Seeing Uta crying in pain, Kairos Flint looked a little awkward.
"Uh… did I say it too bluntly? Should I have put it more tactfully?" he muttered with a dry, uneasy chuckle.
Beside him, Gordon shot him a fierce glare. Even if the truth had to be told—was that really the way to say it? So blunt? So direct? Couldn't he have softened the blow?
Gordon had tried to speak with care, with subtlety… and then this man came along and dropped the whole thing like a hammer to the chest. It made Gordon so angry he genuinely wanted to punch someone.
But then—
"Uta, stop crying for a second," Kairos said suddenly. "Think about it for a moment… maybe they just found you annoying, so they tossed you off the ship."
The words struck like ice.
Uta's tears stopped. She stared at Kairos blankly, stunned silent.
She couldn't believe someone could say something so cold in such a casual tone.
"I mean, think about it. Every single member of the Red-Haired Pirates is a grown man. And there you were, just a little kid—clinging to them day and night. They probably never said it, but don't you think they saw you as a burden? Maybe leaving you behind was just the most convenient way to get on with their lives."
Kairos said all this with an almost heartless expression.
Because in his mind, the way to get someone to stop crying wasn't to coddle them—it was to shift the pain, make them think about something else.
Tears didn't solve anything.
But watching a beautiful girl cry in front of him? He had to admit… he almost laughed. Just a little.
Sorry!
He wasn't close to Uta. They weren't friends. He didn't share her pain.
Sure, he had made her suffer with the truth… but that was the point. Someone had to say it. He only felt maybe 1% guilty about it—99% of it had nothing to do with him.
"Shanks… Shanks… Shanks would never leave me over something like that…"
Uta suddenly cried out again, her sobs returning, this time deeper and sadder.
Earlier, when she'd cried, it was out of shock and heartbreak—learning that she was the one who'd brought destruction to Elegia, and that Shanks had only left her behind to protect her.
But now? Now she was crying out of pure grief and abandonment.
The reasons didn't matter. The pain felt the same.
And the sound of her crying tore at Gordon's nerves.
His fists clenched. He seriously wanted to punch Kairos straight in the face.
How could he say something so cruel? He was stabbing Uta's heart again and again. Deliberately, coldly, without remorse.
"Uta, don't cry. I was only teasing you," Kairos added with a light grin, shrugging as if it were no big deal. "Shanks raised you like a daughter. Do you really think he'd just throw away that bond? Trust me—he loves you. That's why he left you behind."
Uta's sobs stuttered to a halt again.
She looked up at him, dazed, confused, almost as if she might puke.
Who is this guy?
And more importantly—can someone please shut his mouth for five seconds?
One moment he was stabbing her with the truth, the next moment he was trying to comfort her—only to stab her again a second later. Did he think she was some kind of emotional punching bag?
"Alright," Kairos said suddenly, clapping his hands. "Seems like you're all cried out now. Good. Let's move on."
He fixed Uta with a serious look.
She blinked, not ready to keep up with this sudden shift. "W-What now?" she asked nervously.
"Even if Shanks had his reasons for leaving you," Kairos said, "it doesn't erase the pain you've carried for over a decade. That kind of hurt doesn't just vanish because someone says sorry."
He leaned in slightly, eyes gleaming with purpose.
"So, Uta… how about this? Want to beat the hell out of Shanks and the entire Red-Haired Pirates? Just to get some closure? Sound good?"
He flashed what he assumed was a charming grin.
Honestly, it was kind of handsome.
Expose the truth. Offer an outlet for vengeance. Recruit a new teammate. All perfectly reasonable! Logically flawless! Utterly brilliant, if he did say so himself.
Uta blinked again, her puffy red eyes lighting up just a little.
He did have a point. Even if they'd meant to protect her, she'd still been left behind for over ten years. She'd spent all that time resenting the wrong people, carrying a burden she didn't deserve. Her heart was a mess.
But even as she considered it… something still felt off.
Then Kairos continued.
"Look around, Uta. The Kingdom of Elegia—once the world's music capital—is now nothing more than ruins. Sure, you were tricked into summoning the Music Demon, but that doesn't change the outcome. You still bear some responsibility."
He pointed to the shattered buildings around them, the ghosts of a once-glorious city.
"Join my bounty hunter crew. I'll help your music reach the world. We'll organize a global concert tour. You'll make a fortune—and with that money, you can rebuild Elegia. Give back what was lost. Wouldn't that be… poetic justice?"
His tone was uncharacteristically sincere.
Off to the side, Gordon stared at him with horror.
He could practically see little devil horns sprouting from Kairos's head.
This man… wants to recruit my daughter? To work for him? Using guilt and manipulation?!
But before Gordon could protest—
"Alright," Uta said.
Kairos and Gordon both looked at her.
"I'll join your team of bounty hunters," she said clearly.
No hesitation.