"Nothing should happen… right?"
Elliot thought to himself as he stepped onto Narukami Island.
Ever since leaving Watatsumi Island, he had carried an indescribable feeling in his chest—strange, vague, and impossible to pin down.
He still felt a faint wariness toward the merchant named Yide. Something about the man just didn't sit right.
Back on Watatsumi Island, Elliot had even asked Rina to keep an eye on him.
A few days later, Rina reported back, saying Yide was a good man who often brought them fish.
Elliot then learned that Yide didn't just give fish to her—he had shared them with many others as well. That all but ruled out the idea that Yide was trying to cozy up to Rina just to pry into Elliot's affairs.
Elliot had kept watch on him from the shadows, but found nothing out of the ordinary. The only real reason for his suspicion was that, on the very day Yide had been rescued, he had quietly shown up at Elliot's small wooden hut.
Aside from that odd detail, there had been nothing particularly alarming.
"I'll only be gone for a day or two. Once the birthday celebration's over, I'll find an excuse to head back. It should be fine… Even if something does happen, he's just one man. How much trouble could he really stir up?"
With that, Elliot pushed aside the uneasy thoughts and started looking for gifts for Kitsune Saiguu and the Scrap Fox.
Every time he came to Narukami Island, he couldn't help but feel a pang for the stark contrast to Watatsumi Island.
Here, you could find just about anything you wanted. Back there, it was nothing but fish day after day—pitiful, really.
Weaving through the bustling streets, Elliot took his time browsing.
After searching for a while, he stepped into a jewelry shop and eventually found two items he liked: a pair of earrings set with purple gemstones, and a finely crafted comb with a cherry blossom tree carved into its handle.
The purple earrings were for the fox, and the comb was naturally for Kitsune Saiguu.
After making his selections, he bought both, had them carefully wrapped, and thought to himself, "If I remember right… fox spirits love fried tofu. I should pick some up too."
With the gifts in hand, he headed toward a large restaurant.
...
At that moment, on Watatsumi Island—
"Pirates…?"
"Yide, what's going on? Weren't your friends merchants, not pirates?"
Miyagi stared in shock at the stream of people pouring off the ship, rooted to the spot.
It wasn't just him—Rina, and indeed everyone on the island, stood frozen in disbelief.
Each newcomer carried a machete, eyes glinting with greed. Their faces made it clear they were nothing like merchants.
No one had imagined that the long-awaited "gifts" would turn out to be an entire crew of pirates.
"You lot have been stuck in this little well far too long. The combined brains of the entire island wouldn't fill a thumbnail."
Yide no longer bothered with the act. His face twisted with mockery, each word laced with scorn.
"Yide…"
"What… do you mean by that?" Miyagi asked blankly.
"I mean…" Yide's lips curled into a savage grin.
"You're all as stupid as pigs."
The words hit like a thunderclap, ringing in every ear.
The islanders stood rooted in place, eyes trembling as they looked at the grinning pirates around them.
"If it weren't for that big tengu living here, I would've wiped you all out on the very first day."
"Do you have any idea how painful it's been, spending every day with a bunch of pig-brained idiots?"
"You… are the stupidest creature I've ever met in my life." Yide stared straight into Miyagi's eyes, enunciating every word.
The insult stabbed into Miyagi's chest like a needle, leaving him reeling in confusion.
Seeing his dazed look only made Yide more delighted.
"Meeting you really has been my good fortune. If it weren't for fools like you, my plan never would've gone so smoothly."
"When you boarded the pirate ship with me, there was noise coming from one of the iron crates. I was afraid it would give us away and was ready to kill you on the spot."
"But all it took was telling you, 'They're just animals being transported,' and you swallowed it without question."
"You saw that no one on the ship looked anything like a merchant, and you didn't suspect a thing?"
"If I were you, I would've ended my own life by now."
"Because…"
"You're so stupid, it's unbelievable."
Those words shattered the last of Miyagi's hope. His eyes went wide, his breathing caught in his throat.
He thought back to that moment he boarded the ship with Yide.
If those weren't animals…
Then…
A shudder ran through him. His head turned stiffly, almost mechanically, toward the people of Watatsumi Island standing behind him.
And in that instant, he understood.
He now knew exactly what was inside those iron crates.
Slowly, he turned back to the grinning Yide.
From his vacant eyes, tears of pure despair began to fall.