TO THE ONE I MET UPON A STORY’S PAGE
“So the six great spirits sang together and unleashed untold destruction? Is that what you’re saying?”
“Y-yes…At least, that’s what the story says…”
Tione’s stern look elicited a confused nod from the white-haired boy. In the sunny streets of Orario, she and Tiona had just finished hearing an account of the “Spirits’ Six-Ring” from Bell Cranell. That was the final piece of the puzzle they had been looking for.
Tione and Aiz nodded to each other. This was big. They said their farewells to Bell, then set off running, eager to inform Finn and the others as quickly as possible.
Only Tiona stayed behind, staring at Bell, as if he were the wise character from a hero story whose role was to help the main hero along with a piece of timely advice.
Then she clapped her hands around Bell’s cheeks and squeezed.
“M-mish Tiona…?”
Bell wasn’t quite sure what to make of the Amazonian girl massaging his cheeks. His face slowly turned red as Tiona studied his face, ignoring the nearby prum girl’s cries of “Wh-what are you doing to Mr. Bell?!”
“How come you know everything, Argonaut?” she asked.
“Hwuh…?”
“I really gotta talk to you more often!”
Her sister called her name, and Tiona flashed a wide-eyed, beaming smile like that of a little child.
“Thank you!” she said. “We’ll make sure your help is put to good use! Next time we meet, we can chat about stories again! We can laugh together again!”
And with one last smile and a wave, she departed, the resolve of a one-sided vow burning in her chest.
“What do you suppose all that was about?”
“…I don’t know…”
After Tiona left, Lilly and Bell stood alone in a crowd of people.
“But I think,” said Bell, “they’re going on an adventure…At least, that’s what it looked like to me…”
The stern look of the girl he admired and Tiona’s sunny smile—both were etched into Bell’s rubellite eyes. He could never forget them even if he tried.
If all was connected by fate, then the seeds of that fate had already been sown.
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