It was actually pretty interesting, the marketplace that is. Akechi already expected merchants to sell various types of seafood, but some of the plant life they had to offer were surprising. He didn't know there were a few different types of coffee beans that were native to this island either.
He has been having coffee more often recently due to his heavy workload and all-nighters, but he never cared for the flavor. However with different types of coffee beans that they offered here, it made him think that maybe he should try to branch out and try more flavors. Well instant coffee doesn't really specify what kind of coffee bean it's made from, but he should at least enjoy something that he's going to be drinking daily right?
He wonders if there's any good coffee shops nearby so he could try one of their native coffee beans at least once before he goes back to Tokyo.
"I'll buy 10 kilograms of the Kona and Mountain Blue."
"Sure, coming right up young man!"
Akechi looked up to see a young male customer talking to the owner of the shop. He seems to wear a normal outfit with no armor or visible weapons on him. A civilian it looks like.
He had short curly black hair and wore big thick framed glasses. His voice also reminds him of Quatre, but deeper, not quite as deep as Joker though. When the male felt someone staring at him, he turned to look at him, his grey eyes felt like they were staring straight into Akechi's dark soul.
Akechi felt unnerved by his gaze, but tried not to show it and let out a smile.
"Oh, did I take too long talking with the owner? You can order and pay first if you want. I might take a little bit longer, depending if I can get a good deal with my order." the stranger offered politely as he put his hands in his pockets.
"Ah, no. I was just browsing. I've never seen coffee beans up close before so I was curious."
"I see. Have you ever tried any of these coffee beans before? They're pretty good for people who prefers their coffee with a rich flavor. Mountain Blue tends to be sweeter while Kona has a bright acidity and has a complex aroma. Do you have a preferred coffee bean?" The person asked, making small talk while waiting for the owner to come back with his order.
"Well, I actually don't have a lot of experience regarding this, usually I just drink the coffee that my work offers me. I never look into the details of my drink."
The stranger looks sad at the answer. Why does the guy care if Akechi knows anything about coffee or not? Was he a coffee fanatic?
"Hmm, since you look like a skyfarer, you should visit Tokyo, Japan sometime and go to the coffee shop called Cafe Leblanc. They have many different types of coffee beans from the other islands so you can try a lot of flavors and see which one you like most."
"Ah, I might take you up on your offer then. Cafe Leblanc eh?" Akechi thinks that he might have heard that name before. Maybe he should visit it since it seems like someone he knows mentioned about it before, most likely Sae. He was only close to her at work.
"Here we go. This is everything that you order sir." The owner was a Draph and managed to lift the bags with no problem, taking advantage of his muscular build. He put one of them on a scale to show that they were the correct weight.
"Ah, I guess I'll take my leave then. It was nice meeting you. I hope to see you around." Akechi said pleasantly as he nodded at the stranger.
"Yeah, see you around." The stranger said as he waved at Akechi.
As Akechi walked away, he frowned. There was a high possibility that the person he just met might be Joker. The voice, the eyes, and hair were all similar. It was surprising how different his current personality was compared to Joker's. He actually wouldn't mind talking to him more, he seemed friendly, but not overly so that he was pushing any boundaries.
But Joker…ugh, remembering him made Akechi also recall the kiss from yesterday. The back of his hand tingled as the memory came to mind. He wiped his hand aggressively against his pants, even though this was a different glove. Ugh, he can never look at his Robin Hood's glove the same way again… Damn that guy.
Akechi told himself to keep an open mind though, just in case Joker turns out to be another guy, he has to be open to other possibilities so he won't be caught off-guard.
Well, he wanted to test out his new bullets before fighting Ca Ong. First he should fight using only his sword against a normal monster to see how much damage he could deal with and without adding an element to his attacks. Then he could look for the current biggest bounty on the island and attack it with his bullets to see how effective they are. If all goes well, then he can just purchase some traps and challenge the Shadow tomorrow night or the day after.
Akechi looked for something light but substantial that he could eat for lunch. He glanced around the marketplace, wondering if they sell sandwiches or something he can just eat with his hands, no utensils needed.
After buying something called a lobster roll, Akechi went to the main road to where the bulletin board with all of the bounties were. There currently weren't any Shadows or Primal Beasts that were causing a disturbance, so there aren't any bounties that were too high. He picked one that was the highest at the moment. The bounty was for something called an Imperial Guard. It states that Astre Empire recently abandoned their weapons testing site, but there are still one or a few robotic guards that protected the area from people. So the bounty states that every guard that's destroyed will be worth 10,000 rupies each.
Akechi grinned, time to get to work. It would be convenient to hunt the monsters in the area while traveling to the weapons site. Since it seems like no one would be randomly wandering around that area because of how dangerous the guards are, he could use his Persona too and compare how much damage his elements can cause versus using his Vohu Manah Point bullets against the guards.
The water elementals were actually pretty easy to take down. He only need to slash it a few times with his sword before it went down.
He saw another one floating through the forest and held his right hand out to cast his magic, as he held his sword tightly on his left. Akechi's hand glowed a bright white as he concentrated on his attack.
"Kouha!"
A flash of light appeared from the sky and hit the creature with perfect accuracy.
Akechi then raise the sword in preparation, just in case his magic wasn't enough to kill it and he would need to use his weapon to finish the fight.
The creature crumpled to the floor and glared at him. It started gathering water around itself and Akechi quickly ran and stabbed it in the chest before it can release it's attack.
"Goodbye." He said softly as he removed his sword from it's dead body and cleaned the sword with a wiping cloth before putting it back in its sheath.
He could never get used to taking items from his fallen enemies. Akechi quickly grabbed the soothing splash from it's dead body before leaving the scene. He would be able to sell the item or if he collected more, be able to trade them for other items like magic potions. Soothing splashes are used as the base to make the potions afterall.
Akechi continued walking towards the weapons site, keeping a lookout for other monsters that might be in the area.
It was late afternoon already, Akechi was hoping that he would be able to reach the place before early evening at most. He doesn't know if the building is damaged or not, he hopes that it was so natural light can get into the building or that the electricity still works. It would be a hassle to fight while also having to hold onto a flashlight.
Akechi walked as quietly as possible through the forest. He carefully avoided the long branches of the trees, the thorny thick bushes, and the tree's roots that grew above the dirt.
Finally, he reached the site. The place looked kind of sad with how empty it looks. There seems to be no damage done on the building, but Akechi can see some kind of light in the building though. He is glad that he will be able to use both hands to fight.
Akechi placed his hand on his sword as the other hold onto the sheath as he entered the abandoned building.
The place was nicely well-lit with light crystals. He could see clearly even the corners of the building. It was unfortunate that this place hasn't been repurposed yet. Hopefully, by him clearing out the guards, the people of the island can use it for something.
As he pass through the building, he saw large machineries that had layers of dust on them making Akechi wonder how long this place has been abandoned.
As he crept through the area, he heard something making a loud noise.
"Intruder, stop now or be aware of the consequences." A large black robot appeared from behind one of the machines. It's arms were currently at its side and the claws look pretty sharp he noted. It doesn't look like has any long range weapons on its body so Akechi can take it down with his gun and magic, but he wonders how fast it was. His stronger spells take longer to cast and he doesn't want to be caught unaware if it was able to run at a high speed at him to attack.
Well he should transform first at least. Even if it turns out that he doesn't need his Persona, it doesn't hurt to be careful.
"Persona." he muttered as his outfit changed.
He couldn't help but to grin, this day is finally becoming interesting he thought as he walked towards the guard as he unsheathed his sword.