The past four months had been eventful for Alysha. Not only did she turn 9 this year, but she also joined a wood carving studio as an instructor. Mind you, she was an instructor, not a student. Yes, a nine-year-old instructor.
If this were any other place, it would have been impossible, but this studio was founded by Finlosh, the master carver who personally witnessed her skills. If Alysha wasn't qualified, then no one was.
As for potential impacts on the studio's reputation, Finlosh personally couldn't care less. This studio was his excuse to learn from Alysha, so why would he care about the opinions of outsiders? They could join if they wanted to learn, but he never intended to make a profit in the first place. He had plenty of money anyway.
Convincing her parents was relatively easy once he guaranteed that Alysha wouldn't get hurt under his care. For whatever reason, hearing this from a master carver was more reassuring than their daughter's words, despite Alysha possessing better control than him.
Finlosh wasn't going to complain since he could now witness Alysha's skills every day. No matter how much he saw it, her movements were always so beautiful, appearing like a flawless piece of art. It was as if she could control the carving knife better than her fingers.
After a few weeks, he finally couldn't contain his curiosity and asked how she practiced such skills. "If you can't say, that's fine as well."
Alysha didn't mind the question and happily explained her training regimen, causing Finlosh to doubt his ears. Her summaries were simple, but the difficulties were so ridiculous that he couldn't help but wonder if she was messing with him.
Was he really supposed to believe that she could juggle multiple balloons and carve at her usual speeds while blindfolded? These tasks were hard enough even with eyesight, let alone without.
However, these doubts quickly morphed into astonishment when Alysha demonstrated her mastery of these exercises. His heart almost leaped out of his chest when she started the second one. At that moment, Finlosh finally understood why her parents were so worried about her. He would be as well if he saw a loved one risking their fingers like this.
"How are you so confident that you won't cut yourself?" He asked after she finished.
"Because that's how I initially learned it," she replied, prompting another surge of disbelief in him.
"No way! Isn't that too hard?"
"It's not that bad. Once everything becomes muscle memory, it's easy to adjust my hand position using my other senses."
Finlosh let out a wry smile at her comment. 'Easy she says. I don't think she realizes how much she's downplaying it.'
"What's your teacher like?" Finlosh asked, curious about the person who taught her these concepts.
"He's my idol. I want to be just like him when I grow up," Alysha exclaimed, expressing her endless admiration for Genji. However, her response made it difficult for Finlosh to get an objective view of Genji and elicited a dismayed expression from Kosa.
Finlosh noticed this and later confronted her about it, but her response only added to the mystery.
"That guy's a total weirdo who applied martial arts training to art. Seriously, I can't understand why he made such a relaxing hobby into a hardcore workout. Try to stay away from him if you can. Nothing good comes from associating with him."
Facing her firm opinion, Finlosh could only leave the conversation at that and await a future meeting with Genji. Like this, time passed, and it was that time of the month again.
To Kosa's relief, they didn't find Genji in his usual spot, indicating another month without facing that psycho. By now, even she had figured out his schedule pattern.
As long as he wasn't back on the 3rd-to-last day, it was guaranteed that he wouldn't show up this month. Thus, she could confidently take her day off without worrying about his crazy shenanigans. It was liberating to know that honestly.
On their way home, Kosa noticed a strange man from the corner of her eyes. The man stood out to her because he was snooping around a certain area, lurking just out of sight. It was very suspicious, but Kosa decided not to get involved. Her job was to ensure Alysha's safety, not investigate suspicious activities.
Later that day, after bringing Alysha back from the workshop, Kosa had some time to herself. To celebrate the occasion, she leisurely strolled through the night market and enjoyed some snacks. Life was good.
But as she was walking back, she spotted the strange man again. This time, he was full sprinting, not even bothering to cover his traces. A grave expression was etched on his face, testifying to the situation's urgency.
This sudden change in demeanor sparked curiosity in Kosa and compelled her to follow. It wouldn't hurt to watch, would it?
