Chapter 6: Master!

I was still quietly asleep, and I was currently seeing some moments in my old life. It felt very realistic. It was raining and night outside, and I was currently parked on the sidewalk in a neighborhood. I was in the back of my car, and I was next to my ex-girlfriend’s house. Right now, I was just giving myself erotic pleasure to some saved animated Loli porn I had on my phone.

Come on, when is this bitch gonna come back already. A woman was currently walking with a brown purse. She had red hair and blue eyes with a few freckles and was wearing a jacket, and was carrying a black umbrella. She was definitely my ex. I looked at her, walking back inside her house. I'm almost done just need a couple more minutes.

As I was almost finished with my session, my phone died. "Damn it! I was just right there!" I banged my fist against the car door. As I pulled my pants back up, I opened the door and closed it behind me.

I was soaking in the rain, but I didn’t care; I just walked over to the house, and I saw a small flicker of light inside that stopped. But I didn’t think much of it.

I knocked at the door and rang the doorbell, and looked at the doorbell camera. "Hey, I just want to let you know I'm sorry for being a jerk off. If you still hate me, then all I ask for is just to live at your place for a week and a week only."

I was waiting for a response, but nothing was heard. I thought it was maybe the rain, but I swear she would be taking off her shoes or something right now. "Hey, at least say something back. I know you in there. I saw you turn on the light and turn it back off."

I waited for a response, but there was nothing, so all I did was walk to the left and look in the window, and nobody was there. What the hell? "Hey Camila! I'm right here!" Nothing was heard from inside the house. "Fine, if you want to be such a quiet ass already, then so be it! I didn’t need your shit anyways!" I walked back to my car and opened the door, and closed it as I got in.

I got the inside wet, but I didn’t care and just banged the steering wheel with my hands. "To hell with this shit! I'm going somewhere else." I turned on the car, and as the radio turned on, I heard a familiar voice,

"Hey, Tenshi... Tenshi... It's time to get up." That is what I heard through the radio, and the voice sounded like Larah.

As I blinked, I started to see black and heard the sounds of nature. I started opening my eyes and saw Larah in her mage robe, and staff held beside her, and she was just looking right down at me while I was in my room on my bed.

I didn’t have my vest on since I never wore it to sleep. I took a moment to stare at her beautiful red ruby-colored eyes.

"Morning, master... Oh, wait, right, I apologize!"

And yes, I was in my room from earlier that I destroyed by mistake, and the bed was set in the corner of the room and not beside the window anymore, and the hole in the wall was gone, and the window was fixed too.

Larah stood straight and backed up a bit. "You okay? Heard a lot of language and stuff. Nightmare?" I sat up as Larah spoke.

I got out of the bed and looked right at her. "I'm sorry, it was just a scary dream where I was fighting a beast and stuff," I said as I laughed nervously at the end.

Larah had her eyes on me, and it was silent for a few seconds.

She shrugged it off and walked away, "Just get ready and meet me outside. Your parents have breakfast set for you, and I already ate, so I’ll just be waiting and catching some fresh air while I wait." I watched her walk out the door.

"Okay, master!" Larah then fully exited the room, and I was on my own, looking out the window. And yet, the same old nightmares keep on coming.

***

three months have passed, and Larah has been teaching me a lot of newer and awesome spells. I was practicing some water magic outside by watering some plants that I insisted on watering for Ria. I was currently done with Larah’s outside teachings for the day. but Larah had some late evening lessons planned, which was new.

"I wonder what Master has planned for me tonight. I mean, some indoor time together? I’m down." I smirked. Oh, just imagine some fun for students and tutors. That's a classic. I can just imagine it already."

I stopped smirking. "But then again, Larah’s type probably isn’t a six-year-old boy, so unfortunately, I got to wait." I feel like I'm in a hurry. I mean, anything could happen at any point in time. "Nah, I’ll be fine. She’ll definitely be my waifu, or who knows, like almost every isekai protagonist. I’ll grow a harem!" I splashed water onto the sky, and it started dropping back down on me. Maybe that was cooler in my head. I felt a tap on my back and looked back, and it was Taren, just without his red vest. "Huh?"

"Hey, Tenshi, just checking up on my boy. Wait, why are you all wet?"

"Oh... just clumsy mistake, haha..." I nervously said.

"I see..." Taren mumbled and then walked up closer to me, went on his knee, and pulled me close to his side.

"Say, it's the end of your session with Larah today, right...?" He whispered.

