see her getting too carried away, so she calms down a bit.
"Right… ID."
Wait— ID? I forgot I still need a new ID for myself.
Wait, I need to tell him about this. How am I going to tell him about going to a new country—
"Going to a new country? Sounds like fun."Kara walks in front of her.
"KARA!?"