Gateways to Casselonia Vol2 (light Novel)

Chapter 8

Opening her eyes slowly early the next morning at the songs of cheerful birds, Mizuki wobbled herself upright in bed while the sheets under her rustled from the dragging movements. Fuzzy light coming into the dark room bounced off the floor and walls and gave off a dream-like atmosphere. Since it was early in the morning, Mizuki couldn't help resisting the urge of going back to sleep again.

She had slept the entire night in Sorata's bed after she had come home from work weary from the long hours of labor, the decision most likely a whim. Not to mention she overheard trash talk aimed at her friend Zonya in the bathhouse she frequented which really saddened her to no end. The stress and anxiety from that day, no-, ever since they had both appeared in Casselonia, had a tendency of making her act in ways not even she expected to. Those included hugging Sorata from behind, holding his hand, commanding him to protect her among other things. They hadn't seen each other in a week already, or in other words, this was the first time they had been apart for so long, apart from the only other person they could relate to in a land unknown. So naturally she felt something important was missing.

A heaviness like anvils weighed down on her eyelids, she groaned softly in discontent.

It didn't take long for her to get ready. She got dressed, brushed her hair, and in no time was closing up the door to her room, heading down the hall for the stairs.

The landlady was in the kitchen preparing breakfast as usual, hunching over a hot pan adding in the ingredients and taking out freshly baked bread from a blocky stove smeared in long vertical streaks of black ash due to many years of usage. Mizuki was helping to set up the table. She draped it over with a mantle, carried over the mugs, the silverware, a jug of milk, and finally the plates with food.

They ate in silence together, right across one another on the table almost like they were a real family. The only thing making any sound was the clattering of silverware on wooden plates, the masticating of food. "... How are you holding up, lass? This past week you've been down in the dumps. Is everything okay?" The landlady asked in a grumpy, though concerned, voice.

Hearing such a direct question prompted Mizuki to pause from eating. The nature of the question didn't exactly surprise her more than it bugged her to answer. She figured she might as well get it out of the way now that it had sprung up. It was the landlady after all, she had always been an upfront person from the get-go.

"Uh... well..." Mizuki didn't quite know how to answer, so she stumbled a bit trying to choose the right words to say. "I'm getting along pretty well honestly. Work is tough but... I get a fairly decent pay, so I can't complain." Turning to the old woman, she forced a fake satisfied smile and then bit down on a round slice of cucumber on her fork.

"Hmmm, is that so?" She responded but not fully convinced.

Mizuki nodded in agreement as she ate, still sporting a smile.

"Then tell me... have you thought about the boy since his departure seven days ago? You two had a fight the day before and never said any goodbyes."

Coming back again with food on the fork, Mizuki stopped mere centimeters away from her mouth. From the look of her blank reaction, the innkeeper knew she was right on the money this time and Mizuki calmly retreated the utensil down to the plate. The smile that was on her face had suddenly vanished into thin air and replaced with a stale expression.

A strange swelling sensation took over her throat that made her want to give up and start crying, but she resisted it with every amount of strength she could muster to not cause unnecessary drama. A few seconds passed before she felt it under control. "Sorata... Sorata is... It isn't like I don't think about him at all, or resent him for what happened between us that day. He always told me there was no way he'd get caught up in this country's mess, and I believed him for that."