His expression was clearly smiling, but his eyes held a sinister glint. Cain, who had maintained an indifferent facade until now, was actually in a considerably sensitive state, though no one had noticed.
Satin, who had a history of silently running away, had disappeared again, only to be found tied up amidst a fire. Moreover, Cain had lost Satin in a fire accident before. It would be stranger if he weren’t on edge.
‘Though he set the fire himself.’
Satin grumbled his unspoken dissatisfaction inwardly. At the same time, he outwardly tried to soothe Cain.
“Once we get to Cloverland, things like this won’t happen. You’ll be by my side anyway, so what’s there to worry about? Right?”
Cain merely stared at him with a sulky expression, saying nothing. Still, his gaze softened slightly. Whether he chose to believe Satin’s words or simply liked the idea of him being nearby, it was unclear.
Without looking at Cain, Satin added, “Though it won’t be forever.”
“What?”
“Are we there yet?”
Satin pretended not to hear the question that escaped Cain’s lips and got out of the carriage.
***
The second inn was not as good as the first, but objectively, it was decent. The room’s decor was less extravagant, which ironically gave it a more sophisticated feel.
‘…Or so Satin said.’
What does being less flashy have to do with being sophisticated?
Cain didn’t quite understand, but he let it go. Satin’s opinion of the inn wasn’t the most pressing issue at the moment.
‘What did he mean by that earlier?’
He had spoken briefly and vaguely, but Cain had clearly heard it. Satin had said that Cain wouldn’t be by his side forever.
This wasn’t the first time Satin had spoken like this. Even before they arrived in Daisyland, Satin had made similar remarks.
There must be a reason why he kept saying such significant things and provoking Cain. Even though Cain guessed it wasn’t out of ill intent, he couldn’t shake off his unease since he couldn’t get a clear answer.
“It’d be better to bathe tomorrow, wouldn’t it?”
Satin’s muttering broke through Cain’s thoughts. When Cain reflexively looked at him, Satin shrugged.
“That’s what happened when I went to take a bath.”
‘That happened’ meant the kidnapping. Satin seemed reluctant to utter the ominous word. When Cain didn’t respond, Satin added awkwardly, “I did get a bit dusty, but I think I’d feel more at ease washing up at home tomorrow.”
“…Right.”
“Still, I should at least wash my face. I feel so sticky after rolling around on the floor.”
“Okay.”
Cain replied calmly, but for some reason, Satin’s expression was strange.
“Why?”
As Cain tilted his head and asked, Satin smiled. Then, he gestured downwards with his eyes. Wondering what he was indicating, Cain looked down and was taken aback.
“No, why is this…”
Without even realizing it, he was holding Satin’s arm. And not just lightly. He was gripping it tightly, as if it were a lifeline. Cain couldn’t find any excuse and hastily let go of his hand.
Satin rubbed his arm, where he had been held, and asked, “Are you worried?”
“Well…”
“Then we can go together.”
“What?”
“Why are you so surprised? We can wash our faces together.”
“…Right.”
It wasn’t a bath, just splashing some water on their faces, so there was no need to take turns. Cain realized he had overreacted somewhat and lowered his head in embarrassment. Satin didn’t tease him, but that didn’t make the shame any less.
Without any further discussion, it was decided that they would go wash their faces together.
As he opened the door and stepped out, the two Temple Knights who had been standing guard made a fuss.
“Ah, where are you going?”
“We will accompany you.”
“We were so surprised earlier when you suddenly disappeared.”
“Are you perhaps having trouble finding your way? As expected, we should…”
Satin hurriedly calmed them down.
“I’m just going to wash my face. Don’t stand around here, go and rest.”
“No, our mission will be over tomorrow. We can rest after that. Please go ahead!”
The Temple Knights spoke energetically, unaware that Satin had been kidnapped. Knowing that further cajoling wouldn’t work, Satin nodded awkwardly and turned away.
‘Idiots, what do they think they’re doing guarding an empty room?’
Cain sneered inwardly and followed behind Satin.
The inn’s employee had mentioned a large public bath, but Satin declined. The employee didn’t insist and instead led them to the washroom.
It was late, so there were no other guests using the washroom. As soon as Satin entered, he let out a small exclamation of surprise, and Cain immediately understood what it meant.
‘Did it remind him of the old days?’
There was a washroom this large at the school too. Since there were over ten children, several sinks were needed.
In the mornings, the children would gather in front of the washroom and greet each other. Of course, Cain in those days wasn’t very sociable, so he never joined that group. On the other hand, Satin was kind enough to quietly help any child who seemed clumsy.
