A few strands of afternoon sunlight leaked through the wooden window, casting mottled shadows on the floor.
Nojiko lay slumped over the wooden table, her arms cushioning her forehead. Her short blue hair was damp with sweat, a few strands clinging to her flushed cheeks while the rest swayed gently with her trembling body, moving like wet seaweed.
Her cheeks were flushed with a drunken redness that extended to the roots of her ears. Fine beads of sweat dotted her forehead, trickling down her temples and dripping onto her faded, coarse cloth sleeves.
Her teeth were clenched tightly on her lower lip, grinding the flesh red, yet soft, muffled moans still escaped, sounding particularly clear in the quiet room.
Ryan leaned against the back of Nojiko's chair, his gaze fixed on her slightly trembling shoulders. Even his breathing had grown somewhat heated, as if a fire were burning in his chest.
Compared to the previous unrestrained passion, this restrained demeanor was even more unsettling.
Just then, with a loud "bang," the door was violently pushed open. The gust of wind lifted the cloth curtain at the corner of the table, revealing the glaring sunlight outside.
"Nojiko! I'm back—" A crisp female voice burst in, but the words abruptly cut off when she saw the scene inside the room.
Nojiko stiffened all over, slowly raising her head. The stray hairs in front of her forehead slipped aside, revealing her blue-gray eyes filled with shock and panic.
Standing at the doorway was a girl with dazzling orange short hair that shimmered in the sunlight. The corner of a citrus windmill tattoo peeked out from the neckline of her short sleeve, strikingly noticeable.
She wore a blue short-sleeved top and a white skirt, holding a bulging money bag in her hand. The edges of a few silver coins peeked out from the opening, clearly indicating she had just returned from outside.
"Nami?" Nojiko's voice was slightly hoarse, still tinged with lingering panic, the end of her words trembling faintly.
Nami was first startled, her orange pupils abruptly contracting. Her eyes swept over Nojiko's flushed cheeks and disheveled hair before finally landing on the unfamiliar man behind her.
Instantly, her eyes blazed with anger, like a lit powder keg.
"Who are you?!" Nami shouted sharply, her right hand swiftly drawing a short club from her waist. The club was made of polished hardwood, its edges showing signs of wear, clearly well-used.
Without a second thought, she swung the club toward Ryan's head with a fast and fierce motion, carrying unmistakable fury: "How dare you treat Nojiko like this, I'll kill you!"
The club whistled through the air as it struck Ryan's forehead, but only produced a crisp "crack." Ryan didn't even flinch, while the hardwood club snapped into two pieces, wood splinters scattering on the floor.
"How... how is this possible..." Nami stared at the broken half of the club in her hand, completely stunned. She looked at Ryan in disbelief, her anger now mixed with shock.
"Nami, it's not what you think..." Nojiko hurriedly tried to straighten up and explain, but her words were cut short as she was suddenly jolted by a force from behind, her neck involuntarily arching high.
Nami watched Nojiko's arched neck, saw the indescribable expression in her eyes, and the broken club in her hand clattered to the floor.
She stood frozen in place, her pupils wide and round, mouth slightly agape but unable to make a sound. Her face was filled with shock and disbelief, as if all her strength had been drained away.
Ryan took a deep breath, feeling the body in his arms instantly tense up. He lifted his gaze to Nami standing at the doorway.
Under the sunlight, her orange hair resembled a small flame, and the anger and shock in her eyes were unmistakable—truly like a feisty little cat.
So this was the little thief cat!
The room was eerily quiet. Sunlight streamed through the window lattice, casting the three figures' long shadows that tangled together like an unsolvable mess.
.....
Nojiko leaned against the table for a long while, her knees still trembling slightly.
She bit her lip, glanced at Ryan, then quickly averted her eyes. Hurrying over to Nami, she grabbed her sister's wrist with such force that her fingertips turned white. "Nami, come with me. I need to explain."
Without waiting for a response, she dragged Nami toward the yard. The wooden door curtain rattled loudly as they bumped into it, and the slanted sunlight glinted off Nojiko's sweat-dampened blue hair, giving it a disheveled sheen.
