Phase 4: An Afternoon at the Shopping District
After their little misadventure of the collector's store, Touta and Kuroha walked across the door.
They immediately realized something strange. They weren't at the deserted street in which they found the mysterious store. Instead, they were inside a small room made of glass. Also, both noticed it was moving downwards.
"Wait a minute, what is this?" Kuroha frantically looked around. "You better not be sending us to some strange place!"
She tried to reach for the door, but it closed on its own. Before she could try to open it, the door faded away like smoke.
"Seriously, what is happening here? Where are we now even?" Kuroha rubbed her temples. She felt like she could go crazy if stuff like this kept happening.
"Hey, Kurou-rin. Look! We're in Mahora City!" he pointed to the front. Behind the glass wall, there was the sight of the countless buildings along with the flying cars and whales. "Then this must be," a bell rang and the glass door behind them opened. "An elevator, I knew it!"
Touta crossed the door and saw the multitude of people. They were in the middle of an ample street with shops and stands everywhere. Touta then knew they were at the center of the shopping district.
"Yahoo! We're finally out! Oh, how I missed the normal world!"
Touta jumped around, celebrating he finally was freed from the store. Those around him just quietly stared.
"Touta-kun, you are way too cheerful. Anyone else would be going through a mental crisis because of all the incompressible things that we just went through," Kuroha said in a deadpan voice.
"You know Kurou-rin, some say it's better to not think too much about the stuff that will give you a headache," Touta shrugged.
"Never mind," she sighed. "I am glad we could get out of that place, too."
Touta looked at her with concern. She had been acting a bit weird since her small conversation with the shopkeeper. "Hey, everything okay? Did that Midget Geezer say something that made you upset?"
Kuroha frowned. "It was nothing. Just ramblings from a clearly mentally-ill person."
"Yeah, don't let that annoying old-timer get to you. Besides," Touta signaled the mask in her hand. "You should be celebrating right now!"
"You are right," Kuroha held up her mask. "I was thinking I would never see this again."
She embraced it tightly, holding it like a personal treasure. While Kuroha tried to not look too excited, her expression showed the great relief she felt. After a minute, she used Asama's jewel chest to have her mask absorbed into the shikigami.
"Aren't you going to put it on?" Touta asked.
"After all that happened, I prefer to put it in a safer place," she replied. "Besides, you already looked at my face. There is no meaning in wearing it now."
"That's great," Touta winked. "I can continue admiring this heavenly beauty! Although, the heavens could punish me for the impure thoughts I'm getting about it!"
"I will put it on, after all."
"Hey, hey! The impure thoughts part was mostly a joke!"
"Mostly?" Kuroha eyed him suspiciously. "Seriously, why does everything you say have to be so alarming?"
"Because I'm your tour buddy, remember?" Touta raised a thumbs-up.
"That was something you made up," Kuroha huffed. "Besides, that tour is over. I have my mask back. Therefore, you have no reason to show me around anymore."
Touta gulped. Was trying Kuroha to say she was done with him? He didn't want to part ways yet, but he couldn't force her to hang out with him. At least, he wanted a proper sendoff between the two.
"Kurou-rin-"
"However," she timidly looked to the side. "I should do something to repay you. I am not sure of when I will have the chance next."
Touta blinked. "Huh? What does that mean?"
Kuroha sighed and crossed her arms. "It means that since you helped me look for what I lost, I will help you out in something you need," she looked at Touta, flushing a bit. "I-I recall you said you have some errands to do."
Touta spent several seconds trying to figure out what that meant. He then remembered similar scenarios from several manga and dating sims with a tsundere heroine he watched so many times before. If Kuroha's words were interpreted into tsundere language, the translation would be: "Can I go shopping with you?"
"It's my perfect chance to raise a new flag!" Touta thought with a triumphant grin.
"S-So, do you have errands to do or not?" Kuroha tapped her foot, expecting her answer.
Touta cleared his throat and made sure to not look excited. He decided it was best to be chill about it. "Oh, I just remembered that now! Thanks for reminding me, Kurou-rin," he laughed casually, putting his hand at the back of his head.
"Always remember your own tasks," she nagged.
"So," Touta put on a carefree smile. "Wanna come along?"
Kuroha flinched as her face grew redder. "I owe you a favor, after all. If you need any help carrying your belongings, then I can offer my assistance."
"Oh, come on. Don't be so stiff," Touta patted her on the back a bit too strongly. Kuroha almost fell over. "Just spending more time with Kurou-rin is one of the best rewards ever!" he laughed.
Kuroha's tomato face was fuming by now. "D-Do not get the wrong the idea! I merely want to make sure to not be indebted to you before I go back to my village! We have a strict rule to never be in debt with anything in the mainland!"
"And the translation of that is: 'I'm embarrassed by your compliments, even though they make me so happy!'"
Before Touta knew it, everything turned black. When he regained consciousness, he was lying on a small crater on the side of the street. There was blood everywhere and he could feel a huge bump on his head. A small crowd was surrounding him, wondering if they should call an ambulance.
Meanwhile, Kuroha was calmly walking away. "If you need my assistance in your errands, you better get up. I need to get back to something else before sunset."
"You're the one who knocked me out," Touta snarled as he got up. He caught up to Kuroha and grinned to himself. Never one moment with her felt boring.
Touta and Kuroha walked side by side through the shopping district. Touta had been there many times, so nothing was new to him. However, his companion kept looking around and asking questions.
"Touta-kun, what is that over there? Why are so many people gathering there?"
"That's shop for magic apps, enchanted baubles and fortune-telling junk. Teenagers are crazy for those things nowadays."
"Hmm, and that over there?" she signaled a place full of big screens and holograms.
"That's the arcade. You know, where you play videogames and stuff. Unlike the others, that place is super cool."
"Videogames?" Kuroha raised an eyebrow. That word was apparently new to her. "And what is that place giving away those cone-shaped things?"
"That's an ice cream stand," Touta did his best to hold back his laugh.
"Ice cream," she crossed her arms and tilted her head. "Strange name. Is that some sort of food or something?"
