Chapter 99: Name... Why not call her [Skadi]?

[You finished your song as promised and brought it back to everyone in the hospital to listen to... Although there were still a few people who couldn't hear it, you were not sad. You just smiled, gave the song to their families, and sent blessings to everyone who was still alive.]

[Everyone accepted your "gift" and expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the song... Even the patients who preferred quiet accepted the song and responded to you with a few words, which was rare.]

[You were very happy.]

[After that, you returned to your fulfilling and happy daily life and spent your entire high school life without any major changes... Well, except that your relationship with Eden became closer during the process. Nothing else changed around you.]

[Actually, there was one noticeable change. The most obvious thing was that the attitudes of the people around you had become a little strange. There was a mix of fear and... flattery?]

[The reason for this was that those who "targeted" you in the past... all experienced worsening lives due to some inexplicable reasons, and their family businesses began to decline significantly. Even some people who originally had a strong family background and thriving businesses fell into a slump for reasons they couldn't understand.]

[The causes of these misfortunes were often minor, such as catching a bad mood, making a casual complaint that was overheard by someone who shouldn't have heard it, or revealing something that should have remained hidden. What started as small issues eventually triggered a series of chain reactions that broke up families.]

[No matter how hard they tried, they couldn't save themselves. They couldn't reverse the downward trend no matter what. Even if they tried to escape and hide, they would inevitably be found and would pay the price, as if someone had handed them an invisible "sentence" that couldn't be exempted or avoided.]

[Although it was later proven that all of this was due to their own problems or simply bad luck, those who got into trouble were all those who "targeted" you. This led people to speculate and think that this was your "revenge" for their bullying of you... Even if the facts showed that you did nothing, people were still afraid.]

[In order to avoid becoming "unlucky," everyone adjusted their attitude towards you, becoming somewhat... flattering.]

[But as I said before, your eyes will no longer stay on them.]

[After high school, you were admitted to the same university as Eden as you wished. It is the top art school in Mu Continent... Unfortunately, you are still slightly behind Eden, but this result is enough to satisfy you.]

[Besides, your school has waived your tuition and most fees, and the church's financial support to you is still the same. Add to that the money you have saved on a daily basis, and you will have a lot of "spare money" to support what you need to do in the future.]

[First of all, of course, it was the people who helped you a lot. You bought some small things as parting gifts for them and also specially recorded their favorite songs to thank them for their care and help in recent times.]

[Although Li and the others will go back home to take care of the family business, and you and Eden must leave here and go to the more distant Mu Continent to study, you believe that you will definitely meet again in the future.]

[Then, you said goodbye to your classmates and teachers in a hurry. It's not that you hate them, but compared to them, you prefer to focus on the things you care about.]

[…Okay, it's still a bit annoying, but you don't care that much anymore.]

[Before leaving, you invited Eden to go with you, and Eden naturally agreed... Although Eden's parents were somewhat worried, they agreed after a little thought.]

[Afterwards, you all went to the church where Sister Teresa was and saw her still working hard for the children.]

[You came as promised and sang your own tune for her and the children. This was what you promised, and it was also your way of thanking Sister Teresa. Well... but later on, Eden couldn't wait any longer and quietly joined in, and you didn't object, but just accepted her singing with a smile.]

[Your voices attracted many people to stay and listen and even attracted many more people to come. In the later period, the entire church was almost full of people. When you "took your bow," thunderous applause broke out, drowning out all the surrounding sounds.]

[You and Eden smiled at each other, gently held each other's hands, and then bowed to everyone gracefully, and slowly left amid applause.]

[In the following days, you and Eden performed the same music and singing several times, and almost every time you performed, you attracted a large number of listeners, which made the nuns here laugh and cry. However, the children here were very happy because the church was very lively these days and they liked this lively atmosphere.]

[Although you wanted to stay for a few more days, Sister Teresa said, "You still have things to do, so don't be too attached to me, don't keep your eyes on me too much... There are still many things in the world that need you to witness."]

