Hey Everyone, Happy Halloween! Wait...what do you mean it's not Ocotober? What do you mean it's past Christmas!? Well, I guess this makes a nice Christmas present, even if it is a couple days late. Enjoy everyone, and happy holidays to you all!
The morning of John and the other's new mission had come. Since this was something that could potentially get violent (dangerously so at that) he decided to give the girls some time off to relax and take it easy before they moved out. John himself could barely sleep as he kept imagining just how terrifying this Yuuka person actually was. Still, he was in charge, so he couldn't show any (outward) fear to his allies, lest they become scared themselves. He was already up and ready, messing with the bracelet as he thought for which Job to tackle this as. He could go as one of the healer jobs, but the problem there is that they have no real 'tank' so to speak. The closest they had was Kaguya, but it wasn't that she was sturdy, so much as she just couldn't die. He kept thinking about it more and more until a knock came at his door. Medicine and Kogasa had been sleeping up until this point, but the knocking managed to wake them up. John answered it to reveal Kaguya standing before him, the princess having a concerned look on her face.
"Are you alright John…? You look awful."
There were no mirrors in this shack, so John had no idea how bad (or good) he looked. "Really? I feel just fine." John lied
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah...just getting ready to deal with this Yuuka person...if we have to fight her."
"We most likely will." Medicine said with a yawn "So if anyone has a plan, I'm all ears. Personally, I say we abandon the mission right here and now."
"Stop being a coward." Kogasa growled as she rubbed her eyes "John said we're doing it, so we're doing it."
"Yeah yeah, I'm sure you'd drown yourself if he told you to..."
"W-well..."
"Anyway!" John interrupted "I don't have too much of a plan here really, I don't know much about this Yuuka person...but if she's as tough as you say, then I have a question for you Kaguya..."
"Yes? What is it?"
"How long does it take until you resurrect after dying?"
"Er...I'm not sure, I never really keep track of it." She replied rubbing her chin in contemplation
"Damn...well that plan is out I guess."
"Nonsense John, there's a simple way to answer that question."
"Really? How?"
"Easy...Medicine was it? Do you have any fast acting poisons?"
"Of course I do. I've got something that can kill a human in minutes!" She proclaimed proudly
"Very good, please use it on me."
"E-excuse me…?"
"Use it on me, Immortal I may be, but at the end of it all, I'm still human, so it should work right?"
"Hold on now Princess, are you sure you want to go through with that?" Kogasa asked alarmed
"Oh calm down, I'll be fine...afterwards. Now then, John, is this fine with you?"
"Well, I don't like it, but we don't have any other way of finding out. Do it Medicine."
The doll nodded, and moving close she placed a hand over Kaguya's face. "Now breath it in deep." She said before letting out a small ghastly looking purple cloud, that Kaguya inhaled deeply. What followed next was something that made John's stomach churn. Kaguya began slowly gasping for air, her eyes rolled back into her head as blood began pooling from her mouth. Her entire body went pale as she began convulsing on the spot, foam coming from her mouth, mixing with the blood to create a truly disturbing sight. It was a full three minutes before Kaguya died.
"Okay, I'm gonna start timing her." John said as he grabbed his phone and flipped over to a timer app. He kept track of it intensely, keeping his thumb hovering over the stop button while looking at Kaguya's lifeless body.
1 minute…
3 minutes…
5 minutes…
15 minutes…
25 minutes.
It was at this point that Kaguya's eyes shot open as she looked over at John who had stopped the timer.
"So how long was that?" Kaguya asked casually
"Uh...25 minutes."
"You kept count…?" Medicine asked
"Yeah, my phone has a timer." He said showing it to everyone in the room "Pretty useful for times like these."
"That's...odd, so that thing tells time?" Kogasa asked poking it
"Yep, and other cool features too. Kaguya has one too."
"Ah yes, I must learn how to properly use that thing sometime. Eirin keeps telling me it's useful for long range communication." Kaguya said with a sigh
"It is. I was wondering why you never asked me for my number or anything."
"Oh, your number is already in it, I just don't want to disturb you is all."
"I...wait...how did Eirin get my…? You know what, never mind."
