Along the cobblestone sidewalks, people walked from one side to the other, from store to store and from bench to bench – if it was under a tree. Magical items were sold in specialized stores, and children were entertained with samples of temporary spells, with "cold fireworks" being the most popular. The colorful popsicle stands were all full, and the ice cream sellers no longer knew how to deal with such high demand.

The smell of fried foods, sweets, clothes, and fabrics entangled with each other. Street artists performed, people talked amid the laughter and screams of excited children, the clinking of glasses and bowls from food stalls, the voices of vendors, and the square's bell that played a different melody every hour. The sounds and smells intertwined, completing the aura of the vivid shopping center on a scorching day.

The sun seemed eager to melt whatever it wanted in the landscape and would do so if possible. The breeze was so stifling that people walked around with caps and umbrellas. The most prepared people carried paper fans and bottles of water, as well as a towel around their neck or shoulder to wipe off sweat.

Despite the shopping center being relatively close to the island's hillside, the heat was still as present as in the historic center. Street thermometers reached thirty-four degrees Celsius, some dared to show thirty-six and others, thirty-five.

“Cousin, I’ll die,” Mine panted, carrying two heavy bags with tablecloths and similar purchases.

“Take your umbrella, lazy ass,” the other boy chuckled, taking one of the bags in his hands. “Let’s sit right there.”

“God bless we found an empty seat!" he wiped the sweat off his face.

The tall, young man settled himself into a seat and removed his cap, revealing a mop of bright, fiery red hair. Its brilliance was akin to flames, with accents of vibrant orange. The man had a unique appearance, with a face that seemed delicate, in contrast to his build. His striking green eyes were thin and alluring, drawing the attention of those around him. 

The boy beside him couldn't help but notice people sighing in admiration as they passed by. The man also had an endearing smattering of freckles on his nose and shoulders along several moles that spoke to a life spent working under the sun, perhaps due to his habit of taking care of his mother's plants and crops.

It was a struggle for Mashitsu to go to the city because he lived in the island's countryside - which seemed more like a jungle. The teleportation arrays were frequently unavailable due to the forest gnomes' mischiefs, and the trucks that transported the fields' crops (aka ride) took a long time to reach the metropolitan area. Fortunately, Mashitsu found his neighbor heading to the city soon, so he took a ride in her truck, carrying only a backpack with a few clothes, water, and money to buy what his mother needed.

"I'll melt anytime…” Mine complained dramatically.

“The weather forecast was no joke,” Mashitsu started fanning his cousin with his cap. "Here, wear it, or else you'll faint," put the same cap on the boy's head.

"Thanks," he grinned happily. "Ew, it's sweaty."

"You're welcome," Mashitsu giggled, fixing the sweaty cap on Mine's head.

The shy trees moved slowly in the breeze which caused some of their dry leaves to fall to the ground, already wrinkled and brittle. Although the view was disturbed by the excessive brightness of the sun, the bushes were green and happy in the sun, some plants cried out for rain, and new sprouts of luminous grasses were vibrant, although they only appeared at night alongside other distinct flowers such as one of yellowish color with black spots that scared cats that wanted to scratch it.

While Mine caught his breath, Mashitsu packed the backpack he brought, already deciding how much he would spend on the trip home or whether he would be able to get a ride with his neighbor again that night.

“Hey Mashitsu,” Mine called, “take your ol’ cousin to the ice cream shop over there… or I’ll die,” he dramatically said, bringing his arm to the forehead.

“You can’t die because you’re craving ice cream, dummy."

"… pretend that I can," Mine grumbled.

Finally stopping by the chosen ice cream shop, the duo felt an incredible refreshing sensation caused by the air conditioner blessing every new customer inside the establishment - like sipping cold, refreshing water on a hot day.

The heat outside seemed like a mere nightmare as the duo sat down at the only table available next to the glass window – which could feel the hot steam of the sun through it. Mine accidentally touched his elbow to the glass, and he quickly moved his arm, getting goosebumps because the glass was hot. Despite the proximity, the hot breath from the glass wouldn't bother them enough, as it had those films to reflect the heat – but it didn't stop the object from getting hot and possibly causing goosebumps in anyone who touched it, just as Mine did.

