The sound of Keiko's laughter ran in Yasu's ears as the Sorceress chased her through the crowd.
"You'll never catch me!"
Yasu merely smiled, keeping her pace with the young child. Keiko looked much healthier than when Yasu had dropped her off. Her face had a nice amount of color to it and all of her cuts and bruises had faded. She wore a simple white t-shirt with denim overalls. Her sandy brown hair fluttered in the wind as she ran to her desired location. Keiko's mother, Minako wasn't too far behind, casually glancing around at the shops but obviously keeping a close eye on her child. The Sorceress slowed to a stop behind the youngster- she was staring at a stand selling various necklaces. Keiko's eyes glimmered, her eyes locked on a single necklace. It was a simple necklace with a pair of wings as the pendent.
"Ahhh, it's so pretty!"
"This necklace?"
The Sorceress reached to pick it up, chocolate orbs following the accessory like a hawk on its prey. Yasu studied it- it was a simple pair of white wings printed onto metal, much like some of the trinkets she'd find kids wearing back in her original world.
"Hey, how much is this?"
A young man with dark blue hair turned around to meet her gaze before looking down at the item she held.
"That's 50 silver!"
Minako approached from behind them, reaching down to grab her daughter's hand.
"Now Keiko, you know mama can't spare too much money right now…"
A flash of disappointment flickered across the youth's face.
"I know, mama. I'm sorry."
Yasu reached into her bag, picking through the little side coin purse she had.
"I'll take it."
The Sorceress dropped several coins in the vendor's hand. Once satisfied that it was 50 silver, Yasu turned around, holding the necklace up to the young girl.
"Here." She said gently.
"Onee-san…"
"We can't take this! We already owe you so much, pleas-"
"It's quite alright!" Yasu cut in. "It's not a burden for me at all and you don't owe me anything so please stop saying that. I only did the right thing. I'm happy to have given a second chance to Keiko-chan."
The Adventurer smiled warmly, bending down to eye level with the child.
"Here. It's yours."
"Are…are you sure?" Her large brown eyes began shimmering with tears.
"Of course. Don't cry! Please, it's okay. Let me put it on you."
The young girl sniffled loudly as Yasu brought her arms around to clasp the necklace in place.
"There."
Keiko wrapped her little arms around Yasu's neck, sobbing into her shoulder.
"O-onee-san, thank you-u so much!"
The Sorceress draped her arms around the child, hugging her tightly.
"Don't worry about it."
Minako stood a couple feet behind the two, her eyes also brimming with tears. She placed a hand on Yasu's shoulder, squeezing it.
"You are truly an angel. Thank you."
The Sorceress smiled again.
"Let's go eat lunch. I know a delicious ramen place near here…"
The first day of the Scale Festival was coming to an end. The Sorceress carried Keiko on her back, the young girl slept peacefully, oblivious to the rambunctious people swarming around them. Throughout the day, Yasu had bought the young Person of the Land a lovely dress and several sweets along the way. Each time, Minako objected but Yasu was firm with her decisions. After all, she still had more money than she knew what to do with- spending a few silver or gold around a small festival wouldn't make a dent. The sky was set a deep maroon as the festival lights were being lit and the smell of alcohol wafted through the air.
"It's getting late. We should find a place to stay."
"Don't worry. I can find you guys an inn."
"I would ask you not to, but you're going to anyways, aren't you, Sayu-san?" Minako said gratefully.
"Of course. I know a friend of a friend."
Yasu turned back, her brilliant forest green orbs meeting Minako's cerulean eyes.
"You two came all the way out here just to thank me. I'm not about to leave you guys here and be a bad hostess. And just call me Sayu."
Minako nodded, a grateful smile gracing her face.
"Thank you."
The Sorceress belly-flopped onto her plush bed, stretching out.
Man, that was a long day.
Keiko's beaming face flickered across her mind.
But it was worth it.
She rolled over onto her back, looking up at the ceiling. The usual plain white was decorated with various colorful spring shades from the lanterns outside. The faint bustling of yelling and people having fun rang in her ears.
When was the last time I had fun like that…
After finding the mother and daughter a comfortable inn to stay in, Yasu promptly made her way to her apartment, emotionally and physically drained. Keiko's behavior reminded the Sorceress painfully about her beloved cousin, it almost made her want to break down and cry. Almost.
I guess I'll sleep it off…
Yasu threw her clothes off, reaching for her pajamas. The silken material felt nice against her skin. Her green orbs stared out the window as she rested her head on the white pillow.
