The next morning, they headed to the airport and boarded their flight. Kosa had no idea how Genji got himself a ticket, but he managed, which startled her because he had never left her sight.
Genji had stayed in Alysha's room the entire night, and Kosa was forced to camp there as a result. To her relief, after putting the energetic child to sleep, he did nothing but meditate. But now, a troubling thought occurred to her, making everything seem scarier for the former assassin.
'Does he still have connections to the underworld? Didn't he leave? Hold on, I don't actually know what he does during these months. Could it be that he's still taking on assassinations? That would explain the menacing feeling that deepened every time he came back.'
With this thought, her eyes dilated, and she clasped her hand over her mouth, muffling the gasp that threatened to escape.
"Is everything okay?" Genji asked with a gentle smile. A smile that appeared demonic to her and deepened her panic.
"Y-yes," she stammered with a pale face.
"Make sure to take care of yourself. It would be a shame if anything happened to you."
'Did he just threaten me? No way, right? In front of everyone? Does he not care about his image? Or is he confident about...silencing everyone?' At that thought, Kosa recalled their encounter during Genji's revenge.
'That's right! He killed the headmaster even with all those firearms. If he can do that, doesn't that mean he could hijack this plane without any problems? Oh my God, he's crazier than I thought. Is he holding everyone hostage against me? To warn me of what will happen if I reveal his identity? Why are you like this? Didn't I already give up that life? Why do you keep haunting me like this?'
"Are you sure you're okay? You seem very sick," Genji followed up.
'Shit! I took too long to answer. He's getting impatient. Please God, Budda, Alla, or whatever, let me pass this disaster safely. I promise I'll be a good person from now on.'
"I-I think it's air sickness. Hehe. D-don't worry a-about me. I'll manage."
"If you say so," Genji replied and redirected Alysha's curious gaze from the nervous Kosa. "So that's the gist of it. What do you think?"
"It's very challenging," Alysha replied with furrowed brows. "How did you even come up with this, Genji?"
"When you get good enough, normal methods just don't work anymore."
"But I can't practice that way."
"That's true. Give me some time. I'll see if I can come up with anything suitable."
"Thanks, Genji. You're the best."
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"I think I might have an idea," he said as the plane was landing.
"Really?" Alysha asked, her eyes lighting up with excitement. "Then what are we waiting for?"
"Calm down. We still have to disembark."
"Mom, Dad. Genji and I will go ahead," Alysha waved at them after finishing and eagerly dragged Genji off.
Seeing their daughter's enthusiastic behavior, her parents were unsure how to react. They had flown across half the country for this festival, and now she was clinging to this stranger? Weren't they supposed to have some family time together after arranging this trip so carefully? They had taken an entire week off for this!
"Kosa, we'll need to trouble you again. We're not familiar with this place, so please keep her safe during the festival."
"I wouldn't worry about that. With that guy around, I'd be more surprised if Alysha got hurt," Kosa said with a resigned tone.
"What do you mean?" they asked, bewildered by her sudden sulkiness. This was the first time they'd seen her like this, and it was a stark contrast to her usual confidence. So much so that they wondered if she had become depressed for some reason.
"I can't go into too many details, but just know that Genji is a former colleague of mine, and he's far more skilled. I'm telling you this just to give you peace of mind so you won't worry in the future," Kosa explained.
"But wouldn't having two of you be better?"
"The last time we fought, he defeated me within seconds. I don't think I will be much help even if I'm there so I might as well protect you two," Kosa revealed, not hesitating to boost Genji's credibility against her consciousness and breaking her prior oath to be a "good person." Anything to get away from that madman.
"If you say so," they agreed with hesitant expressions. Although leaving their beloved daughter alone with a stranger went against their principles, they chose to trust Kosa after all she had done to help them.
'Great. It worked! I'm sorry, Alysha, but you'll probably be fine. At least I haven't seen him kill anyone who is on good terms with him,' Kosa comforted herself, her fingers crossed. Of course, this statement was only made more "credible" by how rarely she encountered Genji after his revenge, but selective ignorance is bliss.
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"Ahhhh, I can't see anything!" Alysha screamed as she struggled to catch her breath.
"Predict the position."
"But I can't focus on that while I'm running around!"
"You'll get better. I believe in you."
