Chapter 27
Whiiiu~
A whistle pierced through the awkward air. Expectant eyes turned toward me. It was Luca.
“Still haven’t made up yet? Come on, she’s your—”
“Lucas. Close your eyes and cover your ears.”
I quickly cut him off.
“Oh, am I interrupting your precious couple time—”
“Jelly.”
He was spouting nonsense, so I cut him off again.
“Yes, Master!”
“Cover that guy’s eyes and ears.”
With a pop! Jelly bounced up and swelled its body on my command. Then the jellyfish stuck itself to Lucas’s forehead and stretched out sticky slime to obey my order diligently.
“Huh? What the— I can’t see anything!”
Judging by how he was laughing and waving his hands like that, he must just be born with that kind of personality.
“Finally, some peace and quiet.”
“You seem soft on the kids, Kanoe.”
“Do I?”
Well, I guess there’s some truth to that. I tilted my head at Ian’s comment.
“Yes. I left them behind without a second thought.”
“Wait, didn’t you promise to make it up to me for that?”
Wasn’t that supposed to settle things? I craned my neck and pointed at my forehead. Through my narrowed view, I glimpsed his warm golden eyes.
“That’s true.”
As Ian looked at me, his eyes lowered. Like a shadow rippling across still water, a faint wound passed over his face.
‘…That’s a lie.’
For a moment, I thought I imagined it and blinked, but his expression didn’t change.
“But I meant it when I said I was hurt.”
My chest ached like someone was poking it with a stick. Just as I was drowning in guilt, Ian spoke as if he’d been waiting for this.
“Well, sure. You could leave without a word. Our relationship is shallow enough for that, right?”
“I—Ian…?”
“But a contract, at the very least, is built on trust, isn’t it?”
Now I was the one flustered. He kept talking, almost like nagging.
“You were the one who promised to give me everything. You can’t just do that.”
“…I’m sorry.”
“That’s as much as I’ll say for myself.”
I raised both hands in surrender, and he let out a breath with an expression like, What can I do with you? Then his voice came lower, rumbling in his throat.
“I won’t force you to trust me.”
Ian didn’t ask me anything.
He didn’t ask what brought me here, what I went through to stand in this spot. He didn’t ask a thing, yet somehow, I felt like he understood everything.
“…”
I had dreamed of freedom.
Locked in that cold, narrow prison, I always imagined it. That I could show I’d be happy on my own. That I’d never have to fear being hurt by anyone again.
That was the freedom I dreamed of.
“Even if you can’t trust me, trust our contract.”
But this man kept barging into my world. And little by little, he was changing what my freedom looked like.
“There’s no more certain trust than that.”
“…That’s twisted logic.”
“Is it? Then how about this?”
Ian tilted his head lightly and curved his lips in a faint smile.
“You said you’d give me freedom, didn’t you?”
In that instant, every sound seemed to fade away.
It was like the wind stopped for a moment. The crashing waves, the creaking raft—they all sank into the sea.
“I’m still not enough, so why decide that on your own?”
All this time, I thought I had given him the freedom he wanted. I thought the fall of his family and the liberation it brought were what he longed for.
I remembered the last face I saw before leaving him behind.
Ian Frederic, saying the family was finished. That bitter face that didn’t look free at all.
“…Ah.”
It wasn’t relief that everything was over, nor regret for causing his family’s downfall.
He was still chasing freedom, just like me.
“You really are a master negotiator.”
“Right? It’s my first time negotiating with the sun and moon, so it took a while to convince you.”
“…You’re teasing me, aren’t you?”
A laugh slipped out before I knew it. The tension in my shoulders slowly eased.
“Who knows?”
His eyes crinkled as he tilted his head slightly. Now I understood why Lloyd always grumbled about never winning an argument with Ian.
I drew a steady breath and looked straight at him.
“Then let’s do this.”
Those calm golden eyes watched me silently.
“Until one of us returns to land, at least while we’re out here at sea… let’s be each other’s absolute ally.”
Ian’s straight brows lifted slightly in surprise. A soft breeze brushed through his black hair. He wore a familiar smile as he spoke.
“Then I’d better delay going back as long as I can.”
That made me laugh too.
A lot had happened, but thanks to this, I felt like I’d gained a reliable companion.
By the time I was sprawled on the raft, exhausted, Luca was busy setting up a sunshade as I just let the water carry us along.
“Kiiiiiiek!”
Why does trouble always find me when I finally try to rest? That pelican cry that I could never get used to made me lift my head.
A bird circling overhead was searching for a landing spot.
“A pelican message.”
Ian pulled out the pelican stone from his pocket. The palm-sized stone glowed faintly.
“Probably Lloyd, right?”
“Looks like it, but…”
Thunk. The giant pelican landed on our fragile raft, claws gripping the wood. Great, more leaks!
“Master, Master! That side’s sinking!”
“Don’t report it—just fix it!”
“Big sis, you’re strong, right? Can’t you buy a boat?”
“If I had the money, would I be doing this?”
If I did, I’d make Luca transform and fetch us a proper boat right now. While I watched him clumsily patch the raft, he muttered,
“Maybe I shouldn’t have asked for a ride…”
Sorry, but there’s nowhere to drop you off. I smiled sweetly and left him to fix the holes.
“Kiiiek.”
Meanwhile, the pelican spat something out. A piece of paper fluttered onto the raft.
“Ptooey.”
As if to say that’s all, the pelican shook its beak, then flapped its wings and flew off into the sky.
“What’s Lloyd saying?”
“…He’s on his way here.”
“What?”
I turned my gaze to the paper in Ian’s hand. Just one line. Nothing fancy.
Wait there.
“…He’s actually coming?”
“He’s already almost here.”
He pointed far out to sea. I narrowed my eyes and saw a tiny speck moving across the calm water toward us.
“Guess we’re still close to Muia Island’s waters, so he got here fast.”
Fast or not, the important thing was that he came for us. My eyes stung as I stared at the silhouette growing closer.
“Lloyd really is a good guy…”
“…Huh.”
Ian scratched his cheek awkwardly.
“He’s not a bad guy.”
Soon, a small boat bobbed into view over the rolling waves. Its white flag bore a yellow star.
And on deck, a man with familiar green hair.
“Ian! Kanoe~!”
Lloyd’s mouth moved as he waved. I gripped the raft and pushed. The current surged, and the raft sped forward.
My water ability had grown since the first time I awakened it. Survival really does forge practical strength.
Splash—
The raft bumped the boat with a soft thud. Ian secured the raft while I climbed onto the dinghy.
“You two okay? You have no idea how worried I was!”
He really meant it—there was a deep crease between his brows.
When Ian and I just nodded silently, Lloyd finally let out a sigh of relief.
“At least you didn’t drift too far. I barely slipped away while the navy was distracted with those pirates.”
He crossed his arms and started venting. His words dragged on like scolding, and Ian’s face twisted like he was suffering.
“But seriously, wasn’t that too much? You left me to clean up everything!”
“…Sorry.”
Even he couldn’t escape a scolding. Ian bowed his head obediently.
Then Lloyd turned to me.
“Kanoe.”
“…Yes?”
My shoulders jerked reflexively. Was it my turn now…?
“You too. That was awful, you know?”
“…I’m sorry.”
Maybe it’s only natural to worry when someone disappears. But why does that natural thing feel so unfamiliar?
This warmth… I wasn’t used to it. And maybe because of that, I knew I’d remember it for a long time. I smiled at him.
“I won’t do it again.”
And I promised myself: I’ll never leave without a word again.
Still, this noisy chaos… wasn’t so bad after all.
