Magi: The Adventure to the Southeast [REMASTERED]

✩9. The Village and the Moon

A moment of silence passed between them, with Sinbad and Ja'far staring at her. She nervously looked down. "...S-So, how was I?"

"I say, you sounded like a pro already!" Sinbad nodded enthusiastically while on the other hand, Ja'far only replied with a doubtful smile. "Although, well... you might want to fix your smile first."

Shafa blinked. "Oh. Is it not wide enough?" She asked as she pinched her cheeks. "Do you mean it like this?"

"No, no, I mean... be more natural. Smile like you just woke up in the morning and the first thing you saw was an unknown part of the ocean that mankind hadn't touched upon, and was waiting to be discovered!"

Soon after Sinbad said those words, Ja'far and Sinbad could notice the drastic change of Shafa's expression. The girl looked horrified, in contrast to the smile that Sinbad was expecting to see. Without saying a word, the girl suddenly bolted out, leaving them in distraught.

"Were you seriously hoping to see a girl smile with that horrible taste, Sin?" Ja'far flat comment felt like a stab on Sinbad's heart.

"Why, Ja'far?! Won't you agree that exploring the unknown ocean would make every men's heart throb out of joy?"

"But she's a girl, Sin... the idea of venturing into the sea alone might very well scare her."

Sinbad put his hand on his chin, surprisingly he easily agreed with Ja'far for once. "Ah, you might be right..."

Ja'far let out a thin sigh. "Let's go after her, Sin."

The two men started walking down the path that Shafa had run off to. They passed by the villagers, who looked busy preparing something but could still spare some time to greet them. Some men were carrying grapes and dates on their shoulder while some women were cooking something in a large pot together in front of their houses. The two could smell delicious aroma spreading along their way. Although there weren't more than thirty people there, the village was crowded and lively.

They didn't expect to bump into Ardhi, who was walking with an old woman who carried a rod with a large blooming flower on its tip. The green-haired man was the first to greet them, showing off his trademark grin. "Ah, it's Sin and Ja'far-kun! Enjoying yourself?"

Sinbad nodded back with a wide smile. "We sure are, thanks to the villagers. They are so thoughtful, they still spare us a greeting even though they look so busy!"

"Ah, they are preparing a feast for tonight!" Ardhi explained. "A festival is held each time I and Shafa returned home. It's also the time for me to trade the stuff I bought from Qishan with the villagers."

Ardhi paused his explanation, looking around for a certain purple head. "By the way, where's Shafa? You're not with her?"

Just when Sinbad was about to explain their circumstances, the girl had run into the scene. She stopped next to Ja'far to catch her breath as Ardhi happily addressed her. "Shafa, we were just talking about you!"

"I'm... sorry...!" She panted an apology for the Sindrians. "...to just storm off like that... was very rude of me!"

"Shafa, were you just leaving our guests on their own? What if they got lost?" the elderly woman that was with Ardhi scolded her with a prominent frown.

Shafa quickly took notice of the older woman's sour face and straightened her posture. "Eri-sensei... I'm terribly sorry."

"Don't do that again. It's a good thing they ran into us," the old woman, Eri, shook her head. As Shafa bowed, Eri turned her attention to the Sindrians and flashed them a gentle smile. "Hopefully you'll enjoy yourself here. Good day."