“You know, the stuff nobles deal with,” Fraone stated as he leaned back on his plane, Raphael standing across him.

“I don’t know, I’m not a noble.”

“If you ask the king, I’m sure he’ll grant you the rank.”

“No thanks.”

“Anyway, as I said, I won’t be picking medicine up for the next four days.”

“Okay.”

“... You don’t get it do you?” Fraone shook his head as he climbed into the cockpit.

“Get some rest, a vacation or something.”

“But-”

“Come on, you’ve been working non-stop,” Fraone shut the door, turning his plane around. Raphael watched as the aircraft flew into the cloudy afternoon sky. It shrunk, turning into a small dot, before flying through a cloud and disappearing from the horizon. He turned around, bringing his phone out.

“... Even if I didn’t work.”

Just because Fraone couldn’t pick stuff up, didn’t mean he couldn’t create medicine. He could still make them for the people of Kaleya.

… Can I really?

A vacation. Ever since he returned to Kaleya, he had done nothing but make medicine. Would taking a vacation for four days change the world that much?

I should probably make some stock, at least.

He stepped into his large manor, ridiculously large considering how much he utilized it. He spent most of his time in the laboratory, only going to his bedroom to sleep and kitchen to eat. Admittedly, making medicine with that intensity for an entire week exhausted him. It was different from back in university, when he needed to stop when classes came. The walks between classes and the time his friend forcefully pulled him out of his room gave him some time to breathe.

“...” Looking at his empty laboratory, he let out a sigh. He didn’t have any plans, so he decided to continue, until he had something to do, at least. Sitting back down on the chair, he started working.

* ••

“Thank you very much, dear,” the lady said to him.

“No problem.” Raphael waved to the lady as she entered her car, the boxes of medicine in the trunk. The car turned on and drove away, heading back for Kaleya. She ran the apothecary in town and would come around dinner to take the portion for Kaleya. There was still a lot of medicine left over, however. He looked back at his manor. The lights in the laboratory were on, shining past the room’s window.

What to do with them…

He had offered them to the lady, but she rejected them, saying that the people in Kaleya didn’t need that many. There were still several boxes of them. They only lasted three days, and Raphael felt sure that someone out there needed them.

He always left the distribution side of things to Fraone. Now that he wasn't here, Raphael found himself at a loss for what to do. He pulled out his phone, searching for a name.

It's been a while since we last talked.

Carol had been busy with training, that was all he knew. Other than a few brief conversations, they hadn't talked much. He pressed the call button.

If she's busy I'll just call another time.

He waited for a while for her to pick up, almost giving up when he heard her sweet voice.

"Hello?" she said from the other side, a light panting coming out from the speaker.

"Hey, you're busy?"

"... Noth- oh, no… No, I’m not."

"Are you sure?"

"The commander just said that I can take it easy today."

"I see, want to meet up?"

"A date?"

"Yeah…?" Raphael felt unsure if he could actually call it a date.

"Want to eat out?"

"Sure."

"Alright."

"Meet me at the shopping district at seven."

"Okay, see you."

The call went off.

… How am I supposed to get there?

* ••

"Who's that? Your boyfriend?" Emma asked, sitting beside Carol. Carol nodded with a smile. It had been a while since they last talked face-to-face, so she was both worried and excited at the same time.

"Eh… he's a really lucky guy."

"I don't think so."

I'm the lucky one.

Hearing that, Emma inched closer to her senior.

"Why's that? He gets to be with you, of course, he's lucky. He's luckier than a lot of boys."

"Haha… I guess?" Carol smiled wryly before standing up.

"Anyway, I'm going to go now. Thanks for accompanying me this late."

"It's my honor, Carol-sis." Emma stood up as well, a wide grin on her face.

"See you later." Carol waved and headed out of the training hall. She made her way to the changing room, changing from her Ranger uniform into a set of casual clothes. She greeted the security guard on her way out, heading into the parking lot. Her phone vibrated, its screen lighting up.

'I don't have a car.'

Carol giggled as she replied.

'Just make one.'

'Won't last long enough.'

'Just try it, but don't go too fast.'

'Okay, if you say so.'

