Before the two runaways knew it, their time in Hanyuun had passed them by at a speed that could only be rivaled by the flowing wind. Their new, foreign life slowly, quietly, settled into a new normal, built in the small moments between sun and storm.

  One rainy day, a common occurrence in the tropical archipelago, their small farmhouse proved no match for the downpour.

  "Can't we just replace the roof?" Yukari groaned, her voice echoing as she rushed around, grabbing any container she could find—pots, pans, even an old boot—to trap the water leaking from multiple spots in the ceiling.

  "We can't," Raito replied, his voice strained. He was standing precariously on a tall stool, trying his best to plug one of the larger leaks with a hammer, a nail, and a random piece of wood. "We need to save up more money."

  Slam!

  The front door slammed open, and Isao stormed in, his usual pompadour slightly damp. He didn't say a word. He just walked past them, grabbed the hammer and wood from a stunned Raito, and with a few swift, impossibly precise movements, plugged the leak. Then he moved to the next, and the next, fixing each one in seconds. Just as quickly as he had arrived, he turned and left, slamming the door behind him.

  The two of them were left speechless, the only sound now the gentle patter of rain on a roof that was no longer leaking.

  "...did that just happen?" Raito finally asked.

  "And how did he even know we had a leak?" Yukari added, just as bewildered.

  ***

  A streak of hot sunrays hit Hanyuun like a plague. The air grew thick and heavy, leaving both runaways feeling lethargic as they sat slumped over their dinner table, the heat too much to bear.

  "Beach?" Yukari asked, her voice a tired murmur.

  Raito just nodded in agreement. "Beach."

  They moved to a quiet stretch of sand on the outskirts of Biyuu island, finding a shallow rock formation where they could sit together and dip their feet in the cool, clear water.

  "I needed this," Raito said, breathing a sigh of relief as the water washed over his ankles.

  "Agreed," Yukari replied, deflating as she rested her head on his shoulder. "Why is it suddenly so hot?"

  "I don't know, ask the locals," Raito grumbled. "I didn't think only having two types of weather could be this unpredictable. One day it's a torrential downpour, the next it's a heatwave with no clouds."

  "Rice balls?" Raito offered, handing her the small picnic basket they had packed.

  "I thought you'd never ask," Yukari said, gratefully taking one.

  Suddenly, a voice shouted from down the beach. "Hey, kids, watch out!"

  They looked back to see a lone, one-horned cow, its eyes wide with panic, charging directly toward them.

  "Yukari, can you...?" Raito asked, already bracing himself.

  "Fine," she sighed. Yukari stood up, and with a single, fluid movement, she side-stepped the rampaging animal and dealt a swift, precise blow to the back of its head, knocking it out cold in the sand.

  "Not bad, young miss," one man from a group of what looked to be hunters said as they ran up, panting.

  "Want to work for us?" another offered.

  "Huh?" Yukari asked, confused.

  "Take her," Raito said, gently shoving her in their direction.

  "Wha—?" Yukari was even more confused now.

  "You need a job, and I need you away from the farm," Raito sneered playfully. "Two birds with one stone."

  His words were promptly followed by a loud smack on the back of his head from Yukari.

  This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

  ***

  The seasons in Hanyuun didn't change, but the rhythm of the rain did. Another storm, this one worse than before, lashed against their small farmhouse, locking the two of them inside. They sat at the dinner table, a pot of Raito's now-signature vegetable stew prepared neatly before them. However, instead of eating, they were staring at something else.

  That something was Isao, who was sitting at their table, eating their stew with a vigor that suggested he hadn't eaten in years.

  "Why are you here?" Raito finally asked, breaking the stunned silence.

  "Got caught in the storm, can't ya see?" Isao replied between mouthfuls.

  "I know that," Raito said, his eye twitching slightly. "But why were you heading to our house in the first place?"

  Isao swallowed, then slapped a damp piece of paper onto the door. The ink was smudged from the rain, but the official seal of the village elder was still visible. "Noise complaint notice," he declared. "You two rascals have been way too loud for the past couple of months. The complaints I've gotten have tripled. Ya got that?"

  "Sorry," the two runaways said in unison, their heads bowed in shame.

  ***

  On the sunnier days, when a calm, refreshing breeze hit the island, the market in Kumatou village was bustling once more.

  "Raito! That potato was really good! Give me twenty kilograms next time," a shopkeeper said as he paid.