Seconds later, they arrived at a house with a broken door. A heavy scent of blood lingered in the air, causing Kosa to wrinkle her brows.
'So strong! How many people died in there?' She wondered, positioning herself so that the man remained in her vision and eavesdropped on the conversation.
'EverRealm? What kind of name is that? It sounds like someone just randomly made up something to sound cool. So they're from the same organization? But why did he have to introduce himself? Don't they know each other? And why does he sound so flustered, like something bad will happen if he doesn't explain himself in time? Hold on, why does that voice sound familiar? Just where did I hear it from?'
Kosa suddenly wondered, getting a sense of deja vu from the conversation. But in the heat of the moment, she could not recall its origin.
"Suit yourself," the person said, stepping into view.
Kosa's eyes widened in startlement and the realization of having witnessed something she shouldn't have dawned on her.
'Nope. I'm out of here.' She immediately decided, spotting the figure of her nightmares. 'Let's never mention this to him. Who knows what he might do.'
But as she turned, her attention was captured by the fur scarf around Genji's neck. 'How beautiful,' she inadvertently thought, having a sudden lapse in attention. Then, before she knew it, a snap filled the night air, freezing her in place. In that split second of oversight, Kosa had accidentally stepped on a stick and alerted both parties.
'Oh shit! When did that get there?' Kosa inwardly cried to herself, lamenting her bad luck and stiffly raising her head to meet Genji's gaze.
After a forced smile, she broke out running, screaming, "No no no no no no. I didn't see anything," hoping that was enough of an explanation for Genji.
But before she could take another step, Genji appeared beside her and grabbed her arm. "Now, what are you doing here, Kosa?"
His voice paralyzed her with fear and drenched her clothes with sweat. "Heh heh heh heh. Nothing. Just taking a walk tonight. Ha ha," Kosa responded with nervous laughter, racking her mind for a way out of this situation.
"That must have been a nice walk you had."
At this moment, the man caught up with them and asked, "Do we silence her?"
"You shouldn't resort to murder so quickly. Don't you know how to resolve your problems with a civil discussion?"
The man gave Genji a speechless look, unable to believe this came from the person who had intended to do the same just moments prior. 'How can you say that with a straight face? I'm just following your lead. Why are you suddenly shifting the blame to me?'
But despite these complaints, the man didn't dare voice them. Genji was an unstable element, and he had no intentions of provoking him.
"Why don't you tell us what you saw?" Genji asked Kosa. "If you're honest, my friend might not have to do some extra cleaning tonight."
The corner of the man's mouth twitched. 'How is this a civil discussion? You're blatantly threatening her.'
Large beads of sweat also rolled down Kosa's cheek, but she insisted that she saw nothing.
"Really? Think carefully. Are you sure?"
"Yes," she replied, her confidence growing, reasoning that she would already be dead if Genji wanted to kill her. Since he hadn't, she believed she still had a chance. Now, it all depended on whether her answers could satisfy him.
"And what about hearing? You wouldn't have done something as distasteful as eavesdropping on us, would you?"
"You were talking? I'm sorry I interrupted you. Please continue."
"Now, what were you doing tonight?"
"I was taking a walk. I didn't hear anything. I didn't see anything."
"Good. Let's keep it that way, shall we?" Kosa obediently nodded like a chicken pecking grains of rice, and Genji released her arm. "See? That wasn't so difficult. As long as you're willing to sit down and talk it out, you can solve a lot of problems civilly."
"Fine, I won't say anything," the man sighed and backtracked into the house.
Once the man was out of earshot, Genji turned to Kosa and said, "Go home. You don't want to get involved in this."
Feeling as if she'd received an imperial pardon, Kosa let out a relieved breath and hastily darted away, inwardly admonishing herself for her foolishness. 'Darn Kosa. Why do you keep getting yourself into these situations?'
This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it
Watching her swift departure as if she were fleeing for her life, Genji shook his head and gave Astros a gentle pat, signaling that he could unfurl himself now. "Come on. Let's go grab something to eat. We've been busy all day."
