Asher stepped back on the streets, immediately cancelling his Synchronization.
He sensed numerous gazes landing on his body, especially toward his bleeding eyes.
'Maybe this wasn't such a good idea after all...'
Asher wasn't sure where else he could go, so he began to walk back to Mei's apartment.
As he walked, he checked his stats once again.
____________
Statistics:
Fortitude: 15
Insight: 10
Temperance: 25
Justice: 10
E.G.O: Fairy Queen
Skills: Scorched Girl (Synchronization)
Description: You are a low level fighter, able of resisting intense pain. With the base capabilities of a Grade 8 Fixer, threats below Urban Legend are simple tasks for you to handle.
____________
'So in the ranks of Fixers, I would be a Grade 8. Even though Yun is the same rank as me, that's probably because he uses those external tools like Finn did.'
The System was also only accounting for Asher's physical strength, not the mystical skills it gave him.
As he glanced at the new skill that he got from Sophie's punishment mission, he was reminded of something.
That rush of euphoria as he spoke of the girl's name.
'Right... so I got a new skill by acting as Sophie, I guess? Is that how it works?'
[Yes. There are a few ways to increase integration rate of Synchronization skills, one way is to 'act' like them. Synchronization skills such as the 'Scorched Girl' have more unlockable skills than E.G.O gear.]
[You were lucky to find the quickest way to increase affinity with them so early.]
Asher was pleasantly surprised.
So it turned out that his playful impulse had an unintended benefit.
But it also meant that he seriously had to act like a girl, a dead one at that, in order to unlock more skills...
He stepped next to a small puddle on the asphalt ground, contemplating his reflection. Unkempt, pitch black hair covered his head, forming an unruly mess, nearly fur-like in consistency.
Stormy gray eyes stared back at himself, calculating and feral. This was the first time Asher ever saw his own appearance.
He nearly flinched at the sight of the wolfish gleam in his eyes.
Then he blinked, and the hallucination faded. His pupils lightened into a softer silver color.
'System, what just happened??'
[Residual memories from the future. Dont's worry, they will not affect your personality yet.]
Comforted by the System, Asher resumed what he originally wanted to do.
Furtively looking around him for any bystanders, he activated his skill.
"[Scorched Girl]- Woah!" Asher didn't have the chance to inspect his new form before, so the sudden transformation shocked him.
'My body is all covered in ash... I'm wearing a dress!' A cool breeze flowed between his legs, producing a feeling that was both pleasant and unpleasant simultaneously. Waist length combed blond hair flowed down his back, complemented by crystal blue pupils. His face was unblemished by ash, filled with unnatural beauty.
However, the idyllic image was shattered by the lines of blood flowing from the corner of his eyes.
'And I'm crying bloody tears, too. Just how much pain did you feel when you died, Sophie?' Asher tried to wipe them away, but they kept dripping down like a fountain, eventually turning the puddle below him red. Strangely, they all bounced off his dress, not staining a single bit of the dirty fabric.
Asher frowned.
'It would be hard to not gather attention when I'm literally crying blood,' he thought. 'But...'
He remembered when he told Yun about Sophie's name, and how a wave of happiness flooded his brain.
'That couldn't have possibly been my own emotions, so...'
"Sophie?"
His reflection nodded, listening intently.
"Um, is it alright if I use your b..." Asher trailed away. Terrible phrasing.
The girl in the reflection tilted her head, her expression deadpan. Her pale, ghastly skin reminded Asher of a ghost.
He thought about his next words with caution.
"Do you want to partner up? You can experience this life with me."
Asher stared at himself in the crimson puddle for a moment, before a ghostly smile surfaced in his reflection.
"So, is it possible if the blood-" Miraculously, before Asher even finished talking, the flowing stream of tears slowly ebbed away to a trickle, before eventually fading away completely. His eyes seemed to have a new spark of life inside them, like a small glimmer of hope.
Asher's mouth curved into a smile, and his reflection did the same.
