EARLY AFTERNOON

After leaving the teahouse, the first thing we did was go on a walking tour of downtown Saikou. Seeing the place was much more entertaining than looking at it through a map or on that boring “taxi” cart. Each district had slightly different architecture and decorative flora. The fashion district, for example, had cherry blossoms and slightly more modern buildings while the culinary district had bamboo everywhere with more historic architecture.

We’d bought some clothes; basic shirts and pants for me and expensive tracksuits for Archie. After that, we stopped by the Tiger Lily Hotel in the center of town. None of the workers were Oni, but they all wore the red sashes that Shuten Douji said they would. Unlike the traditional interior of the other buildings and businesses we’d been in, the Tiger Lily Hotel looked particularly modern. The walls were made of bamboo wood while the desks and tables were made of cut stone. The only wall that wasn’t made of wood was the floor-to-ceiling glass wall that led to a zen garden in the back of the property. Outside, Archie and I sat on stone slabs overlooking a koi pond after we handed our bags to the attendants in the lobby.

“Hey, Rui. You have a phone?”

“Nope. I never needed one.”

“Really? Shame they don’t sell any here,” Archie gave me a mischievous smile. “Pocket some money and buy one when we finish up. You can get a nice one!”

“We’ll see. I don’t know who I’d talk to.”

“For starters, you could join the Seekers Group Chat. You’re missing the convo! Here, let’s get you caught up.”

Archie pulled his phone out and scrolled to the group chat. He shoved the phone in my face as Lochness went in her bipedal form and looked over my shoulder to read with me.

Yugo: HAIR GROWTH ELIXIR 😌

Somnia: what are you talking about?

Somnia: is this about earlier?

Yugo: I went to this alchemist’s shop and she said they’re running a sale on Hair Growth Elixirs. I told you I was going there 😂 I bet you feel dumb🤣

Archie: Don’t Cabaret Clubs open at like 5 PM? I’m pretty sure they do because my brother has to plan around that on the weekends. I actually have his weekend schedule saved on my phone! It’s literally just pub, breakfast, video games, pub till 4, car to some high-end Cabaret Club in Miyafokuu, pub when they close, sleep, then pub again.

Somnia: i didn’t even know they opened so late

Somnia: i bet you’re bored out of your mind waiting for them to open, yugo

Yugo: 😒

*Yugo has left the chat*

Somnia: 🤦🏾‍♀️

Somnia: anyway, how are things with you and rui?

Archie: We toured the city a bit, got some clothes, and got a sneak peek at the Tiger Lily Hotel. This place is NICE! I think you’d like it more than Oni Village.

Somnia: anything would be better than oni village that place is so ugly

Somnia: please don’t tell shuten i said that

Archie: I won’t. Anyway, how are things with you?

Somnia: terrible!

Somnia: every weapon shop here sells these nice looking weapons but none of them are worth anything!

Archie: Aww. We’ll come by there in a few and try to make it fun. Don’t forget you still need to buy stuff.

Somnia: i know

Somnia: let me know when you guys are close

Archie: Got it.

I handed the phone back to Archie after reading through the texts a few times. Lochness, meanwhile, reverted to her serpentine form and went in the water to play with the koi fish.

“See? You’re missing out! You know what? Let’s stop by the herbalist shop and then we’ll see if these guys sell any phones. Even a flip phone works. I feel bad leaving you out of the convo like this.”

“That’s fine, but…” I pointed at the phone. “What’s with all those yellow faces Yugo used?”

Archie blinked. “You’ve never texted before?”

“...No? The Perrow Family all used landlines to call people. I know what cellphones are, but the Perrows couldn’t afford them and I’ve never needed one.”

Archie put a hand on my shoulder and gave me a sympathetic smile. “Rui, I’m gonna fix you. I promise.”

***

We cut through alleyways to get to the Culinary District faster. Archie informed me that Somnia had also started buying clothes just to burn through cash, while Yugo was completely MIA after leaving the chat. As we walked, the conversation ended up turning to my recruitment to the Seekers. Specifically, Archie wanted to know why exactly I’d been recruited in the first place.

“He told me it’s because I can manage my Curse well. That and because I have deep aura reserves.”

This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.

“That’s it?” Archie questioned.

“I guess so,” I shrugged. “He spoke as though me surpassing him was inevitable. Fallen Star also talks like I’m gonna be a god someday.”

“I DO NOT TALK LIKE YOU ARE GOING TO BE A GOD SOMEDAY. I SAY THAT YOU ARE GOING TO–”

“Same thing. Whatever. Anyway, it’s starting to make me question what my cap is?”

“It’s 500.”

“Hm?”

“Level 500 is your cap. It’s my cap, it’s your cap, it’s Yugo’s cap, it’s everyone’s cap. Level 500. 100% Utilization.” Archie stopped walking, leaving the two of us standing in a dank alleyway. When I turned to face him, his face was unusually smug.

“You know, once you get to those high levels, the only thing that matters is your skill, not your Utilization.” He sneered as he looked me up and down. “You’re a pretty good fighter, but once we get to those high levels? I think I’ll be even better.”

“Is that so…?”

“You’re damn right that’s so!” Archie boasted. His voice was different now. Where before it’d been unaccented, he now spoke in a thick, Burnish accent. “Bet yer arse I’ll be the bloke who kills that Futakuchi bird an’ makes a killin’ from the Silent Hand while you bastards are stuck holdin’ the bag!”

