The rain in Tobesk was much gentler than the rain in the port cities. The day-long rainfall had greatly weakened the polluting fog shrouding the city, while simultaneously freshening the air.
Summer was typically a sultry season, but traveling in the summer rain, one felt no heat at all, nor the excessive humidity found in the rain of Coldwater Port.
When Shade knocked on the door downstairs of Miss Louisa's rented apartment, clutching a paper bag and holding an umbrella, rain struck the surface of the umbrella in rhythmic strings from the eaves. The landlady who opened the door looked somewhat displeased.
It wasn't that she didn't welcome tenants' guests, but rather she was reprimanding Shade for disturbing her for the second time today. The residents here were all ladies, and the landlady did not welcome frequent visits from men; this was a requirement in the rental contract.
Miss Louisa was even more surprised to see Shade. She was still wearing the same dress she had been in when they met that morning; it seemed that due to the weather, she hadn't gone out today.
"Shade, you haven't left yet? Is there something else you need to instruct me on?"
"No, no, it's not that I haven't left—I've already returned. Look, a souvenir for you."
Upon reaching the third-floor living room, he handed over the freshly dead fish contained in the paper bag. The smell of fish was quite strong.
"Meow~"
At the sound, the cat that had been standing on the windowsill suddenly pounced. However, Mia wasn't trying to pounce on the unlucky fish; she jumped from the windowsill to a chair, from the chair to the table, and then, using the height of the table, clung to Shade's arm and refused to let go.
She let out several "meows" in a voice that sounded quite aggrieved, as if terrified that Shade might leave her behind again.
"She spent almost the entire afternoon crouching on the windowsill, staring at the street outside," Miss Louisa said with a smile, before looking at the fish with distaste.
"Shade, why would you think I possess the skills to process a fish? I would never deal with something so troublesome. However, this fish looks quite good. Did you catch it yourself?"
After asking, she eyed the fish suspiciously.
"But... it's very fresh, and it seems to be a saltwater fish. Where on earth did you go?"
"Well, that is a very long story. Please allow me to keep it a secret for now."
In truth, he simply didn't want to reveal the secret of his house just yet.
"I am truly exhausted today. I came to pick up Mia, and I still have to eat when I get back. Miss Louisa, thank you very much for helping take care of this cat; I hope she didn't cause you any trouble."
"This cat is very well-behaved, but have you not eaten yet?" the blonde girl asked with concern, standing up from the sofa.
"Since you've brought a big fish, why don't we eat it together? It just so happens that both I and your cat haven't eaten yet."
"Didn't you say you don't know how to process fish? Oh, neither do I."
"That's why we'll go out to eat. I know a very good restaurant that allows guests to bring their own ingredients. Besides, I think your cat would like the fish, but we must be careful not to let a bone get stuck in her throat."
"Meow~"
Mia likely didn't hear what the blonde girl said; held in Shade's arms, she squinted her eyes, focusing intently on rubbing her face against Shade's clothes.
"Speaking of which, I forgot to ask this morning—what made you suddenly decide to go on a long trip?"
Miss Louisa went into her bedroom to change into outdoor clothes, while Shade remained seated on the sofa. The two conversed through a door, but this was entirely different from conversing with Miss Galina through a door. Talking with the blonde writer only made Shade feel warmth and trust, whereas talking with the unfamiliar Great Witch had brought only tension.
"The reason for leaving..."
Shade thought for a moment, deciding not to mention the matter of venturing deep into the ruins to face the Silver-Eyed One. That matter was far too dangerous; there was no need to involve Miss Louisa. Holding a teacup in one hand and petting the cat with the other, he spoke toward the closed door
"Just a whim. As you know, Circle Scholars can sometimes have very strange inspirations. I recently had an inspiration to take a trip."
"Having inspiration is certainly wonderful, but one must also be careful of the traps that inspiration brings, Circle Scholar..."
She paused. Shade's overly sensitive hearing allowed him to hear the sound of a wardrobe door being pulled open.
"The inspiration of a Circle Scholar sometimes doesn't stem from something they thought of, but from something making them think of it."
Miss Louisa continued to impart her experience through the door, her tone somewhat languid.
"Therefore, one must think things through clearly before acting, but one must not become overly timid because of it."
He heard the sound of hangers clashing in the wardrobe, the sound of footsteps, the sound of clothes being tossed onto the bed, and then, the sound of a dress sash being untied...
The image flashed into his mind, and Shade's face suddenly flushed red.
"Oh, Miss Louisa, may I use the washroom? Mia's paws need washing; she's already left two marks on my clothes."
