Seventh month, twenty-seventh day.
Current phase of the moon: Rabbit Moon.
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"I'll also protect you, Grey!" Titiana held both arms up to her chest, her hands clenched into fists as she looked at me with a determined expression.
"Wha—" I asked, confused as we both rocked with the movement of the truck.
"I heard you. You told Humbert and my brother that you'll protect me."
"W-was that a bad thing for me to say?"
"No, definitely not!" She nervously expressed while shaking her head. "I really appreciate that you promised to protect me. But I also want to protect you. I want to be strong enough to protect both of us on our journey."
Titiana lowered her head and looked away. "I couldn't do anything... you and Ulis—my brother—had to stop my father while I just sat there. I also want to help!"
"If that's what you want, then I'll fully support you!" I smiled at her while grabbing her hand. "Now we're both in this together."
"Uh-eh! Y-yeah!" She blushed, her hand trembled before she quickly composed herself. "And for that..."
With her free hand, she reached out behind her back and pulled out a small pistol. "I'll rely on guns!"
The gun was definitely older, though its metallic grey color remained intact. It has a long and slim barrel, and the place where the magazine box goes is placed in front of the trigger. Above the trigger, the black detonation crystal was placed.
"This one does work," I commented, thinking back to the broken one she threatened me with back in the city. "Do you know how to use it?"
...
...
A cold gust of wind was heard inside the compartment thanks to the intense silence between us. The silence got so intense that the sound the truck was making became even louder.
"N-no..." Her eyes drifted to the side and her lips trembled. "But..." She then regained confidence and showed me the gun once again. "I'll learn."
"Can you use magic?"
...
She fidgeted with the gun while becoming more startled under my eyes. I just looked at her with a confused smile and raised eyebrows. "I guess... I can try to teach you the basics."
"Really!?" Her eyes sparkled at the mention of me teaching her.
"Someone who didn't even attend middle or high school teaching you? Don't worry, I'm a more understanding master than you were when you were teaching me to deal with customers at the street market."
"Don't get so full of yourself!" She jokingly struck me on the shoulder. "Just so you know, now that I'm escaping with you, I'm now also part of those who didn't finish their education."
"I guess." We both laughed for a solid second before sighing.
"Glad to see you are feeling better," I commented to her.
"I'm still sad about it. But I can't stop, I need to continue on with my life."
"Then, let the teaching commence!" I raised up my arm.
"Yes, teacher!" She followed up on my play.
"Guns in this world work with..." I stopped. "Eh... Titiana?"
"Yes, Grey?"
"My hand, you're still holding it..." I raised the arm and pointed out how our fingers were still tangled. "It's nothing bad... But I need it to teach you."
She blushed and quickly stopped holding my hand, lowering her head in embarrassment. "O-oh, sorry! I didn't notice."
"N-no... that's okay."
After a moment of silence, I cleared my throat and prepared to explain.
"G-guns have a detonation crystal that only works if mana is poured. Meaning that only those who can use magic can use them."
"I know that."
"If you know, then you'll understand why it's better if you start by practicing your aim with a bow and arrow."
"Why?"
"Do you know why swords, lances, axes, and bows and arrows are still being used in armies and wars despite guns and mages who can shoot explosions out of their hands existing?"
"People who can use magic are rare?"
"Exactly! Guns and elemental magic are two different specializations of magic. I don't know if you can use magic or control mana, but Uli clearly knew how to use it. While it's not guaranteed, if someone in the family knows how to use magic, his close relatives have more chances of also being able to use magic."
"Wait! TVs and other stuff like trucks use a magic-storing crystal that is used to pour mana into other crystals. Why isn't that used on guns?"
"I also asked that where I worked at, and the answer I got was: Firing a gun isn't just pouring mana and shooting a bullet! It's an art that can only be done by a person."
"That doesn't make sense," she complained in a monotone voice.
"Think about it like this: Elemental magic and Gun Control—although I don't exactly know if that's how it's actually called—use the same principles. Yet, the best mages are usually bad gunslingers—and vice versa—the best gunslingers tend to be trash mages."
"I... sort of understand it? Not really."
"I'm sorry, but I only know basic-level information."
"It's okay! We have so much time to learn."
"I can't use magic, so I'm not the best to talk about it. But I think you should think hard and make a choice between learning elemental magic or gu—"
"I'll learn to shoot a gun! I've made my choice, and I'll stick with it." She interrupted me with a fierce tone. "If I have to train with bow and arrow, I'll do it in the next city!"
"Okay. We can probably buy some books about magic once we get to the next city. Gtomika and Lichtrey are on good terms, so I wouldn't be surprised if we find some books about magic from Lichtrey—the magical kingdom of the world—in a library or bookstore."
"We'll have to stay for a couple of days to earn money, though. I don't have much money now... with my house being burnt away..."
"We did bring those items you sell, so you can try to sell them while I search for a job at a construction site."
And just like that, Titiana and I talked for hours about what we could do once we arrive at our next destination.
From what we know—and have been told—this truck's taking us to the city of Djchuri. After that, though, we're completely on our own.
As we were talking, we heard a hard knock on the other side of the truck, coming from where the driver is.
"You two, lovebirds..."
"L-lovebirds!" Titiana whispered in a surprised tone, suppressing the impulse to shut him up.
"... we're stopping at a watchtower. The device received a warning from the authorities talking about monsters migrating." He said in a raspy and aggressive tone, coughing after he finished talking.
"You say that as if it was a bad thing," I commented calmly, but without sounding any friendlier than him.
"Need I remind you two that I'm smuggling you both to the next city. Authorities can't catch me transporting two kids on the back of my truck."
"Smuggling... you make us sound like objects, sir."
"That's what you are to me—nothing more than two more kids out of the thousands I've moved."
"Fair enough. So we just stay inside here while you go inside the safety of the tower?"
After a loud cough, he just grumbled a raspy affirmation while clearing his throat.
"Okay, we get it. But..." I stopped for a second, approaching the wall that divided us. "... Don't expect us to help you if those monsters are more aggressive than you expect."
"Are you threatening me, brat?" He asked with an offended, yet commanding, voice tone.
"Not threatening you. Just a reminder. I don't want any problems in the future, if you catch my drift?"
"You two are lucky Humbert told me to take you both in."
After that comment, his voice disappeared. He wouldn't answer back no matter what we said.
"Why did you antagonize him?" Titiana asked while checking her merchandise.
"I was standing my ground just in case. The mafia tends to take all the chances they can get to make money, and extorting two kids who are escaping to another city is a prime strategy to earn a steady income by forcing the kids to work in order to repay the trip."
"You know more than me about dealing with these kinds of guys, and I was the one born in the kingdom with mafia problems," Titiana sarcastically commented while giggling.
"You learn a thing or two when you work where I have. The fact that my mentors and co-workers were definitely screwed in the head to teach a kid like me all these things."
"Speaking of your past... that fire... was that magic? Y-you don't have to answer if you don't want!" She shook her hands while getting nervous over asking that question. She probably noticed how I flinched at the question.
"It's not magic, I can't use it. That... is just something I've always been able to do..."
"I think it was cool."
"Huh...? Cool?"
"Mhm!" She slowly nodded her head once. "Really cool!"
Those words caused something inside me. A tightness in my chest that felt different from when I charged up that fire breath everyone became so afraid of. That fire breath now one person found to be cool.
I took my hand to my face and covered my mouth while using my fingers to...
Why did that make me smile like an idiot so much?
... Try to force the smile to disappear.