  "Thank you, sir! I promise, the next batch will be even better!" Raito replied with a confident grin.

  "Hey, Raito, the carrots worked wonders on my kids," a woman said, paying for her own bundle. "They've never eaten their vegetables so happily."

  "Thank you, ma'am!"

  A familiar, gentle voice cut through the noise. "Oh, young Raito, fancy seeing you here." It was Sun Yoon. He picked up one of Raito's carrots, inspecting it with a practiced eye. "It seems the vegetables are growing well."

  "Grandpa Sun Yoon!" Raito saluted. "Thanks to you, they are!"

  The young farmer had managed to gain quite a bit of traction with his produce. Meanwhile, on the other side of the market, Yukari stood with a crowd of local women, all holding folding fans in front of their mouths.

  "...did you know Mrs. Wakita got pregnant yesterday? They don't even know who the father is," one of the women whispered.

  "No way!" Yukari gasped, completely engrossed in the gossip.

  "Miss Yukari," another woman said, "I hope you won't miss our weekly gathering today."

  "Don't worry," Yukari replied with a wink. "I know better than to miss it."

  Raito, unable to hear the conversation, just wondered what his partner was doing, surrounded by the village's most notorious gossips.

  ***

  Another night, the sky was clear and filled with a brilliant spray of stars. In the quiet backyard of their farmhouse, the two runaways sat on their lawn chairs, sharing a pot of warm tea.

  "Can't believe it's been four months already," Yukari said, her gaze lost in the starry sky.

  "Yeah," Raito replied, a soft smile on his face. "I thought this new place would feel different, would be harder to live in."

  "I know. Everything just feels... normal now," Yukari said. "You, with your farming. Me, going hunting, and..." she paused, a small, mischievous smile on her face, "going to the housewives' group meeting."

  Raito spat out his tea. "Housewives' meeting? Since when? You're not even a housewife!"

  "About a month ago," she explained, looking very pleased with herself. "After one of my hunting sessions with Mr. Akira, he introduced me to his wife. Then I got invited to their meeting."

  "What do you even do in that meeting?" he asked, completely bewildered.

  "Stuff," she said with a mysterious smile. "Things you wouldn't understand anyway. We promise to keep each other's secrets there."

  "Sounds like a cult," Raito teased.

  A pang of anger hit Yukari. "I'm sorry," he said quickly, trying to shield himself.

  But something soft landed on his arm. He opened his eyes. “What is this?”

  “It was a towel. Or, at least, it was supposed to be,” Yukari answered. It was a slightly lopsided, clumsily stitched piece of cloth. "I'm also not sure what this is," she added shyly, "but I made it. It's for you."

  Raito looked at her bandaged fingers, a clear sign of her recent battles with a needle and thread, and then back at the "towel." "Thanks," he said, a genuine, heartfelt warmth spreading through his chest. He leaned in and planted a soft kiss on her cheek.

  "Wha—" Yukari was shocked, her own face turning red as she touched her cheek.

  "My revenge," he said, a faint blush on his own face. "For what you did in Moulang. I finally got one on you."

  She just stared at him for a moment, and then a soft, beautiful smile spread across her face. The two of them held hands, their fingers intertwined, as they stared up at the starry skies of Hanyuun. And just like that, days turned to weeks, and weeks turned to months, as the two runaways found a small, quiet peace in their new home.

  However, this peace was as fragile as a single candle flame in a drafty room.

  In a quiet, dark room distance away, lit only by that same flickering candlelight, a figure handed a small, developed photograph to another, more imposing figure who sat shrouded in shadows.

  "Are you sure this is her?" the shadowed figure asked, their voice a low, dangerous rumble.

  "Our intel says that she is," the first figure replied, their voice a respectful whisper. "But we can't figure out when she arrived, nor if she is truly the one we seek. The resemblance is very close, however. We have tailed her for days now."

  The photograph showed a young woman with long, midnight-blue hair and silver-rimmed glasses, talking with a group of women in what looked to be a marketplace. It was unmistakably Yukari.

  The shadowed figure studied the picture for a long, silent moment. "Then gather more information," they commanded. "We can't let this opportunity pass. If we can get her to join us, we will finally have the edge we need in this war."

  A cruel, ambitious smile spread across the shadowed figure's face, a glint of teeth in the darkness.

  "Izumi and Umigawa will fall under my hands."

  A low, triumphant laugh filled the dark room, a sound that promised the peaceful breeze in Hanyuun would soon turn into a storm.