[So on the second day, you and Eden played a farewell song together and then left.]

[Immediately, you took Eden back to the church where you used to live... Well, the burned-down church has been rebuilt and reopened, but you don't recognize the new priest and the children who came later.]

[But you are still very happy to see your former "home" reappear... Even though it is no longer the same as before, Father Enrique is no longer here, and your familiar companions have gone their separate ways, but you are still very happy.]

[At least... there is another place here that can help the children.]

[You returned to the community with your college acceptance letter and met the people who had taken care of you... They were all very happy and warmly welcomed you and Eden. At the same time, they carefully held your acceptance letter and passed it around to each other, as if they were afraid that your acceptance letter would be damaged because of one of their actions. Even if one person made a slightly larger movement, they would be accused of being "rude." The nervous look on everyone's face made people smile knowingly.]

[Then everyone gathered around you, constantly asking about your recent situation and your past. You answered them one by one and told them about the happy things that happened to you with a smile.]

[Ah, of course, they can't help asking about you and Eden during the process... Everyone is particularly concerned about your relationship with Eden, and some people are even making faces at you, and their tone of voice has become a little... um... hard to say.]

[However, you and Eden both have the same answer to this question - you are "partners" traveling together.]

[As for the "lover" they're hinting at so madly... No, at least not now.]

[After knowing this, some people thought about bringing you together, but they were quickly rejected. After all, it's rare for you to come back, so you'd better not do anything that will embarrass you. Besides... you young people should handle your own affairs. If other people interfere, it may affect you.]

[You and Eden smiled and didn't take it too seriously. You just played a few songs for everyone as a gift for their reunion as planned.]

[A few days later, you left and went to your final destination - the cemetery.]

[In front of Father Enrique's tomb, you whispered a lot, telling him about the people you met and the things you experienced. Finally, you left a white lily in front of his tombstone and left immediately.]

[You have walked on the road to glory as Enrique wished, and you firmly believe in it.]

[From now on, it won't be Eden accompanying you, but you accompanying Eden... exchanging time with each other, this makes sense, doesn't it?]

[So, you went to the beach with Eden's family for vacation...]

　————————

　　Hmmm~

　　It is a light and melodious tune. As the melody progresses, the original tune transitions to another tune as smoothly as flowing water after one measure, changing from the original lightness to magnificence. Eden's highly recognizable voice also comes in, showing off her heavenly voice as the music progresses.

　　But faintly, one could still hear some soft harmonies. That was Nozomi's voice, which set off his beauty like the emerald green leaves beside flowers.

　　However, after a few verses of the lyrics, Nozomi's mouth curled up slightly, his voice changed quietly, and then... Eden was stunned for a moment and turned to look at Nozomi in surprise.

　　"Are you scared, Eden?"

　　Nozomi also stopped playing and asked with a slightly naughty smile, "Why does my voice at this moment... sound a bit like Eden's own voice?"

　　"Nozomi, your voice..."

　　"I imitated it on purpose. Isn't it great? Ahem... But I can only keep it up for a short while now. It's still a little difficult to stick to one song."

　　Nozomi shook her head and spoke happily, but then he coughed lightly a few times and returned to his original voice.

　　"That's already pretty impressive, and if you can stick with it for one more song... I feel like you're going to overshadow me."

　　Eden walked forward curiously, reached out and touched Nozomi's throat, as if she was curious about how his voice could reach such a level, and then said with some amusement.

　　"If this continues, I'm afraid I'll just become your foil~"

　　"How could that be? Eden's voice is much nicer than mine."

　　Nozomi also raised his head slightly and let Eden touch him. After Eden withdrew her hand, she smiled and said again.

　　"So... do you want to be together today?"

　　"OK."

　　Faced with Nozomi's invitation, Eden naturally accepted it with pleasure... As for what the two of them wanted to do together, it was naturally to perform music on the street.