"Yeah... well, she actually had plans for me tonight, but it's probably indoor stuff."

"Ah, I see." Taren got up and pulled his sword out of his waist, and carried it on his shoulder. "Then I guess it's my turn to tutor you."

I tilted my head. "Come on, Dad, you don’t even know magic." Taren flicked my head. "Ouch!" I rubbed my head.

"Not magic, Tenshi. I mean sword training, I did say I would teach it to you at some point, didn’t I? You have seen enough of what I done, so now it's time to use what you saw against me."

"Huh? Wait, really? I kind of thought you forgot about that, but yeah, I guess I don’t mind."

Taren grinned, "Great, that's what I wanted to hear. Just one second..." Taren took a wooden sword from his right waist and put his real one back in his waist.

"Why do you even carry that with you?"

"I don’t. I'm just giving it to you, and I’ll go get mine. We are going to start with training with wooden swords, so you don’t have to worry... Yet."

Yet!? "Oh, okay..." I nervously said.

"Great! I’ll be back now." Taren would walk the other way and get back in the house.

I waited outside for Taren to get back. It only took a minute, and he had his own wooden sword ready.

"All right, Tenshi, let's just go to that area of the yard so we don’t have your mother yell at us for ruining the plants or something."

"Okay."

I followed Taren to the corner as we entered the house's backyard. "Just stay there now." I stopped following and waited to see what Taren would want me to do next.

He was then taking some distance away from me and turned around to look right at me, and he was taking a stance with his sword. "All right, Tenshi, you ready?"

I tilted my head because I was feeling confused, but then I realized and was in shock, Wait, he means like clash with him right here? right now!? My legs started to shake. "F-father, what kind of s-sword training are we doing?" I said with a nervous smile.

"We are going to have a duel. and I’ll go only a little easy because you’d be done for in a second, but come on, Tenshi, I believe in you. You're my blood, so I know you'll do good."

I gulped, took a deep breath, and calmed down. "I want to let you know that doesn’t make me feel better, but okay."

"Heh," Taren said as he grinned.

I sweated a little, but I kept my composure. Okay, Tenshi, remember what he does and be one step ahead. Just one. I got on my stance, and I looked like I was a character from a horror film right about to violently stab someone.

"That's going to be your stance?" Taren asked with his eyebrow raised.

"Y-yeah, I can be in whatever stance I want, right?"

Taren chuckled. "Well, You can. But I recommend holding your sword in front of you, just like I do. You never know how swift your opponent might be. By keeping your sword ready like I am, you’ll be able to defend yourself easier. Trust me, it makes a difference."

I was thinking about it for a moment, and I started to think he was right. "Okay than..." I mumbled. I slowly aimed the sword in front of me and got in a similar stance as him. we stared each other down, and I waited for the signal.

"Ha!" Taren exclaimed. Taren just ran towards me, and I had no time to think

"Wait where was the countdown!?" I aimed the sword above my head to defend myself from Taren's slash.

"Nice one." Taren then kicked me in the ribs

"Gah!" I shouted as I spat out saliva. I flew to the other side and on to the ground. "Ow..."

I slowly got up with dirt on my clothes, "You sure this isn’t going too far, Father!?" I said as I looked right at him. Before I knew it, Taren was already in front of me. "Ah!" I exclaimed as we had a clash again, and I could barely hold because of how strong he was.

"Not at all. You really do have strength in you Tenshi, heh." I quickly used air magic to send him flying. I was only intermediate and basically used almost all my mana to pull off such a blow like that.

"Hey, no magic while using a sword." Taren got back up, and I quickly ran.

Okay, what do I do? No magic. What if the classic hit is allowed for the rest of my siblings, or should I say: Hit his family jewels." I turned back, and as Taren was getting inches closer to me, he swung his sword. and I ducked under it.

"Nice trick, Tenshi!" Taren front flipped, and before I could look back, he hit me right on the head.

Even though the swords were made of wood, they really hurt like hell.

***

A few hours went by, and I woke up on Ria’s lap on the couch. The sun was setting outside, and my eyes were half open. I saw her talking with someone. My eyes looked to the left, and I saw Taren sharpening his sword My eyes looked to the left, and I saw Taren sharpening his sword with this big V-shaped thing in his hand.

"I just think it's going too fast, don’t you think?" Ria said.

"Relax, this is essential for Tenshi’s growth," Taren said as he spoke to Ria. "If healing magic weren’t available, I might take it easier on him, but if he’s going to thrive in this crazy world and be out there, he needs to get strong and learn to handle the pain."

