"Lately, my best friend seems to be in a bad mood..."

I was preparing lunch for the rest of the guild once again, when I saw my best friend arriving. She was in a bad mood today as well, and with the Double-S dungeon expedition starting tomorrow... I couldn't help but feel more than worried.

"I wonder if there's something I can do..."

After lunch, I sat alone in the lounge of the guild, when Elizabeth suddenly arrived.

"Oh, right! I could ask her for help!"

Upon seeing her, a light bulb suddenly appeared above my head. And so, I approached her.

"How does one even lose their weapon..." she pondered aloud. We were now walking down the street, surrounded by vendors after I told her my best friend's problem.

A chuckle escaped my lips. "Well, it could happen."

"What's your budget anyway?" she asked me.

"Whatever it is, really. Tomorrow she's going to a Double-S dungeon. I want to give her a weapon worthy of the task," I replied.

"That's going to cost a lot... Are you sure you have the budget?" she cautioned.

"Budget is not a concern. My father works for a noble in our small town who administers parts of it, and I saved a lot. I have plenty of platinum," I assured.

"Hmm, alright then. Let's make her a good gift. Follow me, the good weapons are not here."

We walked for several minutes, the roads were bustling with people and the weather was super nice, the sun casting a golden glow as far as the eye could see. Truly a beautiful day...

"Can I ask you a question?" Elizabeth started.

"Of course you can," I replied, matching her pace.

"How did you and Argenta even become friends?" she asked, glancing at me. I could clearly discern her curiosity. "You two are two worlds apart."

"Oh, I can see where this is coming from. To be honest, I'm surprised as well. We first met many years ago..."

...

I was a little kid of only eight years old. My little town had a park where many my age would reunite to play with a ball. One day, I was watching their game, sat on a little bench away from the field as usual, when suddenly a voice caught my attention.

"Why are you not playing with them?"

I turned around and what I saw was a girl; she seemed of my age, too, holding a ball in her hands. Her appearance really surprised me; her eyes were of a silverish color; it was like I was staring at the moon itself. Her hair was white, too. I had never encountered someone as unique as her before.

"Oh... I would be a nuisance to them, and I would only get hurt if I were to play," I responded to her question.

"Ah, you suck?" she was so tactless!

"Hmm... Yes. I suppose you could say that," I confessed, my gaze turned to the ground.

"Then, do you want to play with me?" she offered. "I'll go easy on you."

I looked at her with surprise. "Huh, are you sure?"

"Yes. My mother taught me a game called volleyball. Let's play it," from her speech, it sounded like I didn't have much of a choice.

So, we played volleyball, but every time the ball came my way, it fell on the ground. She had to teach me how to hit it correctly many times. At the end, hours passed and the sun started to descend; it was evening.

"If you're here tomorrow, let's play again," she said.

Even though she was just a kid like me and we played for hours, her expression always remained neutral: I did not see her smile even once, nor a hint of irritation. I wondered if she actually had fun playing with me.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

"Ah, wait! What's your name?" I asked her. "I'm Joey."

She turned towards me; she was already walking away. "I'm Argenta. See you tomorrow, Joey."

"Oh, okay," I murmured as I watched her go. "See you tomorrow..."

The next day we played volleyball once again; even though I trained at home with another ball for hours, I didn't improve very much and I wasn't proud at all of my performance. After a bit, we decided to take a break and watch the others play on the field, sat together at the bench.

"I'll go home now. I can come and play again next weekend," she announced, immediately on her feet to head back home.

"Ah, wait!" I exclaimed, and she halted in her steps. "Are you... really sure you want to keep playing with me?" I asked as doubts ate me from within.

She tilted her head. "Hmm? What do you mean?"

"Well, I always end up dropping the ball, while you seem an expert already. You'd probably have more fun playing with the others. In comparison, I must be boring..." I murmured. I didn't have much self-esteem at the time, and felt like I was holding her back.

"Hmm-hm, you are boring," she bluntly confessed.

Deep inside, I knew it was the truth, yet it still hurt. "W-why are you playing with me then?" I asked her, my voice trembling.

