NoveLight ™
Journey's expectations were spectacularly… no, miserably off the mark.
“Kana, dinner…”
“Not hungry.”
“Oh, you’re not eating…? Alright, got it.”
Even at dinnertime.
“Kana… I’d like to lie down too. Can you move over just a bit…?”
“….”
“Ahaha, suddenly I feel like sleeping in a sleeping bag. I’ll just sleep in the bag!”
And even at bedtime.
“Good morning! …Oh, is Kana still sleeping?”
“Seems like it….”
When morning came, and Celine stopped by.
Kana remained buried in her blanket, not even peeking out.
It’s already been two days since I started waiting, thinking her mood would pass soon.
I expected her mood to improve within hours, maybe a day at most, but two nights had passed, and it was still like the monsoon season with no sign of clearing up.
If it were just a bad mood, that’d be manageable.
But Kana hadn’t eaten, hadn’t gone to the bathroom, or even peeked out from under her blanket for two days.
If not for the gentle rise and fall of the blanket, Journey might have suspected Kana was no longer alive.
‘How can a person even do that?’
To lie motionless under a blanket for days without moving.
Journey was now past worry and onto something like awe.
In fact, she had already tried to lift Kana's blanket.
‘Kanaaa~’
‘Don’t.’
‘…Got it.’
Kana had somehow sensed it and gave a chilling warning, so Journey gave up.
“What on earth happened to make her act like this?”
The viewers on Journey’s stream increasingly leaned toward the “Kana’s just going through puberty” theory.
“I’d love to feed her too… but what can I do when she’s like that?”
Journey glanced at the blanket-covered Kana.
At this point, it was starting to feel like the blanket was part of her body, like a turtle shell.
Kana… Canaria… Turtle….
She rested her chin on her hand.
Should I call her ‘Kabuki’? Or maybe ‘Kanabuki’?
“Oh, really? Let’s see how well you guys do then!”
…What little punks!
‘…Wasn’t ‘Kanabuki’ kind of cute?’
Imagining Kana with just her head and arms poking out of a blanket shell, Journey's lips curled up into a soft grin.
“…It’s not like that! Don’t make the polar bear cry!”
She just thought of Kana as a little sister, nothing more. Journey decided a mute was enough punishment for the environmentalist concerned about the polar bear’s well-being.
“Behave yourselves, or you’ll end up just like him.”
Journey swung her finger, issuing a playful threat.
‘I feel like I need to do something about this….’
She acts like a cautious cat, hissing at any attempt to touch her.
Journey seemed to forget she had just thought of Kana as a turtle a few minutes ago.
A cat, huh.
She clapped her hands.
“How about ‘Kanyangi’? Combine Kana with ‘nyangi’—it sounds cute and close to her name, doesn’t it?”
This time, the viewers’ reactions weren’t entirely negative.
“Oh, right.”
Journey snapped out of it, realizing now wasn’t the time for such things.
She had asked Celine, hoping she might know something.
“I don’t know what happened in the prayer room…”
Since Celine apologized for not being able to help, Journey had to join her in bowing her head.
There was no clear solution, no one to turn to for help.
She sighed, frustrated, after finding the collective wisdom of her viewers offered no useful ideas.
‘…Did she actually meet a god?’
She brushed aside the absurd thought as quickly as it had crossed her mind.
The sound of murmuring.
Journey turned her head toward the window.
Outside, the people looked excited and happy, opposite to her own mood.
She could see that even the usually quiet convent was lively today.
And with good reason.
“Looks fun…”
The Descent Festival had begun, celebrated not only here in the Sacred Nation but across the continent of Ardina.
Journey had been waiting eagerly for this day ever since she heard about it.
She had dreamt of exploring the festival hand-in-hand with Kana, and now that hope was dashed.
Staring out the window, Journey suddenly raised her voice.
“No way! It’s too early to give up!”
Back when Kana was still called ‘Gravedigger,’ Journey had no idea she’d end up this close to the small girl.
Yes, she had gone to get closer, but back then, it felt like an impossible task.
If she’d been content with just the little they’d shared then, if she’d given up because Kana hadn’t responded, she’d never be here now, traveling together and sharing a room.
It was perseverance that had won her this relationship.
‘I’ve been putting up with stuff since I was little, I’m used to it!’
With fiery determination in her eyes, Journey clenched her fists.
