AAN: this popped into my head recently after immersing myself in MR fanfiction again. I hope you all like the concept, it might be a bit of a slow start as I do some world building. It'll get better I promise.

Speech in [ italics] is in Japanese, * italics * is internal thoughts.

A World Away

World of Differences

As the sun shone down upon the land, many hard working monsters and humans could be seen working hard to bring the year's harvest in. Among them were the local heroes who had faced Mu. Holly had brought the community together in the time since she and her father settled in this small village. The peace and quiet was welcome after the harsh years of fighting and sorrow. Though their final member was missing from the fields he was still working hard in his own world. Genki had retained the ability to bounce between the two worlds by choice after the final show down with Mu's soul. He had consistently made a point of visiting them as often as he could. Though now he juggled this along with his job. Despite his visits becoming less frequent his friendship with the monsters and Holly had grown over the years. Holly put her last bushel in the cart near her and wiped her brow. She hadn't felt well most of the day but had continued to help with the harvest despite this. She assumed she was just exhausted, once they finished with the harvest she figured she could take it easy and recover. Tiger had made noted of her lack of energy and resolved to keep an eye on her. Holly walked off to get her canteen as Tiger hauled the load to the designated drop off zone. The young woman sighed thinking about all the labor ahead. Getting the harvest in was only half of the work. They also needed to thresh it to collect the grain and turn the residual into hay bales; while the former was taken to the local mill for grinding. Though the entire village helped with each harvest they wouldn't all be expected to finish it. Holly's mind briefly wandered to Genki, wondering how he was fairing. He had told them he had to work, over time as he called it, to finish a project his team was working on. She knew very little about what he actually did, he had at one point tried to explain it to them but they hadn't really understood. All she knew was it was mentally taxing rather than physically. * I truly wonder about his education sometimes, he seems to know a lot more than us. He did say he had over 12 years of schooling... but what was he taught? * Her thoughts were interrupted but Suezo hoping over to her, she smiled seeing him with Mocchi in tow.

"Holly, we finished with the north side... I see this area is also finished." She nodded,

"Yes, I believe nearly everyone is done."

"Good, my tail and tongue hurt from all this work." Holly chuckled hearing his whining but knew his body type wasn't very good for this type of work. It had taken nearly four days to complete the whole field and they had pushed themselves to make sure they got it in before the fall rains started. Holly really couldn't blame him for being tired. She glanced over to see her father heading towards them with Hare close behind. She smiled to him as he got close; he returned it affectionately then nodded to the monsters present.

"West side is done now. I see you finished up the south side just fine."

"Yes, it wasn't too bad. It looks like we got a good yield this year."

"Sure does, I bet we can get a good price for it at market." Hare piped up cheerfully.

"It's always about money with you isn't it Hare." Tiger had returned to hear him.

"Well the village has to make money to buy supplies Tiger, not all of us are thieves like you."

"What'd you call me!?" Tiger growled.

"You heard me."

"No fighting chi!" Mocchi broke them up.

"Tiger ignore him please." Holly spoke gently to him. He grunted then looked away from the rabbit monster.

"Only for you Holly." She smiled; Tiger had chosen her as his trainer a while ago. She found it interesting but was flattered he approved of her. She looked over at Golem, hearing his approach from a ways off. She smiled seeing he seemed only slightly tired from the whole affair.

"Well if he's here then that means the field is completely harvested." Hare stated,

"Finally I thought my tongue was going to fall off." The group laughed at Suezo's comment.

"I'll put some of that special salve we have on it later, Suezo."

"Thank you Holly."

"Golem… is finished with the east side."

"Well how about we get home and get some grub then?" Hare said rather happy to be finished as well. Holly saw them all nodded and laughed,

"Alright, let's go." Holly would make a quick meal tonight since she was very tired as well.

"Hey, does anyone know when Genki will pop back over?" Hare asked, the gang all seemed to draw a blank.

"I believe he said he had extra work this week... but our times don't always match up with his." Suezo commented as he tried to keep up with the group.

"Yeah... I wonder what the project is his team was working on?" Tiger grunted at Hare's inquiry,

"He already tried to explain his job once Hare, none of us understood him. It's doubtful we'd understand his project even if he tried to explain." everyone sweat dropped at that comment, it was true none of them had understood him at all when it came to his work.

"Why don't we ask him when he comes? I'm sure he'd be happy to try to explain it or at least tell us something we can talk with him about." Yosho added; Holly smiled to her father; he really had come a long way since they rescued him.

"I think that's a great idea. I'm sure he can explain some of his work at the very least."

Meanwhile in the real world...

Genki was working hard on his piece of the complex machine code he was writing. Though he had originally wanted to make video games he hadn't been able to break into that field as of yet. Instead he worked to program complex machines to perform tasks in the manufacturing and logistical sectors. Business was steady as machines always needed tweaks and new machines needed entirely new code written for them. His team currently was working on coding a complex sortation machine for the national postal service. His country was always innovating when it came to machines and robotics and this new AI system could really speed things up if it worked. His only concern was the machine physically keeping up with the code; the specs were really precise on this machine. He had broached the subject with his team in the morning meeting. All of them agreed that he was right with his concerns. Instead of programming it with only one speed they had decided on an automatic optimizer that would adjust the speed as needed. It also had the ability to be manually over ridden just in case the AI failed to notice an issue. These redundant systems made it more likely the machine would at least run even if it wasn't at the blazing speed the postal service wanted. They also added a bunch of safety code to prevent mail destruction and injury to operators as well. But all this extra code put a huge load on his team. They needed the code done by weeks end if they were to even hope of live testing it before they ran out of time. He glanced at the clock, it was way later than he expected already past 9 pm. Looking around he realized he was the only one who had remained behind. With a sigh he wrote down a few notes then saved his progress. Locking his work station he took his leave. * Man, I really need to stop working so late... at this rate I'll pass out before the code is finished. * He sweat dropped as he walked to his car; getting in he drove home hoping that at the end of the week the code would compile correctly the first time around.

By the time he got home it was almost 10pm, in contrast it was already morning in the monster world. He had set up a special communication device for his friends so they could talk even when he wasn't in their world. He had designed it so if he was home a blue light would shine to indicate he was there. This was more for their convenience than anything. He put a switch on their side for them to do the same so he could see when they were there. His automatically switched on as he walked in the door, as his was connected to his smart watch, though he had a manual override.

Walking in he put his wallet and keys on the table then went to get something to eat. He heard a disgruntled meow and looked down to find his cat, Raion, glaring at him. He chuckled, "Sorry I'm late bud, I'll get your food now." His kitty meowed at him again and followed him into the kitchen. Soon the food was in his bowl and he was much happier. Once he had his kitty settled he made himself some food. As he did so he began to wonder how the harvest was coming. He had indeed wanted to assist them but couldn't with the looming project he was working on. * I'm sure they will fill me in soon. I just wish I could have helped; it'd be nice to do some physical labor for a change. It might even be relaxing for me. * As he began to eat his ramen he noticed the blue light switch on his receiver. * If they are there at this time they must have finished * soon he found his observation to be correct as he heard Holly's voice through his receiver.

