Chishiki placed her elbow on her desk as she rested her chin on the palm of her hand, she said. “Still not done spending money for the day?” She thought. It’s not like we need a large sum of money anytime soon… Reiki glanced at her and said. “Don’t worry, the dinner is the last thing I needed to do.” He moved his gaze onto Mika who was staring off into the distance in his direction, Reiki said. “Mika, out of curiosity how much do you owe?” Mika came back to her senses, she cleared her throat, and said. “Last time I checked it was around sixty million.”
Reiki raised a brow, he said. “College sure has gotten expensive.” He thought. That’s about ten million more compared to harvard for four years. Akemi finished tapping on her laptop as she closed it, she said. “Done, she’s now debt-free and before we leave I’ll be sure to print a contract and have Mika sign it after the celebratory dinner.” Reiki nodded at her and said. “Thanks for your hard work.” Chishiki had a pondering expression on her face, she said. “Where are we going to eat for dinner?”
Reiki turned his head at her as he shrugged his shoulders and said. “We just spent sixty million… So pick somewhere expensive.” Mika was shocked to her core, she thought. What am I hearing?... They’ve spent so much in less than five minutes and they're talking about spending more money for dinner? Reiki saw Mika’s expression from the corner of his eye, he turned his head and said. “This is considered normal for these two, Mika. If you keep overanalyzing, it’ll just lead to wrinkles.” Mika’s eyes slightly widened, she quickly said. “I-I wasn’t analyzing anything…”
Reiki let out a chuckle and said. “You’ll have plenty of work when the first shipment of herbs is delivered. By then you won’t have any time to relax.” Mika put on a determined expression, she said. “I’ll do my best.” Reiki thought. Next on my to-do list, find herbs and get the potion dispenser from Kiru. From his head he heard Ender’s voice, he said. [There’s a market near here where you can get everything you need.] Reiki thought. That leaves meeting with her. Reiki used his thumb to point at the door, he said. “You girls can use dinner to get to know each other better. I have something else to do.”
Akemi’s laptop on the table was already long gone, she said. “Where to?” Reiki did some light stretches in place and said. “I have to make a report, and fetch the herbs myself so…” Mika saw a streak of white from the large glass panes as she turned her head to the side and saw something white going through the window at high speeds. Mika said. “There’s something white heading toward the window.” Reiki glanced at it and thought. Perfect timing. He moved his gaze onto Mika and said. “Mika, meet Cherry.”
The streak of white phased through the glass as an albino crow appeared on the desk standing on top of two large bars of gold that were around six inches long. Akemi and Chishiki stared at the gold with disbelief all over their faces, Reiki thought. How did she even carry those?... Cherry turned into a streak of white as she appeared on Reiki’s right shoulder, she flapped her wings and let out a caw. Reiki rubbed the bottom of her beak and said. “Are you hungry girl?” She let out another caw as he made his way to the door. He continued. “When we get home I’ll prepare a big bowl of cherries, just for you.”
The three girls' gazes were still glued onto the gold bars while they didn’t see Reiki lazily wave at them, he said. “Chishiki, use the gold as you see fit and make sure to put the excess in the company’s account.” Mika somehow managed to pry her gaze away from the gold, she said. “... Does Cherry steal… Items often?” Chishiki picked up one of the bars. she examined it and said. “Honestly, that’s the first time that white crow stole something to our knowledge.” She saw 999,9 on the bottom of the bar.
Chishiki thought. Ninety-nine percent karat gold… Akemi picked up the other one as she also saw the number engraved on the bottom, she thought. I think gold is up by five percent today. Chishiki placed the bar of gold down, she said. “Akemi?” Akemi placed the bar next to the other one on the table, she thought for a moment and said. “It’d be easier if we just sold these in that market.” Chishiki nodded as she stood up from her seat, she moved her gaze onto Mika and said. “So, Mika…Interested in trying miyazaki beef?”
________________________________________________________________________________
Outside The Building
Reiki stepped out of the building, he looked around the busy street that had fewer people due to the current time, he thought. So much to do, so little time… He walked down the street as he ignored the side glances of other people staring at Cherry, Reiki continued his train of thought. Oh… I forgot to tell them how long the delivery would be… Eh, I’ll just text them. He let out a yawn as his eyes closed, he stopped as the streetlight turned red. Reiki spoke to himself as a few cars passed by, he said. “What should I make for dinner…”
________________________________________________________________________________
Private Room
Ketsueki, Namida, and Sachi were sitting around a table eating as another individual joined in. Ahma was wearing a kimono with a simple color palette, she was holding onto a black pair of chopsticks and used it to pick up a piece of fugu. Ketsueki was staring at her and said. “Commander, why are you here?” Ahma intentionally took her time chewing which only infuriated her, Ketsueki deeply inhaled and exhaled. She thought. Keep your cool, she’s just doing it to spite you. Ahma swallowed and said. “There’s currently a meeting going on with others that have a similar position as me.”