Touta couldn't help himself anymore. He burst into hysterical laughter.
"Why are you laughing?" an angry Kuroha pulled at his hair until he stopped.
"Sorry for that," he caught back his breath. "It's just so funny to see you acting like a complete tourist."
Kuroha huffed. "There is no helping it. I never stopped to actually see the cities after I left my village."
"Oh, you poor ignorant, sheltered kid," Touta playfully pulled at her cheek.
Kuroha growled as she slapped his hand. "Excuse me? I think we both know the kid here is you, Touta-kun."
"Arg! You said it again!" he made his hand into a fist. "What makes you think I'm a kid? You don't look any older than me!"
"Well, I am taller," she compared their heights with her hands.
"Just by a few inches!"
"Only a kid would say that," Kuroha smirked smugly.
"A little bit of information: I may look like this, but I'm an eighteen-year-old man this year," he puffed out his chest like he was proud of the fact.
Kuroha looked at him like she heard the lamest news ever. "Is eighteen years a big deal?"
"Um... Not by much, but I'm practically an adult already!"
"I see," she put her hand on her chin. "You reach adulthood that early."
Touta frowned. He always got confused when Kuroha mumbled things to herself. "And what about you? How long have you lived to make you so confident that you're the adult?"
Kuroha flinched and looked away. She pondered for one long minute how to answer that question. "I'm," she cleared her throat, "Twenty-two… I suppose."
"You suppose?" Touta frowned. He suspected Kuroha was once again hiding something. Besides, it was strange that someone supposedly in their early twenties looks about fourteen. The washboard chest certainly did no favors.
"Now you know I am older. No need to further discuss that," she said very hastily. It was like she wanted to change the subject as soon as possible. "In any case, we are wasting time chatting. We have to get your errands done so I can go quickly!"
Touta made a blow sound in disbelief. Kuroha had been the one initiating the talk until now.
"Ikkuu-san gave me the list of the things he needed. He also put where to find them," he took out the paper list. "Let's start by going for the easiest to find."
Going by the indications of the list, Touta and Kuroha headed towards a specific section of the district. This was the place where to find all the major stores dedicated to entertainment. Manga, anime, light novels, doujinshi, cosplay costumes and all merchandise of the sort. It was everywhere. There were young women dressed as maids, magical girls, cat girls and such in every corner.
"Touta-kun, is this the right place?" Kuroha's eye twitched.
"No doubt. In fact, I think I would have it wrong if it wasn't here."
"This Ikkuu-san you mentioned and all the people here, what on Earth do they seek in a place like this?" she said with an expression that showed absolute disgust.
"Kurou-rin," Touta crossed his arms. His face was serious and solemn. "You may not understand it because you have been shut off from the world until now. In the modern ages, this sort of place is where Japanese men and women search for the biggest pleasures."
"Our society has decayed in the most regrettable way possible, for what I see," Kuroha said, sourly.
"Don't worry. You'll blend in perfectly here," he looked over her traditional miko getup. "Just be careful if someone asks you for a photo or video with them. And don't accept random money."
"You are only making this place sound more unsettling than it already is."
Kuroha kept watching the place in disdain. However, she spotted one place that caught her attention.
"Now, let's see," Touta took out Ikkuu's list. "I know exactly the place where to go. But," he scratched his head. "Man, I told Ikkuu-san to not ask me to buy something 18+ again. They never believe me when I show my ID and end up getting thrown out."
Out of nowhere, Touta felt something pulling at his ear. It was Asama biting him. Touta was about to yell at the bird shikigami, but then he noticed something wrong. Kuroha was gone.
Trying not to panic, Touta frantically looked everywhere near to see where she went. After running a bit, Asama signaled a spot. Kuroha was standing in front of one of the stores. This was one with no people going in or out.
Touta sighed in relief. He then ran to get where Kuroha was.
"There you are! Don't get out of my sight like that."
Touta talked to her, but she didn't even seem to be listening. She was leaning on the glass of the display window. She was acting like a child drooling over the sweets of a candy store.
"So many… So many of them in one place," Kuroha said like she was in a trance.
Getting curious, Touta took a look at what had his friend so fascinated. What he saw sort of disappointed him. It was a bunch of books.
"Didn't know they still had these old book stores around," he commented disinterestedly. He tried to call out to Kuroha several times, but it was like her mind was somewhere else. Even after tapping her on the head and pulling her ponytail, she didn't respond. He finally decided to go for the last resort.
Touta grabbed her ear and got close enough as if he were to whisper something. He took a deep breath. "HEY, LADY!"
"WHO ARE YOU CALLING THAT?!"
Touta barely dodged the punch that came right at him. However, he didn't expect a second attack. He received a knee straight to the face. The boy crashed next to the entrance to the bookstore.
Only after that, Kuroha seemed to come back to reality. "Touta-kun! What are you doing lying around on the middle of the street? And why is your face smashed in?"
"It was you" was what Touta tried to say. The only thing that came out was an incompressible mumble.
"Excuse me, what is all this noise?" an elder librarian man come out of the bookstore. "Could you please not cause a commotion in front of my store?"
"Oh, I am so sorry," Kuroha bowed down over and over again. "I was just looking at your marvelous items. We never meant any trouble. In fact, we are leaving."
"You like books?" the librarian got closer to her.
"L-like them, well I…"
"Kurou-rin loves them," Touta appeared in the middle of them. His face was back in perfect condition. "A complete bookworm, in fact!" he laughed.
"T-That is not it!" her cheeks reddened. "I am simply curious about them! No one makes them in my village! It is not like I have been wanting to see a place full of books all the time I have been on the mainland!"
"What that means, mister, is that Kurou-rin has been dying to find a bookstore."
"Touta-kun!" she began strangling him to get him to shut up.
"That is wonderful," the old librarian took Kuroha's hands. He was almost crying from joy. "For such a young person to have interest in books. And here I thought every youngster only used them as their seat!"
"What?! Why would anyone do something as disgraceful as that?!" Kuroha sounded baffled.