"Genki are you still awake?" Her voice was soft but he could still hear it. Tapping on his watch he not only made the device transfer the sound to his watch but turned on the microphone.

"Yeah I'm awake. I just got home like fifteen minutes ago."

"Isn't it really late for you?"

"It's after ten at night"

"Genki were you really working that long?"

"Yeah, I told you I had to work a lot more right now. We are close to being finished now. I'm just hoping we can finish by weeks end." He paused a moment, "what about you? The harvesting go well?"

"Yes, we finished with that today. There is still a lot of work to be done to separate the grain and mill it but we beat the fall rains at least." Genki smiled,

"I'm glad to hear it." Holly noticed him pause a moment, "How'd Suezo hold up? I know he was grumbling last time I heard from him about joining the harvest." Holly laughed at his tone knowing full well the eye ball had been very adamant about NOT helping only to have Holly force him to help anyway.

"Oh, he was still complaining the whole time but he did help. I had to put some salve on his tongue though, he was getting blisters." Genki momentarily cringed at that wondering how bad that would hurt. He then went back to eating his ramen. "He's better now though." Holly noticed he as eating something and got curious. "You're eating dinner at this time of night?"

"Yeah I only had a snack earlier at work."

"What are you eating?"

"Just some Ramen."

"Ramen?"

"It's a common dish in my country. It's… kind of a noodle soup. I can show you sometime it you like."

"I wasn't aware you could cook?"

"I probably would be in trouble if I couldn't by now." He chuckled, he heard her giggle on the other side. "Though I can make ramen and other dishes from scratch I cheated this time. I was too tired to cook something major so I used what's call instant ramen. You basically just add water and heat it up. It's not as good as the real thing but it's better than nothing." He went back to eating as he knew she was now pondering some things. He could almost visualize the look of confusion, disapproval, and concern he was now getting from her. He was well aware that "cheating" on meals was not something she ever really did.

"Genki it's hard for me to understand how anything can be instant…"

"It's referred to as that because it takes about 3 minutes to make while regular ramen takes 30 minutes or more. I'll show you how it works next time I come over. Not like I can't bring some with me, stuff lasts years as long as it remains unopened."

"Sounds like a great source of money to me." Hare pipped up, he had apparently been listening in the background. Genki rolled his eyes knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"Always about money isn't it Hare?"

"It makes the world go round Tiger!" As true as that was, Genki understood Tigers annoyance with the rabbit monster.

"Hare, I honestly don't know how much money these packets actually make people. I do know that a lot of poorer people use them to get by especially since they are one the cheapest meals you can buy. And yes they are cheaper than buying the ingredients to make real ramen, by a large margin. So honestly they probably save people a lot of money."

"Wait, are you saying you need them Genki?"

"When did I say that? I use them for convenience; not because I can't afford food Hare." He rolled his eyes.

"How much savings are we talking?" Hare further probed, making Genki groan, the last thing he wanted was to use his brain right now.

"I don't know how the money would… convert Hare but I can give examples in my own currency."

"That'll work."

"Well most ramen packets and bowls range from 80 yen to 350 yen. In comparison if you bought all the ingredients to make homemade ramen it'd cost around 3,204 yen. Admittedly the ramen packets are single serving while the recipe I have can do 4 servings, each serving coming to 801 yen." Genki finished his meal drinking the broth then putting the bowl in the sink.

"Why is everything so expensive?" Tiger asked, astonished at the price difference.

"Two things are at play, mass production lowers the cost on the packets. They are recouping their money by volume sold not by how much it sells for. Inflation is the other issue. A lot of fresh ingredients have to be imported from other regions of the world. I know my country imports a ton of rice every year from the US and other regions of the world." He paused a moment, "The US is a very large country in this world that actually exports over 90 percent of all the rice they grow. They apparently don't use very much rice. Actually they export a lot of foods they don't use." He really didn't want the get into economics, trade agreements, and other political and social things with his world. He knew they wouldn't really understand.

"Genki Chi?"

"Yes Mocchi?"

"When you come over can you bring a map of your world chi?" He raised a brow at that, they had never shown interest in such things before.

"I don't see why not. If you're interested in that, I can certainly bring a map and perhaps a few books if you want something to read?"

"Mocchi would like to read about Genki's world." He chuckled,

"Very well, I'll do that." Genki jotted down some notes on stuff to bring next time he visited. He knew he would be too tired to remember this conversation in the morning.

"When you come back over again chi?"

"Probably in roughly two days Mocchi. We are almost done with our project; I'm hoping it works correctly the first time."

"Wait, you haven't tested it?"

"No Hare, we are still building it. Our live test is next week. If all goes well it should only need minor tweaks."

"Ah, that's why you were working so much huh?"

"We needed it done this week so we have a week left to fix anything that might go wrong. At this point it's looking good though. So I'll plan on dropping over after I get my driver's license renewed." Genki rolled his eyes again; he hated having his picture taken.

"Driver's license chi?"

"You remember that card Hanger wanted at the ancient city?"

"Yeah"

"It's kind of like that only this allows me to operate a vehicle. The government keeps tabs on all its citizens through cards like that. And it's a requirement for all citizens to have one. Mine's going to expire soon, each card lasts about four years before you are forced to go back in to update it. And yes Hare they do charge a fee to update it, government also loves its taxes and fees… for like everything." His voice held some annoyance at this but he was used to it even if it annoyed him.

"Why are they so controlling?" Tiger asked at length.

"Well they do have millions of citizens to keep track of Tiger. I believe they prefer to head off problems before they can happen even if it's not always in the best interest of their citizens."

"Hey, you said they charge taxes and fees. How much do they charge you?" Hare asked suddenly, Making Genki sigh internally and rub his temples. * note to self, do not mention governmental things around them unless I want a long conversation. *

"Well Hare I lose about 28 percent of my wages to taxes plus what I lose in property tax and other fees... so maybe 33 percent or more a year adding all those together." He heard stunned silence on the other side, rolling his eyes he decided to break the silence. "My country has what's called a progressive tax. Basically the more you make the more you pay in taxes. Each tax bracket covers a range of wages, I fall into the 10,000,000 yen to 15,000,000 yen annually category." He knew they weren't likely to even understand why so many taxes were taken and he didn't feel up to that discussion tonight.

"Genki, you still have enough money left to take care of yourself right?" Holly seemed worried about his well being now.

"Yeah I have plenty Holly, don't worry about it. I generally have extra money each month that I don't spend. I know it seems like a lot to lose in taxes but you get used to it and plan around it."

"So do you pay them each month then?" Hare asked, seemingly confused.

