“All things considered,” said Filia, finishing up her meal, “I have to say we really are lucky the river is flowing so wonderfully right now!”
Yeah, you know, it was pretty reasonable to be overjoyed for water. Hydration is essential for survival. Filia could make drinking water with her water magic, but the taste of natural flowing water was just on a completely different level from man-made water.
“Probably not luck. I’d say it’s my muscles resonating with the muscles of the water flowing here.”
“Muscles of the water…the mystical power of words is truly mighty. I just can’t understand it, even when I use all of my brain power,” said Filia, holding her head.
Did she have a headache? Worrisome.
“Of course, there aren’t any muscles in water in the first place…are there?” she murmured.
Yikes. Misguided at best, there, Filia. I shook my head. “Ah, good grief. Guess I gotta give you a lesson here.”
Now was the time to repay my debt to her. She was letting me accompany her, so I had to tell her something really important. I guided the baffled Filia over to the river and we stopped on the riverbank. There, I began my lesson.
“Listen up, Filia. Water is also in muscles. In fact, about three-quarters of muscle is made up of water,” I told her.
“Well, yeah, I suppose you’re right.”
After getting her agreement, I went and touched the surface of the water. My hand instantly became wet. I showed my palm to Filia.
“And of course, water itself is just made up of water. You with me so far?” I asked.
“Yes?”
Good. Then there was one last thing to understand.
“Muscles and water are more or less just made up of water,” I said. “In other words, water is muscle. You get it, Filia?”
“Ha ha ha! Okay, it’s a logic joke. I get it. Very funny, Yuri!” She laughed so contentedly, but it wasn’t a joke at all.
“Well,” I said with a sigh, “you’re still pretty young, Filia. I’m sure you’ll come to understand it someday.”
“Don’t be creepy.”
But I hadn’t said anything remotely creepy! What a boggling person she was.
“Water muscles aside,” said Filia, “the river looks like it’s going pretty fast, doesn’t it? Also, it looks like there’s a steep drop over there. I’d really prefer to not get too close, if at all possible.”
I turned to face the same direction. After the drop, the river, forest, and land broke rather unnaturally. The constant roar of a thundering waterfall echoed just out of sight. Had to be a steep drop, just as Filia had said. The forest extended far, far below and beyond us, teeming with creatures known and secret. A strange feeling, that.
Also, although the river came up to my waist, my feet should have been touching the river bottom. Instead, I felt like I was floating.
“Yuri, you’re awfully calm. You’re not worried about the waterfall?” asked Filia, her voice trembling slightly.
The waterfall…heh. Now there was a good idea.
“Hey, hey, Filia! How about we jump off the waterfall there, just up ahead? How about it?”
“‘How about it?’ Uh, no? It’s a waterfall? Why are you looking at me with those puppy-dog eyes?!”
“A fight with nature… Just listen to the sound of that thing!” I cupped my hand over my ear. “Hear that rush? Them’s fightin’ words!”
Come on, it’d be ridiculously crazy fun! I was grinning just at the thought of it.
Filia was…not.
“If you’re going to dive down a waterfall, you can do it on your own. I absolutely loathe that sort of pointless risk-taking!”
Huffing, Filia started walking up out of the river and away from the waterfall…and slid down on the muddy banks, right back into the rushing water.
“Eeek!”
Filia sank, rose, bobbing helplessly. She hurtled downstream and ripped past me toward the waterfall. My heart swelled with respect for my traveling companion.
“Yeah, Filia! That’s the spirit!”
I never imagined she’d deliberately head up the river and climb upstream for a real running start! And here I’d thought it was an accident! Time to follow her example, take the initiative, and summon my courage!
“N-no, that’s not what I meant to do! Ugh, Yuri, what are you even—”
“All right, let’s do this together as waterfall bros! I’m coming, Filia!”
“I cannot even believe this is haaaaaaAAAAAAPPENING!”
I rushed in and grabbed onto Filia, stopping her from getting swept away. True waterfall bros gotta fall together. I darted downstream, holding Filia tight, and—
“I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared, I’m scared, we’re gonna fall, we’re gonna fall, we’re gonna fall, we’re gonna fall…hyaaaaAAAAAHHH!”
“WHOOOOOOOOOO! LET’S GOOOOOO!”
We shot over the waterfall arm in arm. For a second we seemed to float dead in the air…then the surface of the water below rushed up at us. The gust of wind on my cheeks, the roar of the falls—what a ride! Nature is awesome!
“This is fun, huh, Filia?!”
I called out to Filia, but she was clinging to me, curled up into a ball. Aw, and here I wanted to share a fun experience. What a shame. Then as we hurtled down the falls, something unfamiliar came into view.
It was a gray-colored man-made structure, like a tall wall. Oh, it was a castle wall! Like they might have at a town! Good news all around!
“Hey, Filia! I finally see a clue that’ll lead out of the forest!”
“Yeeeaaaaaaaghhhhhhhhhaaaaaaaaaa—”
Filia was clearly over the moon with happiness, to the point that if you didn’t know better you might think her eyes were completely blank and she was in a state of shock or something. But hey, that’s waterfall diving for ya! As I cackled with glee, our bodies were sucked into the basin under the waterfall.