Chapter 29: The Songstress is Here

After that, Master, who had picked up both me and Fere, blew away the pig-headed jerk and the guards standing in our way with explosive magic, making a graceful escape from the city.

We boarded a small boat that had been prepared near the bay, and with the power of wind magic, we soared toward a deserted island said to be off the coast.

A week has passed since then, and we've been living a leisurely life on the run.

...As for Master's actions, it seems he first noticed some thugs attempting to kidnap Fere behind a rock. He tried to help right away, but in the process, he was caught in a teleportation magic that was just about to activate and was sent straight to the mansion with me.

At the mansion, he encountered the pig-headed jerk who questioned him, and when an attack seemed imminent, he dispatched the guards casually. However, in that split second of trying to escape, he was caught off guard and teleported to a nearby mountain by that jerk's magic.

After understanding the situation, Master hurriedly headed back toward the city. Realizing the crisis when he noticed that I and Yuria had suddenly distanced ourselves, he used magic he didn’t want to use and immediately returned to where I was. Then, he went to rescue Yuria and the others who were being chased around the city. The problem was that I had already dealt with the confusion.

To outsmart Master, who wanted to rescue me in a grand fashion, I must say, I did a pretty good job.

And so began our sudden life on the deserted island. Fere turned out to be quite shy. For now, she’s been spending time by the spring near the cave that we made our base.

Master, still suffering from muscle pain due to side effects of his magic, couldn’t move for about two days... But he recovered quickly and is now in high spirits.

He's even been playfully sneaking around at night, so I’d say he’s fully recovered.

As for why we’re staying on this deserted island, we're actually waiting for a message from Clarice, who's taking care of the aftermath in the city. Apparently, she has connections with the nobility and said to leave it to her.

What was supposed to be a beach vacation has turned into a deserted island survival adventure. But since Master is pretty much a cheat, it’s almost like a vacation for us.

---

Another morning comes on the deserted island. Since Master is busy doing various things, it’s become a totally comfortable space. I slowly rise without waking him up, carefully moving away from where he sleeps next to me.

From the kitchen carved out of the rocks, the smell of food wafts in the air. Yuria is probably already up, preparing breakfast. Lulu is still asleep in Master’s arms.

...While I wash my face, I might as well greet Fere.

Oh right, thanks to my persuasive efforts, Fere was accepted into the family. She’s not a pet like us, though, but rather a protected species, as they put it.

Of course, a lot of conditions were placed on her. She had to wear things like a school swimsuit and bloomers that I bought at the port, and was forced to experience various humiliations... But now, it’s a small matter... sniffle.

Despite all the trouble, Fere has managed to get along with Lulu better than I expected. Both of them have a friendly nature, so they’ve gotten quite close, talking and consulting with each other in no time.

Thanks to that, she’s also settling in with Yuria and Master without much resistance. It’s a relief.

With a thin gown, two towels, and a hand towel in hand, I crouch by the spring shrouded in morning mist. I wet the hand towel and clean myself—mainly my lower half. The cold water feels nice. Perhaps because of the sound of the water, a clear singing voice starts to flow through the air around the spring.

Fere loves to sing, and it seems she loves to be listened to even more. In the morning, before everyone wakes up and until breakfast time, she usually sings alone by the side of the cave. It’s like a siren-style alarm clock.

“Fere, breakfast is ready~”

“Mmm...”

After finishing cleaning myself up, I called out. From behind the rocks, I heard a response followed by something falling into the water. A little while later, the water surface rippled, and Fere’s face appeared.

I handed her one of my gowns and towels, helping her get out of the water.

Her lower body resembles that of a fish, but there’s something mammalian about her. It turns out, Master knows surprisingly a lot about this. Sirens, while extremely rare, have occasionally been discovered, and there’s even some documentation about them.

The species is female-only and calls a mate to the water's edge with its beautiful singing voice. After that, it drags them underwater and forces them to engage in survival tactics. It’s a rather frightening, almost yokai-like existence, but they don’t kill people unless it’s for self-defense. They’re actually a peaceful species, and their song is said to have protective powers against curses and storms. Sailors view them as symbols of good luck.

When I heard that, I jokingly told Master, “We need to be careful not to get dragged into the water,” but for some reason, he replied seriously with, “You should be the one to be careful,” which still sticks in my memory.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Nothing.”

When I asked Fere, who had been staring at me, she blushed and looked down. It was a really sly gesture. Is this what being a heroine is like? I wouldn’t know, as I don’t have a shred of it.

“Hey, Sora.”

“Yes?”

