Some hours later…

29th of September, Year 202X

9:34 AM

It was morning in Youkai Mountain. The chilling autumn breeze lingered over the habitants of the kappa district, who were getting to their jobs, or were already working.

Vali woke up, raising his head from the desktop. Looking around, he saw Nitori, who was sleeping peacefully. With another look, he saw the restored radio, turned off, and a notable pile of written papers beside it. Feeling heavy, he stood up, and stretched, getting ready for a new day.

"I feel exhausted. I really need to adjust my sleep schedule, or this happens." He thought, rubbing his eyes. "Hopefully I found something to do, otherwise I would have died from boredom."

Vali then approached one of the many crates in Nitori's lab, and opened it. Knowing its contents, he searched for something to eat, and after a quick rustle, he pulled out a beige plastic bag.

"Hmmm…Standard US Ration: Beef Goulash, With a portion of coffee, star-shaped cookies, 3 energy drinks, a slice of bread, and strawberry jam. This one's for me. I'll leave another one for her." He thought, pulling out a second package.

He returned to the center table, and after carefully making some space for eating, he prepared himself the cold coffee. It was incredibly bitter, even after adding a whole packet of sugar, but it was better than nothing. He ate the cookies, the bread, and the jam, and after storing the main course and the heater in his jacket, he left, leaving behind the extra package on the table, with a note.

Going past the kappas that walked down the streets, he sprinted as fast as possible, being careful to not trip on anything or bump someone. At one point the streets became too crowded to run safely, so he decided to go higher. Using a set of wooden pillars resting at a construction site, he climbed until he reached for the roof of the building, and began to move from roof to roof.

It took him a while until he finally saw the main tengu headquarters from far. Taking impulse, he made big leaps to move even faster, until he finally reached for the balcony of the building, landing quietly, as usual.

Megumu was in her office, sorting papers of various importance in folders, and storing them in drawers.

"A remodeling project for the village entrance…A new restaurant…A construction project-"

She was cut off when someone knocked on the door.

"Who is it?" Megumu asked, looking at the door.

There was a dead silence. Megumu shrugged, and after getting back into her business, another knock was heard.

"Can't you just enter?" She said, annoyed.

The door opened, and in came Vali, waving at Megumu.

"It was you…oh, I'm sorry for the rude response, I forgot you couldn't speak."

[It's fine, I'm used to it.]

"Wait, if you came here, then why nobody told me you were here? That's what is supposed to happen in these scenarios!" Megumu said, confused.

[I entered through the balcony. Sorry for that, but it's quicker for me to move around buildings than walking in the streets.]

"You know it's proper manners to enter a building through the entrance, right? Please don't do that again," Megumu sighed, rubbing the bridge of her nose. "Anyways, please take a seat."

Vali sat in the chair, as requested, leaving his jacket in a nearby perch, and took off his beret.

[So, what's this interview about?]

"I want to know a little more about you. I think the information Aya provided me yesterday was too superficial." Megumu said, focusing on Vali. "Tell me…do you have any experience with hand to hand combat?"

[Just enough to defend myself if needed.]

"Do you have any special abilities? Not just something you only can do, but other kinds of skills."

[I can spit fire. Simple as that. I can adjust the size of my flames, and their hotness as I see convenient.]

"I see…then I should assume you don't get hurt by them? How much can you endure?

[I've been in direct contact with campfires and nothing happened to me. I'm basically fireproof. I've also been covered in molten metal, and didn't suffer any kind of burn.]

"...That's interesting…And considering that, am I correct in saying that you need to shed your scales once in a while?

[Yes? What's the matter?]

"How frequently do you do that?"

[...once a month, mostly. It depends on how much I'm exposed to high temperatures. Being exposed frequently will require constant sheds to prevent overwear.]

"...alright, that's fine. What other skill do you have?"

[I'm really good at climbing and running for long periods of time. I remember always being first in the PE exams, and I've runned several marathons without too much trouble.]

