Chapter 30: A thing that binds connections together

After Simon borrowed a self-heating kettle from the amusement park staff and boiled some hot water for Lila, as the warmth spread through her stomach, the pain below was gradually diluted by the heat.

Lila still held her abdomen.

She no longer had the mood to continue playing at the amusement park, but there was still one activity she wanted to try.

“Do you want to play this?”

Simon followed her gaze.

It was an archery game.

To be honest, Lila had long wanted to experience archery.

Each round provided ten arrows.

And the sign beside it stated that if you hit the bullseye nine times within ten shots, you could win a bracelet.

The bracelet sat inside a glass display case.

It was a transparent, gorgeous blue gemstone carved into the shape of wings, the feathers rendered with striking realism.

More importantly, it was a mana-storage crystal.

It was well known that everything could store mana, but generally, the substances that could hold the most were these naturally formed precious gemstones, the purer they were, the more mana they could contain.

Although Lila didn’t lack such crystals, winning one through her own archery skills would be incredibly satisfying.

“Miss, would you like to give it a try?”

The vendor asked with a friendly smile.

“Yes, yes.”

After paying, Lila stepped forward.

Her right hand reached for the bowstring, her index, middle, and ring fingers aligned as they hooked onto it, her fingertips pressing firmly, nails turning slightly pale from the force.

Although she had never practiced, she at least knew the proper posture.

Full of confidence, she stared at the target.

And naturally, the result was…

She didn’t even graze the edge of the target.

“How could this be…”

Lila deflated slightly.

Maybe it was just bad luck, she comforted herself.

She drew the bow again.

But the following results were the same, completely off.

Some arrows flew too high, some too low, some veered left and right.

Arrows landed all around the target, but not a single one hit it.

Simon could tell that Conflor’s posture was correct.

But her accuracy…

No, it was abysmal.

The ones flying high, was she trying to shoot birds on electric poles?

The ones drilling into the ground aside, the arrows flying sideways were nearly hitting other people’s targets.

Simon could only cover his face.

Finally, only one arrow remained.

Lila drew the string again.

Her arm trembled slightly from nervousness.

Relying on instinct, she released the final shot.

This arrow, at last, did not betray her sense of direction.

It hit.

‘One point.’

Though the gap between one point and ninety points couldn’t exactly be called small, it was more like the difference between heaven and earth.

But Lila didn’t lose heart.

‘…Of course she did.’

She was about to collapse from this cruel reality.

“Simon, am I really that bad?”

[Yes.]

That’s right.

Even if she was the shopkeeper, even if she was cute, beautiful, and gentle, her aim was truly terrible.

“Not really. It’s your first time, after all. Beginners are like this.”

Seeing Conflor lower her gaze, Simon still chose to comfort her.

“Then I’ll try again!”

Simon saw her eyes light up for a moment, and she immediately bought another round.

He felt a bit helpless as he watched the bright girl under the sunlight draw the bow again.

‘The result was… better than before.’

One shot scored one point, another scored two points, in other words, triple her previous total.

“It must be the bow’s fault.”

Lila’s face scrunched up like a bitter melon.

“Shopkeeper, how about I give it a try?”

“Then you try, Simon.”

Simon bought a round from the vendor, who was smiling brightly.

It had been a while since he last used this, hopefully he hadn’t gotten rusty.

Simon fixed his gaze on the center of the target, imagining the trajectory of the arrow, predicting the correct path.

Then he released his fingers.

The arrow shot forward, tracing a sharp arc through the air.

Nine points, almost touching the boundary of the bullseye.

Simon took a deep breath.

A target like this, if it were him a few months ago, it would have been a guaranteed hit.

He really had gotten rusty.

“So amazing!”

Lila exclaimed from the side.

She hadn’t expected Simon’s first shot to be so accurate.

‘Was it luck?’

She couldn’t help but doubt.

There was no room for mistakes now.

Simon steadied his breathing, trying to return to his former state.

He nocked another arrow and drew the bow again.

This time, his movements became smoother and more natural.

His left hand held the bow steady like a rock, gripping it firmly, while his right fingers pulled the string taut, bending the bow into a graceful curve.

The arrow flew out like a bolt of black lightning, swift and precise toward the center.

As expected, ten points.

Lila froze.

Simon’s skill with the bow seemed far beyond what she had imagined.

Even the vendor stopped smiling.

After removing the arrows from the target, Simon focused completely on shooting.

The surrounding noise no longer affected him in the slightest.

Mechanically drawing and releasing, another elegant arc.

Ten points.

Without reacting to the success, the next shot followed.

Another ten points.

Again and again.

Lost in concentration, Simon didn’t even know how many arrows he had shot.

When he reached for the quiver…

It was empty.

The moment he lowered the bow, the first thing he saw was Conflor’s bright eyes.

“So amazing, Simon! Have you trained before?”

Like a curious cat, she leaned close, excitedly describing his movements just now.

Her face filled his vision.

Her fair skin, her slightly flushed cheeks from excitement, her small nose, and those shining golden eyes.

Simon’s cheeks flushed, and he instinctively stepped back.

In the end, he could only nod as if nothing had happened and say,

“I used to go hunting in the mountains with my father, so I’m pretty skilled with a bow.”

“I see.”

Lila suddenly understood.

So he had trained before, then as a beginner, her performance wasn’t that bad after all.

“Boss.”

Simon gestured to the vendor, who promptly took the mana crystal bracelet out of the glass case.

“Kid, you’re quite impressive.”

The vendor didn’t hold back his praise as he handed the bracelet to Simon.

****

“Shopkeeper, this is for you. Consider it a souvenir.”

Simon held one end of the bracelet, letting the wing-shaped gem dangle naturally.

“Huh? That’s not necessary…”

Lila rarely encountered such pure kindness, so she didn’t quite know how to respond.

Though she wanted it, according to Conflor’s persona, she should refuse, it made her hesitate awkwardly.

“After all, you paid for the steak and the amusement park tickets today. Let this count as repaying part of it.”

Simon said.

He had no real use for it anyway.

And such a small crystal, at best, it could power classroom lights for a few days.

To him, it was just a small gift, insignificant compared to what he had received today.

As for Lila, she hadn’t even thought about today’s expenses.

According to Conflor’s persona, she was supposed to be generous, and besides, the cost meant nothing to her.

“Thank you.”

In the end, Lila accepted the bracelet.

Her fingers gently brushed over the delicate carved feathers, the coolness of the gemstone seeping through her fingertips.

She would treat it as a memento of today.

Even if it vanished like fireworks in an instant, perhaps in days to come, she could look at this transparent feather and remember this fleeting, carefree day.

Even if it was all false…

For both herself and Simon.