Makoto left in a bit of a hurry, but he returned quite quickly.
By the time she arrived, only Clementine was left here.
Ei had already taken the little fox to a livelier spot; it was a mystery how the two of them managed to communicate despite the language barrier.
Makoto keenly observed that Clementine’s expression held a hint of vacant dullness.
Based on past experience, she always wore this expression when she had a lot to say in her heart but didn’t want to speak it out loud.
So, she subconsciously asked her, “What’s wrong?” Clementine came back to her senses, glanced at her, and quickly cast her gaze elsewhere.
“It’s nothing; I’m holding a grudge.” Makoto subconsciously recalled what might have happened recently that was worth her dwelling on, but she couldn’t find a suitable answer.
Clementine didn’t intend to let him figure it out; she quickly stood up and replied, “Do you want to go for a stroll?
Or you can lead the way, and I’ll follow you.” Makoto had no choice but to temporarily give up on thinking, attempting to plan the time for two that she had just acquired.
“Then let’s head toward that higher ground over there and see what fun things we can find on the way by luck.
Is that alright?” At the end, she habitually asked for the Thunder Dragon’s opinion, though she had long expected that this question would not receive a refusal.
So, they naturally walked hand in hand along this road that stretched far into the distance.
It seemed that because they were closer this time, Makoto could even occasionally feel the direction of the faint airflow created by her tail sweeping behind them.
Both sides of the road were still filled with all kinds of stalls, where various yokai sold all sorts of food, dishes, and strange handmade goods.
The stall owners weren’t all dedicated to soliciting customers; many times, when they met familiar yokai, they were busy catching up and chatting, forgetting they still had a stall to look after.
Clementine even saw a stall owner reject every inquiry from those who wanted to buy her goods; it seemed he had set up the stall purely for showing off, rather than wanting to do business.
Besides these stalls selling goods, there were various activities interspersed among them.
Little yokai, finally getting some space to move, were wandering and playing, engaging in games of tag; on a stage covered by the sound of taiko drums, beautiful yokai were dancing gracefully with folding fans; in a nearby area, a martial arts duel was fiercely underway, with endless cheers resounding for those on the field.
Clementine and Makoto, like every tourist who came here, stopped at every bustling area.
They had just witnessed a duel between a Kamaitachi and a regular person who had stumbled into this place, a story that ended with the two heroes appreciating each other and agreeing to a future sparring match.
The Thunder Dragon seemed to suddenly understand why Makoto and his friends all liked this kind of occasion.
In the bright, moonlit dead of night, all the passion ignited the vibrancy of life; fireworks were ordinary, but the bright moon glowed.
Looking down from a height, the entire venue looked more like a gem nestled in the embrace of the mountains, capable of stealing the viewer’s full attention with just a glance.
The fireworks embedded within it surely illuminated the world she loved.
At the overlook far from the hustle and bustle, Clementine could still see a sea of starlight formed by one lantern after another.
She was pulled by Makoto to settle down here, and the two sat side by side in a place where they could take in the view below.
Clementine asked: “Why choose this place?
The area below is clearly more attractive to you, right.” “Because it’s quiet here and you can overlook the entire venue.
It looks like a place you would like, so watching the scenery here is also very good.” While answering, Makoto fished out a box from somewhere.
“Ah, that’s right, I have a gift I want to give you.” Clementine took the box Makoto handed over with curiosity.
The box looked unremarkable on the outside, with no extra patterns, making it impossible to guess what was inside.
“Then I’m opening it?” As she spoke, Clementine opened the box.
Inside lay a box of various gemstones, slightly glittering in the dim light.
It seemed to include every type she had seen in her memory, and even the same type of stone was arranged in different stages of products, from mined raw ore to cut and polished.
The things inside the box far exceeded the volume that appeared from the outside; it seemed to contain its own space.
“It’s gemstones.
Did you go looking for this just now?
Why give me this?” When Clementine was unwrapping the gift, Makoto was watching her eyes.
The light dimmed, and her slit pupils widened a bit, making Makoto hallucinate a golden-eyed kitten fiddling with a toy in its paws.
After admiring for a while, Makoto replied: “Because I heard that dragons all like shiny gold coin treasures?
I thought, whatever other dragons have, our Cle should have too.
I can’t find treasure for now, but there are shiny stones, so I found a bit of each kind.
Do you like this?” Makoto’s subtext was probably that if she didn’t like it, she could exchange it, but Clementine didn’t respond along that line of thought; she just said: “Anything you give me, I naturally like.
Hmm, now it is already a treasure.” Makoto laughed and leaned on her shoulder: “How can you be like this, so cunning.” Clementine started talking nonsense with a straight face: “In legends of treasures and evil dragons, dragons are always this cunning.
Princesses like you would be snatched away and locked up by a cunning dragon.” Makoto didn’t believe her joke at all, only saying: “Then our Cle is definitely the kindest one among dragons.
Besides, I’m not a princess; at most, I can count as a lord.” Clementine was amused to laughter by the lord who was very good at telling cold jokes.
Makoto continued to watch his golden-eyed kitten use her claws to fiddle with the things in the box, feeling that she must indeed really like these shiny stones.
Clementine reached out and counted the things in the box one by one, her finger stopping on a piece in the middle that looked like an Electro Crystal.
Inside the small stone was an exceptionally abundant Elemental Power and a hint of ancient aura.
“This one, it’s different from the others?” “Yeah, it has my Elemental Power inside.
Usually, you’re always the one helping me solve troubles, so I want to help you too.
Although the possibilities aren’t many, at least it’s a gesture.
If I infuse it with Elemental Power, I can sense it and hear what you say to it; let’s treat it as a method of contact.” Clementine nodded: “Okay, then I will keep it with me well.” Makoto happily followed up: “If you are going to carry it with you, I also prepared something else.” She took out another box, which contained a silver chain decorated with tiny gemstones.
One end still had a space left to add a charm, and judging by the shape, it could just fit that special Electro Crystal from earlier.
“A bracelet?
It seems a bit long.
Where do you want me to hang it?” Clementine didn’t reach out this time; she had probably already guessed what the other person wanted to say, but insisted on asking anyway.
“I know some horned yokai hang decorations on their horns, and I thought this color would suit you very well.
Do you want to try it?” Clementine lowered her head slightly.
“Since you say so, then come help me; I can’t see it myself.” Makoto followed her lead and circled behind Clementine.
The thin silver chain could just hang between the forked dragon horns, dotting a bit of silver light amidst the vast expanse of gold, like a silver wave occasionally turning up in a golden ocean.
The thin chain on the right was deliberately left longer with an extra ornament added, making the position where that communicator hung look more like an earring.
In the end, he also thoughtfully asked: “If there is one extra crystal on one side, will it affect you if the two sides are uneven in weight?” The Thunder Dragon spoke lazily: “It won’t.
It’s just a little decoration.
Just like you wearing a single-sided earring, even if the two sides are different, it won’t affect anything.” “I also have a gift I want to give you.
I’ll go find it tomorrow; you can look forward to it.” ————————
It might not seem tempting right now but who knows what the future holds?
“And If you’re enjoying it, drop a Power Stone for me!”