Ketsueki’s grabbed her bottle of water, she applied some strength into her grip partially crushing the plastic bottle. She thought. … Just three more months of this and I’ll never set foot in the same room with her ever again. Sachi took a sip of her green tea and said. “Then, why aren’t you at the meeting? Leader?” She placed the cap back on and placed it on the table while Ahma used her chopsticks to point at all the food on the table, she said. “There’s free food here so why should I be at that meeting?”
She glanced at Ketsueki’s bento as she quickly blocked it with her hands, Ketsueki said. “Steal another croquette from me and I’ll smash you through every single floor of this building.” Ahma faked a hurt expression on her face and said. “Not even a bite?” Ketsueki’s pupils brightly shined like suns, she said. “Over my dead body!” Ahma stared at Ketsueki for a few seconds before turning her head to the side and letting out a snicker which infuriated her even more. Namida faked a cough and said. “Captain… Can you stop with the jokes for a moment and tell us why you're here?”
Ahma let out a sigh as the three of them listened intently, she said. “I wanted to eat Ketsueki’s infamous boys cooking again.” Pinched between her chopsticks was some grilled saury, Ahma turned her head at Sachi and said. “Thanks for the fish.” She ate the fish while Sachi’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked down at her bento to see part of her saury was stolen, she thought. My grilled saury! Namida let out a chuckle as she used her chopsticks to pick up some rice and a piece of chutoro, she thought. That’s what you get for not paying attention-.
Ahma’s hand that was holding onto the chopsticks barely moved as a piece of lotus root appeared pinched between them, she said. “I can’t remember the last time I had Chikuzenni…” She ate it and slowly chewed on the root vegetable, Ahma thought. … Delicious as always… From the corner of her eye, Namida saw her take something from her bento. She quickly moved her gaze to her side dish and thought. She could’ve at least taken a bamboo shoot instead… Ketsueki let out a long sigh as her shining pupils slowly faded, she said. “Commander, you’ve more than enough leeched from us. Why are you here?”
Ahma intentionally took her time chewing, Ketsueki thought. God, I hate you so fucking much. What I wouldn’t give to punch that smug face in. All of a sudden Ahma was holding onto a bottle of green tea she took the cap off while Sachi’s eyes were filled with disbelief. Sachi tried to say something but couldn’t because she was in the middle of chewing, Ahma raised her finger at her and slightly moved it sideways. She swallowed and said. “Sachi, never talk with a full mouth.”
Sachi glared at her while she was chewing, she thought. Then have you considered not stealing everything? Ahma took a sip from the bottle of green tea, she twisted the cap back on and said. “Nothing like green tea to wash the food down. Right, Sachi?” Ahma held the bottle by the cap as she held it toward her. Sachi used her free hand to take it back as she placed it as far from her on the table as possible. Ahma glanced at their bentos and said. “I don’t need to attend the meeting.”
Ketsueki, Namida, and Sachi were on guard as they were ready to react the moment she made a slight movement. Ahma continued. “Unlike the others, I can write a proper report. Those who are attending are there for pity points.” Her hand that was holding onto a pair of chopsticks barely moved as a small pinch of croquette appeared pinched between them. Sachi and Namida saw that and simultaneously thought. Uh oh. Ketsueki placed her chopsticks on the table and stood up from her seat. Ahma ate the small pinch of croquette pinched between her chopsticks as she watched her reaction.
Ketsueki was in the middle of standing up as she sat back down on her seat with a soft thud, she let out a long sigh and thought. These last three months are going to feel like three hundred years with her. She massaged the temples of her head for a few seconds and then picked up her chopsticks, Ketsueki said. “We get it commander. You’re competent at your job, lucky us. Now can you tell us why you’re here?” Ahma pursed her lips she let out a laugh and said. “There’s nothing to do, so you girls can go home after finishing lunch.”
Ketsueki used her chopsticks to pick up one of her croquettes, she spoke in a soft tone and said. “Not unless you finish our lunch for us.” Ahma’s lips formed into a bright smile, she said. “Don’t mind if I do.” A traditional three-layer wooden bento appeared in front of her on the table, Ahma continued. “How about we make some trades? My cooking isn’t as good as her boy, but I can confidently say I have some mastery of cooking.”
Namida, Sachi, and Ketsueki were completely on guard while their eyes were glued onto Ahma’s bento. Ahma opened her three-layered bento revealing the contents inside, one layer had a bed of rice, in the second layer had a large piece of teriyaki chicken sliced into pieces with a generous amount of sauce on top while it was on a bed of lettuce. The last layer had an assortment of fruits and berries that were topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and honey. Ahma said. “I went with something simple on the off chance you three might refuse.” She used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of teriyaki and continued. “Which one of you girls want to trade first?”