Then another large balloon bounced off Alysha's head, sending her scampering after it. For this training, Genji gave Alysha a simple goal: play volleyball with balloons. Of course, this was easier said than done, considering Alysha was blindfolded the entire time.
There were multiple instances of her tripping on the uneven terrain, but Genji was always there to catch her before she tumbled, preventing any scrapes to her skin.
Of course, this was because Genji had to find a remote location so he wouldn't be interrupted for his borderline child cruelty, which only added to the learning curve. Next, Genji picked up another fallen balloon and gently tossed it to Alysha.
Alysha felt the soft surface bounce off her forearm and chased after it with unsteady steps, doing her best to fulfill the training requirement despite the scary experience of running blindfolded.
Genji had to admit that her boldness was admirable, considering she had no experience with this method of training. Maybe it was due to her trust in Genji or her naivety, but she didn't even hesitate when Genji asked her to put the blindfold on.
This exercise was a difficult one, as some people couldn't even do it with their eyes open, let alone closed. The only way to accomplish this was to predict where the balloon would go based on a brief moment of contact and move there.
Without doing so, Alysha could only blindly chase after it and count on luck. But Alysha understood the purpose of this exercise and did her best to learn.
As support, Genji kept sending balloons her way and gave her the choice of which one to juggle. In this manner, Alysha succumbed to her dizziness and collapsed into Genji's arms minutes later. Genji stabilized her footing and sat her down against a tree, allowing her to rest.
"You did well. Take a break for now" Genji said, taking out a bottle of water for her.
"Ttthhhaaannkkkss Gggeenjjiiii," she slurred, holding back her nausea.
A few minutes later, Alysha stood up again and continued the practice, repeating the cycle of dizziness. With each session, she became further accustomed to it and slowly improved her time. At the end of the day, Genji gave her a carving knife and a small piece of wood.
"I think that's enough. The practice is nice, but the main point is to have you get used to moving without seeing. Now test your results. Just don't go too fast."
Alysha obediently took the knife and made some simple strokes. At first, everything felt off as her brain was still processing the balloons, but she soon switched back and got into the rhythm again. Strips of decayed bark slid from her hand as Alysha carved away without thought.
This book was originally published on Royal Road. Check it out there for the real experience.
Everything felt much smoother, but there was a sense of discord in her movements.
"Genji, why do I feel like I'm doing it wrong?"
"It's because you're using your sight again after so long without it. Don't worry about it. This feeling will pass after a good night's sleep. Speaking of that, let's head back. I'm sure you must be hungry."
At the mention of food, Alysha's stomach growled loudly, demanding to be fed. She let out a small laugh and followed Genji to a restaurant before returning to their hotel room.
The next morning, the festival began, and they found their way to the location. Out of the three days, the first day was for everyone to showcase their craft and display their specialties. On this day, Alysha and Genji strolled around the many stalls, admiring the different woodcrafts.
"Look, Genji, this sculpture is so detailed!"
"You must have put in a lot of effort on this," Genji complimented the owner.
"Yes, that one took a few hundred hours," the lady replied with a fond smile.
"A few hundred hours?!? Wow, miss, you must really love this," Alysha exclaimed.
"You're overpraising me. It's just that every time I look at it, I have this sudden urge to add more details. Before I knew it, it ended up like this. What about you, little girl? Why did you come here?"
"I started carving a year ago and really like it. Then my parents heard about this event and agreed to bring me here," she replied, making the lady take a second look.
"Carving at such a young age? How rare."
"I was lucky to find a good teacher," Alysha replied humbly.
"So what made you start?"
"When I met my teacher, I realized he looked so cool when he was carving. I wanted to be like him so I asked him to teach me," Alysha said, praising Genji as if he wasn't standing right next to her.
"I'm sure he is. I'm Lisa, by the way."
"I'm Alysha."
"Hello, Alysha. Do you have a phone?"
"Yes, why?"
"Here's my number. If you have any questions, feel free to message me. I'll try to respond when I have time." Lisa found this aspiring carver very cute and wanted to help her achieve her dreams. Even if Alysha wanted to quit in the future, Lisa would have made a new friend along the way.
However, Alysha responded outside of Lisa's expectations and looked to Genji for a response.
"Genji, is it safe to do this?"
'Ahhh, she's sooooo cute. And sensible as well. What an angle,' Lisa thought.
