The sea was a silent black, bordering the sky, with stars falling into the waves and being tossed up by the spray.
"You should be grateful my custom suit wasn't made with shoddy work, Miss mystery of attempted murder."
A few minutes ago, that soul-stirring scene had left Howard harboring a grudge, his little round face all scrunched up.
He liked trendy, exciting things—provided he wasn't the protagonist.
The Boy sat on the small circular platform of the mast, clutching the ropes, over ten meters above the deck.
His feet dangled in the air, kicking outward.
After staying there for a while, it didn't seem so scary anymore.
Besides, there was a girl beside him who could step on a straight wooden pole and jump ten meters up to the crow's nest.
"How did you do it?"
Sen Getsusa leaned against the ropes. As the Moonlight spilled down, her profile was plated in silver.
"It's a hassle to explain; don't go poking around, kid." Sen Getsusa admired the view; the guards on the deck had become tiny dots in her sight.
"Are you a Witch...?"
Sen Getsusa turned her head, baring her little white teeth fiercely in a grimace. "Since you've found me out... Ha! I'll just eat your brains then!"
Howard looked at Sen Getsusa with innocence. "Are you lacking in those?"
Sen Getsusa:... The more mature kids are, the less cute they become. Oishi and Miko are much more interesting... so silly.
Howard mimicked Sen Getsusa's posture, leaning against the ropes.
The two enjoyed the high-altitude sea breeze and the spray broken by the stern. In the night, all was silent.
"Look! A sea bird!"
In the air not far away, a white figure flashed by, passing before their eyes.
Sen Getsusa reached out her hand, holding it flat in the air. "Come! Come to me!"
The sea bird flew past.
Howard found it inconceivable. "Do you think that bird is a fool? Or are you the fool? It's definitely one of you."
Sen Getsusa held up a finger.
"Want to make a bet?" She pointed at the bird. "It will come to my palm."
The Boy looked Sen Getsusa's outfit up and down. Aside from that satchel, there was nowhere on her person to hide snacks or bread.
He nodded. "What's the wager?"
Sen Getsusa hadn't thought of it either; she was just bored.
"Anything goes. Here, it's starting."
The girl raised her other hand and snapped her fingers.
A card shot out from the void, unfolded, and shattered.
Crimson Bands of cyttorak.
In an instant, magic surged within the void!
Several Crimson Chains tore through space, shooting toward the sea bird like arrows with a whoosh. At such high speed, only a deep red shadow could be glimpsed.
Snap!
Tightened!
The chains retracted.
The ruffled sea bird was held in Sen Getsusa's hand, looking completely bewildered.
Howard was silent for a moment.
"You really are a Witch."
The Boy made his judgment with certainty. He cautiously reached out to touch the chain—a burning sensation reached his heart.
Yet his fingertips were ice cold.
"What is this?" he asked.
"This is a sea bird," Sen Getsusa said to the Boy, holding the confused bird in front of her.
"...I'm not asking about the bird!" Howard glared. "Can you fly? How many years have you lived?"
The girl ignored the brat's million questions. She let go of the sea bird, leaned back against the ropes, and yawned.
Her toes, clad in white lace socks, wiggled inside.
She was a bit sleepy.
Suddenly, Howard stood up from the crow's nest.
"You'll probably leave, right? Isn't that what witches do—suddenly appear and then suddenly vanish?" the Boy asked. "Will I see you again?"
"Depends," Sen Getsusa said, covering her mouth and wiping a tear from the corner of her eye, teasingly, "Want to make another ten-year promise with me?"
"I've stopped liking you since I finished dinner yesterday!"
The Boy turned his back in a huff, ignoring her, his leather shoes tapping incessantly. "I'd like to see just how good your 'girlfriend' can be!"
How good... probably, she'll be exceptionally good?
She should have soft hair and big eyes.
Ideally, she'd have little canines.
That way, when things get intimate, her gentle bite on the skin would be both painful and itchy, right?
She doesn't have to be good at taking care of people, because I can take care of her. She just needs to love me and often be like a little tiger, hugging... her... eh?
As she thought about it, adding conditions one by one, the image of a certain blonde girl with twin tails appeared in her mind.
Sen Getsusa: Oh Boy... I'm doomed.
Im! Pos! Sible!
Sen Getsusa shook her head vigorously, trying to shake that awkward baka out of her thoughts.
She likes Tomiya she likes Tomiya she likes Tomiya she likes me she likes Tomiya... Bah!
Sen Getsusa sighed and emptied her mind.
Facing the sea breeze, the girl stretched lazily and patted Howard's short hair from behind.
"Little one, if we really do meet again, you'll probably be all grown up."
Sen Getsusa still hadn't figured out the mechanism of her travels; she couldn't guarantee she could come back to this World next time.
"I'll probably be dead by then," the Boy grumbled. "Anyway, you have to come back; I haven't given you the wager yet."
The wager?
Sen Getsusa blinked. "I don't think I set a wager?"
Howard turned back around huffily. "Then do it now! Think of one now! You must come back in a few years to collect it!"
Tapping her finger on the corner of her mouth, the girl thought for a moment.
"Alright, alright~" she said. "Then I'll have a traveling cloak, how about that?"
A cloak?
"Exactly, because I'm a traveler. Sometimes I'm here, sometimes in places with different customs. If I had a traveler's cloak—the kind that covers the head—wouldn't that be cool?"
Howard continued dismissively, "Just a cloak? Anything else?"
Sen Getsusa laughed. "Just? Don't tell me you know how to sew?"
The Boy pulled a wind-up figurine from his pocket. After a bit of fiddling, the figurine came to life in his palm, twisting and turning as if performing a folk dance.
"I made it."
He tilted his head back proudly. "I'll give you a weapon too. A traveling cloak with a weapon hanging at your waist. How about it? Come find me in New York ten years from now, and I'll have a set prepared for you that's unique in the whole World."
Sen Getsusa covered her mouth, yawning incessantly; she was already very sleepy.
The girl nodded perfunctorily. "Sure, sure. If I can come back, I'll definitely come looking for you, Mr. Stark."
"Is it a deal?"
"It's a deal."
The two shook hands. Under the witness of the silver moon, the Boy looked at the girl with great expectation.
"Speaking of which, what kind of cloak do you want..."
"Hey! What about the weapon? A weapon—where are you from? An axe? Firearms?"
"You didn't fall asleep, did you?"
"Sen Getsusa?"
Two figures floated down from the mast, unnoticed by the guards, then left sneakily, running toward the first-class cabins.
At the door, Jack, looking like an animal in a certain season or period, with a flushed face, excitedly knocked on Sen Getsusa's door.
-------------------------------
Hope you enjoy this fanfiction if you do and would like to read the next 30 chapters in advance, pls do check out my Patreon.
patreon.com/TLScarlet
Also don't forget to give me a Power Stone if you do like this fiction. Your support really motivates me to continue doing my best in translating, Thanks!!