The sun hung low over Willowweil as Rina and Keitaro finally reached the familiar cobblestone streets of her hometown. The town had a quiet charm, its rustic cottages nestled beneath the canopy of towering trees that bordered its outskirts. Lanterns glowed faintly along the roads, signaling the transition from day to evening.
"This place has a peaceful vibe," Keitaro said, his voice echoing from within his porcelain body as Rina carried him on the magical disc. "Hard to believe it's been dealing with poisoned water."
Rina nodded. "It's home. But the situation has everyone on edge. That's why we need Thrynn's help—he's sharp and well-respected. If anyone can rally the council and the town, it's him."
They approached a modest, two-story home adorned with ivy creeping up its wooden beams. A small garden of herbs and flowers flourished around the entrance, giving the place a welcoming touch. Rina stepped forward and knocked firmly on the oak door.
After a brief pause, the door creaked open, revealing a tall man with slightly graying hair tied back in a neat ponytail. His eyes, a sharp blue, sparkled with curiosity as he looked first at Rina, then at the floating toilet beside her.
"Rina!" Thrynn exclaimed, his deep voice tinged with surprise. "It's been a while. I assume you're not here for a social visit?"
Rina smiled. "Hello, Thrynn. No introductions needed, I see. But, uh... we've got something important to discuss."
Before she could say more, Keitaro interjected, his voice casual yet polite. "Hello, sir. My name is Keitaro, and, as you can see, I'm a talking toilet. It's a long story."
Thrynn blinked at him, then suddenly erupted with excitement. "Wait a minute! A talking toilet? This is incredible! I once knew a talking sink! He was an isekai otaku who couldn't stop rambling about anime and light novels!"
Keitaro's porcelain form seemed to shimmer with energy. "No way! I'm an otaku too! Are you serious? A talking sink who was into anime? What kind of series was he into?"
Thrynn leaned against the doorframe, his face lighting up with nostalgia. "Oh, he wouldn't shut up about some magical girl anime where the protagonist turns into a dragon during battles. He kept comparing everything to isekai tropes—something about cheat powers and overpowered protagonists. Is that your thing too?"
Keitaro's voice bubbled with excitement. "Absolutely! I was all about action-packed isekai, but I also had a soft spot for slice-of-life anime. Did he ever say how he got here? Was it a truck?"
"Probably," Thrynn said with a chuckle. "He didn't go into details, but he seemed oddly comfortable being a sink."
Thrynn leaned against the doorframe, his hand rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "You know," he began, "that talking sink I mentioned? He would go on for hours about his favorite anime. One show in particular stood out to him—he never stopped talking about it. It was about some schoolboy with a mysterious illness who gets tangled up in an affair with his teacher, who was apparently a foreigner of some kind. He said the opening and ending music were masterpieces. Absolutely loved them."
Keitaro's voice burst out of the silence like an explosion. "Wait. WAIT! I KNOW THAT SHOW! I've watched it dozens of times!" The excitement in his tone caused his porcelain exterior to vibrate faintly. Then, completely out of nowhere, Keitaro let out a bellow: "HERIKAWA!"
The sudden shout startled Rina so badly that she flinched, almost dropping her staff. "Keitaro, what the heck?!" she exclaimed, her wide green eyes darting between him and Thrynn. "Who's Herikawa?! Why are you screaming?!"
Thrynn, meanwhile, threw his head back and let out a hearty laugh. "You're just like him," he said, pointing at Keitaro. "Just like Maiku. That's what the sink's name was. Maiku. He used to do the same thing—randomly shouting out character names like he was possessed by anime spirits. It's uncanny."
Rina stared at both of them, baffled. "You're telling me there's been not one, but two talking household objects obsessed with anime in this world? What are the odds?"
Keitaro ignored her disbelief, his voice still filled with energy. "Maiku, huh? A talking sink and an anime fan. I wish I could've met him. We could've debated over opening themes and waifus for hours!"
Thrynn grinned. "He'd have loved that. He used to hum anime music whenever he wasn't talking. His favorite show—the one with the boy and the teacher—was his obsession. He even used to say that the ending song made him cry every time."