"I don't see why not. If you are committed to carving, it's nice to have some friends. Just bring Kosa with you if you ever meet anyone offline."
"Okay." With this go-ahead, Alysha happily added Lisa to her contacts and waved her goodbye. "Bye Lisa. It's nice meeting you."
On the second day, the event's host would do a live demonstration. This was the part Alysha was looking forward to the most since she could witness firsthand what it meant to be a master carver.
Since she started, she never had the chance to gauge her skills. The only benchmarks she had were Genji and online videos from various carvers, but neither was a good comparison.
Genji was obvious since he was so much better than her that she had a hard time comprehending the difference, while there were barely any videos because of how niche the topic was. For those that she did find, they were mainly focused on the resulting carving rather than the process, which was what she cared about.
Now that she had the chance, she wanted to see the exact gap between her and a certified master. Alysha wasn't doing this because she wanted to become a master but to understand the standard. Genji was cool and all, but she wanted to know exactly how cool he was. How else could she strive to match his skills?
Her loving parents realized this and managed to secure front-row seats, causing Alysha to squeal in excitement when she found out this morning. Then she hopped around like a jolly bunny, displaying her joy to everyone in line.
As they settled into their seats, the master was finishing his last preparations. This was Finlosh, a renowned carver known across the country. After obtaining the master title, he realized the isolated community that was wood carving and wanted to change that. One thing led to another, and he determined that hosting a festival for all carvers alike was the best way to bring this art to the public's eyes.
Finlosh was an older man with a weathered face from the many hours of outdoor carving sessions. Despite the wrinkles that creased his skin, Finlosh possessed a healthy glow common among younger men. It was clear that Finosh took good care of his health, and Alysha expected this care would extend to his works.
When everyone took their seats, an announcer walked onstage, gave the opening introduction, and went over the expectations for conduct. Basically, be quiet so the master can focus.
If someone is too disturbing, they will be asked to leave. After Finlosh finishes, there will be a Q&A session. With that out of the way, the announcer stepped aside to start the main show.
Finlosh gently picked up his carving knife and began working on the wood. For this exhibit, Finlosh purposely picked a larger piece so the demonstration would continue for some time.
Strips of shavings fell onto the stage at a decent rate, but Alysha had a peculiar feeling while watching this. How should she put it? It was as if those movements were sloppy? Like they were forceful and strained? Alysha couldn't understand where this feeling came from, but it detracted from the show for her, like a disappointing movie after an exciting trailer.
Alysha acknowledged that Finlosh's movements were standard, but there was just something missing from them that lost the artistic flair that Alysha pursued. For the remainder of the show, Alysha dwelled on this feeling, trying to trace its source, but had no results.
"And that's the general process," Finlosh said as he put down the knife. "From here on, we would normally go over it with sandpaper and finish to preserve it. For some detail-oriented carvers, they might continue with a chisel, but I'll move on to the Q&A session now."
"Master Finlosh, how long do you spend making your artwork on average?" One journalist asked.
"I don't have a set timeframe. Some pieces take minutes while others take months. I'll spend however long I need."
"That sounds amazing. Can you describe the feeling..."
As the interview continued, Finlosh inadvertently spotted a girl in the front row. She was lost in thought and had a faint frown, which stood out among the crowd and attracted his attention. It was as if she was dissatisfied with the exhibition, but Finlosh quickly dismissed that thought.
"It's just a young girl. She's probably bored to death because her parents forced her to come."
Yet this thought was instantly dismissed when the girl raised her hand. "Mister Finlosh, can I ask a question?"
"Go ahead," he agreed to avoid the boring interview.
"Why do your movements seem so awkward?" Alysha asked, sending the entire room into pin-drop silence. Veins bulged on Finlosh's forehead, but he took deep breaths, wanting to be lenient with the young girl.
'Calm down. She doesn't know any better. Just answer this as if she has no knowledge about it. Look, even her parents are stunned by her question.'
"This is how everyone does it. How can it be awkward?"
"Because everything feels forced and inefficient," Alysha answered immediately. "When I carve, I never get that feeling."
"Alysha! You can't say that! I'm sorry, Master Finlosh. My daughter didn't mean that. Please don't take offense," her mom jumped up and apologized. "Quick. Apologize, Alysha."
