The four of us didn't know what to do with the new figure in front of us. She stepped inside nonchalantly breezing through our sights as we gawked at this beautiful creature in front of us. Even if the aura of something divine flowed around her the curvey body, her angelic face -- jaw line so sharp -- and those smiling lips of apple red.
Surely, or just maybe, when we saw her hand gleam into a green, minty, light when she rested hand on the Inn keeper. It managed to blew away the black bags under her misty eyes and revitalize that haggard face that made her face healthy and young. The first magic spell I ever saw.
"Ahem!"
Roughly coughed Neil as he then walked towards the beauty before us.
"Excuse me, my good lady."
He suave up his voice as he waved his eyebrow at her.
"Bloody hell,"
Roland stood up, and went after Neil.
"Remember his age Neil, we still have a minor around."
Crossed Allan's arm.
I cock my eye at Allan and demand that I am technically the same age as they are! Even if I'm not same age when they died, I am not that bothered when seeing him, as of right now, kissing the hand of our surprised visitor.
"Not mentally you are."
He replied and I swear he formed a smirk.
"Cut it you two."
Tapped Roland as we suddenly have a womanly company. Before us was Neil with the striking priestess smiling before us.
"Ah, Good Morning, is there anything we can help you with."
Greeted Allan nonchalantly, and giving his own smile of welcome, and holy hell that's a new sight for me. Allan, the degenerate weeb lord, talking to a lady that would instantly be in the top of our: "Way out of our league " list.
But still, he presented himself with out a hint of hesitation.
"Oh, the goddess have sent some kind teenagers."
The priestess giggled as she sat down(Seat provided by Neil.) in front of us.
"This is truly a joyous day."
She then clasped both of her hands and laid them on the table while smiling at us.
"Ah, no, we're not young, my lady."
Said Neil as he took another chair, and found a cup and poured... Ale? Mead? Wine? I don't know but it certainly made the priestess more happy when she took the cup.
"We're just a bunch of old men who wants answers in our questions. My name is Roland,"
He offered his hand, and this where my heart began to drum.
"Roland Barnett."
She recoiled with a smile as she took his hand and shook it.
"This is Allan Moors."
He then point at Allan, who in turn gave his hand.
"And Neil Larson, the one who hooked you in,"
There was a sense of bitterness when he said that made Neil smirk a bit. And then came my name.
"Umm... Mm... N-nice to meet you."
I was a stuttering mess, my hands were stiff as I felt her so soft cool feminine hands.
"You haven't change that much, Elfien."
She giggle as Roland removed my clamping hands. I Didn't realize I've been holding it for 10 seconds or more.
"Ahaha! Yeah, real mature there... Cheery..."
Spouted out Allan as he snicker, called out my pet name, and slap my back when all of the people in the heart made a small giggle at my overt hesitation and sweatiness.
"Oh shut it! I just stuttered! At least I am not a weeb like you!"
I felt like I was cornered, so I bit back. Then again he merely shrugged it off, stating that what I barked out was nothing short of a compliment. Neil and Roland joined by telling me that his wife rehabilitated the bastard and gave him 5 children, 2 sons and 3 daughters.
"What!?"
I was flabbergasted, jaw dropped, hearing that felt like this world is more realistic than one back home.
"This is a truly blessed day."
The priestess smiled as her lips took sainty sip from the wooden mug.
"Well it would be a more a blessed day... if you tell us your name."
There was a small pause between all of us as Neil winked at the priestess.
The priestess stared at Neil blankly for a moment. Allan rolled his eyes and Roland stared at Neil, yet he still smiled and looked back at the eyes of our priestess guest. Indeed, the atmosphere seems to have soured a bit.
Welp, I guess age doesn't deter Neil's mind.
"Hihi..."
Like a crack from a damn a flood laughter from the woman we thought wouldn't like that line actually liked it.
Stolen from its rightful place, this narrative is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"Oh bloody--"
Roland raised his hand in the air.
"Heh."
Neil looked at Roland with a hint smugness.
The priestess's cheeks burned red and covering her laughter with her hands, this all coincided with sun shining brightly outside.
Her laughter felt like it warmed the air around the wooden Inn's heart and indeed, I still remember how the four of us stopped and watch her laughed.
