Kido village
Linn, Tomodachi, and Yuzu walked through the town, enjoying the village scenery.
''This is a nice place,'' Linn complimented.
''Yes, it is,'' Yuzu said. ''It's a small village, but it's filled with good people.''
''Speaking of people'' Linn said. ''We are looking for two people.''
''Oh?'' Yuzu said cocking her head to one side.
''Yes,'' Linn said. ''Two girls about my age. Maybe you've seen them?''
''Maybe. can you describe them for me?'' Yuzu asked.
''A cute and sweet girl with raven hair and an ugly, annoying, rude blonde girl with pigtails,'' Tomodachi deadpanned. Linn sent an annoyed glare at Tomo. ''What? Those are accurate descriptions.'' Tomodachi replied. Linn rolled his eyes.
''Have you seen anybody like that?'' Linn said hopefully. Yuzu shook her head. ''No, I haven't seen anyone like that. I'm sorry.''
''It's ok'' Linn said. ''We'll find them, I just know it!''
''But master, how will we find them?'' Tomodachi asked. ''We don't even know where we are.''
Linn turned to Tomo ''I know, but we can't give up. If we came to this world, then so did they.''
''Um,'' the boys turned to their companion. ''What do you mean you 'came to this world'? Yuzu inquired. ''And why are you looking for those people.''
''Well, I-it complicated,'' Linn said, scratching his head.
Yuzu gave a curious stare and took a scolding stance. ''Now, Linn-san, you should know better than to keep secrets from your friends. Come on, you can tell me anything.''
''Sorry, but this is our problem,'' Linn said. ''There is no need for you to get involved.
''But I want to help, please?'' Yuzu pleaded.
Linn shook his head ''I'm sorry."
''Fine...''' Yuzu pouted. ''But can you tell me about the 'coming to this world' thing?''
Linn and Tomodachi shared a glance. Linn nodded. ''Ok, it's like this…'' Linn explained about his town and the portal that brought them here. ''And that the story.''
''I see'' Yuzu said. ''That is interesting, but what makes you think you came to another world?''
''Because I lived in my country since I was born, and I have never heard of Desiro plains or Kido village,'' Linn explained. ''Not to mention, my dog over here turned into a human after we entered the portal.''
''Oh, I see!'' yuzu clapped her hands, and then she thought of something. ''Wait, so you guys were in Desiro plains?''
''Yeah, I think so,'' Linn said. ''At least that's what the girl we met said it was.''
''Girl?'' Yuzu questioned.
''Yeah, a girl was being chased by a group of men,'' Linn replied.
'A group of men?' Yuzu thought to herself; then she gasped, ''Linn-san! This group of men. What happened to them?'' Yuzu asked, panicking.
Linn was slightly taken aback by Yuzu's sudden behavior and answered, ''Don't worry. I took care of them. The girl is safe,'' Linn said proudly. Yuzu was shaking.
"No, it can't be," Yuzu thought to herself. She recalled a conversation with Martha about how her husband and his men chased a girl who stole from the town. She then remembered the sorry state they were in when they came back and thought about how a half-naked boy and his dog were responsible.
'Half-naked boy,' Yuzu thought. She stared at Linn. Linn just cocked his head in confusion. Sure enough, Linn was half naked when she found him, and he admitted that he ran into a group of men. Putting all this together, Yuzu came to one conclusion.
''Linn-san...'' she muttered darkly.
''Yes?'' Linn replied. Tomodachi's ears perked, and he rushed to his master's side.
''Master!'' Tomodachi urgently said. ''Something is wrong! I'm picking some hostility coming from her!''
''W-what?!'' Linn said, surprised.
Yuzu pointed a finger at Linn. ''It was you! You're the one that beat up Hendrick-san and his men!'' she yelled angrily.
''Huh? Wait, who's Hendrick and his men?'' Linn asked, confused.
''I think those were the guys chasing that woman,'' Tomodachi replied.
''Oh! Oh….'' Linn sweatdropped, realizing where this was going.
''Yes,'' Yuzu said. ''And you beat up those men with no mercy, and now I am going to punish you!'' Yuzu glared at Linn. She reached Into her sweater hoodie and pulled out a...ladle?
''Wait, Yuzu! I can explain,'' Linn said, putting his hands up and backing away.
''No!'' Yuzu replied angrily. ''You've been a bad boy, Linn-san. And I can't let you get away with doing that to Hendrick-san and his men. You need to be punished!'' Yuzu walked towards Linn menacingly while gripping her ladle.
Linn was sweating bullets, trying to figure out a way to avoid confrontation with his new friend.
''Looks like we have no choice, master,'' Tomo spoke up. ''We'll have to fight her,'' Tomo said, getting into a fighting stance.
''Wait, Tomo,'' Linn said, stretching his arm out before Tomodachi. ''This is all just a big misunderstanding. We can fix this if we talk this out!''
''She doesn't look like she wants to talk to me, master.'' Tomodachi looked in Yuzu's direction as she was moving closer. ''We'll just have to knock her out and explain later.''
''But…'' Linn said hesitantly.
''Don't worry, master, it'll be fine,'' the dog boy smiled. ''besides, she's just a little girl with a ladle. How hard can this be?''
Just then, Yuzu was in front of Linn and Tomodachi. She jumped into the air and, swinging downwards with both hands on her ladle, came crashing down on the boys. The boys jumped out of the way as Yuzu came down. Yuzu lifted her ladle off the ground to reveal a decent-sized dent, much to the shock of Linn and Tomodachi.
''Wha-'' Linn said, mouth agape.
''H-hey, I just remembered it's time for my nap,'' Tomodachi said nervously. ''Sorry, master, I'll have to sit this one out. See you!'' Tomodachi runs off in a random direction.