"So is her being dead for 25 minutes good for your plan or not?" Medicine asked
"Well...not really no. But I can work with this I guess. Medicine, you have poisons that can slow someone down or hamper their movement right?"
"Yeah...why?"
"Then this means we may just be able to pull this off if we get into a fight. Come on, we're wasting sunlight. The sooner we talk to Yuuka the better. I'll explain on the way."
The group made their way to the Garden of the Sun where Yuuka Kazami made her home, as before when John had seen it, he couldn't help but think that it was an extremely beautiful sight. Even in this winter weather, the area still felt quite warm, unnaturally so. He shook the thought from his mind instead focusing on the task at hand. Once the four of them touched down near the entrance and sighed. It was time to turn into a job with an outfit he wasn't too fond of having to wear in real life.
"Astrologian." He muttered and like before he was engulfed in a quick light before reappearing decked out in what could only be described as a gown with a space motif going on throughout it, with small bits of gold tacked on here and there. The hat, was quite large, comically so, and had a crescent moon on the front-right side of it. Needless to say, the outfit looked a bit more womanly than one would expect, but John liked the design well enough that he'd glamoured it onto his player character in the game (besides no one would really care there) but now he was kicking himself as he stood there in front of three girls.
All of whom stifled some giggles
"W-wow John, I didn't know you were into that kind of thing." Medicine said with a loud snort
"S-shut up, look, I thought the outfit was cool and I-!"
"Oh yes John...it's 'cool' for sure." Kogasa giggled "Really great for a guy like yourself!"
"Oh let's just get going already..." John grumbled "You all know the plan right?"
"Yes, we're well aware. Still...I fear Miss Kazami may not be too much of an issue if she sees that outfit you're wearing."
The rest of the walk remained quiet as John quietly seethed at the mocking he'd gotten, but as they continued on, they came upon the realization that the sunflowers were massive and acted as walls as they made their way through it all. It was a full hour of walking before Medicine piped up
"Okay so...why didn't we just fly to her place?"
"Come on, you can't really see much of anything with all these flowers, that and we don't want her seeing us and then just shooting us down without a second thought." Kogasa answered "Still, it'd be nice if we got some idea as to where Yuuka was."
"Turn around silly!" came an unfamiliar voice, which made everyone stand stock still before turning around slowly. There they saw a woman in a red plaid skirt, with shoulder length, wavy, green hair. She had an umbrella over her head as she walked, and though her smile seemed nice and caring, the striking red of her eyes was enough to send a chill of fear through a person. Despite all that, Yuuka remained calm and friendly with a noticeable cheer in her voice.
"Goodness, it has been forever since I've had any visitors, and these are quite the strange ones as well. I never expected to be visited by the princess of Eientei or...my, you're Medicine aren't you? You aren't getting into any trouble again are you?"
"U-uh...not at all!" Medicine replied with a fake smile
"Good, this is no place to talk though, come I'll show you to my home."
The others nodded to one another before following her. The air around them was tense and awkward, while Yuuka herself had merely been humming the entire time as they went on. Before long they found a small cottage nestled away that had all kinds of flowers growing all over it.
"Well here we are. Come now, I'll get you all some tea."
Following her inside, Yuuka's home was quite quaint and unassuming. For someone who was labeled as an extremely deadly youkai, this was not the kind of abode he expected her to have at all. In fact, it could be said that for some people, this would be the perfect dream home to escape from the noise and pressures of daily life and to simply enjoy the scenery that surrounded them out in a place like this.
"Nice place you got here." John said
"Oh thank you! I quite enjoy it myself. The only real issue would be the fairies, but they aren't too much trouble once you learn how to deal with them."
"And uh...how do you do that?" Kogasa asked sheepishly
"Oh easy, a little danmaku here, a swift punch or kick there, that usually sends them running."
"A-ah..right..." Kogasa replied, though her eyes showed that she was practically screaming for some reason to get out of here and back to the safety of the office
"Here we are, now please enjoy yourselves, I even have some snacks!"
"We're quite humbled. Thank you." Kaguya said maintaining a calm demeanor, but it was clear it was all an act for as she lifted the cup up to her lips, her hand was shaking quite violently. Everyone else was pretty much the same way, and a silence permeated the room before Yuuka spoke up.
