As far as Derek knew, there were no monsters that were allied with humans.
As far as he knew, there were no such things as ghosts.
There were other phenomena that would explain the girl in front of him that steamed lightly with magical power.
His bladder was trying to kill him, too.
“Wait here.” He replied, and went in search for the restroom.
He racked his brain for an answer even as he relieved himself. He racked his brain for a proper way to respond.
It was obvious that even though she looked human, she wasn’t. Well, maybe to the normal eye she would look human.
Could a normal person even see her?
He stepped out of the toilet and approached the girl and squatted down.
“What do you want?” He asked quietly.
This One wishes to be taken into your service and become a blade to strike down your foes.
Her magical power looked familiar. It looked very familiar.
In fact, he was certain it was his.
“You want to become my blade?” He asked.
This One wishes to travel alongside you and strike down all that displeases you.
“I can’t talk to you if you keep your head down like that.” He encouraged.
This One is not worthy to look upon you.
What was the right way to say it? He wasn’t familiar with archaic japanese. What did they always say? “Raise your head?” Some shit like that?
She raised her head slowly.
The girl was attractive in a straightforward Japanese way. Her expression was cool and expressionless. She looked like she should be somewhere between the age of maybe ten or twelve.
“So how do I take you into my service?”
Her mouth moved, but her voice echoed in his head.
Take This One’s hand in agreement, and This One will be your blade that strikes where you point.
He shouldn’t do it. The very first thing he should do is call the Oversight Committee. She wasn’t human, she was some sort of magical being. A magical being that needed to be examined and analyzed.
He reached out his hand to her. She placed her small hand in his, and within an eyeblink he was holding a small sword, roughly the length of his arm.
He drew it; the blade slid from the scabbard easily. The blade was exquisite, the steel fine grained and bluish in this light.
He was right; the magic was one hundred percent his, though he had no idea how it had come from him and taken this shape.
He sheathed the blade and she reappeared.
Our contract is complete. This One shall be yours until you shall feel fit to release This One from your service.
“Do you... have a name?” He asked.
This One is known as Oodenta Mitsuyo. You merely need only whisper This One’s name when needed and This One shall be with you.
“Oh boy.” He muttered to himself. “I know. This is a dream. I’m going back to sleep; when I wake up, all of this will make sense.”
She rose to her feet as he got up; she really did look like an average young girl, aside from the kimono and the sword at her waist.
This One shall guard your sleep.
He headed back into Misaki’s bedroom and closed the door as the girl settled into a stance, hand on the sword at her waist.
When he woke up, he was nearly immoble; Misaki had him in a crushing grip, arms and legs locked around him tightly. He could barely move, and he was certain that he was going to have bruises.
It was difficult to move, it was difficult to breathe. He could barely turn his head.
“Misaki.” He wheezed, she replied by mumbling something unintelligible and shoving her face in his hair.
“Fuck.” he complained, and tried to tap out, reached up and tapped her arm. She responded by squeezing him even harder.
“Oh god.” He wheezed, and tapped even harder. It was perhaps only luck that she hadn’t wrapped her arms around his neck; he may not even have woken up at all.
“I think she’s strong enough to pull my head off my neck if she really tried.” He wheezed.
She shifted against him, mumbled something else, and then she relaxed.
“Oh no.” She worried, and he managed a laugh.
“I was worried too, you know.” He replied and she let him go.
“I’m so sorry!” She blurted.
He sat up and checked to make sure that he could still move. “You’ve got quite a grip.” He offered, and she looked down apologetically.
“I’m... so sorry.” She offered in a weak voice.
“I think I’ve failed as a dakimakura, but all my bones and joints seem to work...” He decided, and flexed his hands.
“They work.” He prodded his shoulder where she’d dug her fingers in; it was tender and sore. “That’ll hurt for a bit.” He shifted around so that he could free himself from her legs and patted himself over. “Nothing broken, I think.”
“I won’t do it again.” She mumbled.