''WHAT?!'' Linn yelled, comically shocked.
Yuzu glared at Linn and pointed her ladle in his direction. ''Are you ready to accept your punishment, Linn-san?''
Linn was panicking. He didn't want to fight Yuzu; she was just a little girl, but she seemed eager to 'punish' him. So Linn thought of the only option that was available to him: he ran.
''Eh?!'' Yuzu's eyes turned into blank white saucers as she stared at Linn's fleeing figure. ''Hey, you get back here, mister!'' Yuzu yelled angrily as she ran after him.
Linn ran through the town with Yuzu already on his trail. 'She's fast!' Linn thought as he began picking up speed. Linn ran past several onlookers, bumping into some of them.
''Hey!'' ''Eek!'' ''Watch out!'' Some of the onlookers shouted. Linn muttered several apologies as he kept running through the street, bumping into people and even running through and breaking a food cart. Linn didn't see exactly what he ran through, but the cart's owner was wailing; something about cabbages? Oh well.
Linn eventually came across an alleyway and ran into it, only to hit a dead end.
''Uh oh,'' Linn said nervously as Yuzu stood and blocked the only exit in the alleyway, repeatedly Smacking her ladle in her other hand.
''There's nowhere to run now, Linn-san,'' Yuzu said, moving closer to Linn; Linn gulped.
''C-come on Yuzu, can't we talk about this?'' Linn said, sweating; Yuzu said nothing as she charged toward Linn. Linn closed his eyes and put his arms in defense. Linn stayed in that position, bracing for impact. A small scream and a thud were heard. And then…silence.
Linn slowly opened his eyes. 'What happened?' Linn thought. He then looked down to find Yuzu's ladle at his feet. 'This is…' Linn thought again as he picked up the ladle. He scanned the area for signs of the little girl and found an interesting sight. It was Yuzu lying prone on the alleyway floor, twitching slightly. Linn couldn't believe it. Did somebody attack her? Linn didn't feel the presence of another person, and looking at Yuzu's body, she didn't seem injured. With these thoughts in his head, Linn came to one conclusion.
'Don't tell me…' Linn thought before his eyes turned into white saucers and comically screamed in his head.
'SHE TRIPPED?!'
''Ow…'' Linn heard, clearing his thoughts. Yuzu sat up, rubbing her head ''That hurt…'' Yuzu groaned.
She looked around and noticed her ladle was missing from her hand.
''Ah! My ladle! Where did it go?!'' Yuzu panicked.
Yuzu got up and searched for her ladle while Linn just looked on, not realizing he had it. She then looked at Linn and noticed that Linn was holding her ladle.
''Linn-san!'' She said, stomping up to Linn. ''You have my ladle! Give it back!''
Linn blinked and looked at his left hand. ''Oh yeah. I forgot I was holding it.'' He said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his head with his other hand. Yuzu sweatdropped.
''Anyway,'' Yuzu said. ''I'll like it back.'' She reaches out to grab the ladle, but Linn pulls it back.
''Hold on a second'' Linn said. ''Are you going to 'punish me' if I give this back to you?''
Yuzu put her hands to her hips ''What are you talking about?'' Yuzu asked. ''Of course I am.''
Linn sweatdropped. 'At least she's honest…' Linn thought.
''I'll return your ladle after you listen to what I say. Deal?'' Linn said.
''Oh alright'' Yuzu sighed.
''Okay then,'' Linn smiled. ''Let's get out of here.'' As Linn and Yuzu walked out of the alleyway, Linn explained why he had beaten up Hendrick and his men.
''I see…'' Yuzu said, nodding her head.
''I didn't mean to hurt them badly. I was trying to help the girl. I'm sorry.'' Linn said, guilt dripping from his voice.
''I'm sorry too,'' Yuzu said, looking down in guilt.'' I felt it was a misunderstanding but didn't want to listen.''
''It's ok,'' Linn smiled. ''As long as everything is all cleared up.''
''I still feel bad''. Yuzu said on the verge of tears.
Linn went to Yuzu and hugged her. ''Hey now, don't cry,'' Linn said in a caring tone. ''Nobody got hurt, and I still consider you a friend. Everything a-ok!''
''Linn-san…'' Yuzu blushed.
Linn let go of Yuzu and stretched ''OK, now that that's over, I…''
''There he is!''
Linn and Yuzu turned toward the voice to find a bunch of angry villagers glaring at Linn.
''He was the one that ran into me and broke my back. Ow!'' a male villager said, holding his back.
''He ran under my skirt!'' a female villager said.
''He destroyed my cabbages!'' the whiny merchant wailed.
Linn begins to sweat nervously ''I can explain…'' Linn said.
''Get him!'' a villager yelled. All the villagers charged towards Linn as he ran in the opposite direction as fast as possible, with the villagers hot on his tail.
Yuzu sweatdropped at the scene. ''I guess it was kinda my fault too,'' Yuzu said. ''I should help Linn-san.''
000
Yuzu was walking around the front entrance of the village, searching for Linn.
''Linn-san,'' Yuzu called out. Yuzu looked around for signs of the hero wannabe, but no luck.
''Geez,'' Yuzu sighed, putting her hands on her hips ' I'm sure he went this way.''
''Looking for something?'' said a voice.
''Oh,'' Yuzu turned around. ''Yes. I'm looking for my friend. Have you seen him…'' Yuzu stood in stunned silence; her eyes widened in fear because what stood before her was not human. It was a huge black-and-white creature with a little knife scar running down his chest.
''What a coincidence. I was also looking for someone.'' The creature said; he then smiled evilly, ''and I just found her.''