He roared with laughter. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say, but I knew what I felt. If there was one thing in this world that could be classified as my pet peeve, it’d be being looked down on. I took a deep breath and gathered aura to my leg. Fallen Star backed it with Myth Aura without needing to be prompted. Before he even knew what was happening, I [WRAITH STRUCK] him. It sent him flat on his ass, and I found myself laughing as he struggled to breathe.

“GOOD. I WOULD HAVE BEEN DISAPPOINTED IF YOU ALLOWED THIS FOOL TO DISRESPECT YOU SO BRAZENLY.”

You must not know me if you thought I’d take that lying down.

“Dude!” Archie cried. It sounded pathetic. He reached for me to help him up, but I smacked his hand away, preparing a second [WRAITH STRIKE]. He stayed down. Obviously.

“HE KNOWS HIS PLACE.”

“It was…” Archie coughed. “Banter! I’m just taking the piss! I didn’t mean it!”

I stared down at him, incredulous. “What the hell are you talking about?”

For the next five minutes, Archie described in detail what “banter” was. It fell in line with what I remembered from the Perrow Family the more I listened to him. They always went back and forth with one another, but I’d assumed that was just their family dynamic. I’d never joined in, and they’d never invited me to join. I tried once, but they’d told me not to try again after that first attempt.

”I see. I’m… sorry.”

“Nah, don’t be,” Archie said. I finally helped him to his feet, and he wiped debris from his body outfit. “I should’ve considered your upbringing before trying that with you. Sorry for not being considerate.”

I considered my next words, suddenly remembering Averyl’s comments about being around people my age. I’d grown up around cultists, spent time being “normalized” by a rural Bukimish family, and now I was in the middle of Saikou on a mission to kill an ancient Myth. What I’m trying to say is I’ve never learned how to “act my age". I’d witnessed Burnish “banter” firsthand multiple times, and if that’s what people my age were doing…

“Don’t be sorry,” I sneered. “I wouldn’t have expected you to use that pea-sized brain to do anything other than make disgusting food. Hah. I’d be surprised if you managed to do anything period. You failure. When your life draws to a close, you will have accomplished nothing while I will have done everything you’ve ever dreamt of with ease and comfort.”

“A FITTING RESPONSE. ENGAGE WITH HIM, BUT REMIND HIM THAT HE IS BENEATH YOU.”

Archie scratched his head. “Dude… that’s just hurtful.”

“Oh…” I blushed. “I tried.”

“I appreciate the effort,” Archie said, finally bursting into laughter. I joined him. “Listen, I’ll teach you how to banter properly. I’m from Harrowstead, so you’re basically getting a pro lesson here!” In his Burnish accent, he said, “Hope yer stupid arse is ready.”

The walk to the Culinary District was informative. He gave me the basics on Burnish banter, though I noted that most of it boiled down to being rude and negative. According to Archie, though, it was considered polite in Burnchester. Again, considering how often the Perrows did it, I had no choice but to take him at his word. At any rate, we found ourselves completely sidetracked. Instead of the Culinary District, we were in the small unmarked Smithing District. The first person we spotted was Somnia, standing outside some hole-in-the-wall weapon shop with a golden sword laced with expensive jewels in one hand and bags of luxury clothing in the other. You could practically feel the annoyance radiating from her.

“What’s got you upset?” I asked as we approached.

Somnia frowned, rotating the glitzy sword in her hand. “Can you believe this piece of crap cost a third of the money I was given? I can’t cut a steak with this! And this isn’t some treasure like that lady said. It was made a week ago!”

“Think of it as a golden club, then.”

Somnia gave me an unamused look. Archie, meanwhile, looked at me like a proud dad.

“I’ll try to be optimistic. It’s a one-of-one. Nobody could afford it so it just sat. I suppose there’s value in that.”

“It’s trash, mate,” Archie shrugged. “No need to lie to yourself.”

“...I know.” She gave a defeated sigh. “This isn’t even my money and I feel like I got robbed.”

“Wanna get more clothes? We spent $8k in there getting some high-quality stuff.”

“What’d you get? A tracksuit?”

“Tracksuits!”

Somnia rolled her eyes. The two of them went back and forth as I observed the area around us. Unlike the nicer sections of the city we’d been in, the Smithing District was a bit seedier. The buildings were more run down than the others we’d passed by, and the sparse oak trees there were each in varying states of decay. As I looked around, though, I noticed a familiar face walking in the distance. He walked with a woman wrapped around his arm wearing the same type of floral-patterned kimono as Somnia, except the newcomer’s was white and pink as opposed to Somnia’s black and red.

“Isn’t that Yugo?” I called, drawing them both to attention.

“Oh crap, it is!” Archie noted. “Let’s follow him!”

“Why?” Somnia asked. “How he spends his free time has nothing to do with–”

“We can take pictures and blackmail him the next time he annoys us. ‘Shut up or we send this to the last girl you were talking to’.”

“You can extort him, too,” I added. “The threat of blackmail is just as dangerous as–”

“Alright, I’m in.” Somnia relented, a bit too easily. She had that creepy, wholesome smile on her face. “What are we waiting for? Let’s go!”