As Damien stepped outside, he didn't notice the porky, plump man standing at the door—hand raised, about to ring the bell.
"Ah, Damien! So good to see you, so good to see you. I was wondering… are you leaving today?"
The damn mayor came to see me off, Damien thought, walking straight past him.
"Alright, alright," the mayor said, half-jogging to keep up. "I know we ended up on the wrong foot."
"The wrong foot?" Damien clenched his jaw. "You're the one who forced me to leave to begin with. You made a deal with the Pizzicato Gang—that if I left, everyone would be okay. Right?"
He stopped walking.
"Are you still going to abide by that?"
The mayor went silent for a long moment. Then, like a switch flipping, he grinned.
"Yes. I did make a deal. And yes, I will make sure they abide by it."
"Good," Damien said bitterly. "Now let me go." He turned to walk away.
"Just one question."
Damien froze.
"How are you going to leave port," the mayor asked, voice dripping with smug amusement, "when you don't have a boat?"
Damien hadn't thought of that.
Silence. The only sound between them was the wind.
Then the mayor clapped a hand on Damien's back.
"Come. Let me help you with that, at least."
Damien shivered. It felt like taking a deal from the devil.
They walked down to the port, where the mayor gestured with a theatrical flourish.
"Good boys, primed and ready! I even gave you two oars and a nice ship."
Damien stopped.
In front of him sat a dingy—rotted wood, cracked sides, and a fraying rope. A boat on its last legs.
He stared.
This is probably the biggest insult I've ever seen in my life.
"Do you expect me to drown?" he muttered.
The mayor shrugged.
"It's what we have."
Damien glanced at the mayor's mansion—parked beside it, a massive, elegant ship gleamed under the sun. He looked back at the man's wide grin.
Yeah. Okay.
He looked at the boat. Then at the sea. Then back at the mayor.
Better to drown chasing freedom than rot here being polite.
He climbed into the dingy. No ceremony. No words. Just departure.
He was a good distance from shore when he saw the mayor still waving.
But someone else had appeared—someone running to the pier.
Something caught in Damien's throat.
"Damien!" the voice called out. "Be safe out there, you understand me?"
Damien didn't call back.
But he did wave.
It was Kana.