"I get that, but... I don’t know. maybe I have just been too much of a protective Mother. Looking at Tenshi now, I guess he’s o—" As Ria looked down at me, I had my eyes opened. "Oh, sweetie, you're awake," Ria said as she would be surprised. I moved my head out of Ria’s lap and started to sit up and stretch my arm.

Taren looked over at me. "So, how's the head, Tenshi?" Taren asked as he paused to sharpen his sword.

"Well, It’s just a little sore, but jeez, you’re quick. I don’t even know how you expected me to best you at that. That didn’t even feel fair."

"It wasn’t supposed to be," Taren said. "I was just testing you. I believe our next class should focus on teaching you some basic novice and intermediate class skills. To be honest, I see you as already being at an intermediate level. Yes, there was a minor mistake in your stance at first, but other than that, you’ve surpassed the novice class. When I went half easy, I anticipated you would be knocked in an instant, but your excellent reaction timing impressed me. If it felt fast, know that it’s a testament to your abilities, and you should feel honored.

I stayed silent and just kept looking at Taren.

"Is something wrong?" He asked as he looked confused.

"No, it's just that I’m not so used to your formal speaking, but I guess I thought wrong about what I said."

Taren smirked. "Heh, so I guess that means you’ll continue letting me train you?"

"Of course. And now that I think about it, I think this will help me with a bunch of other things, and not just being a swordsman," I said with a smile and looked over at Taren. "So, Dad, I wanna continue being taught by you."

"Good to hear, Tenshi. Magic can look cool and all, but trust me, the sword can be way better at its moments."

I made a small chuckle. "Right..." I think Taren is losing me again, I said to myself with a hint of doubt on my face.

"So, may I speak now?" Seris said behind me and Ria.

"Ah!" I shouted as I looked behind me to see Seris.

"Ah!" Seris also shouted. "Oh, I apologize, Tenshi. I didn’t mean to scare you."

"It's all right, he’s fine," Ria said as she looked behind the coach.

"Sorry, Aunt Seris, I didn’t see you there."

Taren then looked up at Seris. "And yeah, go ahead, Seris," Taren said.

"Okay." She cleared her throat. "So, Larah wanted Tenshi upstairs, and if you three are too busy, I can just ask her to wait a bit if you need me to."

"Oh, right. Tenshi, you said Larah had some plans for you, right?" Taren asked as he looked back at me.

I looked back at Taren. "Oh, right. Is it fine if I go now?"

"Sure, guess we are done with this discussion anyway."

"Okay." As I was about to get up, Ria grabbed my hand. I stopped and looked back at her.

"Tenshi, just one more thing before you go," Ria said.

I raised an eyebrow, "Sure, what is it?" I stayed to listen to what Ria was going to say next.

"You know I love you so very much, and I just want the best for you. I know I’ve not been the best mother. I’ve been going back and forth on treating you, just relying on you taking care of yourself but also being overprotective. I apologize." Ria looked down, but she wasn’t crying. She just let out a deep sigh. I felt this feeling in my heart, as well as guilt.

I was a bit suprised, wow, she is still on about this. "Hey, mother. I don’t think you are bad. I love you so much that I can’t even think about having another Mother." I said with a smile.

Ria gave a soft smile back, "I'm glad to hear that, sweetie. You should get going. I'm sure Larah wants to teach you more amazing things." Ria ruffled my hair. "Now go on."

I nodded and walked out of the room and upstairs.

After I went upstairs, Seris looked over at Ria and back to Taren.

"I’ll get back to folding the clothes." Taren gave a thumbs up, and Seris walked away. Taren got up and placed his sword and sharpener down on the sofa chair he was just sitting on. He sat next to Ria and put his arm around her.

"See that? He's doing just fine," Taren said.

Ria leaned her head on Taren's shoulder. "I... I guess he is, but I still worry if I'm doing anything right." Taren moved his head a little down to look at Ria’s face.

"Hm? You're talking about yourself? ay, I mean, that's something every parent feels, so that's normal. He's only six years old, and you see him happy, right? I'm honestly happy to see him like this. He has a massive potential for magic and even a sword. I mean, who knows? He could be one of the eight gods one day."

Ria chuckled. "Right... Thanks again, honey."

"No problem. What's a good husband here for," Taren said with a smile.

Ria smiled and laid her head back on the couch. "Well, just hold your pervertedness and keep it on me and not others."

"Well, that was random. You’re saying I haven’t changed?"