"You think so, too?!" the old librarian's eyes were almost shining.
"Well, I have never read much books," Kuroha looked to the side. "The few I did read called my attention. I… really enjoyed the knowledge and stories they communicated. I always wished to see more of them."
"Be right back," the old librarian ran back inside the bookstore, leaving Touta and Kuroha confused. After a few seconds, the old librarian came back out. He was carrying a huge bag full of books. However, they were heavy and his back began to crack. He put it on the ground. "Here."
"What? No," Kuroha waved her arms. "I do not have any money to pay you."
"I'm not selling them, I'm letting you borrow them," the old librarian smiled. "These are some of the best books I know. If you enjoy reading, then these will probably be to your liking. You can return them whenever you like."
Saying nothing else, he returned to the inside of his bookstore.
"Wait, sir, I cannot accept-"
Touta grabbed her shoulder. "Just take them, Kurou-rin. That's what the old man wants. He's probably happy to meet a fellow bookworm," he chuckled.
"Hmph," Kuroha crossed her arms, attempting to look aloof like usual. "There is no helping it now that the books have been brought here. I will take them with me. I should finish reading them all before I leave the city. I would hate to be on debt again."
Kuroha tried to sound disinterested while saying all that. The sparks in her eyes as she looked over the books betrayed her.
"You can just say you're happy, you hopeless bookworm," Touta sighed. He still smiled at seeing such a surprisingly cute side to her. "So, there's still shopping to do. Should we go?"
"Of course."
Kuroha somehow managed to get the whole bag of books absorbed by Asama's chest jewel. The small bird shikigami looked like a balloon afterwards. Touta wondered if that jewel worked like a second mouth.
Touta and Kuroha spent the following couple of hours going around the shopping district. They found almost everything on the list quickly. However, they visited a few stands and shops they didn't have to just so Kuroha could check them out. On the way, they got something to eat at the ever-popular Chao Bao Zi trailer. After that, they headed to the main street of the district to get the final thing on the list. Both walked side by side while carrying several bags. Even Asama flew with a small bag on her feet.
"The last place to visit should be around here," Touta said.
"Good we have found almost everything this Ikkuu-san asked for," Kuroha said. "But why did you insist that I did not enter some stores with you or touch some of the bags? I am supposed to be assisting you."
"Because you're still too pure, Kurou-rin," Touta replied with a solemn expression. For some reason, Kuroha felt it was best to not ask more questions about that.
She observed a red light in in the distance. Inside that light, there was what looked like a robot bigger than any building in the city. She couldn't help but get curious again. "Touta-kun, is that huge thing over there another promotion from those 'anime' Ganzumu?"
"What?" Touta checked to see what Kuroha was talking about. "Oh! No, Kurou-rin. That over there is a true skyscraper-scale mecha. There's another six placed around the city."
Kuroha tilted her head. "And why is that?"
"They're standing on the concentration magic points of the city. That way they make sure the World Tree glows all year long," Touta explained. "Apparently, before those robots were there, the World Tree only glowed once a year."
"Now that you mention it," she put finger on her chin. "I thought it was weird that giant tree glowed red like that."
"That glow means the World Tree is at the peak of its power. Since the World Tree's energy is what's keeping the Reflection Dimension existing, obviously it has to be at full power always," he tilted his head. "Although, the red color is something that started four years ago."
Kuroha's eyes narrowed. A glowing giant tree and some skyscraper mechas being the cornerstone for a mirror world on the sky. And Touta was explaining it like it was natural. Just how much ridiculous could this world get? Thinking about it, the absurdity of this city wasn't that different from that of the magic shop. Everything made much more sense in her village.
Being distracted, Kuroha failed to properly look her way. She bumped into someone and dropped her things. She kneeled down to gather the things that got out of the bag. The stranger man helped her.
When they got back up, Kuroha finally took a good look at the man. The first thing she noticed is that he was very tall. However, there's wasn't a lot she could tell. He was covered completely by a dark cloak and his face was covered by a hood. She did notice his hands were dark-skinned and the lower half of his face was wrapped in bandages. His appearance was mysterious, but there was something about him that made Kuroha feel wary.
"Kurou-rin, apologize," Touta whispered.
Back to her senses, Kuroha bowed her head. "I am deeply sorry. I did not look where I was going."
"Do not worry," the man put his hand on her head. "It's good that you didn't get hurt."
Kuroha got a strange sensation, even stronger than before. Soon, the man lifted down his arm and made a small bow. He continued to walk away with another shorter man who was wearing a rice-straw hat.
Kuroha kept staring at them for a minute.
"I know you might think they dress weird," Touta commented. "But believe me that there are people with a far worse fashion sense around here. Some people from my workplace, even."
"That is not it. I thought," Kuroha shook her head. She then continued to walk ahead. "Forget it. It was probably my imagination."
Touta got concerned for a moment, but soon brushed it off and continued his way.
"The place is just around the corner," Touta signaled.
The two made the turn. However, neither saw what they were expecting. There were police cars and officers everywhere on the scene.
"Touta-kun, what is this?"
He gulped. "I-"
Countless holographic screens appeared in front of Touta and Kuroha. They said something about a big incident right down the street and the entire block being closed off. The biggest screen read something about 'magic criminals'. Seeing this, Touta gritted his teeth.
"Hey, you two," a police officer called them out. He was far away, but was using a device to amplify his voice. "You read the warnings! This area is restricted for now!"
"Touta-kun?" Kuroha got a quite uneasy.
Touta grabbed her shoulder and pushed her along. "We better get away from here, Kurou-rin."
Walking away from that scene, Touta and Kuroha ended up in the entertainment area once again. Touta found a bench. He and Kuroha sat there, but both remained in silence. In fact, neither of them had said anything since they walked away from the closed off block.
"Touta-kun, are you going to explain what was happening there?" Kuroha finally spoke. "Or is it something you do not want to talk about?"
Touta sighed. "I can't explain anything, really. I'm not sure of what was all that about," he looked to the side. "But, it seems it was one of those criminal magic attacks."