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The next morning, the doorbell at Alysha's house chimed, prompting the energetic girl to rush downstairs, shouting, "I'll get it! I'll get it!"
Swinging open the door, she flung herself into Genji's arms for a hug. "You're here!"
"You were expecting me?" Genji asked, surprised by her enthusiasm.
"Yeah, Kosa came home last night with a gloomy face, so I knew she ran into you."
Genji had a strange expression when he heard this bizarre but accurate metric. Just as Kosa had discerned the pattern in Genji's schedule, Alysha had grasped how Kosa's emotions fluctuated. After all, Kosa had only exhibited such unease when Genji was around. All the other times, she was a confident friend that Alysha could depend on.
"Does she know that you're getting excited from her sadness?"
"It's okay. She has her good days, so let me have mine. It's not like you come back that often anyway."
"I guess that's fine?"
At this moment, Astros emitted a series of annoyed yips, asking Alysha to back off. Genji was supposed to be his cuddle buddy, not just any random stranger's. Cake was an exception since she took care of him, but it didn't sit well with Astros to share that closeness with someone else.
"I didn't realize you were the jealous type," Genji said, teasing Astros.
Innocent eyes matched his gaze, feigning ignorance to his comment. On the other hand, Alysha had star-struck eyes when she noticed Astros.
"Fuzzy cat!" She reached out her arms, practically begging Genji to let her hold Astros.
'Yeah, I'm starting to believe in Friendly Disposition's power. It's unlikely that two people would have such similar reactions otherwise, no matter how much they adore fur. Besides, I doubt Alysha even knows what a ferret looks like, which rules out animal bias.'
"Sorry, but I don't think he's interested in leaving my side." Genji politely declined since he rarely saw Alysha. There was no need to make Astros uncomfortable over this.
"Oh, okay." Alysha dejectedly lowered her arms.
"Don't be too upset. I'm sure you will get your chance when he becomes more comfortable with you. For now, tell me what you've been up to these days."
At the mention of this, Alysha immediately cheered up and led him inside. "A lot has happened. I'm now one step closer to teaching people how to carve. I also met an interesting carver who showed me the difference between your way and the traditional style. I didn't realize they could be so different."
"That's normal. I did kind of create my own style." Genji nodded at Alysha's parents and followed her into the living room, where Kosa was spending her morning.
"I guessed as much. I looked all over the internet but couldn't find anything resembling your techniques. Everyone else prefers to take it slow and use multiple tools, while you only use the carving knife."
"I took up carving to hone my control, not to make art. That's why there's so much emphasis on one knife."
As they sat down, Kosa's gaze immediately went to Astros. 'Isn't that the scarf from last night? When did it become a ferret?'
Kosa had a lasting impression of this scarf since it was the main reason for her exposure. If it hadn't distracted her, she would have easily gotten away. Of course, this was only her wishful thinking, since Genji would have easily noticed her. The difference would have only been a few seconds.
"Oh yeah! Let's visit the studio," Alysha said, a few minutes into the conversation. "I want to show you all the pieces I made since."
"Sure," Genji readily agreed and addressed Kosa. "Are you coming with us?"
"I don't have a choice," she bluntly replied before preparing for the trip. After changing into something more suitable for the weather, they bid the parents goodbye and found some breakfast along the way.
When the food was served, Genji quickly scarfed down his portion and excused himself from the table. "Give me a moment. I have something I need to do."
Alysha nodded and quickened her pace, eager to spend more time with Genji. She only had 2 days this month, so she wanted to make the most of it.
"Take it easy. I'm not going anywhere," Genji said, watching as her cheeks puffed outward with food. But despite his reassurance, Alysha showed no signs of slowing.
"Aiii, what am I going to do with you?" With a soft chuckle and shake of the head, Genji stepped outside and halted near a remote location. Then his light-hearted demeanor withered into an emotionless icicle as he addressed the shadows. "Come out. I know you're there."
Moments passed without a response, causing his stare to harden. "Last chance. If you two don't come out now, I'll make sure you never do."