Stolen content alert: this content belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences.

Ria looked back at Taren. "I'm just saying, try not to be that husband who gets tired of their wife."

Taren would be shocked. "Of course not. I still have all my love only for the best."

Ria chuckled. "Relax, I was only kidding, but I'm glad."

Taren let a deep breath out in relief. "Well, I'm glad to."

***

As I got upstairs, I knocked on Larah’s guest room door. "Master, I'm here as you asked!"

Larah opened the door. She was still in her mage outfit, just without the black cape around her. "Tenshi, you're here. Come in."

***

Thirty minutes went by, and apparently, all she wanted was to teach me some stuff about magic, history, or other things like that. I was currently hearing her read some of that stuff.

It wasn’t necessary for her to teach me this, but since she asked so nicely and since wanting to see her more often, I did say yes. History wasn’t my thing, but I also didn’t mind learning things here since this would probably be more interesting than hearing the stuff back in my world.

Larah continued with the story as I looked at her for her because of how cute she looked. "And the lightning god Alucelia and the air god Kairen were actually related," Larah said. "Which is why they have the same last name. Kairen is weaker than her since his rank is eight among the eight gods and both Kairen and the Sword God Greyat Vendalian are also rivals." Larah looked up at me and noticed my stare at her as I was on my knees on the chair that was facing behind me. I started looking at the end of Larah’s dress to try getting a look of her panties, and Larah flicked my head.

"Ow," I said as I flinched.

"Did you get that?" She said as she looked at me.

I rubbed my forehead and nodded. "So, what, are they both the creators of air and lightning magic or something?"

"Of course not. They just had a strong and high potential and mana capacity for magic. There are more strong mages in the eight to, earth and the other one being fire and water."

I looked in surprised. "You're telling me that the earth magic one is stronger than kairen!? And did you say fire, and water? or fire and water?"

"Fire and water. The fourth strongest rank of the eight is Vitela Faros. Most of these gods just roam around the world every now and then or just sit on a throne in some castle and whatnot. The oldest ones are third rank and second rank, but they don’t matter." Larah gets up and does a quick, small stretch. "Anyways, that should be it for today this time."

A small owl noise was heard outside.

"Wait, I wanted to know a few more things!"

Larah walked over to the bed and sat on it. "All right, all right, go ahead." Larah was curling up her hair with her finger a few times.

"Well, I just wanna know what is this world all about? like just a bit more on the race out there, maybe."

"The amount of races in this world? Well, Even living so long, there are a few I probably don’t know, but I do know that there are humans, demi-humans, elves,"

I started to fluster and smirk. Oh. My. God. Yes, demi-humans. The cuteness of a demi-human cat girl, oh, or an elf with big tits, oh my god, having someone like that as a waifu would rule!

Larah rubbed her eyes. "and dwarves and demons; the mostly known demons are us yuriba demons. And some of the races you might find could even be rare hybrids like a demon and demi-human hybrid, for example," she continued.

I was impressed. "Wow, demons, too? Wait, us?" I looked in confusion.

"I'm a Yuriba demon myself," she said as she pointed at herself for a second.

I looked at her with amazement, "Wow, really? You're a demon!? That’s so cool!"

Larah smiled. "We actually have double the lifespan of a human, so most of us live up to one hundred and seventy to two hundred. I'm actually eighty-nine."

"Damn!" Both Larah and I looked at each other in silence. "Sorry about that."

Larah would be confused. "What are you apologizing for?"

Oh, right, this is another world.

Larah shrugged it off. "Anyway. We are mostly known to have purple hair and eyes, but some amazing lucky demons have the red color like me." Larah had a small smile and looked away. Her smile went down, and it looked like she was thinking. She looked back at me and had a soft smile again. "Sorry, but yeah, a very small amount has a fear of red ones like me, mainly because we resemble the demon lord or god, whatever you call him. And this one witch."

Of course, there are demon lords. Let me guess. My goal is to kill him, and that's how my story ends. Probably not, but that's how many isekai novels or anime go. But what's up with Larah’s backstory?" "And they hate you?" I asked, my expression filled with a hint of concern.