"So tell me strangers, who are you two? I know about Medicine and the Princess, but I don't think I've ever seen you two before."
"I'm John Graham and this is Kogasa Tatara...she's my umbrella."
Kogasa nearly choked on her drink before regaining her composure "J-John! Don't say that out loud!" Kogasa exclaimed blushing profusely
"What? It's true isn't it?" John asked
"Well...yeah, but...look saying something like out loud is embarrassing okay?"
"Right...sorry Kogasa."
"Well, you two are certainly quite interesting, but what brings you all here?"
Seeing this as the perfect way to present their case, John immediately went into the explanation of exactly why they all came here and why they'd been looking for Yuuka specifically. The Flower Youkai sat patiently, not interrupting him as she drank her tea, all the while nodding here and there.
"I see...so a human is making a garden and wishes to add some sunflowers to it?"
"That's right. Would you be willing to lend us some seeds?"
"Oh of course I would! From what you've told me, this person is quite dedicated to her garden, and any chance to help that dedication grow would be wonderful!"
"Really? That's great!" John exclaimed smiling at the others, it looks like they'd managed to get through this without going through a fight, which was pretty lucky all things considered.
"However..."
Oh crap…
"Huh...is something wrong?" Kogasa asked
"Oh no, not at all, I simply want you all to help me with something, is that fine?"
John looked at the others who all nodded in agreement. They'd gotten this far, so things should be fine enough.
"Splendid! Follow me!" Yuuka exclaimed clapping her hands together before leading everyone outside. She walked them along the dirt path, making turns and such that just left the others feeling confused before they were finally in a patch of flat land with no flowers around them, the soil was soft so it could definitely be used to plant more flowers if one wanted to. They all looked around at it, somewhat confused...was she expecting them to help her plant some more flowers as a means of compensation or something?
"Now then...Yuuka said calmly "This place will do perfectly. There are no flowers here, so we can fight with no repercussions."
"Wait...what do you mean fight?!" Medicine exclaimed fearfully
"Oh nothing, I merely want to know what tactics you all devised to deal with me."
"W-wait, how do you-" Kogasa started
"...Know? I've known ever since you set foot here. The flowers told me, how else did you think I knew you were here and how to find you so quickly?"
"So this was a trap after all…?" Kaguya scowled
"A trap? No, nothing of the sort. I asked, and you agreed, that is all there is to it." Yuuka said with a calm smile. "Be at ease, for I have no intent to kill, but just as I said before...John you are interesting, I cannot shake the feeling that there is something about you."
"That's great...but do we really have to fight?"
"Oh yes, I want to see if I have a counter to whatever you all have planned. To that end, you may all go against me, I'm quite interested as to what you all have come up with."
"Well, this isn't how I expected this to go but...everyone, get ready!"
Everyone assumed a fighting stance of some kind, while Yuuka kept the same smile on her face "That's great...and so you know: I'm not using Danmaku~ "
"W-why not?!" Kogasa cried incredulously
"I just think it'll be more fun that way."
"Oh crap..." Medicine muttered
"Alright everyone, you know what to do!" John commanded as he withdrew his weapon, a small globe like object that had cards floating around it. This weapon was known as a planisphere, but what John was carrying was known as Sharpened Sphere of the Last Heir, one of the strongest weapons currently available to this particular job.
"Right!" The others cried in unison, ready to fight...even if Kogasa and Medicine were trembling somewhat.
The fight started off quickly, Kaguya of all people took to the front, brandishing a small branch with beautiful jewels on the tip. It was beautiful, but now was not the time to marvel at it. Kaguya gave it a small swing with several sprays of danmaku flying all over
"A frontal assault? How direct for a princess like yourself." Yuuka grinned, effortlessly dodging them and flying in close to her. She was preparing to throw a powerful punch to Kaguya, but John had prepared for this. The Astrologian job had a certain gimmick to it in that the cards that floated around the planisphere could be used to administer all sorts of buffs to the party. In this case, prior to their arrival, John had pulled out the perfect card.
"Kaguya, a bole is coming your way!" John exclaimed, drawing the card and raising it to the sky. A small green light in the shape of a tree enveloped Kaguya just before Yuuka struck her, allowing the princess to tank the hit for more effectively than she normally would be able to.
