Saturday.
Nice weather today. Perfect for doing nothing of real importance!
I wander around idly down the main street, seeing where my feet might lead me.
Out of nowhere, a flush of cold on the back of my neck stops me in my tracks.
'Reminds me of the feeling I had just before Lilin–'
"Hyah! "
As if summoned by the very thought, Lilin leaps out of an alley with her sword drawn.
She brings it down with an wide arc, only for it to swing wide.
"What the hell, Lilin?! Aren't we past this yet? "
As quickly as it started, she ends the ambush by sheathing her sword again.
"I'm satisfied, for now. "
"Well that's a relief! I'm not sure my heart can take much more of this! Still at least you spared those poor bushes this time. "
Lilin: "Relax... You honestly think I would have missed you if it wasn't intentional? Heightened senses are one of the early signs of the Demon King gaining ascendency. "
"Fortunately, it seems you're at roughly the same stage you were a few days ago."
Xion: "You think maybe there is a less violent way of testing that from now on? "
"Perhaps but where's the fun in that? "
Her lips curl ever so slightly.
'A bonafide sadist, huh? '
"Well, now that's out of the view, I'm heading to the arcade for a little simulated violence. "
Her eyes narrow.
"Tell me more about this arcade. If what you said is true, it sounds like the perfect training grounds for our terrorist foes. "
"Well I guess the secret's out. We were fine tuning a plan for global domination, but I guess we'll have to call it now. "
She fixes me with a cold stare.
"You're mocking me. "
"Are you willing to take that change though? There's only one way you'll know for sure, after all. "
"Are you sure you wanna tag along?"
"Go with you? "
"I know, I know. I'm a villain and all that. You sound like a broken record."
Her jaw clenches tight as eyes me Indignantly.
As I start to turn away, I see her resolve wavering.
"You coming or not? "
"Alright, fine! But only because it's easier than tailing you from the shadows! "
"Less creepy too. "
"Just allow me a moment to change, then we can go. "
With that, she retreats into the alley she appeared from. I peer inside, half expecting to find a phone box there.
"No peeking, you pervert. "
"Like you can talk, you stalker! "
...
The moment we step into the arcade, her usual stern look turns to one of amazement. Immersed in all the bright lights and cacophony of noise, it's easy to appreciate why.
"Well, here we are! "
"It's... Over whelming. "
"You'll get used to it soon. Come on, I'll show you one of my favorites. "
As I lead her through the maze of cabinets, she jumps at every simulated punch and gunshot.
'All that training really has her nerves at breaking point. '
When her eyes settled on me, I flash a playful grin.
"Sure, you can handle this? "
She frowns, her nostrils flaring.
"Of course, I can! These stylized audio visual recreations are nothing like actual combat! "
She tries not to flinch at the sound of an electronic roar.
"If you say so. "
Soon, we reach the cabinet I've been looking for.
"Watch and learn. "
She does just that as I put a coin into the slot and select my favourite character from the roster.
"How is wiggling that little stick and slamming buttons supposed to simulate the art of fighting? "
"Not everything in life has to be serious, you know. "
I nod towards the other set of controls.
"Wanna go head to head? "
"Alright, but don't expect me to hold back. "
Two rounds later, she slams the cabinet in frustation.
'I would have gone easy on her if it wasn't for all the trash talk. '
"How was any of that fair?! You kept using that ranged attack over and over again and I couldn't even reach you. "
"I thought we weren't holding back."
Her eyes twitches as she glares.
"Why don't we try something a little more laid back? "
.....
"So, the aim is to strike each button that correlates to the oncoming target? Why do you need to choose the music though? "
"That's half the fun when you're playing rhythm games like this. Experiencing tracks you know and love in a whole new way. "
"Hm"
She scrolls through the playlist before selecting a song at random.
By the halfway mark, she seems to be getting the hang of things. Before I knew it we've spent an hour playing the same track.
"Finally, a perfect score! "
"Think you're ready to up the difficulty now? "
She nods eagerly, slotting yet another coin into the machine before starting another round.
'It's weird seeing her smile like that, especially when it isn't coming at my expense! '
'Then again, listening to this same track over and over is almost torture enough. '
It's early afternoon by the time we finally emerge into the sunlight again.
With my wallet considerably lighter now, our options for lunch are sorely limited. Fortunately, her sheltered life makes Lilin easy to impress.
Soon, the bright colors of a burger chain have her in raptures. Far less endearing is the long, queue we have to join before placing our order.
By the time we get our food, Lilin seems ready to pounce on anyone who glances her way.
'She's better get used to crowds, if she wants to avoid detection. Honestly, I'm wondering what training they actually gave her. '
After pushing our way through, we eventually find a booth.
She seems reluctant to start eating right away though. Only when my burger was halfway gone does she begin eating.
'Did she think I'd try to poison her or something? '
"Look, all I'm saying is that it's suspicious how quickly the food came out after you ordered it. "
"What part of fast food don't you understand, exactly? That's the whole—"
I stop dead in my tracks as that familiar feeling sensation steals over me again.
"You feeling that? "
"Feeling what? "
After reflecting on the previous occasions, a thought suddenly occurs to me.
"You haven't activated that fancy distortion seal thing by any chance, have you? "
She gives a puzzled look.
"Why would I do that here? "
I shrug uncertainly.
"In that case, I'm thinking... something is definitely off... "
She nods distractedly, her voice dropping to a murmur.
"Now that you mention it, I am detecting a faint hint of mana in the air... The only question is where is it coming from? "
"One of your Legion buddies, maybe? "
She shakes her head.
"There shouldn't be any other agents in this area right now... And possession of distortion seal is strictly controlled. "
"Meaning, what? "
"Meaning, something is definitely amiss here. "
(End of the chapter)