I wonder what everyone else is up to…
The next morning went by in a blur. Keiko and Minako decided to leave back home to Choushi with a group of Adventurers and People of the Land. Travelling in a group was safer than travelling alone so Yasu was quick to agree.
"Onee-san! We'll meet again soon, won't we?"
Keiko's chocolate orbs stared up at Yasu in anticipation, tears slowly welling in her eyes.
"Of course we will! If anything, I can go down to see you next time."
The Sorceress winked at the child, pulling her into a warm hug.
"Thank you so much for everything, Onee-san! I promise to be good!"
"Good; that's all I ask." Yasu turned to Minako. "Thank you so much for coming to visit me. I really appreciate it."
"Please, we're the ones who should be thanking you again. I hope to see you again soon, you're a wonderful person."
Minako bowed deeply. Yasu smiled bashfully, pulling her up.
"You don't need to do that. Here, these are for the road."
Yasu held up a small basket covered with a tea towel. Keiko lifted the towel and reached in to grab a cookie.
"Ahh! These delicious things!"
The Sorceress handed the basket to the mother as the group began walking out of the gates.
"Have a safe trip home! I'll be sure to visit you in the future!"
"Onee-san, bye! Come visit us!"
Minako waved with her child, tears in both of their beautiful eyes. Yasu stood at the entrance of Akihabara until their silhouettes were no longer visible. The Sorceress smiled into the horizon, turning her back to head back to the festival. A familiar ding rang in her head, signifying an incoming call.
'Hello?'
'Sayu-san! How are you?'
'Good afternoon, Soujirou-san. I am well, how are you?'
'I'm great, thanks for asking! I'm calling to ask if you'd like to attend the cake buffet with me and my guild!'
'Ah…I'm not too sure about that, Soujirou-san…'
'Oh, come on! It's the least I could offer after you took time out of your day to spar with me! Please?!'
Yasu sighed inwardly. It didn't seem like he was going to budge.
'Alright…I'll go with you guys.'
'Alright! I'll see you in at Café Kanako in a couple of hours then!'
The Sorceress was stopped outside a concession stand that had just finished putting its final touches on the sign. She rubbed the back of her head, troubleshooting scenarios of ways she wouldn't be killed by Soujirou's guild members.
Maybe Nazuna-san will save me…
Yasu idely wandered down the streets of the Scales Festival, casually glancing at any items that may pique her interest.
"You're trying to rip me off, aren't you?!" Someone in the distance yelled.
"..huh?! What are you talking about?" Another voice countered.
"I saw you selling it to that Adventurer for cheaper! It's because I'm a Person of the Land, isn't it?!"
The Sorceress pushed her way through the crowd to see a pudgy Person of the Land with expensive clothing on in the face of a Wolf Fang Adventurer. Several People of the Land were behind the pudgy one, trying to get him to calm down as the Adventurer store owner stood his ground. Yasu pushed her way into the argument.
"What's going on here?"
"This noble thinks I'm selling things to him for a higher price than anyone else. I don't give anyone better or worse treatment based on social standing." The Adventurer spat out, his tail twitching.
"Don't you lie to me, I saw you selling it to that kid for cheaper than what you told me!"
The noble shook his fist, trying to push into a fight.
"Adventurers don't care about who's rich and who's not. We don't care as long as we're paid. You probably didn't see what the other person was buying and you're making a big fuss about it so please leave. You don't have to buy from this shop if you don't want to."
"W-why, I oughta-"
The agitation was growing on the Sorceress, which she made evident by pre-summoning a Frigid Wind. An icy blue aura surrounded her menacingly as she stared into the noble's eyes.
"Leave."
Obviously taken aback, the fat man staggered back before storming off, mumbling profanities under his breath.
"You okay?"
Yasu glanced over her shoulder, motioning the crowd to scatter.
"Yeah, thanks."
The shop owner nodded, turning to clean up the mess that was left behind. As soon as the dispute ended, another pair of shop owners and customers began yelling at the other.
Another one…?
The Sorceress pushed down the throngs of people, looking for the security management tent.
Are the security measurements actually doing their job?
A plain tan tent stood almost in the center of the festival- there was nothing peculiar about it, with simple heavy iron picks holding it down. Yasu gingerly stepped in, eyes looking around.
"Yo." Isaac greeted.
He was lazily sitting in a chair in the center of the tent as his underlings scurried around the room with papers and reports.
"Isaac-kun." Yasu nodded, "There seem to be a lot of disagreements between customers and shop owners.