"But, Mom, I'm asking a genuine question," she protested, surprising her parents with her sudden rebelliousness.
'Why is she like this now? Isn't she normally well-behaved?' Vanessa asked with an exasperated expression.
During this exchange, Finlosh noticed Alysha's clear eyes and realized that she had indeed asked an honest question, although it came out rudely. Curious about this observation, he raised his hand to stop the apologetic mother.
"It's okay. Alysha, is it? Can you explain what you mean by that? Why do you say my movements are awkward?"
It was a simple question, but Vanessa interrupted it differently. 'Why are you so petty? Didn't we apologize already? Why do you have to embarrass her like this? Or are you one of those who need to amend your ego by publicly humiliating a helpless girl like this? If so, then you're one sick bastard!'
"I don't know how to explain it, but I can show you. Can I come up?"
After a nod from Finlosh, she turned to Vanessa. "Mom, can you let go?"
"No. I refuse to let you humiliate yourself for his reputation. I would rather bear the name of a bad parent," she replied firmly, standing her ground.
Hearing her strong refusal, Finlosh realized he had also come off rudely and hurried to explain himself. "Madam, I believe there is a misunderstanding. I have no-"
"Misunderstanding my foot. How dare you try to justify this. Shame on you!"
"Madam, this really is a misunderstanding," Finlosh tried again with a grimace. How did he suddenly become the villain in the story?
"Still trying to justify yourself. I never-"
"Mom!" Alysha interrupted with a similarly helpless expression. "Trust me."
"You sure?" Vanessa asked, calming down slightly.
"Yeah. I'm sure Mr. Finlosh had no bad intentions toward me. Plus, even if he does, acting on it now would only worsen the situation," she replied, shooting a sly glance at the stupefied master.
'Is this really a young child? How come she's wittier than anyone I know?'
"I'm sorry about that. My mom was just trying to protect me," Alysha said as she walked on stage.
'Wha? How did I become the problem?' Vanessa asked, reacting to her comment.
"It's fine. I can understand where she was coming from."
Alysha reached inside her travel bag and brought out a spare carving knife under Vanessa's disapproving stare.
'Why is she walking around with that?'
Then Alysha reached down and picked up the biggest scrap, confusing Finlosh.
'What does she want to show with that? If she wanted something to carve with, she could have asked. It's not like we are short on wood.'
Alysha sized up the wood and gripped it firmly before taking a deep breath. A happy smile replaced her prior emotions as she basked in the limelight. From here on out, this would be her show, and she wanted to give it her all.
'Can I use everything?' She asked Genji with an inquisitive stare.
'Go ahead.' Although he said nothing, she took his calm gaze as approval and recalled yesterday's training. 'Yes, that's the feeling. I don't know if I can pull that off, but let's take this chance to practice.'
Then, she burst into action, leaving brief afterimages in her wake and sending wood strips everywhere. Her delicate fingers danced around the handle, switching grips at unprecedented speeds and juggling the items like a magician. Details defined themselves at a lightning-fast rate, but Alysha pushed herself to move faster.
'Not enough. This is not even a fraction of his movements.'
Then everyone's jaws dropped further as she accelerated her movements, turning even the wood into a blur. It was a very unconventional method of carving since normal methods pursue stability, but it sure made an amazing show.
Her parents, however, did not share this emotion as the fear of Alysha accidentally cutting herself plagued her mind. At the speed she was going, it was very likely that she would lose a finger and become permanently disabled. How could they not worry about such a scary fate?
But despite their fears, Alysha never nicked herself, having pushed her concentration to the limit. With each movement, she felt herself improve, fueling her desire to continue. Her hands danced like a butterfly and mesmerized the audience with its beauty, but all things eventually had to come to an end.
Seconds later, a tired Alysha caught the items and stopped the dance. Her arms ached, her body was drenched in sweat, and she was panting heavily, but none of these could cover the exquisite sculpture in her hand. Seeing this phenomenal craft, the audience's minds went blank and two contradictory feelings clashed inside them.
On one hand, they felt nonplussed by the ephemeral display, having ended before they could admire it. On the other hand, they felt elated to witness the debut of a child prodigy.
They didn't know what to feel, but Finlosh's next words snapped everyone out of their daze and started another uproar.
"She's not a child prodigy, but a master! No, not even a master is worthy to describe her skills."