________________________________________________________________________________
Magic Market
Reiki stood by the entrance as he stared at the busy market filled with vendors, adventurers, and a few food stalls. He thought. Its stores like these remind me this isn’t my previous world… The empty space behind him started to gently wobble as a pair of male adventurers saw him staring at the stalls. The guy gently hit his friend with his elbow as the two of them smiled at him, they walked toward him as the guy intentionally extended his elbow and hit the back of Reiki’s head.
[System: User has dealt 1 Damage.]
Reiki felt something hit the back of his head, the guy who hit him quickly grabbed his elbow as his friend said. “Hey, are you okay?” The guy’s entire arm was visibly trembling as cold sweat traveled down his face, through gritted teeth he said. “... Y-Yeah…” Reiki did a half turn to look at them, he stared at them for a couple of seconds and thought. That’s what you get cunt. His gaze moved onto the man's elbow who was in pain, Reiki said. “That elbow is as fragile as your ego.”
He let out a cold snicker as he made his way to the vendors while the guys friend was about to say something but stopped when a streak of white was headed for Reiki. The two saw an albino crow on his shoulder as Cherry stared at them with her blood-red eye, Reiki made his way to the vendors, he thought. Tell me which herb to steal Ender. The two guys were stunned by the bird on his shoulder as the guy who was in pain said. “I-I think we should just let him go… He’s young and has a lot to learn.”
His friend felt Cherry’s gaze pierce his very soul, he said. “Y-Yeah…” The two of them took a right to get as far from Reiki as possible. Reiki reached the section of vendors that were selling herbs as he heard Ender’s voice in his head. [Not even going to entertain the idea of paying for items aren’t you?] Reiki stared at the stalls, he thought. Wood that has a few years before it starts rotting… his gaze wandered onto the herbs as he continued his train of thought. Herbs that are just placed on the wood and touched by god know how many pair of hands a day…. You expect me to pay for that?
Reiki didn’t hear his voice in his head, he thought. Now, just say the name and I’ll steal everything for my plan. Cherry turned into a streak of white as she vanished from his right shoulder without Reiki noticing, he thought. Ender? Reiki heard his voice in his head, Ender said. [Take out your pouch and open it.] Reiki thought. Ok then. From the pocket of his pants he took out his tattered pouch and opened it, he thought. Looking inside it looks like an apple could barely fit in there.
He instinctually moved his upper body back as a streak of white went into the pouch, Reiki thought. Cherry? A streak of white came out of the pouch as Cherry appeared on his right shoulder, he said. “Welcome back, Cherry.” The albino crow let out a caw as Reiki heard Ender’s voice in his head, he said. [She got everything you need.] Reiki pocketed the pouch and thought. I wanted to steal something. Ender spoke in his head and said. [I’ve watched all your memories and you’ve never been a kleptomaniac.]
Reiki looked at all the stalls that were ignoring him, he thought. Can’t blame me, too young to drink. I would kill for a glass of whisky. I’m not even allowed near a casino and sex is off the table until I’m eighteen… Being a kid sucks, at the very least stealing can kill some of my boredom. He spoke under his breath and said. “Time to steal until I earn at least a few gold coins.” His mouth curled into a cold smile as he took a step forward and smelt a faint fragrance of food.
Reiki thought. I smell grilled meat… A full belly is worth more than a full wallet. He turned around and followed the smell of the food while looking around the stalls. From the corner of his eye, he saw a stall selling some equipment, shields, shortswords, bows, throwing knives, maces, and a couple of broadswords. He made his way to the stall while the old man stared at him from top to bottom, the old man said. “Oy, brat.” Reiki glanced at him from the corner of his eye and said. “What?” The old man was taken aback by the young boy’s attitude as he was put off by his eyes as he noticed the albino crow on his shoulder.
The old man said. “... Don’t touch anything, I’m not going to be responsible if you stab yourself or die from getting crushed by the weight.” He exhaled from his nose and placed his hand into his pocket looking for something, the old man thought. Where did I place my tabako? Reiki stared at the weapons rack that had swords neatly organized, at first glance they looked decent quality, but on further inspection the shine on the swords was polished. He thought. Old man's main customers are either blind or idiots… Can’t forget about the desperate. A few minor imperfections on the blade along with some small chips near the hilt, some even had a tilted cross guard that you could barely notice.
The old man had a cigarette in one hand along with a small box of matches in his other hand, he said. “What? If you’re not going to buy anything then get lost.” He took out a matchstick and lit it up using the side of the matchbox and lit his cigarette, Reiki glanced at the cigarette he was smoking and thought. Low-quality smoke. He walked away from the stall while the old man took a long puff of his cigarette and noticed Cherry staring at him with her blood-red eye which made him uncomfortable,
Reiki walked past all the stalls as all the other groups of adventurers treated him as if he wasn’t even there, he thought. Feels good to be ignored. He heard a man's voice from one of the stalls as he turned his head and saw an individual wearing a long dark blue robe with a hood covering his face. The man behind the stall said. “Six silver, any more than that you can find another stall!” The hooded figure picked up one of the parchment on the table of the stall and waved it in the face of the vendor.
