He’s the hero. Or was, at least. But of course, Lacey couldn’t say this, so she quietly looked away instead. “Anyway, Allen, you brought vegetables for me again? I could at least go pick them up myself.”
“I’m the one who owes you, so I wouldn’t wanna make you haul your own thank-you gift. I’m doing it because I want to, so it’s fine.” His freckled face broke into a smile as he giggled. Lacey couldn’t argue against him.
With a groan of effort, Allen set the wood crate down on the ground with a thud.
The mansion in which Lacey lived was not only situated on the far outskirts of Plume Village, it was also on top of a hill. It must have been hard for him to haul things there. She’d told him that she’d received enough compensation already, but Allen always stubbornly asserted that “your boyfriend asked me to do this too.” Allen seemed to be mistaken about Lacey and Wayne’s relationship.
But was it just her imagination? The crate seemed to be stuffed even fuller than it used to be, but, before she’d realized it, Allen’s wobbly gait had become strong and steady as he carried it.
She’d heard near the end of winter that Allen was twelve, so he was probably thirteen by now. Meanwhile, Lacey would turn sixteen soon. She was still underweight with skinny arms, but she felt that she’d grown just a little taller. But somehow, even though she was getting taller too, she wasn’t even at eye level with Allen—she had to look up at him.
Allen effortlessly lifted the crate he’d set on the ground back up and patted away the dirt at the bottom. “Big sis Lacey, want me to put this in the usual spot in the kitchen? Or do you want it in the cooling chamber?”
“E-Eek...”
“Hey, are you listening?”
“I-In the kitchen... Ah, I can carry it there with my magic.”
“The job’s not done till it’s done!”
Allen moved swiftly, commenting about how nice it must be to live in a place with a cooling chamber. As she watched him, Lacey shuddered at how fast a child could grow. She saw him all the time, so she hadn’t noticed. Her knees buckled, and her hand hovered over her mouth.
There was hardly a trace left of the boy who had crumpled to the ground when he’d first seen Lacey’s magic. She felt as if he’d completely overtaken her.
Tee had jumped up onto Lacey’s head, but tilted its head in puzzlement with a “Kwee?” upon seeing Lacey so dejected for no apparent reason.
Allen, who knew his way around the house by now, returned from stocking the provisions at the same time as Wayne brought over his horse by the reins with his travel luggage in tow.
“Thanks as always, Allen.”
“It’s no big deal. When are you coming next, big bro Wayne?”
“In another month, if I can manage it.”
“Y’know, you don’t have to come that often.” Allen had meant to express concern for Wayne, but he realized a moment too late that it could be taken the wrong way.
“I come here because I want to,” Wayne said without any hesitation, despite probably being aware of what Lacey would think.
“Whew...” Impressed by this, Allen gave a mild smile. He rubbed his upper arm and glanced over at Lacey. Of course, Lacey had lost the ability to say anything more. She turned a little red and abruptly faced away.
After that, Allen wished Wayne a safe trip, and once they finished talking some more, Wayne casually waved a hand. “See you.” He mounted his horse and left.
After he was gone, Allen said, “Big bro Wayne’s gone now. He travels by himself, though? What if monsters attack him?”
“He’ll be fine. You don’t need to worry about that. But it feels like it’s suddenly gotten quieter around here,” Lacey murmured vaguely, listlessly staring down at the vacant hill.
Allen folded his arms behind his head and glanced at Lacey out of the corner of his eye. He was about to say something, but then shut his mouth again.
The sun’s rays beat down on the two of them. They spent a while standing around in silence before Lacey nodded. “Okay.” Then she addressed Allen. “Say, since you’re here, do you want to have some tea before you go?”
“You bet!”
∗ ∗ ∗
Since he’d come all the way out in the heat, Lacey wanted to show him some hospitality as well.
Allen soothed his parched throat with tea. “Whew!” he breathed, a cheerful look spreading across his sweat-drenched face. They occasionally enjoyed tea breaks like this at the outside table that had been set under the shade of the trees. At first, Lacey had been intimidated even by the simple act of brewing tea, but she was very happy at how she’d gradually improved.
“Do you want a refill?”
“Yeah. I’ll take some...more...”
Just as Lacey was about to pour more tea into Allen’s empty cup, she noticed that he’d trailed off unusually. Still holding his cup’s handle, he’d turned away from Lacey and was looking elsewhere. Apparently something had captured his attention.
The tea table had been set up near the front door of the mansion. That made it more convenient to carry over pots and trays. There was also a gently sloping hill in front of the mansion. The sun was shining down brightly, and the greenery along the side of the road was growing in abundance. But Allen wasn’t looking at any of that.
Then what is he looking at? She wondered.
Tee jumped atop Lacey’s head, and at that moment, she had a realization.
In front of the mansion, there was a handmade sign with skillfully carved letters reading “Anything Shop, Starseeking.” It had only gone up a month ago, so it was still conspicuously new.
Lacey slowly turned her face away.
“Hey, big sis Lacey?”
But there was no escaping this.
“Has your anything shop gotten any jobs at all?”
Allen’s words pierced straight through her. Lacey flopped down onto the table and then quietly sank into the ground. Of course, this was a metaphor—Lacey was actually just pulling down the brim of her hat with both hands to hide her face and quaking as she sat. She was trembling a lot.
Allen watched her without saying a word. Lacey’s pitiful expression said it all.
Anything Shop, Starseeking.
Lacey had fulfilled three jobs since coming to this village—and that was inflating the count by including a job she’d done for a monster. She didn’t know if that was a lot or a little, but when she’d received a job request from Brooks—her former companion—Lacey had made up her mind.
Her goal was to live her life standing firmly on her own two feet. She’d quit following the path that the country had ordered her to take. That was why this sign was a major step forward for Lacey...or at least, she had hoped it would be.
On the first day, she anxiously circled around and around the sign.
On the second day, she restlessly kept going in and out of the house.
On the third day...you get the picture.