The Absolute and those who can rule it

Chapter 11 [Dark Festival]

"Before we decide what to do today..." Rishia stands and takes charge of the meeting.

We gathered in the family room after breakfast, the aroma of freshly brewed coffee still lingering in the air. Rishia, with a confident smile, wants to discuss how we should spend the last three days on this island. She also has an announcement to make.

"What is it?" I ask, sipping my coffee. The rich, bitter taste grounds me. Rishia grins and looks at Kai. Kai nods, sharing a conspiratorial look with her. What's going on?

"Congratulations, you two!" Both of them suddenly stand up and start clapping. Noarin and I jolt in surprise, exchanging confused glances.

"For context: Yes, we overheard your conversation last night," Rishia continues, her grin widening. Noarin and I blush furiously, the heat rising to our faces.

"What the- How??" Noarin's voice quivers with embarrassment as she nervously questions Rishia.

"I was about to go downstairs to the bathroom when I heard Noarin's voice from Aruta's room. And guess what I heard?" Rishia's grin turns mischievous. Noarin's face gets even redder; she crouches down and covers her face with her hands, trying to hide her embarrassment.

Kai turns to me, a playful smirk on his face. "After all these years, this Aruta, who never cared about other living beings, finally got a girl - Mmph!" I quickly throw a sofa cushion in Kai's face, stopping him mid-sentence.

The cushion hits Kai squarely, muffling his words. He stumbles back, surprised but laughing. Noarin peeks through her fingers, her eyes wide with a mix of mortification and amusement.

"Seriously, guys?" I say, trying to sound stern but failing to hide my own smile. "Did you really have to announce it like this?"

Rishia laughs, sitting back down. "Oh, come on, Aruta. We're just happy for you two. It's about time something good happened."

Noarin finally lowers her hands, still blushing but smiling shyly. "I can't believe you heard all that," she mutters.

Kai recovers, tossing the cushion back onto the sofa. "Well, it's not every day our stoic Aruta finds love. We had to celebrate it somehow."

I roll my eyes, but the warmth in my chest grows. "All right, all right. Thanks, I guess."

Rishia clears her throat, regaining everyone's attention. "Okay, enough teasing. Let's get back to the plan. We have three days left on this island. What should we do for today?"

"Can we do something more relaxing? Aruta just recovered; he shouldn't do too much activity," Noarin says, turning to me with concern in her eyes.

I tilt my head, slightly puzzled. "I'm fine though?"

Noarin frowns, her worry deepening. "Don't overdo it. I know you're still having trouble moving last night."

"That was last night," I shrug, trying to reassure her. "I can move perfectly well now."

Kai, sensing the need to diffuse the tension, pulls out his phone with a grin. "Well then, how about we go see a local performance? I heard they're preparing a festival tonight," he says, showing us his phone screen. It's a picture of a festival announcement flyer. "They have some game booths too."

Rishia perks up at the idea. "Sounds fun, I'm in. How about you guys?" She looks between Noarin and me, her eyes sparkling with excitement.

I glance at Noarin, seeing the hesitation in her expression. "Sure, I guess," I finally say, trying to sound enthusiastic. "I've never been to a festival or anything like that."