KON POV

Elizabeth is guiding me through her home, unveiling the expansive back garden with its lush greenery, revealing the elegant wing of the mansion, and leading me into study rooms reminiscent of vast libraries, brimming with books.

As Elizabeth leads me through the grandeur of her home, amidst my awe and wonder, a practical concern quietly nags at me: the distance to the nearest toilet from each room. With the expansive space of this mansion, I can’t help but speculate whether every room, even those seldom used, is equipped with its mini bathroom. Otherwise, navigating the corridors in the dead of night will be hell.

Upon entering the main kitchen, my jaw drops at its staggering size. I can’t help but wonder if this is where they concocted the renowned Super Tower cake. The kitchen gleams with immaculate cleanliness, every utensil and appliance sparkling brilliantly. It’s so inviting that I find myself tempted to whip up a couple of classic egg-fried rice dishes.

But as soon as we stepped into the kitchen, I sensed Elizabeth wasn’t herself. Her demeanor seemed downcast, and I could sense the loneliness that enveloped her whenever cooking was mentioned, much like the time her mom was teaching me how to perfect my favorite cookie recipe.

She has this starry look in her eyes, but her heart tells a different story.

A dissonance.

The part of her that longs always carries a hint of hesitation and loneliness along with it. It brings back memories of the day when I dreamed of a life beyond the confines of that slum. Yet, understanding the goal isn’t the same as knowing the path needed to achieve it.

I could have told myself to pursue wealth and the life I’ve always dreamed of by stepping over others. There was a time when such a notion lingered in my mind. It’s hard not to entertain it when surrounded by the temptation to exploit those less fortunate and weaker, like the gangsters and thieves I encountered. Part of me even considered joining them for an easy way out.

Those were the dark days I had to confront. A certain level of desperation begets a moral decay, but I persevered. I chose the longer route because I refused to tread the path of taking without giving back.

Observing Elizabeth now, I couldn’t shake the worry that perhaps she had lost sight of her own path while chasing after her mother’s shadow.

“Elizabeth, are you all right?”

“A-ah yes, I’m all right desuwa! Let’s go to other places. I want to show you the field of beautiful flowers my mother maintains.”

“Oh, sure.”

As we strolled along, Elizabeth adorned herself with a smile, reminiscing about how her mother lovingly tended to the garden of flowers mostly by herself, with minimal assistance from the gardeners. She shared that some of the herbs from that garden were used in the tea served by the servants just moments ago.

Sigh, I just couldn’t help it, could I? Always butting my nose into someone else’s business.

Midway through our walk, I reached out and gently took her hand, summoning the most confident expression I could muster as she turned to meet my gaze.

“If something is bothering you, I can listen to your worries at least.”

Our pace slowed to a standstill as we neared the greenhouse. A moment passed before she finally opened her mouth.

“Kon, back then you said that SpeedGear is nothing but a tool desuno.”

“Yes, I did.”

“Have you ever thought of what you will do if you are not good at it desuka?”

“At using SpeedGear? Everybody starts from zero. Even a genius will experience a failure or two at the start.”

“I know, but cooking is all I had, and yet I can never seem to get it right. Things always ended up as a mess in my hands. What do I need to do to reach her desuno.”

I suppose her admiration for her mother blossomed from witnessing her in action. However, I couldn’t shake the question: what did she mean when she said she wanted to reach her?

To become her? The head chef of a 7-star restaurant? To become the respected head chef with hundreds of people working under her? To become the greatest cooker who can cook whatever it is that people desire?

“Do you know what dish you want to make?” I asked her

“Uh, don’t we just look at the recipe book and cook whatever is in it desuno?”

…...?

“What about ingredients, do you know the difference between red onion and green onion?”

“…... The color desuka?”

Uh-huh, I see. So that’s how it is. If I had a long beard, I would be slowly stroking it right now with the other hand behind my back, like one of those old immortals from drama flicks.

“Elizabeth, do you know what cooking is?”

“Isn’t just preparing stuff to feed people’s stomach desuno?”

