---

We returned to the village in the nick of time. Thonvir and Oleena had run out of excuses for our absence and were at their wits' end.

Right as Lia was about to trudge out of Rysef's manor and inform the Sentinels we were missing, Melyn and I showed up, quelling any uneasiness she may have harbored.

And with that, we got off scot-free.

I excused myself from lunchtime and isolated myself in the training chamber. I needed to cool my head and start from the top.

With a cudgel in hand, I began swinging.

Fwoop! Thwoop! Fwip!

The perfect persuasive speech involved two aspects. Logos and pathos—logic and emotion.

But just logic won't penetrate their thick skulls. An emotional appeal should act as a lubricant for the harsh facts I'll be delivering...

But therein lay the crux of the issue. If the drug problem wasn't enough to prompt immediate action, what would?

So on the emotional front, I was drawing blanks.

Thwap! Fwip! Thwoop!

My swings hastened with every fleeting idea, as though my bludgeons would strike the problems away.

Violence wasn't the answer though, words were. And two years had noticeably dulled my gift of gab.

Was there any hope in this plan of mine..?

Fwap! Thwip! Fwoop!

「L-Lorenzo..? Is that ya Lorenzo..?」

Then, a small voice called out to me.

A timid Ysolva came peeking in from the door. She had overheard strange noises while in the dormitory and came to investigate.

Only then did I realize how drenched in sweat I was.

「Who else would it be?」

I threw my cudgel aside and leaned against the wall, sliding down until I reached the nice and cold stone flooring. My exhaustion finally caught up to me.

「A-are ya okay?」

「I'm sort of in a bind right now... but otherwise I'm peachy.」

She quietly walked up to me, clutching a checkered beige square of fabric.

Once my heavy breathing died down, the girl offered me it.

「Ya'll catch a cold if ya don't dry yerself... so, h-here! M-my handkerchief!」

「Haha! Tell that to Mel, not me. That idiot never listens to what I have to say. Also, I don't need your personal handkerchief, I have my own.」

「N-no! I mean... I insist! P-please use mine!」

Ysolva was being unusually bold today. I took into account her recent dieting and concluded something was up.

I decided to test the waters and figure out what was really going on. It was a good break from thinking up a grand speech.

「And what's with the kindness out of nowhere? I gathered you disliked me or something with the way you constantly gave me a wide berth...」

「What?! N-no! I-I don't dislike ya! I'm just... um... uh...」

She was tongue-tied. That adorable reaction was typical of Thonvir's younger sister.

Come to think of it, this is the first time we've properly talked to one another...

I ceased teasing her for the meantime and took the handkerchief from her hands. She timorously watched as I wiped my face dry.

「While you're here, why don't we chat? There's no one else at the dorms right now, right?」

「R-really..? You mean it?!」

「Don't know why I'd lie about that...」

She awkwardly positioned herself on the ground a good distance away from me and cast her gaze downward. Her shyness went beyond what was normal.

Aware of her androphobia, I opted for a gentler approach.

「So... what are you doing here at this hour? Shouldn't you be having lunch with the rest?」

「H-huh..? Um... well...」

She seemed reluctant to speak up. My thoughts went down the road of this being a serious illness that she was hiding.

In a slight panic, I deviated from my gentle approach and began aggressively interrogating her under this flawed assumption.

「Are you actually okay Ysolva? It's one thing to starve because you're a slum dweller, but to purposely deprive yourself of food? If you've come down with something, you should really go to Maksa you know? He may be tending to the comatose patients, but that's no excuse to neglect your health—!」

The girl turned as white as a sheet. I wasn't paying heed to my volume and barely passed the scolding threshold.

I sighed in defeat and slumped against the wall. I had to calm myself.

「S-sorry. I didn't mean to yell... I'm just worried about you. I'm the one who rescued you from that underground base two years ago, so naturally, I feel a great deal of responsibility for your wellbeing. If you're ever hurt because I freed you from that hellhole...」

Her frightened stare slowly transformed into a vague countenance. I waited for her to break her compliant nature and snap at me.

Under her breath, she uttered an inaudible string of words.

「Why are you so..?」

It might've been a little insensitive to burden her with my troubles. I was a lot more open with the slum dwellers than I wished to be.

Then, she repeated herself. This time louder. She finally spoke about how she felt, shattering her bashful front.

「W-why are you so nice to me?!」

It was a simple question that puzzled me. The answer was so clear, that I saw no reason to ask it.

So, in response, I took out my handkerchief and tossed it to her.

「Does that answer your question?」

「Um... uh...」

I folded her handkerchief, soaked in sweat, and stored it in my pocket.

「I'll wash your handkerchief and return it to you. In the meantime, you hold on to mine. It's a promise. Only friends make promises to each other.」

Her face lit up. She looked at the handkerchief in her hands and turned back to me.

「F-friends..? We're friends..?」

「We haven't spoken a whole lot but, yes, I do consider you a friend.」

Her golden peepers glimmered at my assertation.

The space between us lessened, both emotionally and physically. She joined me by the wall, albeit a few feet away from me, and we conversed like somewhat normal people.

