Chuckling at the sheer amount of effort the younger was putting into reaching up, Swallow did the honors of bending down to one knee, accepting the prize as would a warrior upon knighthood.
“Why, thank you, Tasuku-kun. You’re not going to try and pile them on now, are you? That’ll just look silly.”
Standing back up, he hadn’t a mirror to take a gander at his reflection, but he was sure this western style accessory did not suit him in the slightest. (He’d still don it proudly, regardless!) Offering a smile at such an endearing youth, he was happy to admit to that even a closet pessimist like himself could garner some hope for the future ahead of them. Especially when kids like Tasuku were at the forefront and trying so hard.
“Now that everything’s said and done, how about we head over to another area? I’ve plenty energy to spare! Oops, actually, I should probably get myself another sword before that, huh? Sorry, pal, guess we should part ways until then. Want to walk back to Sanctorum together at least?
Proud of his work (albeit a little ashamed that Swallow had to actually kneel to accommodate him), Tasuku stepped back once more, the same light smile on his face.
“You’re leaving already? This was a rather short-lived party... But it can’t be helped, I guess. If you need to get a weapon, then that’s that.”
A pause, before a new idea came to mind.
“Actually...why don’t I help you find one? It’ll be a lot faster than if you just started rooting around around here, right? We can head back to Sanctorum and buy one too, probably. I have some money to spare, so...”









