"Come on, boy! Don't sigh like that. To understand a man's reason, you must see things through his lenses. Take a look at her and you will see one of the reasons why I chose not to kill her or give her to the police."
Hayato blushed a little, but glanced at the woman. Indeed, she was pretty. Her hair was totally black and short, its length was slightly below the jawline. Her skin was smooth, too smooth; the kind you would expect to see only in babies. Her eyes were as dark as her hair. Hayato found it a little bit disturbing to look at them, as if the darkness would stare back at him or something.
'Her eyes are truly pitch-black. It's not dark brown or something. They are black. But... I read somewhere that black eyes don't truly exist. Nonetheless, if they are dark brown, it's the darkest tone of brown in the world.
'Besides, she seems shy. She is blushing right now. Hm, am I staring too mu-'
Hayato nearly spilled his water once feeling something smashing his feet. His legs flinched unwillingly and his knee hit the table, causing even more pain.
"Why you...?"
She glared at Hayato, then lowered her face slightly, as if trying to hide it.
'Ah... I think I did stare too much. Damn it, now I seem like a weirdo.'
"Haha! There it is! I like women that act brave and aggressive. She stomped my feet four times throughout the eight minutes we are inside this place... Oh, there it is, five times!"
'He says it, but I don't see any hint of pain on his face. It must be good having so much resistance.'
Hayato glanced at the woman again.
"I mean, she tried to kill you, man. She shot you several times, you know? Who knows what she might do if she can get her hands in something sharp."
"Then, I would just win again, because I am clearly stronger than her. Even she noticed the situation she is in", the old man rested his chin on one of his hands. His guard was low and he seemed very carefree. It was hard to believe that he was the same guy who managed to fight against several robbers alone and without struggling.
'No... maybe, he is this carefree because he is strong. He can allow himself to be like this.'
Something came up in Hayato's mind, making him flinch momentarily. He stopped his chopsticks midway before they touched the food.
The old man seemed to realize that something was off with the boy and raised one eyebrow.
"What's the matter, boy?" he squinted his eyes. "Not hungry anymore?"
"N-No... That's not it," Hayato had no idea that he was so obvious in his reactions. He even blushed upon noticing that he was caught.
'I don't have any other choice instead of asking.'
"What... what do you intend to do to her?"
"Good question. I was wondering when you would finally realize how strange it is for an old man like me to spare a beautiful woman's life, then bring her to eat some food. It seems your mind works well under pressure, but you usually are a slow wit, ain't you?"
'I kind of am, but I won't admit it.'
The trio suddenly went silent. While the old man only enjoyed his food unpretentiously, Hayato and the woman got very nervous.
'So, she also wants to know what will happen to her, huh? But, isn't it obvious already? What if this man just wants to... to take advantage of her? What do I do if that's his response? Should I run with her or wait for another time? But we are in a public space, there are many people around so he wouldn't even chase us. No, no, no, just think about it well, Hayato! This man beat up five men and spared a criminal in front of everyone. The first situation was justifiable, but the second... Even the guards glared at him as if about to put him in prison, had he not come up with the excuse that she was a relative, so he would take responsibility for her.'
Hayato took the woman by the hand instinctively once the old man opened his mouth.
'I doubt she is heavier than me. Besides, she is way shorter. I never tried to teleport with another person, but...'
"You... are really interesting, boy. I see many insecurities and doubts on your face. You hesitate too much, overthink things, are a coward... the list goes on. However, you do have potential. I can see it when I put you under pressure, like now," the old man's eyes were fixated on Hayato's. It looked like he was staring at Hayato's very soul. For a moment, the boy felt ashamed and uncomfortable as if he was naked,
with no barrier to protect his secrets.
"You don't need to worry, though," the heavier atmosphere was gone once his countenance changed to that of a while ago. He looked like a happy and carefree old man again.
"I didn't intend to do anything to her. It's just that, while the others seemed cruel scums, I saw something special in this girl. I don't know why she teamed up with such bastards, but she doesn't belong in that situation. Besides, she is quite infamous herself, but only a handful of people really know her true identity."
The woman didn't say a thing, but she nodded her head.
"See? I figured it out during the fight. The leader always reported to her when making his decisions, as if searching for validation. She is not an ordinary person. My suspicions were correct after I heard her name."
Hayato nodded, then slowly took his hand off of hers. He blushed a little when thinking about what he just did, but she didn't seem to mind it that much. She spared a glance at Hayato, as if thanking him silently, but no words came out of her mouth, still.
"And why would you need someone like her? Infamy isn't a good trait, as far as I know. Why would you help her? Why did you help ME? After all, I bet you included me in this list of extraordinary people."
The old man giggled and nodded his head while taking another bite of his fish.
"But of course! It's not every day we get to see someone with the ability to use magic. I met people like you only a handful of times. Although you have many problems on the inside, the magic alone makes up for them."
'Don't know whether I should take it as a compliment or not...'
"Besides, I owe one to Satoshi, that old geezer. So, I won't let you down."
The boy raised his head at breakneck speed. Without noticing it, he leaned over the table, nearly touching his clothes on the food.
"D-Did you...!?"
"Wait, wait! Calm down, boy. It looks like you saw a ghost or something, y'know? I am aware of the situation between you and Satoshi. I also know the tragedy of not too long ago. And, in fact, I am the person you came here to find and you are the boy I have been waiting for. Satoshi wrote me a letter explaining everything, including his imminent death.
"By the way, my name is Daichi. I probably will be, what? Your master now. Boss, father, teacher... whatever you prefer to call me."
"I can understand why you would want to take me as your disciple, in this case. However, why her?" Hayato was still distrustful of the old man. He couldn't take off of his mind that he seemed like a pervert.
"As I said, I won't do anything to hurt her, but I am not doing this out of kindness either. After all, jokes aside, I didn't spare her life just because she is a beautiful girl. Since you don't seem to be a cultured person, you won't understand the importance of this lady here. But I do know and that's enough."
Hayato risked another glance at her. She ate quietly, perceiving that he was watching her, but did not mind for now.
'I can only see her as a pretty woman, in the end, huh? Guess I have to discover what she is on my own.'
Hayato ate a bit more as the table fell into silence again. Since they knew nothing about each other and had just gotten out of a strange and dangerous situation, they didn't know how to interact properly.
"W-What are we going to do, then? Mr. Satoshi asked you to take care of me but... is that all?"
Daichi crossed his arms, thinking about Hayato's question.
"Actually, to answer that and make you understand my objectives, I need to ask you a question."
Hayato waited for the question. He just wanted to end it quickly.
"Hayato, remember when I said that hatred can be something good if you know how to use it correctly?"
"Yes."
"The type of person I need now is someone with hatred. And a very well-directed hatred, on top of that. You know, I and Satoshi had something in common", the carefree expression of Daichi gradually became stern as he talked.
"...we both hated the empire, especially the people who are governing now, which is the Buki clan.
"I have now a key piece by my side, which is her. She is someone I have been searching for. I was lucky to find you and her at the same time. Now, I need to know if you are the person I hoped you would be, that Satoshi hoped you would become. After all..." Now, he whispered: "...aren't you an unmasked? If so, legend has it that you are the type of person who could make this sort of change in a district."