600 - - 18-20 Opals and Mysterious Minerals
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"Hmm ...... my head hurts ......"
Saki woke up and frowned at her splitting head.
"Saki-sama, you are awake."
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"......Ah, Aal, can you give me some water? ......"
Saki got up with her head in her hands and a glass of water was held out to her.
"Oh, thank you. ......"
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Saki gulps down the water in one gulp and feels somewhat better. She put on the glasses that Aal offered her and noticed that the hand that gave her the glass of water was not hers.
"......Oh, um...?"
"Oh, are you surprised? This is my house. My husband is the one who brought you here drunk."
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A woman around 30 years old smiles at me. Her dull blond hair was tied back carelessly on her head, giving her a vivacious impression. Her eyes were light blue.
"E...... and ......."
Saki tried to remember what had happened last night with her cracked head.
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"You drank two mugs of beer and got drunk. It's not surprising since the beer here is much stronger than the usual stuff.
They have strong beer because fishermen like it.
The beer here is over 15 degrees Celsius, while most beers are around 5 percent. After drinking two mugs of it, Saki, who is not a strong drinker by nature, got drunk.
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"There must be something wrong with a girl to come to a place like this alone and get drunk. ......"
The woman saw Saki looking pale with a hangover and offered her a small cup saying, "Drink this.
Saki, whose head was not working properly, took it and drank it in one gulp, ...... this time distorting her face with bitterness.
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"Hmmm, it's bitter, but it will help.
Hangover headaches are said to be caused by inflammation of blood vessels due to the expansion of blood vessels caused by acetaldehyde, acetic acid, and other substances produced by the decomposition of alcohol, and as a countermeasure, constricting blood vessels with caffeine is recommended.
Tea and coffee are said to be good to drink because they contain caffeine.
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"It's a very strong brew of tea (teehee)."
"Thank you for ......."
The headache still hadn't subsided, but Saki's head was beginning to spin enough for her to realize that she was being ungrateful.
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"My name is Saki. I'm sorry to have bothered you.
"Oh, well, that's very kind of you. I'm Rosie."
After saying each other's name, Rosie asked Saki how her stomach was feeling. When Saki said she felt a little hungry after the bitter tea she had just had, Rosie smiled and said she would wait for a moment.
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"...... Aal, what happened to me last night?"
Saki, who was left alone, asked Aalu.
"Yes, Saki-sama is ......".
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Aalu honestly explained that a drunken Saki was almost taken by a suspicious man, that Aalu fought him off, and that Augus, Logie's husband, had come and brought Saki here.
"So, ....... Aal, thank you for saving me."
No, that's what I'm here for.
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Then the door opened and Logie returned with a bowl of barley porridge.
"Here you go. Have a quick bite."
The barley porridge tasted sweet. Saki felt a warm feeling in her mouth as she ate it.
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* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Saki is told that this restaurant also serves as an inn, so she officially asks to stay here.
Saki is accompanied by an automata, a lady-in-waiting. It was natural to assume that there must be some reason for her to be there. So both Rosie and her husband, Augustus, were concerned, but did not inquire too deeply into the matter.
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"......This is your third night here. ......"
Saki had stayed here for a series of nights because the scenery was so different from the familiar north shore of Lake Tosmo.
The lakeshore is sand mixed with gravel, with large rocks sticking out in places, and seems to be a good fishing ground.
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"The gravel here is interesting ......"
Little by little, my interest as an alchemist is piqued. I asked Aal to dig a meter or so and was surprised to find a mineral with rainbow colors.
"Is this ...... opal?"
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Opal is also called protein stone, and is a mineral consisting of silicon dioxide SiO2 with crystal water nH2O. SiO2 with crystal water nH2O.
"Well, if we can get opal, it means that this side is igneous or thermometamorphic rock, right?"
Saki, who was aware that the north shore of Lake Tosmo, where his parents live, is a sedimentary rock because fossils are sometimes found there.
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"So, the geology is different between here and there!"
Saki, who had unexpectedly found out an interesting fact, spent the next two days investigating the geology of the shores of Lake Tosmo from her base in the town of Trom.