"Criminal magic?" Kuroha frowned.
"Long story short, magic can be used for good things, but also very bad things. There's some scumbags that go around the city abusing their magic like that. They rob stores to take magic devices they can sell. There's also criminal gangs that get into fights. While crimes like that are nothing new, the magic spells and weapons they use tend to leave a huge mess behind. And a lot of people get hurt," he made his hand into a fist.
"I see," Kuroha simply responded.
"Don't get worked up over this, Kurou-rin," Touta tried to sound cheerful. "That sort of thing has been happening since magic was made public. But it was put under control soon. Those bastards have simply gotten overconfident after a few incidents the last few years. Or so I heard. Normally, we wouldn't have seen that on the daylight. I'm sure the police will handle it and everything will be alright."
"In other words, the mainland never changed at all on that aspect," Kuroha said in an emotionless voice.
"Huh?" Touta frowned.
"People continue to fight over small things. They take away from others to satisfy their greed. Why are they unable to understand those conflicts are meaningless?" she closed her eyes. "My tribe hated that about other races, especially humans."
"Is… that why you're all isolated from the world?" Touta asked.
"In part," she lowered her head. "The people of my tribe all said humans are shallow beings. That they would drag us down into their foolish wars. All because they do not get how fleeting their lives are."
"Oh, come on, Kurou-rin. Not all people are like that! There's people who fight for the good and help people! I told you of heroes like Ala Alba!"
"I know of that. However, even though some try to stop it, it never stops happening," she put Asama on her lap and started petting her. "We have never understood other races. They repeat the same bloody history over and over again. Why? Could it be because they don't live long enough?"
Touta wanted to say something back. No words came out. There was nothing he could think of to say. He held his head in frustration.
"ARG!" he yelled like a student facing a complicated math problem. "This is why I hate difficult topics like this! It makes my head hurt!"
"Do not press yourself, please. This subject is too advanced for you," Kuroha snarked.
"Enough of that! Wait right here," Touta ran off towards the media stores.
Left alone, Kuroha sighed heavily. She continued to pet Asama distractively. All while staring at the people passing through the street and listening to the pop music played by the shops.
"This place is so strange. So crowned, uncultured and noisy; nothing like back at the village. However, I had started feeling like it was nice in its own way." She sighed and looked at Asama in her lap. "But from what Touta-kun told me, the mainland is still not a good place. Especially for those like us," she hung down her head. "None of that should matter. I only need to get my task done as soon as I can. For the sake of the name of the miko Kuroha."
"Kurou-rin!" Touta came back running. He had something on his hand. "I got the passes!"
"Passes," she frowned. "For what?"
"You'll see! Follow me!"
Without letting her ask anything, Touta grabbed Kuroha by the wrist.
"What about the shopping bags?"
Touta grabbed the bags and carried all of them in only one arm. With his other arm, he dragged Kuroha through the streets, passing all the entertainment shops. Asama was flying right behind them.
He finally stopped in front of what looked like a photo booth.
"What is it you are planning now, Touta-kun?"
"Nothing," he entered the passes inside the booth. "I just thought you should see something."
Touta got inside the booth without saying anything else. Kuroha sighed. She guessed she had to step inside too. Once she entered, however, she didn't feel impressed. It was a plain interior of a metal box. There was a transparent board for the two to sit in. Once she sat down, Kuroha noticed a small screen and buttons on the wall in front of them. The screen displayed what looked like a map of a city.
"Touta-kun, if your intention is to introduce me to some abnormal pastime, quit it. Now it is not a good time and I am not interested in such a thing."
"Shut it and watch," Touta pressed some of the buttons on the wall.
The room turned to black for a moment. When light came back, Kuroha saw she was no longer on the metal room from before. She and Touta were back on the middle on the shopping district streets. The strangest thing was that she was sitting on the middle of the air and so was Touta. The people around them also acted like they were invisible.
"W-What is happening now? Where did the metal box go?!"
"This is a simulation booth, Kurou-rin," Touta explained. "We're not really outside, the room is only making it look like it."
To prove it, Touta put his hand on one of the walls of the room. When Kuroha did the same, she indeed could feel the wall was there despite not seen it.
"There's many types of booths. This one is for sightseeing. It projects images of whatever part of the city you want. They're just recordings, of course," he kept pressing buttons. "I could only show you a part of the city before. I thought of bringing you here as a conclusion to your tour. But it gave me an idea," he crossed his arms. "Kurou-rin, do you think all humans are 'shallow beings'? That they do nothing but fight over stupid things?"
She opened her mouth. However, held back her answer and moved her eyes to the side. "I am not sure. That was what almost everyone on my tribe said. I had never actually seen humans or any other race myself before I left my village."
"I thought so," Touta smiled as he pressed one button after another. "Before judging, you should prove something by yourself."
The scene in the projection room changed. Touta and Kuroha were now in a park with many trees and flowers. People were having picnics and children were playing around. The scene continued to change again and again; to an academy, a church, an aquarium, an amusement park, a construction place, a hospital, an office, the famous Mahora bridge of the city and finally the night view of the large lake, complete with fireworks.
Every projection had a wonderful scenery. However, what called Kuroha's attention the most was the humans and people of other races. They were all either having fun together or working. All living their life to the fullest. What this what Touta wanted her to see?
Finally, Touta pressed one last button. He and Kuroha were now floating on the sky. Of course, it was another simulation. Looking at their feet, they found the aerial view of the Mahora Magicus city. Even though everything looked so small, it was that way that the two could see the true size of the city. It was practically the half of Tokyo.
Looking up, there was the image of the Reflection Dimension. Viewing it so closely, it was even more like the other side of the mirror.
"Kurou-rin," Touta finally spoke. "Do you mind to hear another bit of history lesson?"
"I do not mind," she said simply.
"About thirty years ago, a ten-year-old brat arrived to this city. He wanted to become the greatest mage of all and for that, the wizard academy of England sent him here. By some weird logic, he was made the homeroom teacher of a class full of quirky girls. Some of them included a half-bird demon Shinmei-ryuu, a robot and an ancient vampire loli hag."
