At the end of the boardwalk was a small headland where a lighthouse stood at the very tip. Its white body was etched with fine cracks from years of sea breeze erosion, and the lantern room at the top shimmered with a copper luster in the morning light. A low stone wall circled the base of the tower, with wild grass growing thick at its roots.
Margarita walked to the stone wall, propped her hands on the edge, and stood on her tiptoes to look into the distance. The sea stretched all the way to the horizon, starting as a blue-green shallow near the shore and gradually deepening into a dark blue before merging with the azure of the sky.
It was truly beautiful.
“It’s beautiful,” she said aloud.
Joshua stood beside her, but he wasn’t looking at the sea. He was looking at her white hair fluttering in the wind, her slightly narrowed blue eyes, and that tear mole which stood out clearly in the morning light.
“Yeah,” he said. “It’s beautiful.”
Margarita hoisted herself up and sat on the stone wall, her legs dangling over the edge, swinging them gently to and fro. Joshua sat down next to her, leaving a small space between them. Waves crashed against the reefs below the headland, the sound muffled and rhythmic. A few seagulls circled overhead, occasionally diving down to snag a fish or two from the surface.
“Joshua.”
“I’m here.”
“What do you want to do in the future?”
Joshua turned his head to look at her. Her gaze was fixed on the line where the water met the sky, the sea breeze making her squint slightly.
“I haven’t thought about it yet,” he said.
“You haven’t?”
“No.” Joshua also cast his gaze toward the distance. “I used to want to become stronger to protect the village. After the village was safe, I wanted to protect you.”
“But later, as you needed my protection less and less, I didn’t really know what I should do anymore.”
Which eye did you use to see that I don't need protection anymore? A defenseless girl like me would literally die if a demon so much as touched me.
Margarita remained silent for a moment.
“You’re very strong now,” she said. “The instructor said your combat scores have already surpassed most of the students in the Advanced Class.”
“It’s not enough.”
“Whether it’s enough or not isn’t for us to decide.” Margarita looked at his profile. “It’s for your future enemies to decide.”
Joshua turned to look at her, her face reflected in his blue eyes.
“What about you?” he asked. “Margarita, what do you want to do?”
“Me?”
Margarita thought for a long time—from the days in her previous life when she worked overtime until dawn, to the moment she was reincarnated in Percy Village. She thought of the frantic preparation born from the fear that she wouldn't have enough time, and the difficulties she had gritted her teeth to overcome every single time.
“I want to live well,” she said. “And I want the people around me to live well too.”
The sea breeze tossed her white hair, a few strands brushing against Joshua’s shoulder. He looked down at the blue pendant on his chest; the cracks on the stone were clearly visible in the sunlight.
“Margarita.” He touched the pendant. “What else are you hiding from me?”
Margarita lowered her gaze, her fingers lightly picking at the crevices in the stone wall.
“What do you mean?”
“Everything,” Joshua said. “The Star-Spun Stone, the Sacrosanct Circle, and every time you say ‘it’s nothing.’”
Margarita suddenly smiled. She should have known—how could a galgame Protagonist be kept in the dark by her clumsy excuses forever? Sometimes she didn't even bother to hide things from Joshua. Maybe he had known from the beginning, or maybe he knew everything.
She looked at Joshua’s side profile.
His black hair was blown back by the sea breeze, revealing his handsome features. His blue eyes seemed to have captured the sunlight, shimmering at this moment. Compared to the child from Percy Village in her memories, his facial lines were more rugged now, and a faint shadow of stubble was visible on his chin.
“What else is there? I’m wondering too.” Margarita looked at Joshua with that smile, making him feel a bit flustered.
“You still... can’t say?”
“Not yet.”
Joshua didn't press further. The two of them sat in silence on the low wall, the sound of the crashing waves filling all the gaps between them. A seagull flew in from afar and landed on top of the lantern room, tilting its head to watch them.
“But,” Margarita broke the silence, “when I am able to speak, I will tell you everything, without missing a single word.”
“Okay.”
She turned and hopped off the stone wall, patted the dust from her trousers, and put her wide-brimmed hat back on. Joshua followed her down. He was a head taller than her, and his shadow enveloped her.
“Shall we go back?” Margarita said. “I’m a little hungry.”
...
Joshua watched the girl walk toward the boardwalk. Her white shirt billowed in the wind, and she skipped along with her hands behind her back, her steps light as if the conversation just now hadn't happened at all.
He lingered on the spot for a moment before catching up.
On the way back, they passed the tail end of the morning market. Margarita stopped to buy two roasted cakes, munching on one herself and handing the other to Joshua. The two walked side by side on the flagstone road, neither of them speaking. The cakes were fresh from the oven, the aroma of sesame and wheat flour mixing with the sea breeze. Joshua took a bite; it was sweet.
As they neared the inn entrance, Margarita suddenly spoke.
“Joshua,” she said, smiling at him. “Thanks for today.”
Joshua looked at her. There was no calculation, no concealment—just a pure smile that seemed to glow in the midday sun, the tear mole below her eye like a small dot of ink. There were still crumbs from the roasted cake stuck near her mouth, which she likely hadn't noticed.
Joshua was dazed by the smile. His hand instinctively reached out to wipe away the crumbs, and he lingered to touch her face. The skin under his fingertips was warm and soft, completely different from the pendant on his chest.
Both of them fell silent at the same time.
Margarita’s pupils dilated slightly, and the smile froze on her face. Her white hair fluttered in the sea breeze, several strands sticking to Joshua’s fingers before he could pull them away.
“You...”
“I... that, I’ll go first...” Margarita seemed to have been completely thrown off balance by this sudden action, losing all of her usual confidence. She took a step back, her heel catching on a flagstone, and she tilted backward.
Joshua reached out and grabbed her wrist, pulling her back. Margarita crashed into his chest with a muffled thud.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m fine!” Margarita sprang out of his arms and took another step back, her head looking like it was about to emit steam. “I-I’m going in first! Take your time!”
She turned and fled into the inn.
Then he saw two heads squeezed together, peeking out from the second-floor window of the inn. One was red, and the other was pale gold.
Lovell and Irene.
“Ooooh!” The two of them hugged each other excitedly, disappearing from the window while muttering things about the blockhead finally seeing the light and the iron tree blooming.
Joshua felt his own face grow hot.
Rate on N.U.
