“Client?” The boy cut him off.

  *Thump.*

  Arnold’s heart missed a beat. A chilling air swept over her mind.

  ‘What was this feeling?’

  It was not fear. It was closer to the sensation of weightlessness.

  “No.”

  Before Izzy’s mind could process what had just happened, Isa answered for her.

  “She’s a friend!” Isa cheerfully used Arnold’s voice to answer the question.

  ‘Isa?’

  Izzy tilted her head inside their shared mind. Why was this girl like this?

  ‘You took too long to answer him. Children don’t have much patience, Izzy.’

  ‘…???’

  Izzy couldn’t even process the absurdity of that statement. Since when did Isa care about social niceties?

  “Friend…”

  Bennet muttered. He stared at Arnold with wide eyes for a moment, before brightening his smile.

  “A friend. I’m jealous,” he added under his breath.

  The words were barely audible. However, it couldn’t escape Arnold’s ears.

  ‘Huh?’

  What was this?

  Why did this feel so wrong?

  What was different?

  The boy’s smile widened further.

  “Might I make myself known? I am Bennet.”

  Ignoring her mature mind’s racing thoughts, Isa took full control of Arnold’s body.

  “Hello!”

  ‘This boy…’

  The boy Mary wanted to marry. The one whose father owned the farmland. Mary painted him as a hard-working and kind village boy, someone who had gotten lucky with his inheritance.

  So why did she feel a strong sense of unease from him?

  “Here is your slate, sir! Mary bade me fetch it for you!” Bennet said proudly.

  From behind his back, Bennet pulled out a small rectangular writing board, with a smooth black slate in the center. A piece of chalk, tied with a string, dangled from the corner.

  Bennet looked at him with a bright, innocent smile.

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir!” Bennet declared with a wide grin.

  Once more, the thought surfaced in Izzy’s mind.

  ‘I have seen this before.’ The feeling pressed harder, like a memory just out of reach.

  The charming boy, the gift, the crowd of children watching. She felt a strong sense of Déjà vu from them.

  “Pleased to make your acquaintance, sir!” Bennet declared with a wide grin.

  Then he turned back and said out loud.

  “He’s a proper gent, lads!”

  Suddenly, the children surrounding them all lit up, their eyes shining with intense excitement. They seemed to sense fresh entertainment, as the first row shuffled closer.

  They rushed forward, surrounding Arnold. They laughed, tugging at his coat and asking him questions all at once.

  “Well, best of luck, Mister Friend!” Bennet called cheerfully as he ran toward the church steps.

  Isa, controlling Arnold, handled it effortlessly. She laughed, matching their energy, bent down to their level, and letting them drag him from one activity to another.

  Meanwhile, through the Field Vision, Izzy’s attention never left Bennet.

  ‘...’

  She watched as Vine slipped her arm through his, clinging to him comfortably.

  The chestnut hair girl pressed against his side. She smiled sweetly at Bennet, tilting her head, leaning close to him.

  They made a picture-perfect couple, the wealthy shepherd's son and the village beauty.

  Benne did not look surprised, nor flushed. He was simply indulgent with the moment.

  But then, he stopped walking.

  Slowly, he turned his head and smiled.

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  “Good luck, deaf.”

  The words, barely a whisper, were masked by children's laughter filling the air.

  —-

  After finishing school in the afternoon, Izzy learned something genuinely interesting.

  The information that each of them learned could be shared instantaneously between their two minds.

  For example, the local tongue they had been taught this morning, called the Alan language. The moment Isa learned and remembered a character, Izzy understood it as well, as if she had studied them herself.

  Izzy still couldn’t help but admire her young mind’s capacity to memorize.

  ‘Really a genius!’

  ‘I… Izzy!’ Isa whimpered. Embarrassment flared through the young mind.

  If Isa kept learning at this pace, then Izzy didn't need to touch the books herself! Having a genius mind attached to her existence was incredibly convenient. It was like having a supercomputer running in the background while she lazed around.

  ‘…Izzy?’ Isa narrowed her eyes suspiciously and poked Izzy’s cheek with her finger. ‘Isa heard that.’

  Izzy didn’t say anything, turning her head and whistling.

  ‘Though… Did we get better?’

  They seemed to be learning the language faster, absorbing the information more efficiently than humanly possible. It was as if their brain was rewiring itself in real-time.

  At this rate, Izzy felt like she could understand the words…with the support of both minds combined.

