Chapter 62: Starry Night ⑤
The person already there… was Bid.
Leaning against the railing and gazing up at the night sky, she noticed me and turned around.
“Oh? Hehe, isn’t that Wof?”
“G-good evening…”
My heart skipped a beat.
She was dressed differently than usual.
A pale pink, slightly sheer nightgown.
The hem was short—and she wasn’t wearing her usual spats.
I could faintly see what looked like black underwear beneath.
Maybe that’s why…
She looked more mature than usual—more alluring.
“What’s wrong?”
“The stars… are amazing…”
I looked up to hide my fluster.
The sky above was like a canopy of stars, so brilliant it felt like they might pour down at any moment.
Blue, purple, red, green, yellow—vivid, mystical colors painted across the heavens.
Since there were no trees around the finger rock, nothing blocked the view.
“It’s a nice night,”
She said with a soft laugh.
Naturally, I stood beside her.
“Can’t sleep?”
“Yeah… I guess I’m a little nervous.”
Now that she mentioned it… maybe that’s why I couldn’t sleep either.
“I’m also worried about Torquetum.”
“Me too.”
We hadn’t met the advance team we were supposed to reunite with here.
It made me uneasy…
But at the same time, I trusted they’d be fine.
“…It’s strange.”
“What is?”
She smiled softly and looked at me.
That’s when I noticed—
On her wrist was the bracelet I had given her.
“I don’t like men,”
She said.
“R-really…?”
“Not that I’m openly hostile. I can talk normally. But yeah… I still don’t like them.”
Honestly, I would never have guessed.
She was so sociable.
“…I couldn’t tell at all.”
“Yeah. I make sure it doesn’t show. I’m from a rural village in the Empire on the neighboring continent. That place was awful—male dominance was normal, and things like night raids and abduction marriages were common.”
“…That’s… terrible.”
It really was.
The kind of place you’d only hear about in stories.
“When you come of age, it happens to you too. My best friend—the most beautiful girl in the village—was constantly targeted. Most of the younger people were against it, but the old geezers wouldn’t budge. So we beat up every guy who tried anything, then publicly beat the village chief and his cronies, smashed the elders’ mansions, and took Kimkwi, the village treasure, as compensation before leaving.”
“…That’s… actually kind of satisfying.”
And bold.
But now I understood.
No wonder she disliked men.
“I crossed over to this continent and became an explorer in the capital. After working solo for a while, I met Zan Brave.”
“The capital, huh…”
“Lots of people, lots of jobs. But also lots of danger and trouble.”
“I see…”
I’d never been to the capital.
Most people from rural areas go there first.
It’s the busiest place, with endless work.
And there’s also a dungeon there—managed by Edda.
“At first I just helped them out. Then I ended up joining. After a little over two years, we disbanded… and that brings us to now.”
She finished, scratching her cheek shyly.
I remembered something.
“You said earlier—what was ‘strange’?”
“Hehe… that?”
She raised one finger playfully in front of me.
“For someone as stubbornly anti-men as me… I don’t dislike you, Wof. That’s what feels strange.”
“Th-thank you…”
Hearing that made me feel embarrassed.
She gently blew on her fingertip like extinguishing a candle.
That gesture felt… strangely captivating.
“So… I want to know more about you.”
“Me?”
I blinked.
“Yeah. What was your hometown like?”
“Just a normal rural village. Poor. Nothing special. I was a farmer’s fourth son.”
Nothing remarkable at all.
“So the eldest inherits the house?”
“Yeah. Pretty standard.”
“But usually you stay until adulthood, right?”
That was true.
But in my case—
“I planned to, but then my uncle sent me a letter offering me his place in Hydrangea… and honestly, our house was cramped. No privacy at all.”
“Just a bed?”
“Exactly.”
Like a submarine crew bunk from my past life.
“I had my own room,”
She said.
“I also… had reasons I couldn’t stay.”
“Oh? Did you do something?”
She grinned mischievously.
“I punched the village chief’s son.”
“You went all out. Why?”
“He tried to force himself on my sisters.”
“Yeah… figures.”
She sighed.
“Night raids were allowed in the village, but my younger sister was still underage. I stopped him—and also stopped him from targeting my older sister. That caused trouble.”
“That sounds annoying.”
“They were planning to abolish the practice anyway, so I wasn’t punished. But… my position in the village became awkward.”
“So you left before adulthood.”
“The moment I got that letter. I left the next day.”
“…Did your family approve?”
“I left a note.”
That was enough.
“You weren’t on bad terms with them… right?”
“No. We were fine.”
Just… ordinary.
“…Guess it doesn’t matter now.”
“My uncle had a big influence on me.”
“Yeah… that makes total sense.”
She nodded like it explained everything.
“That’s about it.”
Thinking about it… this was the first time I’d ever talked about my home.
Not that it was anything special.
“Your uncle… judging by that hideout and junkyard in Heizen, he must’ve done all sorts of things.”
“Yeah… probably.”
“But he’s not a Rank I explorer?”
“Right. Which is strange.”
“Very strange.”
Exactly.
“What’s his name?”
“…I’ve always just called him ‘Uncle’…”
She laughed.
“Happens with family. I once forgot my cousin’s name because I always called her ‘sis.’”
“He might be famous for something…”
There were hints.
Connections.
A past full of… chaos.
“Definitely. I mean, he’s your uncle after all!”
“Haha…”
What did that even mean?
I looked up at the sky again.
The stars here didn’t match anything from my past life.
And tonight, the moon was a crescent.
“Hey… changing the topic, but I’ve decided something.”
“What is it?”
“—I’m going to officially join Torquetum.”
“You’re joining.”
Finally.
“I’ve been thinking about it. I could keep going solo… but it didn’t feel right. I’ve been with them a long time, and I’m basically living with them already. And more than anything… it feels comfortable.”
“They’ll be happy.”
“Yeah… I’m really enjoying things right now. More than I ever did in Zan Brave. And that’s… thanks to you, Wof.”
“Me?”
She moved slightly closer.
“You helped me grow stronger. Shunsoku Sword is my treasure.”
“That was just luck.”
“That luck only happened because you were there.”
“Well… you were the one who recognized it.”
Still, she shook her head.
“And Palestesia—I love it too.”
“It’s really useful.”
“And this bracelet…”
“I’m glad.”
It suited her.
“Hey, Wof…”
Her voice changed—soft, almost sweet.
I looked at her.
Her eyes were moist.
Her cheeks flushed.
Her gaze intense.
She moved closer.
Closer—
“—The stars are beautiful.”
She whispered it right in front of me.
Then she smiled softly, stepped back, and spun lightly like dancing.
“Y-yes. They are.”
I answered honestly.
Because she shone like the stars themselves.
Because she looked… beautiful.
So I said it—straight from the heart.