"Most taxes are taken out of my wages before I receive them. Basically my employer does it for me. So each paycheck has an amount missing for taxes. At the end of the year I file my taxes with the government. If I over paid, I get that money back. If I didn't pay enough somehow or say I receive money from elsewhere I'll have to pay the difference owed. A lot of families do get money back at the end of the year. They file a deduction which covers anything from marriage to medical expenses. Depends on the government and what deductions are active during a current year. Last year they added a deduction for those replacing old equipment with new more efficient equipment."

"Your world is strange." Tiger said at length, "Taxes like that wouldn't fly around here."

"Yes well the taxes are spent on a lot of things people want, so that's why they get paid. Schools, maintenance of the roads, some poverty relief funds, among other things are all supported with tax dollars."

"Wait… schools are supported with that?"

"Yes, a lot of schools are free. And the government does require children to attend school until a certain age though they are encouraged to finish all 12 grades."

"Wow, did you finish Genki chi?"

"Yes, Mocchi I did, I actually have 16 years of schooling not 12. I finished the requirement then moved to college to do my occupational schooling for my job; which yes, took me 4 years to learn." He wasn't even going to talk about require classes.

"Genki really smart chi!" Genki chuckled at Mocchi's enthusiasm.

"I don't know about that Mocchi but I know what I need to." He glanced at the clock and realized it was nearly 11:30pm. He then sighed, "Well I have to get some sleep guys it's almost midnight here. I will talk with you more later."

"Get some rest Kid, We'll see you soon." Tiger spoke gruffly; he knew Genki was tired he could sense it in how the young man reacted to their questions,

"Thanks Tiger, I hope you all have a good day."

"We will Genki." Holly spoke, clearly sympathizing with the him. Genki close the app on his watch and walked off to get ready for bed, turning off his light as he went. * Hopefully next time less politics come up. I really hate explaining that stuff to them… * Sleep took him quickly, once he lay down, Raion joining him soon after.

The next two days flew by for Genki, he was ecstatic when the program complied correctly, admittedly it wasn't on the first run but still the issues were resolved quickly. He chatted a few minutes each night with the gang but never very long. The night before he was to arrive in their world again he told them approximately when he'd be over. He got his license taken care of and headed home. He wouldn't cross over till later in the night so he planned to nap in the evening till he was supposed to cross over. Riaon had other ideas and he ended up playing with his kitty before his nap. He had picked up a few history books and a world map for his friends. He didn't actually own any but he bought them specifically for them. When night came he saw the light come on indicating they were there.

"Genki, you there Kid?" Tiger asked checking to be sure he was home.

"Yep, you ready to meet me at the shrine?"

"Yep, I'll see you in ten minutes."

"Alright Tiger." Genki looked at his watch and would wait the 10 minutes till he tried to jump across. In the meantime he made sure to lock things up, put his phone by the receiver just in case an emergency came up. His watch would receive the message even in the other world as long as he was near their receiver. At the allotted time Genki booted up his PS2 with the proper game and made the jump across.

He landed on his feet despite how disorienting the transition was, it had taken weeks to figure out how to do so but he had managed it nonetheless. He smiled seeing Tiger waiting by the pedestal for him.

"Hey Tiger."

"Hey Kid, it's good to see you again. Think you can keep up or should I carry you?" Genki chuckled, pulling out his skates, he put them on.

"I'll try to keep up." Tiger smirked at him, Genki grinned in return. Soon the pair were off, the shrine was about a quarter of a mile from the village. Genki managed to keep up with Tiger despite the terrain not being ideal for skates.

When they arrived he noticed the gang outside waiting. They all seemed to be relaxing under the tree by Holly's house. Holly smiled to him as he approached, noticing he was carrying a bag with him. Mocchi ran out to greet him making her giggle at his enthusiasm. Genki just about fell over with the force of Mocchi's tackling hug.

"Genki! I missed you chi!" once he was stable he answered,

"I missed you too Mocchi." he gave his longtime friend a hug, once Mocchi had calmed down Genki walked over to where the rest of the group was. "Hey guys, sorry to keep you waiting."

"It's alright Genki, we know you have to work." Hare said still smiling at the scene he had just witnessed. Genki decided to change back into his shoes before anymore mishaps happened. He then took a seat with everyone else.

"So I trust everything has been going well for you guys?"

"Yep, We just got the grain separated and sent to the mill." Hare proclaimed,

"Like you helped Hare." Tiger spoke gruffly,

"I didn't see you helping either Tiger." Genki sighed and shook his head, He noticed Holly roll her eyes at the fighting pair. Yosho came up as the two growled at each other making him raise a brow.

"Anyway, at least you'll be done soon."

"Yes, the village needs supplies; so the faster we finish the better." Holly seemed worried about things.

"I'm sure; it seemed to be a rough year for you all." Genki nodded his understanding.

"Genki, are the farmers harvesting in your world too chi?" Genki smiled and nodded,

"They are yes, but not the same crops you had. My country can only grow a limited range for crops and some of the varieties we grow actually get harvested at different times of the year."

"Which one's are they harvesting now chi?" Mocchi seemed entirely intent now, he noticed Holly was also curious. Tiger and Hare had both stopped fighting to hear this information as well.

"Well the main thing being harvested is rice. But I believe the barley, soy beans, and sweet potatoes are also being harvested right now. There are few other fruits and vegetables as well but they aren't as prevalent."

"Wait didn't you say you import rice?" Hare asked now confused,

"Yes, we do. But we can only grow two types of rice and since our country is mostly rocky we can't produce the amount we need. To counter this we export things that only grow in our country, admittedly this only offsets things a bit but it's still better than nothing." He shrugged, "We imported something like ten thousand tons of rice last year."

"Why so much rice though?" Tiger asked,

"Well, in our culture think of rice like bread. We use rice in place of bread or pasta usually. One reason is because we can't grow wheat very well. And what we can grow isn't the wheat used for most breads, it's the softer grain used in pastries."

"So you replace noodles and bread with rice where possible?" Holly asked, confirming what he said.

"Yes, and the noodles we do produce, are mostly made of rice flour." He saw her nod in understanding.

"Can we try some food from you're world chi?"

"Sure Mocchi, I have been meaning to ask you all if you wanted to visit anyway. The portal seems to work both ways anyway." He smiled, "But so you can see why my country has issues growing things, I did bring that map you asked for." Mocchi's face seemed to light up now making him chuckle. He dug around in his bag and pulled it out. After a minute he had it unfolded, they all gathered around to see it.

"So where is your country chi."

"It's right here Mocchi." He pointed to Japan on the map and noticed Tiger tilt his head.

"You're country is a lot smaller than I thought Kid."

"Believe it or not there are about 128 Million people in my country Tiger." Hare and Tiger's eyes bulged at that number; both screaming,

"WHAT?!" before looking at each other and glowering. Genki chuckled,

"Our island is about 146 thousand square miles in size. It is hard to tell on the map though."

"Still, I'm surprised you all don't kill each other. You have to be living practically on top of each other..." Tiger trailed off.

"Actually our murder rates are pretty low, so are crime rates for that matter." he shrugged, "honestly our culture is different and we have little problem coexisting with each other." He moved his hand to point to the US on the map. "This is the United States of America, it's made up of 50 states in total and they are the one we import most of our food from."