"Nah, it's not so bad, I'm still happy," she replied. "The demon god is named Desratch Kratis, and the Witch, I am not so sure, but she goes by the Witch of Death. They both were very powerful demons. Desratch was actually the first rank among the eight gods. He gained control over many beings using mind control to command a vast army. It sparked a great war that resulted in the deaths of many gods from the past. The third-ranked god, Hildros, sealed the demon god away during the conflict and was celebrated as a hero. He was known for his sword of light, but that sword was ultimately destroyed through the sealing process. I don’t know much more, but if you encounter the second and third rank, they could likely share some lesser-known details. Some say the second rank is either dead or no longer exists, so it may be rare to find him, or perhaps one of those claims is true."

My mouth was wide open; I was speechless. Something tells me this is actually real stuff and not something out of a religion. "Wait, so these eight gods are... Alive?" I said with curiosity.

"Well, of course they are. the demon god Desratch is sealed in another world. His title is still a thing because he isn’t dead. Many say he will either be reincarnated or summoned back one day. It goes to show that people are still scared since he could or not be alive wherever he was sealed. What's worrying is that there is a myth that Hildros was not even a part of the eight before the war, so if that demon does come back, we are all most likely screwed, but I have my doubts, and even if he does, I'm sure you’ll live a long great life before he makes his return." Larah shook her head. "Sorry, forget that part."

...Holy crap, this world has some massive lore!

Some moaning was then heard outside the room. It was clearly the sound of Ria and Taren having their way in bed.

Larah started to fluster a bit but kept a calm tone "Anyways, me and you should head to bed. We have another long day tomorrow."

I looked out the door Dang, they are already at it? I look back at Larah and nod and got out of the chair. "Okay, master, goodnight."

"Goodnight, Tenshi."

I walked away and closed the door only a little bit, and took a peak inside. And now it is time for the show.

Larah stood up and walked to her drawer. I couldn’t see since I would have to open the door more, but it was obvious she was changing.

Aw, come on, this stupid door!

Larah went back over to her bed and had a black nightgown, and this one was a little more see-through, but you couldn’t see the private areas. As Larah blew out the candle, she turned around and put the blanket over her.

"Well, that's it for the show..." I whispered and yawned quietly. But I guess I'm tired too. Before I could walk to my room, I started hearing some quiet moaning inside the room. Hm? I went over to take one last peak inside, and it was hard to see from the dark, but I did see the blanket move a little, and I started to piece it together. I-is Larah...?"

Larah was indeed giving herself pleasure.

I looked to my left to see a small dim light on the wall and footsteps, and it was getting closer. Oh, come on! I'm just starting to realize what Larah does in her free time, and I haven’t seen porn in ages! Why can’t I have some fun!? "Damn it..." I whispered. I quickly sneaked to my room before Seris saw me. This isn’t fair... I successfully made it. Seris was just currently walking to her room. I was about to walk out again, but then I stopped. "No, I would definitely get caught. Plus, it's fine for a guy like me to be a gentleman sometimes, and I'm trying to better myself... Why am I making excuses for myself? Ah, forget it. may as well just go to bed right now." I got on my bed and put the blanket over me. I wonder how I’ll feel again after I hit puberty another time, though. Hmm... After that, I turned around and fell asleep

***

One day had passed, and it was the middle of the afternoon, and I was currently training with Taren. Larah took more time off to help Ria grow some plants since Larah had some gardening experience, I heard, and this time, Taren was going a little softer with me and also teaching me some small tricks he had learned.

Taren currently has his sword held against mine. "Come on, Tenshi, I want to see more power now!"

"I'm trying!" I jumped back as Taren had more strength against me. "Wah!" I shouted as I tripped and fell on my bum.

Taren would walk up to me and stop as he aimed the wooden sword right at my face. "Nice reaction timing, I'll give you that. If these were real swords, and you didn’t react like that." Taren turned his sword so the flat side could mirror me. "Then that face of yours would’ve had the biggest scar to take your life, and we wouldn’t want that now, would we? So good one."

I laughed nervously. Wait, did he try to mirror my face with a wooden sword? I snickered. I wound get up from the ground.

Seris came up behind me and put her hands on my shoulders. She had her other outfit, which was this same brown leather jacket, a green bra, and so on. "Relax, Taren," she said. "Don’t give him a scare. If you want him to learn the sword, then don’t have him fear it, you know?" Seris said.

Taren rolled his eyes. "You always know everything when you have nothing to do with the situation. With all due respect, you're an archer, and I'm trying to make Tenshi mentally stronger to, not have more fear. Look at how I turned out."

"A pervert with so much trauma. Just imagine if Ria left, would you still be you even in front of your child?"

Taren looked down at me and back at Seris. Taren sighed. "It's not like I'm going to turn out to be as bad as my own father. Just trust it, all right?"