As Satin pulled the lever, water immediately poured out.
“The water pressure is good.”
It wasn’t particularly something to be amazed by, but Satin seemed somewhat pleased. In this day and age, where doesn’t water come out well?
For a while, the two washed their faces in silence. For some reason, Cain felt awkward washing his face right next to Satin, so he deliberately stood at a sink with one empty sink between them. Keeping a distance of a couple of steps made him feel a little more comfortable.
While Cain was taking his time, observing Satin’s movements, Satin finished washing his face first. He picked up a towel that was provided and, while drying his face, said, “Take your time. I’ll wait.”
There wasn’t a proper place to sit in the washroom, so Satin sat on the edge of one of the sinks. There was no one else around anyway, and the sink was wide.
While Cain was washing his face, Satin began to speak as if it were a casual conversation.
“You know you’re a bit oversensitive, right?”
When Cain frowned and looked up, Satin immediately added, “About me, I mean. You tend to be indifferent to other things, don’t you?”
Satin glanced at Cain’s face, then looked away and rubbed his eyebrow. He also swept back his wet bangs.
“You set a fire intending to find me. Without thinking things through.”
“I did think.”
“But you admit you weren’t calm, right?”
Cain wanted to argue, but the words wouldn’t come out. He pretended to continue washing his face and lowered his head. As he splashed water on his face to avoid answering, Satin continued to speak.
“If those people had locked me up and gone somewhere else, things could have turned out terribly. In a fire, many people die from smoke inhalation even if they don’t directly touch the flames.”
“So?”
Cain abruptly raised his head. He couldn’t guess what Satin was trying to say. Was he trying to lecture him, or was he leading up to something else? And did it have to be said right now?
It was difficult to pretend to be calm at this very moment. Cain barely managed to smooth out his brow, which was trying to furrow on its own. Satin was easily intimidated when someone bigger than him made a fierce expression. He wouldn’t say anything, but Cain could tell by the way his body would flinch.
“What I’m saying is, you tend to lose your reason when it comes to my affairs.”
“Is that bad?”
He retorted impulsively. Satin widened his eyes in surprise, then smiled and waved his hand.
“Haha, don’t be hasty. I didn’t say it was bad.”
With those words, Satin rubbed his cheek with the towel around his neck. There was no moisture there.
Cain inadvertently looked at the wall. Several lamps were hung there, making the washroom bright. Satin’s cheek, touched by the yellow light, was slightly flushed.
‘Is he hot?’
Cain quickly corrected his thought. There was no way his face was flushed from the heat. Even when it wasn’t hot, people’s faces sometimes got warm.
“Are you done washing up? Let’s go upstairs then.”
Satin stepped down from the sink and strode towards the entrance. Cain quickly turned off the water and followed after him.
“Wait a moment.”
He grabbed Satin’s arm with his wet hand, stopping him. Satin turned around with a slightly furrowed brow and used the towel he had to wipe Cain’s face.
“Mine’s damp, so go get a new one.”
Cain snatched the towel from Satin’s hand and pressed him.
“You were about to say something.”
“Hmm.”
Satin tried to feign a relaxed demeanor but failed. His hesitant steps backward were proof of that. Satin’s retreat only stopped when his heel bumped against the doorframe. He glanced down at his feet and let out a small sigh.
The door was still open as before, but the other side was silent. No one would say anything if they talked for a moment here.
A silence descended between them, as if they were engaged in a silent battle of wills. Cain watched Satin’s lips, which showed no sign of opening, and finally spoke first.
“It’s true that I’m over sensitive about your affairs.”
Satin met Cain’s eyes for a fleeting moment before lowering his gaze. Because they were so close, Cain could clearly see his eyelashes fluttering. And the small droplet of water clinging to the end of his bangs.
“If you don’t think it’s bad, then what is it you want to say?”
Just because something wasn’t bad didn’t necessarily mean it was good. But at this moment, Cain didn’t think that far. He vaguely felt optimistic. Just like when his face had grown hot looking at the sleeping Satin, if Satin was also blushing for a similar reason now, it was a situation worth being optimistic about.
Satin’s lips slowly parted. Cain didn’t know the formula for a spell that slowed down time. But if such magic existed, wouldn’t it be just like this?
However, the words that came from Satin’s mouth were neither mysterious nor fantastical.
“Shouldn’t there be some probability?”
“…What are you suddenly talking about?”
