This Bow, I'll Pay You Back

It had been a whirlwind of a time.

Whew…

I'd fully expected a catastrophic damages bill after Ruby blasted a hole clean through the wall, but the shopkeeper had waved it off with a laugh, bless him.

We left the still-chaotic forge behind and stepped back out into the night streets.

The air felt different from when we'd arrived.

Ruby, who'd been trailing after me empty-handed and grumbling the whole way there, now carried the pitch-black gleam of the Phoenix Whisper in her grip.

She walked with the bow hugged tight against her chest the entire way, stroking the limbs, squeezing and releasing the grip, never once taking her eyes off it.

Like a little kid who'd just gotten a present from Santa.

That usual venom in her gaze was nowhere to be found. You could see plain as day how hard she was fighting to keep the corners of her mouth from flying up into the sky.

I let out a dry chuckle and called over to her.

"Your face is gonna split open. That good, huh?"

"…!"

Ruby jumped like she'd been electrocuted and snapped her expression flat.

She scrambled to put her poker face ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠back on, but the damage was already done.

"W-Who said it was good? I'm just… checking its condition. Can't have any micro-fractures, that's all."

Micro-fractures, she says…

What a transparent excuse. More accurately, this was probably the first time she'd ever been gifted a bow.

I checked with Psychological Insight, and Ruby's inner world was rippling entirely in pink.

Anyone could see she was in a state of pure, overflowing happiness.

I decided to play dumb and let it slide.

"Come on, you saw it punch through that wall earlier, right? Durability like that, it's not gonna shatter over nothing. You could probably take a sword to it and it'd still be fine."

"Hmph. Like I don't know that. And…"

She clenched the grip in both hands and used the bow to half-hide her face.

A faint flush was spreading across the tips of her ears.

"Well, I said it wasn't bad. Weapons that can handle my firepower aren't exactly common… So quit asking. Hmph."

Ruby jerked her head away with a deliberate show of haughtiness.

But she couldn't hide the white-knuckled force in the hand holding the bow.

Those blanched finger joints said everything — she was never letting this thing go.

The path back to the dorms was lit only by soft moonlight.

We walked in silence, but it wasn't awkward. If anything, it was a comfortable quiet.

Before long we arrived at the hotel entrance.

Time to head to our separate rooms.

I gave her a light wave.

"Alright, get some rest. You know condition is everything for the Celestial Spirit Tournament, right? Don't stay up all night polishing your weapon — sleep well."

"Spare me the lectures. I can handle myself."

"Yes, ma'am. Got it. Later, then."

I turned to head toward the men's dormitory — and that was when it happened.

"…Hey."

A small voice from behind snagged my ankle mid-step. I looked back.

Ruby was standing there, scuffing the ground with the tip of her shoe.

Under the chandelier light, the pointed tips of her ears had gone as red as her hair.

"You. Do you have any idea what it means for a man to gift a bow to a female elf?"

"…Huh? Beats me."

"Ha…? You don't even know that? God, you really are just a kid."

Ruby clicked her tongue and shook her head like I was hopeless.

But the heat in her face showed no sign of cooling down.

"In elven society, when someone of the opposite sex gifts you a bow that fits your hand perfectly, it means…"

She trailed off and bit down hard on her lip.

Those crimson eyes fled my gaze and wandered the empty air.

"…Ah, forget it. Never mind."

"Huh? What is it? Don't leave me hanging."

"You don't need to know! Live your whole life not knowing, you idiot!"

Ruby barked it out at full volume.

What was I supposed to do with that? Get mad at me without even explaining?

"You're human anyway, and I'm a half-breed but still an elf… There's no way you gave it knowing what it meant. Yeah. This is just…"

She muttered to herself, then deliberately lifted her chin with an arrogant look.

"Right. I'll just count this as a 'tribute.'"

"A tribute?"

"Yeah. I'll think of it as a bribe you offered to get on my good side. So don't go getting any weird ideas."

"Pretty sure you're the one getting weird ideas here…"

"Shut up!"

Ruby cut me off clean and spun on her heel.

She strode up to her hotel room door, grabbed the handle, and paused for a beat.

Click.

The door opened, but she didn't go in. Still facing away, she mumbled,

"…And."

"…?"

"…You were, uh. Kind of useful this time."

"Pardon?"

"You. …You were a help."

It was barely louder than an ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠ant's footsteps, but I heard every word.

The great Ruby Scarlet, admitting someone else had been "a help."

This was the kind of day the sun would rise in the west and then do a somersault for good measure.

The moment those words left her mouth, a system alert floated up.

She must have been pretty grateful for the gift.

But I pretended not to hear, dug a finger in my ear, and asked again.

"Sorry? Didn't quite catch that. What'd you say?"

"Oh, for real! When ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠I say something once, just take it and move on!"

Ruby shouted and glared daggers at me.

But there was no killing intent in those eyes. Just a thick layer of embarrassment she was trying to cover up.

She whipped her head around and glared at me. Or rather, she pretended to glare.

"And one more thing…"

"…What now?"

"This bow — I'll pay you back for it. I won't let you lose face at the Celestial Spirit Tournament. Count on it."

That was her version of a thank-you.

The highest form of expression someone who hated owing anyone anything more than death itself could manage.

A declaration that she'd prove my "investment" hadn't been a mistake.

I smiled and nodded.

"Alright. I'll be looking forward to it."

"Hmph."

As if she had nothing more to say, Ruby slammed the door and vanished into her room.

Her retreating figure looked a whole lot lighter than usual.

I stared at the closed door for a moment, then turned away.

A snort of laughter escaped me.

Gogumador's advice, the perfect weapon for Ruby — everything had lined up.

More than anything, it felt like I'd built up a little trust with her.

At this rate, tournament prep was basically perfect.

Ah, and since I've got some time left, I should probably fix up my own gear too, right?

‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠

For once, Gogumador genuinely hadn't sounded like a total armchair expert.

I smirked and checked his reply.

Oh. So I'd reeled in a real prize. And at a bargain, no less.

The shopkeeper had probably looked at Ruby Scarlet's potential more than mine when he cut the price.

A weapon that never sold, priced so ridiculously high it was basically dead stock.

Still — maybe it was a craftsman's stubborn pride, wanting it to finally find its rightful owner.

No way…

Ruby's words flashed through my mind like a revolving lantern.

— You. Do you have any idea what it means for a man to gift a bow to a female elf?

— Ha…? You don't even know that? God, you really are just a kid.

Fuck…

So that's what it meant?

I stared blankly at the replies exploding in real time.

Fuck. I'm screwed… Was it really that kind of meaning?

I clutched my head and let out a long, deep sigh.

Ha…

Having to enter as her guardian myself is pretty absurd, I'll admit.

But for Ruby Scarlet's happy ending, what choice do I have?

I let out a bitter smile.

Before long, another reply dropped.

Hmm. Thinking about it, that made sense.

From what I'd seen, the higher the Affinity, the more favorably she treated me — that much was clear.

I looked at the replies and steeled my resolve.

Affinity grinding was priority one for now.

The Celestial Spirit Tournament was only a few days away, so I needed to rack up points for sure before then.