"W-what in the world…?" Yuuka stammered "That attack should have knocked you out cold!"
"That's called 20% damage reduction!" John exclaim in satisfaction "Don't worry Kaguya, I'll fix you up, good thing I'm in Nocturnal Sect!"
"What does that even mean?!" Medicine cried
"It means when I heal Kaguya, she gets a barrier!" He replied casting his magic on Kaguya, the princess immediately felt the pain fade away from her body, before she jumped back.
"Medicine, your turn!" Kaguya called out
"Alright I got it! Just hope this works. "Hey, Kazami, take this!" She yelled while firing a poison cloud at her. Yuuka was still too caught up by John's words to react in time, and she took a face full of the poison, quickly moving out of it, but the damage is done.
"Damn...this poison, it's slowing my body...I had no idea Medicine could use something so potent." Yuuka thought "Still...I should be able to turn this around, I'll need to take out the boy first..."
With that being her Plan, Yuuka made a beeline for John, she was moving slower than usual, but she knew she could still reach him...until Kaguya got in the way again, acting as a wall between him and her.
"Imperishable Night's End, Paschal's Moon!" Kaguya yelled, causing blue danmaku to spread out from her branch, which acted as a wall protecting John and the others while making Yuuka retreat back as she attempted to dodge the red orbs that were being fired off in such a way that the blue damnaku obscured it. Unfortunately, the poison was taking effect even quicker than she anticipated and she ended up taking several hits as she moved, causing her to growl in frustration.
"Alright Kogasa, Balance, coming your way!" John said pulling out another card and putting its effects on her. "You'll hit her harder now, so you know what to do!"
"Right! Janome Spiral!"
Yuuka wasn't prepared for this spellcard. She'd already been pushed back by Kaguya's spell card, but Kogasa's was just...strange. The danmaku shot out, but as she attempted to dodge, the bullets and orbs moved along with her, making it difficult to find a gap, she just barely managed to dodge a few, but she was still taking hits thanks to the poison. The combined onslaught of Kaguya and Kogasa was enough to send Yuuka falling to to the ground.
"Wow…do you think we managed to defeat her?" Kaguya asked regrouping with the others
"I wouldn't bet on it." John said "I get the feeling she's not not done yet."
"What makes you say that? I think we did pretty well!" Medicine smirked
"Well...there's the fact that she's standing up."
Everyone looked over to where Yuuka had fallen and sure enough the flower youkai had indeed gotten back to her feet. Her face looked deadly as she stared the group down. "I must admit...you all are a lot stronger than I thought. If you were all attempting to kill me, I think I may have actually been in trouble. However, that really hurt!"
"Um...we're sorry?" Kogasa sheepishly said
Her words fell on deaf ears as Yuuka began making her way towards them again. Kogasa and Kaguya went on the offensive shooting off more danmaku to deter her, but this time, Yuuka just took the attacks as she made her way forward. She was a slow moving but powerful force, and before long she was right up in Kaguya's face. She cocked her fist back, putting more power into it before delivering a sickening punch to the princess abdomen, she was hit so hard, the others heard her bones crack from the impact of the attack. Needless to say that Kaguya was down for the count...and that was with John's shielding on her still. Kaguya crumpled to the ground, twitching in pain. Kogasa meanwhile had frozen up and that was all the time Yuuka needed to deliver a solid hit to her jaw, knocking her out too.
"Medicine, can you get more poison on her?!" John exclaimed in a panicked voice
"I-I can try but-!"
"Not so fast!" Yuuka interrupted grabbing the doll girl by the arm and slamming her into the ground, and then kicking far across the field for good measure. John could swear he'd heard another crack, as he saw Medicine fly over him. His entire team was downed in just a few moments, leaving him as the last man standing.
"And now we fall to the ring leader. I must say John...you're pretty good to direct such a strange crew of people against me...and actually pull it off to some passable effect, any last words before you join them on the ground?"
"Well I-" His words were cut off though as a new sensation overtook his body. It was like a headache...but it didn't exactly hurt. John could feel his mind leaving his body, as if he'd been spirited away. A blinding light overtook his body and the next thing he knew he was in the village?