"It's to be expected. Everyone wants a cheaper price for everything."
The Guardian flipped through a few papers that were given to him before making a quick comment about it and handing it back.
"Nothing from Shiroe-san?"
"Not yet."
Yasu clicked her tongue. Perhaps she was being a little too antsy.
"I see. How is it going in the tent? Have you had lunch yet?"
Isaac raised an eyebrow at her suspiciously, momentarily taking his eyes off of the chart in his hands.
"It's alright in here, I guess. Someone's gotta keep the order. And no, it's about lunch time, I suppose. Why, you gonna get something for me?"
"If you'd like me to; I'm not doing anything at the moment. In fact, I'd prefer you to ask something of me…"
A flash of Soujirou's guild members crept through her mind before unpleasant shivers ran down her curved body.
"Alright then! I want one of those hamburgers from Crescent Moon. I want a red bean bun too."
Isaac grinned, leaning back on his chair- his pyro hair getting slightly disheveled as he did so.
"I'll be back shortly then."
Yasu nodded, before strolling out of the tent. The sun was high in the sky and the second day of the Scales Festival seemed even more boisterous than the first with Adventurers and People of the Land alike, shopping and having fun. The Crescent Moon Refreshment Stand had an ocean of hungry customers waiting in line for their lunches; many chattered happily amongst themselves. The line curled into a long zigzagging line far down past many stalls.
Sheesh, Marie's guild certainly has their work cut out for them…
The Sorceress slowly inched her way towards the back where the production of the hamburgers was happening. A very familiar fox and wolf were running around frantically, getting things together but their guild leader was nowhere in sight.
"Hey, Sayu-san! Watch your head!" Hien half yelled as he carried a tray of buns across the room, over her head.
"G-good afternoon, guys."
It was an odd site to behold. Hien's prized green scarf was tossed aside onto a chair. Instead, he donned a white apron with a large red heart on the front. Shoryu's usual blue attire under his brown and gold armor was replaced by a black t-shirt with a similar apron to Hien but instead of the heart, there was a rainbow with clouds.
"How long is Girov going to take on his break?! He's already been gone 20 minutes!" Shoryu yelled back as he frantically chopped some tomatoes.
"Is Second not back yet?! He said he'd only take a couple of minutes to talk to Marie!"
A large sweat drop rolled down the back of Yasu's head.
…Do I help them? No wait, do I want to help them…? …Not really…
The Sorceress sighed to herself. It didn't look like she had a choice.
"Where are your patties? I'll help you until your chefs come back."
After Yasu began organizing and conducting the two team leaders of Crescent Moon, things started running more smoothly. The initial swarm of people right outside of the concession stand dissipated and much of the long line had shrank down.
"Ah! You two seem to be managing well!" A elf in a black apron and red assistant hat called out.
"Second! Where were you?! Yasu-san had to help us with this!" Hien raised his voice, his sandy fox ears twitching in irritation.
"It's no problem! I'm fairly decent at cooking and I came here to buy a burger anyways!" Yasu stuttered, not knowing how to react to being pulled into the argument.
"I'm sorry. Marie-san was hiding in a few boxes so it took me a while to find her…" The young Elf looked down, abashed.
Shoryu stared him down with slight disapproval. "Well, he's here now, Hien. Let's just continue on with this for our guild! Sayu-san, please feel free to take a few burgers. It's the least we could offer for your assistance in the heated burger catering you helped us in!"
Shoryu turned back to his chopping as Second awkwardly jumped into Yasu's place, flipping the patties and assembling everything. The Sorceress gave an awkward laugh, grabbing several burgers and sneaking out the back.
"Good luck guys!"
A large sigh escaped her lips as she continued down the road towards the red bean bun store. They were quite pricey because its invention was still new and supposedly difficult to recreate.
"Welcome to the traditional red bean bun hut! How many would you like?"
"I'll take all of the ones that just came out of that steamer please."
The Sorceress strode down the streets with two big bags of food nearly covering her face- many stared at her as she walked by.
"Isaac-san, I'm sorry that took so long. I've brought the food you asked for…"
Yasu trailed off as it took her a moment to process what was going on in the security hub. Isaac was leaned back in his chair, snoozing with some papers covering his face as his underlings ran around, even more disgruntled than before. The stack of complaints more than doubled from the last time she saw it. She eyed the pile of the different forms and types of papers unevenly and messily stacked into one. The Yasu set the two large brown paper bags of food down, going over to lift the paper on the Guardian's face.
