A Seashell to Remember

The Forneus Sea was beautiful, and its beach even moreso. It had glittering sand dotted with seashells as far as the eye could see, so fine even the softest of paws would find it pleasant, and bordering it were lazy, picturesque waves, lapping at its ends. Clusters of shelon always seemed to be lazing about on the shore, and more than a few imp-crazy succubun tried their hand at taking one or two of them home, much to the entertainment of casual onlookers. 

The beach and the sea were wonderful, Komugi thought, but what really brought them here was the shopping. With the heat driving many buns to the sea, a potential customer base saw the quick establishment of a night market. Stalls were packed tightly together and organized into something borderline-labyrinthine, a genius way of keeping buns shopping for a while once their curiosity was piqued enough to step inside. This night market was the highlight of he and Fuku’s mini-vacation to the sea—in fact, it was the first thing they’d talked about when deciding whether to go or not—and once the sky had darkened enough and the weather cooled down to something more pleasant, they had taken to the maze of stalls, ready to spend carats to their heart’s content.

Inside the maze was everything the two had hoped for. The smell of food hit them first; the savory smell of grilled vegetables and the sweet scent of candies being made on the spot flooded their noses, and the humid heat from the various grills and bubbling pots clung to their skin. The farther they walked from the entrance, the less intense the smell of food became, and deeper within the market were various stalls selling accessories, knicknacks, souvenirs, and apparel of all kinds. Komugi was a casual spender, dropping carats as he pleased without thought, but Fuku had a discerning eye for things, and would only buy something if he thought it was worth it. Komugi would come to learn about this the hard way. He would reach out for one thing, and—

Smack.

“No no, that one is overpriced. We can probably find it at a cheaper stall if we just keep walking...”

And lo and behold, after a few more steps, they would find whatever it was much cheaper. Komugi would hand over the carats with his still-stinging hand, and Fuku would look on triumphantly, as if he’d just bested some trial that only he was privy to.

“You know,” Komugi started, tipping his head. “I didn’t know you were so passionate about bargains. Is this what you do when I’m working?”

Fuku twirled the parasol in his hand and practically beamed, his tail wagging behind him. “Of course! Before I met you, I didn’t have an endless supply of carats…so, I got really into bargaining and stuff. But!” He said, his expression quickly giving way for a pout. “It’s kind of infuriating when you start doing it! Because then you realize the nerve some of these people have, trying to sell stuff for way more than they’re worth!”

“Hey, they’ve gotta eat somehow, right?”

“Mugi, that other vendor was getting ready to charge you three times the price you just paid. He just wanted to rob you blind!”

Komugi shrugged. “And it would’ve worked!”

“And it would’ve worked,” Fuku repeated with a sigh, his shoulders slouching. “I can’t believe you. How were you able to keep your carats in check before you met me?”

“Hmm, don’t know, can’t remember. Why would I want to remember, anyway?” Komugi slid up to Fuku’s side, ducking under his parasol to bump their heads together as he continued, “Remembering my time before you is boring, anyway. The only time that matters is the time since we’ve met!”

Komugi’s words were intentionally sappy. He knew Fuku too well for them not to be, and had a knack for getting the younger bun back into a good mood. Fuku was a sucker for words of affirmation and, as always, his words had worked: a blush spread across Fuku’s face and he smiled cutely as he sheepishly twined their tails together. “You’re lucky I’m so patient with you, Mugi... I bet anyone else would’ve robbed you blind by this point.”

“Yeah yeah, I’m the luckiest bun in all of Burrowgatory with the bestest friend ever who’s soooo good at not spending all my carats or stealing from me or whatever. Honestly, I think if I found out you were pocketing my money on the side I wouldn’t even be mad. You’d be the cutest thief ever.”

“I guess it’s a good thing I’ll never be a thief, huh…”

“Uhuh, you’d be way too powerful.”

Fuku rolled his eyes and smiled, and Komugi laughed. They would enjoy a few moments of silence between them as the din of the market took over, and they continued to move from stall to stall. It wasn’t long before another stall caught their eye: a stall selling jewelry fashioned from seashells. They were a dime a dozen within the market, but something about this particular one had made Fuku stop to browse. Komugi gave him an inquisitive look.

“Didn’t think you’d be too interested in any of the jewelry for sale.” Komugi followed Fuku’s gaze and saw that he was eyeing a simple little anklet.

“I’m normally not, but look, isn’t it cute? Plus,” Fuku explained, gently taking the anklet from its display. “It’ll be a nice keepsake to remember our time here. Why don’t you get something too?”

A keepsake, huh? Komugi didn’t really have anything like that at his place; it wasn’t like he did anything aside from working and clothes shopping on his days off. The idea of buying something for the purpose of remembering his time somewhere was a novel one, but not something that he was against...quite the opposite, in fact. He reached out for a pair of seashell earrings, inlaid with large stones. They weren’t his usual style, but as he handed over the carats for their purchases, he felt a pleasant warmth inside him as Fuku urged him to put them on.

“They have such pretty colors, don’t they?” Fuku cooed. “I think they look good on you!”

“You think?” Komugi looked down at the earring as he fastened it on, marveling at the way the pearlescent gems caught the light. “Maybe I should’ve gotten something to match with you...”

“I think the earrings suit you better. And in a few months’ time, when we’re looking at all the stuff we picked up on our trips, you’ll be happy to see those colors again.”

Fuku was right. The pearl-like colors instantly evoked images of that scenic beach; Komugi was sure that, in just a few short months, he would pick up these earrings and think back fondly on walking through the markets with his best friend.

Okay, this time the sappiness was definitely not intentional. Komugi shook his head.

“If you say so. Anyways, all this walking around is making me hungry. How about we get some mochi? I think there’s a stall not too far from here…”

“Ooh, yes! Sea salt for me, please!”

With their tender moment over, the two set off to get their mochi. And if Komugi smiled just a little wider at the weight of the seashells on his ears, well…he’d just tell Fuku that he was just imagining it.