"Hmm…Let's see…Do you perform better at day or night?"

[I'm essentially a night owl. But since I used to attend school, I've had to fix my sleep schedules quite a lot. It's impractical.]

"Now, the most important part…If someone has a certain stance, and you feel the need to take a stance, what would you do? What is your stance against conflicts? What do you think is the best course of action in a problematic conflict?"

Vali was taken by surprise by the question. He hesitated to answer, but after thinking for a while, he wrote out an answer.

[It's wrong to let people know what I think because it could offend them, and fighting should always be a last resort, even if I'm being attacked. And isn't it common sense to get away from anything that causes problems?]

Megumu raised an eyebrow, though Vali couldn't tell if it was in confusion or concern. "Do you have any idea how ridiculous that is? Never asserting your own stance? Never fighting back if attacked, even if it's in self-defense? Running away from problems instead of overcoming them? That mindset is what gets people killed, all because they took pacifism to the extremes and refused to even consider thinking of defending themselves."

"..." Vali looked down, ashamed.

[That's…what Gracia always told me. I'm lucky nobody tried to beat me up in school, otherwise there would be a problem and I wouldn't be able to get away… I'm sorry.]

"Really now?" drawled Megumu. "You're telling me that she told you to never express what you think to others, to never defend yourself, and to always run away from any problems that pop up? Because no matter where you are, that's called begging to be screwed over or killed."

Vali scowled, angered by what the great tengu said. Scribbling more on his notepad, he shoved his next message at her. [She said that it was wrong to force my beliefs on others, that I shouldn't turn to violence as the first answer, and to avoid conflict! I'm just doing what she taught me!]

Reading the message multiple times just to make sure she wasn't seeing things, Megumu finally looked back at Vali with a mix of incredulity and disappointment. After a few seconds, she sighed as she leaned back in her seat. "You are an absolute idiot," she groaned.

Vali was stumped, surprised by the great tengu's answer. [What do you mean?]

Rubbing her temples in frustration, Megumu explained, "When she said it was wrong to force your beliefs on others, she meant that you shouldn't disrespect what other people think and try to force them to accept what you think. When she said not to use violence as the first answer, she meant that you should try to use other means of avoiding a fight first, but you can fight back if necessary. And when she said to avoid conflict, she meant that you shouldn't go around causing trouble!" Getting up from her seat, she slammed her hands on her desk and snapped, "How the hell did you twist that into being a doormat for everyone, letting yourself be used as a punching bag, and running away from everything?"

Vali was at a loss of words. He mulled over Megumu's words for a few seconds… and then covered his face in shame. "So that's why Dragomir and Silviea kept telling me that I wasn't properly following Gracia's teachings…" he thought to himself, feeling foolish for not believing them.

Sighing, Megumu said: "Relax…that's why I called Momiji here. She will be arriving soon."

It wasn't long until the door opened again, and what appeared to be a wolf girl entered. Her hair was completely white, as well as her tail and ears. She wore what could only be described as an extravagant outfit, consisting of one half that resembled a normal kimono, with long sleeves that were separated from the main piece and only sewed in by a long black thread in a way that allowed the armpits to be shown, and the other half being two long pieces of separated cloth that served as a loincloth. The outfit was completely white, with details in black, being finally complemented by a hat similar to the one that Aya used, but being black instead of red.

"Greetings, Lady Megumu! I'm here, right as you asked! What 's the matter?" Momiji said, bowing at Megumu briefly. Her eyes were immediately put in Vali. She had never seen anyone like the boy in the chair.

"Who is this boy, Milady? He clearly isn't from around here." Momiji asked.

"His name is Valentin. We found him at the crash site yesterday, just past midday. Explaining everything would take too long, and I don't have much time, so read this." Megumu said, handing a notepad to her.

Momiji started to read right away, and just like Megumu, she had a look of sheer shock on her face when finishing.