"What of it?" she countered.

"Huh, well. I-"

"I don't care if you're boring. My mother told me to find someone whom I can rely on, and you seem like one I can rely on. Though it's just a hunch," she explained.

To tell the truth... I couldn't understand if that was an insult or just a very weird compliment, or even both... It left me utterly confused; I couldn't say a word after that, trying to comprehend it.

"You can have the ball, you can consider it a token of my trust. See you next week, Joey," she said before turning to leave.

She was weird, but perhaps in a good way... And so, I decided to trust her...

... The following weekend, she appeared once again. I had her ball with me, but I didn't use it to train. Eventually, as time passed, our meetings became routine. We would play, sometimes chat, sometimes we would eat ice cream. Once, she even rescued me from bullies; they ran away as soon as she appeared! Sometimes, she would even smile, she's always beautiful when she smiles, though most of the time her expression remained stoic. We spent time together every weekend for months, and then even years.

Until one day...

When Argenta's mother passed away, she was only fourteen years old. I had never met her mother, but she often talked about her with high regard. The news of her death spread quickly through the town, and a little funeral was held in the green graveyard of the town. I attended it.

Few people were present at the funeral: some I never met, the priest, and Argenta. She stood silently, her eyes were empty and hollow; she didn't shed a single tear, yet she appeared broken. I had no idea what was going on in her mind. I never did, to be honest...

After the funeral, the others dispersed, while Argenta remained impaled there, her gaze fixed upon her mother's tombstone.

"Hey, Argenta..."

I attempted to call her name, but she offered no response. So, I just decided to wait, giving her the space she needed. Hours passed, evening descended, and the sky was cloudy, it was now drizzling. A really terrible day.

"Argenta..." I tried calling her once again, but I couldn't get her attention.

For a moment, I wondered if she was actually there or if my eyes were just deceiving me; I started poking her gently. Surprisingly, she moved, directing her gaze towards me.

"Argenta..." I softly called at her, hoping not to have disturbed her.

"Oh, Joey... How long have you been here?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

Her question surprised me and, at the same time, worried me; I had never seen her so distracted. "Since the beginning," I answered.

"I see," she murmured.

"Argenta, you should really head back home. It started to rain..." I said, my voice low, but full of concern.

"Hmm, yes, you're right. Let's go, your father must be worried about you," she replied, her tone absent.

We slowly made our way back to our homes. As usual, the road would force us to part ways halfway. I wanted to help her out, but I really didn't know what to do other than offer my help.

"Hey, Argenta, if you need anything. I'm here for you, alright?" I attempted to converse, trying to lighten her mood.

She kept staring right ahead, her gaze lowered. The rain intensified, beginning to get annoying, falling over us.

"Really?" she suddenly asked.

"Of course, just let me know," I reassured.

"Then, could you hold my hand?" she requested.

"Huh, sure."

Her emotions remained indecipherable to me, I really couldn't understand how and what she was feeling. She never once diverted her gaze from the path ahead. We walked hand in hand until we reached the halfway point, where we would inevitably part. She didn't look like she wanted to, though.

"Argenta?" I called her.

"Hm?" she suddenly snapped to attention. "Right... I was lost in thoughts," she murmured.

"Are you alright? I can accompany you if you'd like. I can even stay with you," I offered.

"No, it's fine," she quietly replied, already beginning to move away.

Watching her go, I waved goodbye. "See you tomorrow, Argenta."

However, the next day arrived, and of Argenta there were no traces. I assumed she just needed her space, but another week passed, and she didn't show up once again. I was concerned and wanted to help her, but I didn't even know where she lived, so I went to my father looking for advice, but once I explained to him the situation, he gave me a cold answer.

"Stay away from trouble."

I ignored it. Argenta was my friend, and I didn't want to abandon her, I wanted to help her out. So I just decided to go back to our usual meeting spot; eventually, she would've shown up.

But weeks passed, then months, and then years... Argenta was nowhere to be found. Even when I didn't believe she would show up anymore, I continued to go there, hoping for her return. But she never returned...