"What's their population?" Tiger probed curiously.

"If is recall correctly, somewhere around 327 million. Some of their states have less than a million people."

"But they have so much space..."

"True but not all of it is usable. Several states..", he pointed to the Dakotas, Montana, Wyoming and then Alaska. "are extremely cold and have a lot of barren land. Others, like these..." he pointed to Nevada, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona. "all have vast deserts in them. So not every state can use all of its land. Granted, some have specialized in certain fruits like California grows grapes in its northern areas, citrus fruit in its southern coastal areas, and arid plants in it's more dessert like regions." He noticed they were all in shock and wonder at the same time. "Unfortunately my country can't do that since most of our land is rocky and our climate isn't varied enough for that. The only sub tropical fruit we can grow are grown here." He pointed to Okinawa "but it's a limited variety that we can grow."

"what were the other fruits and veggies you mentioned were being harvested this time of year?" Hare asked, now intrigued.

"Let's see, for vegetables we have Satoimo, called Taro root for most countries, Kabocha or winter squash, Shiitake and Matsutake mushrooms; for fruit we have Sudachi which is a citrus fruit and Kuri which is a type of chestnut."

"Taro root?"

"It's actually a very nutritious root that's used in a lot of stews and soups. Some people dislike it's texture though as it tends to get slimy when cooked."

"What about the winter squash?"

"Its actually related to a pumpkin but it stays green. They don't get as large either. They can be used about the same way a pumpkin would be."

"So you guys do have wheat right?"

"Yes Hare but that's a summer crop, it's always harvested in the summer. Barley is harvested in the fall but we don't grow that much of it in comparison. Soy beans are the other big item we harvest in the fall." He saw Hare nod. "Here, if you want to read up on world cultures I have a couple of books I brought." He pulled out a world cultures and a history book. And handed one to Hare and the other to Mocchi. "I marked the pages that are about my country but this covers more than just mine."

"Thank you chi!" Mocchi exclaimed.

"Genki, this looks new..."

"It is Hare. I don't have any of those books in my house specifically so I bought them for you guys." Hare seemed to calculate something a moment.

"Are you sure you don't want anything in return?"

"Hare, you guys are like family to me. It's not a problem really."

"As long as you are sure."

"I am, besides it's not like you haven't given things to me in the past." Hare nodded his understanding.

Yosho who had just been watching so far decided to ask a question,

"Genki, would you mind telling us about the project you've been working on?" Genki glanced over at Holly's father, though he doubted they'd understand he nodded nonetheless.

"I'll try." He glanced around noticing they were all listening now. "My team and I have been programming a machine to sort mail for the postal service."

"Programming chi?"

"Programming is basically a set of code that gives the machine instructions on how to do it's job."

"Oh ok, chi."

"So you know the code the machine speaks?" Tiger asked tilting his head,

"Yes, we actually just finished the code this week. Next week we are testing it with the machine to make sure the machine can interpret the instructions we gave it correctly."

"That's what you meant by live test?" Hare spoke in recognition.

"Yes, right now the code is in what we call "the theory of operation" phase. Until we prove that it works it's just that, a theory. If it fails we'll have to figure out why, which part it's not interpreting correctly and re-code it to get it working the correct way. We know what it should do but getting a machine to do that sometimes is a bit of a pain."

"You said it's supposed to sort mail?" Hare asked for clarification now.

"Yes that's it's job."

"How? I mean it can't read can it?" Genki chuckled.

"Actually it can read. It has 3 different systems for reading and if for some reason it can't read a particular letter it has a reject bin where it sticks those. For the most part it should be fine sorting on it's own. The machine we are coding for is actually an upgrade to an already existing machine. My team and I were able to not only watch the existing ones work but also see their code, how they are maintained and repaired. Their current machines are supposed to be able to sort 40,000 letters per hour but they haven't been able to do that because they have a design flaw. This new machine with hopefully fix that and be able to max out at 43,000 per hour once it's working." Everyone seemed stunned for a moment. He sighed, * I knew this would happen... again... *

"How? I mean those numbers are... fantastical!" Suezo blurted out. Genki chuckled,

"Oh it's possible Suezo. Let's see..." Genki thought a moment then grabbed stick, drawing a rough outline of the machine. "The machine uses a series of belts and pulleys to move the mail through it. Along the way it passes through what are called light barriers, these act like eyes for the machine allowing it to keep track of the mail it's sorting. It knows how many seconds it should take between each light barrier. It can actually keep track of hundreds of mail pieces at once. It passes in front of the camera that reads the address then the machine determines where to send the mail piece. It only takes it a few seconds to figure that out; once it does it directs it to the correct level and pocket of the machine with a series of gates." He noticed they all seemed confused. "I'll tell you what, when we run our live test I'll make sure we record it so I can show you how the machine works. How's that sound?" * It's far easier than trying to explain this all day. Besides we have to record it for the client so they can see it working. *

"So you can show us with this recording?" Hare clarified,

"Yes, you'll be able to see it working. I can even slow down the recording so you can see it better."

"Sounds like a plan then. I'm sure it'll be far easier then trying to explain it."

"Should be, and you'll get to see it's 3 reading systems as each has a separate test." He glanced around seeing them all curious. "Anyway, how has everything been around here?"

"Nothing new really Kid, now that the harvest is done everything will go back to normal."

"Although" Hare interjected earning Tiger's ire, "There is a harvest celebration planned for the end of the week. If want to come to that."

"Is that OK? I mean I didn't help with..."

"Oh it's fine. You worry too much Genki." Genki still had his doubts despite Hare's dismissal. He glanced at Holly asking the question silently. She smiled and nodded in response. He then turned his attention back to Hare and nodded.

"All right, I'd love to come." he smiled to the group

"Excellent, it's 7 days from now. Starts at 6 pm." Genki did some mental math a moment to figure out the timing. It'd be really early morning for him but it fell on a Saturday so he figured he could manage it.

"Well I'll have to hit the coffee but I think I can manage to be awake." he chuckled and rubbed the back of his head.

"I always forget about the time difference with you. I guess that'd be really early for you huh?"

"I'd be able 4 in the morning Hare."

"Wow, that is rather early..."

"I'll be fine Hare, don't worry about it. Just will need some coffee is all." He noticed Holly seemed concerned about the timing as well and decided to put that concern to bed, "Besides it's my weekend, I shouldn't have any issues catching up on sleep later."

"If you're sure Genki." Holly still seemed worried but was willing to let it go.

"I am. Besides I don't want to miss out on having some fun with you all." He grinned to her making her smile. "Is there anything I need to bring?"

"You mean food wise, Kid?" Tiger tilted his head in confusion.

"Yeah." Tiger glanced to Holly whom was in deep thought.

"Genki I don't know what you can make but if you can make a desert I'm sure everyone would appreciate it." Holly glanced to him now unsure how much he could cook.