She had suddenly reached out her hand, so I took it, and we slowly made our way back to the cave. Fere was gazing at me with a strange, almost heated look and asked:

“Um, we’re best friends, right?”

I shivered for some reason. It seemed a little chilly this morning. We’d better get back soon. I wonder when we went from being just friends to best friends? It’s an eternal mystery.

It almost felt like... like the way Clarice felt when talking about Collins. I looked away from her and stared straight ahead at the cave.

“…Y-yes.”

“Hehe, I’m happy.”

I nodded, trying my best not to make eye contact. Fere smiled contentedly at me. And when I saw that smile—well, I stopped thinking altogether.

---

It’s the tenth day of our desert island life, and we still haven’t received any word from Clarice. It seems like she’s having some trouble. I hope she can return safely… but with Master by my side, I’m sure we could handle anything, even if we end up somewhere else.

We’ve stocked up on plenty of food, and there’s enough to last us for about half a year, so we could easily hole up here. It seems like everyone is treating this as a long vacation.

Master has been completely absorbed in housing, and the cave has been steadily optimized into a comfortable living space. Lulu has taken up fishing and goes to the beach every day to catch fish with the fishing rod Master made for her. Yuria is dedicated to researching fish dishes, and Fere is happily learning songs from Earth, both from Master and me, and singing them.

As for me, I’ve mostly been taking care of the housework, but lately, something has been bothering me. While I was wiping the floor on all fours in the hallway, I suddenly felt a piercing gaze on my rear. Thinking it was Master again, I turned around, only to find Fere staring at me… This has been happening quite often.

She’s been trying to hold my hand, making an effort to be touchy-feely in a way that feels odd. I’d had a hunch that something was off, but it turns out, I’m the one she’s after.

I’m doing my best to stay away from the water’s edge. The only thing on my mind now is whether, if I accidentally fell into the water, I would be able to get back to land safely.

And seriously, what is it about me that has her so interested?

“Hey, Fere?”

“What is it?”

While I was mopping again today, I felt that familiar presence behind me, so I decided to ask. She responded easily.

“Why me? Is it because I protected you back then?”

I wondered if my protection of her back then was what had earned me this attention. Maybe I was just an easy target, but when I asked, she looked confused for a moment, then gently shook her head.

“No, it’s true that I was happy to have my first friend, and I was really happy that you protected me. But I started liking you as a friend at that time.”

She paused.

“But, what really made me fall for you, Sora, was your singing voice. Was that also love at first sight?”

I recalled when Fere and Lulu had begged us to sing songs from our homeland after learning that Master and I were from a foreign land.

That was probably on the fourth day after we arrived. Master, who was shy, asked me to sing some popular anime songs and pop songs, things I thought would appeal to others.

I tried hard, but my singing was awful, off-key, and unpolished compared to hers. That she liked it… well, it was both embarrassing and a little flattering.

“When I heard that song… I thought…”

Fere started to speak, her voice dreamy.

“I thought, I want this child to have my babies.”

“Uh… what?”

I have no idea where to start with that.

“Fere, you’re not actually a boy, are you?”

If she was, I’d have to ask Master to lock her away.

“Huh? No, I’m a girl, just like you.”

She carefully chose her words and continued.

“It’s not that I want your baby, I just thought you’d look better having my baby.”

“What in the world are you saying?!”

No, no… I really don’t understand this kid. How did we end up here? There are so many things to respond to, my head is spinning.

I swore to myself then that I must never, ever go near Fere’s water’s edge again.

---

◇◆ADVENTURE RESULT◆◇
【EXP】
MAX Combo 3
BATTLE TOTAL 14
◆【Sora Lv.50】+4
◆【Lulu Lv.17】+4
◆【Yuria Lv.15】+5
◇—
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝
Sora Lv.50[509] → Lv.51[513] <<Level Up!!
Lulu Lv.17[176] → Lv.18[180] <<Level Up!!
Yuria Lv.15[157] → Lv.16[162] <<Level Up!!

【RECORD】

[MAX COMBO] >> 33
[MAX BATTLE] >> 33

【PARTY】

[Shuya] [Lv.55] HP 772/772 MP 1380/1380 [Normal]
[Sora] [Lv.51] HP 48/50 MP 340/420 [Normal]
[Lulu] [Lv.18] HP 602/602 MP 32/32 [Normal]
[Yuria] [Lv.16] HP 1040/1040 MP 60/60 [Normal]
[Fere] [Lv.14] HP 140/140 MP 330/330 [Normal]
＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝＝

【Comment】

"It's fun fishing, isn't it?"

"Cooking is fun!"

"Sora, hey, there were these pretty stones at the bottom of the pond. Do you want to go look?"

"Help me, master!"