Chapter 2. Sunshine
There was something extremely satisfying about running on the rooftops – freedom of movement. Unlike those people on the streets, I wasn't restricted anyhow by crowds or traffic and the path only depended on my creativity. Because of that, even travelling to the same goal every day could be entertaining.
The capital of Leanbox was a perfect place to practice parkour. From the roof of a shopping center I jumped down on a balcony of a neighboring house and using a connected to it lighting rod, I slid onto the lower floor, where I bounced from the wall towards the next building and climbed a small wall. Now it was time to cross the street. With a short running start, I gracefully hopped on the top of the high voltage pole. I didn't have to be concerned with being electrocuted as my boots had a proper upgrade to them.
Thanks to that, I could walk on the lines like if it was nothing, only focusing on keeping my balance. In such style, I smoothly reached my destination, so I dropped from the height on the roof of a certain shop and then, onto the stone pavement in front of the entrance. 'Sunshine' – that was the name of the store, where you could buy pretty much everything – from daily necessities to weaponry and magic items, however, the offer didn't end there. Feeling confident, I opened the door and followed by a sound of a fixed to it bell, walked inside.
Considering the hour, the number of customers wasn't surprising. During late evenings, only stragglers and night shifters could have been seen doing shopping as most of the other people preferred to go straight home and rest. In other words, just a couple of teenagers and a guy in a similar to mine black outfit were still inside. As those first were in the jewelry section, I ignored them, though the latter caught my attention for a moment. The overly enthusiastic way he was browsing through the rack of short swords kind of reminded me how I was choosing my first weapon, so deciding not to distract him, I walked straight towards the counter.
Of course, the shop owner wasn't there when I needed him. After a quick scan through the surrounding I spotted him, wondering how I haven't earlier. He was busy with those youngsters, so I guessed, I had to wait a little. Since I couldn't have known how long would this 'little' be, I sat down on the chair and burrowed my face next to the cash register.
"So shleeeepy…" I yawned and stretched a bit. Working was tiring, no, working was exhausting, however, some jobs wouldn't be done if 'special' individuals like me were too lazy. For the sake of a greater goal, I had to suck it up, even though I didn't exactly feel like doing anything. Damn it. Could I just go back home already? I haven't been there for a while, so it was probably a good idea to show up soon. It wasn't like someone was dying to see me there, but still…
"Behave. We're not alone here." Before I had a chance to doze off, the shop owner came to me. "Yo." I greeted him without getting up. As a matter of fact, I didn't need to bother with that to see this balding gentleman in early 40s although that wasn't important now. "The usual and you won't see me for a while, Uncle." I made the request. Despite the fact I have just addressed him per Uncle, we weren't an actual family. That was just a nickname given to him by the leader of the organization we were both members of – the Order. By ranks I could have been branded as a special executive, while he was responsible for gathering intel in Leanbox and controlled the net of our connections in this nation. With a completely generic appearance as his, Uncle was a perfect man for this job as he didn't stand out in the slightest. More to that, I wasn't even sure I knew his real name, though it might have been unrelated…
"Anyway, job's done?" He asked, lowering his voice. The risk of being overheard was quite low, however, better safe than sorry. "I guess? Unless I went to the wrong factory. From the briefing I got, I expected something superb, yet those mechas genuinely sucked. No, they were pure shit." Actually, even though I went for spectacularism, rather than effectiveness while handling the targets, I didn't note any problems. For me it was a piece of a cake and I wasn't exaggerating. "Any more comments?" Uncle asked impatiently. "Oh, yeah. CPU Green Heart was there too…" And her boobs were as huge as rumors claimed. Nonetheless, the size of her bust wasn't her only good side. I would even dare to say, she was a beauty with body and looks befitting a title of a goddess.
"What did you do?" Uncle's interrogation reminded me to stop this internal admiration. "Cleared the stage before she could steal my spotlight, duh. You know, I'll always finish my work no matter what." "That's why I'm worried. You tend to show off too much. You didn't do anything stupid later, did you?" He inquired in a grave serious tone. For whom did he take me for? I wasn't an idiot who would go in without carefully planning and predicting every possible outcome, but I kind of understood his point of view. If a CPU was to investigate the Order, things would have complicated. To cast Uncle's worries away, I decided not to mention the parting gift I left for Green Heart. On the side note, I hoped she liked them.