　　Of course, it's not about making money by performing. Nozomi wouldn't do such a thing when he was with Eden. But Eden really likes to sing on the street with Nozomi. Basically, they can attract a lot of people every time, and a large group of people will gather around them, just like a small stage that gathers a lot of people.

　　So Nozomi closed the piano cover, and he and Eden divided the work, packed up the instruments, and prepared to go out... and then they were stopped.

　　"What are you two going to do now?"

　　Eden's parents blocked the door and asked expressionlessly.

　　"Don't tell me we're going to play on the street again... Is this how you guys vacation at the beach?"

　　"Mother..."

　　"You two kids, really... I don't know what to say to you."

　　Faced with her daughter's coquettish behavior, Eden's mother seemed helpless... If she wanted to blame them, the two of them were indeed having a great time, and it was obvious that they really regarded playing and singing as a way to relax, and they even quite liked this form of "entertainment"... But if she wanted to praise them, she couldn't do it, because for people who study art, is playing by themselves really a way to "relax"?

　　'And more importantly… you two came to the beach to do this?! Go play in the water! Go to the beach! Put on your swimsuits to show off your bodies! What's the point of you two just singing here?! Can't you do it at home?!'

　　'And what's going on with the relationship between the two of you? You both seem to be getting closer, but why aren't there any signs of that?!'

　　'Where is Nozomi? Are you a piece of wood? No... that's not right! Not even wood can count! You are a piece of stone!'

　　'And Eden, my dear daughter, don't you realize that your interaction with Nozomi is a little too intimate? It's beyond the level of "ordinary friends", right? Then why haven't you reacted yet?! What? Are you also a blockhead?'

　　'Even your father couldn't stand it anymore! Although he didn't want you to be "kidnapped" by Nozomi, he couldn't get angry because you didn't make any move!'

　　"...Forget it, you two kids, put down your instruments and go for a walk... Anyway, you can do anything except singing and playing."

　　"All right..."

　　"You're still paying me back for the injustice you inflicted on me?"

　　"hey-hey..."

　　Eden looked at Nozomi helplessly. Although she felt a little sad that she couldn't play today, but... it made sense. It would be too much to come to the beach and do nothing else. So they put down their instruments, changed into more casual clothes, and went out with Eden's parents.

　　"It seems like uncle and auntie really have some complaints about us..."

　　Nozomi, who was walking side by side with Eden in front, turned his head slightly, glanced at Eden's parents who were following behind, quietly moved closer to Eden, and whispered with some amusement.

　　"But come to think of it, we haven't really had any fun in the past few days since we got here... That's too much, Nozomi. It's all your fault. We were both so immersed in the music that we forgot about everything else."

　　"Okay, it's my problem~"

　　"Why don't you refute it? It seems like I'm being willful."

　　"It's okay for girls to be a little willful, especially a pretty girl like you, right?"

　　"I'll take that as a compliment."

　　" um... no, I'm just stating a fact."

　　"Ha... I can't tell. you're good at making girls happy. Well... I'll accept your compliment~"

　　Eden smiled, but there was not much reaction. The corners of her mouth raised and never fell down.

　　"...Eden, I actually wanted to go to the beach. Um... I haven't told you yet, but I like [water] a lot."

　　Nozomi tilted his head, but his steps remained brisk.

　　"My favorite weather is drizzling. Everything in front of me is covered by the drizzle, as if a light curtain is cast over the world. The sky does not look gloomy, nor does it look bright, but just plain. When I look up at the sky, I can see rain clouds spread out on the horizon. They are not the depressing gray, nor the dark black, but the white kind."

　　"The drizzle will only give you a slightly cool feeling when it falls on you, and it won't hit you like raindrops, but rather like cotton wool. Although the air around you seems humid, it won't make you feel uncomfortable... Just walk in the drizzle, waiting for the rain clouds to gradually disperse, and the sun will gradually shine through the gaps in the clouds. If you look up at this time, it will be like the legendary holy light falling. If it is dusk, the scenery should be even more beautiful."

　　"I see. That's a bit unexpected..."

