"Oh welcome back brother. Eh? What are you doing here Haruto?"
Due to the alcohol rendering my vision useless, I barely recognized where Leon brought me but the familiarity of this voice made me understand.
"Oy Leon, don't tell me you live with your sister?"
"That's to be expected right?"
…
Haaa… Why didn't I think of this. Of course they would be living together! If they owned an inn then why bother living separately?!
"Oy Reika, I offered Haruto to stay with us. There's no problem with it right?"
Geh..
"Hohoo.."
Her face became sour as she looks at me angrily.
"So when I offer you to stay here you decline but when my brother offers it you accept.."
Gulp
"You misunderstood. I'm actually Haruto's identical twin brother, Haruko"
"Who the hell would believe that! And that's a girl's name!"
"It's hard to believe that there's two Reika you know.."
"Mou! Ahh I don't care anymore.."
She walked away and entered a different room.
"What was that all about"
"Beats me"
I shrug my shoulder while acting indifferently.
"Here, I'll show the room"
We walked to where Reika just left to. It was a small door behind the inn counter located in front of the door. It's plain enough to think nothing of it but when Leon led me inside, it was far larger than I expected.
It's far larger than a standard room you can find in this inn and it's quite apparent that people have lived here.
There are two beds to the corner of the room with both of them accessorised differently. One had pink and fluffy bed sheets while the other one was plain and simple.
In the middle of the room sits a small table. There's a small basket filled with fruits as well as empty bottles lying around the table.
On the bed, Reika could be seen laying while reading an antique looking book.
"Make yourself feel at home"
Leon urged me to sit beside him.
"So then? Why did you keep insisting on not staying here. There must be a reason right?"
…
"Don't laugh ok.."
They listened to me intently.
"You reminded me of someone. That's why I decided not to stay here even though you offered graciously"
"Your previous lover?"
"You could say that"
Leon asked me with intrigued eyes.
In the opposite side of where I am sitting, Reika could be found with a smirk on her lips.
"Hehehe being this beautiful must be a sin. I'm sorry that my beauty and elegance reminds you of your lover so much but I'm afraid you have mistaken. Ah what to do~ I hope I don't get jumped because you mistake me for her~"
"Ah you don't have to worry about that. After spending some time with you, the image of her quickly disappeared after seeing your crude and unlady like demeanor so please rest assured"
With eyes half closed, I answer her with a monotonous voice and with a serious expression.
"HAHAHAHAHA"
Leon, beside me started laughing while drinking a half empty bottle of alcohol happily.
"Give it back! The kindness that I showed you, give it back!"
"All jokes aside, where should I sleep"
I don't pay attention to the hysterical Reika and ask the drunk Leon a question.
"Ah just sleep on my bed"
"No! He's sleeping on mine! I want to hear more stories from him!"
"No way! He's my new drinking buddy so he's sleeping with me!"
"No he's sleeping with me!"
The siblings started to fight with me in between.
Ugh.. I'm so tired.. any bed will do..
(*)
Both of them fought when eventually, Leon passed out and occupied the whole bed to himself.
I'm currently sleeping on Reika's bed. It's very comfortable and feminine. The blankets are incredibly soft and fluffy while the scent of lilac and daisy surrounds the entire bed. Beside me is Reika laying on the opposite side of the bed. I insisted that I could just sleep on the floor but she told me to sleep on the bed.
Not like it matters to me much but I thought she wouldn't want that. Well if she's the one insisting then I can only agree.
"So that was your reason for refusing my offer earlier huh.."
I nod apologetically.
"Well it's not like I care much hehe. So tell me, what exactly about me did you get reminded of her?"
"If I had to say, it's because you helped me and even took care of me when we were just simple strangers"
"That's it?"
"That's it"
"What a weird person.. Just with that, you got reminded of her"
It can't be helped..
"In the end, what happened between the two of you?"
"..."
"You don't have to tell me if you don't want to"
She softly whispered in my ear as the midnight air passes through the city.
"I'll find her again. What happened before doesn't matter. All that matters now is that I'll find her once more"
"I'm sure you'll find her again"
(*)
After finally having a good night sleep, my body feels rejuvenated. When was the last time I slept on a bed haha..
When I woke up, both Reika and Leon had left the room. Reika is probably outside managing the inn while Leon has his duty of being a city guard. Must be tough.
I breathe in fresh air and start my morning routine. After taking my clothes off, I positioned my body on the floor and placed my left hand to the floor while my right hand behind my back.
One, two
With the weight of my body, I exert my strength and lift with all of my force.
Ninety seven, ninety eight, ninety nine, one hundred.
Fuuuuuuu, Haaaaaaaa
I sit down and channel all the energy overflowing and guide it inside of my inner fire. After looking at my cana, I can see the energy gradually flowing and my inner fire slowly increasing.
As of right now, my first outer gate is open but it's not enough. I've barely filled the bottom and I need to fill it up before I could open the rest of the inner gates.
Last night, before I slept, I inspected my own cana and figured out a couple things that the seal formation had done to my body. First, my gates have been broken with the exception of the first outer gate. As for my arcana veins, I have no idea how to use this but overall, there doesn't seem to be any damage to it. The cracks on the crevice of my cana is still the same so it appears that my arcana veins are fine as it is. As for my cana itself, the world looks far smaller than before but I can see two stars above in the skies. If my estimations are correct, I can only create ten stars at maximum before it fills up entirely.
Haa.. Unless I can find a way to remove this seal, my progression will be halted and that might become problematic if i'm to go there once more.
Those elders.. Their incredibly strong. I didn't even last one move against them.
Urgh..
When I remembered what they did to me, the cracks in my body suddenly ached like a scar that opened up forcefully.
Fuuuuuu, Haaaaaaa
I continue my training and position my body on the floor once more.
"Oy Haruto, you awake yet?"
While in the middle of my training, the door of the room opened in a sudden manner and Reika's voice could be heard as it opens swiftly.
"Wow"
I stand up and look at her with ragged breath.
"Morning. Is there anywhere I can bathe?"
"Uhh ya follow me"
After wiping my sweat with a piece of cloth, I put on my tattered clothing and followed behind Reika.
It was a large door with fabrics hanging down from the top of the door. Inside, there are small baskets with some of them filled with clothing. To the side, there are five small transparent rooms with a mysterious floating object near the roof. It looked similar to a shower room but at the same time, it looked different.
"Place your clothes here and clean your body before you enter the bathing area"
Reika left after telling me the instructions.
I take off my clothes and place it in one of the unoccupied baskets and head for the shower room.
…
What do I do now..
There's no faucets or buttons. Just a floating ball on my head..
Splash
As I look up, the water suddenly poured down in small droplets.
Ah..
Haaa…
Although there was no soap, I feel my body being cleaned thoroughly. It might be because of the water or maybe because of the mysterious magical floating object but either way, I feel much refreshed now.
After I left, I entered the room on the left that's meant for the men and submerged myself in a spring-like bath.
Ah..
I can feel my body floating in clouds.
Yup. Different worlds aren't that bad after all.