With Fang Qiu's promise given, Paimon and Lumine both let out a breath — and then the talk turned to Inazuma, to the people they had met there and everything that had happened.
They were right in the middle of enjoying themselves when a soft knock came at the door.
"Come in," Lumine called, after Fang Qiu gave a small nod.
The door swung open and Xinyan poked her head through, looking at Fang Qiu, asking carefully, "I'm not interrupting your writing, am I?"
"Of course not. I finished a good while ago," Fang Qiu said with a quiet laugh, shaking her head.
"Xinyan, is something the matter?"
"Don't tell me you're here to ask Fang Qiu for that song?" Paimon said, puzzled.
"O-of course not! Though I really am impatient — I can't wait to hear the song you're writing—" Xinyan said quickly at Paimon's words.
"But I know that haste makes waste. Creating something isn't a thing you can rush. There's no need for you to hurry, Fang Qiu."
That was what she said. What Fang Qiu noticed was that, the whole time she was talking, her eyes kept drifting — casually, quietly — to the manuscript on the desk.
It was plainly the look of someone who had been waiting a very long time.
Exactly the look Paimon wore at Wanmin Restaurant, waiting for Xiangling to bring out the food.
Paimon caught Xinyan's reaction too.
She knew how badly Xinyan wanted that song. But Fang Qiu had spent nearly the whole afternoon writing her book — where would she have found the time to write music?
She was about to speak up and gently lower Xinyan's expectations when Fang Qiu got there first.
"The song," Fang Qiu said, "is actually ready."
"?"
All three of them froze.
"It's ready? That fast?" Xinyan said, stunned.
"When did you finish it? Weren't you working on the new book all afternoon?"
Paimon and Lumine stared at her, unable to believe it.
"The song is from the new book," Fang Qiu explained.
Paimon and Lumine exchanged a glance, and some of the shock drained out of their eyes.
She must have written the song along the way, somewhere in the middle of writing the novel.
It still sounded ridiculous. But when the person in question was Fang Qiu, ridiculous stopped feeling quite so ridiculous.
That was simply how Fang Qiu was.
"Well, if it's already ready, then sing it at the banquet later! Sister Beidou and the rest of them would be thrilled to hear you sing," Xinyan said.
"A banquet?" Fang Qiu blinked.
"A feast?" Paimon wasn't drooling, exactly, but her hand went to the corner of her mouth all the same.
"That's right. To celebrate you all coming aboard, Sister Beidou decided to throw a grand banquet tonight."
Xinyan waved them along. "That's what I came to get you for. If the crew hears Fang Qiu has written a new song, they'll be over the moon."
"Fang Qiu, Traveler, let's hurry over!" Paimon said, unable to wait another second.
"I—"
Looking at Paimon's and Xinyan's shining faces, Fang Qiu was already regretting it.
She had assumed the worst of it would be singing once inside the cabin — that was the only reason she'd admitted the song was finished, seeing how long Xinyan had been waiting.
And look how that had turned out…
Xinyan wanted her to sing at the banquet…
Worst of all, Xinyan meant nothing but well by it…
Looking at that excited face, with the banquet about to begin, Fang Qiu really did not want to spoil the mood.
All she could do was sigh and accept her fate.
Fine. She would sing.
It was hardly the end of the world.
She set the quill neatly aside, slid the finished pages into a paper envelope, and packed the envelope into the wooden chest along with her brush, ink, paper and inkstone.
Normally, if she was only stepping away for a while, a paperweight laid over the manuscript would have been enough.
But this was a ship. One rogue wave and the pages would be flying everywhere.
All the luggage, after all, was lashed down with rope; even in a heavy swell, it stayed as steady as stone.
Once everything was packed away, they went up to the deck together.
Far off, the setting sun flung out one last burst of blazing light, staining Fang Qiu's face the same color as the burning clouds along the horizon — and then it sank fully beneath the surface of the ocean.
The sky went dark.
The deck in front of them, by contrast, was loud with life.
Sailors sat right down on the boards, talking with the kind of heat that carried across the whole ship.
On the far side of the deck, three cooks were hard at work.
One turned fish over a charcoal grill with one hand while mixing a dipping sauce with the other.
The second had lamb ribs roasting.
The third was stir-frying big jianghu-style dishes.
Which meant heavy oil, heavy salt, heavy chili — huge portions, guaranteed to fill a man up.
The smells braided together in the air. Never mind Paimon; even Fang Qiu's mouth started watering like mad.
It smelled so good.
A pity… one whiff told her how spicy it was. She couldn't eat any of it.
The moment they came out, every sailor on deck turned to look.
"Miss Fang Qiu! Traveler! Come sit over here!" they called, one after another.
"Here, sit," Beidou said, patting the deck chair beside her.
"Mm." Fang Qiu answered softly, gave the sailors an apologetic smile, and settled in next to Beidou with Lumine, Paimon and Xinyan.
Once they were seated, Xinyan brought up the matter of Fang Qiu singing her new song.
Beidou gave Fang Qiu an amused, sidelong look — then promptly told everyone on deck about it.
The whole crew burst into excited chatter.
"Never thought I'd live to hear Miss Fang Qiu raise her voice in song! Three lifetimes' worth of luck, this is!"
"Question is what kind of song it'll be."
"Something gentle and lyrical, surely. That would suit Miss Fang Qiu — she's so soft and delicate."
"True enough. I don't even dare speak loudly in front of Miss Fang Qiu, let alone swear. I'd be afraid of frightening her."
All that eager speculation washed over her.
With no way out of it, Fang Qiu rose to her feet, closed her eyes, and began drawing the feeling up inside her.
The instant she stood, the noisy deck fell silent.
Every eye stayed fixed on her.
Xinyan, Lumine and Paimon most of all.
Xinyan's whole face was anticipation.
Please let it be rock!
Not likely, though. Just as the sailors had said, Fang Qiu suited songs like "Agreed Not to Love You," "Forget Time" and "Unchanging in This Life."
Tender as flowing water.
Lumine and Paimon, on the other hand, were a little worried. It was a song she had tossed off while writing the main text, after all — would the quality really hold up?
Beidou simply watched Fang Qiu stand there with her eyes closed, lifted her wine flask for a swallow, and waited in silence.
And up on the mast, Kaedehara Kazuha looked down and turned his gaze on her as well.
Everyone waited quietly. Even the cooks stopped what they were doing.
Only the sound of the waves and the wind echoed around them.
After standing there a long while, gathering it all in, Fang Qiu slowly opened her eyes.
Her red lips parted.
And a voice rose, soft as water, sweet enough to ache.
"A body that slept a thousand years wakes from rotting branches and withered leaves; it is the nightingale's desolate sigh that unbinds the spell."
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