“Well, you are not wrong, but it’s not entirely correct either. Cooking is an expression of love.”

“Love, desuka?”

“Yes, what is it you wanted to convey through the making and presenting such a product on the plate? Do you want to wish them well? To wish them good health through making healthy food? To wish them a good night’s sleep with a full and satisfied stomach? To tell them how far you had come along with your skill and techniques? There are so many things you can convey through cooking. What is it that you wanted to convey when you made those dishes?”

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“I……I don’t know desuno.”

So she knows that deep down, her heart is not in it. Let’s not muddy the water by saying that cooking can also be a form of poison. She doesn’t need that can of worms opened.

To put it simply, she is lost. Her heart knows that the goal she envisioned is not in line with the path that she should take. In the first place, does she even know what her goal is?

While cooking itself is an expression of intent, the ingredients and cooking utensils in the hands of a chef are nothing but tools for action. Just like how SpeedGear is nothing but a tool for the person who wants to express their intent with it.

I took her hand and ushered her inside the spacious greenhouse with various herbs, and plants, and pointed to fields of flowers on the other side.

“A certain wise man says, to get to the place you wanted to be, there are multiple ways to do so. We call them Shu (Path) to the Dao (Goal). To get to those flowers, you can trudge through and swim along that fountain, or you can take on a long detour around the field of those other plants, or you can simply navigate through that bridge over there.”

“The Shu, and Dao desuka?”

“You seemed convinced that cooking is your only path to pursue your Dao. Your heart knows that it is not true, because no Dao can ever be achieved through a singular path. The starting point always branches into multiple paths like a river that splits into multiple smaller rivers and slowly makes its way into the sea. So I want to ask. Do you truly understand your goal?”

“Y-yes, I wanted to stand beside her desuno.”

“For what reason?”

“To be counted on, and to rely upon them in return. The camaraderie……”

She stood motionless, fixated on the expanse of flowers before her. Her gaze seemed to flicker as if each question and answer were enlightening her in some way. I couldn’t help but wonder if I was intruding on a personal journey, guiding her down a path not entirely of her own choosing. I could only hope that my words hadn’t delved too deeply. After some time, she returned, her expression content.

“I see….. It’s their fulfilled smile all along desuno.”

She drew in a deep breath, exhaling slowly. Gradually, her facial expression transformed, brightening with a sense of relief and relaxation, as if she had finally found whatever it was she had been seeking for a long time.

“Thank you, Kon.”

“Have you found it?”

“Yes, I almost lose sight of it. Thanks to you, I can finally see a bit better desuwa.”

“Don’t worry about it. I’m just giving you a slight nudge. Nothing to write home about.”

“Ehehe, come, Kon, I still need to introduce you to my mom’s awesome field of flower desuwa!”

I’m relieved to see her in better spirits. I empathize with the frustration of feeling lost when your goals are unclear. Sometimes, all it takes is another person acting as a back-and-forth or a side mirror, offering a different perspective to help clarify your goals.

Now that her Dao is clear, all she needs now is to discover the path she wishes to tread upon and make it there through her own volition. Go for it, Elizabeth. I will be rooting for you.

“What about you, Kon?”

“Heh? What about me?”

“Do you have any goals desuka?”

“Goals is it? To be honest, I just achieved one recently.”

“Oh? As expected of Kon, desuwa!”

“Ahaha, it’s not a big deal. I just wanted a better standard of living. So I saved up enough money to rent an apartment.”

“I see. Then what’s next desuno?”

Hmmm…. what’s next indeed? For the longest time, my sole focus was on surviving in that poverty and crime-ridden environment. I used to dream of bigger things, like owning a place in the inner ring but living for so long in that hole they called the city slums turned me into more of a pragmatist.

“I don’t know. Heh, and I’m supposed to be the Pathfinder of the group.”

“Can’t you find one desuka? I have always been studying hard until the day I can find it. In the end, I found it early, but you can always prepare for it desuno.”