"Of course, not. Have some faith in me." "Then give me some reason to. Ever since you showed up those couple of months ago, things are always getting hectic…" Yet I was under impression Uncle didn't believe in my answer. "Just in case, I'll report it and consult the next move. Until we see how she reacted, you should stay low and avoid any reckless stunts. Got it?" He gazed at me with eyes full of pity. I pondered whether this emotion was directed at me or at himself, since he had to deal with someone as troublesome as me. "Sure. I'm not a moron. I'll never risk being discovered." "Good to hear. Now, be right back." Uncle said in the normal volume and walked away to the warehouse.
On top of being a base of operations for me, Sunshine was also where I would resupply. Starting with basic equipment, to potions and magic artifacts I used to experiment on in my free time. On one hand, I thought of it as a hobby, while in fact, it additionally supplemented my main job since everything I currently I had on me was produced and enchanted with my own hands. At first, I began with small objects, like knifes or arrows and eventually, I reached the level on which I was able to complete the whole set of armor and a long sword, steadily keeping on upgrading it. Wasn't I just a man of many talents? Being self-sufficient had many benefits, even though opportunities for me to enjoy them were scarce. What if I was living a normal life? Would I be happier going to a regular school, outing with friends, dating an ordinary nice girl? Being born this way, all I knew was fighting. I wasn't even certain when and how it started, but thinking about it only gave me a headache. I shouldn't be bothering with such theories. Nothing would change my sealed fate.
Getting lost in thoughts I forgot about the passionate customer in black, who apparently made up his mind and ready to make the purchase, slowly came closer to the counter. "Please wait a moment for the owner. He will be here shortly." I informed him, trying to prevent myself from yawning again. Because I called out to him when he should have been out of my vision field, the client slightly flinched and answered in a startled voice. "O-okay. Thanks."
"Never mind. It's too boring." Once he lined a few steps behind me, I suddenly leapt over the counter and faced him. "I kind of work here too, so I can serve you as well. So, how can I help you?" "I will have two of these swords, please." This time he wasn't caught off guard and calmly responded. "Alright. Feel free to bring the products here." He nodded and after a few seconds, returned. "Dual wielding? Are you perhaps taking part in that famed event?" "No… I mean, yeah. But those blades aren't for it though." "I see. Thinking about it now, I remember hearing they are supplying swords on their own this year." "Yup. That's correct. How about you? Did you sign in too?" "Me? Do I look like someone who would stand a chance?" I laughed while finalizing the transaction into the register. "Well, you won't know unless you try. Tomorrow is the last day, so you should at least consider." "Good point. I'll give it a thought. And here's your change. Thank you for your patronage." Giving a polite bow, I saw the guy in black off the shop.
Even though I have been advised to avoid raising any more unnecessary attention, the conversation from yesterday tempted me into participation. And who wouldn't have been interested if the prize was 15 million credits? Well, that wasn't my motivation. Unlike the majority of other contestants, I couldn't care less about cash. That was a privilege I earned thanks to those special tasks I took care of. Neither fame was in my mind, so what for I was signing in? Frankly, it sounded like fun, not to mention there wasn't anything else I could kill time with at the moment.
I might have already been in the area of Leanbox Basilicom once or twice, however, today was the first actual official occasion. As a person who usually did as he wished, I had to admit behaving properly turned out to be more of a challenge than I predicted. Those ques were just ridiculous! It was a freaking miracle that Basilicoms were always filled with people at any hour. Or maybe… What if CPUs were hiring actors to create fake crowds? Or we were inside of a game and those clients were just NPCs who would vanish and respawn after reaching a certain point? Tu tu tu. Dramatic drums accompanied my solving of one of the Gamindustri's seven mysteries.
Anyway, I probably should orient a little, so I wouldn't waste here a whole day. Hmmm… Where could it be? Perhaps under this banner with 'Grand Tourney of Leanbox' written on it? But why was it such a hard to spot stand? Since it was a well-known even in other nations contest, I was kind of surprised to see something that humble. Although it was fine with me, as I could just walk there without standing around.
"Good morning. I'm interested in joining the tournament. Is it the right place?" I greeted the young woman sitting on the opposite side of the table. To be honest, she was quite cute and most likely, still single, however, that wasn't why I came here. "Y-you what? I'm sorry, I mean, how can I help you?" Nearly like if she was shocked by my question, she dropped the pen she was holding between her lips and dove under the desk to catch it. "I'm interested in signing in for the tourney. Am I too late?" I repeated, watching her short brown ponytail swaying left and right as she got up. "No, no, of course, not! It's just I was surprised since they said no one else would show up." Was it really something you should be telling me though? I probably should use this opportunity and learn some details.