The hooded man said. “You want six silver for this kind of parchment? Have you even checked the quality of your product lately?” Reiki moved his gaze onto the parchment the hooded man was waving around, he thought. Dude’s causing a scene just cause he couldn’t get a discount. He shook his head sideways and went back to following the smell of food in the air. The vendor glared at the hooded man and said. “If my goods are so low-quality then why are you buying them in the first place?”
The hooded man threw the piece of parchment at the vendor as the man behind the stall clenched his fists, the hooded man said. “Fine, just to give you a heads up. I’ll make sure this shithole is the only spot you’ll sell your defective products.” Reiki was walking down the stalls, he thought. I wanna eat steak for dinner… But Onee-chan and Shiro might want something light… The hooded man turned around as his gaze zoned onto the albino bird on Reiki’s right shoulder.
The hooded man thought. Jackpot. He quickly made his way to the young boy and placed his arm in front of Reiki blocking his way. Reiki looked up to the hooded man and thought. … Asshole should’ve settled with a smaller discount. The hooded man couldn’t move his eyes away from Cherry, he said. “Kid, I don’t know where you got that bird. But my superior has been-.” Reiki’s left hand blurred as he grabbed the hooded man's hand that was blocking his way.
[System: User has dealt 102 Damage.]
The hooded man let out a scream from the top of his lungs as it got the attention of all the people around them. The hooded man instinctively grabbed Reiki’s hand as he tried to get it off but couldn’t even make it budge, he quickly said. “Kid do you even know who I am?!” Reiki stared at him and thought. If I don’t speak maybe he’ll shut up for a second. The hooded man said. “I’m from the magic association!” Reiki thought. Didn’t think so. He just stared at the man while he continued. “That bird is something we’ve been looking for weeks, so hand it over-.”
He reached out his other hand and moved it closer to the albino bird as she let out a high-pitched caw and flapped her wings. Cherry pecked the hooded man's hand as a decent-sized gash appeared on the palm of his hand, the hooded man reeled his hand back in pain as he angrily pointed at the bird. He said. “You see?! This bird is untamed and could-.” Cherry was off Reiki’s shoulder as she started attacking the hooded man with her talons as his forearm was quickly covered in scratches just deep enough to start bleeding.
The tip of Cherry’s talons had some blood on them as she landed back on Reiki’s shoulder, under the gaze of the crowd the hooded man tightly clenched the wound on his palm to stop the bleeding. Before the hooded man could say anything Reiki spoke first and said. “Do you know what a conversation is?” The hooded man tried to pull back his hand that was in Reiki’s grip and said. “I’m going to ruin your future and get you banned-.” Reiki thought. Nope, he’s a lost cause. He let go of the hooded man's hand as he fell to the ground and quickly stood back up.
The hooded man used his hand that had scratches all over and pointed at Reiki as Cherry let out a caw and flapped her wings as he took a few steps back. He said. “I change my mind, I’m calling my superiors and making sure you get punished by juvenile law!” Reiki nodded and said. “Ok.” He sat on the ground and continued. “I’ll wait.” The hooded man felt the gaze of the entire crowd on him, he opened his mouth to say something but Reiki spoke first and said. “Reiki. Akihito Reiki.” The hooded man faltered, he said. “W-What?”
Reiki gave him a plain smile and said. “That’s my name, do you need my home address and phone number while we're at it?” The hooded man was stunned as Reiki stood up and patted off the dust on his butt, he said. “Stick to scamming stalls. I can’t sense an ounce of mana from you.” He went back to following the scent of grilled meat in the air as the hooded man didn’t notice behind him was a wall of adventurers. The hooded man glanced at his back and took a step forward as the crowd blocked his path.
One of the adventurers undid the knot on the sword on his hip and started tying it around the sword so that the sheath didn’t fly off. Another one took off a pair of leather gloves that had a few sheets of metal stitched into it while someone next to him tightened their grip on their leather shield reinforced with a metal ring on the outside. The vendor who was being scammed by the hooded man had a smile on his face, he said. “You know the rules, as long as he doesn’t die everything is fair game… And someone make sure to throw a few punches for me.”
Reiki didn’t even look back as a few adventurers quickly made their way to the crowd to watch the show, he thought. Part of the magic association? That’s the same as claiming that you’re a cashier for a fast food restaurant. After a few seconds passed Reiki easily heard the sound of cheering behind him followed by a faint sound of bones cracking, he continued his train of thought. Looks like the favorite pastime here is watching thieves get beat up.