She’s not mistaken. I’ve always harbored a desire to embark on a pilgrimage to another megacity, but it’s more about seeking a sense of purpose rather than the pilgrimage itself being the ultimate goal. As for now, my focus is on building SpeedGear teams with Zack and Venti. We aim to earn both money and prestige, to elevate ourselves through victories and fame.

It seems my current goal is to lead Zack and Venti to victory. Zack aspires to scale the lofty heights to the south, where the Emperium Tower stands tall. Meanwhile, Venti is driven by a desire to confront a formidable opponent and seek out the individual responsible for kicking his guild’s ass.

Sigh, their goal is my goal. This doesn’t sound weird at all…..

So, I’m back to square one.

“I don’t know what my goals are. You could say that Venti and Zack’s goal aligned with mine, but that’d be superficial.”

“Superficial, desuka?”

“Yes, because it’s not mine. They have things that they want to do, and my job as a pathfinder is to guide them towards that destination. Although we may end up standing on the same goalpost, I can’t say for sure that it is my goal, because I was never there with them when they first created it.”

“I see……desuno.”

“That’s why a part of me is jealous of you who have finally found your Dao. You have never once doubted what you want to achieve, so all it takes is a little wind blow to clear the fog. Me, on the other hand. For the longest time, I couldn’t see past myself.”

Or rather past my delusion as I looked up to the falling skies.

The sky remains its usual shade of blue, obscured by clouds. Coming nearer ever so slowly as if calling out to me. I can’t help but ponder what lies beyond those skies. Come to think of it, with all this hectic stuff that’s happening all around, I almost forgot that Ms. Emma may know something about it. Perhaps my current goal is to coax her into sharing what she knows. So, it’s a scheming time? Yes, that’d be nice.

*MUGYUU*

“Oh Kon, you poor little thing! Don’t worry, desuwa! I’m sure we will find it in the future desuno!”

She lifted me up in a bear hug, and my feet dangled above the ground. Your breasts, they’re suffocating me! I gasped, trying to tap on her arms to signal for release. But she continued to shake me from side to side, like a dog with a chew toy.

I can’t breathe!

“*Cough Ahem*, Elizabeth dear, such behavior does not befit a lady. Please calm yourself.”

“O-oh father, I didn’t see you. Kon, I’m sorry for displaying such an uncouth behavior desuwa!”

“Phew, It’s fine. You were just worried for me. Thank you, Elizabeth.” I breathed out.

“Elizabeth dear, your mother wants to talk with you.”

“Ah, but I’m still showing Kon around desuno.”

“I will take it from here, run along now.”

“In that case, thank you, father. I will see you soon Kon.”

As Elizabeth dashed away, leaving me alone with her father, a sudden realization washed over me: the father’s presence was far more imposing and intimidating than I had ever imagined. Throughout my entire stroll with Elizabeth, I had my area of intent expanded this whole time, and I had failed to detect his presence until he made himself known at that moment.

Didn’t Elizabeth say that her father used to be a detective? he likely possesses the skill to conceal his intentions while following someone.

“Kon Caspier, on behalf of Eve Thornfield, I wanted to thank you.”

“……Yes?”

“Thank you for opening the path for my daughter. She had been lost for the longest time, and today she finally gained her clarity back.”

“I-I don’t think I did anything noteworthy. It’s just that I can relate to her a bit. My apologies, If I may be prying too much into the family’s business.”

“Ohohoho. Think nothing of it. You saved us the dilemma of guiding her as opposed to letting her choose her path.”

The parents are not free of worries either it seems. Elizabeth is very much loved, isn’t she? I am happy for her.

Mr. Arthur’s hand suddenly found its way onto my head to give it a ruffle.

“You are a good kid, but make sure you don’t get too handsy with my daughter. Do you understand me?”

“*Gulp*, Sir yes sir.”

“Also, make sure those two thugs never come any closer than 2 meters to my daughter.”

“Sir, yes sir.”

“Hmm good, now come. Their talk should be finished by now.”

Yeah, Elizabeth’s mom and dad both give off different kinds of scary vibes. When I get back home, I definitely need to make friends with some more regular folks in the neighborhood.

I’m really missing those simple, everyday conversations.