Summary[]
In the shower, Leez runs out of shampoo. She hears Asha's voice outside so she immediately hops out of the bathroom to ask for another bottle. Instead, she is shocked to find Asha with the boy, who hides his face in embarrassment. Asha spends a few hours lecturing her, explaining that if the boy were a quarter or a half (Asha is going along with his pretense), he would be much older than her despite his youthful appearance.
After Leez goes to sleep, Asha approaches the boy out on the balcony and tosses him a pencil and a notebook. She then tells him that it would be safest if he poses as a half, with her as his sponsor. He asks where they are headed, and learns that their destination is Mistyshore. The boy reveals he is on his way to Kalibloom to get the Sword of Return, which surprises Asha, and he offers to accompany them to Mistyshore. When Asha asks why he needs the sword, he explains that he was stranded in the human realm after the Cataclysm, and he would like to use the sword's hidden function—it can open a gate to the sura realm—so he can go back to his family. He is happy when he learns that they are going to try for the sword as well, so they will be traveling together for a while. When the boy offers to give them the sword after he is done with it, Asha remarks that the sword cannot change ownership until the owner dies, but he informs her that the rules of the sword do not apply to him. Asha is suspicious of the circumstances of their meeting, saying "he" is giving her some help to improve her odds, but the boy swears it's just a coincidence, as he had only recently arrived from another planet. In any case, she does not refuse him.
The next day, Leez is happy at the news of their new companion and asks for his name. Asha say he is unable to tell them his real name for personal reasons, but she came up with three new possible names for the boy, written on a piece of paper: Blackie, White, and Spotty. Appalled at Asha's awful suggestions, Leez decides that she needs to come up with a name herself.
Currygom's comment[]
The names that took Asha two hours to think up have been crumpled.
Afterword[]
<thumbnail: Leez>
(blurb about voting being closed)
<image: shower head>
■ Where does the water come from? A magical world of magic! More details on magic items and creation brands will be revealed later... Maybe. (She later reveals that the water that sprays out from the pink swirl is ice cold.)
■ There was originally no steam, but I had to add it later. Even though it doesn't really cover much, it did seem like she was too exposed without it.
<image: notebook>
■ This notebook was purchased by Asha for writing down problems she can't figure out in her head...and to no one's surprise, it is almost unused. The first few pages have some equations that are difficult even for Asha.
■ This boy can use both hands well, but prefers using his left hand. Leez doesn't care about which hand she uses, especially when she eats.
<image: cheering boy>
■ This boy's clothes are actually just a blanket on his body. Kind of looks cold since I am drawing it in the winter... Well, it's hot where he is, so I guess it's fitting.
■ (a <according to birdie: lame> joke about the names Asha came up with)
■ (talks about some typo fixes)
Notes[]
- Leez was broke back in Atera, after all, so she probably got free supplies from around the temple.
- Asha thinks that it is typical of a sura not to sleep. This appears to be a common misconception among humans. In the side novel the finite, Ian Rajof used the same assumption to deduce that Taksaka was not a sura. In fact, some suras do sleep: nastikas of the Vritra clan tend to sleep a lot, for example. Humans were unaware of this because of the small sample size.[1]
- Yuta's separation from his family was mentioned earlier.[2]
- The rules of the Sword of Return were mentioned earlier.[4] The fact that Yuta is exempt from the rules is actually a clue to his identity.[5]
- Yuta did in fact realize that Asha considered him a useful pawn. He did not care at this moment, however, and later hoped it would change with time.[6][7]
- The "he" Asha refers to is Vishnu.
References[]
- ↑ the finite, Chapter 3
- ↑ Kubera, Season 1 Episode 36: The Past I Yearn For (1)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 1 Episode 74: The Night it Rained Fire (11)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 1 Episode 42: The Past I Yearn For (7)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 1 Episode 96: Lies for You (8)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 2 Episode 89: Taboo (1)
- ↑ Kubera, Season 2 Episode 97: That Which Cannot be Grasped or Held (2)