Chereads / A Traveler's Legend: Leisurely Living My Life In A Normal World / Chapter 22 - Episode 22: Dinner, Himejima Clansmen, And Ninjas(?)

Chapter 22 - Episode 22: Dinner, Himejima Clansmen, And Ninjas(?)

It is already near evening and there are three individuals who are busy conversing inside a house near a shrine.

The first one who is cooking at the kitchen is a buxom woman with black hair and light brown colored irises. Her name is Himejima Shuri, the care taker of this shrine while her daughter, Akeno, is one of the shrine maidens.

The second one is a little girl around 8-9 years old who is a carbon copy of Shuri. Their only difference being the color of their irises, as Akeno's irises are violet in color.

The third and last one is a boy who is around 7-8 years old. He has a lot of eye catching features that could make him stand out like a sore thumb in the middle of a crowd. His irises are gold in color, for one. His hair is white in color with a pink ombre to it, for two. His hair has some strips of pink hair, for three. His bangs have a very prominent tuft of pink hair and his facial features are something that could make the heads of 10 out of 10 people to turn. This boy is Shin Flammia Tenma, the one who saved Akeno from a few people who harassed her.

After the three of them talked at the entrance of the shrine for a while, Shuri decided to welcome Shin inside her house for dinner. Shin wanted to refuse her at first but he was immediately refuted by his stomach who used the move called [Growl]. This immediately made the two ladies giggle, laughing at how precise the timing of the stomach to grumble.

"By the way, Shin-kun. Why are you in the vicinity of this shrine earlier?" Shuri asked out of curiosity.

"Ah. I was actually waiting for the person who should be picking me up today, auntie. I was near this place since I thought that the person would see me quickly if I'm in an open space," Shin said while scratching his cheeks.

Akeno, who is near Shin, nodded at his explanation. She was thankful that Shin was nearby at that time. If not. She shuddered at the thought of it.

Seeing her act so unnaturally, Shin scooted near her and began to pat her head.

"Are you okay, Akeno-chan?" Shin asked in a gentle tone.

"U-Un... I just remembered something," Akeno replied while closing her eyes to enjoy Shin's pats.

She felt so relaxed when Shin pats her so she just let him pat her head. She conveniently tried to forget that this is such an intimate gesture and just tried to enjoy the comfort she is feeling from it.

Shuri, who came out of the kitchen earlier, couldn't help but smile. She is happy that her baby girl finally managed to get a friend.

"Akeno, stop flirting with your dear Shin-kun and help your mother to arrange the table~" Shuri said as she tried to tease her daughter.

"M-Mother! What are you saying!?" Akeno replied while her face turned beet red once again.

Seeing their interactions, Shin couldn't help but miss his family back in Heaven.

'Don't be homesick now, Shin. After this, you'll get the chance to be with them once again so endure!' Shin thought as he tried to encourage himself.

『I-I'm here to accompany you so you don't have to be lonely. Be grateful!』 Yuki suddenly said.

Shin, upon hearing her words, couldn't help but be moved. However, he wouldn't pass this chance to tease this kuudere, with a bit of a tsundere attitude, Dragon God.

『Heeee~. I'm really greatful. My oh so mighty Dragon God-sama is really so generous and cute,』 Shin said in a teasing manner.

『W-What are you saying!? T-That... you always tell me that I'm c-cute. Ah! What should I do!? *mumble* *mumble* *mumble*』 Yuki said as she once again began to mumble.

Shin found this side of her extremely cute. She would, most of the time, act haughty. But then, when she was teased by him, she would act so bashful and start to mumble incomprehensible words. Imagining this Dragon God - who is normally so expressionless - blush in front of him, Shin couldn't help but smile.

Akeno, who was near him, noticed this smile of his and blushed. His smile is so cute and infectious that even her and Shuri couldn't help but smile.