"I can do that. Do you think the villagers would be interested in a more exotic dish from my culture? Or should I just stick to something they would know?

"I think they would be interested, they know you're from another world." Genki grinned and nodded.

"Holly let me know if you need any ingredients you can't get here. I'm sure I can drop across to deliver those. I know this year has been rough with all the blights." Holly seemed surprised at his offer but then smiled.

"Genki if you could bring me some apples for a pie? That's really the only thing I'm missing."

"You got it!" He saw her smile and he could see relief in her features.

"Hey Genki!"

"Yes Hare?" He raised a brow at Hare's devious smile.

"If I gave you a few gold could you get some wine for me?" Genki gave him a suspicious look now.

"I could yes, though I'll need to know what type you'd like."

"Type?" Hare seemed confused now, Genki smiled and snorted.

"Seriously Hare, what flavor and by type I mean do you want a dry, semi-sweet, or sweet wine."

"Oh, right oh course..." he seemed to be thinking now making Genki roll his eyes. "Well I guess a sweet wine, are there seasonal flavors right now?"

"Yes, if I recall Peach, Cranberry, Apple, Blueberry, Acai, Goji, and Pomegranate are all available." Hare blinked at that list,

"What's Acai, Goji, and Pomegranate?"

"Acai is similar to a elderberry though it is larger." Genki paused a moment. "Goji is kinda like a cranberry I guess though they taste like cross between a cranberry and cherry; they are a sweet and tart flavor. Pomegranate isn't like anything else really but I can say it's got a strong tart flavor with a bitter aftertaste." It took Hare a few more minutes to decide.

"Let's try Acai then, it sounds interesting and I like elderberry."

"Alright, I'll get that for you." Genki was still unsure of what Hare was up to but had no reason to say no at the moment.

"Anyway, if you guys think of something else let me know." He saw them all nod, "Holly have you guys had dinner yet?" He glanced her way, She raised a brow at him but then shook her head.

"No, not yet though I will probably have to get some going soon." He grinned again then fished around in his bag and pulled at three bowls all covered in shiny paper.

"If you don't mind I wanted to show you guys how the instant ramen works. I brought three different types with me." He looked at her now waiting for her answer. She gave him a dubious look but then nodded.

"Will you need anything?"

"Just hot water."

"So what are these types Genki?" Hare seemed very interested.

"This one, is basically the cheapest brand you can get. It's chicken flavor. This one is mid grade and it's Miso flavored."

"Miso?"

"It's kind of like a mushroom."

"I've had mushroom soup chi!" Genki chuckled.

"The last one is an expensive version, it's Pot Au Fea flavor which is a spicy beef stew." Holly by now had some hot water going. She didn't miss the flavor explanations though. Genki smiled to her as she moved to sit by him, she looked over each container reading what she could of them.

"Genki how spicy is this one?"

"When I first tried it it caught me off guard, thought I might breath fire. It's very spicy but if you can get past the spice it tastes excellent." He chuckled.

"I will try it but only after I do the others. I don't use hot spices much you know that."

"I do but I did come prepared." He reached into his bag and handed her a can. "knowing you don't like spicy food I brought that for you. It should put the fire out if it becomes too much." She eyed the can now she had no idea what it even was.

"Mixed fruit Au Lait?"

"It's a common mixed drink. Au Lait is french for with milk. So it's kinda like a fruit smoothie. It should counter the spiciness for you though." He saw her nod now as she accepted his gift. Holly rose a moment later to retrieve the hot water. While she did Genki pulled back each lid half way. On the mid grade and high end ramen the opened some packets and added them to the dry noodles. Holly watched him do this as she made her way back. After he had things set he took the tea pot from her and added water to the appropriate mark. He then closed the lid on all three bowls and weighted the lid down with a stick. "I'll take a couple of minutes for the noodles to come back."

"How do you know how much water to add?"

"There's a line on the inside of the bowl."

"So these can keep a long time right?"

"As long as the don't get wet yes Hare."

"Hare what are you thinking?" Suezo asked now suspicious of the rabbit monster.

"I was just wondering if it would be prudent to have Genki bring us some of these bowls just in case the winter gets harsh. It would defiantly help the village."

"For once you have a good point Hare. That might be wise." Tiger grudgingly agreed.

"I can certainly do it if that's what you want. I'd need to know the numbers you want Hare so I can plan for it." Genki was surprised by his worry, * has this year been even worse then they have been letting on? * He glanced over at Holly to see her looking a bit stressed, without thinking he reached over and rubbed her shoulder. Holly jumped slightly at the contact but then smiled to him.

"We will have to get a list together if we go that route." She said at length. Genki matched her gaze then nodded. Going back the ramen he took a pair of chopsticks from his bag then stirred each one before recovering them.

"What are those?" Suezo eyed him

"Chop sticks, they are pretty common in my culture."

"So you eat with them?"

"Yep, they are very effective with things like noodles."

"Sticks?" He started laughing hysterically.

"Considering you can't even use utensils I'm not sure WHY you are laughing of all people." He raised a brow at the now sputtering eye stalk. He then went back to tending the ramen, finding each to be ready, he removed he lid entirely from each. "looks like they are done." He handed the first on to Holly to try, he had already decided she would get first dibs.

"How do I use these Genki?" Genki picked up the chopsticks then showed her how to hold them. She took them and imitated what she saw, he then corrected her slightly then had her try to use them. He smiled seeing her pick up on the technique quickly. Holly tried the first one trying not to make a mess while she did so. The texture was different then she imagined but the flavor was good. After a couple of bites she passed the bowl to Hare. Genki had a gotten out a second pair of chopsticks by now and was teaching Hare to use them.

"What'd you think?" Genki asked as Hare awkwardly tried to eat some of the chicken flavored ramen.

"It's good, a little different texture wise then I would have thought but it has good flavor." He smiled, He then picked of the Miso one and handed it to her.

"Miso can be hit or miss with people, it's one of those you either like it or you don't flavors." She nodded to him then went about trying it.

"Genki this is really good. You said this was the cheapest one right?" Hare asked after having tried some. Now each of the other monsters was giving it a try. Tiger had gotten a bowl so he could try it with out contaminating the whole thing. Mocchi was currently putting some in his bowl.

"Yes Hare it is. That one's about 80 yen per bowl." He glanced back at Holly who had a strange expression. He chuckled at this, "Not a fan of Miso?" She shook her head,

"It's not that, it's just an odd flavor yet it seems similar to something else I've had before. Not sure what though." She passed that one to Hare who eyed it a moment. Genki then picked up the last one and handed it to Holly. She had taken a drink of her tea to clear her pallet each time. She seemed weary of this one but decided to give it a try anyway.

"Keep in mind this one you'll have to get passed the spice. You should notice it's flavor after the second bite." She nodded to him before taking her first bite. Holly had to admit this one was really spicy. Genki glanced over to see Hare making faces at the Miso prompting him to laugh. Holly giggled at the rabbit monster as she let the spicy settle a moment before taking another bite. "Well I see you're not a fan huh Hare?"

