Even her clothes were different today: white with splashes of bright yellow.
Thud!
Moro gently set the boulder in his hands aside. He straightened, wiped the sweat from his forehead, and smiled at Uta. "You're looking for Mr. Kuta and the others, right?"
He pointed toward the Freedom's cabin.
"They should be in the dining room now."
"I'm going to wash up. You can head aboard."
With that, he turned and strode toward the beach.
A small lake lay there, just right for him to use as a swimming pool.
Uta smiled at the giant's retreating back, then turned and hurried aboard the Freedom.
"Good morning, Miss Robin!"
"And good morning, Kuina!"
The two women aboard turned toward the girl, who looked completely different from yesterday. Both smiled knowingly. One set down her book, the other her sword, and they raised their hands in greeting.
"Good morning, Uta!"
Sometimes a person's feelings changed because of one small thing that mattered to them, or
one object.
Once it happened, they were like sunlight breaking across the night sky, unable to feel the loneliness and cold on the other side of the planet.
That was clearly how Uta felt now.
But only Kuta knew that this brief spell of sunshine might soon turn back into darkness, perhaps even deeper than when they had first met yesterday.
So when he saw Uta, hesitation flashed in his eyes.
He wondered whether he should really lay the truth before her.
Did she truly need to hear a truth so cruel to her?
For a moment, he thought he understood how hard Shanks's choice had been.
But seeing the girl outside, bathed in sunlight and seemingly glowing like a real angel, Kuta forced himself to cast that hesitation aside.
Better for him to break through the