"You are new here am I right?" Eguru turned around and saw a short man, probably in his thirties talking to him. He had wrinkles on his face and he didn't have much hair on his head. "Yeah, I am." He only gave him this short reply to see what the man would say now. Maybe he had some business with him?
"I see I see. So I was indeed right and my eyes didn't fool me." For a while he had a friendly smile on his face but that smile turned into a rather serious gaze. Eguru looked at him with raised eyebrows. The man got closer to him and then whispered.
"You... Do you perhaps need some.. drugs?"
Eguru thought he didn't understand him correctly but soon enough had the expression of someone talking to a rather dumb person. "What? Why would I need drugs man? I'm not interested in your weird offer. Thank you, goodbye."
He wanted to go away but the man held on to his arm. His grip was tight and strong so he couldn't force himself out of this. "Just kidding. I was just trying to see what foreigners are like. I immediately saw you weren't born in Raiherd, nor any other country."
'Just what's with him?...' "So? Get to the point."
"Don't be so mean.. Did nobody teach you how to talk to people?" He let go of Eguru and lit a cigarette. 'Can he shut up already?'
He rolled his eyes. "Listen, I don't have the time to talk to you right now as I'm trying to enjoy the festival. Could you please just let me be if you have no business with me?"
While the other man still took a drag of his cigarette Eguru just stood there, waiting for him to answer. He planned on leaving if there was no response coming from that man. He was a nuisance anyways.
"Well, it was interesting to talk to you young man, we may meet again." "I really don't hope so." The man only laughed at Eguru's words. Finally, he was gone. "What a pain in the ass..." Turning around he followed the path in the park. He noticed some squirrel-like animals climbing up trees and scouting for food.
'What am I even supposed to do here? I don't see any garbage on the ground nor have I seen any dead plants or anything like that.'
Just at around the other side of the park he saw a man walking his dog. He didn't know why but he had a strange feeling about that man but couldn't figure out if his feeling was good or bad.
Another person, a child was running around a lake which was in the park's center. Overall the park wasn't very big compared to others he had seen in his life. You could imagine a huge garden with a lake instead. There was nothing special about it.
Suddenly a random thought crossed his mind. Lia. Just how did she manage to die? She was supposed to be one of the strongest amonst Legrandeus soldiers. They barely knew each other and slowly grew stronger in their friendship. So, why?
It wasn't like he'd be crying about it for eternity. Eguru didn't cry when he heard the news. They weren't close enough or rather - he didn't know her that long. Sure, other people may have cried, they lost a friend after all. But Eguru didn't build emotional bonds that quickly even though he was a human being full of empathy.
He saw some garbage from the corner of his eye and decided to pick it up. 'Well, nothing I can do about it anyways. It is how it is. Shouldn't think about the past for too much, right?' If he ever faced those beasts in the future he'd better he powerful enough to wipe them out. The system should be able to prepare him.
On his way to throw away the trash he met the dog owner. "Oh hello there, you are participating in the festival, eh? It's nice seeing travelers or tourists step by every once in a while." They both stared at each other for a second, the man having a bright smile on his face. 'Must be a genuinely happy person'
Eguru returned the kind energy. "Ah, yes I thought it'd be a good idea to just try it out. A friend of mine brought me here and now I'm actually curious about the event. By the way, I like your dog!" He smiled wryly. "Thank you! He's my best friend and I wouldn't know what to do without him. He's been by my side for roughly ten years now and I always look forward to the next day. I also hope you enjoy your stay here, Akuta really is a beatiful town and everyone should at least have heard about it in their lifetime."
The two men continued their conversation for some time and later on Eguru went back into the hotel where he spent some time playing video games with Verzo.