Don't be mistaken though, I was still carrying the conversation. Ysolva's social awkwardness didn't magically disappear upon finding common ground with me.

Even then, it was a far cry from her trademark diffidence.

Oh boy... Thonvir's in for a surprise...

「Say Ysolva... correct me if I'm wrong, but you are afraid of men right?」

She was struck dumb by my sudden inquiry.

「How'd ya know..?」

「I can read minds. It's a secret power of mine.」

「S-s-seriously?!」

I lightly chuckled at her innocent reaction. Thonvir didn't have to fret about her growing up anytime soon.

「Of course not. Don't take everything at face value. Gullibility leads to exploitation.」

「Gulla... what..?」

「N-never mind. Continue reading those books from Melyn's library and you'll someday understand.」

Ysolva was the least literate of the gang of guttersnipes. I almost forget to cut back on the complicated vocabulary whenever I'm with her.

But now that I had her attention, I could get back to the original intentions of this impromptu heart-to-heart.

「Alright, once more I'll ask you... What's with the dieting?」

Her cheeks were suffused with a soft but vibrant pink. I'd never seen a face turn so red in such a short amount of time.

「Um... uh... p-promise you won't laugh..?」

「I promise.」

The young girl took a deep breath before revealing the true reason behind her abstinence.

「A-aren't I... beginnin' t' look like a plump turkey?!」

「Say what now?」

「Big bro told me how chubby I was becomin'... And when compared t' Oleena that's certainly true, r-right?!」

An inconceivable stillness permeated the training chamber as I processed her words.

I then opened my mouth and let it all out.

An unrestrained belly laugh that echoed throughout the room.

「I-I told ya not t' laugh!」

An embarrassed Ysolva kept her head down as I finished my fit of laughter—her cheeks perfused with an even more intense tinge of pink.

When the guffaw died down, all that was left was a humiliated little girl who covered herself with my handkerchief.

I wiped a tear from my eye and explained myself to her.

「Hahaha... I wasn't laughing at you, I was just... laughing out of relief.」

「R-relief..?」

「I'm just glad it wasn't anything life-threatening. I'd be gutted if anything were to happen to you...」

She sat upright and faced me with shaky confidence.

「You really are too nice...」

「You should raise your bar on other people. I'm not as nice as you think.」

「D-don't say that..! Sure ya may say mean things sometimes but... but I think you're still bein' kind in yer own way... I really believe that!」

I was undeserving of such praise. But the eagerness in her tone comforted me.

Instinctually, I stretched out my hand and stroked her head. There was a pause before she turned beet red again.

「A-ah crap! Sorry, Ysolva! Mel usually does that with me, so I figured...」

「It's fine...」

「I... beg your pardon..?」

「I-it's fine! Keep doing it!」

I wasn't sure where her disposition lay, but I went along with her demand anyway and continued to caress her silky straight hair.

I hearkened back to my first encounter with Thonvir. Just by the feel of Ysolva's locks alone, I could tell these two were definitely related.

What a content smile... She enjoys getting coddled huh..?

「I wonder... why do I feel completely safe when I'm with ya...」

「What was that Ysolva?」

The young girl quickly blushed with embarrassment and scooted away from me.

「N-nothin'! I-I was just wonderin' what yer agonizin' over...」

「Agonizing huh? You learn that word from Melyn..?」

She inclined, bearing a half-suppressed twinkle.

「Well... as for an answer... I'm not certain you'll understand. It is something that should be kept from Melyn and Rysef at all costs.」

「I may not be helpful... b-but I can keep a secret! And big bro always tells me that sharing yer troubles with others makes anyone feel better! So, um, uh, y-you don't have t' hold back!」

Her starry-eyed outlook was an unexpected trait of hers.

All these years I assumed Ysolva was a dreary young soul, irreversibly tainted by the horrors of her upbringing.

But in front of me sat the complete opposite of that.

A strong spirit that had persevered through years of neglect and abuse, simply unable to express herself in the same vein.

Thus, seeing no harm in letting her in on my plan, I decided to tell her all about tomorrow's meeting and my scheme to convince the District Masters to revolt against the Church.

It took only a few minutes to recap everything to Ysolva.

And by the end, she was an ardent supporter of my cause—the girl crossed her arms and sealed her eyes shut as she envisaged the perfect hook to get all the District Masters on board.

「It's alright, you needn't push yourself. This is a personal endeavor of mine after all...」

「Big bro told me that if I ever make a new friend, I should always help them out. So... um...」

「Sounds like a pain in the rear and a half... Thonvir what are you teaching this girl..?」

I didn't want her to waste her limited childhood ruminating on this issue, but I did appreciate the sentiment.

Plus, I thought it'd be best to let her express her forthright emotions while she could.

But then, she pivoted her entire body towards me.

「U-umm..!」

「Thought of something?」

「Mhm!」

She vigorously nodded.

「R-remember th' story 'bout how we met Maksa..? Can't ya use that as an emotional hook..?」

「Huh...」

I recalled hearing about the tale two years ago. Shortly after the orphans settled into the village.

I never thought about it but... huh... this might actually do the trick..!

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