Ria, in the far back, giggled, and Larah wasn’t really focused on the situation. "Oh my," Ria said. "I'm hoping you're not that into me, Taren. I love you, but I don’t want you turning out all evil if something were to happen to me," Taren and Seris, and I looked at Ria as she spoke.

Taren made a small chuckle. "Nah, I'm cool, and been a new man. got that?" He looked back at Seris. "And you to Seris."

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say,"

Larah chuckled as she looked back at the three talking.

"But also, that outfit, I haven’t seen you wear that in a while; what’s up with putting it on now?"

Seris looked down at herself "Oh, this? I didn’t even think it was that long." Seris looked back up.

Ria then spoke and said, "Agreeing with Taren, I'm starting to get used to your maid side, and now this just feels like nostalgia,"

Seris looked over to Ria as she spoke and then back at Taren. "Well, to answer your question, I just wanted to go out and help with the groceries. I know I'm not always an outgoer, but I have to face these fears somehow."

Seris then looked over at Larah. "Hey, Larah! Why don’t you come?"

Larah looked over at Seris and got up. "Me? hm... I guess it doesn't sound like a bad idea. I don’t think I really have seen the village yet." Larah thought about it for a moment and looked back at Ria. "Is that okay, Miss Ria?"

Ria nodded, "Yeah, of course, go ahead. I got this from here. You go help Seris; take as long as you need." Ria then looked over at Taren. "And I'm sure that's making him happy to hear that so he can have more time..." Ria muttered for only Larah to hear.

"Hm?" Taren said as he was confused as Ria and Larah looked at him.

Larah smiled as she looked Tenshi beside him, and then back at Seris. "Then it's settled. I’ll go with you; I just need a bit to go and grab something."

Seris nodded. Larah went inside to quickly grab her mage hat, and as she came back, she and Seris left, and we waved goodbye.

Ria went back to gardening, and me and Taren looked at each other

"All right, go get yourself cleaned up now," Taren said.

I nodded and turned around.

"Wait, wait," I looked back at Taren. "Stay here. The more time, the better, and it's fine to get a little dirty, just some dirt on you anyways, nothing else."

I looked at him again and answered, "Okay."

Taren backed up and smirked. "Now on guard!"

"Yes, sir!" Both Taren and I got into a stance with our wooden swords.

***

Both Seris and Larah entered the village of Leafale. It was quite small but had plenty of detail. There were a lot of shops, mainly outside ones, and there were some children just playing around, too. It was looking quite peaceful, and it wasn’t super crowded. "So, Larah, what do you think of Leafale so far, hm?" Seris asked.

Larah had her hat a little down and looked over at Seris, "Oh yeah, it's a very beautiful village. Just a little nervous, is all."

Seris scratched her cheek. "Well, there shouldn’t be anything to worry about. I have some trauma and trust issues with most strangers myself, but we should be fine out here."

Larah lifted her hat a bit up. "Oh, I won’t ask, and I'm sorry for whatever has happened. I’ve just had some of my people who were not so liking of me, so it's just a little nerve-racking in a crowded place like this, but it's not like we should go back. These people here seem quite nice."

Seris gave a small smile. "I haven’t been as out as Ria and Taren have been, but from what I can tell, there is a lot of peace around here. Not everyone is perfect, of course, but it's not so bad."

Larah nodded. "Right." Larah walked straight and had her hand back down beside her. She still felt a little nervous.

"So, what's your story anyway?"

"Huh? My story? Uh." Larah stayed quiet for a bit and was trying to figure out how to answer. "...Well, it's a long story that I prefer not to talk about. I apologize."

Seris had a small chuckle. "Don’t be if it's too personal. I respect you trying to hide it, now." Seris came to a stop, and Larah did too. "We should start with what we are tasked to do. Now, we could split up, and I only have one shopping list. I’ll let you have it since it's usually the same stuff." Seris handed the shopping list that was ripped off from the corner to Larah.

Larah took it and looked through it. She nodded as she looked back up at Seris, "Okay, I understand now. I think I’ll just do this top half." Larah would show Seris what parts she was doing, and Seris gave a thumbs up.

"All right. I say we should meet over at that small fountain once we are finished, okay?" Seris pointed at the small fountain behind her, and Larah nodded.

"Good, see you soon." Seris would walk away, and Larah would be alone.

She rechecked the shopping list, "Hm, hm, hm. Hm, hm. Yeah, that shouldn’t be much," she said as she put the list in her pocket. "Wait, shouldn’t I have asked Seris to give me some coins?" Larah scratched her head and sighed. "I'll just use my own then."