Carol buckled her seatbelt and drove her car out of the parking lot. The Kaleyan Rangers' base was located on the east side of the town, in close proximity to the forests surrounding Mount Moluart. From the road she could see Mount Moluart's peak high in the sky, standing magnificently in the dark skies.

She arrived at an intersection. As she waited for the red light, she reached out her hand toward the mountain, hoping to hold its peak in her hand.

This story has been taken without authorization. Report any sightings.

I'll be fighting there one day.

I won't lose.

Even if it seemed impossible, she wouldn't give up. She couldn't call herself a Ranger if she did. Renewing her determination, she set off for Kaleya's shopping district.

* ••

Kaleya's shopping district housed many different shops. Located on the main road running through the center of Kaleya, it was a crowded place that became the center of the town's activity.

That activity increased in the night, especially from dinner until midnight, when a lot of cafes, bars, and restaurants started their activities. Carol sat in one of those bars, this one focused on an eastern type of noodle called Mengor. Popular noodles that featured thin white noodles made of wheat flour.

She checked the clock. It was half an hour past seven.

Maybe I should've picked him up?

Using the chopsticks, she brought a shrimp dumpling into her mouth, a little snack to fill her stomach as she waited for her boyfriend.

Or maybe something came up?

She decided to just call, but as she was about to press the button, a person walked past the door curtain.

"Sorry… haah… I'm late," Raphael walked up to her, seemingly out of breath.

"Are you alright?" Carol asked, pulling out a chair for him.

"Thank-"

Kryuuk

"-you."

"Looks like someone's hungry. Hope you don't mind some kissing," Carol pushed the dumpling toward Raphael, handing the chopsticks to them.

"Here you go."

"Thank you."

Raphael chomped down two dumplings as Carol requested for the menu.

"What do you want?"

Raphael paused the dumplings and took a look at the menu hoisted in front of him.

"Hmm… what do you want?" He asked, unsure of which to choose.

"Me? I'll try Tuna Soup Mengor."

"I'll go with the salmon one, then."

"Okay," Carol raised her hand, giving the order to the chef behind the bar.

"Please wait a moment," the chef nodded and began preparing the meal.

"The dumplings are good."

"I know, right? Want more?"

Raphael shook his head.

"I want to try the main dish."

"Won't be long, I think."

"Don't worry Carol, Raphael. Just a bit," the chef replied, hearing their conversation. The two chuckled at his reaction.

"Been a long while since you came here, Raphael. I thought you would prefer the big city."

"Not really… I think I like it here more."

"How come?"

"It feels peaceful."

"Haha, hope you won't get bored here," Carol replied.

"Do you want to go to the big city, Carol?" The chef asked. Carol cocked her head.

"Hmm… huh, I never thought about it."

"You've only been to Orotta, right?"

"Yeah."

Orotta was the largest settlement on the island. Located east of Mount Moluart, it could only be accessed through a circular route to the south, by train, ship, or car. A trip there took around one hour by car and forty minutes by train. No commercial ship served the route. They only came for charter operations.

“Maybe try going to the other islands,” the chef suggested.

Carol thought about it. She never left the Moluart, nor did she have any reason to. “Have you been to other places?”

The chef set down their orders in front of them. He made another bowl of Mengor for another customer, before returning to Carol and Raphael. He then started listing the places he went to, along with various little commentaries about them. It all sounded fun. Carol didn’t have the time to go now, but listing them on her phone would do her no harm.

“Oh, add Proteorno in there as well. Raphael must know a lot about that place.”

“Unfortunately… no, I couldn’t really say I know a lot about it.” Raphael scratched his head, before continuing with his food.

“Eh? You don’t? What have you been doing there?” the chef asked, acting rather disappointed.

“I didn’t leave the university a lot.”

“Model student, huh? I remember when I used to dream of being one.”

“You’re not one?”

“Sorry to disappoint, the only reason I used to dream of being like that is because the model student in my class is surrounded by the ladies. Once I graduated middle school and entered high school, the delinquents were the ones surrounded by girls. I am so unlucky.” the chef sighed. He brought his face toward the couple and stared at them.