"I thought we were talking history, Touta-kun. That sounds like the premise of one of those 'ecchi' manga you did not let me see."
"You're totally right on that, but it gets good," he cleared his throat. "To get to a point, that mage brat and several of those wacky girls are those who eventually formed Ala Alba. Everyone all over the world already treats them like legends. However, in person, they were a group of idiots that argued over stupid things like any other."
"You talk like you know them very well. And not in the sense of a huge fan."
"Well," he scratched his head. "My parents are part of Ala Alba. The rest are like relatives too. Guess you view family as family no matter how much of a celebrity they are."
"Huh," Kuroha blinked. "You are related to that famed group? You, a janitor with a comically low salary? This is a joke, right?"
"Sorry to be a letdown on that," he snarled.
"And what is the point you are trying to get at with this?" Kuroha raised an eyebrow. "I know it is not to brag about your linage."
Touta looked at the distance. His expression was serene, but not in his usual carefree way. "When I was a kid, Ala Alba were like superheroes to me. Those like the Super Sentai shows. After all, everyone on TV talked about them like they were. That's why one day I asked my parents how I could be invincible and save everyone like they did."
"And what did they answer?"
"I got beaten with a wooden sword and made do a thousand push-ups. After I was done, they made me swing 20-kilogram weights before going to sleep. Every single night from then on."
Kuroha fell from the seat, falling face first to the floor. Of course, inside the simulation, she was crashing against an invisible floor on the sky.
"I am starting to lose sight of any point this tale of yours might have," she commented as she got back on the seat.
"After a month of that, I told them I was sick of it," Touta continued. "And this was what my ma told me."
"Saving everyone means shouldering the weaknesses of everyone in the world. If you can't be able to overcome your own weaknesses, you can't hope to truly protect others. No one is invincible. Everyone has struggles, everyone needs help at times. No matter how hard and how long you try, it's impossible to save every single person on the world. However, you can try to be the strongest version of yourself you can become. By overcoming your weak self and cooperating with others, you can make many things better. That was what we did."
"And that's the story," Touta shrugged while laughing. "Even the people praised as the all-powerful peacekeepers admitted one can't solve every problem on the world!"
"So," Kuroha frowned. "You are saying the world cannot help to fall into the same cycles of tragedy and violence over and over again. And that we should just laugh it off?"
"That's not it at all," Touta sounded serious again. He crossed his arms. "It was for you to not make light of humanity. Humans have the power to work hard and cooperate for their goals. Even if there's bastards who do bad things, there's still plenty of good people who try to make things better. They might not put a stop to it forever, but they're helping a lot of people now."
Kuroha thought about it for moment. She folded her arms and leaned her back on the invisible wall behind. "I know not all humans are bad. After all, today you and that librarian made me favors without asking for anything," her eyes softened. "However, I still don't understand why humans and other races cannot live in peace. In my tribe, things like thievery and war never happens. If a disagreement ever occurs, we settle it with a duel of Basukeball."
"For some reason, I feel I shouldn't ask what that is," Touta's eyes narrowed.
"And since you are talking about how great dreams are, what about your own goal?" Kuroha asked, causing Touta to flinch. "Did you keep dreaming about being an undefeatable world saver?"
"I never said I wanted that," Touta snapped, his cheeks turning red. "I just… wondered if I could be as strong as my ma. That's all."
Kuroha's eyes lowered. "Is she the one who thought you Shinmei-ryuu?"
Touta nodded. "She and grandpa. And damn, their training was always hard as hell!"
Kuroha leaned over and rested her head on her hand. "And why is that you did not become a full-fledged master of the style?"
"I'm not sure," Touta took off the sword bag from his back. He then held it on front of him. "My ma always told me the key to reach your full potential is to protect someone you really care about. I sort of promised her to find mine. That's why I came to this city and enrolled on the Mahora Academy. I wanted to find see if I could find that someone here," he sighed and put the sword bag on his lap. "But lots of things happened. I ended up dropping out. A friend of my parents recommended me at a place and that's how I ended up as a janitor."
"I see," Kuroha simply said.
"Pretty uncool story, right?" Touta laughed it off, smiling as cheerfully as always.
"And what is it that you want now?" Kuroha questioned without looking at him. "Is the life of a janitor enough for you?"
Touta took deep breath. He leaned his back on the invisible wall, resting his hands behind his head. "I think it is, for now. It's true there's a nagging old hag who won't stop telling me to strive higher. However, I like the place where I work. I always have something to do and the people of the place are fun," he scratched his cheek. "But, when I think more seriously about it… I wonder how long I should keep things like this."
Kuroha just kept looking ahead, to the projection of the blue sky. "I do not know what has happened to you. However, you should at least keep your promise to your parent," she touched the sword bag on Touta's lap. "You still have to find that person you want to protect, right? If you find them, you probably can become a much better swordsman than you are at this moment. You already showed a mostly decent skill today."
"Now that you mention it," Touta lifted his sword bag. He held it in front of the sun of the simulation booth. "Yunagi came in really handy today. This morning, I didn't think it could save me from a robot's self-destruction explosion and some nuclear magic rocks. In fact, I was really cool today," he said cockily.
"Far from it," Kuroha sniped. Touta hung his head in disillusion. "I do admit you were very helpful to me," she scratched her cheek with her finger. "The plan to bubble the magatama worked because of your ki attacks."
"Ehehe," Touta grinned deviously. "What was that? Are you admitting you couldn't have done it without me?"
Kuroha crossed her legs and looked away. "Hmph! I am just saying your abilities in Shinmei-ryuu proved to be useful. That is why you should consider keep improving at them."
"The truth is I had never gotten to use my Shinmei-ryuu to that extent," he put a hand on his chin. "You might have a secret power to bring out my hidden potential, Kurou-rin."
"I heard people bring out their true strength in dangerous situations," Kuroha stated. "Or do not tell me you face giant robots every day?"
