❝𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐂𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐀𝐋 𝐖𝐈𝐙𝐀𝐑𝐃❞

Shock the Heart

     "Oh, I'm so sorry, Kalim-san/-senpai!" Jade and (Name) apologized as they saw Kalim sleeping in his room. They did that on purpose to awaken the sleeping dorm leader, so he would feel sympathy for them while Azul and the others distract Jamil.

     "Ah, no—"

     "We shouldn't barge into your room without knocking, we didn't know you were sleeping!" (Name) bowed.

     "We should just return tomorrow. I can't believe how selfish I was for requesting to see the treasure vault again," Jade bowed as he and (Name) started to walk away.

     "Yes, Jade-senpai wanted to see the vault, so I volunteer to go with him," (Name) added as she sighed.

     "It's fine, don't worry~!" Kalim assured as he jolted awake. "What'd you wanna see?"

(Name) and Jade secretly made a high five before turning around to face Kalim. Now that the first step had been accomplished, time for the second step...

     "I was so curious about the tapestry and carpets deep inside the room," Jade replied. "Such handicraft is a unique sight in the sea. I am very interested in your country's culture, you see? More importantly that my hometown is the exact opposite of my own."

     "Ah! I think I have a carpet somewhere that'd look good inside your dorm, too!" Kalim added. "It's just gathering dust here, so you can have it if you want~!"

     "Will that be okay?"

     "Of course!"

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     "We're here!" Kalim opened the doors wide open.

     Jade awed, "Ah, seeing it up close is truly a marvelous sight!" He complimented. He then saw something nearby, "Kalim-san, what is this peacock-green fabric?" He asked, eyeing the cloth.

     (Name) take a good look closer, noticing it was the royal dress of Princess Jasmine, the one royalty in her dream, '... Princess Jasmine, right? It also represents an olive-family plant...'

     "Oh, that's a weaved silk. It's a story from long, long ago, back before they reformed the rule of royals only marrying royals. The princess married a street rat in the slums," Kalim explained. "That's the color she always wore. That color's pretty popular among men and women back home!"

     "How marvelous! I feel like I understand the Mermaid Princess's interest and desire for such things now," Jade remarked. "Managing all these treasures must be a lot of work."

     "Jamil takes care of that. He airs them out sometimes," Kalim told them.

     "Jamil-senpai is such a capable person," (Name) commented. "I even heard Azul-senpai praises him for doing such hard work."

     Kalim giggled, "He is, right~? He's amazing!" He agreed. "Jamil's the one who taught me magic and how to study better, too. He teaches way better than any tutor I've had. Ah, he's a great dancer, too! He's just... He's just shy if he's gonna perform in front of people!"

     "And you do not divulge to tell Jamil-san he's amazing?" Jade asked as he leaned on his head while (Name)'s on the other side of Kalim's neck.

     "Eh?"

     "It is a long vacation and yet the students in the dorm are being made to train drastically every day," Jade continued. "I don't imagine you doing that, Kalim-san."

     "Ah... Because... It's because we need more training... I think?" Even Kalim himself is confused about what he's doing.

     (Name) placed her hand on his shoulder with such concern in her eyes, "I thought it was your decision, Kalim-senpai? You sound that you're hesitating."

     "I see what you mean, (Name)-chan. It's supposed to be my decision, but... I felt like I'm spacing a lot than usual lately," Kalim said.

Jade and (Name) looked at each other...

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深海の商人