Out to sea in the northeast lay a small island, far enough from the coast that even with a favorable wind, some boats needed three hours to reach it. Yet quite a few people had been heading there lately.
The father and son aboard the fishing boat had not expected their entire boatload of passengers to be going there. Someone had even offered an extra hundred copper coins for the fare. Under the circumstances, they certainly would not turn money away.
The fishing boat's sail had been fully unfurled, carrying the little vessel swiftly forward.
There were eight passengers aboard, with clear lines drawn between them. The father and son had thought the young gentlemen dressed as scholars had come for the women's beauty, but once aboard, every one of them was rather quiet. Almost none made any attempt to strike up a conversation in the spirit of "a graceful lady is a gentleman's fair pursuit."
Or rather, the other six men did not approach these two women at all, as though deliberately leaving them space.
The father and son tried several times to liven things up, but hardly anyone paid them any mind.
"How strange. Every time people want to go to that island, nobody aboard likes to talk, and the wind's always especially favorable."
The old fisherman muttered as he steered, while his son could not help being drawn to the young women in gray and red. Having secured the sail, he nervously approached them.
"Y-young ladies, you're going to that island too? It isn't safe for two girls. W-why don't you come back to port with us after you've watched the sunset?"
The woman in red smiled at the young fisherman. She could tell he genuinely meant well.
"No need. My sister and I aren't easy to