Realizing Genji was serious, the people in hiding stepped forward, revealing the man from yesterday and an older man with similar stats to Genji's current state.
"Apologies, but we mean no harm," the stronger man said, sweat trickling down his face. In that brief moment, he felt an unprecedented danger from Genji. He couldn't understand how this was possible when they had comparable strength, but he trusted the instincts he'd honed through multiple battles. No matter what, he should not provoke this person before him.
"Doesn't seem like it to me. You've been spying on me since I left the house."
"We weren't spying on you. It's the woman," they explained, gulping nervously.
"I thought you agreed to let that go?" Genji's stare focused on the man from last night.
"Y-yes, b-but we n-need to m-monitor her. M-make sure she won't do anything," he replied, gasping for breath.
"And who are you to do that? Don't you have bigger things to care about like your next world?"
"We're government agents," the other man chimed in. "We help maintain order."
"Oh, you should have said so." The pressure suddenly receded, catching them off guard. Considering Genji's previous momentum, they were not expecting the situation to deescalate so easily.
"That's it?" The younger man asked.
"Yeah. I don't have anything against you guys. If you want to watch her, feel free to do so. Just be open about it, so I don't mistake you for an enemy. It would be a shame to lose some people every time I come back." Then Genji walked away, leaving the two agents grimacing at each other.
"You're right. He is a nutjob. One moment, he's smiling like a kind uncle next door, and the next, he's casually threatening a massacre," the older agent said to his colleague. "So you still want to continue this mission? It's going to be risky with him around."
"We have to, but we need to change our approach. We can't be spying on them anymore."
"Then what do you suggest?"
"Like he said, be open about it. We might not be able to
do much, but we can lay the groundwork for the others. Let's go, we have some work to do."
As Genji watched them leave from the corner of his eye, Alysha finished her last portions and urged Kosa to speed up. With a helpless sigh, Kosa asked for a takeout container and packed her food. Then they headed for the workshop, where they met Finlosh.
"You are?" Finlosh asked as they approached.
"Genji, just accompanying Alysha today. Don't mind me." Genji lightly waved.
"Don't believe him, Mr. Finlosh," Alysha jumped in. "This is my teacher. You know, the one that taught me."
It took Finlosh a few moments to understand what she was talking about, but his brows jumped a few notches when he did. After so many months of waiting, Genji was the last person Finlosh expected to meet today.
"You're him?!?" He asked, surprise evident in his voice.
"You know me?"
"How can I not? I've been wanting to meet you for a long time now."
"Aren't you overreacting a little?" Genji asked, puzzled by Finlosh's enthusiasm. To his knowledge, he hadn't done anything noteworthy enough to garner such a reaction.
"Not in the slightest. It's my honor to host such a skilled craftsman. Please, come in."
Realizing Finlosh was adamant about this attitude, Genji arched an eyebrow at Alysha, asking why she mentioned the unnecessary detail. But Alysha only raised her chest in response, proud to inform the world of his greatness. Since the teacher didn't want to pursue glory, it was the student's job to spread his name.
'Aiii, this girl. She sure has some strange ideas.'
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The following morning, when the doorbell sounded again, Alysha came running down, unexpectedly greeted by two men in trenchcoats instead of Genji.
"Can I help you?" she asked, sounding less enthusiastic than before.
"Little girl, are your parents home? We want to talk to them about something," one of the men replied.
"Can you tell me what it's about?"
"We would prefer not to say it here. Can we come in?"
"Uuhhhhh," Alysha trailed off, unsure of how to answer. It didn't take a genius to know something was off about them, but she didn't know if bluntly rejecting them would have unforeseen consequences.
Fortunately, Kosa noticed her dilemma and called out to disrupt the awkwardness. "Alysha, is someone at the door?"
"Yeah, can you come over? They're asking for something, and I don't know how to respond."
"Coming down." Seconds later, Kosa ran down the stairs and pushed Alysha behind her. But before she could take over the conversation, she suddenly froze, her face draining of blood. Across from her were two men, one familiar, one a stranger. They were the two agents Genji had previously confronted.
