"Nothing wrong with stretching out a bit."
"But, well..."
Gojo shot Subaru a knowing look, a sly grin playing at his lips.
An ordinary high schooler wouldn't notice. Gojo, on the other hand, could see it plain as day.
Emilia looked delicate, and being a Spirit Arts User who fought with magic, the impression she gave off was something like a glass-cannon mage from a video game. But Gojo's combat experience told a different story. She was far less fragile than she appeared. In raw physical ability alone, she could wipe the floor with a civilian like Subaru.
Which made his little scheme to exercise together all the more amusing.
"Honestly, I have no idea what you're smirking about." Subaru shook his head and turned to Emilia. "Come on, do it with me. Deep breath, raise your arms..."
"Oh, okay."
Emilia drifted over to his side, blinking curiously, and started mimicking his movements.
"Is he always like this?" Felt wandered over with her hands laced behind her head.
"Pretty much." Gojo shrugged.
"No wonder you two are partners. You're a matched set."
"Absolutely. The three of us are an unbreakable squad!"
"Who said I'm part of your group?"
"You don't want to make money anymore?"
"I..."
Felt's mouth opened and closed.
"It's not like I accept you people or anything. We just happen to have the same goals."
She turned her head away, the picture of wounded pride masking the fact that she had no comeback.
"Lady Emilia, please rest here for now. I'll go trade with the merchants for some food..." Rem approached after finishing with the Dragon Carriage, having fed and watered the Earth Dragon.
"Trade for food?" Gojo perked up instantly. "You shouldn't go alone, Rem. I'll come with you."
"I must decline. Are you hoping to trade for desserts?"
Called out without an ounce of hesitation, Gojo didn't even flinch.
"Don't be so formal with me. And call me Satoru, by the way. I'm sure the Margrave wouldn't object if he were here."
"Unfortunately, Lord Roswaal is not here."
"All the more reason for Miss Rem to lighten up a little."
"I swear, does anything besides sweets ever cross your mind?" Felt groaned.
"Before you can chase lofty ideals, I think it's better to keep life simple." Gojo grinned, utterly shameless. "Eating what you enjoy isn't exactly a crime."
"One."
Rem held up a single finger.
"You may choose one dessert, if they have any. I don't have much money on me. Most of it needs to go toward tomorrow's food."
"Hold on, didn't Reinhard say the Margrave wasn't short on funds?"
Gojo eyed her, suspicious.
"We didn't plan to stay in the capital long, so we didn't bring much. And most of it has already been spent."
"I can confirm that." Emilia raised her hand mid-stretch, her voice small.
This trip to the capital had mostly been her idea. She'd wanted to see the city. Rem had come along as her escort and to handle some purchasing errands. Whatever money remained was next to nothing.
"Fair enough. Then thank you, Miss Rem."
The two made their rounds among the nearby merchants. Everyone who saw them coming from the direction of the noble carriage was polite, and when they heard Rem was looking to buy food, the offers came fast and friendly.
Before long, Gojo returned carrying a jar of honey and an armful of provisions.
"Satoru, come look at this. Is that writing on the trunk?"
Subaru flagged him down the moment he got back, pointing at the bark of Flugel's Tree.
"What's up?"
Gojo walked over to the trunk, scooped a bit of honey with a small spoon, and popped it into his mouth. Pure, natural sweetness spread across his tongue, and his mood lifted considerably.
"I noticed something on the bark earlier. It looks like letters, kind of faded. And I think they might be Japanese."
"Japanese?"
That got his attention.
He tugged his sunglasses down and looked up, following where Subaru was pointing. There, carved into the rough, uneven bark, faint marks were visible. Gojo squinted, studying them carefully, then read aloud, one word at a time.
"Flugel... was here."
It was Japanese. Exactly as Subaru had said, the characters scratched into the ancient wood were unmistakably Japanese.
"Flugel?" Subaru's eyes went wide. "That's the name of the tree. Who left this? Was it the Great Sage?"
"Then that means..."
Their eyes met. Subaru searched Gojo's sunglasses and saw nothing but his own reflection. Gojo, looking back, could read everything on Subaru's face: shock, excitement, the gears turning at full speed.
"If I had to guess," Gojo said, "the Great Sage was probably the same as us."
"What are you two mumbling about? Comparing yourselves to the Great Sage now?" Felt sidled over, glancing between them.
Nobody else understood what their exchange meant.
But Gojo and Subaru both knew.
The Great Sage, the legendary figure from centuries past, had most likely been transported to this world the same way they had.
For both of them, this was no small discovery.
Subaru especially. His mind raced through every light novel plot he'd ever absorbed, and the connections started firing.
"What if... the Witch of Envy is about to break free from her seal?"
He'd been in this world long enough to pick things up. He wasn't the clueless newcomer he'd been at the start. The history from centuries ago, the sealing, the players involved... he'd heard the stories.
Gojo could practically see the thought blazing behind Subaru's eyes.
In Subaru's mind, the two of them had been summoned as successors to the Great Sage. Their mission: to seal the Witch of Envy, Satella, before she could destroy the world a second time.
The kid who'd been drifting along day to day, following Gojo and Felt around, worrying about where the next meal was coming from, suddenly looked like someone who'd found his purpose. Light returned to his eyes.
Gojo didn't feel nearly as stirred. But if things were heading where they guessed, then Subaru's theory wasn't entirely without merit.