Letting someone sort through their emotions can be helpful, but sometimes, having someone pull them out is even better.
With resolve in her heart, Journey took one step, then another, toward the bed.
“Kana, I’m sorry in advance.”
She left the brief apology and then lifted the blanket.
Swish!
The moment a chill ran down her spine, she turned around in a flash.
That instinct saved her life.
Whoosh—!
And then, the heat.
Snap!
The pieces of the blanket fell like fluttering leaves, and Journey finally understood what had happened when she saw the warm trickle of blood on her cheek.
The blanket slipped from her grasp and landed on the ground, and beneath it, Kana was crouched, pointing a sword at her with cold eyes.
“I told you not to.”
It was like a flashback to the first time they met… no, even colder than then.
If she hadn’t moved, where would the blade have landed?
Following the sword’s path in her mind, Journey felt the hairs on her body stand up.
Kana had only ever responded to Journey’s teasing with words or playful, light attacks typical between friends.
But this time, there was no mistaking it—Kana had attacked with killing intent.
“Whatever you….”
“Huh?”
Her lips moved soundlessly, but no sound came out.
Or rather, the sounds were there, but she couldn’t understand them.
In this bewildering moment, Journey’s eyes scanned the chat.
The chat was all about Kana’s attack, even though enough time had passed for the audience to hear and react to whatever Kana had said.
“…So that’s it.”
Kana, muttering silently, scratched her neck in annoyance, then dropped her hand when she felt the choker around her throat.
“I’m done playing with you.”
“W-what do you mean by that…?”
Done playing with her?
The words filled Journey’s mind with a sudden whiteness.
It wasn’t the idea that Kana thought she’d just been playing with her.
It was the meaning behind the words, their implications of a complete severance.
And Journey quickly snapped out of it.
Ignoring the mix of teasing and serious reactions in the chat, Journey spoke to Kana.
What she was about to say could haunt her as a cringe-worthy memory for years.
But through experience, she knew that it was sometimes best to set aside embarrassment and speak honestly.
“…If I’ve hurt you in any way, please tell me. I know it can be hard to speak up, but I’d appreciate it if you could. I care about you, Kana, and I don’t want to part like this.”
People often say things they don’t mean when emotions run high.
It’s a phenomenon that can affect anyone, but it’s especially common in the young, who aren’t yet adept at handling their emotions.
Kana must be going through that too.
“….”
Maybe Journey’s words reached her because Kana bit her lip silently.
She’s going to hurt her lip doing that…
Journey thought absentmindedly.
After a long stare, Kana’s fierce gaze softened, and her sword lowered toward the ground. The sharp tension in the air faded, though not entirely.
The chat buzzed at this change.
“…No. It’s not.”
Kana muttered something cryptic.
Before Journey could question it, Kana spoke again.
“…Sorry for saying I was just playing with you.”
“Well… that’s okay. It’s true that you humored me. Even I find myself annoying sometimes.”
Kana looked at Journey, who was laughing it off, with a complex expression.
But that didn’t last.
Kana quickly hardened her expression again.
“But I really mean it when I say I don’t want to be around you anymore.”
“…Can I ask why?”
“I can’t tell you.”
“Right, I thought so.”
Not won’t tell me, but can’t tell me.
Journey tucked away that piece of information, mentally filing it as something to look into later.
“Then I guess this is goodbye. …I’m planning to explore around the Sacred Nation. What will you do after we part ways?”
“…I don’t know.”
Kana hesitated, as if genuinely unsure.
“…Maybe I’ll hunt snakes.”
“Hunt snakes?”
Is she thinking of becoming a snake trapper?
As much as Journey wanted to ask, she instinctively realized that her time with Kana was limited.
Kana’s hollow eyes made it obvious to anyone with an ounce of perception.
So instead of asking more about the strange answer, Journey brought up something else.
“Then, as a last request, could you go on one date with me? The Descent Festival starts today, and I didn’t make any other plans because I wanted to go with you. It’d be lonely to go alone, and I’d regret it if I missed it. So, just for today, will you come with me?”
“….”
Journey anxiously stared at Kana’s mouth, waiting for a response.
At last, the small pink lips opened.
“…Alright.”
Phew—
It wasn’t exactly an enthusiastic acceptance, but Journey let out a relieved sigh at her answer nonetheless.