"No, but I have to avoid getting eaten by monsters daily," he chuckled. "You should try spend one day as a janitor like me. It's basically a survival quest!"
"Assuming those beast men and demons I have seen all over streets are among your customers, I imagine what you are talking about."
"It's far worse. We house much, much varied races," he put his hand on the back of his head. "By the way, what race do you belong to, Kurou-rin? You're not human, right?"
Kuroha looked at him with an expression of absolute shock. "W-W-What makes you think that?"
"You said it yourself. You never saw humans until you left your village," Touta raised an eyebrow. "Did you think I wouldn't put two and two together?"
"This cannot be," Kuroha lowered her head and held it with her hands. "I let my guard down. You were way sharper than I thought, Touta-kun."
"Hey," he glared. That felt more like an insult than a compliment. "I already suspected it. Your presence and scent didn't feel human," he crossed his arms, trying to look solemn. "It was more like a fairy."
"You have it all wrong there," she sighed. "Those are Western spirits. I am a legitimate Japanese."
"That's still a surprise. My workplace is full of Japanese youkai and other spirits. They can take human disguise, but none of them looks this beautiful," Touta complimented, causing Kuroha's face to turn red again. He gasped when he realized something. "Hold on! Does this mean this is not your true form? Not that I will have any issues with a monster form. Horns, tails and fangs can be attractive. But if possible, I would like to know if you have extra limbs or eyes hidden there. You know, to avoid awkward surprises."
"Calm down," she crossed her arms. "What you are seen now is me. There is no transformation or illusion here."
"Really? Good to know," Touta sighed in silence. It was better to not make obvious how much of a relief that was.
"And just to make something clear, my race is not classified as youkai. We are still well-known in Japanese culture, though," she sent him a dreadful glare. "You understood that?"
Touta got the message that he shouldn't ask anything on the subject. He did get curious of what Kuroha could be if she isn't a youkai. As far as he knew, all Japan-original monsters were called youkai. However, he knew when it was best to not press a topic. He grinned at Kuroha and made an OK gesture.
Kuroha closed her eyes and relaxed. Touta could respect her privacy every once in a while.
The lights went off and right back on. Both teenagers noticed the simulation booth was back to the boring metal box from the start.
"I guess that's time up," Touta stood up and grabbed the shopping bags. Kuroha did just the same. Both then walked out of the booth with Asama flying behind them.
"Umm," Kuroha started. "I apologize, Touta-kun. I imagine you must have used money for this. I promise I will pay you ba-"
Touta interrupted with a playful finger slap to Kuroha's nose. "Stop with the formal apologizes. You make everything awkward."
"I cannot owe you another debt," she touched her nose.
"There's no debt here," he shrugged. "You were being such a gloomy downer that I got annoyed. That's why I showed you something to lift up the spirits."
"Well," she aggressively pulled Touta's cheek. "Excuse me for being such a downer," she soon let go and her eyes turned more serious. "Is it fine you could not go to that last store? The errands ended up incomplete like this."
"Don't worry about that! Ikkuu-san will understand if I explain it to him. Besides, we got what he wanted the most on that store I didn't let you in."
"That is good," she smiled a bit. "Then, my help here should be over."
Touta lowered his head. The moment to part ways was coming soon. He was ready for it. They had spent a lot of time together already, even though she had to leave early. There was only one more thing he wanted he and Kuroha to do together.
"I remembered there was something else I had to get here," he handed over his bags to Kuroha. "I'll be back in a minute. Wait for me on the bench in front of the shop of body pillows."
Kuroha did as Touta said and patiently waited for Touta to come back. A couple of minutes passed by.
"Sorry for the wait," Touta called. He held out an ice cream cone, with the top decorated to look like a cat. In Touta's other hand, there was another ice cream cone, this one with a dog decoration.
Kuroha took the ice cream. "This is…"
"You didn't know ice cream, right?" he sat down next to her. "I don't know when we'll hang out again. That's why I had to make sure you tasted it today."
Kuroha's eyes narrowed at the suggestion that there would be a next time. She then stared suspiciously at her cone. "This has ice, right? We never eat cold food on my village."
"Just taste it. Ice cream is really delicious. I guarantee it!" he affirmed with a thumbs-up and a wink.
Without saying anything, Kuroha accepted his suggestion. She gave a lick to the ice cream and continued. Good, it seemed she had liked it.
Touta finished his ice cream in less than half a minute. He practically swallowed it whole. Once done, he savored the cold flavor on his mouth. Checking on Kuroha, he noticed her ice cream was melting in her hand. She dropped the cone and held her head with both hands.
"Kurou-rin," he got worried. "What's wrong?"
"Cold," she mumbled.
"Huh?"
"It's too cold!" she screamed. She kept holding her head like she was having a terrible headache. Her body was trembling as if it was freezing. The face was also completely blue and the eyes were spinning.
"Brain freeze?! Didn't you only have a few licks? How little tolerance to cold do you have?!"
"This isn't the time for that!" she yelled. "Bring me something hot to eat! Extremely spicy! Do it before I pass out!"
"Something hot! Got it! Hang on in there for a minute."
Touta ran off and come back in five seconds.
"Here," he offered Kuroha a can. "I got it from a vending machine. It's called the Thousand Chili Peppers-Super Hot Curry Inferno juice. I heard there's no hotter beverage than this!"
Without saying anything, Kuroha snatched it. She took it all in one sip. Once done, her face was red like a tomato, literally smoking. A bit of fire also come out of her mouth.
"I am better now," she gave back the empty can to Touta. "It was a bit lukewarm, but it did good enough."
"Lukewarm, you say…" his eyebrow twitched. "Too bad the ice cream was a bust."
"Sorry that I dropped it," she looked to the ground. However, the ice cream somehow wasn't there.
The teenagers realized Asama was carrying it on her feet. The small bird shikigami opened its beak to an impossible extent and devoured the cone in one bite. Touta and Kuroha got a chuckle out of that.
"Good to see you loosen up," Touta sat down on the bench. He patted Kuroha's back. "When we met, you were being awfully tight."