“Must be lucky being young,” he grunted. Carol smiled nervously, no idea what to say. Seeing her, the chef shrugged and looked away.

“Anyway, I’ll leave you two love birds to it. Man, I’m getting old,” he walked away, accepting an order from a customer who had just entered.

“Anyway, what did you want to talk about?” Carol asked, now that they were free from the clutches of the chef.

“The medicine.”

“Medicine?”

“Fraone won’t be coming for the next four days, so I don’t know how to deliver them.” During his time in Proteorno, he spent most of his days around the university. He rarely needed a car, and when he did need one, he often went with one of his friends. The times when he went on his own little adventures could be counted by hand. He called Carol when he got lost, and that happened twice. Despite never visiting the city, Carol knew about Proteorno more than Raphael himself.

“You’re so hopeless when it comes to that. Besides, can’t you use your magic to fly? Make a plane or something?”

“Plane is out of the question,” Raphael replied.

“Yeah, yeah. It’s too complicated, right?”

“Even if I can make one that lasts long enough, how can I land it? It’s not like my body or my magic is unaffected by physics.”

“It sure feels like that sometimes.” Carol let out a self-deprecating grin. From her eyes, Raphael was a truly outstanding, can-do-all person, a person unaffected by the rules of this world.

“Come on…”

“Anyway, about the medicine, have you offered them to the local apothecary?”

“I have, she said they didn’t need that much.”

“Figures, not like the town had that many people to begin with.”

“I know, right?”

“You don’t sound too pleased with that. Prefer the hustle and bustle of Proteorno?”

“No, thank you.” Raphael loved his hometown just the way it was. He didn’t have anything he wanted to change. Besides, having more citizens wouldn’t solve the issue.

“Won’t make spreading the medicine any easier,” he said, pushing away the empty bowl and preparing the money. Carol nodded, taking her last sip.

“You two done?” the chef returned.

“Here’s the payment.”

Raphael handed his money over to Carol, who collected them and handed it over to the chef.

“No need, count it as my treat,” the chef rejected the payment. Carol and Raphael both gave him puzzled looks.

“What do you mean?”

“Your medicine helped me before, so this is the least I can do.”

“But-”

“No buts, go and continue your date or something,” the chef shooed them both. The two looked at each other and thanked the chef, before leaving the restaurant.

* ••

“No wonder you have so much money,” Carol commented after entering the car. Sitting beside her was Raphael, who looked relieved to have a real, physical car under his seat.

“Did everyone offer you their thanks like that?”

“Hmm? No one will if they don’t know it was me. It made me feel bad, to be honest.”

“I think you deserve some payment.”

“I can live my life just fine, so is that really necessary?”

Carol could only smile seeing his boyfriend act like that. It was cute, she thought. Yet she felt lonely as well, it had been a while since they spent some time together, after all. She had been busy with her training, while Raphael had been making medicine.

Would we be together again once I finished?

In her mind, after entering the competition, possibly losing, and graduating normally at the end of the year, she would live like a normal Ranger. She would work five days in a week, with two free days depending on her shift. But would she be able to spend a lot of time with him when it came to that? Wouldn’t he be busy making medicine for other people when she was home? It felt like a selfish request, she knew that, but she wished Raphael would slow down. She didn’t want him to stop, she just wanted him to take some time off.

“Anyway, about the thing we talked about before-”

“I’ll ask the Rangers about it.” Carol forced a smile, even though she felt conflicted about helping.

I’m so selfish.

“Thanks a lot,” Raphael replied, failing to see the hidden emotions behind her words. Carol nodded and pulled out her phone. She searched for Branch Commander Lerus Iota’s contact, the scarred-face lady herself, and typed in a question. Lerus knew about Raphael, even though she used his medicine at some point.

She was about to send the message, her thumb hovering above the screen. She looked at it silently, not saying a word. She weighed her options.

… Is this truly what I wanted?

Seeing Carol not moving, Raphael turned to her.

“Carol?”

“Raphy, can I ask you something?”

“What is it?”

“If I ask you to stop making medicine, what will you do?”

“...”

A memory from around four years ago came into Raphael’s mind.

“If I say I like you, what will you do?”