"Haaah…"
Jamie breathed out a big sigh of relief. "That was a close one Reno." He continued, releasing my hand that he'd been holding since we left the clothing store.
"Luckily uncle Zecko stepped in to help us or that could've been real bad." I added, similarly relieved.
"I wonder just why my dad did that…"His expression turned to one of puzzlement. "He usually prefers to just watch things play out—" he paused.
Uncle Zecko did definitely seem like the more observant and quiet type.
Then, Jamie grinned. "He must've come to like you Reno!"
"That. Or maybe he just felt bad." I said scratching my head. I didn't have a good enough grasp on Zecko yet to come to a definitive conclusion.
"Hey Reno," Jamie said.
"What is it?" I replied.
"You seem kinda sad." His expression stayed puzzled as if he'd never seen a kid who didn't want to play outside.
"Well…" my voice trailed off.
I wasn't exactly sad per se. Just, conflicted. I couldn't get his earlier words out of my head, and I couldn't shake off Silvia's look when she said goodbye earlier. She was proud, but I could see behind it she was slightly sad.
"Hmm," Jamie scratched his cheek. "Is it because…" his voice got quieter, like he knew what he was about to say couldn't possibly be right. He scratched his head, as if that would shake the answer he was looking for out.
A moment after, he froze, his hand coming to a pause. His eyes widened with realisation as his hand curled into a fist which he hammered down onto his other hand which lay flat palm up.
"That's it!" He grinned.
"What?" I said, confused. "Did I miss something?"
"I know why you're sad now!" He continued, still smiling cheerfully.
"So why am I sad?" I asked.
"Because you don't know how fun it can be to play outside!" He said, excited.
What..?
"It'll be easier if I just show you." He nodded with understanding upon seeing my confused expression. "You see the fountain over there Reno?"
"Yeah." I said.
"Perfect." He smiled. "Let's have a race there!"
Huh? Just where did he get that idea from? I don't think it'd be fair to him considering I ran track in my last life for longer than he's been alive.
"I think—"
"Don't think!" He cut me off. "Just run okay? Three, two, on—"
"Wait wai—"
"Go!"
Whoosh!
He zoomed off, running towards the fountain with all his might. He was fast.
I sighed, letting go of all my worries and convoluted thoughts with it.
Don't think, huh?
"Fine, whatever!" I charged forward, building up my stride and quickly settling into the steady form I used in my past life.
His figure was inched closer, but the fountain wasn't far now. Now, it was a race against the clock.
"Haha! So you really are a kid too Reno!" Jamie laughed as he saw me approaching from behind. "Catch me if you can!"
This little…
I locked in, zoning everything else around me out. I wasn't thinking about his words from earlier or Silvia's slightly melancholic parting gaze.
I wasn't thinking about Stox's lonely back or the sound of Glyffe's sobs. I wasn't thinking about Asim's apology or Magia's courage.
One step. Two step. One step. Two step. I was gliding through Butter Town's central plaza with a very familiar rhythm as my guide.
Just a little further—
Clasp!
"It's my win!" Jamie said animatedly. His right hand had barely managed to get hold of the edge of the fountain.
"Haaah…" I panted. "Not this time."
Jamie eyes widened as he looked to the right.
"T-two hands!?" He retreated back as he put both of his hands on his head in panic. "I-I lost!?"
"Haah… yeah." And you had a head-start.
"Awww man, I've never lost to any other kid my age." He sighed, disheartened. "Next time I'll win!" He declared stubbornly.
"Haaah… sure." I said, still trying to catch my breath.
I held back the urge to gloat. For now, I just let myself enjoy the feeling of running again.
For a moment, I forgot everything else. No second life responsibilities. No regrets. Just running.
But a part of me knew: moments like this wouldn't last forever. Childhood was short—especially for someone like me, who'd already lived through one.
Still, maybe that's why it mattered so much. Maybe that's why I needed to treasure these silly races while I could.
Though admittedly, I really did have to go running more often. I was already out of breath from a short sprint—meanwhile Jamie hadn't even broken a sweat. But maybe that was just Jamie.
"You know Reno," Jamie said turning to me.
"What?"
"You know how I said I've never lost before? That was a lie."
"Oh? Who beat you?" I asked curiously.
"Everyday… I lose." He paused. "To the sky."
What? Is he a kid or a philosopher?
"What do you mean?" I said, very intrigued. His lips curled up slightly hearing my question.
"I mean," he pointed upwards. "Just look." His smile grew even wider.
I'm not sure what's so amusing but… I looked up.
Whoosh!
The world tilted sideways. My right arm flailed, trying to grab at something, but my fingers only sliced through air.
The rim of the fountain smacked against my shin, sending a jolt up my leg. My center of gravity gave up on me entirely, and my stomach lurched as the ground vanished from under my feet.
Splash!
The cold swallowed me whole. Water surged over my head, pressing heavy against my chest, curling into my ears. For a split second, the world narrowed to bubbles and blurred light. My limbs kicked frantically off pure instinct.
Splosh!
"Hahaha!"
"Haaaah…" I sucked in the surrounding air like a vacuum.
"You actually fell for that Reno?" Jamie's laughter rang out over me. He was doubled over, clutching his sides, barely able to stand.