Larah started to go around the village, and she noticed this one little girl with blue eyes and orange hair playing the ukulele. She didn’t focus on it too much and continued to look for what was on the shopping list, but she then looked up and saw a shopping stand that was selling a wand crafting kit. Larah’s eyes widened as if she remembered something. "Oh crap, I completely forgot to get it... Well, may as well get it and hope I’ll have enough." Larah walked up to the stand as the shopkeeper was just sleeping in the chair.

Larah just started looking through the kits, "Something that he’ll..." Larah’s eyes widened as she found a kit on the table. It was a beautiful wand with a blue gem in it that had to be crafted together.

Larah grabbed it and looked right at it. This is a beautiful one. Larah had a small smile. "This is perfect." Larah looked up at the shopkeeper. "Excuse me, ma'am,"

the shopkeeper would wake up.

"I would like to purchase this kit."

The shopkeeper sat up straight. "Oh, why certainly." She said.

***

After an hour of shopping, Larah had everything on the list in the bag, and the sun was slowly setting.

She was carrying the bag on her left arm and Larah was looking at the wooden box held in her hand with a smile, and the box was indeed the kit. "Guess that should be everything," Larah said as she held the box beside her. "I should quickly get to the spot before Seris thinks I got into some trouble." Larah stopped as she noticed another stand in front of her, and there was a bottle there that caught her eye. "No, not the time," Larah said as she shook her head.

She took a step to the right but stopped again to look back at the stand. "...Maybe just to see," she said as she started walking to the stand. As she got there, she looked at this purple, red and white design bottle.

It was small, but it looked interesting. The shopkeeper held the bottle in his hand and presented it to Larah, and he said, "If you're interested in buying this, it would cost you at least one gold palm coin."

Larah was taken aback after hearing this. "One palm gold!? Wait, by chance, is this a potion?"

The man nodded. "Yup, it came from a rare fruit, and you can’t really find these anywhere now. They have been getting rarer around the country, at least in most parts."

I guess that makes sense now. Larah inspected the bottle closer in his hand. "Well, what even is it? What's the effect that makes it so rare?"

"It's made by something called a lustisa fruit. Once you eat it or drink it, let's just say... you’ll have a fun time with your partner in bed. Heh."

Larah was confused and then realized what he meant, and her face went a little red. "Wait, so basically, it's an aphrodisiac!?"

He nodded. "Yes, ma’am. Haven’t tried it out myself since I don’t have my own partner, but I'm sure this works. I'm sure you can even hear some rich nobles talk good about it or any of the rich."

"O-oh, this sounds..."

Someone grabbed Larah’s shoulder, and Larah looked back and saw that person being Seris

"I was getting worried," Seris said. "So I tried finding you since you didn’t show up at the fountain." Seris looked over behind Larah. "What were you looking at anyways?"

"Oh, a new customer." The shopkeeper said and cleared his throat. "Would you like the purchase—"

"It's nothing, Miss Seris!" Larah said as she laughed nervously at the end. "I apologize for wasting your time. I have all the groceries from the top half of the list." Larah looked a little red as she held the leather bags in front of her

"O-oh, okay, is everything all right?" Larah nodded.

"Just a tiny bit sick, not a concerning amount, so I shall be fine."

It was silent for a few seconds, and Seris shrugged it off. "Okay then, I guess we can just head back home. Have the other few of the groceries myself anyways," Seris said as she held up the leather bag and put it back beside her.

"Okay, I’ll follow." Seris turned around and walked back. Larah turned around and looked at the shopkeeper and bowed her upper body. "I apologize. My friend wouldn’t have been interested, but I’ll keep the offer in my head and tell the people about you. Goodbye."

"Huh?" The man scratched his head as Larah left. "Hm, strange one."

Larah ran over and started walking as she was a little behind Seris

"I apologize again," Larah said. Seris looked back at her.

"Don’t be. We all have our eyes caught on something. So really, don’t worry."

Larah let out a sigh of relief.

"So what was up back there? You didn’t have any feelings for that man, did you?" Seris smirked.

Larah was flustered again. "What!? Of course not, just... I just..." Larah was trying to think of something, but telling the truth would also sound weird. She thought, "It was like I said. I promise it was just a little fever."

"You know what, I apologize. I mainly talk with Taren and Ria, and it’s mainly me teasing them, so I don’t always talk to others besides them. Sorry about that."

