"Huh?"
Qitian's expression was stupidified to an art form—eyes unfocused, mouth slightly ajar, his thoughts clearly lagging a few steps behind reality.
To Tsukihi, it wasn't even surprising. He had always looked like that. Half-asleep, half-lost, fully useless.
Without a word, she grabbed his ear and began dragging him forward, his bare feet skidding awkwardly across the rough dirt path as he winced in pain.
"Ow! Ow—wait! I haven't even packed anything yet!"
"Too late. We're not missing that boat because your brain decided to take a holiday."
"At least let me get a pair of shoes on—come on, my feet are being shredded here."
"Nope"
Their banter—if it could be called that—echoed across the riverside road, drowning out the birdsong and the whisper of the breeze. They passed into the busier part of town, the morning crowd beginning to stir.
Several familiar shopkeepers and old neighbors looked up from their stalls as the pair passed by.
"Heh, looks like she's finally put a collar on the lad."
"Those two? Always bickering. You'd think they were siblings."
"Oi, Mr. Abuchi, help me!" Qitian mouthed desperately to the old fisherman, eyes pleading.
The old man just gave a hearty laugh and waved him off.
"No can do, boy. You dug your own gave on this one, gone and made the miss mad haha"
Tsukihi didn't slow down.
By the time the sea breeze reached them and the scent of saltwater filled the air, Qitian had accepted his fate. He wasn't getting out of this.
"Come on, Tsukihi, I promise I'm not gonna run. I just really, really need to go to the bathroom—like, emergency level."
"Mhm," she hummed, clearly not listening. Her eyes were locked ahead, a faint flush of excitement on her face.
The harbor came into view. The ship loomed large against the dock, already crowded with a mix of eager hopefuls and silent crewmembers. The ship rocked gently with the waves, ropes creaking against the tide.
"Seriously, let me go or I'll start yelling," Qitian warned, his tone turning mischievous. "I'll scream every single embarrassing secret of yours. Like how you refused to eat plums for a year because you swallowed a pit once and thought a tree was gonna grow in your stomach—"
Tsukihi's face went bright red.
"—or how you've got that weirdly shaped birthmark on your—"
Crack!
Before he could finish, her fist rose in a clean arc and connected neatly under his chin.
Qitian dropped like a sack of rice.
She stood over him, hand still raised, knuckles tingling. Her breath hitched slightly, and her eyes darted around the dock. Thankfully, the few crewmembers nearby hadn't heard—or at least were pretending they hadn't.
Her voice came out in a low mutter.
"Idiot."
She sighed, crouched down, and hooked her arms under his shoulders. With an annoyed grunt, she dragged him up the gangplank, ignoring the awkward looks from a few passing candidates already aboard.
"You better wake up before we dock," she muttered. "I'm not carrying your dead weight the whole exam."
The ship's whistle blew softly. The deck groaned as preparations for departure began. The journey was now underway—whether Qitian liked it or not.