Mashitsu's eyes scanned the room and landed on the mint green curtains, which hung gracefully from the window frame. The curtains contrasted beautifully with the light grayish-brown walls, giving the room a serene and calming feel. As he looked around, his gaze fell on the plastic plants arranged neatly on a shelf. Despite their realistic appearance, Mashitsu couldn't help but notice that they were, in fact, fake. He smiled to himself, realizing he had a good eye for plants, even if they weren't real. Meanwhile, Mine was busy arranging the numerous bags and making sure that the purchases were organized in a way that made them easier to transport later.

"Say, when is your Uni's admission test?" Mine asked curiously.

"It's gonna be next week," Mashitsu said nervously, "I'll try to enroll for Medicine Herbology," he beamed.

"Oh! So, you'll follow Auntie Matsumi's path?" his eyes lit up with sparks.

"Yes! Mom told me I could take her herb shop, so I need to study and work hard before doing so," he said determined. "Ah, Mrs., can you take us the 'today's special'?" he called the waitress before she went away.

The waitress turned and wrote down their orders, leaving to the counter alongside a small kid wearing a pink dress and a white hat. The kid took the trash from the tables alongside the other waitress, who told her to go to play, but the kid refused, stubbornly picking more trash.

Mine chuckled, remembering how Mashitsu was as stubborn as the girl when they were kids. The red-like-fire-haired toddler used to run around the fields and stain his clothing with dirt and fertilizer - his father always had to take him to shower right after the play on the fields. Also, he developed a bright curiosity for dealing with hard work, mostly with heavy instruments like shovels.

His mother always died a little by seeing her precious son getting hurt, bruised, and dirty. When she took him inside, he always hid behind his older cousin, Mine, who told his aunt that he was watching the toddler attentively – which was and wasn't true because Mine also played with shovels and dirt with his little cousin. When Mine wasn't around, he used to hide behind his older brother or climb high trees to run away from his mother's demands.

“I worked hard at my mom’s shop and the neighbors’ demands for crops, so I earned enough money to rent an apartment in the city,” Mashitsu beamed proudly.

“My little cousin is so grown up!" Mine smiled, mid sniffles. "It's amazing to think that just yesterday you were covered in snot and dirt, snif snif.”

“Mostly dirt,” he laughed.

“Stay at my place this week, so you won't need to do any more trips before the test," Mine said excitedly. "I'll take care of you as an exemplary older cousin I am," he posed proudly.

"I don't want to bother you…" Mashitsu fidgeted, saying it a bit shyly. "Also, my routine is quite... different from yours, so I'll bother you in the morning..."

"Shut it and take your belongings. You'll stay with me," Mine posed proudly again. "Let's buy you new Pjs and some more clothing before we go home."

"Thanks, cousin," he beamed, flashing the same cheeky smile that he used to do when he was a toddler.

"And how's your Uni teachings? Uncle Kamine told us you're a tutor!" Mashitsu beamed.

"Dad and his oversharing..." Mine facepalmed. "Yeah, I'm tutoring a newbie teacher. I think he'll be your teacher too. His name is Addai- and what's with this face?" he scrunched up his forehead in a disapproving manner as he gazed at his cousin. 

His cousin, in turn, leaned his head on his hands, propping his elbows on the table, and looked back at him with a calm expression on his face.

"How's he? I bet he's cool," he grinned, half teasingly, half joyfully.

"..." Mine stopped for a second and recalled Addai's words telling him that he wasn't a bad person. He couldn't help but chuckle. "Yes, he's not that bad. I mean, he is a bit brute and sometimes has a talent for making me frown, but..." he faintly smiled, "he can be good sometimes, but only sometimes."

"..." Mashitsu still grinned at him the same way, but now his eyes turned sparklier.

"Shove that assumption in you-know-where," Mine threatned and half of Mashitsu's smile faded.

On the way back to Mine's house, the duo had to take the subway as the teleportation platforms were crowded due to the concert on the beach and another that was taking place in the historic center of the island. The subway was also not as empty and peaceful as usual, and people were crammed into the carriages as if they were sardines squeezed into a can – and even the smell of some was the same.

