Shuumatsu Nani Shitemasu ka? Isogashii desu ka? Sukutte Moratte Ii desu ka? extra 4 part5

The third morning since the start of her training with Willem found Kutori washing her face with cold water.

Calm down, she told herself. Just calm down, alright?

She could acknowledge that recognizing her feelings were those of love was a huge step forward for herself. On the other hand, if it meant she started following Willem everywhere and got in other people's way, that wouldn't be so good of a thing. What's more, Aiseia or Naigrat would probably be watching her fondly as she trailed after Willem. Just thinking of the look on their faces was enough to make Kutori bristle with resentment.

Willem floated through her mind briefly. She felt her cheeks growing hot, and hurriedly splashed more cold water onto her face to drive away the heat by force. As for the matter of Willem possibly being headhunted by merchants from other islands and leaving the warehouse because of it…

She'd had ample time to calmly think it through, and formed a definite plan of action. Naigrat's right. I just need to ask him about it. She felt brave enough to take that step now.

"Collon! Wash your face properly!"

"I don't wanna! It's coooold!"

"I'm in complete agreement. I don't wish to touch such cold water when it's also cold outside."

"Hey! Y-you two! Don't run away!"

Noisy footsteps came from the hallway behind her, accompanied by familiar voices shouting. Those children, messing around as usual. It's probably about time for me to step in.

First, Kutori would turn her head around and shout after Tiat and her group. Taking advantage of the fact that they'd frozen in their tracks, she would put both of her hands on her waist, and strike a threatening pose. "Don't run in the hallways. Wash your face and brush your teeth carefully. You guys have to be good role models for the little ones."

That's right. Kutori nodded to herself. If I act like I normally would, I can take back my normal self. She finished wiping her face with a towel, and was about to turn around when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw the figure of Willem Kumesh. He was wearing his usual army uniform, a coat he used whenever he had to go out draped over it.

"…Oh…" How handsome.

The thought had instantly materialized in Kutori's mind. Love really is scary. Could it be that easy for it to blind you once it's there in your heart? She'd seen the clothes Willem wore when he went out a few times before, should be used to it by now, and yet there was a moment when she lost herself looking at him.

"…Huh?" A peculiar sensation gripped her heart. Something's not right.

It was almost time for their daily swordfighting practice. Judging by the routine of the last two days, Willem wore plain clothes when training.

Could it be…

What Willem wore when he went out was completely different from the clothes he trained in. Was he planning to go somewhere? Do something? Could it be… C-could it be…?

The anxious feeling, which should've been extinguished just a few seconds earlier, raised its ugly head once again. All thought left Kutori's mind as she ran down the hallway in a full sprint, her hands squeezing the towel she'd just used to wash her face.

"Oh, Kutori." Willem looked up, smiling. "Good timing, I had something to tell you. Today's training is postponed, so take a rest and build up some muscle…"

Kutori refused to hear him. Coming to an abrupt stop in front of Willem, she raised her head in complete seriousness, a tight expression on her face.

"…Don't train by yourself, and don't use Venom no matter what. That would mess with your natural healing-"

"Where are you going?" Kutori asked, her voice a tiny whisper that sounded like it'd risen up from the inner depths of hell.

"There's some things I've got to take care of. I'll be gone for a while."

Willem glanced his head towards the door as he spoke. She followed his look to see a familiar-looking Ayrantrobos man standing there. Sensing their gaze fixed on him, the man removed his hat in a simple greeting.

"No…"

Kutori's body moved against her will again. She dashed between the two men and turned to block Willem's path, her arms stretched out. "No! Don't go!"

"Wh"

"Please don't go! We made a promise! You said you'd wait for me! I'll work hard, and return safely! So…!"

While it may be somewhat redundant to mention it, this event unfolded in the morning. As one may know, morning is the time of day when everyone runs out of their rooms in a hurry to prepare for the rest of the day.

"I can't do without you! Without you, I won't be able to fight, or win, and I won't be able to return home! I… I can't live without you!"

The dam shattered as Kutori's emotions flowed freely. All around them, the Leprechauns who had been washing their faces or running down the hallway, as well as a troll carrying a laundry basket, all stopped to stare at her.

"…Er…"

Willem's eyes darted back and forth. He scratched his face. Pure confusion colored his expression.

"What in the world are you talking about?"

As it turned out, that cat – no, Kutori corrected herself. That man's name was Lamkeldi Rimashenka. Apparently he was born on this very floating island, but left some twenty years ago to make a living by himself and follow his dream of big city life. Just as Kutori and the others had thought, he became a tobacco merchant on the 13th Island. Thanks to a combination of business skill and luck, he seemed to have had a successful career. When his mother passed away a month ago, he took the opportunity to hand his well-off business to a younger fellow, then used public airships and private ferries to return to the 68th Floating Island.

In the home that he was away from for twenty years, a wall clock had stopped working.