　　'Whether it's your topic or the scenery you described' Eden thought so.

　　"If it were me, I would prefer the same as you. After the drizzle, after the rain clouds disperse, when the bright sunshine falls, it shines on the earth and brings its own brilliance to the world."

　　"The golden sunlight shines through the gaps between the leaves, giving the light a visible shape, vaguely showing colorful colors, falling on the palms of hands and on the grass, bringing a warm touch, turning everything in front of you into a painting that can be felt."

　　"Similarly, if it is dusk, the color will certainly be more beautiful, not as hazy as the morning, not as hot as noon, but just projecting its last beautiful brilliance, giving everyone as much light and warmth as possible before the night, and then... making a promise to meet again, and meeting everyone again in the morning of the next day, along with the dew."

　　"That's not surprising~"

　　Nozomi responded with a smile and then seemed to notice something and pointed.

　　"Eden, do you want to go take a look together?"

　　"...Ocean sightseeing? Sure, let's go."

　　Eden looked over and found that Nozomi was pointing at a pier with the words "Ocean Sightseeing Project" marked on it. Apparently, this was a project that allowed ocean sightseeing on a special boat.

　　"Just wanted to ask if uncle and aunt want to join us... huh?"

　　Just when Nozomi wanted to turn around and ask Eden's parents if they wanted to go together, she found that she had already lost track of them... Maybe they saw that they were having a great time chatting, so they didn't plan to follow them anymore?

　　"Then... just the two of us?"

　　"Okay."

　　Nozomi nodded, and did not object, but... the "two people" mentioned by Eden seemed to be a little different from the "two people" she understood...

　　Eden went forward and communicated with the staff, then followed the driver and took Nozomi on a boat alone... She directly chartered a sightseeing boat.

Nozomi was not sure was this the concept of wealthy people? The so-called two people really meant two people... Oh no, there was also a driver.

　　"That's great…"

　　As the boat slowly sailed to a location suitable for sightseeing, Nozomi felt the slightly salty ocean breeze unique to the seaside, while looking at the gradually receding coastline and sighing softly.

　　"Why? Are you a little surprised?"

　　Eden quietly came up to her and asked with a smile.

　　"Yes, a little bit, but... it's also quite pleasing."

　　"Yeah, it's just the two of us again... so... are we going to stay here?"

　　"No, that kind of thing can be postponed for a while, right?"

　　"That's right…"

　　Eden smiled. She was not disappointed. Instead, she became even happier. She walked into the cabin with Nozomi and admired the underwater scenery through the special sightseeing windows.

　　The sunlight fell from the sky onto the ocean, and refracted through the sea surface, illuminating everything on the seabed. As the waves on the sea surface continued to move back and forth, the sunlight also took on various wonderful shapes underwater. Sometimes it even formed a "net-like" aperture that shone on the fish swimming underwater, as if someone had captured the fish with light.

　　Corals of various colors were piled on top of each other, and small and colorful fish swam among them, revealing a corner of the colorful underwater world to everyone.

　　Eden stayed beside Nozomi, her eyes lingering on him from time to time. Looking at Nozomi's happy smile and his cute actions that almost seemed to stick to the sightseeing window, Eden couldn't help but laugh.

　　Then, when it was time to return, Eden discussed it with the driver again. After getting consent from the shore and agreeing to pay extra money, the sightseeing boat slowly moved out a little bit and stopped at a position close to the prescribed boundary.

　　Here, no one would disturb them.

　　"Would you like to stay a little longer?"

　　"Yeah, it's a rare opportunity to come out, so I should enjoy it~"

　　In response to Nozomi's question, Eden responded as a matter of course, and at the same time slightly extended her hand to invite Nozomi.

　　"I have some new ideas... Can I ask you for help, Nozomi?"

　　"Okay, it's my pleasure~"

　　Nozomi gladly accepted the invitation. Although they had no musical instruments, singing a cappella was not a difficult task for the two of them. On the contrary, it could better bring out the tone of each of them, especially Eden's highly recognizable voice, which would make people unconsciously immersed in it.