"What the hell…?" He muttered looking around at his surroundings, this was definitely the village, but the appearance was off. Everything was sepia-toned as if he were looking at an old photograph, but even so, everyone around him were moving as normal, as if there was nothing abnormal going on at all.
"Okaaaay..." John murmured "I guess I'm back home? Did Yuuka do this?"
As he pondered just what was going on, as if on cue, Yuuka walked right by him. John instantly got into a combat stance, but Yuuka just passed him by, as if he weren't even there. It was then, that it all became clear to him: This was a vision. A vision of the past. Back in the game, the main character had several instances of looking into the past of people they'd met due to a unique trait they had known as 'The Echo'. Was this Yuuka's past then? Why'd this happen now? And how the hell did he get the power of the echo?
These questions raced through John's mind, but it wasn't important right now. What he needed to do was follow Yuuka, what she was doing in the village he had no idea, but he was sure he'd find out soon enough. He walked after her, the flower youkai having that same smile on her face as she walked into the markets, perusing several stalls. Things seemed pretty normal for the most part, so what was the point of all this?
"Hey...was that Yuuka Kazami…?" said one of the shoppers after she left
"Yeah, it was, I don't know what she's here for, but I don't feel safe."
"Yeah, isn't she some super strong youkai?"
"Mhm, I didn't want to anger her, she could kill everyone in the village!"
"Why the hell is she allowed to walk free? A youkai like her ought to be killed already!"
"Hey, not so loud! She could hear you!"
"R-right...sorry."
As that exchanged finished, John took a closer look around. The sea of people shopping practically parted for Yuuka and while she wore that same smile, he could see they all looked flat out terrified of her. The stall owners all wore fake smiles while talking to her, some stuttered or tripped on their words and one woman was visibly trembling as she spoke to her.
And while all this was happening, Yuuka kept that same warm smile on her face. Even as she carried her bags, but John could feel something from her...it was sadness? Loneliness? There was something fake about her smile and whatever it was, it was an awful negative emotion that she was hiding behind her it. Before he could do anything else, the image of the village went dark and he was now inside Yuuka's house. The air was different from the homely feeling that had been present earlier, but now it was of pure despair and sadness. Yuuka sat at her table alone, a pot of tea in front of her along with some snacks and a rather big cake white cake with several strawberries on top. There were several other plates laid out, but no one else was there.
Was this a birthday party…? But for who?
"Happy Birthday dear Yuuka~" Yuuka said in an extremely depressing and sad voice "What a fool I was, of course no one would come here..."
It was in this singular moment that John felt his heart break, seeing Yuuka sitting there completely crestfallen and miserable was just flat out depressing in every sense of the word...he so eagerly wanted to help her in this moment and to be a genuine friend to Yuuka. Maybe that's what this sudden vision was about? He had given into all the rumors about Yuuka right away, and even went so far as to formulate a battle plan against her. Maybe that was the wrong thing to do? Maybe he should have just believed in her character and that she wouldn't attack them at all?
Another flash of white light and John was no longer in Yuuka's home, but back in the present time, with Yuuka looking at him with an annoyed look.
"It's not nice to daydream." She said coldly while grabbing his collar "Now then, I'll ask again...any last words?"
John was silent for a moment as his wits returned to him, before looking at Yuuka for a moment. What caught Yuuka off guard was when he moved in and hugged her. No words, only actions. This surprised Yuuka so much that she froze up before letting go of his collar and pushing him away.
"What...what are you doing?" she asked cautiously
"What do you mean?"
"What was that for? Why are you hugging me?"
"Well...it's a long story but...Yuuka, you were treated unfairly. The villagers all treat you like you're going to wipe them out in an instant. So they talk behind your back, say you need to be killed, and assume you're this extremely evil being who will kill someone just for looking at her wrong."
"I..."
"And because of that...you're lonely too, aren't you?"
At this Yuuka froze up even more. "That's not...true."
"It's alright, to be honest...before coming to Gensokyo, I was pretty alone as well."
"You? I find that hard to believe."
"It's true, back home, I was just a run of the mill worker, no one tried to get to know me and I didn't try to get to know them either."
"That sounds...kind of sad."
"I guess it is, but hey, I'm here now and I've got genuine friends...you could have them too."
