A Girl Named Finn

"Food always tastes better on someone else's coin. Even more so when it's expensive."

"Well, I'm glad you're satisfied."

Dinner was over, and they were now sitting on the beach, enjoying the night breeze.

Elza had gotten drunk, and Azu was looking after her.

She kept feeding her water and sat supporting Elza's shoulders.

Alexia, feeling sleepy after the meal, had headed straight back to the inn they'd rented.

With Elza and Azu behind them, it was essentially just Finn and Yohane alone.

"Hey."

"What?"

"What do you need all that money for?"

At Finn's question, Yohane rested his right hand against his chin and thought.

The shop was doing reasonably well.

To be honest, he hadn't been struggling to eat even before buying Azu and the others.

Was he earning money for some goal, or was earning money itself the goal?

One thing, at least, was crystal clear.

A desire so fundamental it might as well be primal.

"Do I need a reason to earn money?"

"Ha. You're a strange one. Then again, you were strange from the start."

"How rude."

Finn said this with a look of exasperation, then gazed out at the nighttime sea.

Their first meeting had been when he hired her to throw a fight against Azu.

There'd been a risk of Azu being roughed up otherwise, and Finn had seemed hard up for cash, so he'd reached out.

That had led to an ongoing working relationship.

"Hey, how did you know I needed money?"

"I could tell just by looking. People who are short on money or time have this unmistakable urgency about them."

Finn let out a sigh when she heard that.

She was well aware.

"Tch. Well, I won't deny that money was a huge help back then."

After defeating Azu, Finn had withdrawn from the Ocelot Colosseum.

Probably because she stood no chance against the remaining opponent — the warrior known as the Dragonslayer.

Having gotten the money from Yohane plus the prize money paid out at that stage, she'd accomplished her goal and decided there was no point in continuing.

"Mind if I ask you something? We're basically business partners at this point, so I'd like to understand you a bit better."

"Sure, why not. I'll answer enough to cover the cost of dinner."

"I'm honored. So — you seem to be doing alright for yourself now. Do you still need the money?"

Finn was skilled in stealth.

If she wanted to, she could probably handle assassinations.

But that kind of work came with danger.

The jobs Yohane had given her weren't exactly safe either.

She didn't need to take on dangerous work if she didn't have to.

Yet Finn was still accepting jobs.

Because she needed money.

Not urgently anymore, but still more than ordinary work could provide.

"I guess it's fine to tell you… Back at the tournament, I wasn't just short on money. I needed it immediately."

"I figured. You were visibly running out of composure as it went on."

"That whole tournament was a desperate measure to begin with. There were monsters in there, too. Winning was never realistic."

He remembered seeing her talking with someone who looked like a merchant.

"I was abandoned. Never knew my parents. I figured I'd just die, but someone picked me up."

Finn sat down on the sand as she said this.

Yohane sat beside her and listened.

"It was an old man. A freelancer who worked in the shadows, not tied to any organization. He wanted someone to carry on his skills. He trained me hard. In the end, that's why I can survive on my own."

On her own, she'd said.

"By the time he took me in, he was already sick. A little before the tournament, he became bedridden. After all he put me through, he was just going to die first? Absolutely not. But the medicine he needed was too expensive."

There were countless diseases that could kill.

Once symptoms reached their final stage, treatment became near impossible.

Ordinary medicine wouldn't cut it.

It would take something distilled from World Tree sap, or water drawn from a miraculous spring.

Things money alone couldn't buy, and yet things one couldn't afford even if they were for sale.

Even Yohane would have to liquidate most of his assets just to obtain a single dose.

If there was anything within reach, it would be a diluted version.

That much was feasible.

"I tried every lead I could find. Managed to track down a decent medicine, but I didn't have enough money. So I left the old man behind and entered the tournament. Put on all kinds of acts to catch people off guard. After you paid me and I cashed out the prize money, I bought the medicine and rushed back."

"And then?"

Yohane gently prompted her to continue. Finn brushed the hair blown across her face by the night wind with her right hand.

"He was still breathing. So I gave him the medicine. I suppose it worked. His expression softened — looked so peaceful. After that, he said one word of thanks to me, and then he died."

"I see. I'm sorry."

"It is what it is. Living in the shadows and reaching that age was an accomplishment in itself. He passed his skills on to me, and at the end, he went painlessly with someone watching over him. That's a good death."

And so, Finn continued.

"I want to have money when I need it. I never want to think 'if only I'd had the money back then.' Not ever."

It was the strongest voice Yohane had ever heard from Finn.

Her unvarnished truth.

"So you'll keep working for a while, then."

"Yeah. Your jobs are a godsend, actually. They're weird sometimes, but at least I don't have to take assassination work. Assassinations make enemies, and enemies are dangerous."

"I can imagine. If you ever want to go legit and open a shop, come talk to me. Good luck getting into the merchant's guild without an introduction, by the way."

This was a simple fact.

If shops popped up unchecked, established interests would be threatened.

It was a complicated world.

"A shop, huh. Sounds like a hassle. Oh, then just hire me at your shop."

"I'll think about it."

"Um…"

Azu spoke up, the conversation having reached a natural pause.

"Elza is kind of at her limit, so could we head back?"

It seemed Azu's efforts had been in vain; Elza had gotten even more drunk and passed out.

She normally held her liquor just fine, but she'd been drinking quite a lot.

"Yeah. Let's go. Finn, do you have a place to stay?"

"Don't worry about me. Let's meet up tomorrow morning. You're not heading home yet, right?"

"Nah. Planning to stay a bit longer."

The night wind was getting cold.

No point catching a cold on vacation.

They decided to head back to the inn.