　　However, because she discovered an interesting thing about Nozomi today, Eden lowered the volume of her voice slightly in the middle of the singing. Nozomi looked at her with some feeling, and seeing Eden's slightly mischievous eyes, she naturally understood what she wanted to do.

He slightly adjusted his breath and tone, gradually changing his voice into one that was extremely similar to Eden's.

　　Eden's gaze stayed on him, watching him absorbed in the singing. On the one hand, she was amazed at his wonderful voice, which could become so similar to her own. On the other hand, she felt happy that she had met him.

　　Hmmm~

　　The two sang together, basking in the sunshine, accompanied by the sea breeze, and enjoying the song with the seagulls that were attracted by the singing and landed on the boat.

　　The song drifted away quietly with the sea breeze, carrying the unique smell of the sea water and the melodious voices of the two people, taking it to where it should go.

　　But soon, a cry of surprise came from the driver, followed by the sound of some waves surging.

　　"Hmm——"

　　In the distance, it seemed that something was approaching, and the cheerful chirping sound came along with the sea breeze.

　　"...?"

　　Nozomi looked at it with some feeling.

　　————————

　　[Entry: Blood Relatives (Killer Whale/Skadi) (Blue), Effective]

　　[Orca's favorability towards you has increased! Your favorability towards orcas has increased! A orca that can be called "Skadi" has greatly increased its favorability towards you! ]

　　————————

　　Their graceful figures occasionally leaped out of the water, and the bright colors of black and white came into view. They soon approached the boat and began to circle around the sightseeing boat curiously.

　　"Killer whale...?"

　　Nozomi looked at them surrounding the ship with some curiosity. He came to the fence of the ship with some curiosity and looked at them cruising in the sea... The driver had stopped the ship completely, and he didn't dare to move the ship anymore. If these killer whales were injured, not to mention whether the killer whales would attack the ship angrily, when they came ashore, he would definitely be sprayed to death by those crazy people from the "Animal Protection Association".

　　But... how did these killer whales come here? They weren't hunting? This area wasn't where killer whales usually moved around, so why did a group of killer whales come here?

　　Could it be that she was attracted by the singing of those two guests? The driver thought half-jokingly.

　　Although he admitted that the two people's singing was very nice even if they were singing a cappella, how could the voices of two people float so far out at sea, let alone attract a school of fish... Do you think this is some fairy tale?

　　Then, he turned around and saw the guest named Nozomi playing with those killer whales, and he looked like he was having a lot of fun.

　　Hey, hey, hey...are you kidding me?

　　The driver couldn't believe his eyes... He watched Nozomi stretch out his hand, and the killer whales surrounding them chirped happily, gently waving their tail fins, leaning out their bodies, gently touching Nozomi's hand with their beaks, and then chirped happily again, swimming quickly around the boat.

(TL: As the saying goes, "You've gotta be a whale to be the best girl.")

　　He even saw a killer whale leaning against the edge of the boat with all its might, just to let Nozomi touch it more... Nozomi even smiled and hummed a few tunes softly, and the killer whale also called out a few times cheerfully, as if the two of them were having a conversation.

　　The driver didn't understand, but he was shocked.

　　"Eden, do you want to try? She are so well behaved~"

　　Nozomi leaned against the fence, teasing the killer whales, and asked with a smile.

　　"Is it okay? I feel like they're only close to you... and from the looks of you, it seems like you can even communicate with her?"

　　Perhaps because she was enjoying what she was watching, Eden even made a little joke.

　　"How is that possible... I'm not a killer whale, how can I understand their language?"

　　"Hmm——"

　　As soon as Nozomi finished speaking, a killer whale that had been staying near Nozomi let out a soft cry, as if expressing dissatisfaction.

　　"You're not happy yet..."

　　"Hmm——"

　　"And you said you couldn't communicate with them?"

