Handwriting Pad

Chen Miemie had casually bid Seahorse farewell, saying he could make his own way back to the inn. Then, not five minutes later, he was lost.

With the covered walkways between the buildings of [Foamwave Harbor] crisscrossing and winding around one another, it was possible to find your bearings during the day, when the roads were visible. At night, however, their complexity increased tenfold.

“Lostway, was this your doing? With my sense of direction, how could I possibly get lost?” Chen Miemie muttered to the little snail on his body.

Lostway: ???

The oddities on Chen Miemie's body were not worried, nor did anyone jump out to offer him advice. They knew him too well by now. The fact that he was joking meant that he was in a very good mood, not that he was genuinely asking for help.

And Chen Miemie was indeed in a good mood.

Beneath the tranquil light of the Frost Moon, the moonlight, the little bridges, the flowing water, the lofted buildings, the lights from the shops, and the pedestrians coming and going along the streets all created a wonderfully picturesque scene.

Even wandering aimlessly through unfamiliar streets was a delightful experience.

Chen Miemie paid no attention to where he was going and did not care where he ended up. He simply continued strolling.

As he walked, the shops around him became fewer, the light dimmed, and the pedestrians grew increasingly sparse.

“What a beautiful city. It would be a little bit of a shame to see it sink to the bottom of the sea.”

Before he knew it, Chen Miemie had stopped on a covered bridge. Bored yet at ease, he picked up the small stones by the roadside and tossed them at his reflection in the water.

Each stone shattered his reflection and sent ripples spreading across the surface.

It was childish, but he found it fun.

There were only three or five small stones around him, and he soon threw them all away. One large stone remained.

Chen Miemie glanced left and right. Seeing that no one was around, he furtively picked up the largest stone like a child sneaking around after doing something naughty, then tossed it into the water.

Plunk!

The large stone sent a great splash into the air.

“Ah!” A startled cry came from directly below.

Chen Miemie was stunned. He had looked around carefully and confirmed that no one was there, but he had never expected someone to be hiding directly beneath the covered bridge.

He hurriedly leaned over and looked down.

A small figure was huddled in one of the bridge’s supports. A large patch of her clothes was soaked, clearly drenched by the splash kicked up by the stone.

“Hey, are you all right? Did you fall down there by accident? Do you need me to pull you up?” Chen Miemie called.

The small figure had originally been curled into a ball. Only after hearing Chen Miemie did she raise her head, her cheeks puffed up angrily.

She knew that Chen Miemie had thrown the stone. When the first few small stones had landed, they had made no splash, and she had thought it was fun watching them strike his reflection. She had been enjoying the show when the final, much larger stone came crashing down.

The moment Chen Miemie saw the face she raised, his heart gave a sudden lurch.

Oh no. He was in trouble.

The person hiding beneath the bridge was none other than the singing-challenged one from earlier—the ruler of [Foamwave Harbor], Mute.

After failing to sing in front of everyone, Mute had hidden herself in her little base to lick her wounds and nurse her sorrow. Who could have imagined that some lunatic would appear above such a secluded spot and throw a stone that huge into the water?

Her eyes went wide. Using both hands and feet, she scrambled up along the bridge like a little hamster. Then she planted her hands on her hips and stood before Chen Miemie.

“Ah… ah!”

Her speech was far from clear, but from her expression, Chen Miemie could tell that she was probably cursing him rather thoroughly.

“Sorry. I didn’t know anyone was down there. I didn’t mean to get your clothes wet.”

The moment Mute heard Chen Miemie apologize, she became even more animated and launched into another furious string of “ah, ah, ah!”

Unfortunately, Chen Miemie failed to understand her this time. All he could do was stare at her in confusion.

Seeing this, Mute took a writing board and a specially made pen from her pocket and began to write rapidly.

Her handwriting was quick but beautiful, without the slightest trace of sloppiness.

〖How are you planning to compensate me?〗

Before Chen Miemie could answer—

“Grrr~”

A strange sound came from Mute’s stomach.

Chen Miemie ventured, “How about I treat you to some roast chicken?”

Mute’s face grew even redder. Before, she had been red with anger. Now, she was red with embarrassment.

She was just about to stubbornly refuse when Chen Miemie moved with astonishing speed. As if performing a magic trick, he produced a porcelain plate from somewhere, upon which sat an incredibly tempting pineapple roast chicken.

The aroma exploded straight into Mute’s nose, and her stomach rumbled again.

〖Fine. This is your compensation. You’re forcing it on me; it’s not that I actually want to eat it.〗

Chen Miemie nodded and handed her a pair of gloves made especially for eating roast chicken.

“Exactly. This is only compensation. Please, you absolutely must accept it. Don’t let it go to waste.”

Mute immediately broke into a delighted smile. She accepted the roast chicken and the gloves, then began eating to her heart’s content.

Because of the evening’s mobilization effort, she had been in no mood to eat all day. The roast chicken itself was exceptionally delicious, and to her famished self, it was the most delicious food in the world.

Chen Miemie sat beside her on the edge of the covered bridge.

“My name is Chen Miemie. I just arrived in [Foamwave Harbor] today as a tourist. This really is a beautiful city.”

Mute looked at Chen Miemie, then at the roast chicken in her hands, and finally at the writing board set aside nearby.

She had no free hand to write.

“Mute,” she slowly said, giving her name.

“I know. You’re the ruler of this place. So you can speak after all, besides humming.”

“I… I stutter. When there are lots… lots of people, I get nervous.”

“Oh, that’s nothing to be ashamed of. I’d get nervous facing that many people too. It’s perfectly normal.” Chen Miemie did not consider himself much of a public speaker. He did not like talking much when there were lots of people around either.

“Familiar… familiar people, friends… I’m… normal.”

“That’s even better. Let’s become friends from now on. You can relax and chat with me.” Chen Miemie smiled brightly.

Mute stopped chewing and stared blankly at Chen Miemie.

“F-friends?”

“Yeah. They say you don’t truly know someone until you’ve had a fight. I got your clothes wet, and you ate my roast chicken. From now on, we’re friends.”

Mute blinked as she looked at Chen Miemie bathed in moonlight. The cowlick atop his head swayed from side to side, betraying the expectation of its owner.

She swallowed the chicken in her throat and nodded firmly.

“Friends.”