"And how do you figure that? I've tried being nice, but even so, people still look at me with fear, they recoil from my very presence. For a while, I loved that reaction, but even fellow youkai do the same. They listen to all the rumors, they...they think I'll just wantonly murder anyone and anything...I've long since grown out of that way of life."
"...Wait, you've done it before?"
"Only when I was young and some humans kept attacking me! I was...a lot more volatile back in my younger days..."
"Okay...well, look Yuuka, what's done is done and in the past, but...if you want, I could be your friend. You know...provided you don't kill me right now."
At this Yuuka's eyes squinted at John "And how could I believe you?"
"Easy, I run a place called Favor Trade. Think of it as a promise on behalf of Favor Trade's name, I'll be your friend to the end of time, the same goes for the others!"
The two of them took a look at the others were all sprawled out on the ground
"Well...when they wake up I guess."
"I see...and...you'll really be my friend?"
"Yeah…and as a friend, I ask if you can still help us with our flower problem?"
"Oh...of course."
Three Hours Later
The members of Favor Trade had returned to the village. While Kaguya had actually died during that encounter, Kogasa and Medicine had luckily only suffered some broken bones (or in Medicine's cast a few messed up doll joints) that would thankfully heal up after a while, though most of them were still keeping a good distance from Yuuka, trailing behind her in a hopes to not draw attention to themselves. John had returned to wearing the Paladin armor, he needed to wear something a bit less...well girly so to speak. Needless to say Yuuka was surprised at the transformation (and had thought he was wearing that the Astrologian outfit as some perverted kink or something) but she'd question her new friend about that later on. As for now, they were arriving at the Inn, where the inn owner was more than a little shocked to see Yuuka, the almighty terrifying youkai standing before her.
"You're back! A-and with..."
"Yes, I've come to help." Yuuka said brusquely "Now then, take me to this garden would you?"
"Er...sure, but what about the other two over there? They don't look so good…" the owner said looking at Kogasa and Medicine
"We'll be fine...just...need to lie down for a bit."Kogasa mumbled
"Y-yeah...just...had a rough fall is all." Medicine added, plopping down into a chair with Kogasa
The owner raised an eyebrow, but chose not to question it as she lead John, Kaguya, and Yuuka along to the garden.
"Hmmm, not bad. Not the worst I've seen, but for a human, this is a well-kept garden."Yuuka commented
"T-thank you..." The owner replied meekly
"Now then, this will take only a moment." Reaching her hand out to an empty spot in the small garden, Yuuka focused intensely for a few moments and everyone present could swear that the earth was rattling at the sheer amount of power she was putting out. The owner was frightened, John was concerned, and Kaguya had managed to keep a straight face (while panicking internally) at the entire display. When the mild shaking was done, several small sunflowers sprouted up from the ground.
"There, all done." Yuuka said
"Uh...that's it?" John asked with an eyebrow raised
"Yes, what were you expecting…?"
"Something a bit more terrifying I'd expect, the ground was shaking after all..." Kaguya said sighing
"Oh that's just a thing that happens, I mean, I am accelerating the growth of plants from nothing after all."
"Well, either way, we're done. That's another request completed. Now then, miss if I could have that materia..." John asked
"Materia…? Oh right, the little gems! I'll get them right away!" She scurried off, leaving John and the others to converse for a few moments before returning to them with the materia in hand.
"Here you are, I hope you don't mind coming again sometime...though I don't have anymore of these...materia things."
John let out a chuckle "Don't worry, I'll still help you out, even if I won't get some materia out of it." He pocketed the items, feeling extremely happy that he'd scored some materia without (too much) hassle at the end of it all. With that being done, the group exited the inn, with Medicine and Kogasa still supporting each other as they let out small wheezes.
"So John, what shall we do now?" Kaguya asked "The job is done and we are in good health...mostly." She said looking over to Kogasa and Medicine.
"Well, I guess we should get Kogasa and Medicine patched up first. After that, I say we grab some food, after all that I could eat a horse."
"Agreed..." Kaguya said with a slight nod
"I...guess I'll be going then, you don't need me after all." Yuuka stated
"You're coming with us." John said bluntly "We're friends now and it wouldn't be right if we all went without you, right everyone?"