After he poked and prodded himself, he patted her on the head. “You’re forgiven. Breakfast?”
She frowned at that and curled up a bit on the bed. “Just like that?”
He gave her a curious look. “You apologized and promised you wouldn’t do it again. That’s enough for me.”
“You’re definitely strange.” She decided.
“Well, if you tried to pull my head off, we’d be having a different conversation. I think this is enough.” He replied, and then repeated what he offered earlier. “Breakfast?”
She curled up in her bed, arms hugging her knees to her chest. “When is your next Dungeon?”
“My team’s on vacation. I have a month off.” He replied simply.
“I applied for a vacation, myself.” She replied. “Would you like to spend the time on dates with me?” She asked thoughtfully.
Derek swung his feet off the bed and thought for a moment.
“I don’t mind at all. I’ve got enough funds.” He decided after a moment. “We’ve been to batting cages, festivals, wall climbing, swimming pools, and things like that, what else would you like?” He asked.
“What do you like to do?” She asked curiously.
“...” He started to say something, stopped, and tried to think. “I like eating food, having sex with you, I like guitar, I like guns, I like laying in the park doing nothing but reading books... and I like traveling around Japan.”
She tensed up when he casually mentioned sex.
“To say something like that so casually.” She growled.
He gave her a wide-eyed look. “What, you don’t like it?” He asked.
“You shouldn’t say something like that so casually!” She argued.
“But there’s nobody else here to hear.” He replied, ignoring the girl that might or might not be outside her room right now. “I figured I might as well be completely honest with you.”
She let out an angry breath. “Still!” She spat. “It’s much too direct!”
He shrugged a little. “I can’t help it. I’m not so great with lying.”
She growled at him. “It’s not about lying. It’s about tact.”
He thought for a moment. “I guess I’m not so great with that, either. So? What would you like to do?” He asked, changing the subject.
“How about... a picnic in a park. Bring your guitar.” She decided. “And...” She reached out and touched his arm. “Before that...”
He glanced at her. “Is that tact?” He asked teasingly.
“Shut up.” She complained.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
Misaki didn’t notice Mitsuyo even when they were standing next to each other. It was weird and disconcerting to Derek, but Mitsuyo frowned at him, her expression stern. This One does not need to be seen by others.
She had one hell of a resting bitch face.
“Should we go to a park where we can eat... or a park where we can hike?” Derek asked. “I know you like to move your body around.”
“Hiking sounds nice... some other time. Today I’ll try to do things at your pace.”
“All right. I’ll take the train to my place and change my clothes.”
“Why take the train? I’ll drive you.” she asked curiously.
What an uncomfortable feeling.
On the way to the park, the subject of guns came up.
“I think I’d like to see what you’re like with a gun, but I don’t think it’s possible to take you to the police range. There would be too many questions, and once it was found out that you were a mage...” Misaki mused.
He nodded. “Mage facilities are probably a no-go for you as well. There’s no way to guarantee your safety, after all. It’s strange: To me, you’re a civilian. To you, I would be a civilian. Weird how that works out, right?”
She nodded.
Derek and Misaki had a quiet picnic date in a small park while Mitsuyo paced around aggressively, her stern face glaring at everything.
While Misaki napped, Derek tried to figure out his connection with Mitsuyo.
Wherever a mage went, there were sensors tuned to pick up the slightest use of magic, and yet, nobody seemed to react to the girl, despite the fact that she seemed to be an enormous mass of it. No agents appeared, there didn’t seem to be any indication that he was on ‘The List’ since the time he used magic in his sleep.
What was she, really?
He wondered if other mages could see her.
He eyed Misaki, who was half-curled up like a cat, head on his lap.
“Mitsuyo.”
This One is here.
“Why can’t they see you? Or sense you?”
She frowned at that. She frowned at everything, but this question seemed to upset her from a different direction.
This One is on the other side of the mirror.
“The other side of the mirror?” He asked.
They reach for me, but their fingers touch only glass. They do not see me, but only what is reflected.
Derek fromwed. Like that made any sense.