"You may... I recall her paws weren't very clean?"
Shade didn't answer, instead walking quickly toward the washroom. The washroom was quite far from Miss Louisa's bedroom, so Shade could no longer hear the sounds he wasn't supposed to hear.
The washroom in the writer's rented apartment was slightly smaller than the one in Shade's home. The steam pipes weren't buried in the walls but ran directly across them, clinging to the walls and making the interior space seem even smaller.
There was a strong scent of spices in the washroom. This wasn't because perfume had been spilled, as Shade's own washroom had a similar scent. The sewage system of this era was not yet perfected, so to prevent strange odors from emerging and spreading through the house, poor people used orange peels, while those with a bit of money used low-grade spices placed at the washroom door or the drain joints to mask the smell.
He reached out to twist open the gas lamp, avoiding looking around and walking straight to the sink. A bright mirror sat within a metal frame, and the faucet below it was brass-colored, with a series of numbers stamped on the side. With a creak, he turned the faucet; a few gulps of water sputtered out first before flowing normally.
"When did my hearing become this good?"
He was still somewhat flushed. Holding the cat in one arm while looking in the mirror, he swept his other hand back and forth under the faucet to create the sound of actually using the water.
【This should be an insignificant trait of the Occultism—Echoes of the Past, which slightly improved your hearing level. Otherwise, how would you have been able to continuously capture footsteps in a crowded city?】
Though there was no one behind him in the mirror, the voice still made Shade feel as if a woman were leaning over him, whispering softly in his ear.
He looked into the mirror and carefully reached toward his shoulder with a wet hand, but whether in the mirror or outside of it, he touched nothing.
The woman chuckled in Shade's ear, as if mocking his current behavior
【But, why were you blushing just now?】
"Why was I blushing?"
He asked back, looking at his clearly Western features in the mirror and waving his hand. Looking at the reflection, he was amused by his own foolish actions.
"Meow~"
Mia noticed Shade's movement. She wriggled up in the crook of his arm and waved her paw at the small orange cat in the mirror. Seeing the cat in the mirror wave back, Mia let out a threatening hiss at "it."
Outlanders were not skilled at cooking, so they spent most of their time finding cheap restaurants around St. Delan Square.
The restaurant Miss Louisa took Shade to this time looked like a so-called high-end establishment by any measure. Fortunately, it wasn't *too* high-end, otherwise they would have had to change clothes to enter.
The restaurant allowed guests to bring their own ingredients, and the chef expertly recognized that the fish Shade brought was a type of West Coast sea fish called 'Olyck Fish.' Although it was dead, it didn't seem to have been dead for long.
"Rest assured, I will not waste your fish, guest."
Shade still remembered the terrible culinary standards of Delarion, so he was actually worried—because of the chef's confidence—that he might see something horrific like "fish-head pizza."
Unexpectedly, he ended up enjoying a very good fish soup and butter-fried fish together with Miss Louisa and Mia.
They sat at a table against the wall, where oil paintings of lavender fields and windmills hung.
Miss Louisa noticed that Shade had something on his mind. During the meal, she tentatively tried to find out what he was doing, but Shade deflected her every time. In the end, she simply hinted that he could seek her help if needed, but Shade truly did not want to drag Miss Louisa into that trouble.
Overall, however, the dinner was quite pleasant. Miss Louisa spoke enthusiastically about the menu, while Shade told the amusing story of attending an academic report last Friday and coincidentally meeting Professor Manning.
As for Mia, for the sake of the cat's health, Shade did not share the fish soup with her. However, the chef specifically separated a piece of meat from the big fish with all the bones removed. Until Mia finished her meal, she likely had no time to pay attention to Shade.
Bringing one's own ingredients still required a bill, but upon leaving, Shade only pressed a tip under the plate and paid nothing else, as Miss Louisa mentioned that this meal would be put on the tab, as before.
It was only when they held their umbrellas at the rain-drenched restaurant entrance, and Shade intended to escort the blonde girl back to Quill Street, that Miss Louisa mentioned she wasn't the one paying for the meal
"Lacia is a regular here; she often sneaks out to eat here, so it's fine to put it on her tab."
The two walked together along the rainy street, the cat curled on Shade's shoulder. The gas streetlamps were dim in the rain, and the three-quarter moon was hidden behind dark clouds. Judging by Miss Louisa's nonchalant tone, this wasn't the first time she had done this.
Her relationship with that Princess Lacia Cavendish, whom Shade had not yet met, seemed to be truly very good.
(End of Chapter)