A couple of nights ago, when I returned from the [Penalty Zone] Sakura-nee asked me something.
"What have you been doing? I sensed a spike in magical power in the mansion and it led me to your room."
Yeah… I hate to admit that she's really sharp.
"I was uh… training?"
"Training? There was sand all over the sheets and you smelled like you took a dip in the sea."
She has a sharp nose too.
"I was just training okay? I'm fine."
"Are you sure?"
"Yes."
"Fine. But if there's something bothering you, approach me."
I agreed with her and she finally left. I was nervous when I talked to her. She definitely knew something was up, but she chose not to push it.
I still have no idea why she decided to be mine, Sylvia and Klint's guardian. I have a feeling it's not out of the goodness of her heart. She seems like the person who would scheme behind the scenes.
Still, I'm thankful to her. Maybe I should open up to her more.
***
The next day, I assigned my allocated stat points.
Stats:
>Strength: 580
>Intelligence: 600
>Agility: 700
>Stamina: 790
>Defense: 805
Allocated Stat Points: 0
Well, it's obvious, and I may as well as admit that I level up too fast, but since I have the
Yep. I got smarter alright.
Hahaha!
Next, I checked the store. I found HP and MP recovery potions, weapons and stuff that can help me in times of need. It definitely looks game-like. It makes me wonder why and how the [Slayer System] came to be.
I will definitely get to the bottom of that later.
Up next, I debated whether to make some changes in the [Daily Missions] since I can already do so because my Authority Level is already at level five.
I decided to not make any changes. I don't want to make more troubles for myself.
Yeah, let's do that.
***
Cherry blossoms. Or as the locals call it, sakura.
I never thought I'd even have the chance of seeing them personally.
Plum blossoms have their own beauty too, but Japan has always been famous for their cherry blossoms. Thankfully, it's a weekend so Shizu and Nik took us out on a tour to Kyoto City!
My favorites by far are Kiyomizu-dera, Fushimi Inari-taisha and Arashiyama. Well at least the three are tied on first place. Then there's Nijo Castle and Kinkaku-ji. I loved the scenery and the vibe of the place.
I have to say though, the temples in Kyoto are really well-preserved and even the energy of the area around it is strong. Then again, they are protected by their local gods so I guess that's a given.
I saw a few guardian spirits roaming in the temple grounds and they were giving me bad looks.
What was their problem?
We're currently in a fox altar in Fushimi Inari-taisha Shrine. Shizu wanted to offer a prayer to the fox shrine since they're the servants of Inari, goddess of well, she's the goddess of a lot of things and I already forgot what those are. I just remember she's the goddess of foxes and one of the principal gods of Shinto.
Ah, Shinto is a religion that originated from Japan.
At least that's what Slayer said.
"April. April."
I look at Klint since he kept poking me and calling my name.
"Hmm?"
"That fox statue moved."
I follow his gaze and see a glowing fox staring at us. It's not a statue like what Klint said though, but a genuine fox spirit that's looking at us. To be more specific, it's glaring at me.
Do they hate me or something?
"Shizu that fox is really staring at me with intent."
I point the fox spirit. It's even starting to give off some really bad energy.
"Eh? Inari-sama's servants aren't usually apprehensive. Even toward tourists."
"The spirits in the previous temples we visited were also like that. Can we just go? I have a feeling I'm not welcome here."
"Hmm… Okay. Let's go then."
"Let's start raiding local foods!" Nik shouts and starts leading the way.
Right. I swear the guy has a black hole in his stomach. Where else would the food he continuously shoves go?
It was proven on the first day I shared a meal with him. He inhaled like ten servings of food in less than ten minutes! He's a bigger eater than me!
How is he not fat?
Under half an hour, we've already visited almost thirty stores with Nik the one who ate the most.
I did buy a few local sweets that I'm planning to eat on my own, share with the others as well as a gift to Sakura-nee. She did give me, Sylvia and Klint pocket money for our trip.
I know it's her duty since she's our guardian, but I still can't help but feel guilty about it.
"Hiiro–san!" shouts Shizu, cutting me off from my thoughts.
Hiiro-san? Isn't that the name of the resident we did not get to meet a couple of days ago? The detective who went to Hokkaido for an assignment?
Sakura-nee told me Hiiro Wakaba is a detective that deals with the supernatural. I wasn't really surprised.
"Everyone!"
Wah! He's smiling really wide. But why does he stink?
It's not a bad smell, but it's definitely making me uncomfortable. He smells like he overused a fruit-flavored perfume! It's making my nose itchy and makes it go into overdrive!
Maybe I should appraise him just in case.
Name: Hiiro Wakaba
Age: 28
Level: 14
Title: [Onmyoudou Detective] [Child of the Stars]
Stats:
>Strength: 812
>Intelligence: 830
>Agility: 890
>Stamina: 799
>Defense: 850
Skill List:
Wow. His stats are definitely higher than mine. He has only a few skills though but I'm pretty sure those skills are more impressive than mine. He even has something marked by question marks. I'm pretty sure it's a high-level skill.
[Notice. Individual Hiiro Wakaba has been marked by a demon.]
Eh? Marked by a demon? Is it the unusual smell on him?
[Affirmative.]
"Hiiro-san, I thought you're in Hokkaido?" asks Shizu.
"I was. But my job brought me back to Kyoto." he laughs sheepishly. "Are these the newcomers Sakura-san told us about? Eeh… She never really said one of them would be a kid."
Is he talking about me? He is isn't he?
I'm not a kid damn it!
Ugh. Just give up on that notion April. Everyone will always see you as a kid.
Never mind.
"Hiiro-san. You're going after a demon right? A demon that has something to do with fruits. Or at least connected to fruits."
Why is he looking at me with shock? Was my question really that unusual?
"Shizu-chan, Nik-kun is he-"
"Yes. He can sense the supernatural the same way we can. Klint and Sylvia too."
"I see. April, right?"
I nod my head.
"How did you know I'm after a demon?" he asks.
"Your smell. You smell like fruits. It marked you. As for how I found out it's a demon… uhm… intuition?"
Smooth April.
He starts sniffing himself but he's giving me a look of confusion. Everyone else too.
They don't smell it? I thought they're involved with the supernatural?
"April we never knew it carried that smell. Also, we lost track of the demon and now we're looking for it all over Kyoto City."
"Eh? That means there's a trespassing demon roaming around Kyoto unsupervised?" Shizu exclaims.
"Hiiro-nii, do you need some assistance?" Nik suddenly offers.
"Really?"
"Yeah! What do you say April?"
Why is he dragging me into this? I only pointed out the smell!
Be nice April, you'll be living with these guys for an indefinite time.
"Very well. But how do you suggest we find the demon that marked you?" I ask.
Oh, they looked away. I guess they have no idea either.
"When we encountered it in Tokyo it possessed a human. We lost track of it since then."
"Do you know what the human looks like?"
"Unfortunately we don't. There's a possibility that it already switched vessels."
I see.
Still, a demon huh. It's the same species as that guy, the one who killed everyone in Hope Orphanage.
*SIGH*
I shouldn't get carried away at such thoughts. I already know from experience that one's fault cannot be blamed on everyone else.
Stereotyping is bad!
But if we're after a demon then it should know Lloyd, right?
First, we have to find that demon.