Chapter 8: Mia the Acrobat

“Hmmm.”

Malong led a horse to Mia. She gave it a good look over.

“So this is a moonhare... What’s its name?”

“His name’s Kuolan. Means ‘wild tempest.’”

“Wild tempest... What a fierce name,” she said, gazing at it.

Kuolan gazed back at her, snorted, then peeled its big horsey lips back into a grin.

“...Was that a laugh? Did this horse just laugh at me?”

“Ha ha ha, gotta say, I’ve been around a whole lot of horses, but I haven’t ever heard any of them laugh,” said Malong with a wry shrug.

“I-I see. I suppose that’s true. But for some reason, I get the feeling he’s making fun of me... Maybe it’s just me...” she muttered as she continued to study it.

At a glance it looked the same as any ordinary horse. It was of average size and did not possess horns or wings. Everything about it was very...mundanely equine.

“Hmm... I guess you can’t tell what a horse is made of just by looking. You have to ride them— Huh.” She paused as a thought occurred to her. “That reminds me, I don’t believe I’ve ever ridden this horse...”

She gave her head a puzzled tilt, prompting a roguish grin from Malong.

“I imagine you haven’t. After all, this horse packs some serious speed. Letting an inexperienced student ride him is just asking for an accident to happen.”

“Huh! You don’t say!”

Mia regarded the moonhare Kuolan anew.

I get it... So what Malong is implying is that he deems me capable now of riding this horse.

Her face was already halfway to a smug grin when Malong added, “You, I figure, look sturdy enough to take a fall or two without much trouble.”

“...Hm? How odd. I’m pretty sure that was a compliment, so why don’t I feel very complimented?”

“Ha ha ha, anyway. Jokes aside, how about it? Feel like taking this good boy for a spin?”

“Yes, I suppose I should. It’s probably a good idea to get accustomed to riding him...”

Despite Malong’s double-edged compliment, Mia was actually rather confident in herself. She’d been practicing harder than ever.

Oho ho, do your worst, Moonhare. Then watch in awe as I handle you with the utmost grace.

With a haughty huff, she leapt onto the horse, her hair fluttering majestically in the wind as the pair galloped into the distance.

...That was how she imagined it happening, at least. Reality was a lot less flattering.

How strange... This isn’t what I envisioned at all. How did I end up in this position?

She sat on Kuolan’s back, fit snugly between its neck and...

“Hold on tight, miss. Don’t let go, or you might fall.”

...Malong, whose larger frame cradled her from behind.

H-He’s treating me like a child!

Feeling the need to protest this unflattering development, she said, “Um, Malong? I don’t mind riding tandem but, uh, when I rode with Abel last time, it was more like...I sat in the back and sort of held onto him in the front.”

“Yeah, this is my clan’s riding style, actually. Normally, it’s easier to stay balanced if you have the less experienced rider sit in the front.”

“Oh? Is that so? Huh... I had no idea.”

Having been under the impression that the tandem style she’d employed with Abel was the norm, she tilted her head at this new piece of information. Malong smiled at her gesture.

“In our clan, everyone rides. The old, the young, the men, and the women. It’s as natural to us as walking.”

“My, then you could have told Abel properly before he took me riding, you meanie. Hmph...” she muttered with a pout.

I knew it! I always thought it was weird how I managed to fall off. It was the riding style’s fault!

...And definitely not because she’d been too busy rubbernecking. Right. Of course. Let’s just pretend that’s true.

Honestly, Malong can be so clueless sometimes. After all this time, he somehow managed to leave out such an important detail. Then again, considering how easily Ruby led him on back there, I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

Mia’s lips protruded even further. Her opinion of Malong fell by about one point.

“Ha ha ha, sorry. I figured you’d rather be in the back though. It seemed like the right spot for you. I mean, you’re special to him, aren’t you?”

He grinned implicatively.

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Traditionally, when you ride tandem in that fashion, we call it ‘couple’s style.’ It’s how warriors ride when they’re protecting their loved ones in battle. The name comes from a story about one of our ancestors, who was a great hero. It tells of him sitting in front of his wife, guarding her as he charged through hundreds of enemies. Ever since then, it’s become something of a custom to assume that when a woman rides behind a man, she’s his special someone.” He winked conspicuously at her. “Perfect for you and Abel, don’t you think?”

Honestly, Malong can be so thoughtful sometimes! In fact, thanks to that riding style, I got to enjoy some quality romance time with Abel! It’s great! I love it! Long live couple’s style! And, I mean, he maybe likes Ruby a bit too much, but her showing up did get him to show me this moonhare horse, so it was ultimately a good thing. Ah, Malong, I knew you’d never let me down!

Her opinion of Malong shot up by a hundred and twenty points! Mia had the mind of an acrobat, or rather, her mind was an acrobat, flipping and spinning however it liked.

“Gotta say though, I didn’t think you’d actually fall. That gave me one hell of a scare. I guess I haven’t apologized properly either, so let me do that now. Sorry.”

“Oho ho, don’t worry about it. I haven’t let it bother me, so you shouldn’t either. Besides, it’s not like you to dwell. There’s no need to apologize, so just take that thought and flip it out of your mind,” she said, like a true master of mental somersaults.

Her previous grievances had already soared past her mental horizon and stuck a landing on a thick mattress of discarded memories. They didn’t have to try very hard. Again, having the horizon of her memories no more than a stone’s throw away was one of Mia’s few good points.

“Oh yeah? Ha ha, that’s good to hear, miss. I see your heart is as big as ever.”

Malong’s appreciative compliment failed to reach its intended recipient, for Mia had already tuned him out.

My, what a wonderful expression. Couple’s style. Like, married couple... Abel and I, married... Oho ho... It’s as if our lives became intertwined the moment we got on that horse together. What a lovely thought...

With her brain stuck firmly in romantic daydream mode, her head was so filled with various permutations of “Abel’s such a gentleman” and “the way he held me to break my fall was so dreamy” that it wasn’t processing any auditory information. As a result, she failed to process the disquieting meaning of Malong’s next comment.

“No couple’s style this time though. If I let you sit in the back, you’ll probably go flying straight off, and that won’t be fun for anybody. Abel’d have my head if that happened,” he said, the embedded warning lost on Mia. “All right. Hold on tight, okay? Make sure you don’t get thrown off.”

“Eh? U-Uh, of course. This will be a piece of cake. In fact, I bet I can handle this horse without you. It’s time for me to demonstrate the results of all that practice I’ve been doing.”

With that confident remark, they took off. Little did she know, she would soon become wind.