Thrynn raised an eyebrow. "Seems like fate brought you here, Keitaro. Maybe you're the spiritual successor to Maiku or something."
Rina crossed her arms and raised her voice, cutting through the chatter. "OK, OK, enough about sinks and anime! We're here with some important news. It's about the mysterious illness spreading through the town."
Thrynn's jovial demeanor shifted in an instant, his relaxed posture stiffening. "The illness?" His eyes narrowed with concern. "That's no laughing matter. Come in. Let's talk inside."
He opened the door wide, stepping aside to let them enter. The interior of Thrynn's house was warm and cozy, filled with a mixture of practical furniture and a few curious artifacts displayed on shelves—perhaps relics from his years as council leader. A large table sat in the center of the main room, its surface piled with scrolls, maps, and inkpots, evidence of his busy role in managing the town's affairs.
Rina took a seat at the table, while Keitaro, still perched on the levitating disc, floated beside her. Thrynn closed the door behind them and turned to face his guests, his expression expectant.
"All right," he said, his voice firm. "Tell me everything."
Rina nodded, clasping her hands on the table. "It all started with Keitaro's ability to analyze substances. He's able to detect traces of magic in things. We used that to check the water in the town wells, and all of them showed signs of contamination—magic contamination. It's faint, but it's there."
Thrynn leaned forward, his brow furrowing. "Magic in the water... That's not normal, even in a place like this."
"It's not," Rina agreed. "So we traced the source to the underground water supply. There's a cave not far from here, deep in the forest. Keitaro and I went there to investigate."
Keitaro chimed in, his voice serious. "The water source in the cave was also contaminated. I could feel the same magical traces there, stronger than in the wells. But that wasn't the worst part."
Rina continued, her tone grim. "We encountered a serpent—a huge, magical creature guarding the pool. It attacked us, and it wasn't alone. There were slimes in the cave too, and they seemed to be drawn to the contaminated water."
Thrynn's eyes widened. "A serpent and slimes? That sounds dangerous. I'm glad you're both all right. But what does this have to do with the illness?"
Rina reached into her satchel and pulled out the glowing object they had retrieved from the pool. She set it on the table, the faint pulsating light illuminating the room in a soft, eerie glow. "This," she said, pointing at it. "We found this at the bottom of the pool. Keitaro analyzed it, and it's radiating the same type of magic as the contaminated water. It has to be the source—or at least connected to it."
As the glowing magical object sat on the table, Thrynn leaned in closer, squinting at it with an expression of deep thought. He rubbed his chin, letting out a contemplative, "Hmmm... This was at the bottom of the pool where the giant snake was?"
Rina nodded, curious about what he might deduce. "Yeah, right at the bottom. Why? Do you recognize it?"
Thrynn hummed again, tilting his head as he examined the object. The glowing light reflected in his sharp eyes, and after a long pause, he straightened up, pointing at the object with finality. "I know what this is."
Both Rina and Keitaro leaned forward eagerly. "You do?" they said in unison.
Thrynn nodded solemnly, his tone calm yet confident. "It's a giant snake turd."
"WHAT?!" Rina and Keitaro exclaimed, their voices overlapping in shock.
"Yes," Thrynn said, completely unfazed. "It's a giant snake turd. Large magical serpents like the one you encountered sometimes, well... drop these."
Rina blinked rapidly, her brain trying to process what she had just heard. "Wait, wait, wait... Are you telling me I've been carrying a snake turd around all this time?! In my hands?!" Her voice rose with a mix of disbelief and disgust.
Thrynn gave her an encouraging nod. "Yes, but a magical snake turd. These things are rare and, as you've seen, they radiate potent negative magical energy. It's likely the source of the contamination in the water supply."
Keitaro broke the silence, his tone incredulous. "So, we risked our lives against a giant snake and a bunch of slimes... for poop?"
Rina's face flushed with horror. "But I—" She looked at her hands as if she could still feel the residue. "Ugh, this is disgusting!"
Thrynn chuckled. "It's okay, Rina. You're still a mage in training. I wouldn't expect you to know about something as niche as magical snake droppings."