"Ugh... that was horrible. I forgot how much I hate mushrooms." This made Genki laugh all the more. He glanced back at Holly who seemed to be recovering from her spicy meal. She handed off the last one to Hare as she reached for the can of Mix Au Lait.

"What you think Holly?" She downed a good portion of the can to put out the fire.

"Other than the spice being too much for me it had really good flavor. That ones noodles are much softer as well."

"Not bad for some instant food huh?"

"No, I'm actually surprised it tastes that good. Though I would still like to try homemade ramen sometime." She looked directly at him, He smiled to her.

"I would be happy to make some for you. Maybe you can come over on one of the weekends and I can show you how to make it?"

"I would like that very much." She beamed a smile to him making him return it with a grin.

"Haw..." Hare looked like he was about to breath fire as he ran in the house for some water leaving a very confused Mocchi behind. Genki began laughing at his reaction.

"Goodness Hare I thought you like hot stuff."

"He's such a pussy some times..." Tiger grumbled as he tried his.

"Tiger!" Holly snapped at him making him look at her in surprise.

"What? He is!" She sighed exasperated by his language. It was the one thing she hadn't broke him of even after all these years. Genki chuckled at the scene before him, he knew she would never get Tiger to change his language it was too ingrained for that to happen. She raised a brow at Genki making him grin in return.

"Regardless of Hare, what do you all think of the ramen?" Tiger gulped his down,

"I say they are all good, though I can see most of the villagers not caring for the spicy one." He said gruffly. Holly nodded,

"I think they are good Genki, they were much better then I was expecting for something that was dehydrated." Holly smiled to him, "though the miso would definitely put some people off, even more so than the spice I think."

"Mocchi like them all chi!"

"I'm good with them all." Suezo stated, he had surprisingly had no issue with the heat. Genki then looked to Holly's father who had been quiet the whole time.

"Genki these are very good, I'm still surprised at how there were vegetables and meat in the one despite it being dehydrated. I think these would be very good emergency food." Genki smiled then nodded to the older man. He could see something in his eyes that told Genki they had indeed had a harder year then they had originally told him.

"I'm glad you all enjoyed it, I would be happy to pick some up for emergencies for you all if you want that." Holly looked at him a moment, her gaze challenging him. She then sighed in defeat knowing he had figured it out. They hadn't wanted him to worry so they hadn't said anything.

"I think that would be wise. We'll figure out how many we think we'll need." She saw him smile and nod.

Hare finally re-emerged from the house after drinking a bucket of water to put out the fire in his mouth.

"Genki you said before you didn't know how the currency would convert right?" Genki raised a brow then shook his head,

"I don't, no. I'd have to run some numbers to know what it would be. Plus I would need to know the approximate weight and karat of 1 gold piece to know the conversion."

"Karat chi?"

"Karats are the purity of the gold." Mocchi seemed curious now, "For example I have an 18 karat gold ring I wear." he showed his right hand, "18 karat is tough enough for something like a ring but you couldn't use say 24 karat or it would bend easily. 24 and above is reserved for pendants usually." Mocchi was looking at his ring and noticed marks on it.

"Ring is beat up chi." Genki chuckled,

"I do hit my hand on stuff a lot and I often forget I'm wearing it."

"Where'd you get it? And what stone is that?"

"My mom got it for me, the stone is alexanderite."

"Expensive?"

"I don't know the cost it was a gift after all. But alexanderite is considered a semi-precious stone."

"Sounds expensive, any special reason for it?"

"Just a Christmas gift is all. She never knows what to get me so she just does something random every year. It's certainly interesting to say the least." He chuckled thinking of all the weird stuff he's gotten over the years.

"Wait... Christmas... isn't that the thing that's like our midwinter festival?"

"Correct Hare it is."

"Why doesn't she just make something?" Tiger asked, eyeing Hare as he seemed to be plotting things.

"Oh she has in the past... it's more of she likes to get really nice things for family so she tends to buy stuff instead. She may be good at baking but not much else honestly, and she is very much aware of that." He sweat dropped a bit, "she also knows when the rest of us are lying to be nice, so she knows when we don't like something." He knew why his father called her the living lie detector after he grew up.

"So she only bakes?" Suezo asked confused,

"Yeah, for the most part. There are a few other things she can cook though. If you're wondering part of that is due to both my parents working. It's pretty common for both to work in our culture. So she' is busy with work as well. And I hardly see my dad, he's on the road a lot." Genki shrugged, it really didn't bother him though he knew it would be strange for them.

"What do she do chi?"

"She's a teacher Mocchi. She used to teach 6th grade but she moved schools and is now teaching 11th grade."

"Grade chi?" Genki thought a moment,

"You're grade is usually determined by 2 things Mocchi, your age and knowledge. Most 6th graders are around 11 or 12 years old, most 11th graders are 16 to 17 years old." he saw Mocchi nod. Looking around he saw the others seemed astonished what he'd just told them. * they really don't do much schooling past the preteen years I guess * "Anyway I'll have to bring over a scale or something to get the weight. Probably have to talk to a friend of mine and see about how to test gold for purity to get the karat value."

"There's a test for that?" Hare asked,

"Yes, but I don't know the specifics."

"And you're sure your friend does?"

"She should. She owns a jewelry shop. I know she has a tester of some sort in her store. Not sure how it works specifically though." He shrugged, he then noticed Hare's devious look.

"So... is this friend..."

"Knock it off. She's just a friend Hare, we've known each other since we were kids. My mom and her mom were friends and we often stayed at each other's house when we were young as they traded off babysitting duties." Hare's ears drooped as Genki out foxed him. Tiger chuckled,

"So does she make jewelry or just sells it?"

"She makes her own Tiger. Though her shop doesn't just sell jewelry. They also sell blades, mostly small knifes."

"She's a blacksmith?" Tiger asked amazed,

"Yeah, so is her partner. They specialize in Damascus steel. Very beautiful but time consuming."

"Her partner a guy?"

"Nope, another woman. I don't know much about her though." He shrugged.

"What's Damascus steel chi?"

"Damascus is a process of combining different types of steel together. Each type usually has a different hardness level to it. Once the blade is finished they dip it in acid to etch the metal. The each steel with turn a different color making pattern in the blades finish. They can be a specific pattern or a random pattern depending on how they put the steel together. Damascus has a high layer count though, need a minimum of 30 layers of steel to get a good pattern. Hence why it so time consuming."

"Sounds expensive" Hare whistled,

"It can be, though most of what she sells is very reasonable. I actually have one of her blades myself."

"What kind of blade Kid?"

"Just a small knife. It's about 3 inches. Could be used as a paring knife for cooking, it's about the right size."

"Can we see it chi?"

"Sure I'll bring it next time Mocchi."