  Izzy frowned.

  Under normal circumstances, this would have been a welcome change. However, Izzy considered the chilling sensation from this morning.

  It was just a hunch, but…

  ‘Is it a sixth sense? Do we have some sort of foresight too?’

  ‘Foresight!’

  The thought was ridiculous. Izzy crossed her arms and shook her head, dismissing the notion.

  ‘As if. Life isn’t a comic book.’

  ‘Aww.’ Isa slumped her shoulders dejectedly.

  They had completed today’s objective, which was to find a map of the region.

  It had been surprisingly easy. He just needed to ask Father Victor…and slip him a few coins. The priest had happily surrendered a detailed regional map without hesitation.

  Arnold grimaced.

  ‘That church guy.’ It seemed every religion shared the same greedy tendencies.

  For now, with the rolled map tucked under his arm and a chalkboard in hand, Arnold walked away from the church, waving his hand at the gaggle of children he had just played with.

  He waved goodbye to Alex, the energetic little boy with the scraped knees who often fell while running; Buster, the sturdy, ox-like boy with a shy smile; the timid Finley who often hid behind the others; and the brave girl Lera, who had offered him a small, round patch of embroidery featuring a crooked flower.

  ‘Alex, Buster, Finley, Lera…’

  Most of them were children Isa had played with while controlling Arnold’s body.

  ‘…’

  Izzy gazed at them with a complicated expression. Her young mind was exceptionally good at talking.

  And flirting, too.

  Arnold turned around and immediately ran into a small figure sneaking behind him.

  “…ahh!”

  It was Mary. She jolted violently when she noticed Arnold had discovered her, clutching her basket to her chest.

  "O-oh, hello, er, um..."

  The girl blushed. She clasped her hands together, fingers twisting nervously, and asked in a meek voice.

  "Er, sir... I heard... I am truly your friend?"

  ‘So that’s what it is.’

  Arnold nodded in understanding. Was she really that shy that she had to hide and sneak up on him? This bright, talkative and positive little girl?

  “That’s right.”

  Since Isa had already declared it to the other children, there was no reason to refuse now. It would only cause a scene.

  Besides, this was a good opportunity to understand the strange feeling she had been sensing.

  Mary smiled, a beaming expression that lit up her face.

  “Hehehe, then…” She looked up, then quickly looked down again, her shoulders stiff with nerves.

  “A—Arnold, hello.”

  His brow knitted. Getting addressed so casually, without the honorifics gave him an unfamiliar sensation.

  Mary brightened, her voice growing louder than it had been when he first met her.

  "My mona, Arnold truly is popular! Just as one might expect of Arnold!! I knew something like that would happen!”

  Mm, did this girl become much closer to him just because of a word?

  “Just a bit of playing and talking.”

  "You have a rare gift with children, Arnold!"

  She smiled again, though there was a fragility to it.

  “Hehe, this is first time I have ever made a friend with a boy.”

  ‘First time?’

  He remembered just yesterday and today, most of the boys would avoid her gaze, or act strangely respectful.

  And she said it’s her first time?

  “Well, you see, my pa, he’s a very strict man! Whenever boys talk to me, he would chase them away with a stick, shouting: ‘Don’t ye dare seduce my daughter, ye filth!’”

  She murmured, her voice dropping lower.

  "That is why I may only speak with Bennet. Since his father owns the farmland, my pa can’t say a word to him."

  ‘…’

  Arnold was at a loss for words.

  Was that man the one who taught this girl? So bold, yet so strictly controlled?

  ‘What did that man teach her?’ Arnold grimaced internally. ‘We really need a serious talk.’

  Mary continued, oblivious to his thoughts.

  “But please do not think ill of him! I love my pa! He’s my hero, he is! He protects me from the bad men. I wish to be like him one day! So strong, so brave! I wish to be able to protect things, too!"

  She raised her hand, clenching a small fist.

  Now Arnold understood where her attitude came from.

  “You will surely become one,” Arnold nodded.

  They said, like father, like daughter, after all.

  "!"

  Mary stopped mid-sentence. Her eyes widened as she looked at him.

  A small tear pooled at the corner of her eye.

  "Eh, ah, oh..."

  She quickly turned her head away and wiped her face with her rough sleeve.

  “P-please wait a moment, sir… Arnold.”

  Arnold narrowed his eyes, but did not say anything.

  —