Episode 4: just another day

The next morning was bright and warm.

Noh was already outside before breakfast.

Not because she had important things to do.

Not because she had chores.

But because she was bored.

Very, very bored.

She wandered through the village kicking a small pebble along the path.

Kick.

Kick.

Kick.

The pebble eventually rolled into a puddle.

Noh stared at it.

Her entertainment had been ruined.

"A tragedy."

"Noh."

She turned around.

"Cenji!"

Her friend stood behind her with the same blank expression he always wore.

Noh narrowed her eyes.

"Do you ever appear dramatically from nowhere on purpose?"

"No."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"You sound suspicious."

"I am standing still."

"Exactly."

Cenji blinked once.

Noh laughed.

"Come on!"

"Where?"

"I don't know."

"Then how do we go there?"

Noh pointed forward.

"We walk until we find something interesting."

"...That is not a plan."

"It is now."

Before Cenji could object, Noh grabbed his sleeve and dragged him down the road.

The two spent the morning wandering around the village.

They watched ducks swim in a pond.

Noh tried to count them.

"There are twelve."

"There are nine."

"No, twelve."

"Nine."

Noh counted again.

"...Nine."

"I know."

Later, they found a tree near the edge of the village.

Noh immediately decided she needed to climb it.

Five minutes later she was stuck.

"Cenji."

"Yes."

"I may have made a mistake."

"You are upside down."

"I noticed."

Cenji stared at her hanging from a branch.

"Get down."

"I would if I knew how."

After several embarrassing minutes, Cenji helped her climb down.

The moment her feet touched the ground, Noh crossed her arms.

"I was testing your rescue skills."

"You were stuck."

"I was conducting research."

"You were upside down."

"Details."

For the first time, Cenji's mouth twitched slightly.

Not quite a smile.

But close.

Noh pointed dramatically.

"YOU ALMOST SMILED!"

"I did not."

"You did!"

"No."

"You totally did."

Cenji began walking away.

"Noh."

"Yes?"

"You are loud."

"You tell me that every day."

"Because it is true every day."

Noh grinned.

"Fair enough."

Around noon, they sat beside the river outside the village.

The water flowed gently over smooth stones.

Noh tossed pebbles into the water.

Splash.

Splash.

Splash.

Meanwhile, Cenji quietly watched the river.

"You're thinking again."

"I always think."

"You think too much."

"You think too little."

Noh gasped dramatically.

"I have been insulted."

"It was an observation."

"Still rude."

The two sat in comfortable silence for a while.

It was strange.

Most people found silence awkward.

But with Cenji, it wasn't.

Noh didn't need to talk constantly.

And Cenji didn't need to explain himself.

Somehow, they understood each other.

Eventually Noh leaned back and looked at the clouds.

"Do you think we'll leave the village someday?"

Cenji looked up.

"Maybe."

"I want to see mountains."

"There are mountains nearby."

"I mean really big mountains."

"Oh."

"And forests."

"There is a forest nearby."

"A different forest."

"Oh."

"And rivers."

"We are next to a river."

Noh groaned.

"You know what I mean."

"Not really."

Noh threw a pebble at him.

It bounced harmlessly off his shoulder.

Cenji stared at her.

She immediately looked away.

"I regret nothing."

By afternoon, they returned to the village.

Several villagers watched Noh as she passed.

The usual stares.

The usual whispers.

Noh pretended not to notice.

But Cenji noticed.

He always noticed.

A man muttered something under his breath.

Noh kept walking.

Then she realized Cenji had stopped.

"Cenji?"

He looked toward the villager.

The man immediately looked away.

After a moment, Cenji continued walking.

"What was that about?" Noh asked.

"Nothing."

"It didn't look like nothing."

"It was nothing."

Noh stared at him suspiciously.

He refused to elaborate.

As the sun began sinking toward the horizon, the sky turned orange and gold.

Noh remembered her promise to Mama.

"I should go home."

"Probably."

"You should too."

"I live there."

"Good point."

They reached the crossroads where their paths separated.

Noh smiled.

"See you tomorrow."

"Probably."

"Probably?"

"Unless something happens."

"What would happen?"

"I don't know."

"Then see you tomorrow."

"...See you tomorrow."

Noh grinned and ran toward home.

As she disappeared down the road, Cenji watched her go.

For a moment, his expression softened.

Only for a moment.

Then it vanished.

And he continued walking.

Just another ordinary day.

A day with no monsters.

No heroes.

No adventures.

Just two friends spending time together.

Neither of them knew how much that would change in the years to come.

But for now...

Being together was enough.

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