"Yay!" Mocchi beamed making Genki chuckled. He was still surprised at how child like Mocchi was even after all these years. He hadn't failed to notice Holly's unique expression at the mention of his female friend and what her occupation was. * I see she still doesn't understand that there is no gender limit on jobs in my world. I'll have to explain that when she comes over. *

A sudden sound from his smart watch startled the group, though Genki hadn't been sure if his phone being near the receiver would work or not he was used to unexpected calls and messages. He touch the screen to look at the message he had received.

"What is that?" Suezo asked, they did have watches but none that made noise.

"It's my smart watch, it connects to my phone. Looks like my phone received a message, it was alerting me to that." He read the message as he spoke, * you've got to be kidding me. * By his expression they could tell whatever it was wasn't good.

"Kid?" Tiger probed,

"I looks like our team leader is having an issue. I'll probably have to call him, his message isn't very clear."

"Call him how chi?" Mocchi seemed extremely confused.

"My phone is a communication device, It doesn't just do messages; it can also do live calls." He saw Mocchi look satisfied with that answer.

"Do you need to call right now?" Tiger asked curiously,

"I probably should though I'm not sure if I can. I'd need a good connection to my phone to do a call. Though I guess I could try it. I'll need to be next to your receiver though."

"Go do your call, we can wait till you finish." Hare stated, he seemed concerned. Genki nodded the rose and walked into the house with Holly who was putting the kettle away. The others followed them in bringing the books and map inside along with the other things. While Holly set about making dinner Genki walked to the receiver and started his call.

He could hear the ringing sound that was normal, it was a little crackly but not too bad. * honestly I didn't think it'd work at all from this world. * After a few moments Genki heard his coworker pick up.

"[Hello?]"

"[Hi Siato, what's going on? Your message was a little unclear.]"

"[Sorry bout that, basically I won't be into work for awhile. I got into an accident, I'm actually in the hospital right now.]" Genki's expression changed at this, * if our team leader is out then... *

"[Are you going to be alright?]"

"[After a few surgeries and a few months yeah.]" The monsters and Holly were looking very confused off to the side, none of them knew what was being said as they didn't speak the language. The fact that Genki was fluent in it confused them all the more. None of them had realized he knew another language.

"[I take it you broke something?]"

"[Oh only my pelvis and leg.]" Siato replied playfully,

"[Only huh? Well I guess those aren't that important.]" Genki replied just as playfully. He heard Siato chuckle, then sigh after a moment,

"[Look I know you probably don't want the team lead position but you're the only other one who can handle it. So I'm appointing you to it, I already sent our boss an email on the matter.]" Genki sighed,

"[It can't be helped, and you're right, the others wouldn't be able to handle it. Do you have access to your workstation remotely?]"

"[Yeah I have my work laptop with me.]"

"[Send me the files and all information I'll need to complete this job. I'll be sure to look through it before work on Monday.]"

"[I'll send an email to our team informing them of the change as well. Thanks for doing this, Genki.]"

"[You're welcome. Just make sure you heal up.]"

"[I will. Thanks again.]" He hung up and Genki disconnect his call status, he glanced over to see some strange looks.

"What?" he asked wondering what they all were staring for?

"It's just we didn't realize you knew another language, Genki my boy."

"It's my native language Hare, it's what a normally speak."

"What'd you're team leader say?" Tiger interrupted before things got off track again.

"He won't be at work for a while; he's in the hospital apparently. He'll be fine but it'll take him awhile to heal. So he's made me the team leader in his stead."

"Oh my, that's horrible. I'm glad he will be aright though." Holly stated,

"How he get hurt chi?" Genki glanced to the younger monster,

"He said he was in an accident. If I had to hazard a guess based on his injuries he was probably in a motorbike accident. I know he races on the weekends, and those races can get very dangerous."

"So he got hurt racing this motorbike?" Tiger tilted his head.

"That's my guess. He said he had a broken leg and pelvis. I'm sure they put those back in place but it'll take a few months for his pelvis to heal." He saw them all looked surprised at the news, "I can probably confirm it later. If he got hurt at a race there will be some news coverage of it." He shrugged, "Either way that puts me in a weird spot. Now I'm going to have to look through his files and get everything put together for next week. It'll take me a few hours at least to go through all his files and get a handle on what he was handling." He wasn't happy about this but he couldn't say no either. He knew the rest of the team couldn't lead the group or get everything done on time. That's why he was the auxiliary leader.

"Sounds like you have a lot of work ahead of you then." Holly's father stated at length, he felt for the boy. It was obvious that he worked hard, maybe even harder than they did.

"Hey, does team leader come with any perks?" Hare asked, now curious.

"Sort of… I will get a boost in pay but my work load just doubled essentially. Plus I have to meet with the client and show them the results of our work. I'm not very good with that kind of thing, nowhere near as good as Saito. There is a reason he was put in charge and not me. I'm not customer service oriented at all." Genki sighed, "But there is little choice, the rest of the team members would be even worse at it. And a couple of them would have a meltdown if they got suddenly saddled with extra work. So really I'm the only one who can do it."

"Well that sucks…"

"Indeed it does."

"Will you have to leave chi?" Mocchi seemed sad and unsure of his friend predicament now.

"No, I'm good Mocchi; I will have a whole day to prepare for work on Monday. I should be good as long as I don't sleep in too long tomorrow."

"Chi, Mocchi so happy chi!" he was all smiles again. Holly had dinner made by now and her father had set the table and was currently helping her place dinner on it.

"Well I'm glad you can still stay for dinner Genki, I think we are all glad to be able to talk with you again." Holly smiled to him; He saw the others nod in agreement with her simple statement.

"And I'm glad to be here with you guys too." He grinned at them,

"Let's eat then." Hare suggested taking his seat at the table. Once they were all settled and eating Hare brought up another topic of conversation. He discussed the biggest needs of the village, who they should have help plan their emergency rations, what they should do over the winter, and even if it was possible to create a large storage area for extra food. Genki sat and listened quietly as he ate his dinner. He was attentive, proven by the fact that he occasionally answered their questions. But for the most part he hung back and just enjoyed himself.

Once everyone had finished eating and dishes were put in the sink they all migrated to the living room.

"Hey Genki."

"Yes Hare?"

"About when do you think you can drop those items off for us?"

"Probably in 2 or 3 days why?"

"Just wondering, just in case we find something else missing. Oh! And here for the wine and apples." He handed Genki 5 gold coins, now Genki wasn't stupid, he suspected 1 gold would cover everything if these were pure gold but he accepted the money with out bringing that up. He decided instead to save it aside in case they needed it back. Plus if he got services done by any villagers he would need it.

"Thanks Hare, I'll be sure to get those when I go shopping in the next day or so." He smiled to his friend, * I'm going to need some wine after this week... * "I'll take one and have it tested by my friend since I have one. I'm sure I can get that done sometime this week. I'm supposed to go see her about a ring anyway. Errand from my dad while he's on the road this week." He added clarification before Hare jumped to conclusions.

"Oh, he's buying something for your mother I take it?"

"Yeah, their anniversary is coming up soon. He asked me to pick up his order and hold it for him till he gets back. He doesn't want mom knowing what he got her."

