[127] Island: Galliant (4)
Shirone and his party rented a carriage outside the harbor and headed to the western resort. The wide white-sand beach looked beautiful even from a distance. Countless shops lined the streets, and lodgings clung to the mountainside like rustic village houses.
The villa Rian had rented sat halfway up the slope. As befit a nobles-only building, it had plenty of room for the four of them and a satisfying view that took in the sea at a glance.
Shirone watched the ocean from the terrace. The blue water foamed and rolled onto the white sand.
Watching people lazily enjoying the sea, he could, for a moment at least, forget the unpleasant quarrel at the harbor.
They unpacked, lit a fire in the fireplace, and gathered in the living room to shake off their travel fatigue.
They had left in the morning and, aside from snacks, hadn't eaten until the afternoon, so everyone was hungry.
Tess, pondering what dish would make the best impression, suddenly clapped her hands as if struck by a good idea.
"Aha—shall we cook here instead?"
Rian turned to her, surprised.
"What? You can cook?"
"Heh. Of course. Did you think a swordswoman couldn't cook?"
"I was thinking—if it's army rations, I'll pass."
"Who do you take me for? I can actually cook properly!"
Rian finally looked genuinely surprised. He hadn't expected the tomboyish Tess to claim kitchen confidence.
But this was exactly what Tess wanted. If she could show Rian a different side of herself, the trip would be a big success.
"I'll make the most delicious meal, so just buy the ingredients. How's that?"
"Hmm, shall we? Honestly, going out to eat on the first day feels a bit weird, doesn't it? Shirone, what do you think?"
"I'm fine with it. Food always tastes better when you cook it yourself outdoors."
Amy spoke up cautiously.
"Then…should I cook too?"
All eyes turned to Amy. Of course she wasn't like Tess, but she didn't seem incapable of cooking either.
Tess, reading her with a woman's intuition, grinned.
"More like Shirone, right? Heh—despite how he looks, he's actually kind of cute."
Tess was all for it. If this could be a chance for the two of them to reconcile, even better.
"Alright. Let's have a cooking contest! Rian versus Shirone! You two fetch the ingredients and we'll get ready to cook. Deal?"
Everyone agreed, and Shirone and Rian took the ingredient lists the women had written and headed for the market.
As soon as the men left, the atmosphere softened.
Standing side by side washing dishes, Tess looked at Amy with a mischievous glint.
"First time, right?"
"Huh? What are you talking about?"
"You can tell at a glance. That was your first fight with Shirone, right? Even while arguing you were all flustered."
Amy quickly returned her gaze to the dishes.
"It wasn't a fight, it wasn't the first time, and it definitely wasn't a lovers' quarrel."
In true mage fashion she denied it three times, and Tess laughed.
People say mages are two-faced and sly, but in this case it came off as endearing.
"You were pretty meticulous with the ingredient list though. Ooh—so you're all twitchy and watching each other now?"
Amy stopped washing and fell into thought. Since it was just women, there was nothing she couldn't say. Eventually she surrendered to Tess's questioning and confessed her inner feelings.
"Sometimes Shirone…feels faint."
"Oh? Faint? That's poetic."
Amy chuckled at how odd it sounded even to herself.
"But it's true. He sort of becomes transparent—like he's about to disappear before your eyes. Maybe it's because Shirone has a different kind of vision than other people."
"A different kind of vision? You don't mean he has eyes in a weird place, do you?"
"Maybe. Most people see the world from their own viewpoint. But some expand their view to include others' perspectives. People usually call those kinds of people empathetic."
"Hmm, by that measure I'm definitely not empathetic. I can't read other people's thoughts at all."
"Me neither. But Shirone is different. He's kind and considerate, but the biggest thing is that he has a different sort of view than everyone else."
Tess's smile widened as if she'd had a revelation.
"Aha! So the point is he sided with those ruffians and didn't take Amy's side. Right? Isn't that it?"
Amy scratched her cheek awkwardly.
"Well… If he were merely some pushover, I would've thought that and left it at that. Shirone is different. In a sense, his view isn't even the same as an empathetic person's."
"Different view? What other view could there be?"
Amy pointed a finger at the ceiling.
"Like an omniscient perspective."
"Omniscient…?"
"Yeah. When Shirone looks at the world from an omniscient perspective, he becomes faint. He's different from us and from any other human. Maybe it's because he sees his own existence as just a speck from that extreme height."
Amy still remembered vividly the moment Shirone opened the Immortal Function without hesitation to save the entire school.
How could someone do that? It wasn't suicide in any ordinary sense. Sacrificing one's life for others is orders of magnitude harder than choosing death because of one's own suffering.
"When Shirone becomes transparent… the boundary between himself and others collapses. He sees himself as just one human among many. From that vantage point, what governs Shirone? I think it's balance. If one side of the scales tips even a little, Shirone would climb to the other side without hesitation. Even if that scale is death."
