The following evening...
“Wow, miss, you’re so cool! Just like my classmates said!”
“Thank you,” I said. “Are you all better?”
“Yeah! It doesn’t hurt anymore! Thanks! Oh, here—the money!” the girl said. After handing me the three bronze pieces, she smiled and waved. “Buh-bye!”
I waved back, and when the girl was gone, I hopped and skipped and jumped my way to the alley where Kira was waiting for me. He was now wearing new clothes—inexpensive, since we couldn’t afford anything better, but with no tears or stains. And he looked much healthier than yesterday, probably because he’d slept with a full belly, in a good bed, and with a roof over his head.
Since we didn’t have a lot of money, we had one room, but separate beds. I didn’t mind either way, but Kira had insisted that he’d take the floor if we got a single-bed room, so that was what we’d settled on.
“I did it, Kira! Another success!” I exclaimed.
“All right,” he said. “This makes ninety-nine bronze pieces today.”
I could’ve high-fived him, but Kira had the sharp look of a strategist as he coolly counted the money.
Including this girl, I’d healed thirty-three students today. Counting the ones from yesterday, it was fifty-four total, which meant I’d made a hundred and sixty pieces of bronze. Things were going so well that it scared me a little—and we’d only been hiding in the alley for less than an hour today!
“I ate well, so I think I can heal however many more show up today!” I said.
“You didn’t run out of magic yesterday either, though,” Kira pointed out.
I chuckled excitedly. “It’s about how I’m feeling, not just how much magic I have. I think I could heal all the residents of the capital if I had to!”
The corners of Kira’s lips quirked into a small smile for a moment before he quickly caught himself and covered his mouth.
“You really are something, Kira!” I continued, my eyes practically sparkling. “I can’t believe how well this is going!”
Kira cleared his throat and asked, “Did you notice how many more students were walking alone today?”
“Huh. Now that you mention it...”
Not only that, a lot of the children were looking around as they walked past.
Kira spoke as though revealing a magician’s trick. “Kids love secrets, see.”
“Secrets?” I echoed.
“Yep. And while they’ll keep secrets from their parents and teachers, they’ll tell their classmates. And so the more time passes, the more money we’ll make.”
“Why would they tell their classmates?”
“Because they found this cool, special thing, and they want to brag. You’re like a treasure to them,” Kira said with a roguish grin. He actually looked like a boy his age, smiling like that. “Kids who walk home alone usually don’t have many friends. So going, ‘Hey, I was walking home alone and this pretty lady came out of an alley and healed my scrapes!’ acts as a conversation starter, you know? So now meeting this woman gives people bragging rights, and then, bam. Everyone’s gonna want to come find you.”
“Did you just call me a treasure? Did you say I’m pretty?” I can’t believe he thinks of me that way!
I extended my arms to hug Kira, but he dodged out of the way just in time. And he looked disgusted too. M-My feelings.
“I’m just saying anyone would think you’re an angel when you randomly appear and help people, all right?! That’s all!” he said.
“That’s right. I randomly appeared and healed your leg, didn’t I?”
“I’m talking about them, not me!” he snapped, red with indignation.
“Sorry, sorry,” I said, smiling.
“Anyway,” he continued, still wary, “we’re only just getting started here.”
“What do you mean?”
“We’re just laying the groundwork to reel in bigger fish.”
Fish? I wondered. Are we going fishing?!
Just then, my stomach rumbled, and Kira looked at me as though I were pitiful.