It was a disconsolate day for Shizen Utsukushi—she strode around Buraun with a bored expression, dragging her feet with every step. Her long, pink hair flowed lifelessly through the air while her thoughts ran mindlessly. Since her first mission, a melancholy cloud seemed to follow her anywhere she went.
"Waaaah! There's nothing to do in this stupid village! I want a retry for my mission!" Utsukushi whined, stomping a foot violently onto the ground, unknowingly cracking the pathway she stood on.
Fortunately for Class 1AB, they were promised to be handed more missions in the near future. Despite failing, it was all for earning experience, and Utsukushi would not give up until she proved herself useful. The pink-haired girl sighed and ambled onward, gracefully weaving around all of the villagers of her very boring home village.
"...Maybe I could visit one of my classmates."
As soon as an idea popped into her head, her feet pushed her off the ground faster than before, with a clear plan in mind. The feline-like student loved to converse with the rest of Class 1AB—well, when they weren't so stuck-up, at the very least. She was the only female in the class, other than Naderamu! And, in Utsukushi's honest opinion, Naderamu was more strict than the entire class combined!
It was not like Utsukushi was annoyed by her classmates' determination; the pink-haired girl admired that about her friends. However, she only wished that her teenage years weren't to be purged in such a dull manner. It was true that Utsukushi willingly signed up to become a warrior, even when her parents were originally against the proposal of her attending Buraunmajikku, but there had to be more!
Who knows, maybe she was in over her head…
"Oomph!"
Without warning, Utsukushi had bumped into someone amidst her thoughtful daze.
"Woah! You must be in a hurry, miss!" An unfamiliar voice rang in her ears.
Utsukushi's head shot up, her eyes scrambling for the individual standing before her. To her surprise, the person she ran into was wearing a mask that hid the bottom half of his face and a big hat that appeared way too comedic to take seriously. The rest of his body was concealed in a thin, brown coat.
"Sorry!" Utsukushi apologized, bowing slightly. "I wasn't paying attention!"
The tall man's eyes closed in mirth. It was obvious that he was smiling as his face was visibly crinkled.
The man then threw his hands up. "No need to apologize! We all make mistakes, right? Hell, my parents told me I was one!"
The pink-haired girl was bewildered, her facial features frozen. "I-I'm sorry to hear—!"
"I just said you don't need to apologize!" The man interrupted the feline-like student, putting his hands on his hips. "Anywaayys… where're ya off to?"
Utsukushi smiled nervously. "Nowhere important, I'm afraid."
"Hmmm. Interesting… Hey, listen, you don't happen to attend the warrior academy here, do you?" The man arbitrarily asked, his tone laced with curiosity.
The first year felt uncomfortable with such a question. Sure, Utsukushi was quite proud to attend Buraunmajikku, but what would a stranger do with that information? The pink-haired girl mentally shrugged.
"Yeah, I do. Is there someone you know who goes to Buraunmajikku?" Utsukushi inquired, craning her head to the side.
The man's eyes widened as his head perked up. "Yeah, yeah! Buraunmajikku! I have a little sister who would looove to go there! Do you have any siblings yourself?"
His questions grew more personal with each second, it seemed. Perhaps the man was just a bit inept at conversing with other people—he was hiding his face, after all. Shyness is a common trait.
"It's… complicated. I'm sorry, but I have to go now!" Utsukushi replied, retaining her joyful smile, albeit harboring hints of anxiety.
"Oh?" The man acted stumped. "I thought you had nowhere important to be?"
"I lied! I have to get home before dinner!" The student exclaimed, shuffling her feet.
The masked man laughed heartily, but Utsukushi felt as if it was a tad bit sinister. "Oh, I understand the feeling! We all could use some time away from the family every once in a while…"
Silence consumed the two of them for a short stretch of time, the man's mirthful but questionable aura mixing with Utsukushi's anxiety and perplexity. Pushing out the courage, the feline-like girl tried to escape.
"Haha… It was nice meeting you, sir—have a good one!"
With those words, Utsukushi dashed away, moving faster than was probably safe for the rest of the villagers. The masked man merely shifted his body to glance behind him, observing as the girl fled from him.
Suddenly, two warriors emerged from the crowd, alerting the masked man immediately. With utmost haste, he mirrored the flow of the villagers walking through the village and slipped into the first alleyway he spotted. Slowly, his eyes darting all around him, he removed the mask from his face with one hand and grabbed his hat with the other.
Instantly, the man's blonde hair could be seen, his face currently unveiled.
"That could've gone worse, I suppose."
Shockingly, the previously masked man was now revealed to be Kono, the rogue that had assisted the attack on Buraun! He was forced into being weary about the local warriors, managing to mask not only his appearance but his Aura Sense, too.
"Time to go back into hiding again." Kono sighed, brushing his hair. "I'll see you soon… Shizen."
XXX
"So… what happened after you left me on my own?"
Tanjo's voice could be heard with mild curiosity, his blue eyes locking onto his current mentor. Both he and the blue-haired woman, Asami, had just departed from the nation of Shanti, the short excursion proving to be more eventful than expected.
Asami, who chose to simply walk on the ground instead of lunging from the limbs of trees, hummed, "I, uh, went to go speak to someone I was acquainted with. It didn't go too well."
"Uh huh." Tanjo responded lamely, his eyes narrowed. "So how did that make you a fugitive?"
The mentor shrugged her shoulders, her face expressionless. "Not much of a reason. Just that this "acquaintance" was someone a bit important."
That particular answer made Tanjo fully incline his head toward Asami, arching a brow. To practically become an outlaw by speaking to someone means that they are more than "a bit important." The jet-black-haired teenager analyzed his mentor for a few seconds, only to be spotted by Asami herself.
"What are you looking at? You're creeping me out." Asami abruptly said, recoiling in confusion.
Tanjo's gaze remained strong. "You met one of the Kyuujo, didn't you?"
Asami froze, her face scrunching up in immense surprise. "Haah!? How do you keep knowing these things!?"
"You're not exactly good at hiding things, Asami. Besides, you went to the capital, and now you're saying you spoke to someone important enough—then I'd assume you irritated them and fled immediately. Not too far-fetched, yes?" Tanjo reasoned, a small smile tugging at his lips.
Asami's head tilted back and forth. "Kind of… I was already not favored by Shanti, or the Kyuujo, before we arrived. I just kinda… pissed them off, like you said."
"You aren't exactly sociable, Asami." Tanjo claimed, averting his eyes.
"Smart ass…" Asami grumbled, closing her eyes irritably.
After a few miles of walking normally, the two conversing to one another calmly throughout their travels, a thought emerged into Tanjo's mind. What was the plan now? They had made it Shanti, which was Asami's goal, and Tanjo had rescued Mizuki—so where to now? Kronos was absent, with Aphrodite in his place, so he was stranded.
Although…
"Asami," Tanjo called out to his mentor.
The cloaked woman acknowledged the teen with a short reply, "Yes?"
"I want to resume my training."
XXX
Not too long, but I wanted to get a chapter out! I hope you enjoyed it and aren't too confused with the story! What did Kono want with Utsukushi? Why does he know her first name? And is Tanjo finally going to resume his training? Stay tuned for more!
Have a Great Day!
Peace - Cr1ticalz_