Chapter 21：All About Pumpkin (1/2)
[Music Recommendation: ”A Sweet Smile” by Yu-Peng Chen (Genshin Impact OST)-available in Youtube or Spotify] ~ Please listen to it in a loop while you read this part to experience the utmost beauty of this chapter ~
[Please note: We're back to Senara's POV]
~recap from Chapter 18~
”It's the meaning of your name,” I explained. ”In Hawaii, it means ocean. And remember we were making ocean-related analogies last time we spoke? So I just found it funny because you said it, too—that… since we're having problems with big whales, we'll need the help of the ocean.”
And once again, there was silence…
~end of recap~
”Right.” Took him a while to agree. ”I'm no ocean, though. I'm just a teenager, too.”
”Oh really? How old are you? I thought you're much older than me since you seemed mature.” I didn't expect that, for real!
”Sixteen.”
”Woah! We're almost the same age. I'm turning sixteen this September.”
”I thought you're born in Oct—” he said but he halted after for some reason. But I could guess he was about to say October. Why did he stop though?
”Ugh… stupid pumpkin.” I heard him mutter—almost inaudible.
”Ohh… were you going to say October because of the pumpkin juice that spilled over?” Yeah, either that or in their country, there's some relation with October and my personality? Maybe mood swings? I laughed at the thought of it. Oh wait! It's because of my avatar! I made it look like me.
”That's… right. Because of the juice. Hmm… why don't you change your username to Lady Pumpkin?”
”Ha-ha-ha-ha! That's so random!” I laughed so hard. ”I see you're not good at naming, too. You just spilled your juice and you're suggesting a pumpkin-related username to me. How very original.” My hands clapped themselves.
I heard him chuckle on the other line—or probably smirked, it sounded more like it.
”So? Lady Pumpkin, sounds good to you?”
”What? No way!”
”I think it's perfect. Two of my friends are named Scarecrow and Casper.”
”What is this? Are we completing Halloween? Ha-ha-ha! Then, I should be a witch, or a ghost, or a fairy—not a pumpkin! I'm not even a person.”
”Hm, too bad.” He sounded disappointed.
”Haah…,” I sighed. ”Fine. If you want to name me Lady Pumpkin that much. I do have ginger orange hair and green eyes—just the color of pumpkins. At least that's better than ginger, I don't want to be called ginger. I hate gingers.”
”Then it's settled. Hi there, Lady Pumpkin.”
I surrender. ”Yes? Mr. Grim Reaper?”
”Change your username now on the settings.”
”Yes, yes, I'm doing it now.” Good thing I still remembered where the 'settings' were. Only took me a few seconds to change my username. ”There, happy?”
”Ha-ha!” He seemed very amused. ”Perfect. Will you be up for a while?”
”Hm? I think so, yes.”
”Then join me in boss hunting.”
”What? Boss hunting? I'm still at a low level!”
”You have a Sacred Weapon. You'd do more damage than Scarecrow and Casper.”
”Ohhh… right. I do have it. I'm really lucky to find it.”