Chapter 2: The Girl Laughing Amid the Waves Shook My World
The harbor town’s square was peaceful today as well.
The sea breeze was gentle‚ softly swaying the stall awnings and spreading the aroma of freshly baked bread throughout the town. Children’s laughter bounced somewhere in the distance. The fishmonger’s big brother was locked in a staring contest with the seagulls‚ and the fruit shop’s sign proudly declared‚ “Today we have peaches sweeter than magic.” Yesterday it had said “Grapefruit sourer than magic.” Magic was losing quite often.
Aria Adel was walking along the edge of that square. In his hand was a small bottle for fetching water. On his way back from the library‚ he had decided to stop by the well—a very plain errand.
(……This bottle is heavier than it looks. It would be so much easier if I could float it with magic.)
Of course‚ he couldn’t use magic. Or more precisely‚ “I can use it‚ but it’s dangerous if I do.” So today too he walked along hugging the bottle with both hands. A quiet workout.
In the center of the square‚ stalls were lined up. Grilled fish‚ grilled sweets‚ grilled… something he couldn’t quite identify. Everything smelled savory and everything was slightly burnt. In this town‚ “burnt is flavor” was a valid excuse.
(That fish was probably here yesterday too… or maybe it’s a sibling?)
As he thought about such things and walked‚ something suddenly swayed at the edge of his vision.
At the edge of the square‚ on the cobblestones‚ a single girl was spinning round and round.
Her golden hair danced in the wind‚ and tiny grains of light floated around her. It was as if the very air was dancing in time with her.
She was humming something. It sounded like a song‚ or a spell‚ or perhaps a lullaby—an odd melody.
(……Magic? No‚ but that’s…)
Aria stopped. Still holding the bottle‚ he stared intently at the scene.
It wasn’t caution. It wasn’t surprise. Just something deep in his heart gently stirred.
(……What is this feeling?)
Her magic had no construction formula and no calculations. It simply “flowed” together with her emotions.
To Aria‚ it was an unknown kind of magic.
And just a little—it felt somehow nostalgic.
“Wow‚ did you see that? Just now the wind laughed a little!”
A voice suddenly flew toward him.
When Aria reflexively looked up‚ the girl who had been spinning far away a moment ago was now right in front of him. Zero sense of personal space. In fact‚ she was close. Physically.
“Eh‚ ah… yes?”
“I knew it! You had the face of someone who was watching! Hey hey‚ are you a mage? Or a poet? Or… a water-bottle guy?”
“…Isn’t the last one a bit too random?”
Aria quietly hid the bottle he was holding behind his back. For some reason the title “water-bottle guy” suddenly felt embarrassing.
“I’m Iris! Best friends with the wind‚ the light‚ and occasionally fish!”
“I’m Aria Adel. …What exactly is your relationship with fish?”
“Hmm‚ today’s was a bit awkward. When I tried to float the fish at that stall earlier‚ it jumped and ran away!”
“…The fish is definitely mad at you.”
Iris laughed without the slightest hint of guilt. It was a smile like the sun. No‚ maybe even more unpredictable than the sun.
“But you know‚ don’t you think magic is like music?”
“…Music?”
“Yeah! When the wind goes ‘whoosh‚’ the light goes ‘sparkle‚’ and your feelings go ‘whoa‚’ then magic goes ‘pop!’”
(……This is the first time I’ve heard magic theory explained entirely with sound effects…)
Aria unconsciously closed his mouth. He tried to say something‚ but no words came out.
Iris spun once and spread both arms wide.
“Watch this!”
She closed her eyes. The wind gently wrapped around her. Her golden hair danced‚ and the air sparkled.
And then—
Tiny grains of light rose from her feet. Like musical notes‚ they bounced through the air. The wind picked them up and spun them round and round.
It was magic.
But it was completely different from the magic Aria knew.
No construction formula‚ no calculations‚ no incantation. It was simply “played” together with emotion.
“…Amazing.”
The word slipped out before he could stop it.
Iris grinned.
“Right? But sometimes instead of ‘pop!’ it goes ‘kaboom!’ so be careful!”
“…Am I the one who needs to be careful?”
“Yup! Nice to meet you‚ Aria!”
She said it with the smile of someone greeting an old friend.
Aria stood there for a while‚ still holding the bottle.
(……Who is this person?)
But deep in his heart‚ it had grown just a little warmer.
Aria was staring at the space where the magic light had vanished.
The wind had calmed‚ the grains of light had disappeared‚ and Iris was saying “Phew~ I might have spun a bit too much” while twirling her own hair. Even the afterglow of magic seemed to be just part of her daily life.
(……What is with this girl?)
Still holding the bottle‚ Aria repeated the same words over and over in his mind.
A girl who treated magic like playing music. No construction formula‚ no calculations. She moved the wind and light with nothing but emotion.
That was something Aria had always avoided.
Emotion becomes an error in magic. That was what his mother had taught him‚ and what he had believed. That was why he had sealed away his emotions and treated magic “like a machine.”
But—
(……That wasn’t an error.)
Iris’s magic wasn’t an error. On the contrary‚ emotion itself had become the “core of the magic.”
That was a shock to Aria.
And—
(……Is this… admiration?)
Deep in his chest‚ something gently warmed.
The wind hadn’t blown‚ yet his heart had stirred.
Light hadn’t shone‚ yet the depths of his eyes had brightened.
It was admiration.
He didn’t know why. He couldn’t explain it logically.
But after seeing her magic and her smile‚ something had begun to sprout inside him.
(……If only I could use magic like that…)
His fingertips went tap tap.
The habit of thought. But today the rhythm felt just a little lighter.
“Aria‚ what’s wrong? Your face is all ‘poof~’!”
“…‘Poof~’?”
“Yeah! Like ‘poof~’… you know‚ ‘poof~’!”
(The explanation itself is ‘poof~’…)
Aria couldn’t help but laugh. No sound came out‚ but the corners of his mouth loosened.
It was the first “laugh” he had had in a long time.
Twilight gently colored the harbor town.
The sky was dyed madder red‚ and the sea surface shimmered gold. Stall lights began to flicker on here and there‚ and the children’s laughter gradually quieted.
“See you‚ Aria. I’m off to play with the wind again!”
Iris waved as she spoke. Like the wind itself‚ she spun lightly once and then walked away.
Aria watched her back for a while.
Just then—for the briefest moment—Iris stopped.
She pressed a hand to her chest. She quickly returned to her smile‚ but that single instant of “pause” burned itself into Aria’s eyes.
(……What was that?)
But he said nothing. He couldn’t say anything.
Iris turned back with another spin and grinned.
“See you later‚ poof-face Aria!”
“…Please don’t make that nickname stick.”
Laughing‚ she ran off into the setting sun. The wind blew after her as if chasing.
Aria quietly closed his eyes.
Something had lit up deep in his chest.
It was the “light” he thought he had lost long ago.
(……Something feels like it’s come back to life.)
Even if magic wouldn’t move‚ even if his emotions stirred‚
he wanted to keep watching that light.
His fingertips went tap tap.
The habit of thought. But today the sound was just a little—bouncy.
“…What the heck is ‘poof-face’…”
Aria’s quiet mutter was carried away by the sea breeze.
|