I woke up to a strange noise coming from the living room. For a moment, I thought it might be some small monster invading the house, but when I heard Vespera's voice complaining about something, I realized it was just another normal morning in Vailor.
I stretched and walked into the room. Liriel was sitting on the floor, trying to reorganize a bag of items that clearly didn't fit inside it. Elara was standing beside her, arms crossed, visibly irritated.
"I told you this purchase made no sense," Elara said, staring at the bag as if it were responsible for all the chaos in the world. "Liriel, why did you buy five sacred candles if you can't even light one without your mana running out in two minutes?"
Liriel muttered, "Because… glowing is important for aesthetics."
Vespera stretched out her arm and pointed at me as soon as I entered. "Takumi, help them, please. I can't take listening to this candle argument since sunrise."
"Since sunrise?" I repeated, rubbing my face. "You've been arguing for hours already?"
"Yes," Elara replied with the expression of someone asking for help.
Liriel immediately defended herself. "I just wanted to make the house prettier."
"You could make the house prettier without almost setting the kitchen on fire," Elara shot back.
I took a deep breath and smiled. "Okay, today is a day off. Let's take advantage of it, go out, get some fresh air, and sort out these purchases properly. No explosive candles, no questionable ingredients. Just useful things."
"Useful things…" Liriel repeated sadly.
"Yes. Useful things," Elara added, pointing at her like a teacher.
Vespera raised her hand. "Can we stop by the armor shop too? I need to adjust my quiver. It's crooked."
"It's not crooked," Elara replied. "You're the one holding it crooked."
"That's a lie," Vespera retorted, crossing her arms. "It's the quiver."
I sighed. "Okay, we'll stop by the armor shop."
They agreed, and we headed toward the center of Vailor. The day was sunny, the city lively, full of merchants setting up extra stalls because the festival was still going on that week. I always liked the energy of this place when we weren't being chased by debts, monsters, or some cursed entity.
As we entered the main street, someone shouted when they saw me. "Takumi! You're back!"
It was the tavern owner, waving excitedly.
"I'm back," I replied. "And without setting anything on fire this time."
"Good to hear that," he said, laughing. "Please don't repeat the flaming soup incident."
Elara shot me an accusing look. "That again? Even people on the street remind you of it."
"It wasn't my fault," I muttered.
As we walked, Liriel approached and walked beside me. "Takumi, can I buy a new tiara? Mine fell into a mana pit on the last mission."
"If it's just decorative, that's fine," I replied. "No unstable artifacts."
"I promise. Decorative only. Maybe."
Elara heard that and sighed. "I'll monitor her."
We entered the general goods shop. It was cramped, filled with scents ranging from dried flowers to hot metal. Vespera ran straight to the arrow section, grabbing three sets at once.
"I'll take these!" she said proudly.
"You don't need three," I said. "Maybe not even one, considering you miss all your shots."
She froze, stared at me, and puffed out her cheeks. "I hit sometimes!"
"When you're not nervous, distracted, hungry, sleepy, or surrounded by unstable mana," Elara added.
"That's almost always!" Vespera complained.
I laughed and placed only one of the sets on the counter. "One for now."
We moved on to the next street, where the supplementary clothing and accessories shop was located. Liriel ran to a shelf of shiny tiaras, touching each one as if they were sacred artifacts.
"Takumi, look at this one! It has a magical glow that doesn't consume mana. It's perfect!"
"It's simple and pretty," I replied. "If you like it, take it."
She blinked, surprised by my quick response. "You're being very kind today."
"That's because I want to survive the day without an explosion."
Liriel laughed, light and soft.
After a few hours going from shop to shop, we returned with more bags than necessary, but at least they were all useful. Elara looked satisfied, which was rare. Vespera seemed happy with her new set of arrows. Liriel hugged her new tiara as if it were a baby dragon.
As we walked back home, I felt that the atmosphere was lighter than it had been in recent weeks. No strange monsters, no one trying to collect unfair debts, no living cities duplicating people. Just the sound of merchants talking, children running, and the yellowish light of Vailor at dusk.
"It's nice to have a day like this," I murmured.
"You're being sentimental," Elara commented, raising an eyebrow.
"Let him be," Vespera shot back. "Days off are rare."
Liriel smiled. "I like it when we can just exist without something trying to kill us."
"Me too," I replied.
And for the first time in a long while, I felt that this simple day in Vailor had meaning. Not because we did something great, but because it was just us—no chaos, no problems, just… living.
Maybe that was why moments like this felt far too important.