eurekapd Chapter 136 Rochester, the Land of Water 7
Chapter 136 Rochester, the Land of Water 7
"What do you mean there are no seats left?" Elena could hardly believe her ears.
"I'm so sorry—there are really no seats available," the staff member apologized. "To make up for your loss, we are willing to offer double compensation."
I had already made a reservation.
Irene was furious when they told her there were no seats available.
Elena could imagine that her spot was taken by someone else who bid higher, but she never expected it to actually happen to her.
In the past, Elena would probably have been in a good mood after receiving a decent amount of compensation. But today was different; these damned guys had ruined her plans.
At that moment, Elena desperately hoped that the weather-changing magic would immediately stop and let the torrential rain fall again.
But it's just a thought.
Elena left somewhat dejectedly.
"There are no seats left," Elena said to Qin, who was waiting at the door. "Go back."
"Do you really want to board the ship?" Qin asked casually.
“I didn’t think that way…” Elena said, “I was just really angry.”
“You can rent a boat that night. I heard that a lot of public lake areas will be open today,” Qin said. “I thought you wouldn’t like the crowded environment of a dragon boat.”
Hey?
That makes sense... I was probably out of my mind with anger just now.
"So you've been paying attention to this kingdom all along?" Elena said. "I thought you just read books wherever you went."
Oh, he seems to have just bought books about this kingdom, including some travel guides, which were probably included with the purchase.
……
Rochester spent the day in a playful atmosphere.
But all the daytime frolicking had nothing to do with Elena. As night fell, her heartbeat quickened with the deepening darkness.
Since most passengers have already boarded the boat during the day, the boat rental business is relatively less competitive at night.
Also, since the boats were rented by the hour, and not the kind of long-distance cruises that run from south to north, the price was relatively cheap.
However, the areas that the tour boats can pass through are relatively limited, and they can only travel along a small river.
“Given your personality, I thought you would choose to share a boat.” Qin sat at the stern reading a book. Although it was already dark, it didn’t prevent him from seeing the words on the page.
Sharing a boat means renting it with other people.
A small boat can generally accommodate four people; five people would be considered overloaded.
Elena could have chosen to share a boat with other strangers instead of renting a small boat directly, which would have saved her a considerable amount of money.
“It’s as if you know me very well,” Elena said.
This idiot.
Having gone this far, with only you and me on the boat, it's already clearly unbelievable.
"I wouldn't say I know him well," Qin said, "but we've traveled together for quite a while, so I know the basics. Is there something you want to tell me?"
Did he see it?
Impossible, he's just a block of wood.
“I do have something to say,” Elena said.
Qin waited for Elena to continue, but noticed that Elena seemed to have a bad complexion again and was unable to utter a single word.
He felt that Elena probably wanted to explain why she had been acting so strangely lately, and what he could do to help her, but her demeanor made him unsure of what to do.
It was fine just a moment ago, so why is it acting strange again now?
Is this period something that comes and goes as it pleases? A witch's body is definitely different.
Irene took something out of her backpack and opened the cap.
"Wait a moment." Irene found herself unable to say it, so she finally pulled out her secret weapon—white liquor, which she had just bought from Rochester.
I actually hate drinking.
but……
It's up to you now, my subconscious. That way, I won't be the one in an awkward situation—good luck, Elena.
Irene picked up the wine and chugged it down her throat, a move that nearly cured Qin's facial paralysis.
I told you to drink more hot water, not to drink alcohol.
"Cough cough—this is fucking awful! Who even likes drinking here?" Elena tossed the half-empty bottle aside. Her brain was instantly fogged up by the alcohol, because compared to wine, this spirit was clearly on a completely different level.
And she just opened her mouth and said half a bottle.
Elena, who has always had a bad temper when drunk, suddenly felt like her hands and feet weren't her own anymore. In an instant, she couldn't even distinguish between the stars in the sky and the stars reflected on the river.
I almost thought that the river was in the sky, and that my little boat was sailing on the Milky Way.
I'm so dizzy... I hope I don't fall.
More than that, Elena was afraid of falling asleep suddenly. Although she was so drowsy that she couldn't even remember why she was afraid of falling asleep, she was still very clear about what she needed to do.
“Qin, listen to me,” Elena said.
Qin watched the swaying Elena in front of her, ready to pull her back before she fell into the water.
“You’re such an idiot!” Elena said.
Hmm... So, what you're trying so hard to say to me is that you just want to yell at me?
How should I respond?
“But I like a clueless idiot like you,” Elena continued.
"Hmm... like... is that what you mean?" Qin was thinking about how to reply. But to Elena, he just stood there dumbfounded, not showing any reaction at all.
"Give me a reaction! I'm confessing my feelings to you!" Elena said, unwilling to give up.
"Hmm..." Qin didn't know how to react. To be honest, he had read countless books, but none of them taught him what the right reaction was at this moment.
Do you like it...? She's been acting so strangely lately because of this, something Qin has no idea about.
"It's fine if you reject me, but at least give me some reaction," Elena said, her voice trembling with tears.
"Irena is terrifying when she's drunk..." Qin couldn't help but think.
"Is it the way I understand it?" Qin asked uncertainly.
That's exactly what I mean. I want to be with you.
Would anyone like someone like me?
I don't quite understand.
“To be honest, I don’t understand,” Qin said.
He wasn't sure what kind of feeling he had in mind was liking someone. He had recently experienced too many emotional ups and downs, but he couldn't tell the difference.
He said these words out of instinct and a sense of responsibility, or rather, because he felt he should say them.
“I know you don’t understand, because you’re a complete idiot when it comes to this,” Elena said, her face flushed from drinking, pointing at Qin’s heart. “But I will make you understand, little by little.”
“It’s okay if you don’t understand now, it’s okay if you don’t have feelings for me now. I will make you fall for me slowly, eventually fall in love with me, become completely infatuated with me, and have your eyes forever glued to me,” Elena said. “Because I love you, you silly girl.”
That was quite a narcissistic statement.
Sure enough, even in this state, some things about Elena remain unchanged.
Is this what it feels like to be liked? And what about liking someone?
What kind of feeling is it?
In that instant, Jean recalled the moment when he was controlled by the druid and swung his sword at Elena—at that moment, his eternally unchanging emotional lake was greatly disturbed.
I instinctively didn't want her to get hurt.
Just like when I heard she needed help, I immediately went to lend a helping hand.
Is this what liking someone is...? I'm not sure...
But Elena was already slumped over the zither, her eyes half-closed in a daze: "If you reject my confession, just push me away. It's okay, I'll probably forget about it anyway, like a dream."
In her hazy sleep, Irene felt as if she were being held by a pair of large hands, and in that calm sense of security, she drifted off to sleep.
The small boat carrying the two people gradually sailed towards its own shore in this picturesque landscape where sky and water meet.
(The second volume, "Deep Friendship," is now complete.)
(Volume 3, the chapter on friendship, to be continued...)