"That doesn't make me feel better!" Rina shot back, burying her face in her hands.
Keitaro, attempting to lighten the mood, teased, "Well, Rina, it's not every day you get to say you've saved the town by hauling snake poop out of a cave."
Rina groaned. "Keitaro, not helping!"
Thrynn smiled warmly, trying to reassure her. "Still, you've done a good job, Rina. Even if it was just a snake turd, it was dangerous, and its magic was contaminating the water. By retrieving it and bringing it here, you've taken the first big step in helping the town. That's no small feat."
Rina let out a long sigh, her initial disgust giving way to reluctant acceptance. "Fine. I guess if it's helping the town, it was worth it. But I'm never touching one of these things again. Ever."
Thrynn laughed heartily, clapping her on the shoulder. "Fair enough. I'll handle it from here. We'll need to find a way to safely dispose of it so it doesn't cause any more harm."
Keitaro spoke up. "How do you even dispose of something like this? Do you just... bury it?"
Thrynn shook his head. "No, no. Something this potent requires more than that. There's a purification ritual we can perform, but it'll take some preparation. I'll reach out to the other council members about it."
Rina, still visibly uncomfortable, muttered, "Purification sounds good. The sooner, the better."
As Thrynn carefully wrapped the glowing object in a cloth and set it aside, he turned back to the pair. "In any case, you've done the town a great service. Don't let the nature of the object overshadow what you've accomplished."
Keitaro chuckled. "I guess that's one way to look at it. Rina, the heroine of Willowweil, savior from magical snake poop."
"Keitaro!" Rina shouted, her face red with a mix of anger and embarrassment.
Thrynn's expression turned serious as he stroked his beard. "The glowing object may have been removed, but the serpent is still a problem. If it remains in that cave, it'll only cause more trouble down the line. This contamination could happen again."
Keitaro spoke up. "So, what do we do about it? That thing was huge, and it's not exactly friendly."
Thrynn nodded. "Exactly. Taking it down is no small task. I'll assemble a team of skilled adventurers by tomorrow morning. They'll need to head into the cave and deal with the serpent once and for all."
Rina's brow furrowed. "Are you sure we shouldn't come along? We've already seen the cave and know the terrain."
Thrynn raised a hand to stop her. "You've done enough for now. Rest is just as important as action, Rina. You've been through a lot today. Battling slimes, retrieving the object, and even carrying a magical... snake turd—" he smirked, earning a groan from Rina. "Let someone else take up the fight this time."
Rina hesitated, but Thrynn's warm, reassuring tone calmed her nerves. "Alright... But tomorrow, we'll come back and show the team where to find the serpent."
"Good." Thrynn stood up, his towering frame giving an air of authority. "Get some rest, both of you. Come back here at first light. I'll have the team ready by then, and you can guide them to the cave."
Rina glanced at Keitaro, who nodded in agreement. "Fine. Rest sounds good right now anyway. But make sure this team you're assembling knows what they're doing. That serpent isn't just big—it's cunning too."
Thrynn grinned. "Don't worry. I've dealt with magical beasts before. I know the kind of adventurers to call on for something like this."
Rina stood up, stretching her arms. "Alright, we'll see you in the morning, Thrynn. Thanks for helping with all of this."
Thrynn walked them to the door, his expression softening as he opened it. "And thank you both. You've taken the first big step to solving this crisis. You should be proud."
Keitaro let out a mock sigh. "I'll be proud once this is all over, and Rina stops dragging me into danger."
Rina shot him a playful glare. "Oh, stop complaining. You're literally a toilet; you don't even get tired."
Thrynn chuckled, watching their banter as they walked away into the fading light. "See you both tomorrow morning."
As Rina and Keitaro made their way back to her home, the tension from earlier began to fade, replaced by a sense of accomplishment. They had survived the dangers of the cave, uncovered the source of the contamination, and now, with Thrynn's help, were on their way to ensuring the town's safety.
Though the road ahead was still uncertain, for tonight, at least, they could rest easy knowing they had done their part.