The gloomy lights, the occupied seats, the aisles with several people standing holding on to the suspended handles and iron bars to keep from falling. Luckily, Mashitsu found a seat, so at least Mine could sit with the bags resting on his feet. The nearby old lady kept looking at Mine (and judging him), who didn't care at all and pretended to be sleeping by covering his face with Mashitsu's cap, who was standing in front of him.

Some people nudged Mashitsu to give them space, and others took advantage of his height to hold onto his arm when he offered. Accustomed to standing for countless hours, a few minutes on the subway wouldn't hurt.

Getting out was a mess. Mine's bags got caught in the door (that ended up closing), and he had to use good old brute force to pull the bag anyway while Mashitsu packed the rest of them. The station stank of sweat and cement from the recent renovation, people were stepping hurriedly on the loose tiles – which made squeaks and muffled noises – and the stairs had a large volume of people going up and down, as the escalator was turned off that day (unfortunately of the destination).

The duo would need to take another subway but at a different station, so they would have to walk a bit – and keep an eye on the city hall's subway lines app. Halfway through, Mine had to stop for a few seconds as his legs began to give out, and Mashitsu insisted on carrying him on his back so they wouldn't miss the ride. 

Midway, they found a young man almost passed out because of the heat, and Mine hopped off his cousin's back with a bottle of water in his hands.

“Hey! Do you need any help?” Mashitsu called him, approaching with Mine now beside him.

“Wa... water...” the person mumbled, tirelessly fanning himself with a paper fan.

"Here," Mashitsu took the cold water bottle Mine offered, "you can have it."

“Thank you…” and he reached for the bottle, chugging it down in a go.

"Do you need anything else?" Mine approached, with his hands glowing. "If you have any headaches, I can help."

"No, it's fine, thank you," the stranger smiled.

"Please, seek for a good shadow- Ah, you can have my umbrella,” Mine promptly took his umbrella from one of the bags.

“Oh no, I can’t accept it...”

"I insist. The sun is harsh, and I have my cousin's cap with me, so don't worry!" he beamed.

"Ah… I'll have to accept it then," he chuckled, "thank you again."

After the duo departed, the mysterious stranger stood up from his seat and opened the umbrella, which had a frog design imprinted on it. He chuckled to himself, a hint of amusement as he recollected the random people who had stopped to offer him a helping hand. The stranger felt grateful for the kind gesture, and his thoughts drifted to the unknown person's face, wondering who they were and where they were headed in such haste.

Lost in his own musings, the stranger was startled as someone approached him from behind and gave him a hearty slap on the back.

"BELI- Bella~ hehe~" he snickered, gulping down his bitterness.

"Where did you get this…," she looked up and down, “… eccentric umbrella?”

"A good soul gave me this, look how adorable it is," he showed the umbrella to his companion.

The little frog eyes that stood out were the charm of the item, and Azazel couldn't help but daydream while looking at the umbrella's adorable design... but Bella wasn't very much pleased with the whole thing, as she sensed something odd in it.

“Azazel, there’s something in this umbrella,” she warned.

“Eh? You’re just jealous that a human was kind to me and not to-”

“You jerk!" she gasped when the umbrella emitted a foggy aura. "There’s a sigil in it!” she slapped his hand from the umbrella’s holder.

The little frog, previously light green, turned black, and the eyes, which used to have a black iris, turned yellow and seemed to blink, focusing first on Bella and then on Azazel. Before the two could track this spell, the illusion passed by as quickly as a leaf that flew away in a gust of wind.

“... who gave you this?” Belial asked, bewildered.

“A short green-haired guy. He was adorable and-”

"Avoid him," interrupted. "He's being tracked, actually, he's being watched.”

"What?" asked, confused. "And what does that have to do with us, you weirdo? It's his problem, not ours,” prompted to take the umbrella back, but Bella kicked the item away.

“The caster…,” she cold sweated. "Is this man," her index finger touched Azazel's forehead, transferring the information via spell.

“Hm...” he hummed, curiosity growing like weeds.

“Let’s avoid him and that sunny bean."

"Why would that guy track the little one?" he took the umbrella with a levitation spell, and and broke the spell.

"It's a warning," she voiced, "he's telling us that the boy is his."