"No way. Where would you find someone like that? That's literally some kind of saint, right?"
"But it's true. Because I'm someone who benefited from that balance. No—every student at the Magic Academy had their lives saved by Shirone."
Tess couldn't close her mouth. One person saving an entire school—how much more astonishing would Shirone have to be before she could say she fully understood?
A lonely expression flickered across Amy's face.
"I just thought about it. When Shirone stopped me, maybe I was just a tiny speck seen from that height. Shirone is different from me. No—he's different from everyone. That's why he's an outstanding mage, but sometimes it's a little disappointing."
Tess shook Amy's shoulder gently.
"Amy, don't think like that. Shirone truly cares about you. That's why, even though this is supposed to be a couples' trip, he asked you. You're not some common person wandering the streets. You're Carmis Amy."
Tess's sincere encouragement made Amy smile. But it didn't change how she felt.
For someone who could coldly cast aside even his own life, how much value would other people's existence really hold?
"Amy, why don't you just tell Shirone—ask him why he didn't take your side. Tell him you're so upset and furious you can't sleep. Say it plainly."
Amy laughed softly and shook her head.
"Shirone already knows. He didn't refute me because he understood. Don't worry. It'll be resolved soon. It's just awkward because it's the first time."
Tess, blunt by nature, was exasperated. If someone's feelings were hurt, why not call them out and settle it?
Still, Amy ended it by saying there was nothing left to say because they already understood each other.
"Sigh. I really don't get the way mages think."
* * *
Shirone and Rian arrived at the row of general stores. Their ingredient lists differed, and if they tried to visit every shop that stretched like a maze they'd probably miss dinner.
Shirone thought it better to split up.
"Let's split up here. We can buy the things and head back to the villa."
"Really? Can you carry it all by yourself? It'll be heavy."
Shirone looked at Rian in disbelief. No matter how weak he might be, could he not even carry garlic, onions, and pepper? He appreciated the chivalrous intention, but worrying about the shopping basket was unnecessary.
"It's fine! I'll buy it myself, so don't go losing your way. Remember, it's a cooking contest. The loser does the dishes."
"Fine! I'll make you wash with Amy. You should hope you lose—if you want to reconcile with Amy, that is."
"Reconcile? We didn't even fight."
"Huh? Didn't you fight at the harbor? That's why it's awkward now, right?"
"Amy's not that petty. It was just a minor clash of opinions. Those happen when people exchange views."
"Ha! You fool, that's exactly what a fight is."
Shirone fell silent. Old habits—Rian calling him a fool—still made him strangely self-conscious.
"Anyway, I'm going to buy vegetables first. See you at the villa."
"Then I'll get the meat. I'm off!"
Shirone watched Rian dash toward the butcher. Just seeing him run, he couldn't imagine how much meat he'd buy.
Shirone checked the note Amy had written. He didn't know what the dish would be, but there were no especially hard-to-find ingredients.
But the list had more items than Rian's, so he had to hustle to make the deadline.
He spent about thirty minutes walking and bought most of the ingredients. He also did some sightseeing—the shops were novel and charming, as one would expect in a resort.
Stalls offering prize games were popular, and street performances and parades were common sights.
For an entire commercial district to be so focused on entertainment, it must receive an enormous, steady stream of tourists.
The streets were packed, and a carefree laughter unfamiliar on the continent embroidered the southern sky.
'Wow, there are a lot of fun shops. I should come back here tomorrow and play.'
Having finished his shopping, Shirone headed back toward the villa.
At that moment a shop door nearby flew open and a woman tumbled out as if shoved, collapsing onto the ground.
"Kyaa!"
"Kyaa?"
The strange scream tilted Shirone's head. He quickly composed himself and approached.
She was a woman in her mid-twenties. Her hair was cut short, her bangs straight along her brows, and thanks to a pretty face she didn't look ridiculous.
Getting to her feet, she clutched at her chest with both arms. She wore a low-cut dress like a tavern hostess's.
Her eyebrows were thin and her eyes sharp, but facing the huge man she looked meek, almost like a herbivore before a predator.
"Why—why are you doing this? What did I ever do to you?"
The man intimidating her was Gamos, a wealthy businessman infamous on Galliant Island.
He was enormous but not muscular—made of rolls of fat, with particularly severe abdominal obesity.
The power of money must be fearsome; he was flanked by sturdy, broad-shouldered bodyguards.
"Come along quietly. Honestly, you're not in a position to be choosy, are you?"
"Please—help! Please—help me!"
Even as Gamos gripped her wrist and started to drag her away, no one intervened.
Tourists avoid getting embroiled in trouble in unfamiliar places. And the locals feared Gamos's influence.