"...What in Moriya's name is this? An outsider from another world? I must be dreaming." Momiji said, looking at Megumu.

"You aren't." Megumu said, taking back the notepad. Momiji then couldn't help but draw a mysterious grin, and she looked at Vali. She moved around him, analyzing him.

"Such a valuable and rare asset…dropped from the sky…we're gonna have some fun together." Momiji said, smiling at him with a sadistic look.

"Momiji! Tone it down, you're intimidating him!" Megumu said, as Momiji jolted up and kept a firm salute pose.

"Sorry, Milady, I got carried away." She said, bowing down briefly. She then instructed Megumu to go to the corner of the room, and there, they had a brief private chat.

"...and what about the stuff that came in those crates, Milady? Has the rest of the council decided anything?"

"The kappas are analyzing the contents of those boxes, and the results should come out this week. But as things look, they are considering keeping most of them to increase our military power. Unless something makes them change their opinions, we're not getting rid of everything."

"...that sounds good. What about him?"

"...he's a pacifist."

"What! But I assumed that he would be experienced in combat, judging by his looks! You know how things work here!"

"He's the extreme type of pacifist. Just earlier, he proudly admitted that he never lets others know what he thinks or asserts his opinion, he never fights back and won't defend himself even if there's no other choice, and he runs away from every problem. That's why I called you here."

"... You want me to break him out of being the unholy combination of a doormat and punching bag? Even though he grew up drilling the habit of just running away into his very body and soul?"

"Yeah. I have good faith that your training will fix that issue. The rest depends on how he develops himself during it."

"When we start?"

"Four days. That should be enough for him to fix his sleep schedule, considering the bags he has under his eyes."

Both women turned again to see Vali, who was lost in his own thoughts, looking at the window. Then he noticed them, and looked back.

[What 's wrong?]

Megumu stepped ahead, and said: "You're going to join Momiji's training sessions, from now on to the next twelve months. She's an excellent tutor, since she has trained most of the elite tengu forces, and is one of the leaders here."

[Military training?]

"Yes. We believe that you are capable of executing a unique role here, based on what we know so far about you." Momiji said. "But we need you to break out of that mindset. Because a coward who is aware of their cowardice but refuses to do something about it is worse than one who is unable to do anything about their cowardice."

Vali was conflicted with himself. While he didn't particularly care about being called a coward sometimes…he suddenly felt the need to object the critique against him. But before he could write out an answer, Momiji interrupted him. "Or would you rather prefer to spend the rest of your days living in the forest?"

Vali started to panic a little. He got up from his seat, and started to walk around the room.

"It's a fair trade. We provide you with basic necessities, such as food, water, clothes, a place where to sleep, and in exchange…you work for us. Sounds too good to let it pass, doesn't it?" Megumu said.

Vali froze in place, and thought about it for a while. Having himself turned into a soldier wasn't the most tempting of offers, considering his stance on the use of violence, and that it implied he would have to be ready to fight whenever needed. But in the end, it wasn't like he had other options anyway, since spending the rest of his life in the forest was a much worse scenario than now. Having no options left, he frowned, put up the most serious poker face he could make, and extended an arm.

"..." Vali looked at Megumu, wanting to seal the deal. Megumu smiled, and shook his hand. It was done. No turning back.

"You'll start in four days. You need to get used to our pace before anything, or you won't do well. That's it, take the rest of the day for yourself." She said, pointing to the door. Vali was about to leave when he stopped, and scribbled something on his notebook.

[What time am I supposed to wake up from now on?]

"Six in the morning."

Vali gave a thumbs up, and left.

Meanwhile, in the lab…

Nitori yawned, stretching her arms over her head as she drowsily sat up. Looking around, she rubbed her eyes and called out, "Vali, where are you? What time is it?"

When she got no response, her eyes opened and she got up, walking over to the table as she noticed a package on it.

Walking over, she found an MRE similar to the ones that the shopkeeper of Kourindou occasionally salvaged from Muenzuka. Picking up the paper on it, she saw that it was a letter by Vali.