She is waking. This One will continue her duties.
Misaki stirred, and rubbed her eyes. “Naps are nice, but I feel sluggish.” She complained.
“You want to run a few laps around the park?” Derek asked.
She gave him a complicated look. “Are you treating me like some sort of puppy?”
He gave her a look in return. “Why does everything have to be a competition or confrontation with you?” He asked. “I’m not-” He took a breath. “You seem happy running around, climbing things, being active and athletic. I can do those things, but not as... enthusiastically as you. You enjoy those things a lot more than I do.”
Her eyes narrowed at that.
“I’m a hunter. It requires a different skill set than what you do.” He added. He flexed his hands and massaged his leg where she’d napped, easing the soreness out of them.
“What skills do a hunter need?” She asked as she packed up the cooler.
“Speed and hand-eye coordination are important, of course.” He replied. “But I think the real skills are more like... stamina, cunning and... patience.” he decided.
“Patience?” She asked with a frown.
He nodded. “If you’re clever enough, you can see your prey coming long before they see you. Wait long enough, and invariably the prey will come to you. You have to have the stamina to endure that wait.”
She thought it over.
“Or, on the other hand, you could be like Misaki, and simply chase them down and overwhelm them.” He added with a chuckle. She frowned at him.
“You’re making fun of me.” She sulked.
He shook his head. “Not at all. If we think of ourselves as predators, then you and I simply have different ways of hunting.”
He held out his hand for the cooler, she passed it over silently.
“You and I have different ways of doing the same thing. If the end result is the same, then is there room for mockery?”
“I suppose not.” She decided, getting up. He got up as well and stretched, feeling the bones in his back pop comfortably.
“Why’d you become a police officer, anyway? You’ve got the talent for ... just about any sport I can think of.”
She looked up at the sky for a moment.
“I suppose I could have, when put that way.” She mused. “But my goal we set from the start. My father is a police officer, as well as my two older brothers. My choice was made long before I realized it.”
He nodded. “Your vacation ends before mine does. What will you do?” He asked.
She smirked. “That’s my question to you. I have mountains of paperwork and my own cases to deal with.”
He smiled a little. “I think I’ll talk to one of my teammates. I had a problem in our last Dungeon; need to overcome it.”
She gave him a look, he shrugged. “It’s like learning to ride a bicycle; you fall off, you have to get back up on it and try again.” he replied. “In the meantime... how would you like to go to Kyoto with me?” He asked. “Onsens? Inari Shrines?” He encouraged.
She blinked a few times. “Really?”
He shrugged. “It’s just a short flight. We could spend a week there.”
She trembled at that. “Kyoto... Kyoto...” She mumbled to herself.
He wondered if it was eagerness he was seeing, or if she was running the numbers.
“Can we really go?” She asked. He nodded.
“Really really?” She asked, and he nodded again.
“Yes!” She exclaimed, and then coughed. “Yes. I’d like to go. With you.” in a much more reserved voice.
“Well, let’s get this shit taken care of. Drop me off at my place so I can pack some clothes; you go and do the same.”
She nodded. It was obvious she was restraining herself, but she was happy.
Clearly he was doing something right.
On the way to his place, his phone rang. Seeing it was Travis, he picked it up.
“Yo.”
“Yo, yourself. You busy?” Travis replied.
“No, not really. Heading home.” Derek replied simply.
“Hmmm. News from the Overwatch Committee.”
“Eh?” Derek froze. “...me?”
“Huh? Oh, that. No, it’s not about you.” Travis replied, and laughed. “You’re fine. Just don’t go shooting off magic in your sleep again, right?”
“Man, fuck you. I’m never gonna live that down, am I?” He complained. Misaki eyed him curiously, but kept driving.
“Hah! Not with me as your CO, you’re not.”
Derek sighed. “What does the Overwatch want with me?” He asked, and Misaki glanced at him again.
“I already told you, it’s not about you.” Travis replied. “There’s an alert. A mage went rogue and everyone’s being told to keep an eye out.”
