The small boat was moving slowly over the quiet night sea, raindrops pattering softly as ripples stretched behind it like fading memories.
From the edge of the town cliff, a group of townspeople stood, talking among themselves. Their voices were hushed, but sharp
"He's finally gone."
"After what he did...it's better this way."
Among them stood a girl—no more than ten or eleven—with short brown hair and eyes too quiet for her age. She didn't say anything. She just stared out at the sea.
She was looking at the boat.
At him.
Her hands gripped the hem of her dress tightly, knuckles white. She didn't speak up. She couldn't. If she did, the others would notice. They'd question her, scold her—maybe worse.
But deep inside... she felt it. A softness. An ache.
He was not a monster. Not to her.
As Arashi and his boat grew smaller on the horizon, her lips parted just slightly.
"Thank you..." she whispered, so softly that even the wind couldn't carry it.
She watched until the boat became a dot—then nothing at all.
And even after it was gone, she stood there—silently—as if she was waiting for the world to change.
The rain had stopped. The sky was painted with soft morning light, and the sea had finally calmed. Gentle waves rocked the small wooden boat, where Arashi slowly opened his eyes.
His body ached from the night before, but the silence of the sea brought him a strange kind of peace.
For the first time in a while, there were no angry voices. Just the sound of waves and the distant calls of birds flying overhead.
"Ugh... I'm starving..." Arashi muttered, holding his stomach as it let out a loud growl.
He sat up, glanced around the boat—empty. No food. No water. Just... wood.
He slumped forward dramatically.
"Am I gonna die in the middle of the sea... from hunger?"
But then—something in the distance. A silhouette on the horizon. Buildings? A town?
His eyes widened.
"Food!" he shouted, springing to his feet with excitement.
But the moment he stood up, the boat moved dangerously under his weight.
"Ah—wait, no, no—!"
He yelped, arms flailing like a panicked chicken. The boat tilted side to side, creaking as if warning him not to push his luck.
He froze like a statue, one leg awkwardly lifted mid-step. His eyes darted around.
Silence.
The boat slowly settled back into calm.
He let out the longest sigh of relief.
"Hah... that was close. I almost became seafood."
Still hungry, still soaked from the night rain—but thankfully not from a swim—Arashi squinted toward the distant town.
"I hope they have rice... or dumplings... or curry... or anything not made of wood."
With careful baby steps, he sat back down. The grin on his face grew wider as the town came into view.
Scene shift-the town.
The morning sun bathed the town in a soft, golden light. The rain had passed, leaving the streets clean and glistening. It was calm. Peaceful.
People were out and about—some setting up stalls, buying fresh produce, children laughing and chasing each other through the roads.
Everyone smiled. Everyone greeted one another like neighbors who truly cared about each other.
It wasn't like the place where Arashi came from.
This town... felt alive in a different way.
Scene shift-Arashi
Arashi's small boat drifted gently toward the shore. As the waves tapped softly against the wooden hull, the boat came to a slow stop near the town's edge.
He stepped off and set foot on the unfamiliar land.
His feet landed on the stone-paved roads.
He wandered through the quiet town. The town was nothing like the place he had left behind-it was calm, beautiful, and full of life. People strolled through the streets, chatting, laughing and exchanging cheerful greetings.
As he walked, some townsfolk passed by with warm smiles, nodding politely. A few children, playful and curious, waved their tiny hands at him.
"Hi, brother!" they gigled.
Arashi blinked, surprised, then gave them a small, shy smile in return. For the first time in a long while… he didn't feel like a monster.
Just then, an old woman stepped in front of him. She wear a simple shawl, and her eyes were kind.
"I haven't seen you around here before," she said with a gentle smile. "Are you new to the town?"
Arashi hesitated a little first. Because he was unsure whether he was welcome here or not.
"...Yes," he replied softly.
Before she could say anything else—
GRRRRNNN.
His stomach growled.
The old woman chuckled warmly. "Oh dear, you must be starving."
She reached into her small basket and pull out a shiny red apple. "Here take this."
Arashi looked at her, surprised. He slowly took the apple with two hands.
"Thank you..." he said quietly.
The old woman just smiled again - a soft, pleasant smile full of kindness - and walked away without saying any other word.
Arashi stood still for a moment, looking at the apple... then back at the old woman going.
This town... was different.
As Arashi walked furthur into the calm town, munching the apple gratefully, his eyes wandered from stall to stall - fresh bread, colorful fruits, and even trinkets lined in the stone - paved roads. For the first time in a while no one was gruling at him.
Suddenly—
WHAM!
A blur of brown and blue slammed into him from the side, knocking the half-eaten apple from his hand.
"AHHH! My cabbages—no wait, my SPICES!!"
A boy around Arashi's age scrambled up, arms flailing. He wore oversized goggles on his forehead, a cape made out of an old certain, and carried a ridiculously large backpack overflowing with spice jars, herbs and strange smelling powders.
Arashi blinked.
"...Who are you?"
The boy stood tall and proudly declared.
"I am Bento the Bold, the greatest traveling spice-merchant this town has ever seen! Or will ever see!"
A beat.
"...You're standing on my cumin."
Arashi looked down awkwardly at the tiny packet crushed under his shoe.
"Oh—sorry."
"NOOO! That was my best cumin! It makes soup taste like battle victory!"
Bento dropped to his knees dramatically like it was the end of the world. Arashi couldn't help it—he let out a small laughed. It caught him by surprise.
Bento noticed, "Wait... are you new here?"
Arashi nodded.
"Just arrived today."
Bento grinned, "Then today's your lucky day, my cumin-crushing friend! You're looking at your official town tour guide!"
Before Arashi could respond, Bento threw an arm around his shoulder and began dragging him down on the streets.
"First stop: the bakery where the bread is fluffier than clouds. Then we will hit the candy stalls. Ever had fire-sugar? No? Oh man, you're in for it! Hope you don't mind sneezing glitters."
As Arashi and Bento wandered deeper into the town, Bento suddenly stopped mid-step. Arashi was too busy looking around at the sights of the town, walked straight into Bento's back with a dull thud.
"Ow! Hey, warn me next time!" Arashi grumbled, rubbing his forehead.
When Bento suddenly froze he started to sniff the air like a wild animal.
" Oi oi...you smell that? That's fried fish and druma—coming from there!" He shouted, pointing toward a small bar tucked between two buildings.
Just as they reach it, a loud crash exploded from inside. The wooden door of the bar burst open with a BANG! Two scruffy men flew out of the bar, landing hard on the stone-paved streets groaning.
"We'll tell the boss about this...!" One of them grumbled while rubbing his face. But before the other could respond, a chilling crackle echoed from inside, followed by a voice - smooth, calm... but threatening.
" You were saying...?"
Both thugs went pale.
"AHHH!" they screamed in sync and bolted, running right past Arashi and Bento like they'd seen a ghost.
Bento blinked."Okay, I just changed my mind. maybe it's not just fish in there."
Then, from the bar entrance, a teenage girl stepped out, brushing her hands off. Her presence was sharp—confident and Intimidating.
Her eyes met Arashi's.
Time froze.
She was serious - no nonsense. Her piercing gaze didn't waver.
BONK!
She walked straight into a wooden post outside the bar.
Arashi flinched. Bento nearly fell over laughing but held it in with a sqeaky breath.
The girl quickly composed herself, pretending it didn't happened, and stood tall with a dramatic pose - hands on hip, feet apart, chin up.
"I've never seen you before," she said seriously. "Are you new around here?"
She stared so intensely that both Arashi and Bento stiff like statues.
"...She's scary," they both thought at once.