"Let's both live this life to the fullest, okay?" He cancelled his skill, reverting to his original appearance, satisfied by the result.
Whereas the previous Scorched Girl form looked like a malevolent ghost, now she looked much more ethereal instead.
Aside from the ash stains, of course.
...
Before he knew it, he was already on the third floor of Mei's apartment complex, in front of her door.
He knocked a few times.
Before he slapped his forehead in embarrassment.
'Right, she's still at work right now.'
He felt like a royal idiot.
Directly using the spare keys she gave him to open the door, he entered the dark apartment. Its windows were all boarded shut like the other buildings, so no light entered the room, even though it was late afternoon.
Within minutes, he stepped outside again. There was absolutely nothing to do in there, and he wasn't sleepy at all. He decided to check up on Mei at the 'HamHamPangPang' place she went to work at in the morning.
The shops on the main streets were noticeably more maintained than the ones in the neon streets, with their windows were wide open and polished. Their displays didn't have any visible dust on them.
However, another thing he noticed was that there were no weapon shops or nightclubs, places he saw often when he was roaming the streets deeper in the alleys.
As he neared the store where Mei was, he froze.
Yan sat on a bench next to it, waiting for someone.
"Praise the Prescripts, you came here after all." Without opening her eyes, she walked up to him and poked at his chest.
"Er... Why praise the Prescripts?" Hearing Yan's 'reverential' tone, Asher subconsciously likened the Index to a certain religion that he... forgot about. Those memories were still sealed inside him.
"I was told to come here by the Prescripts. I've been waiting here for exactly twenty-three seconds for you, Asher."
Asher's eyebrow twitched. How the hell did the Prescripts know all of this stuff?
'Do the Prescripts-'
"Yes. Should we go in now?" She pushed open the door, inviting him inside.
'Did she just... answer my thoughts??' He hesitantly entered the store, as an uncomfortably savory smell assaulted his nose. Well, at least it wasn't the smell of human meat, anyway.
"-!"
He dashed out of the building after seeing Mei at the counter taking someone's order.
"Asher, is something wrong?" Yan looked back at him, tilting her head judgementally.
"Haha, someone I know is at the counter. I don't think I should go in right now."
Yan smiled, opening her eyes to reveal her crystal blue pupils.
"You mean Mei? She's seen both of your forms?"
"I- Oh right... [Scorched Girl]!" The two of them looked at his reflection in the glass.
"Augmentation? Or Wing mods?" It seemed like Yan's curiosity got the better of her, as she couldn't help but ask him about his appearance.
"What's an augmentation? What's a Wing mod?"
"...Nevermind. It probably isn't, anyway. Let's go in."
Asher stepped back inside with difficulty, trying his hardest not to make eye contact with Mei. On the other hand, Yan didn't care, directly stepping up to the counter and motioning him toward a menu above Mei's head.
The menu displayed several unique items, from tofu and pesto to barbeque short rib sandwiches. He shyly stood behind Yan as she ordered, unsure what he should pick.
"Welcome to HamHamPangPang, what can I- oh! Messenger Yan! Who's the girl behind you?"
"His name's A-" Yan was interrupted by a finger jab between her shoulder blades.
"Sophie. My name is Sophie!" Asher poked Yan in her back, causing her to glance back at him in amusement.
"Alright. What can I get for the both of you?" Mei didn't seem to notice Asher's outburst, nor his strange, ash covered dress. It seemed like she was experienced in dealing with odd customers, proved by how nonchalantly she reacted to Yan.
"Spicy pork belly wrap, extra meat."
Mei inputted Yan's order into the register.
"Um... anything that doesn't have meat, please." Even though Asher could smell that the meat here was non-human, he seemed to be traumatized by his experiences with the chef. He was surprised that Mei could stay here, a place filled with the stench of meat.
"A grilled avocado sandwich, then?"
Asher nodded his head, still shying away from her. Mei giggled, seeing the girl act so timid.
