The way Malinda looked at Arthur just then was how she would look at a lunatic.
She meant no contempt by it.
If anyone suggested a game of "We don't know what to have for dinner, so why not follow a random person on the street and eat whatever he or she eats?" Malinda would consider that person a lunatic.
What sort of mental state did it take to come up with a game like that?
And...
Why did she find it interesting?
Thinking it over, that anticipation of the unknown, all within safe limits, really was interesting.
Of course, Malinda would never admit it.
"Just how bored do you have to be to come up with a game like this?"
Malinda asked with a sigh.
As she spoke, she went to fetch her coat.
"When I counted all seventeen plum blossoms, my boredom was already plain to see."
Arthur's words left Malinda baffled.
Plum blossoms existed in this world, too.
They were rare in South Los, though.
Most were found in Inner Bay, and they were even more common during winter in North County.
Were the plum blossoms a hint at something?
Inner Bay?
Or North County?
Hmm, did I need to connect them to the keyword seventeen, too?
Seventeen plum blossoms?
What did that mean?
Malinda began to ponder.
Arthur noticed, but he certainly wasn't going to tell Malinda that he had merely voiced a passing thought. After all, watching Malinda puzzle over it was another part of the game.
After putting on their coats and saying goodbye to Anna, who was making the bed, Arthur and Malinda went out.
"Be careful, stay safe, and come back early!"
Anna called loudly after the two as they ran out.
Then she sighed like an older sister.
"The food outside