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“Hey, Kannei, why do you wear those things? Um, your bells and feathers, I mean.”
Sonken came up to Kannei one day with that innocent question. There wasn’t any serious reason for it. He just felt curious, since none of the other pirates wore such things.
For Kannei, the answer was simple.
“Fashion.”
“Eh?”
“It’s my signature fashion!”
Posing with his sword, Kannei let out a hearty laugh.
“I’m the only one who wears this stuff, right? So no matter where I go, they know who’s coming! The one and only Kannei of the seas!”
As expected of a rowdy pirate. Though he had pledged himself to Sonken’s service, he was still rough around the edges. Then again, the only other pirate who was like this was Ryomou, but he wasn’t nearly this... eccentric.
Sonken laughed a little himself, once again swept up in Kannei’s cheerful atmosphere. But he felt awkward and quickly quieted down.
Kannei noticed this. His face was thoughtful before becoming unexpectedly serious.
“Say, Captain, you want one?”
Kannei took one of his feathers off his head and offered it to Sonken.
“Are you sure? I mean, it’s yours, isn’t it?”
Sonken looked at it curiously, but made no move to reject it. He still looked to Kannei for his opinion.
“I could always get more. But if you want, I’d like you to have it. Consider it a gift from me, your new subordinate.”
Kannei waved off Sonken’s concerns with an easy shrug. He smiled to reassure the young lord of his trustworthiness.
Sonken nodded. He reached out his hand, only to hesitate. He met Kannei’s eye nervously.
“Is there... a right way to put it on?”
It was another innocent question, and not entirely ridiculous. But he couldn’t help but feel a little embarrassed.
“You wear it. Like this.”
Kannei fixed the feather on top of Sonken’s head. He was careful to put it where it wouldn’t get in the way of Sonken’s mask. Then, he gestured over to the river’s clear surface.
Sonken looked at his reflection in the water.
“It’s nice, but... different. I think it would take a little time to get used to.”
Sonken tilted his head this way and that, looking at his reflection at different angles. He reached up to touch the feather, but Kannei gently stopped him.
“You’ll get used to it. Before you know it, you won’t even realize it’s there! I’d give you a bell, but these can be pretty loud. They’d get in the way, right?”
Kannei emphasized the point by lifting up the bells tied around his shoulder. The bells knocked together with a loud clang. Sonken couldn’t help but flinch at the noise.
“They would. But they suit you well.”
Sonken nodded in consideration. He pondered for a moment, before looking up.
“And, um, thank you, Kannei. For entrusting me with a precious gift.”
He smiled, expressing his gratitude. It was a relaxed smile, one rarely seen with his busy and stressful life. It was the first time Kannei had seen such a face.
“Aha... Anything for the Captain!”
Kannei blushed, but quickly looked away, covering it up with laughter. Sonken laughed too, feeling much more at ease.
It was much easier to share a laugh between them this time.
“My Lord, is that a feather? Where did you get it from?”
“Oh, this? Kannei gave it to me. What do you think?”
“It suits you well. It’s nice that you’re trying something new.”
“Thank you. Kannei is very thoughtful, isn’t he?”
“I suppose he is.”
At the river, two mechanical boats raced along the surface of the water. Only, the race was not one for fun.
“Kannei, get back here! How dare you make a move on the Captain without me!”
Ryomou was chasing after Kannei, waving his spear. Having overheard what happened from the others, he was both angry and frustrated.
“Sorry, sorry! I couldn’t help it! It was a good chance, you’d take it too, wouldn’t you?”
Kannei was running away from him, cackling like a madman. Despite his words, he was more happy than anything else, and felt absolutely no remorse.
From the shore, the other pirates and some villagers watched the strange scene with befuddlement.