　　Eden watched him interact with the killer whales while smiling and slowly approached Nozomi to stand side by side with him.

　　"No, but... maybe they can understand our language?"

　　"Really? As expected... killer whales are very spiritual animals. Hmm... I always feel like there will be some new inspirations."

　　As Eden spoke, she, like Nozomi, leaned on the fence and tried to reach out and touch the killer whales that had poked their heads out of the sea... but she didn't seem to be able to attract the killer whales, as they always liked to touch Nozomi's hand.

　　This made Eden a little distressed. She could only keep moving her body and stretch out her hands as far as possible, trying to touch them... and then unknowingly, she and Nozomi were pressed close together.

　　...?

　　Eden and Nozomi were both stunned for a moment, then smiled without taking it too seriously.

　　Nozomi stepped back a little, making some room for Eden, and Eden squeezed in, allowing Nozomi to approach and stick close to him from behind. Then, they stretched out their hands one after another, calling out to the killer whales that were still swimming around, trying to touch them.

　　"Hmm——"

　　This time, another killer whale emerged from the sea and gently touched Nozomi's palm with its beak. Eden also touched its smooth skin and felt the coolness and dampness of the sea water.

　　"Hmm—"

　　The sudden action frightened Eden a little; after all, the killer whale was quite large in size. But soon she heard the killer whale's cheerful call again, and she laughed along, like a child, feeling happy for the small fact of touching the killer whale, and even reached out several times to try to touch them.

　　"Why is it you again... Do you like us so much?"

　　After going back and forth like this several times, Nozomi looked at the killer whale that had stretched out its body again and said helplessly... He noticed that it was the same killer whale that had stretched out its body to touch them several times in a row, and judging from its dorsal fin, it seemed to be a girl?

　　"Hmm——"

　　There was another crisp chirp. She didn't know if it was Eden's illusion, but she always felt that she could hear a sense of grievance in this chirp.

　　Then they could see the killer whale poking its body out of the sea again. Before touching Nozomi and Eden's hands, it opened its mouth slightly, stuck out its pink tongue, and licked the palms of their hands lightly, as if apologizing.

　　"Your wronged, Nozomi."

　　" right?"

　　"It came to apologize to you, didn't it? I heard that killer whales would stick out their tongues to let their companions bite them as a way of expressing their apology... So what we did just now means we forgave it, right?"

　　"Really? Hmm... it seems so."

　　"Hmm——"

　　"It seems to understand again?"

　　Eden said this quite happily, explaining the actions of the killer whale to herself.

　　"Yeah... But I didn't complain about it... I just felt that it seemed to like us very much, and... it was so well-behaved."

　　Nozomi reached out and touched the killer whale that had stretched its body out again... It seemed that it really liked Nozomi. Several times, other killer whales who wanted to get close were pushed away by it... What a strange possessiveness.

　　"So cute, like a clingy pet."

　　"Nozomi, do you want to keep it? That's not possible. The killer whale is the darling of the sea. You can't tie it up by your side. It will hurt it."

　　"No, I just felt a little emotional... Eden, you're making fun of me again!"

　　"Ha ha..."

　　Eden smiled happily, withdrew her hand, leaned slightly into Nozomi's arms, raised the corners of her mouth, and spoke softly.

　　"Since it likes you so much, and you like it so much, well... why don't you give it a name? Maybe it will recognize you in the future?"

　　"Sure!"

　　Nozomi's eyes lit up, and then he thought for a moment. Looking at the killer whale swimming happily around, a name flashed through his mind.

　　He felt that this killer whale should be called this name.

　　"Then... let's call her [Skadi]~"

　　"Skadi... huh? It's a nice name indeed~"

　　Eden was stunned for a moment, chewed on the name for a while, then laughed again. She leaned her head back slightly, feeling Nozomi's warmth, and then leaned to the side so that she could lean in Nozomi's arms.

　　"Hmm——"

　　A cheerful chirping sound came, as if symbolizing joy, and it seemed that it also liked this name very much.