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After a few minutes has passed, Akeno and Shuri finally finished preparing the dinner table. This prompted them to say, "Thank you for the food" as they started to eat.

They began to chat happily while eating their meal. Shuri would often throw some remarks to tease her daughter. This earned her a 'menacing(?)' glare from Akeno as she tried to look as intimidating as she can. However, she failed horribly as it only made her look cuter.

"By the way, Mother," Akeno said.

"Yes, my dear?" Shuri replied.

"Umm... Where is father? Is he not going home today?" Akeno inquired.

"Your father? He said that he was called out by his boss today. Maybe he'll be back later this evening," Shuri replied with a smile.

Shin just listened in at their conversation this time as he didn't want to interject at a conversation like this. Just like this, the three of them continued to talk to each other while eating.

However, this merry atmosphere was broken someone suddenly shouted,

"You, the disgrace of our Himejima Clan! Come out here with your filthy halfbreed daughter and hand her over to us!"

Upon hearing this announcement, the three of them have differing reactions. Akeno got scared, Shuri became alert and surprised, while Shin's expression showed absolute disgust towards those people outside.

However, that didn't end there. The man continued to hurl insult towards them. He even began to shout some profanities, ignoring the fact that there was a kid inside. This made Shin so furious that his eyes were repeatedly changing from the normal round shape to vertical slits. He was on the verge of exploding.

『Calm down. You need to stay calm all the time. Did you forget the teachings of those Angel Teachers of yours?』 Yuki said.

Hearing this, Shin began to calm down.

『Thank you, Yuki. I almost went out of control there,』 Shin said.

『Mm, no problem. Now that these bastards are here, you could probably take revenge for your new friend,』 Yuki said.

Shin agreed at her words. However, he first have to investigate who these people are and how strong are they. He can't just charge in and endanger himself and the mother-daughter pair, after all.

First, he have to know who they are and what they are. Based on the knowledge he received when he was four, the people who attacked them at first was the Himejima Clansmen. Then, these people were defeated by Akeno's father. After that, these people told Shuri and Akeno's location to the Faction who are an enemy of the Fallen Angels. Then, they were attacked by those people.

Based on the surprised expression of his Aunt Shuri, Shin knew that this is the first time they attacked. Now, Shin needs to know how strong these people are. Based on his limited knowledge, this Himejima Clan should have some strong people in their ranks.

'Akeno's father should have at least a Peak High Class strength or maybe even around the Mid Rank of the Ultimate Class. Mm, he should be around level 4-5, then,' Shin thought.

He started to ponder once more, thinking about more clues that can help them right now.

'Akeno's father should be arriving anytime soon. But then, they would have time to attack the house if we don't come out. They should only be around High Class since Akeno's father can defeat them all. I could probably hold them out with my magic-'

His thoughts were interrupted when he suddenly smelled a scent that he vaguely remembers.

'This scent. So, they're finally here to pick me up,' Shin thought.

When this thought crossed his mind, a plan started to form inside his head. If his thoughts are correct, then this would be a great help to the Seraphs.

'This would also enable Akeno and her mother, Shuri, to move somewhere safe,' Shin thought.

So, to do this, Shin looked towards the now panicking mother-daughter pair and said,

"Aunt Shuri, should we go outside and meet them? I think that the person who is going to pick me up is here and he can help us out if these guys outside were to try and hurt us."

Shuri looked at Shin for a moment, probably trying to assess if what he's saying is true. She knew that the people outside aren't normal people so what can a person who is supposed to pick up Shin do to them?

She wanted to ignore Shin's words and move on but she suddenly remembered that her husband must be on his way home now and he can help them when he arrives. All they have to do is distract the people outside and they will be safe.

"*sigh*. Alright, I'll go and meet them outside. I will stall them and wait for my husband to arrive. You two should stay here," Shuri said.