Chishiki placed her elbow on her desk as she rested her chin on the palm of her hand, she said. “Still not done spending money for the day?” She thought. It’s not like we need a large sum of money anytime soon… Reiki glanced at her and said. “Don’t worry, the dinner is the last thing I needed to do.” He moved his gaze onto Mika who was staring off into the distance in his direction, Reiki said. “Mika, out of curiosity how much do you owe?” Mika came back to her senses, she cleared her throat, and said. “Last time I checked it was around sixty million.”
Reiki raised a brow, he said. “College sure has gotten expensive.” He thought. That’s about ten million more compared to harvard for four years. Akemi finished tapping on her laptop as she closed it, she said. “Done, she’s now debt-free and before we leave I’ll be sure to print a contract and have Mika sign it after the celebratory dinner.” Reiki nodded at her and said. “Thanks for your hard work.” Chishiki had a pondering expression on her face, she said. “Where are we going to eat for dinner?”
Reiki turned his head at her as he shrugged his shoulders and said. “We just spent sixty million… So pick somewhere expensive.” Mika was shocked to her core, she thought. What am I hearing?... They’ve spent so much in less than five minutes and they're talking about spending more money for dinner? Reiki saw Mika’s expression from the corner of his eye, he turned his head and said. “This is considered normal for these two, Mika. If you keep overanalyzing, it’ll just lead to wrinkles.” Mika’s eyes slightly widened, she quickly said. “I-I wasn’t analyzing anything…”
Reiki let out a chuckle and said. “You’ll have plenty of work when the first shipment of herbs is delivered. By then you won’t have any time to relax.” Mika put on a determined expression, she said. “I’ll do my best.” Reiki thought. Next on my to-do list, find herbs and get the potion dispenser from Kiru. From his head he heard Ender’s voice, he said. [There’s a market near here where you can get everything you need.] Reiki thought. That leaves meeting with her. Reiki used his thumb to point at the door, he said. “You girls can use dinner to get to know each other better. I have something else to do.”
Akemi’s laptop on the table was already long gone, she said. “Where to?” Reiki did some light stretches in place and said. “I have to make a report, and fetch the herbs myself so…” Mika saw a streak of white from the large glass panes as she turned her head to the side and saw something white going through the window at high speeds. Mika said. “There’s something white heading toward the window.” Reiki glanced at it and thought. Perfect timing. He moved his gaze onto Mika and said. “Mika, meet Cherry.”
The streak of white phased through the glass as an albino crow appeared on the desk standing on top of two large bars of gold that were around six inches long. Akemi and Chishiki stared at the gold with disbelief all over their faces, Reiki thought. How did she even carry those?... Cherry turned into a streak of white as she appeared on Reiki’s right shoulder, she flapped her wings and let out a caw. Reiki rubbed the bottom of her beak and said. “Are you hungry girl?” She let out another caw as he made his way to the door. He continued. “When we get home I’ll prepare a big bowl of cherries, just for you.”
The three girls' gazes were still glued onto the gold bars while they didn’t see Reiki lazily wave at them, he said. “Chishiki, use the gold as you see fit and make sure to put the excess in the company’s account.” Mika somehow managed to pry her gaze away from the gold, she said. “... Does Cherry steal… Items often?” Chishiki picked up one of the bars. she examined it and said. “Honestly, that’s the first time that white crow stole something to our knowledge.” She saw 999,9 on the bottom of the bar.
Chishiki thought. Ninety-nine percent karat gold… Akemi picked up the other one as she also saw the number engraved on the bottom, she thought. I think gold is up by five percent today. Chishiki placed the bar of gold down, she said. “Akemi?” Akemi placed the bar next to the other one on the table, she thought for a moment and said. “It’d be easier if we just sold these in that market.” Chishiki nodded as she stood up from her seat, she moved her gaze onto Mika and said. “So, Mika…Interested in trying miyazaki beef?”
________________________________________________________________________________
Outside The Building
Reiki stepped out of the building, he looked around the busy street that had fewer people due to the current time, he thought. So much to do, so little time… He walked down the street as he ignored the side glances of other people staring at Cherry, Reiki continued his train of thought. Oh… I forgot to tell them how long the delivery would be… Eh, I’ll just text them. He let out a yawn as his eyes closed, he stopped as the streetlight turned red. Reiki spoke to himself as a few cars passed by, he said. “What should I make for dinner…”
________________________________________________________________________________
Private Room
Ketsueki, Namida, and Sachi were sitting around a table eating as another individual joined in. Ahma was wearing a kimono with a simple color palette, she was holding onto a black pair of chopsticks and used it to pick up a piece of fugu. Ketsueki was staring at her and said. “Commander, why are you here?” Ahma intentionally took her time chewing which only infuriated her, Ketsueki deeply inhaled and exhaled. She thought. Keep your cool, she’s just doing it to spite you. Ahma swallowed and said. “There’s currently a meeting going on with others that have a similar position as me.”
