Rona was an unremarkable-looking child, but she was quite tall. Among the other children, she stood out like a little giant, though she was rather thin.

Her reddish-brown hair was tied into a thick braid that hung down her back. It looked like it’d really hurt if she smacked someone in the face with it.

After she and her father, Nicola, put away what they’d gathered that day, she said goodbye to her family and went out.

After all, she’d noticed Joey sneaking around nearby and watching her. She’d also noticed the signal he’d made—a secret sign they’d agreed on long ago, back when they were still close, meant for the two of them alone.

It’d been so long since she’d seen that signal.

Thinking of that, Rona couldn’t help smiling a little. A hint of brightness touched her otherwise plain face.

“Rona? Hey, Rona!”

Halfway there, another girl suddenly popped out. She was tiny, making a striking contrast with the tall Rona. Together they looked like a little giant and a big dwarf. There was something so small and sweet about her that it stirred a tender feeling in anyone who saw her.

“Wah! Oh, what is it, Yilo?”

Startled by the little girl, Rona smiled and asked her.

The girl, whose hair was black as midnight, was a strange one. She often did things no one expected, yet always knew where to draw the line—she never annoyed anyone. Her blue eyes, said to be inherited from her mother, were like a deep lake, making it impossible to see what was in her heart. A faint smile often played on her lips, and with that easygoing air, she’d fashioned herself a perfect, childlike poker face.

Yilo circled Rona once and sniffed. “There’s something different about Rona today!”

“Huh? Huh?”

Rona clasped her arms, shrinking back a little. “What’s different about me today?” she asked, puzzled.

“Hmm...”

Yilo furrowed her brow. Maybe she hadn’t gotten a good enough look on her first lap, because she circled Rona again. “I don’t know. Rona just seems kind of strange today! But...”

Suddenly leaning in close, Yilo sniffed by Rona’s neck, then grinned. “You smell nice! Like the forest, and medicinal herbs. Mm, and you have your own scent, too!”

“Oh, honestly... Yilo, stop teasing me...”

Half embarrassed and half annoyed, Rona pushed Yilo away. “Your father—he’s not home?”

“Nope!”

Yilo nodded as if it didn’t matter. “You know how he is, Rona. If he’s home for even a day and a half in a whole month, that’s a lot! I think it’d be better if he just stayed away.”

Yilo’s father was famous throughout the village for being a good-for-nothing layabout. He’d even fathered Yilo by accident. Her mother had fallen ill and died when Yilo was young, and her only remaining parent barely cared about her. The little girl had gone through who knew how many hardships over the years. Fortunately, there were plenty of kind people in the village. Without them, she might have died long ago.

“You shouldn’t say things like that so carelessly... It wouldn’t be good if someone heard you.”

A shadow crossed Rona’s eyes. She glanced at the sky. “Oh no, I still have things to do, and I’m running out of time... Yilo, go on home. I’ll bring you some vegetables later!”

“Huh? Oh, okay!”

Yilo watched Rona hurry away, still standing where she was. The smile on her face slowly faded until only the faintest curve remained at the corners of her mouth.

“So Rona has things to do, too~”

Yilo lightly rubbed her lips with a fingertip and murmured to herself with a half-smile, “Well, someone like me has no right to meddle, I guess~ Still, I caught the faint scent of innocent longing. It smells so sweet...”

I kind of want to follow her.

“Hey, Yilo?”

“Yeah, that’s me!”

A villager nearby struck up a friendly conversation with Yilo, and she did her best to respond. But at the edge of her vision, she kept track of Rona.

She’s around the corner now. Can’t see her anymore... I’ll wander over there in a bit.

......

“Sorry... I’m late!”

Breathing lightly, Rona jogged the rest of the way to the meeting place.

They were outside the village, closer to the little town. Gently rolling, emerald-green fields stretched out on either side, with a shallow stream running between them and a stone bridge crossing over it.

There were places to stand beneath the stone bridge, too. Joey and Rona had spent many wonderful moments together there.

Leticia felt that today would decide whether those days began anew here and continued—or were buried away as memories.

“Rona!”

Joey was clearly delighted to see her. He took two steps forward, then stopped, his face turning red. “Th-thank you!”

“Huh? Huh?!”

Rona was taken aback. “Th-that’s not something you need to apologize for!”

“B-because you saw me, Rona. And then... then you still remembered our promise...”

Joey’s voice grew quieter with every word. “I’m really, really happy!”

With an atmosphere like this... staying here felt like a complete failure to read the room.

Thinking that, Leticia came over and patted Joey on the shoulder. It gave the increasingly awkward tension between the two of them a leash, keeping it from becoming too unbearable—and it was also a subtle reminder for Joey to say what he wanted to say. “Good luck.”

“Oh, right. Thank you!”

Only then did Joey realize that he hadn’t even asked the strange little boy’s name.

“It’s fine.”

Leticia left them alone, giving the two kids time to talk things out.

Besides, she already knew Rona’s family made medicine, so there was no need to rush. You couldn’t exactly run away from your own home. Why hurry over something that could wait?

Besides, she had ways to pass the time. She could go talk to that brat and keep track of things.

Leticia sat down casually in the grass, choosing a spot far away. She watched the little stream burbling along and gazed at the fish and shrimp flickering into view beneath the water.

“Oh? Who are you?”

Just as she was about to speak with Stano, she heard someone ask a question behind her.

She turned around and saw a petite girl. She was quite pretty, though a little thin, and her hands and feet bore scars and calluses. Her black hair was smooth and fell just to her shoulders. Curiosity shone in her blue eyes, like a mirror.

The girl stood behind her, tilting her head slightly with a faint smile. “I haven’t seen you around before.”

Disgusting...

“I haven’t seen you before, either. Who are you?”

Leticia looked at the girl coolly. For some reason, the moment she saw her, she felt a strange aversion—as if this person wasn’t any good.

“Oh, I’m Yilo.”

Yilo tapped her head, then said with sudden understanding, “All right, now you know who I am. What about you?”

“Me?”

Leticia’s eyes narrowed slightly, then she broke into a gentle smile. “My name is Stano.”