"What do you mean?" she frowned.
"Instead of being all polite and reserved, you're sniping at me and hitting me more!"
"I do not get why you are saying it like that is a good thing," she narrowed her eyes. "I am simply letting a young boy know when he is being stupid."
"That's a big sign of two people getting along," Touta winked. "My parents and their friends got into idiotic fights all the time. They were the exemplar of companions you can insult and argue over every single thing and exchange some good punches. Yet, they always watch your back. That's the best kind of pals."
"Sounds like a bunch of idealized nonsense for kids to me," Kuroha rolled her eyes. However, she did understand a bit what he meant. It was true she felt much calmer than before. Touta got on her nerves a lot, but she had to admit he had been reliable enough to her. Even though he still was one big goofy child.
Touta looked up at the sky. "I told my parents I would find my own comrades and have adventures with them. I did have some friends back in middle school. I haven't seen them since I dropped out, though," he put his hands on his pockets. "Someday, I want to have a group of comrades I can show off to my parents."
Kuroha narrowed her eyes. There was something she had wanted to asked Touta for a while. However, she somehow felt she shouldn't.
"Touta-kun," she hesitated, but pressed on. "Where are your parents now?"
"Oh," he looked back at Kuroha. He put his hand on the back of his neck. "They're up there," he pointed to the sky.
Kuroha's eyes widened. "Sorry for asking," she bowed head, looking guilty.
"I don't mean that," Touta said awkwardly. "They're on the Reflection Dimension."
"Then say it clearly! That obviously causes a misunderstanding!" she nagged. "And why are they up there?"
"Ummm. Let's put it like this," Touta scratched his head. "They sort of have to do a business trip with their friends of Ala Alba. But the airlines aren't working right now. That's why they can't return even if they want to."
"You never know how to explain something in a way I can understand, can you?" her eyes turned more serious. "Do you worry about them?"
"Nah. I'm sure they're doing just fine. They're the strongest people I know," he stared at sky once again. "I do miss them, though. I had wondered at times if I could do something for them now. But everyone tells me I can only wait," he shrugged and smiled cheerfully again. "Oh, well. No point in worrying about that. In the meantime, I'll just keep wiping floors and marveling the customers with my food," he finished with a peace sign.
Kuroha eyed him with a bit of concern. She then sighed. "Really, you are incredibly strange, Touta-kun."
She glanced up at the sky. Her eyes widened at noticing the orange color. The sun was starting to go down on the horizon.
"Oh, no," Kuroha covered her mouth. "It is already this late. The sun will go down soon!"
"It's true," Touta opened his manaphone to check the hour. "Damn it, I should be back at the inn by now. I'm in charge of the dinner today. I won't have enough food ready for those endless pits of youkai!"
"Touta-kun, I…" Kuroha looked at him. Her eyes seemed to be already saying goodbye. Touta then knew what was coming.
"You have go now," he smiled.
She silently nodded.
"That's alright. Go ahead," he grinned. "You have something you have to do, right?"
She nodded once again. "No matter what."
"I have to leave now, too. If Gengorou-san finds out I'm skipping work, he'll kill me ten times over! I may be immortal, but still don't wanna go through that. Again," he laughed loudly. "Hey, I can drop you off on the way back."
"I would be on debt with you again," she looked to the side.
Touta smirked. "Then, you'll have to see me another day to return the favor. That's your 'pay bill'."
Kuroha stared at him with her big reddish-brown eye. Her expression softened. "I do have to read all those books and return them before going back to my village. After finishing my task, I might consider staying here for a little while."
For a moment, Touta thought she smiled. He grinned from ear to ear. "It's a deal, then! And you better be prepared! I'll let you eat my glorious meals next time!"
"You can cook, Touta-kun?" Kuroha's eyebrows raised slightly.
"Not to brag, but I'm the best cook at my workplace." Touta smiled cockily and scratched his nose. "I'll get the Aeria Bike ready."
Touta started preparing the wristwatch to turn back into the Aeria Bike. Meanwhile, Kuroha rubbed her arm. She turned her head to the side again and again, as if thinking something over. She finally got an idea.
"T-Touta-kun," she called his attention. "There is something I think you should have."
Kuroha took something out of her long sleeves. She held out her arm towards Touta.
"What's that?" Touta looked over the item in her palm. It was a small drawstring bag with a circular shape. It was awfully sewed together, though. There were in fact little ropes holding it together as if the maker had given up halfway. Either a five-year-old had made it or some terrible mishap had ruined it.
"An omamori," Kuroha replied. "I made it myself."
"Oh," Touta blinked. Now he knew arts and crafts probably weren't Kuroha's strength.
"You see," Kuroha cleared her throat. "Today, you have showed me the world of the mainland. There are many things that are just baffling. After what happened in that shop, I realize this bizarre world offers unimaginable dangers, especially for a young boy," Touta's eyebrow twitched at hearing that term. "This omamori is meant to attract good fortune and grant protection from dark spirits. This could be… useful for you to have," her face got redder. "For your safety, of course."
Touta observed carefully Kuroha's expressions as she spoke. Her obvious embarrassment and shyness just gave her away so easily. Likely because of her upbringing, she had lots of trouble expressing herself and interacting with others. This was probably the only gesture of friendship she could think of.
"Not very honest, I see," Touta thought. He smiled while glancing at the little bag in Kuroha's hand. His expression soon changed when he saw the patterns.
"Hey, Kurou-rin," he signaled the pattern. "Why does this have a half-eaten potato chip?"
"That is the sun," Kuroha's eyebrow twitched.
"Alright," he scratched his head with his finger. "And what's that weird black spot at the center? An urchin? A porcupine?"
"It is a crow," she said between gritted teeth. "You know, forget it. After all, the great immortal Touta does not need any heavenly protection."
Before she could put it back in her sleeve, Touta grabbed her wrist.
"Just give it to me already. Even a mighty immortal could use some good luck. Besides," he winked and grinned. "Something so sloppily made suits Kurou-rin."