'Fuck! What is he doing here?' Although Kosa didn't recognize the older man, she had a vivid memory of the other person. After all, he did openly suggest killing her.
'No way. Could he be here to tie up loose ends?' Kosa suddenly tensed up, her body instinctively entering a fight-or-flight state.
"Can we talk to your employers?" the agent politely asked, ignoring her apprehension.
"Is this about that night?"
"It's related, but I promise it's not detrimental to you. Just some arrangements."
"No silencing?"
"No, we're not uhhh," he trailed off, searching for a child-friendly way to express the following thought, "adventurous..."
Kosa scrutinized their faces for any signs of deception, but she only found hesitation and uncertainty. Whatever was on their mind, it made them uneasy, despite their superior positions.
"Fine. Alysha, go call your parents," Kosa said, determining the situation was safe.
A few minutes later, everyone gathered at the dinner table and prepared to talk.
"Before we begin, let us apologize for the sudden intrusion. It was a last-minute decision, so we couldn't inform you ahead of time," the younger agent said.
"We don't mean any harm. We just want to seek your thoughts on something." The agents reached into their pockets and fetched their government identifications. "Here, this is proof. You can call the police if you want to verify it."
Seeing their confidence, the parents took their word for it and skipped the verification. "The government? What do you want with us?" they asked, more confused than anything.
But while they were accepting of the situation, Kosa had much more chaotic thoughts. 'You have got to be fucking with me. They managed to infiltrate the government? Just how deep is this organization's influence?!?'
"It's like this. We want to deploy a bodyguard for someone, but we don't know if they'll accept the arrangement. Do you think we should force this issue, even if it upsets them?"
The couple exchanged a peculiar glance as if the man had grown a second head. "Why do you need our opinions on this?"
The man fell silent for a few moments before asking, "How do you feel about having another person living with you?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
By now, it was evident who they were talking about. Bewildered, they sprang to their feet and loudly asked, "W-w-w-what? Where did this come from? Why are you sending bodyguards for us? What's going on?!?"
"Sir, Madam. Calm down. Calm down. We have a good reason for this." Once they sat down again, the man began his explanation. "So the country recently started a talents program to support those with unique skills. You know, to encourage people to explore their talents and reduce problems that might stifle their growth. We've identified your daughter as one of these talents and wanted to extend our help. Considering all the crimes happening lately, we feel that providing a bodyguard is the best way to help. That way, she can fully pursue her dreams without worrying about her safety."
"No thank you. I'm already her bodyguard. We don't need any other one," Kosa immediately rejected. Although the agent phrased it nicely, she didn't believe any of it. More likely, they were spinning a tale to deploy a supervisor near her, possibly to silence her if she stepped out of line. She'd be a fool to accept such an arrangement.
"Yes, but don't you think two are better than one? No one is perfect, so wouldn't you prefer to minimize the risk?" Then the man turned to the mother. "Plus, don't you want to give your employee a break? It's hard to be a bodyguard. I can't imagine doing it every day. With a second person, you can give her some days off."
"Hmmmm, that does make sense," the mother said, falling into thought.
"Wait wait. I'm fine. I don't mind this. Really," Kosa said rapidly, inwardly panicking by her employer's convinced expression.
But she ignored Kosa's words and patted her back. "Kosa, I appreciate your concern, but I want to give you more time off. It's not healthy to devote your entire life to this job. I want you to enjoy your life, to relax instead of worrying about Alysha all day."
"B-but I'm f-fine," Kosa muttered, unable to cope with this sudden sabotage from her trusted friend.
"Thank you, madam. We won't disappoint you," the agent bowed.
"No, we should be the ones thanking you."
With that, they finished their discussion, and Kosa entered the government's eyes once more. This time, the development was far worse than before, as she couldn't even escape if she wanted. Ironically, she was under tighter watch now, as a civilian, than in her assassin days.
'I should never have given in to my curiosity. So much went wrong,' she inwardly cried to herself.