November 12 2022


The Foreigner from a Distant World

CHAPTER 1

The Pink Kitsune beside the Pond


It has been three days since they safely arrived at Narukami Island where they spent the last two resting in a village not far from the city proper. But their journey was far from uneventful. A troop of Hilichurls appeared to run off with their supplies but his armed companions defeated them. One Hilichurl was running towards him with a spiked club raised and Hachiman readied his stance. He sidestepped at the last moment, grabbing his adversary's arm and using its momentum to hurl it to the ground.

As it was getting up, a flaming arrow burst from its chest and instantly kills it. Hachiman looks aghast at the dead humanoid creature and turns to the samurai archer wielding a flaming bow and seemingly unaffected by the flames. Then he sees another samurai split an unfortunate Hilichul in half from a sharp wave of water which came from his sword. It was his first time witnessing death before his eyes and also seeing a vision user show their elemental abilities. The samurai beheaded the survivors which greatly disturbed him. The good food and drink served to him, as well as the accommodations that he had, did little to give him the comfort of sleep that night.

Hachiman closes his eyes and shakes his head to make the unpleasant memories from the previous night go away. He exhales and steels himself to focus.

"Hm, so this is Inazuma City huh. From the looks of it, their level of technology seems low. Around the Edo period perhaps? Hard to say." Hachiman thinks to himself while observing the people and buildings around him. He is closely guarded by Samurai to be escorted to the local authorities. Onlookers whisper amongst themselves as they walk by with their eyes trained solely on his person. Hachiman gazes upon the massive towering Tenshukaku castle just beyond the bridge. He squints and swears that he saw a vague figure at the highest balcony looking down to the city spread before it.

"So that's where their 'Electro Archon' lives…"

They arrive at the commissioner's estate which Hachiman compares to their equivalent of a police station. He is led to a private room with an office where he first must write his account of what happened in Yashiori Island. Hachiman writes extensively about his experiences, filling out several sheets of long paper and even running out of ink for his brush. He presents them to the official who widens his eyes at the amount and writing. The official excuses himself and disappears for an hour or two and a servant arrive to give him some food to eat.

He is once again whisked away once finishing his meal and escorted straight to the Tenshukaku. He barely had time to observe and appreciate his surroundings as they enter a smaller yet still imposing building right beside it. They enter a meeting hall where three important-looking men seated on the floor with a table in front of them are already waiting for him. His guards bow and leave him, closing the heavy door behind them with a sound that echoes around the room.

"Boy, come. Don't be afraid." The one on the left - an elderly man with thinning hair gives him a friendly smile. He does what he is told and sits across them on a soft cushion on the floor. Hachiman realizes that the papers neatly stacked at the centre of the table are the ones that he wrote in the commissioner's estate.

"I have to say, your words are impressive for someone so young."

"Indeed, your mastery over writing is highly appreciated." The other two say and praise his work.

For a moment, Hachiman stares back at them confused and then reminds himself that in this period, only people from rich families can afford education. They must believe him to be the son of a nobleman from a clan in Yashiori Island.

"Thank you."

The three men nod to each other and the one in the middle clears his throat. "Your account is highly detailed which saves us precious time. You even wrote the physical descriptions of the forty-four total men you buried. One of them happens to be a close friend of mine and you have my sincerest gratitude for giving him his final respects."

"It must have been rough spending fourteen days there. Rest assured that you can stay here for as long as you like."

They go over what he wrote and ask him questions to see if there are any discrepancies. Hachiman answers all of them truthfully until the sun started to set in the sky outside the meeting room. The youngest of the three who also happens to be the most amiable asks him about his family.

"They aren't here in this world and there is nothing for me back in Yashiori Island." He replies.

The man mutters an apology and informs him of a meeting in the morn with the family members of the deceased. Their meeting is soon concluded and Hachiman is escorted to a private room where he will spend the night.