All things have expiration dates; that is a law of nature. To forget about one's home and family for a long time and only insist on remembering them in one's old age might seem somewhat shameless. Even so, Lamkeldi said the clock was a precious heirloom brimming with memories from him and his family, and hoped to listen to its chime once more.

Now, they were in the living room of the Ayrantrobos man's house.

"As you can see," Willem said, "Even if it's just a wall clock, there's still plenty of complicated mechanisms inside."

He opened up the clock with a snap, revealing just what he'd said would be there: an overcrowded mess of winding devices, screws, and gears. "Not to mention, it's powered by anachronistic machinery instead of crystals. No amateur could fix this thing."

Willem started skillfully removing pieces one by one. Out came rusted gears, crooked axles, and a sound comb missing a corner. Kutori stayed silent, watching him work.

"All the same, he still wanted to fix it, and I guess Naigrat jumped at the chance to mention my name. 'He seems talented in all sorts of ways, so I bet he'd even be able to fix mechanical equipment!'" Willem shook his head. "Pretty ridiculous logic."

Of course her reasoning was absurd, but the man actually fixing the clock in front of everyone seemed just as absurd. Wasn't it supposedly something amateurs couldn't fix. And yet, in his own words, "It's like a kid's toy compared to dug weapons."

How I wish all the technicians in the world could hear that. It'd be even better if they were all holding rocks perfectly suited for throwing.

"…Anyway, that's what I told Aiseia and Nephren."

"Huh?"

"You didn't know? They forced me to spill the beans after yesterday's training."

"No… I didn't." Kutori shot Aiseia a menacing glare. The other fairy looked away, snickering. "This is the first I've heard about it. Why would that be, I wonder?"

"Heh heh." Aiseia smirked. "I figured if we kept it a secret from you, it might just lead to some very interesting developments…"

"What?!"

Aiseia raised her hands defensively. "Hey, it did, didn't it? Thanks to you not knowing, you became so much more honest with yourself! That confession you made before sounded pretty nice, dontcha think? I was hoping you'd go even further, though, like maybe hugging him… or pushing him down? Either way it'd probably go well, and your feelings have been made clear to Mr. Technician too, so it's a happy ending for everyone, ain't it?"

"Heck no!"

"Aw man, and I was so sure too…" she dropped her hands, the picture of mournful sorrow.

"Even if you hadn't done anything, I've always been honest! My feelings are always clear!"

"Yahahahaha, don't get mad, don't get mad! It all worked out fine in the end! Besides, you look more appealing when you try to smile, y'know?"

"Who's the one with the nerve to smile right now?!"

Still laughing, Aiseia fled as Kutori chased after her.

"Hey, hey, don't get so rowdy in another person's house," Willem absentmindedly scolded them, his attention never leaving the mechanical device. Standing beside him, Nephren sighed softly. "Sorry, for all the fuss, Mr. Lam."

"Oh, it's quite fine, my dear boy, it's fine. This place has been quiet for far too long. It's happier to be livened up so." The Ayrantrobos narrowed his gentle amber eyes. "I must ask, are the girls all your daughters?"

"Er, you could say that," Willem said, rubbing the side of his head. "We aren't related by blood, but they're all precious family to me."

The Ayrantrobos nodded cheerfully. "I see, I see!"

Nephren gazed at the side of Willem's face she could see while Aiseia and Kutori ran around.

Willem worked meticulously, removing all the broken parts he found and replacing them with new parts they had to order, until at last the repair work finished at exactly two in the afternoon.

Kutori grumbled, bright red from embarrassment. Aiseia sat besides her, ruffling her own hair. "It's all my fault, all my fault," she said happily, no trace of guilt whatsoever in her countenance.

"Alright, if everything works as it should, this last one should do it…"

The clock's second and hour hands overlapped at the top of its face. There was a slight clunking noise. After a while, rich tones spilled forth from the device.

Willem nodded firmly. "Good."

"Oh? It's actually a pretty nice tune, isn't it?" Aiseia said, her messier-than-usual hair ill befitting her suddenly somber expression.

"I remember this song." Kutori had heard it before. A nursery rhyme passed down by the Floating Islands ever since ancient times. In the common language, it was called…

"…Place of Desired Return."

She had the lyrics memorized by heart. A singularly ancient song of war, it told the story of a soldier on a battlefield far from home writing a letter to his family. Its contents included gratitude towards his parents, love towards his brothers and sisters, and deep feelings towards the people he grew up with.

There are many things I want to do in my hometown. Therefore, though it might take some time, I will definitely return alive. The letter ended in that way.

Ultimately, was it sent? Did that soldier successfully return home? None of this was mentioned in the song.

"…Thank… thank you…" Lamkeldi murmured. Large teardrops welled up in the corners of his eyes, then began flowing down his face. "Ah…"

He wiped them clean. "I do apologize for making a fool of myself. I recalled a great number of things from long ago. My, tears sure do become difficult to hold back once you get to be my age…"

Willem chuckled quietly. Kutori couldn't tell what he was thinking, but she felt as if the way he laughed held a strange kind of sadness.

Chapter end