She didn't want to just stay inside the house and let them insult her dear daughter like this. Besides, hiding inside their house won't really do them any good as the people outside might just use magic to destroy the house or something. Although it isn't exactly safe to go out, it is still much better if they can anticipate what these bumbling buffoons are trying to do.

"B-But Mother!"

Akeno tried to say something but Shuri immediately cut her off.

"No, Akeno. You should stay here. I can't let you get hurt! Listen to your mother, okay?" Shuri said.

Akeno stayed silent after hearing her words. She lowered her head and bit her lips, trying to suppress her tears from falling.

"Take care of my daughter. Okay, Shin-kun?" Shuri said to Shin.

"Yes, aunt Shuri," Shin replied.

Shuri nodded upon hearing Shin's positive reply before walking towards the exit of their humble abode. Shin only looked at this kind and great mother for a moment before crouching down near Akeno.

He wanted to console the little girl but who would've thought that she would be the one to jump towards his chest and hug him. Shin just gave her a reassuring smile as he began to stroke her hair while humming a tune.

Gradually, Akeno started to fall asleep. The stress that piled up today is something that any nine years old girl can't handle.

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Outside the house of the Himejima Family.

There are multiple men waiting outside of the house, many of them having a scowling expression on their faces. They are wearing what seems to be some Japanese clothing while majority of them are holding some dangerous weapons. Some of them have some katanas on their waist, making the group look intimidating.

However, the woman on the opposite side of them isn't even batting an eyelid. She have a very resolute expression on her face as she confronted these people. This woman is Himejima Shuri, Akeno's mother.

"It seems like you finally decided to come out of your rat hole, you failure of a Himejima descendant," an old man who is at the very front of the group said.

"What do you want, Himejima Suou?" Shuri said with a hint of hostility in her voice.

She knew who this man is. This man is the one who has been shouting profanities all this while at her daughter.

"How dare you call me like that! You filthy slut, bring your daughter out or you won't be able to see the sun shine again!" the old man, now names Suou, spat in anger.

"You won't be able to lay your dirty hands on my daughter, old man!" Shuri said, her anger now visible on her face.

When she said this, the man waved his hand forward and the men behind him started to attack with a barrage of magic. Multiple magic circles decorated the scene behind Suou as countless Elemental Magic was hurled towards Shuri.

However, before they could reach Shuri, a white light covered the space between Shuri and formed a transparent barrier. The elemental magic which are too weak in strength - as it was just a preemptive strike - was blocked by the light barrier in relative ease.

Then, all of them heard a childish voice from behind Shuri,

"You know, Mister. It's a bad manner to attack someone so suddenly while you're conversing, right?"

Upon hearing this voice, all of them directed their gaze towards where the voice came from. Then, they saw an extremely adorable boy who is looking at Suou with a bright smile on his face.

Upon seeing that the new arrival was just some little boy, Suou once again ordered to attack them with a much stronger magic. However, all of their actions came to a halt when an extremely bright light covered the whole surroundings.

Then, when the bright light dissipated, they saw a handsome man around 20 years old, with green colored irises and blonde hair. He is wearing an all white outfit which resembles that of a ninja. However, that's not what astonished all of them. What astonished them was the six pairs of golden wings behind him.

"A-An... Angel? Why are you here!?" a man from the Himejima Clan said.

"Hmm? What do you mean, degozaru? Did you not attempt to attack one of the individuals who is under our protection, degozaru?" the Angel man replied.

"W-What do you mean?" Suou asked.

"You attempted to attack a child who is adored by one of the Four Great Seraphs, Gabriel, degozaru. He, Shin Flammia Tenma, is also my dear friend, degozaru," the Angel man said calmly.

Upon hearing his words, all of the people in the area reeled from shock. They almost signed their death certificates themselves. Not only this, but what they almost did would have brought a disaster on their clan.

Gabriel is well known for being the strongest woman in Heaven. And, if the words of this Angel is true, then they almost got themselves into a really big trouble. Even the Shinto Gods wouldn't be able to save them if they become an enemy of one of the three biggest factions in the supernatural world.