Ketsueki’s grabbed her bottle of water, she applied some strength into her grip partially crushing the plastic bottle. She thought. … Just three more months of this and I’ll never set foot in the same room with her ever again. Sachi took a sip of her green tea and said. “Then, why aren’t you at the meeting? Leader?” She placed the cap back on and placed it on the table while Ahma used her chopsticks to point at all the food on the table, she said. “There’s free food here so why should I be at that meeting?”
She glanced at Ketsueki’s bento as she quickly blocked it with her hands, Ketsueki said. “Steal another croquette from me and I’ll smash you through every single floor of this building.” Ahma faked a hurt expression on her face and said. “Not even a bite?” Ketsueki’s pupils brightly shined like suns, she said. “Over my dead body!” Ahma stared at Ketsueki for a few seconds before turning her head to the side and letting out a snicker which infuriated her even more. Namida faked a cough and said. “Captain… Can you stop with the jokes for a moment and tell us why you're here?”
Ahma let out a sigh as the three of them listened intently, she said. “I wanted to eat Ketsueki’s infamous boys cooking again.” Pinched between her chopsticks was some grilled saury, Ahma turned her head at Sachi and said. “Thanks for the fish.” She ate the fish while Sachi’s eyes widened in surprise as she looked down at her bento to see part of her saury was stolen, she thought. My grilled saury! Namida let out a chuckle as she used her chopsticks to pick up some rice and a piece of chutoro, she thought. That’s what you get for not paying attention-.
Ahma’s hand that was holding onto the chopsticks barely moved as a piece of lotus root appeared pinched between them, she said. “I can’t remember the last time I had Chikuzenni…” She ate it and slowly chewed on the root vegetable, Ahma thought. … Delicious as always… From the corner of her eye, Namida saw her take something from her bento. She quickly moved her gaze to her side dish and thought. She could’ve at least taken a bamboo shoot instead… Ketsueki let out a long sigh as her shining pupils slowly faded, she said. “Commander, you’ve more than enough leeched from us. Why are you here?”
Ahma intentionally took her time chewing, Ketsueki thought. God, I hate you so fucking much. What I wouldn’t give to punch that smug face in. All of a sudden Ahma was holding onto a bottle of green tea she took the cap off while Sachi’s eyes were filled with disbelief. Sachi tried to say something but couldn’t because she was in the middle of chewing, Ahma raised her finger at her and slightly moved it sideways. She swallowed and said. “Sachi, never talk with a full mouth.”
Sachi glared at her while she was chewing, she thought. Then have you considered not stealing everything? Ahma took a sip from the bottle of green tea, she twisted the cap back on and said. “Nothing like green tea to wash the food down. Right, Sachi?” Ahma held the bottle by the cap as she held it toward her. Sachi used her free hand to take it back as she placed it as far from her on the table as possible. Ahma glanced at their bentos and said. “I don’t need to attend the meeting.”
Ketsueki, Namida, and Sachi were on guard as they were ready to react the moment she made a slight movement. Ahma continued. “Unlike the others, I can write a proper report. Those who are attending are there for pity points.” Her hand that was holding onto a pair of chopsticks barely moved as a small pinch of croquette appeared pinched between them. Sachi and Namida saw that and simultaneously thought. Uh oh. Ketsueki placed her chopsticks on the table and stood up from her seat. Ahma ate the small pinch of croquette pinched between her chopsticks as she watched her reaction.
Ketsueki was in the middle of standing up as she sat back down on her seat with a soft thud, she let out a long sigh and thought. These last three months are going to feel like three hundred years with her. She massaged the temples of her head for a few seconds and then picked up her chopsticks, Ketsueki said. “We get it commander. You’re competent at your job, lucky us. Now can you tell us why you’re here?” Ahma pursed her lips she let out a laugh and said. “There’s nothing to do, so you girls can go home after finishing lunch.”
Ketsueki used her chopsticks to pick up one of her croquettes, she spoke in a soft tone and said. “Not unless you finish our lunch for us.” Ahma’s lips formed into a bright smile, she said. “Don’t mind if I do.” A traditional three-layer wooden bento appeared in front of her on the table, Ahma continued. “How about we make some trades? My cooking isn’t as good as her boy, but I can confidently say I have some mastery of cooking.”
Namida, Sachi, and Ketsueki were completely on guard while their eyes were glued onto Ahma’s bento. Ahma opened her three-layered bento revealing the contents inside, one layer had a bed of rice, in the second layer had a large piece of teriyaki chicken sliced into pieces with a generous amount of sauce on top while it was on a bed of lettuce. The last layer had an assortment of fruits and berries that were topped with powdered sugar, whipped cream, and honey. Ahma said. “I went with something simple on the off chance you three might refuse.” She used her chopsticks to pick up a piece of teriyaki and continued. “Which one of you girls want to trade first?”