A rogue mage. It happened from time to time.
“What does that have to do with us? That’s Overwatch business and not ours.” Derek complained.
“Don’t look at me, man. I was just told to pass along the message to the team. There’s a rogue mage in Tokyo, his name is Benjamin, if you find him, report him.”
“Fuck that. Agents have a job, let them do it. I’m not paid to do their jobs for them.”
“Whoa whoa whoa, you’re going against the Overwatch?” Travis replied, his voice panicky. “You know they’re listening, right?”
“I am not going against the Overwatch, you idiot. I’m saying I’m not doing someone else's job unless I get paid to do it. I’m a Dungeoneer, and I’m on vacation. There are plenty of Agents for that sort of thing. Now I’m going to take a shower and pick out some clothes. I’m gonna go to Kyoto and dip in some onsens. Anything else?”
“Say hi to Misaki for me~.” Travis offered solicitously.
“Go fuck yourself with a rake.” Travis hung up, and a cool, crisp voice immediately spoke up from the phone.
“Disobedience to the Overwatch will be punished.”
Derek sighed. “I’m not in any way standing in disobedience to the Overwatch.” He replied to the voice, and hung up his phone.
“What was that about?” Misaki replied.
“Overwatch stuff. As far as I know, I’m not supposed to talk about it. Just put it out of your mind, think about Kyoto, onsens, inarizushi, and what sort of reaction you’ll get out of me when I see you in an onsen yukata.” He gave her a smile, and she blushed.
“They won’t have any yukata your size, you know.” She argued.
“I really hope they do. I’m actually pretty self-conscious, you know? I don’t like sticking out.”
*****
Name: Oodenta Mitsuyo
Age: 1100 years old
Occupation: Sword
PMC: Derek Richardson
STR: 10/10 (She can cut through anything)
DEX: 8/10 (She's a short sword, designed for quick, sharp movements)
CON: 6/10 (despite her age she's still quite robust)
INT: 2/10 (She's not terribly wise about the modern era)
WIS: 4/10 (Cannot read the mood.)
CHA: 2/10 (Very cold and aloof.)
Magic Element: Arcana
Magic Gate: 10
Magic Pool: 0/100 (recieves her mana from Derek)
Magic Resistance: 20 (Not only is resistant to Magical Pressure, but also makes her weilder resistant, too)
Name: Derek Richardson
Age: 25
Occupation: Cleaner
PMC: Core Hunters
STR: 6/10 (How did he get stronger?)
DEX: 8/10 (He’s got great reflexes and can target monsters very quickly.)
CON: 4/10 (His stamina, while still low, has improved.)
INT: 8/10 (College educated, with two separate degrees in two fields)
WIS: 4/10 (He’s perceptive and clever, but lazy and indifferent.)
CHA: 6/10 (He’s got the charisma to banter with his team leader and not get fired for it.)
Magic Element: Arcana
Magic Gate: ??
Magic Pool: ∞ (infinite)
Magic Resistance: ??
Detective Kashiwagi Misaki
Age: 24
Occupation: Police Officer (detective)
PMC: none
STR: 8/10 (She really loves physical activities, like batting cages, swimming pools, wall climbing.)
DEX: 6/10 (She's nimble and flexible, but prefers to power through obstacles with brute force if she can.)
CON: 8/10 (She has a remarkable stamina that allows her to keep going regardless of the situation she's in.)
INT: 4/10 (While she's academically intelligent, she's often a very "by the book" person, and often relies on brute force, or the advice of her colleagues to get her through a situation that requires comprehensive thought.)
WIS: 4/10 (She's easily swayed when she's presented with different opinions. Her "gut instinct" isn't well developed.)
CHA: 6/10 (Charisma reflects both physical attractiveness, and the ability to sway people's opinions. She's attractive, but she's not actually aware of this. She also uses force of personality to push people to agree with her line of thinking.)
Magic Element: None
Magic Gate: 0
Magic Pool: 0
Magic Resistance: 0