Hachiman wakes up just before sunrise and cleans himself in the public bath still within the premises with a servant waiting on him just outside. With two guards at his side and wearing a traditional Yukata in the colours of the Shogunate, he steps out into the cold morning air and surveys the entirety of the Tenshukaku grounds to observe its beauty and splendour. The guards inform him that it is almost breakfast and he tells them to go on ahead and he will join them shortly. He watches their retreating figures back into the Tenryou commission grounds and returns his attention to the beautiful pond where koi fish swam.

From the corner of his eye, he spots a lone shrine maiden in a Miko attire walking on the stone pavement straight towards the steps that lead to the Tenshukaku main entrance. Rays of sunlight hit her form like an actress on a stage with the lights trained and focused on her figure. He notes that she does not seem to be in a hurry and just like himself takes her time walking at her own pace.

He shrugs and ignores her but sees her stop and turn in his direction. Her footfalls get louder with every step she takes and she stops a small distance away from him, also gazing at the Koi in the pond.

The pink-haired young woman speaks first. "Beautiful, isn't it? The servants don't get enough credit for maintaining everything to this high of a standard."

Hachiman turns to the stranger and bows. "Good morning," He knows his manners and it's best to be polite and respectful to his elders. Especially since he does not yet know the influential and powerful people in Inazuma.

"And a good morning to you as well. Oh my, what a polite little boy you are. You look too well-dressed to be a servant and too young to work in the Tenryou Commission. Tell me - who are you?"

Hachiman ignores the slightly condescending and somewhat teasing tone in her voice. The age gap between them does not seem to be very large from her appearance. His eyes observe a pink fluffy thing on the side of her head. It twitches, and he summarises that they must be her ears.

"I am Hikigaya Hachiman."

The shrine maiden pauses for a moment with her scrutinizing gaze on him.

"Hm… 'The Contrasting Valley of Hope' and 'God of The Eight Banners'… Interesting, your name has Divinity attached to it." She takes a step closer to him. Being from the noble race of Kitsune, she can sense many things mortal humans cannot despite her young age. The boy in front of her looks undoubtedly human, and yet, she feels something off about him.

The feeling comes from a phenomenon akin to a sixth sense - yet a sense all the same. It tells her that there is something fundamentally wrong with him. His aura feels strange, and from the numerous humans that the Kitsune has met in her nineteen years of life, he is the first to make her feel this way. Being a Kitsune, she is naturally curious and mischievous, and it comes as no surprise that this fact alone causes her interest to get piqued by the strange boy.

On the other hand, Hachiman hides his surprise well and maintains a neutral face.

"Interesting - she instantly understood the Kanji meaning of my name. This person is smart. And that also means that a Chinese civilization exists in this world which Inazuma borrowed their writing from." He thinks to himself.

"I am Yae Miko. As you can see, I am a shrine maiden. If that is not obvious enough." She holds out her arms for him to see her dress.

"Pleased to meet you." They exchange bows and speak for a while talking of trivial things. She withholds asking personal questions, deeming it preferable to move it to another time and place. Hachiman looks up to the sky and remembers that the servants might be looking for him soon. Their little conversation must have been longer than he realized. He was about to excuse himself but his companion opens her mouth to speak first.

"Say, I'm feeling a bit hungry from walking all the way from Hanamizaka. These Zori can make my feet feel pretty sore." Miko slightly leans down to rub her Tabi-covered foot to emphasize while glancing at him with a barely closed eye to see his reaction. Hachiman reciprocates her subtle hint with a hidden meaning and offers her his arm.

"I'm sure the Tenryou Commission has food to spare." He says. A faint blush appears on his cheeks when she takes his arm. The shrine maiden graces him with an equally faint smile which he did not fail to notice.

"That, I am sure."

Hachiman finds her company as pleasant and thinks to himself that he might have earned his first friend in this familiar yet foreign world. As for Miko, she quickly regards him as fascinating especially the manner of his speech and his strange yet amusing outlook on the topics that they spoke about. His wit unconsciously draws her to him and they can understand each other perfectly. She appreciates someone who thinks on the same wavelength as her as well as the mischievousness which comes along with it. Hachiman does not mind at all and even plays along with her.

The two leisurely walk back towards the grounds of the Tenryou Commission, taking their time observing and appreciating the beauty of the castle.