[Good morning. I went out for an interview with Miss Momiji this morning. I left you something for breakfast on the table. It's a cold ration, so don't worry about heating anything up.

While you were sleeping, I took the trouble to go through and explain most of the things that were in each box here, and I have classified them. I'm still not done, so please don't touch anything, if possible.

The papers with the explanations are next to the radio. And if you wonder why it's off, don't worry, I turned it off myself before I went to sleep. See you in the afternoon.]

After reading the note, Nitori looked again at the table, noticing two tall piles of stacked papers, each one labeled by an extra paper on its left side. The papers read as: "Safe" and "Benefit of doubt".

"He did this…In a whole night? I must admit that's some serious dedication for stuff that will most likely be destroyed or stored under strict vigilance." Nitori said, taking a paper from one of the piles, and reading it.

"Safe?! How do you consider this safe?! This thing can easily harm youkai!" She said, throwing the paper aside. The object depicted in the information paper was a hard case laptop. "Even if the thing's functions are totally safe, the materials are dangerous! Doesn't he know that iron and silver are known for their magic negation and anti-supernatural traits?"

Suddenly, Sanae burst into the room. "Hey Nitori, have you seen Vali?" she asked. Walking over to the kappa, she noticed the meal Vali had prepared and exclaimed, "Cool, an MRE! I always wanted to try one!" She grabbed a slice of toast and chewed on it, tasting it experimentally before frowning in disappointment. "It's… kinda plain. Wonder if this package has any jam in it…" Sanae reached for the rest of the package, but was interrupted by Nitori.

"That's mine, Sanae." She said, placing a hand in between Sanae's and the package. "If you want one, just go through the pile over there." She pointed towards the pile of MREs that had been sorted out the day before. "There's plenty, and from what we could find, it's culturally diverse."

Sanae approached the stockpile as suggested, and observed the packages. They had different sizes and colors, going from smaller rations for aviators, to a full 24-hour meal for a single person. She grabbed one of the larger boxes and read the content label. "Venison brisket entrée, beef stroganoff, biscuits and gravy, and blueberry granola bars?" Holding it up as though it were a holy artifact, she cheered, "I'm taking this one!"

Pulling a talisman out of her sleeve, she practically slapped it on the box, which floated into the air before disappearing with a pop. "Now it's nice and safe in my room," Sanae chirped. Turning around to face Nitori once more, her eyes landed on the laptop. Blinking, she asked, "Who the heck makes a laptop out of iron and silver? Does it even work?" As she questioned the laptop's condition, she poked it lightly.

"My best assumption is that it was made with the intent to have a passive anti-supernatural defense, given that it's made from materials that are hazardous to non-humans and magic. Other than that, I have no idea what's inside," responded Nitori.

"Does that mean I can keep it?" Sanae asked with sparkling eyes.

"No, you can't. And since Vali said that he is not done yet, there might be more stuff to uncover in the rest of the boxes," Nitori said, returning the laptop into its hard case. "For now, let's just leave this here."

Sanae still planned to "borrow" the laptop, but it was put on hold upon seeing the radio just a meter away from the food package. "A radio? Does it work?"

"Yes. Vali and I managed to turn it on and tune in to a music station, but I don't know what else is transmitted on that signal. I guess it's still that."

"Can you tune it again? Pleeeeeeeaseeeeee~?" Sanae asked, with puppy dog eyes.

Nitori tried her best to resist Sanae's charm…but she couldn't. Sighing, she reached for the energy crystal, the makeshift resistors, and repeated the same procedure Vali and her did last night. In a few minutes, the radio was running again, but the station that was pre-tuned wasn't playing music anymore…but a history documentary.

"And in today's special weekly history program, we will be looking at our national myths and legends." An elegant voice spoke through the radio. Both Sanae and Nitori were automatically hooked by the topic, and they started to hear the whole program.