Two and a half months had passed in this terrestrial landscape, where the magnificent sun rose, awakening everyone and marking the end of a restorative night. The city came alive, and activities resumed their natural course. The sun, in all its splendor, illuminated the streets and houses, chasing away the shadows of night.
Sakolomé, exhausted after a night of intense training, returned home around 11 am. Looking ahead, he noticed a small boy about to knock on the door of their house. The boy, of small stature, had black hair with a long lock covering part of his face. He wore a white T-shirt, a sweater tied around his waist, and jeans. He seemed to be from Salomé's generation, which left Sakolomé perplexed about what he was doing in such a remote place from Monor City.
The boy knocked three times and waited for a moment, visibly stressed. "Heo!" Sakolomé called out. The boy turned around and saw Sakolomé behind him. Sakolomé looked at him with a tired and sleepy expression, his eyes heavy with sleep.
"Little one, who are you? And what are you looking for at my place?" Sakolomé asked in a soft but firm voice. The boy widened his eyes and trembled with fear. "I... I'm looking for Salomé Satsujin Otoko, please," he replied in a trembling voice, as if each word was a struggle against the fear that overwhelmed him.
Sakolomé continued to look at him and noticed that the boy was still trembling. He frowned and said, "Alright, I understand. But why are you trembling, little one? Stop trembling for a moment, okay?" His voice was tinged with fatigue, but there was a hint of curiosity in his words.
A voice intervened: "I'm here!" It was Salomé, dressed in a black hoodie and black jogging pants, who appeared behind Sakolomé. She stepped between Sakolomé and the little boy. "Sakolomé, I think you're scaring Aquila," she said with a sly smile.
Sakolomé replied, "Aquila, that's what you're called. He has no reason to tremble in front of me." Salomé looked at Aquila and said, "Relax, my brother isn't mean, don't worry." She took Aquila's hand in hers, offering a reassuring gesture.
She added, looking at Sakolomé, "We're going to look for shells at the beach across the way for our presentation. So, we're going there." Sakolomé yawned and replied, "Good for you, I'm going to take a shower and go to bed." He turned away and entered the house, leaving Salomé and Aquila alone.
Sakolomé watched Salomé and Aquila walk away from the house. During the walk, Salomé kept teasing Aquila. "How you trembled like a leaf in front of my big brother, haha, it was ridiculous to see the great Aquila like that, hahaha!" Aquila was embarrassed but kept his calm, trying not to show his irritation.
After a few minutes of walking and teasing, they finally arrived at the beach. The wind made Salomé's hair flutter like autumn leaves. "The beach, I'll never stop saying it's magical," she said, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Aquila replied, "Never mind, we need to look for shells now, Salomé." Salomé nodded and said, "At your command, chief!!" Salomé and Aquila began searching for shells, each lost in their thoughts.
Aquila seemed particularly focused on this search. "Salomé doesn't know much about shells. Anyway, I hope to find a rare shell that will increase interest in our presentation and give us more points," he thought internally, his mind turned towards the objective.
Aquila found a shell and smiled. "Perfect! I have a Calliostoma zizyphinus, also known as Troque Jujube. It's very recognizable with its conical shell and mauve or light brown color." Salomé approached Aquila, she too had found a shell. "Hey, Aquila, look at this!" she said, her face illuminated by a smile.
Aquila turned around and looked, then averted his eyes. Salomé asked, "Does it have a strange shape as a shell, do you think it could be..." Aquila was impressed. "Where did you find that?" he asked with a surprised tone, his eyes fixed on the shell Salomé held.
Salomé replied, "Just walking and searching in the tall grass near the sea." Aquila looked at the shell again. "No, it's not what I think," he said, standing up to inspect it more closely on Salomé's hand.
"I don't believe it, I don't believe it!!!" he exclaimed, his voice rising. "It's indeed what I think, a fusiform shell and a brilliant white with some semblance of spines that offers extraordinary beauty, a size of about 12 to 15 centimeters. There's no doubt, it's a Siratus alabaster, better known as Murex Alabaster!!!"
Aquila composed himself from his amazement and said with an emotionless tone, "Hum... Hum... it's very good, Salomé." He turned around and added, "Let's continue searching." But his gaze remained fixed on the shell, as if he couldn't believe his luck.
Salomé smiled and said, "I'll give it to you if you want." Aquila opened his eyes wide, surprised. "Really?" he asked, his voice trembling with surprise. Salomé nodded. "It's a Murex Alabaster, I know. I know it's highly sought after by collectors, I'm offering it to you."
Aquila was even more astonished by Salomé's gesture. "Did you know what kind of shell it was?" he asked, his mind turned towards Salomé's motivations. Salomé replied, "More or less, but I wanted to be sure, and seeing your reaction, I'm certain now. Besides, if I said nonsense, you would yell at me again."
Aquila thought internally: "Why is she being so kind? She's probably trying to buy me." He asked, "Are you trying to buy me, right?" Salomé was surprised: "What? No, don't say nonsense."
Aquila started yelling: "Shut up!! It's surely a plan by your assassin family to buy people so they offer their trust and then stab them in the back. It won't work with me, keep your shell!"
Salomé seemed touched, her jovial mood had disappeared, replaced by a face of compassion. "Aquila, do you really think what you just said? Do you see me as a criminal too, is that it?" she replied calmly, her eyes seeking to understand Aquila's motivations.
Aquila retorted, "Is it false? You are criminal monsters, get away from me. I wonder why madame put us in the same work group, it's torture being with you." Salomé sighed and said, "Fine, as you wish."
She withdrew and walked away on her own. Aquila sighed, slightly tinged with regret. "Anyway... I need to keep searching." Suddenly, a female voice shouted: "Bouuuu!!!" Aquila jumped: "Aaahhhh!"
It was still Salomé, who burst into laughter seeing Aquila so terrified. "Hahahaha, you're really a big scaredy-cat!!!" she replied. Aquila responded with anger: "Salomé, you assassin, are you deaf? Didn't you hear what I said?"
Salomé, still laughing, replied, "Hahahaha, of course, and so what?" Aquila was surprised: "What do you mean, and so what?" Salomé stopped laughing and said, "You yourselves decided to hate us, so we can't do anything about it. Even if it's true that our ancestors messed up, I'd like to go back in time and give a big slap to the killer man to tell him to stop, but too bad, we can't go back in time."
Aquila frowned and yelled again: "I don't care what you say, you're trying to get me with your stupid wordplay. I'll ask you to stop it, or it could end very badly for you. You have no idea what I'm capable of."
Salomé replied, "Okay, it's fine, calm down. I'll leave you alone, and we'll search for shells on our own. But before that, I want to tell you something: the Murex Alabaster is still yours. I'll keep it safely until you come to claim it, even for the presentation, I won't display it."
Aquila was surprised: "How?" Salomé added, "Anyway, we need to part ways now." She turned around and said, "Let's continue our search, partner!" Then she walked away under Aquila's gaze.
Aquila muttered: "Damn, this girl is crazy." The sun shone in the sky, and the search continued, each lost in their thoughts and emotions.