"So they just buy each other stuff?" Suezo asked, he noticed Holly's father looked amused by the eye stalks confusion.

"Sometimes Suezo, in this case it's actually a replacement for her wedding ring. Hers was damaged awhile back, the ring actually cracked. It didn't crack all the way but it is noticeable and apparently getting worse. So he bought a replacement, but it's more of an upgrade then a straight replacement."

"Expensive I take it?" Hare asked, now very curious.

"Very, but it doesn't look gaudy or anything. It's a rose gold band with small emeralds and sapphires around it; at the center is a black opal. It's actually well balanced considering all those gems." Hare whistled,

"Kid, your dad really knows how to buy a gift." Tiger stated, even he was impressed. Genki chuckled,

"He already had an idea what she liked Tiger. Growing up I heard her utter the phrase 'everything I like is too expensive, so I'm not getting anything' a lot. She apparently had seen a similar ring before but wouldn't buy it because of the expense. So he decided to get it for her."

"It sounds like he knows her well then." Holly's father interjected with a smile. Genki nodded and grinned back.

"Oh he does, those two finish each other sentences all the time. It was very confusing growing up. I thought my parents might be telepathic." He laughed a bit as the other chuckled.

"I think it sweet of him, and I'm glad you're willing to help." Holly smiled; she obviously loved hearing about his home life.

"I'm usually the one he calls, mainly because I actually respond back in a decent amount of time." Tiger tilted his head,

"Who else would he call Genki?" Genki looked at the confused wolf monster; it then dawned on him why he was confused. He chuckled,

"Though I generally don't mention them I do have a brother and a sister. We don't really talk that much and both of them seem laxed about answering when called."

"You have siblings?" Holly seemed stunned now. He nodded,

"Yeah, my sister is 5 years older than me; my brother is 3 years younger. My sister works a lot of hours and lives a few hours away, my brother is at the university getting his education for his career. I don't see either of them much, and honestly none of us have really ever talked that much." He shrugged, * wow I never mentioned them in all this time… well when do I even think about them? I mean I see them once a year if I'm lucky. *

"Wow chi! Mocchi didn't know you had a big family chi." Genki chuckled at his enthusiasm.

"I guess they don't come up in conversation much."

"Can we learn more about your family chi?" Genki smiled and nodded,

"Sure Mocchi though it'll have to wait till next visit. I need to get home soon so I can get some sleep before I have to sort through my extra work."

"Ok chi, next time!" he declared triumphantly making Holly giggle and her father chuckle. Genki rose from where he was, stretching a little as he did.

"Holly can you make sure you guys have an idea what you want to do about those extra provisions by weeks end?" Holly nodded,

"Yes I can, I'm sure Hare and I can come up with a plan after we take inventory of what we have." Genki smiled,

"Thanks, it'll make planning on my side easier if I have a rough guess to work with." She smiled to him,

"How about I walk you back to the shrine?" Genki looked surprised but nodded.

"I'd like that, thanks." He knew if she wanted to do so that meant she wanted to speak with him alone. Tiger caught on to this as well.

"You sure you'll be ok walking back alone Holly?"

"I'll take my dagger if it makes you feel better. I'll be fine." He nodded his understanding. Suezo looked like he might say something but stopped when Holly gave him "the look".

"Just be careful." He stated, she nodded in return and gave him a smile.

"I will." She rose and walk to her room to get her dagger. Genki grabbed his bag and made sure he had everything. He then joined her as they walked out of the house.

Once they were a ways away from the village Genki broke the ice. He knew she had something on her mind but wasn't sure what exactly had caused her to seek time alone with him.

"Holly what'd you want to talk to me about?" he glanced her way to find her looking at him with a small smile.

"So you noticed huh?"

"You only do this if you need to talk to me in private." She giggled making him smile,

"I guess that's true. I wanted you to know why we didn't tell you about all of our hardships and just how bad it had gotten." He glanced her way showing he was listening, "We didn't want to burden you with our problems. We all know you work very hard and long hours, it seemed… unfair to make you bare our burden. We had considered telling you in person but our conversation the other night… made us worry that you couldn't help after you told us how much you lose in taxes." He shook his head,

"Holly I told you I'm fine and I have extra money tucked away. Really I'm not hurting financially at all. I may get lazy and use a cheap meal but I don't need to. And as far as bearing burdens, isn't that what friends do? Help each other through hardships?" He let her think a moment before continuing, "You know I love you all, you are a part of my family. I will always be willing to help you guys." He could see a new emotion in her eyes, what he had said had meant a lot to her.

"Thank you Genki." He smiled,

"Now, what all are you missing due to this rough year?" She sighed heavily,

"A lot of things unfortunately, the wheat harvest was very good but the vegetables, fruits, and nuts were not good this year. We aren't sure what happened but a lot of them… wilted and died. Others dropped their fruit and struggled to bare anymore."

"Was this a sudden thing?"

"Yeah…"

"Hmm… I'm thinking we need to investigate that a little then. There may be something more at play. I will bring a few things across to see if I can figure out what happened. I'm also going to do some research on my side since farming isn't something I know a ton about." Holly could see the determination he had,

"So you're food stores are very low. What about medicine?"

"It's low as well… we can't grow all the herbs we need in this region. Without the golds to buy what we are missing…"

"I understand. Add the medicine you need to the list. I need to know what the medicine does so I can get an equivalent on my side."

"Are you sure? This is a lot to ask for…"

"I'm sure. I want you all to be able to take care of yourselves this winter. There are other things besides ramen that keep well." She looked at him questioningly, he chuckled. "I'll explain later." He noticed they were almost at the shrine. She looked ahead and nodded,

"Thank you for being willing to listen Genki."

"Of course."
"I'm sorry we kept this from you."

"It's alright, you had good intentions."

"Genki… I hope Hare's probing about your relationship status doesn't bother you. He's likely to do so again."

"Oh I find it a little annoying but nothing more than that."

"Does he pick on you too?"

"A bit, not as much though" he nodded, * Figures, she can be a force to be reckoned with when she wants to be *

"I will see you soon, take care Holly." He leaned forward and hugged her. She returned it; though brief it told her he cared a lot about her.

"I will, don't over work you're self Genki."

"I'll try not to." He grinned, Holly pressed the switch on the pedestal and Genki waved to her before Jumping though. Holly sighed after he left. * I hope he really can help with everything and that he doesn't burn himself out trying to keep up with us and work. * She walked home feeling hopeful about the future of the village.

Genki landed in a heap on his spare room floor, "Damn that hurts." He heard a cat meow as he got up off the floor. "Yes, yes I know you want food." He walked into the kitchen to feed his kitty. "There you go Raion, some nice Tuna." Raion purred and rubbed up against him in response before going to his bowl to eat. Genki walked up stairs to his room, he wrote himself a few notes then went to bed. *it's going to be a very long week… *

AAN: I didn't get as much plot setup done on this as I originally had planned, but we'll set up more plot next chapter. Hope you all enjoyed this new story :D