We landed on God’s Island, the place we had finally reached.
Upon reaching the top of the stone steps, we had a panoramic view of the sea. We could see the path we had likely taken to get here. To our right, we could see a forest that was part of God’s Island. Although we could see it with our eyes, we were essentially on a giant stone plate. Without wings, there was no way to cross to the other side. Peering down a bit, we could see the blue sea.
“There must be a place to cross to the center. I don’t think they would have left sinners here.”
It seemed we had no choice but to move forward for the time being. Aurora and the others had probably arrived already. They might be lying in wait somewhere. In fact, if we were attacked now, we would be at a complete disadvantage.
“Hey, Arisugawa, can you hear any sounds?”
“Huh? Where?”
“Ah, this way.”
Piyo seemed to have noticed too. She was pointing to a wall at a different height. Listening closely, we could indeed hear a sound like strings being plucked. It sounded less like music and more like a complete amateur randomly playing strings.
“Up here, I’ll go check it out.”
Fortunately, a part of the rock had collapsed diagonally, making it possible to climb. I carefully placed my feet, trying not to make any noise. Crouching down, I searched for the source of the sound. The first thing that caught my eye was a makeshift tent. Why would something clearly artificial be here?
It could only mean someone was camping. And it was highly likely to be someone from outside. Could Aurora and the others really be camping out here? To ambush us?
“Hey, someone’s here.”
“Wha—Piyo, quiet!”
I let out a startled cry without thinking. I covered my mouth with my hand and listened to the surrounding sounds.
The sound of plucked strings and someone’s voices. Had they found us? No, they didn’t seem to be looking for us. As we got closer, we saw two chairs lined up. They were the reclining type, like those found on a beach. There were also various pieces of luggage scattered around.
“Someone’s sitting in the chairs.”
“Only two of them? Hey, Piyo, wait.”
For some reason, Piyo darted out. I hurried after her. There, we found the harpies who had attacked us. One of them was holding a stringed instrument that looked like a ukulele.
Only two of them? Was no one else here? And despite our appearance, the two remained sitting leisurely in their chairs. One was a woman, the other a man.
“Hello!”
Piyo greeted them cheerfully. My right hand’s fingertips brushed against the hilt of my dagger. How would they react? Would they attack immediately?
The woman slowly turned towards us.
“Hmm, oh, someone’s here.”
“My name is Pillon. What are you two doing?”
The woman stared with half-closed eyes, looking dazed. The man continued to play his strings, paying us no mind. It didn’t seem like they were going to attack. Wait, didn’t this Siren just speak? The ones who attacked us only let out strange cries. Can they actually talk?
They were also wearing clothes. Their tops were loose shirts, and they had strange decorative items on their heads or wrapped in patterned cloth. They weren’t wearing anything on their lower bodies, but they wore necklaces, making them look quite fashionable. Near the makeshift tent, books were piled up haphazardly. There was also a dirty planter with what looked like weeds growing out of it.
“Are you two Sirens? We came from across the sea.”
“Ah, really. How unusual, you usually get eaten. Right?”
“Hmm~”
The two spoke in a drawn-out manner. Were they Sirens then? Still, weren’t they too different? The woman took dried grass from a nearby box, lit it, and threw it into a glass cup. Gray smoke billowed up.
“We don’t do that sort of rough stuff, you see. All living things are brothers.”
“All living beings are brothers!”
The man made a twanging sound on his strings and sang a strange song. Since they didn’t seem dangerous, I signaled to Sharin, who had been waiting behind me. Even when my companions appeared one after another, the woman didn’t react much.
“Wow, that’s amazing. Today is a special day. So many guests.”
“We are love and peace.”
Everyone who came later looked at them with confusion. They could speak, but could they truly communicate?
“We would like to know the way to God’s Island.”
“It’s behind you.”
“I can’t fly, though.”
After a slight pause, the woman took a sip of her drink. Then she lit the dried grass again.
“…Don’t you have a bridge?”
“Bridge, bridge, hmm, was there one?”
“You mean this, don’t cha? Present for you.”
What the man handed me was chopsticks. And only one. It was good that they didn’t attack, but I was starting to get annoyed.
“No, I mean a bridge to cross. We’re in a hurry.”
“What’s the hurry? It’s the slow life, man.”
The chopsticks I was gripping made a creaking sound. Sharin’s hand patted my shoulder, telling me to calm down. Then, as if seeing my predicament, Philiana spoke.
“Do you two live here? Where are the other Sirens?”
“That’s right, we live here, just the two of us. The others are on the other side, and we recommend you don’t go there.”
“We don’t hunt like the others. We survive by eating leftovers. We try to give them vegetables in exchange, but they refuse.”
Vegetables? Were they the ones they were growing in that dirty planter? These two weren’t attacking, but it seemed there were other Sirens nearby.