"Hey, wake up."
The Sorceress gently shook his shoulder.
"Mmm, what do you want? …I'm napping."
"I've brought your food, Isaac-san," Yasu chuckled, "And I've brought food for everyone else in this tent too, so dig in."
"Thanks." Isaac mumbled from under the sheet before sitting up and straightening himself out.
"Take a break, guys."
An exasperated sigh echoed through his working guild members as each of them lined up to grab a burger and a bun. The Sorceress sat in a vacant chair, enjoying her meal as she acknowledged the 'thank you's expressed to her.
"Enjoy. I got the burgers for free."
Crescent Moon had really outdone themselves with their burgers. The meat was perfectly seasoned and the vegetables were fresh and crisp. Whatever sauce they were using made things marry together wonderfully. Her bliss didn't last long as it was interrupted with a ding.
Hello, Sayu-san? We are approaching Café Kanako, are you waiting for us?
Oh crap.
The shops were a line of blurs as the Sorceress ran past the street of never ending stalls. Yasu's emerald eyes scanned the area wildly as she weaved through the crowds of bustling People of the Land and Adventurers, trying to be wary to avoid slapping people with her long hair. Café Kanako was half way across town- it would take her at least 10 minutes by running.
Shoot, I can't believe, I made Soujirou-san wait.
Soujirou's cheerful smile beamed at her even before she stepped through the door to the café. He and his guild were perched on the balcony of the two story building, taking up most of the space on the outdoor portion.
"Sayu-san, you made it!"
"Yeah! I'm so sorry I'm late, Soujirou-san. I got caught up in some things."
Yasu dusted off her skirt before sitting in the suspiciously vacant chair next to the Samurai. The Sorceress immediately felt murderous intent surrounding her from almost all directions- many of the ladies who came with their significant others glared at her, the females of the West Wind Brigade were no exception. Stiffly, she turned to a familiar face.
"Yo, Sayu-san! I'm so glad you could make it!"
Nazuna slung an arm around the Yasu, grinning casually.
"I'm so sorry I made you and your guild wait for me…"
"Nonsense! We just got settled in! If we eat the right amount of cakes, we won't have to pay!"
So I'm just another stomach to feed…
"Sou-sama, what kind of cake would you like to eat?"
"Soujirou-sama!"
Yasu slowly leaned away from the now drowning guild leader. Staying closer to Nazuna seemed to be the wiser option.
"Oh-ho, so you're the famed Sayu-chan!" An effeminate voice called out.
A tall man with a robust build sat next to the Fox Tail. His brown hair was severely understated by his odd purple hair and make-up; the main points of his outfit were a gaudy faux fox scarf and an alarmingly bright red rose belt.
"I'm afraid you have me at a disadvantage…"
"Ah, this is Dolce. He's probably one of the only people in our guild you haven't met yet."
"I'm so pleased to meet you! There are numerous conversations about you in our guild!"
Inwardly, Yasu felt many sweat drops trailing down her back. Why were these people talking about her so frequently?
"A-ah, the pleasure is all mine."
"So, guys, what kind of cakes do you want to eat?!" Soujirou asked happily.
A loud eruption of suggestions exploded on the balcony as each female in his guild tried to interject. This was going to be a long few hours.
"So, so the hostess just let Souji and our entire guild in after he just asked! Even though we were participating in the free cake eating contest!"
The sheer amount of women that followed Soujirou for the cake eating competition was enough to mow through 8 entire cakes and still continue strong. Girlish giggles filled the air as the night settled in. Nazuna, Dolce and Yasu laughed together- the three had drifted from the other girls and Soujirou and began their own conversations. Dolce and Nazuna were very easy to talk to and not crazy creepy like the other ladies in their group. Dolce was indeed a little odd at times but a little eccentricity never hurt anyone.
"Man, Dolce, you should have seen Sayu-san when she and Souji fought! She kicked his ass!"
The Sorceress flushed in modesty, trying to hide behind another piece of her delicious slice of strawberry cake.
"I-it was very close!"
"Don't be so humble, Sayu! Your HP didn't go below green!"
Dolce whistled, "Sayu-chan must be quite the combatant then!"
"I practice a lot..."
A third incoming call of the day interrupted her chat. Ding
Sayu-san?
Yasu excused herself from the table to stand by the wooden balcony railing.
Good evening, Shiroe-san.
I'd like you to meet me at my office, if it's not a bad time. I believe Akihabara is under attack.