Wind's Serenade (風のセレナーデ)

ACT I: Unspoken Love (言葉にならない思い)

As the day progressed, the villagers worked tirelessly to restore the Valley. Nausicaa spent her afternoon working hard on assisting in the reconstruction. She tended the soil, making sure it's fertile enough for the crops to grow healthy.

While she planted some crops, Asbel took part in helping out Nausicaa, working an inch or two away from her, shovelling dirt into every channel of the irrigation system. Or, at least that's what he should be doing. His mind, however, was quite far from determination on his job. More specifically, it was on Nausicaa. As he stole glances from Nausicaa, he admired and briefly observed how effortlessly she seemed to bring back the land, from her calm focus to the way she moved her hands in the soil with a gentle smile.

Teto twitched his ears and turned to Asbel, looking curiously at him from Nausicaa's shoulder. As he sensed something faulty, the little fox-squirrel scampered down Nausicaa's arm and darted toward him. Nausicaa was too focused on her task. She didn't notice Teto's departure.

Asbel, lost in thought, didn't notice Teto either—until the tiny creature pounced onto his shoulder.

"Whoa!" Asbel nearly dropped his shovel, startled by the sudden weight on his shoulder. He quickly recovered, though his heart raced for an entirely different reason now.

Nausicaa, briefly startled by Asbel's yelp, paused herself from doing her task. "Asbel?" Nausicaa looked up at the sound of his surprise. "Are you alright?"

"Uh... yeah, I'm fine," Asbel stammered, feeling his cheeks heating up. He reached up awkwardly to pat Teto, who seemed far too pleased with himself for causing the commotion. "Just, uh, got a visitor."

Nausicaa smiled, finally noticing Teto perched on Asbel's shoulder. "I think he likes you," she spoke, chuckling softly. "Teto doesn't usually take to people so quickly."

Asbel, still a bit flustered, glanced at Teto. "Well, I guess I'm lucky then," he muttered, feeling a little ridiculous for being thrown off by the little fox squirrel. But the truth was, Nausicaa's smile had done far more to unsteady him than Teto's surprise visit.

Nausicaa stood and walked over, her eyes bright with amusement as she watched Asbel and Teto. "It's nice to have some company while working, isn't it?" she spoke, reaching her hand to gently stroke Teto's head.

Asbel's heart skipped a beat as she stood so close. "Y-Yeah... company's nice," he stuttered.

Teto, sensing the slight tension, leapt from Asbel's shoulder and back on Nausicaa's wrist, running up her arm and nestling on her shoulder once more. Nausicaa let out a laugh, giving Teto another little stroke on the head.

"You don't have to push yourself so hard," she said, turning her attention back to Asbel. "You've already done quite a lot today."

"I'm fine," Asbel replied a little nervously and quick. "I just wanted to... heh... you know, make sure everything's perfect." He bent down to pick up his shovel, trying to regain his composure, but the truth was that Nausicaa's presence, alongside her kind words, made it difficult for him to focus.

Nausicaa knelt beside him, her hands gently working the soil. "It already looks great," she spoke calmly and steadily. "You've helped quite a lot."

Asbel watched her, still struggling to find the right words to express everything he was feeling. His heart began to pound in his chest, and for a moment, he considered saying something Nausicaa. But once again, his nerves got the better of him. Instead, he focused on the task, working in silence.

Teto, ever observant, chirped softly from Nausicaa's shoulder, watching Asbel with bright eyes, as if he knew more than either of them did.

Minutes have passed by and the sun has begun to lower from the sky. Nausicaa was three quarters done with planting the crops within the soil. She wiped her sweat off her forehead and gave herself a little stretch. Asbel, feeling that the moment is right, decided to speak to her. But before he could speak, a gentle breeze blew onto him, carrying something unusually different, something unfamiliar, yet comforting.

Asbel paused momentarily, feeling the unusually warm, gentle wind wrap around him, caressing him. With his heart racing slightly, he approached Nausicaa and finally spoke, with his voice gentle and soft: "You have worked so hard today, Nausicaa. How about we take a break and go somewhere quiet? Just the two of us."

Nausicaa turned to Asbel. "A break sounds perfect," Nausicaa spoke, breathing slightly heavily from her hard work. "Where do you have in mind?"

Asbel glanced towards the horizon, where the blue sky was painted a slightly golden hue from the sun setting lower. He paused, hesitating for a moment, then smiled, glancing back at her. "There's a place... serene and quiet," he spoke. "I'm sure you'll like it."

Nausicaa gave a trusting nod. They began walking, side by side, with Teto darting ahead of them playfully. As they walked away from the Valley, it wasn't long until the wind suddenly blew again. This time, it was slightly stronger.