Something to Come Back to
The next day, I found Cristelle waiting awkwardly at the training grounds.
Cristelle hesitated before speaking to me.
Captain. About yesterday...
Here.
Caught off guard, Cristelle took the water bottle I held out to her.
Hmm?
Today's training is going to be rough.
Make sure you stay hydrated.
Captain?
I kept my afternoon open.
If you need to take care of company business—
Captain!
What is it, my dear Journey member?
?!
Cristelle stepped back, bewildered.
D-don't tell me... Did what you saw yesterday drive you mad?
I'm perfectly sane.
Cristelle stared at me with deep suspicion.
Once morning training is over, let's do something else.
What did you have in mind?
We're going to find you something to come back to.
I believe I made it quite clear that it would be pointless...
Surely you haven't already forgotten what I showed you yesterday?
You're suffering through terrible pain.
That means you need help more than ever.
You know, Captain, showing someone your wounds may be a plea for comfort...
But it may also be a warning that if you touch them, one of us will have to die.
Cristelle raised a hand to her right eye as if she might attack me at any moment.
But when I met her gaze without flinching, she spoke with weary resignation.
Why do you insist on this?
Even after seeing that nightmare for yourself, do you still want me to keep suffering?
It'd be a shame to let the rest go to waste.
What?
That painting you like. The Only Abyss.
Wouldn't it be a shame to leave all that space blank?
A single black dot on a vast canvas.
Even the title and artist are only listed on a placard outside the frame. The rest of the canvas is blank.
How could there be anything to waste when there's nothing there to begin with?
Do you really think there's nothing there?
Cristelle had said it herself. The lone dot looked like an abyss only because the vast canvas around it was empty.
In other words, the abyss trapping Cristelle was only a tiny stain on a vast canvas.
It was so small it would barely be noticed once the canvas was filled with other colors.
Cristelle scoffed at my attempt to persuade her.
A fine sentiment. But there is one fundamental problem.
Why should I?
There's one thing I want for Cristelle de Montua.
I want you to keep on living.
Cristelle looked even more incredulous at my answer.
We have only just met...
This isn't a confession of love, so what exactly are you after?
But even in that short time, I've seen enough.
What could you possibly have seen? A puppet who can think of nothing but revenge?
Or did you see a foul-tempered woman who bites every hand extended in kindness?
A company president respected by her employees.
Though tormented by what her right eye showed her, she remained the flower of the Morrel Ocean Traders, always smiling and captivating everyone around her.
That was nothing but an act...
And you have an adorable daughter.
Haydee...
Cristelle lowered her gaze.
There are probably plenty of other sides to you I haven't seen.
The people who'd known Cristelle longer than I had must have seen other sides of her, too.
And if they knew Cristelle was going to disappear, they would try to stop her just as I was.
And you're a valued member of my Journey.
That's why I'm not letting you go.
Do people often tell you that you meddle too much?
You can't be a Journey Captain without meddling a little.
Fufu... I suppose you have a point.
It was only a quiet chuckle, but unlike her usual exaggerated laughter, it was the first genuine laugh I'd ever heard from her.
So, how do you plan to find what will fill the canvas?
We'll figure that out as we go.
...So you were making grand promises without knowing how to keep them?
It won't be easy.
And shameless to boot.
But it might be easier than we think.
We just haven't tried yet, have we?
*Sigh...*
Cristelle shook her head.
Very well. Do as you please. I doubt there's anything I'd want to fill it with, though.