"Hmmm, what is this?"
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As a result, they found an unusual mineral that they had never seen before.
It is both earth-like and rock-like, and contains tiny bean-like grains inside.
"I'm sure Houraishima ...... Jin will be able to figure it out soon enough if he examines it."
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Saki muttered as she rolled the found mineral in her palm.
"I wonder what we should ...... do."
* * * *
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In the end, Saki stayed one more night without reaching a conclusion. This was the seventh night in a row.
Logie and August were getting worried about Saki's situation.
They had no children, and perhaps because of that, they could not leave Saki alone.
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"Hey Saki, I don't know what happened to you, but I think it's time for you to go home, don't you?
"Yes, I do. Your parents are worried about you.
At that moment, Saki for the first time revealed her feelings.
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"......My mother is gone, and I'm sure my father is getting along with his new partner, so it's all right."
He smiled sadly.
Hearing this, Augustus finally understood.
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"So you've been sulking and running away from home.
"Sulking ......? "No, I'm not."
August smacked Saki on the head.
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"You're an idiot. So you've been sitting here all this time hoping someone would come looking for you. That's selfish of you."
That's not quite right, but that's what they seemed to think.
"Well, now that you mention it, we can't keep you here any longer. It's late tonight, so I'll let you stay over, but tomorrow you'll have to go home."
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"Well, you know... ......"
Yes, that's right. I won't let you stay here tomorrow even if you pay me, okay?"
"......"
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The conversation proceeded without Saki's intention.
There are other hotels besides this
Saki, too, had run away from home without telling anyone, but she couldn't go home, and in her heart, she was looking for a chance to go home.
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"......Yes, thank you. Mr. Logie, Mr. Augustus."
"All right, all right, all right. Well, I'll be good for you tonight, okay?"
Saki nodded her head, and Augustus was relieved and patted her arm with a smile.
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The restaurant closes at 8:00 pm.
The dinner, which could be called a farewell party for Saki, started then.
"To Saki's future," said the chef.
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A cup and a beer mug are raised. The mug is Augus, and the cups are Rosie and Saki.
Saki had not consumed a drop of alcohol since then.
"Thank you very much. "Thank you very much, Rosie, Mr. Augustus. Thank you very much for your help.
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Once Saki had decided to leave, she felt much better and could now say thank you from the bottom of her heart.
"Now I wonder why I was so stubborn. It woke me up."
It's easy when you realize it. It was Saki who realized that it was a childish desire to make Toa worry.
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Reinhard, whom she had been in love with, chose Bertsche as his wife, and Toa's father found a new partner.
Saki feels ashamed of herself for having run away from home, as if by accident, to have someone understand her loneliness.
Saki had recovered to the point where she could reflect on what was wrong with her.
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"What will Jin and the others say when I show them the opals and mysterious minerals I found?
Saki is now imagining such things and looking forward to their reunion.
Thank you very much for your help.
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"Thank you very much for your help. ......
Take care.
Come again."
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Saki boarded the ferry with all her feelings in that brief exchange.
The morning breeze across Lake Tosmo is cool. Little by little, the shore is getting farther and farther away, and Rosie and Augus are standing there to see her off.
Saki waved at them until they were out of sight.
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After arriving at Sagina, Saki had lunch at a restaurant near the port, and then walked along the lakeshore road to her parents' house. She wanted to check the geological features of the northern shore of Lake Tosmo again.
I wanted to bring back some new discoveries as an excuse for not having heard from Saki for a long time.
After confirming that the north bank is still sedimentary rock, Saki returns to her parents' house.
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But it is unexpectedly empty.
"......Does she go to Reinhardt's place?"
Saki should have found out by contacting Horaijima, but she somehow didn't feel like it, so she used the warp gate installed in her parents' house to transfer to Reinhardt's <
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"Your masters are in the workshop.
A maid, who knew me well, told me. At the same time, Jin, Erza, and her father Toa were also there.
Saki looked into the workshop with some hesitation. Her first words were very feminine.
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