Larah nodded and understood her. "Good then, thank you. But I don’t mind you treating me like a friend. I just would rather not be teased like that."

Seris nodded and understood what Larah was saying. "I understand."

Larah took a deep breath and focused back in front of her again. Larah looked at a small alleyway and noticed this sad-looking little girl sitting there. She had orange and white hair, fox ears, elf ears, green eyes, a skinny orange tail, and a torn-up black colored dress that had no other detail.

"Excuse me, Miss Seris," Larah said as she stopped walking, and so did Seris.

She looked back to see what Larah wanted. "Is something wrong, Larah?"

Larah shook her head. "I just wanted to stay for a little longer. I’ll meet you back shortly if that's all right with you."

"Oh, of course. Don’t worry about it. Take up the scenery of this village as much as you'd like. Want me to carry the bags home then?"

"Yeah, if you don’t mind." Larah gave Seris both bags she was carrying.

"Oh, and this too," Larah said as she gave the box to Seris.

"Hm, what's this?" Seris asked as she grabbed the box while looking at it.

"Nothing, just please set it in my room once you get back, if you don’t mind."

Seris nodded while looking at Larah. "All right then, I’ll see you soon."

Larah nodded. Seris waved at her and turned around, and left. Larah pulled out the loaf of bread that she hid behind her back with her hand. Larah looked back to the little girl in the distance and walked over to her. I'm just going to be quick before the sky turns dark.

Larah stopped as she was right in front of the little girl. Larah kneeled down and placed the bag on the ground. "Hello, my name is Larah Shirasu. Do you have a name, little one?"

The little girl looked at her with confusion, guess she isn’t much of a talker. Larah pulled out some bread and broke it in half. Larah gave the little girl some of the bread. "Here, eat some. It’s bread," Larah said with a soft and reassuring smile to let her know she meant no harm.

The girl seemed confused but grabbed the bread slowly and looked at it. She sniffed and later took a small bite out of it.

Poor girl, she looks just as young as Tenshi or even younger. She's one beautiful hybrid, too."

Larah made a small stone cup with earth magic that was filled with some water. She handed it to the little girl. "You should drink some of this; it's just wat—"

Before Larah could finish. The girl quickly took the cup with her left hand and gulped it down. Larah was surprised but smiled again. The girl ate the rest of the bread, finished it as well as the water, and she made a small burp, but she looked a little embarrassed.

Larah chuckled. "It's okay, that's normal."

The girl smiled as she held the cup. Larah stood back up and took the cup. She waved at her. All the girl did was smile as she watched Larah leave the alley.

"Well, that was worth all the time. I should buy some more bread quick and fast."

As Larah exited the alleyway, someone spoke to her, "Excuse me." A woman said to Larah’s left. Larah looked to her left and saw this girl who was quite tall and had blonde hair and red eyes, a black and red dress, and two swords on her waist.

There was also this man carrying some bags with him, and he just looked like an ordinary man with blonde hair and blue eyes, a small beard, and a short sword on his waist.

Larah felt a little fear for some odd reason, but she ignored it and answered the woman back. "Can I help you?" She asked as she had one hand in her right pocket, which seemed to have something in it.

The woman smiled. "Oh, just having a little curiosity about what you were doing in the alley back there."

Larah was hesitant to respond, so she came up with a lie. "Just came out the other side after buying some bread and fruits. Just casual outside shopping. Nothing else."

"Oh, but that's a dead-end alley, little one."

Larah was a little more worried.

"You see, in there is my demi-human. So let me ask you this one last time. What were you doing in there?"

"...I was just giving some food and water to her. Nothing harmful."

"Oh, Was that so hard? It's illegal to interact with a leashed demi-human; maybe next time you ask its owner."

"Hey, Flurisa." The man beside her said. "I think we should get going back. We can just bring the demi-human with us and go. We have no business with this girl." The woman side-eyed the man beside her, and he looked away. "I mean, boss."

"...Very well, I guess you have a point." Flurisa turned her eyes back at Larah. "I have no business with you, so bye, bye."

The man went over to the little girl. "Come on."

Flurisa went past Larah, and Larah felt like she couldn’t make more eye contact because of the menacing feeling she gave off

The man would hold the little girl’s hand, and the three walked away. Larah looked back at them as they left, now that the woman was no longer making eye contact with her. "That woman... Why does it feel like I know her or have seen her..." Larah turned around. She made sure to get some more bread before it got too late, and she went back home