"Here's your card number, Sophie. Yan's a regular here, so you can follow her, 'kay?" Mei waved them goodbye, and Yan pulled his hand to a table.
He fidgeted in his seat, because Yan still didn't let go of his hand even as they sat down. It wasn't uncomfortable per se, but it was somewhat embarrassing for him.
"What's wrong? Do you want to tell Mei something?"
Asher nodded in agreement, quickly finding an excuse to stop holding hands with Yan. She nodded, unweaving her fingers from his.
Walking up to the counter, he saw Mei humming to herself. The line behind the counter was completely empty.
"Oh? Sophie! Do you need anything else?"
At first, Asher had nothing he wanted to say, but as she called him, he remembered what happened with the strange man in the morning.
"Asher's worried about you." Before he knew it, the words already left his mouth.
"H-Huh!? What do you mean? How do you know him?"
"I'm Asher's... friend. What did that Thumb Soldato say to you?" Asher stared into her eyes, but she avoided his gaze.
"I... can't tell you. It's for the best. For his best. Don't worry, it's nothing serious..."
Asher's mouth twitched. He knew Mei well enough to tell that she was perfectly not fine, but because he was 'Sophie' right now, he could only nod his head.
"Anyway, when did you meet Asher? I thought he had amnesia?" Mei propped her head on her hand, subtly changing the topic.
Backstory? Time for some fabrication.
"...Asher and I met a few years ago. Right now he does indeed have amnesia, and I'm working on fixing it." He raked his mind for a plausible answer, picking the best one after a moment of thought.
Mei gave him an odd, sympathetic face, gazing at his expressionless face with pity.
"Anyway-," Mei said while grabbing a bag of food that a worker handed to her, "Here's your food, and good luck with getting his memories back!"
Asher made his way back to Yan's table, where she waited expectantly.
"Thanks for the food~" Yan opened the bag with gusto, handing Asher's own sandwich to him. The two of them ate in silence, savoring the flavor. Asher thought that the grilled avocado sandwich was especially delicious, with a delicate balance of salt and oil.
"Do you know anything about the Thumb?" As they were eating, Asher asked a question that was on his mind for a while. Aside from the fact that Sayako and the Kurokumo Clan were a part of it, he literally had no idea what they were.
"They are a distinct Finger, very strict on rules and hierarchy. If someone talks disrespectfully to their superior in there, that's a one-way ticket to getting their tongue lopped off." Yan nonchalantly crumpled her sandwich wrapper, tossing it into the trash.
"Why do you want to know? Is it about Mei?"
"Yes... A Soldato whispered something into her ear in the morning today, and she reacted weirdly. Do you know what could've happened? Should I be worried?"
Before Yan could respond, their gazes landed on Mei, who was leaving the restaurant after switching out of her uniform.
Her face was pale as she walked out the door.
Yan frowned as she saw the makeup on Mei's face, which accentuated her eastern beauty. The makeup wasn't there when they ordered their food.
"Asher, follow her. She might be in danger."
He didn't need to be told twice, as he already saw the troubled expression on Mei's face.
As he stood up, he felt a pull on his sleeve.
"Beware of the Thumb's Sottocapos and Capos, both of them are much stronger than you are now. Some even more than I. If any of them ever approach you, remember to be respectful. Exploit their greed for rules and hierarchy. Good luck, I won't be able to help you."
Nodding his thanks, Asher rushed out of the building, quietly trailing behind Mei without drawing her attention.
...
The Messenger sat alone at the table. She absentmindedly grabbed Asher's unfinished sandwich, taking a bite from it while lost in thought.
"The Sottocapo of this region is 'Him'... that sadistic freak. I can't help but worry."
Yan listened for the voice that usually plagued her mind, but it stayed silent. Although the being that issued the 'Prescripts' was all knowing, it was also an eccentric existence. She twiddled with her fingers idly between nibbles of avocado sandwich.