"Metatron-sama! I was waiting for whoever it was that will come and pick me up but I never thought that it would be you!" Shin said.

His words were like a bomb that dropped on top of the Himejima Clansmen's heads. This man in front of them is one of the Seraphs? How unlucky can they be?

Metatron, who heard Shin's words, gradually went down and approached Shin. He had a gentle smile on his face as he said,

"My dear friend Shin, pardon me for being late, degozaru. In truth, my friends were just watching you from the shadows ever since you arrived, degozaru. There were some dangerous individuals around so they couldn't make a move and just pick you up, degozaru."

Upon hearing his words, Shin revealed a puzzled look on his face. However, inwardly, he knew who Metatron was talking about.

'That woman who had the scent of Rias on her. That's probably the person Metatron-sama was talking about,' Shin thought.

"Friends from the Himejima Clan! Why don't you excuse yourselves now and let us, Angels, handle this?" Metatron said, his verbal tic gone.

When Metatron said this, ten shadows emerged from the thickets and stood beside Metatron. Five of them are wearing white ninja outfits while the remaining five are wearing black ninja outfits.

One of them, who seems to be a kunoichi, walked forward. This girl is probably around 11-12 years of age. Her long black hair with purple undertones which is tied into a ponytail danced because of the wind while her bloodred eyes looked at Metatron and said,

"Metatron-dono, we have contacted the Fallen Angel Cadre, Barakiel. He will be arriving here anytime soon to have a talk with you."

"Thank you, Fukushima-chan. By the way, where is Fukushima-shishou?" Metatron replied.

"Mm, father is doing fine. He seems to be looking forward to your return today, Metatron-dono," the woman said.

This reply shocked Shin as Metatron's words could only mean one thing. Metatron seems to have noticed his confusion so he said,

"Yes, this is Fukushima Hinagiku, my ninja teacher's daughter."

The kunoichi, now named Hinagiku, looked at Shin and said,

"It is nice to meet you, Shin-dono. My name is Fukushima Hinagiku, a ninja from the Hidden Leaf Village."

"Huh? E-Eh. Nice to meet you too. I'm Tenma Shin Flammia," Shin replied.

『Hee, a ninja, huh. Who would've thought that she would be so young,』 Yuki commented.

Meanwhile, Shuri was utterly confused by the turn of events. The Himejima Clansmen, on the other hand, began to retreat quietly. This is a situation that they can't handle. A Seraph will be their enemy if they insist on staying here.

After they left, a sudden gust of wind passed by and a middle aged man with five pairs of black wings on his back arrived on the scene. He ignored the ninjas and Angels as he went near the confused Shuri.

"I'm deeply sorry, my dear wife, for leaving you here. You almost got hurt because of it," the man said as he hugged Shuri.

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A/N:

• Journey to the Ninja Village at last! And yes, the idea of the name just came into my mind while I was reading a Naruto fanfic. It has nothing to do with naruto, though.

• Akeno should be around 7-9 when her mother died. I used 9 years old because that is the most convenient one to use during the current scenario. The Himejima Clan's visit was delayed because they are one of those clans who got suspicious of the Angel's recent movements. One of the butterfly effects. Since they are under the Shinto Gods, the Shinto Gods ordered/asked them to investigate the Angel's movements. Hence the delay in their 'visit'.

• Fukushima Hinagiku is an OC so don't bother searching her up. I'll send you guys a link once I compiled some pictures that might resemble these OCs.

• In some lores, Seraphs are depicted to have six pairs of wings so I decided to just give them that. After thinking for a bit, I came up with some powers that they might have according to what their names meant in Hebrew. For example: Barakiel who has the power of lightning. By the way, I'm surprised to know that Gabriel in Judaism and Islam mean 'Angel of Destruction'. Oooh, such a great power to have.