The day has started for us when May, the Inn keeper, woke up finding us discussing with the priestess, Serafina, was her name as she replied that no one has ever tried to court her "And it was from another world that had audacity to do so." she added. After that, there was more moves were made, more laughter, and more attempts stop this by the two. I just sat there almost silent, like a kid awaiting his guardians to end the drinking party that I was forced in. I guess I really died yesterday.
"Well look at those houses. Authentic..."
Commented Neil as he filled his lung with the new air of this other world morning. I consider this my first step in this new realm, this similar yet unknown world. Me, Neil, Roland, and Allan followed behind them, Neil insisted to walk with them upfront, he was eager for information.
"We will have time on our own, but I need time with the captain."
Explained Serafina, which he respectfully agreed.
I would say it gave us time to caught up with what I miss back there. I still want to know what happened to them. Allan began since Neil and Roland were...
"Which one of us went to Germany the most? I did and those are half-timber style buildings!"
"Shame, aging wasn't so merciful on your brain cells, were they Roland? No, they are..."
Bonding, in a manner.
"Just ignore them, they may look like left and right but they enjoy debating one another."
Allan said. Adding that the two has been closer friends when time have slowly, and have been, ripening their skin.
"Well, I kinda see why."
Both of them, I consider, as smarter than our top 1 in our class, and both are outcast in our class.
"But I'm not interested in that. "
I pointed out.
"What happened to you? Who's the gal that had the stomach, and courage, to touch you!?"
I saw a bit of disappointment in that eyes of his as we walked. But I gave a shrug and added that I seriously need to know since, that is the second biggest surprise that happened to me -- or maybe the third... Or fifth biggest. I don't know, yet still.
"Well, I guess you can blame my bastard of a father for that."
He gnarly replied.
"He knows my infatuation with Japanese culture, media -- Anime in general -- and trying to become... One of them..."
I saw him squirm uncomfortably.
"God, my teen years is a damn mess."
He covered his face as he shook it. Here, I see that he finally began to know the real reason why he was isolated back then. Which I almost gave a chuckle.
"Either way, my rich pretentious father thinks that I should marry someone that is someone from Japan so that I could at least give him a much more suitable heir than me."
His fist clenches as the word heir was emphasized.
I then asked if they moved to Japan. I mean, his dad may be rich but hiring a Japanese lady in his country just to marry him is plain sight human trafficking, or something like that.
"No, that crazy son of bitch did hire a Japanese lady."
Minami Kaori. A Japanese language private tutor that his father hired.
"Wait, you married an older woman?"
Is what was inside my mind, but I stopped those words from going out. I instead held those mind and let him continue.
Minami was already hired before we were friends. Only after three months after graduation that she finally migrated to the country. At first he didn't consider her as a partner, or, in his words; a human being.
"Can't recall much, I was playing on my switch... I was playing Nekopara, yeah, I was definitely Nekopara that distracted me from noticing her."
Her English was good and her Japanese accent was fairly unnoticeable.
"So what does she look like anyways? "
He chuckled a bit as I asked that.
"I only began to notice her looks when after two weeks that she has been teaching me."
He was spending his days glued to a switch or other gaming consoles, then occasionally skip them too hang out with Neil and Roland. Why would he take her lessons when he already is a fair speaker of "Nihongo" and if he wants to improve he just need to learn on his own.
"Those words made her furious."
He said with a smile as this was the first time anyone took his gaming consoles of his hands and then smash it in front of him.
He was angry of course, that anger forced him to look at her.
"I would never forget those glaring brown eyes at me. Those dyed caramel hair, and that young face. I though she was 40 or something but that face was young as me!"
Either way, the ball started roll down from there. He soon found himself listening to her almost everyday, and if he somehow slipped himself a mobile console to play. It was immediately shut down or broken down. He didn't hate that, he mostly felt ashamed. It took mostly half a year until his father gave a key to his apartment where his life turned into a Rom Com life that he often plays in his eroge. But after two years almost living together, knowing one another, fighting one another, and almost breaking up at one point. They soon found themselves in a tied ribbon of the church.
"The only reason the Soviets were alive was because of the lend lease act!"
"It was just a small part! The Soviets could have won on their own!"
"I'll tell you all how we managed, and the small romances we made but..."
He groaned as Roland and Neil's internal yapping was making the locals open their windows and doors and look at the two.
"Let me guess your the referee for the two?"
With a disappointed laughter, he jogged to the two, who were already brawling it out.