"Huh? Why is that? Did something happen?" "Haven't you heard rumors about Black Knight?" "Sorry. Can you tell me more about that?" Some urban legend? It was getting even more and more worth of my time. "Apologies, but I may be fired if I scare away more of contestants." She hesitantly avoided my gaze. "Don't worry. I'm braver than I look. I promise I won't change my decision no matter what is it. Besides how could I lie to someone as pretty as you?" A standard complement should do the trick. If I wasn't lucky enough to be handsome, I wouldn't have been able to pull this off that smoothly.
"I see… If that's a promise then I guess it can't be helped…" As predicted, cheeks of the public servant turned red as she discretely looked around and then, leaned forward. "Back then I didn't pay much attention to the tournament, but even I heard the name of Black Knight. He is the champion from two years ago, who mercilessly cut through all of his enemies and won all duels without being hit once. One of my colleagues told me, he returned this year and the word about it got out. Some people had even withdrawn." Was it the end? Ugh, why did I get my hopes up? "Okay, thanks. Now then…" "Wait! Didn't you…?!" She panicked seeing me getting up. "Heh, just kidding. I'm not going anywhere. Can I have a registration form, or something like that?" "Uff… You had me there. Of course, here it is." She hurriedly passed a piece of paper and a brand-new ball pen to me, so all I could do was to look into it at once.
Frankly, I haven't thought it would be that easy. I just had to fill five simple columns and pay a registration fee afterwards. Alright, let's get down to the business. The first line stated 'Name'. "Excuse me? Do I have to use my real one or is a nickname enough?" Apparently, it turned a bit complicated for me, so I had to ask for assistance. "Let me double check… It seems there's nothing against it in the rules. Because this data is mainly for the sake of starting lists and later, for broadcasters. That's why most of the contestants aren't using nicknames. Besides Black Knight, there had been only several cases like that from what I was told." Good to know. Even if I were to write down my real name, because of its length I was sure it would have been taken as a fake one anyway. The person who named me V must have really hated me or simply forgot about the remaining letters. Maybe I was supposed to be Victor? Who knew…? Again, I allowed myself to be carried away. For this competition I probably should go with something made up from the scratch, but what though? 'Joker'? It had a quite cool ring about it and to some degree, it matched with my personality and skill.
Okay, next one… Age. Yet again, the truth was rather unbelievable – I was three years old, however, my body could be compared to someone around 22, so I guessed this should do the trick and moved onto the next point – nation. I wasn't affiliated with any of them, so I left a horizontal line there, hoping there wouldn't be any official problems due to that fact. A question about a dominant hand? Well, to me such concept didn't apply as I could use both left and right on the identical level, so I just marked the latter at random.
"Qualification groups?" The final rubric surprised me. Perhaps I should have done some research before coming here but luckily, a detailed explanation followed up. "Qualifications are being held on two initial days of the tournament. Participants are going to compete against each other and the winner, who triumphs in the highest number of duels will advance as the representant of the group to finals. Those are going to take place on the day four." "Sounds logical. Which ones are still open?" "1 and 16." "Then I'll go into 1." "Very well. Have you finished?" "Yes. And here's the fee." I handed the form back and placed the sufficient amount of credits on the desk. "Mister, about…" The girl tried to stop me by waving another paper, however, I pretended not to notice it.
"Oh, I nearly forgot. Do you like lilies?" "Huh? I guess…" She answered in bewilderment. "I like them too. Beautiful flowers they are… May I?" I grasped her hand and gently touched her slender fingers. In spite of being embarrassed, she didn't protest. "Whoa…" She gasped when a pink lily materialized in front of her eyes. "This is a token of appreciation for your hard work. Thank you for everything." I said without breaking eye contact and snapped the page out of her grasp. Because of my performance some of the passing by people began to watch, so I should disappear asap or they might memorize my face. Despite the fact I came here casually dressed, I still didn't wish to be later recognized in the wrong place, at the wrong time. "Now then, farewell…" Using the moment of confusion, I vanished in the crowd with something which turned out to be a group 1 schedule.