________________________________________________________________________________
Magic Market
Reiki stood by the entrance as he stared at the busy market filled with vendors, adventurers, and a few food stalls. He thought. Its stores like these remind me this isn’t my previous world… The empty space behind him started to gently wobble as a pair of male adventurers saw him staring at the stalls. The guy gently hit his friend with his elbow as the two of them smiled at him, they walked toward him as the guy intentionally extended his elbow and hit the back of Reiki’s head.
[System: User has dealt 1 Damage.]
Reiki felt something hit the back of his head, the guy who hit him quickly grabbed his elbow as his friend said. “Hey, are you okay?” The guy’s entire arm was visibly trembling as cold sweat traveled down his face, through gritted teeth he said. “... Y-Yeah…” Reiki did a half turn to look at them, he stared at them for a couple of seconds and thought. That’s what you get cunt. His gaze moved onto the man's elbow who was in pain, Reiki said. “That elbow is as fragile as your ego.”
He let out a cold snicker as he made his way to the vendors while the guys friend was about to say something but stopped when a streak of white was headed for Reiki. The two saw an albino crow on his shoulder as Cherry stared at them with her blood-red eye, Reiki made his way to the vendors, he thought. Tell me which herb to steal Ender. The two guys were stunned by the bird on his shoulder as the guy who was in pain said. “I-I think we should just let him go… He’s young and has a lot to learn.”
His friend felt Cherry’s gaze pierce his very soul, he said. “Y-Yeah…” The two of them took a right to get as far from Reiki as possible. Reiki reached the section of vendors that were selling herbs as he heard Ender’s voice in his head. [Not even going to entertain the idea of paying for items aren’t you?] Reiki stared at the stalls, he thought. Wood that has a few years before it starts rotting… his gaze wandered onto the herbs as he continued his train of thought. Herbs that are just placed on the wood and touched by god know how many pair of hands a day…. You expect me to pay for that?
Reiki didn’t hear his voice in his head, he thought. Now, just say the name and I’ll steal everything for my plan. Cherry turned into a streak of white as she vanished from his right shoulder without Reiki noticing, he thought. Ender? Reiki heard his voice in his head, Ender said. [Take out your pouch and open it.] Reiki thought. Ok then. From the pocket of his pants he took out his tattered pouch and opened it, he thought. Looking inside it looks like an apple could barely fit in there.
He instinctually moved his upper body back as a streak of white went into the pouch, Reiki thought. Cherry? A streak of white came out of the pouch as Cherry appeared on his right shoulder, he said. “Welcome back, Cherry.” The albino crow let out a caw as Reiki heard Ender’s voice in his head, he said. [She got everything you need.] Reiki pocketed the pouch and thought. I wanted to steal something. Ender spoke in his head and said. [I’ve watched all your memories and you’ve never been a kleptomaniac.]
Reiki looked at all the stalls that were ignoring him, he thought. Can’t blame me, too young to drink. I would kill for a glass of whisky. I’m not even allowed near a casino and sex is off the table until I’m eighteen… Being a kid sucks, at the very least stealing can kill some of my boredom. He spoke under his breath and said. “Time to steal until I earn at least a few gold coins.” His mouth curled into a cold smile as he took a step forward and smelt a faint fragrance of food.
Reiki thought. I smell grilled meat… A full belly is worth more than a full wallet. He turned around and followed the smell of the food while looking around the stalls. From the corner of his eye, he saw a stall selling some equipment, shields, shortswords, bows, throwing knives, maces, and a couple of broadswords. He made his way to the stall while the old man stared at him from top to bottom, the old man said. “Oy, brat.” Reiki glanced at him from the corner of his eye and said. “What?” The old man was taken aback by the young boy’s attitude as he was put off by his eyes as he noticed the albino crow on his shoulder.
The old man said. “... Don’t touch anything, I’m not going to be responsible if you stab yourself or die from getting crushed by the weight.” He exhaled from his nose and placed his hand into his pocket looking for something, the old man thought. Where did I place my tabako? Reiki stared at the weapons rack that had swords neatly organized, at first glance they looked decent quality, but on further inspection the shine on the swords was polished. He thought. Old man's main customers are either blind or idiots… Can’t forget about the desperate. A few minor imperfections on the blade along with some small chips near the hilt, some even had a tilted cross guard that you could barely notice.
The old man had a cigarette in one hand along with a small box of matches in his other hand, he said. “What? If you’re not going to buy anything then get lost.” He took out a matchstick and lit it up using the side of the matchbox and lit his cigarette, Reiki glanced at the cigarette he was smoking and thought. Low-quality smoke. He walked away from the stall while the old man took a long puff of his cigarette and noticed Cherry staring at him with her blood-red eye which made him uncomfortable,
Reiki walked past all the stalls as all the other groups of adventurers treated him as if he wasn’t even there, he thought. Feels good to be ignored. He heard a man's voice from one of the stalls as he turned his head and saw an individual wearing a long dark blue robe with a hood covering his face. The man behind the stall said. “Six silver, any more than that you can find another stall!” The hooded figure picked up one of the parchment on the table of the stall and waved it in the face of the vendor.