Kuroha frowned. "What is that? Are you mocking me or trying to be nice?"
"You can take it either way," he smirked deviously.
"Seriously, Touta-kun," Kuroha sighed heavily. "Your skill at irritating others is off the charts."
"Thank you! A lot of people praise that about me!"
"I see you never heard about backhanded compliments," she deadpanned.
"Of course, I have," Touta took Kuroha's hand into his own. "You're fantastic at those, Kurou-rin! That's one of the reasons you're my chosen heroine!"
Kuroha was about to call him out on his jabbering again. What stopped her was the smoke she saw coming out of hers and Touta's clasped hands. The two immediately let go of each other, the omamori falling to the ground. Touta held his own hand, with smoke still coming out of it.
"T-Touta-kun?!" Kuroha stood up and checked his hand up close. Her expression was both worried and confused. She stared in shock at his palm. The skin was practically melting off, exposing some bone. "How can this be?" Kuroha was still paralyzed in shock. "That omamori has the blessing of the great sun deity. It should not have any effect in humans. It only repels evil spirits or…" She gulped.
"Crap. Forgot what the old hag warned me," Touta stared at his own palm. He then made it into a fist. "Stay away from holy symbols and blessed amulets. You'll survive, but it itches like hell," he sighed. "I didn't think that included good luck charms."
Touta then opened up his palm again. All sign of injury or burn was completely gone.
Kuroha for a second couldn't believe what she saw. However, she knew it wasn't any trick or magic. She glanced at the glass window behind her and Touta. In its reflection, Kuroha was the only one standing in front of the glass. No one was sitting on the bench. The boy sitting in front of her was nowhere to be seen there.
She finally put all pieces together. This could only mean one thing. "The omamori can only hurt unholy creatures of the darkness. Such as the undead and night monsters," she made a few steps back from Touta. "Touta-kun, you are really…"
Touta didn't even pay attention to the change in Kuroha's behavior. He casually picked up the omamori from the ground. Despite feeling his skin melting again, he endured it and put the amulet on his pocket.
"I didn't mean to hide anything," he stood up and grinned at Kuroha. It was now that she noticed his fangs were abnormally sharp. They didn't look like that in the morning. Was this because the sun was setting? "I told you over and over. I'm an immortal monster."
"T-That cannot be," Kuroha was paralyzed with disbelief.
"You still don't believe me? Well, it must quite the surprise," he sighed.
She kept moving her mouth, but no words came out. Until now, she passed off Touta's bragging about immortality as a joke. However, she couldn't brush off the proof with the omamori and the missing reflection in front of her eyes now.
She clenched her hands into fists. "A vampire."
"That's what they call me now," he rolled his eyes and picked his nose. He didn't seem fond of the term. "I'm human at heart, though. So, don't worry. I won't bite." He said without any irony.
"No, this does not make any sense," she lowered her head and covered her mouth. It was like she was facing something absolutely inconceivable. "Because… Vampires are… And Touta-kun is… Well, Touta-kun… This cannot be serious."
"Hey, I know I don't exactly fit the traditional vampire image. And I personally don't like the over-the-top melodrama of it," he shrugged. "However, there's no need to act like it's that out of left field."
Before the conversation could continue, Asama interrupted. She started flying in circles. The jewel in her chest was glowing and making noises like an alarm.
"What the hell got into Nagano now?" Touta scratched his head. "Does she need to poop or something?"
Kuroha smacked him in the head. Her expression grew serious as she glanced up at Asama. "To imagine it would appear here," she extracted one tsurugi sword from inside Asama's jewel. The shikigami immediately turned back to a small paper crane attached to the weapon's pommel. "Touta-kun, you should get away from this area. It could get dangerous," she turned her back to him. "Although, a vampire would probably be fine."
"Kurou-rin, what's up? You're acting cryptic all of a sudden."
"Just do as I say," she kept her back turned. She contemplated the sky for a moment. "You are a vampire. However, you have not appeared to be a bad person. Really, how weird can you get?"
Saying nothing more, she took off running.
"K-Kurou-rin?!" Touta didn't understand anything that had just happened. Without thinking, he chased after Kuroha, completely forgetting about the shopping bags. He knew she had to leave to do something, whatever that was. But this wasn't how he wanted to part ways. "Shit! Just how many times are you going to run off like that?!"
He tried to keep sight of her running. However, it was difficult because of the people passing by the street. As he tried to avoid bumping into something, a person stood on his way. Touta yelled him to move, but the person didn't. The boy fell over from the impact.
Touta called out the person for not moving aside. Looking up, he ran into a surprise. It was the cloaked duo Kuroha bumped into before. The taller one helped Touta get back up.
"You again?"
"I apologize," the taller man said. "I didn't notice you. We're in the middle of looking for something."
"No problem," Touta said in a rush. He was too busy thinking about catching up to Kuroha.
Unfortunately, there was no sight of her nearby. Touta thought he had already missed her. However, while he couldn't find her on foot, he still had the Aeria Bike. He caught to her before thanks to it, he just had to do it again. He started pressing the buttons in the wristwatch to turn it back into the vehicle.
Something was strange, though. The atmosphere was feeling different somehow. Touta's views of his surroundings appeared to be twisting themselves. Was he getting sick? Or was there something wrong with the area? Was this the thing Kuroha warned him about?
Out of nowhere, Touta noticed a light coming from the top of tallest tower in that part of the district. The brightness was so blinding that he and all the people around covered their eyes.
Once he opened his eyes, Touta was lying on the street. He didn't wait to get up, but it was then that he realized that something was seriously wrong. The entire street seemed to have been turned to its side. The pavement surface was on the vertical side where the shops should be. Similarly, the buildings were now on the horizontal side.
Touta thought he would fall, but his feet were firmly placed on the vertical street without using any ki or magic app. It was like gravity had just stopped working.
As he looked upwards, Touta's eyes widened until it seemed they would pop out. Flying cars, airships and whales in the sky were nothing new to him. However, there shouldn't be giant buildings floating in the middle of the air. This definitely wasn't the shopping district he knew.