This little sh—
I panted, still gasping for air. Item #1 of the '100 things I had to do after being reincarnated' list—swim in the fountain—could now be checked off.
I'd imagined doing it of my own volition. Maybe sneaking off when Silvia wasn't looking or diving in to pick up something I drop in there 'by accident'. I never imagined it would happen like this.
Now I was glad that Glyffe kept a hold of the coupled book Cindy had given me. It would've been a shame if I never got to use it because it became a watery mess.
All that talk about the sky had been complete nonsense just to distract me. So, the reason he was smiling so hard was because he'd planned to push me into the fountain for a while now—and I'd been playing right into his hands. What a cunning brat.
I drew in a deep breath, the chill in the air calming me down.
"You got me." I forced a smile.
"Pfft! Of course I did! It wasn't hard! Hahaha!" He laughed smugly. "You might be fast Reno, but you're not very smart!"
I could feel my face heating up in annoyance. My eyebrows twitched. Keep calm Reno, keep calm.
"Ahhh." I exclaimed from still inside the fountain, surprised.
"What is it?" Jamie asked, surprised at my sudden outburst.
"Do you know about the owner of the Clevio Bookstore?" I said.
"Of course—just who doesn't? He's the one who hasn't been outside in years, right?" Jamie said with confidence.
I felt bad using Magia's grandfather's reputation for something like this but it was for a good cause. Revenge.
"I went to the bookstore earlier today." I continued.
"Ah really? Are the rumours true?" He said, invested.
"You won't believe it but…" I paused, building up suspense. "He's just left the shop now, but he's almost gone. If you don't look now you'll miss him." I point in the direction of Clevio bookstore.
"Where where?" Jamie said, turning to see.
Gotcha.
"Uh uwoah—"
Whoosh! Splash!
I watched as Jamie spins through the air in complete shock. So that's what I looked like earlier.
As he fell, I caught a glimpse of two kids looking at me when I pushed Jamie into the fountain. I hoped they didn't think I was a bully.
Splosh!
Jamie's upper body burst up from underwater like a dolphin. His face was the epitome of shock.
"Hehe." I smiled. "Now we're even!"
"Reno you…" He stuttered. "Y-you…"
"What?" I said, acting nonchalant.
"You won't get away with this! Take this!"
He brought his hands together and shoved in my direction. A wave of water flew towards me.
Splish!
"Okay now we're even." Jamie cackled.
"No."
Splish!
"Now we're even." I corrected.
"Now that does it!"
"Hey wait—"
Splish! Splish! Splish! Splish! Splish!
A barrage of water attacks flew from both directions. First him then me with a continuous back and forth.
His attacks were clearly practiced—it definitely wasn't his first water fight.
This isn't good, I'm being out-traded. I reached for the fountain's outer rim.
"Hahaha run while you can Reno! I'm the king of this fountain!" Jamie laughed maniacally, satisfied with his water barrage.
I jumped out, smiling as I created some distance between us. I thrusted my right hand out as I closed my eyes.
I remembered Jamie's position as I visualised a sphere of water. I connected to an area deep in my chest, a strange energy flowing from it into my hand.
Water Bomb!
A perfect ball of water rushed forward, hitting Jamie squarely in the face.
Splash!
"Magic? That's cheating I can't reach you from here wai—"
Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash! Splash!
"Stop! Stop! I surrender I surrender!" Jamie said helplessly.
"Who's running now?" I jeered.
"Me me , I'm sorry!" Jamie pleaded.
I put my arm down. We made eye contact.
""Hahahaha!"" We both laughed, not a care or a worry for the things or people around us.
"See how much fun playing out is?" Jamie said triumphantly as he climbed out of the fountain. He may have lost the water fight but his earlier point still stood.
"Yeah, I'll admit you were right." I agreed.
"There's still so much to show you!" Jamie said as he walked towards me. "My friends should be here soon, I'll introduce you to all of them!"
"Your friends?" I paused. "It wouldn't be those two kids over there who have been watching us for a few minutes now right?" I pointed at the two onlookers.
"Ah," Jamie's already animated expression burst to life once again. "It's Phill and Bill!"
Just a few meters away from the fountain was two kids. One was short and large, with short black hair and big black eyes. His round stomach protruded forwards.
Next to him was a tall but skinny kid. Well, at least he looked thin when placed next to the large kid next to him. He had longer black hair and big black eyes with an extremely similar facial structure to the other kid.
"B-bill what should we do? We have to help the boss," The taller one said.
The boss?
"Don't worry Phill, I've got this." The fatter one said. "B-boss step back. I'll deal with the bully."
The bully?
The shorter one, Bill, hesitantly walked towards me. He tried to roll his sleeves up but because of the thickness of his arms his sleeves just didn't budge.
He said he'd deal with me but he was stuttering just as much as the kid behind him. He was clearly putting on a front.
"This is not what it looks like," I said, defusing the situation. "We were just playing."
"That's a lie we saw you push him into the fountain!" Bill said. "Right, Phill?"
"Y-yeah exactly! Bill's right." Phill added from behind Bill.
"Stop stop stop stop." A voice cut in. Thank you Jamie. "Stop trying to take all the credit Bill, I'll take down this bully myself." Jamie said.
What?