"Nojiko, what are you doing?" Nami stumbled as she was pulled along, her short orange hair messy against her cheeks. The broken stick in her hand clattered to the ground.
She struggled a couple of times but couldn't break free. Seeing Nojiko's flushed ears and tense back, a hint of confusion mixed with the anger burning inside her.
They stopped under the orange tree in the corner of the yard. Only then did Nojiko release her grip, leaning against the rough trunk as she gasped for breath. The afternoon breeze drifted through the orchard, carrying the sweet scent of orange blossoms, but it did nothing to cool the blush on her face.
She straightened her disheveled collar, her fingers brushing against her warm cheeks. Her voice was as faint as a mosquito's hum. "Nami, what you saw earlier… it wasn't what you thought."
"Then what was it?" Nami took a step forward, the embers of anger still burning in her orange eyes. "Who is he? Why were you two in the house doing… that?"
A barrage of questions followed, sharp and pointed as always, yet tinged with a barely noticeable panic.
Nojiko's lips trembled slightly, her gaze fixed on the weeds at her feet. "His name is Ryan. He's a traveler passing through. He's the one who… dealt with Arlong and his crew."
"A traveler?" Nami's voice rose sharply. "Why would a random traveler help us kill Arlong for no reason? Do you think I'm a child?"
She knew all too well how powerful Arlong was—a Fish-Man even the Marines struggled to handle. How could a passing traveler possibly…
"He had a condition," Nojiko murmured, her voice dropping even lower, almost sinking into her chest. "He said… in exchange for dealing with Arlong, I have to stay by his side for a while. As… repayment."
"Repayment?" Nami's eyes widened as if she'd been stepped on. "You can't measure something like that with repayment! Do you even hear what you're saying?"
She trembled with rage, her orange hair seeming to bristle. "If you needed money, I could have saved more. If you were afraid of Arlong's retaliation, we could have figured something out together. Why would you…"
"This really is the best outcome," Nojiko suddenly lifted her head, her blue-gray eyes reflecting the shadow of the orange tree, shining brightly.
She reached up to smooth her wind-tousled short hair, her fingers brushing her cheek with an unconscious tenderness. "You have no idea how strong Mr. Ryan is. Arlong didn't even stand a chance against him. The other Fish-Men were even more powerless."
When mentioning Ryan, her voice carried genuine gratitude as her shoulders relaxed: "Uncle Yul's leg can finally be properly treated, and he can rebuild his fishing boat... all this is thanks to him."
Nojiko paused, looking at Nami with a serious tone: "I'm not making this deal with him out of reluctance, but true gratitude. Think about it—he could have ignored our village affairs and walked away, but he didn't."
Sunlight fell on her wheat-colored skin, sweat droplets refracting tiny glimmers, yet the warmth in her eyes outshone the sunlight: "Staying by his side for a while in exchange for everyone being able to live with dignity, for the village to become lively again—what's not worth it?"
"Besides... he's not a bad person either." These last words were spoken more softly, as if afraid other meanings might be detected, her cheeks faintly blushing like ripened tangerines.
Nami watched the gratitude in her sister's eyes—it wasn't feigned—and her accusatory words suddenly stuck in her throat.
She knew Nojiko's temperament—outwardly gentle, yet more stubborn than anyone.
The anger in her heart gradually faded, replaced by a dense pain—just how much had Nojiko shouldered for this family and the village over the years that she never knew about?
"But..." Nami bit her lip, her voice softening: "He's a stranger..."
"I know." Nojiko said earnestly: "But Arlong is truly dead, his subordinates have all been dealt with. From now on... no one will dare bully us again."
She raised her hand and patted Nami's shoulder: "Don't worry, Mr. Ryan will leave after staying awhile. Meeting him was our village's good fortune."
Nami remained silent, just watching the sweat-dampened strands of Nojiko's hair, her heart feeling like an overturned spice jar—sour, astringent, bitter, and sweet all mixed together into an indescribable flavor.
She clenched her fists, nails digging deep into her palms—no matter who this man named Ryan was, if he dared treat her sister poorly, she would never let him off even if it cost her life!
Whatever the case, she'd keep this debt recorded for now.