"While I am a bit...displeased that you killed me earlier, I agree with John, getting to know someone is never a bad thing." Kaguya said with a smile
"I-I guess it's fine, but can we please get me patched up first?" Kogasa asked "That fight took a lot of me."
"Same here, you nearly broke a few parts of me..." Medicine sighed "And besides...getting to say that I'm friends with Yuuka Kazami? That's something you don't get to hear often. I'm sure that'd freak people out rather well." Medicine said with a mischievous grin
These responses were not what Yuuka was expecting at all, she had fully expected John to wish her well and that she'd be on her way, back to the lonesome cabin back in her flower field, but this was a surprise to see, especially from people she had just fought against only a few hours ago.
"Come on, you've got to be hungry right?"
"Well...I suppose a bowl of ramen or two wouldn't hurt."
"That's the spirit! Now let's get going everyone."
After getting Kogasa all patched up (John would have to remember to thank Reisen later) and Medicine stating that she'd heal over a day or two, the group proceeded over to the ramen shop. It was still the middle of the day, so the place was quite full with customers.
"Yo, old man, got room for five?" John called out as everyone entered
"Oh if isn't John, sure I've got a couple seats o...pen." He said looking at who had joined him, the entire restaurant had gone quiet as they all laid eyes on Yuuka who let out a sigh
"Perhaps it wasn't a good idea for me to come along after all..."
"Don't worry about it, forget them, you're with us!"
"Er, right, let's get you all situated." The owner said moving everyone to a set of seats in the corner. "Hey John, you got a minute, something I want to talk to you about if you don't mind."
John raised an eyebrow "Sure thing, I'll be back in a bit ladies." He said following the the owner over to the opposite corner.
"Okay, why is Yuuka Kazami here?!" He whispered at John
"Take it easy man, it's fine. Yuuka...really isn't as bad as people thinks she is. She just needed some friends is all."
"Friends? Come on John, a youkai like her? I don't think she really wants friends or anything like that."
"And how would you know?" John asked trying to suppress his anger "Did you ever stop to talk to her? Get to know her? Not shiver in fear of her every time someone so much as speaks her name?"
"W-well..."
"No you didn't, you bought into the words of everyone else...just like I did. Everyone deserves a chance, and I'm giving Yuuka hers. I did the same for Medicine and people have come to love Kogasa."
"Well...her keeping the kids happy and cleaning up my house was a good surprise...even if I'm not entirely sure how she got in."
"See? And I can assure you that people's view of Medicine will change within the month too, just gotta give them a chance you know?"
"Well, I guess you're right. So wait...you saying you tamed Yuuka then?" His eyes growing wide
"Uh well...no I-"
"Never mind, I'm sorry I doubted you. I should have realized...you'd have never bought anyone so dangerous here unless you were sure you had them under control, boy do I feel stupid."
"I really think you're misunderstanding-"
"No no, I get it, look as a show of apology I'll waive the cost. Sides, you do enough for the village already."
Unable to correct the owner, John went back over and sat down with the others.
"So, what did he say about me?" Yuuka asked with her eyes closed, awaiting the worst.
"Oh nothing too bad, I set him straight...annnnnnnd he may think that I've tamed you like I 'tamed' Kogasa and Medicine."
The table went silent as everyone tried to process this information, but it was Yuuka who spoke up first with a deadly smile on her face
"And just what do you mean by 'tamed'? It's not nice to imply things about a lady's purity John~!"
"W-whoa, it's nothing like 'that'." John said catching on to what she meant "I just say that so the people aren't to worried about Kogasa and Medicine being here."
"Y-yeah...besides, John would never do...'that' to someone!"
"I dunno...you seen the way he looks at Kaguya sometimes?" Medicine said smirking
"Oh goodness John, have I captivated your desires?" Kaguya said in a mock ashamed tone "You wouldn't be the first...but I suppose if it's you then..."
"Stop that, you're gonna give people the wrong idea!" John said waving his hands around frantically
"Are you saying that I'm not beautiful enough for you?"
"Huh, what? N-no Princess, you're great looking and I'd go out with you in a heartbeat and-"
"Oh...is that so?" Medicine said grinning broadly, "I know we haven't known each other for two long, but now I'm curious John, just who do you think is the cutest girl here hmmm~?"