The hooded man said. “You want six silver for this kind of parchment? Have you even checked the quality of your product lately?” Reiki moved his gaze onto the parchment the hooded man was waving around, he thought. Dude’s causing a scene just cause he couldn’t get a discount. He shook his head sideways and went back to following the smell of food in the air. The vendor glared at the hooded man and said. “If my goods are so low-quality then why are you buying them in the first place?”
The hooded man threw the piece of parchment at the vendor as the man behind the stall clenched his fists, the hooded man said. “Fine, just to give you a heads up. I’ll make sure this shithole is the only spot you’ll sell your defective products.” Reiki was walking down the stalls, he thought. I wanna eat steak for dinner… But Onee-chan and Shiro might want something light… The hooded man turned around as his gaze zoned onto the albino bird on Reiki’s right shoulder.
The hooded man thought. Jackpot. He quickly made his way to the young boy and placed his arm in front of Reiki blocking his way. Reiki looked up to the hooded man and thought. … Asshole should’ve settled with a smaller discount. The hooded man couldn’t move his eyes away from Cherry, he said. “Kid, I don’t know where you got that bird. But my superior has been-.” Reiki’s left hand blurred as he grabbed the hooded man's hand that was blocking his way.
[System: User has dealt 102 Damage.]
The hooded man let out a scream from the top of his lungs as it got the attention of all the people around them. The hooded man instinctively grabbed Reiki’s hand as he tried to get it off but couldn’t even make it budge, he quickly said. “Kid do you even know who I am?!” Reiki stared at him and thought. If I don’t speak maybe he’ll shut up for a second. The hooded man said. “I’m from the magic association!” Reiki thought. Didn’t think so. He just stared at the man while he continued. “That bird is something we’ve been looking for weeks, so hand it over-.”
He reached out his other hand and moved it closer to the albino bird as she let out a high-pitched caw and flapped her wings. Cherry pecked the hooded man's hand as a decent-sized gash appeared on the palm of his hand, the hooded man reeled his hand back in pain as he angrily pointed at the bird. He said. “You see?! This bird is untamed and could-.” Cherry was off Reiki’s shoulder as she started attacking the hooded man with her talons as his forearm was quickly covered in scratches just deep enough to start bleeding.
The tip of Cherry’s talons had some blood on them as she landed back on Reiki’s shoulder, under the gaze of the crowd the hooded man tightly clenched the wound on his palm to stop the bleeding. Before the hooded man could say anything Reiki spoke first and said. “Do you know what a conversation is?” The hooded man tried to pull back his hand that was in Reiki’s grip and said. “I’m going to ruin your future and get you banned-.” Reiki thought. Nope, he’s a lost cause. He let go of the hooded man's hand as he fell to the ground and quickly stood back up.
The hooded man used his hand that had scratches all over and pointed at Reiki as Cherry let out a caw and flapped her wings as he took a few steps back. He said. “I change my mind, I’m calling my superiors and making sure you get punished by juvenile law!” Reiki nodded and said. “Ok.” He sat on the ground and continued. “I’ll wait.” The hooded man felt the gaze of the entire crowd on him, he opened his mouth to say something but Reiki spoke first and said. “Reiki. Akihito Reiki.” The hooded man faltered, he said. “W-What?”
Reiki gave him a plain smile and said. “That’s my name, do you need my home address and phone number while we're at it?” The hooded man was stunned as Reiki stood up and patted off the dust on his butt, he said. “Stick to scamming stalls. I can’t sense an ounce of mana from you.” He went back to following the scent of grilled meat in the air as the hooded man didn’t notice behind him was a wall of adventurers. The hooded man glanced at his back and took a step forward as the crowd blocked his path.
One of the adventurers undid the knot on the sword on his hip and started tying it around the sword so that the sheath didn’t fly off. Another one took off a pair of leather gloves that had a few sheets of metal stitched into it while someone next to him tightened their grip on their leather shield reinforced with a metal ring on the outside. The vendor who was being scammed by the hooded man had a smile on his face, he said. “You know the rules, as long as he doesn’t die everything is fair game… And someone make sure to throw a few punches for me.”
Reiki didn’t even look back as a few adventurers quickly made their way to the crowd to watch the show, he thought. Part of the magic association? That’s the same as claiming that you’re a cashier for a fast food restaurant. After a few seconds passed Reiki easily heard the sound of cheering behind him followed by a faint sound of bones cracking, he continued his train of thought. Looks like the favorite pastime here is watching thieves get beat up.