At this question, there was only one phrase that went through John's mind:
Oh crap.
Oh double crap.
Oh triple crap.
Oh crappity crap crap on a crap cracker.
There was no way he could feasibly answer this question without pissing someone off. He'd seen enough anime to know how this ended. Usually with him comically being beaten...and of course the food wasn't here yet, so he couldn't use that as an escape. The girls were all leaning in, curious to who he'd choose. Well, time to take his lickings like a man.
"Everyone." he said plainly
"What?!" the other 4 replied
"I-I'm serious. Have you girls looked at yourselves in a mirror? I mean, I could list off something that made you all desirable to any guy!"
"Do tell." Yuuka said with that same smile as before
"Yes, I'm curious as well." Kaguya added
"I wanna know too..." Kogasa said somewhat shyly
"I get the feeling your bluffing, but go ahead John, tell us in your own words, one thing that makes us all 'desirable'." Mediciine said with a distinct tone of sarcasm
"Okay well...let's start with Kogasa?"
"Eep!"
"Well, Kogasa is the friendliest person I've met so far, and when she's happy, she's got a smile as bright as the sun."
"R-really…?" she replied blushing
"I want to go next." Kaguya giggled
"Well, you're a lot more down to earth than I thought Princess. I mean, from what I know, most royals would just want to sit around all day and do nothing, but you actually wanted to join me on missions like this, and for me that speaks volumes of your character, and I think that's something to be commended for."
"Oh my, why thank you. It is nothing really." Kaguya said raising a sleeve to her face to hide her rapidly reddening face
"Alright then, my turn." Medicine said with a smirk "Show me what ya got John."
"Well, for you Medicine, I like that you have a more casual attitude. It's pretty relaxing really, it feels like you're willing to say the thing that no one else wants to say, which can be quite nice actually. I'll throw in a bonus here, I also like that you didn't try to back out of the deal we made, or went running away when we went to find Yuuka."
"Oh uh...thanks...same to you." Medicine replied awkwardly, she didn't expect that at allowing
"And finally me." Yuuka replied "What can you say to a woman you've known for only a few hours at best?"
"Well tell me Yuuka, did you plant all those flowers yourself?"
"Of course."
"Well there you go, that green thumb of yours is impressive. Being able to create a beautiful garden like that is really impressive. It may sound silly, but I wouldn't mind settling down in a place like yours someday. It was really comfortable, and had a nice view."
"Oh I see...you're quite forward John."
"Huh, what do you mean?" He asked raising an eyebrow
It was then that he noticed the playful smile on Yuuka's face "Saying things like that is dangerous you know~"
"You got any idea what she's on about? Medicine whispered to Kogasa, to which the umbrella shrugged
Yuuka got to her feet, smiling still, "Everyone, I have an announcement!" Yuuka said calling attention to herself and the group around her. "I, Yuuka Kazami, am happy to announce that John and I are engaged! We're hoping to get married soon!"
The entire restaurant went quiet at this news as everyone, even John himself looked at Yuuka in bewildered surprise.
"H-hey Yuuka, what are you saying?!" John said as he jumped to his feet, "Don't go telling people-Mmmm!"
His words were cut off as Yuuka planted a kiss directly on his lips. His first kiss, stolen by the green haired flower youkai. "Shhh, too late to back out now~!" Yuuka cooed after pulling away to let him breath. His blushing intensely
Needless to say the entire building (and the village itself) was in an uproar for the rest of the day...
So, that just happened! Once again I want to wish you all a happy holidays. And there's one thing I've been meaning to ask to those reading, so if anyone feels like sharing their thoughts, then please feel free to. The question I have for you all is would you as readers, like to see some of the current members of Favor Trade get access to some of the job classes that John has access to? The reason I haven't gone and done this myself is because I feel like it'd rob John of something that makes him stand out,while also making some characters stronger than they already are. That said, on the flip side, it could be fun to have Kogasa running around as the resident white mage, while Medicine is the bard (And I'm sure we're all aware of how often Kaguya is portrayed as NEET). Again,I couldn't come to a decision myself, so I decided what better way to decide than to ask the readers? Feel free to let me know what you think, and see you in the next chapter.