After a long day of collecting medicinal plants, Jotaro and Kira arrived at the adventurers' guild, with sacks filled to the brim. Azumi, who was manning the counter, greeted them with an expression of amazement at the amount they had collected.
-Here you go," said Jotaro as he placed the sacks in front of her.
Azumi bent down to inspect them, unable to hide her surprise.
-Where did you get so many medicinal plants? -she asked, looking at them.
-From the forest, obviously," Jotaro replied indifferently.
Azumi frowned, trying to get a more detailed answer.
-I don't mean the place, but how they managed to gather that much.
Jotaro scratched his head before explaining:
-First we went north, but after an hour of searching we found nothing. Then we headed west and, after several hours, we found a huge field full of these plants.
Azumi looked with interest.
- So, the west is where they grow the most. What useful information. I'll give you your reward.
Azumi took the sacks and put them away behind the counter before handing them 50 bronze coins.
-Here you go. You've earned them.
Jotaro took the coins and thanked her. Kira, looking at the coins, smiled.
-There are so many coins! At last we can pay the innkeeper.
Jotaro smacked his forehead.
-That's right! I forgot all about it.
-Did you really forget?" asked Kira, crossing her arms with an accusing look on her face.
-I'm sorry, I'm sorry. It's just that with everything that happened to us today, it slipped my mind.
Kira sighed, relaxing a little.
-Well, it's true that it was a long day. Let's pay him at once.
Before leaving, Jotaro asked Azumi for a small bag to keep the coins in. She rummaged through the counter until she found one, and Jotaro put the money away. When Azumi told them she had to leave because the guild boss had called her a few minutes before they arrived, they said goodbye and Azumi left.
Jotaro handed the sack with the coins to Kira.
-Why don't you keep it," she asked a little puzzled.
-I seem to have a place to keep them," he replied, pointing to his attire.
Kira looked him up and down before letting out a small laugh.
-It's true. Those clothes don't have pockets. Why don't you change your clothes?
Jotaro looked down and his tone became melancholy.
-It's the only souvenir I have of my parents. They gave it to me shortly before they died.
Kira was silent for a moment before joking:
-I can't help but imagine how bad it smells after all these years.
-Hey! I wash it often, you know? -said Jotaro, visibly annoyed.
The conversation continued with an exchange of compliments, but when Jotaro showed sadness at seeing Kira laugh at the only memory he had of his parents, Kira sincerely apologized, bowing with tears in her eyes. Jotaro sighed and, with a nervous smile, stroked her head.
-Don't cry anymore. I'm not sad. Better smile, okay?
Kira smiled shyly and they both headed towards the inn.
When they were near the inn, a familiar voice called out to them.
-Jotaro! Kira!
They both turned to see Aiko running towards them with a wide smile.
-Aiko! -they exclaimed.
-What are you doing here? -Jotaro asked.
-I was looking for a store to buy mana recovery potions, but I saw them and decided to say hello. And you?
-We're going to an inn to pay our debt," explained Jotaro.
Aiko smiled.
-May I join you?
-Weren't you going to buy potions? -Kira asked.
-That can wait. Besides, it's more fun to walk together.
Jotaro and Kira exchanged glances before nodding.
-Okay, come with us.
When they arrived at the inn, the landlady was sweeping the floor, but when she saw them enter, she put the broom aside and greeted them with a smile.
-Ah, it's you! What brings you here?
-We've come to pay our debt," Jotaro answered, while pointing at Kira.
Kira took out the bag of coins and counted out ten bronze coins, handing them to the lady.
The lady took the coins, counted them carefully and nodded in satisfaction.
-Very well, now you don't owe me anything. Come back whenever you want!
When they left the inn, Aiko proposed something unexpected.
"I know a cavern where they serve delicious food. Do you want to go there?"
"Delicious food? That must be expensive," Jotaro replied skeptically.
"You're wrong! It's cheap compared to other places," Aiko assured him.
Jotaro looked at Kira and asked,
"What do you say? Shall we go?"
"I don't know about you, but I want to try that food!" Kira said enthusiastically.
"Alright, take us there," Jotaro finally agreed.
The cavern was full of life, with music, people drinking, and dancing. They sat at an empty table, and a waiter handed them the menus.
Jotaro, surprised, thought,
"This reminds me of my old world..."
After looking through the menu, they placed their orders: Aiko ordered white wolf meat, Kira ordered rabbit meat with white wolf liver, and Jotaro, to everyone's surprise, ordered carrot soup.
"Just soup?" Kira asked incredulously.
"It's important to eat vegetables once in a while," Jotaro replied seriously. "If you only eat meat, you won't grow."
Aiko burst out laughing.
"So that's why Kira is so small!"
"Hey, I'm not small!" Kira protested as Jotaro laughed.
"Obviously, you're not just small; you're super small!" Jotaro said with a teasing smile.
"I'm not small!" Kira said angrily.
Hearing Jotaro continue to call her small, Kira turned to him and asked,
"What about you? You're small too!" Kira said angrily.
Hearing Kira call him small, Jotaro clenched his teeth in anger and replied,
"We demigods aren't small; we're just a little shorter than normal people," Jotaro said, clearly annoyed.
"Then tell me, how tall are you now?"
"1.58 meters," Jotaro answered, tilting his head slightly.
"And how tall are 19-year-old men?"
"1.83 meters," Jotaro answered, lowering his head even more.
"Then who are you calling tiny?" Kira said, annoyed.
Jotaro knew Kira was right; he wasn't tall enough to call her small. But just as he was about to apologize, he remembered that he was only 15 years old, so he still had hope of growing much taller. Lifting his head, he looked at Kira and said,
"But I'm still growing, so I can still grow a lot more!" Jotaro said, raising his voice.
"Demigods can't grow taller than 1.65 meters!" Kira shouted back.
While Jotaro and Kira argued, they didn't notice that Aiko was trying to tell them something.
"Hey," Aiko said timidly.
"WHAT?!" Jotaro and Kira yelled.
"The food is here," Aiko said even more timidly.
Jotaro and Kira turned to see if it was true, and when they did, they saw the waiter standing next to their table with the food they had just ordered.
Seeing the waiter, Jotaro and Kira stopped arguing and let him serve their meals. As they ate, Aiko glanced at Jotaro doubtfully. Jotaro noticed her gaze but said nothing.
After a few seconds of eating, Aiko finally asked,
"Hey, Jotaro, is it true that you're a demigod?"
Jotaro's face changed drastically.
"Where did you get that from?"
"You and Kira mentioned it earlier," Aiko replied innocently.
Jotaro glared at Kira, and Kira tried to back away from his scolding.
"You must have misheard," Jotaro said, trying to play it off.
"Really?" Aiko asked.
"But I'm sure I heard that you're a demigod."
"You must have misheard. You should clean your ears," Jotaro said nervously.
Although Aiko accepted the explanation, the atmosphere remained tense until they finished eating and left the cavern.
Aiko said goodbye with a smile."I hope to see you soon."
"I'm sure you will," Jotaro replied.
When Aiko left, Jotaro turned to Kira, clearly annoyed."Hey, Kira."
"Yes, Jotaro?" Kira said with a smile.
"Why did you say I'm a demigod?"
"I don't know what you're talking about…" Kira said, slowly stepping back.
"And the worst part is that you said it in front of Aiko, and she heard it clearly!" Jotaro yelled, turning to face Kira.
Seeing his furious expression, Kira ran away.
"Where do you think you're going?!" Jotaro shouted, even angrier.
"Help!"
"Shut up!" Jotaro yelled.
As she ran, Kira asked Jotaro,
"Why are you mad at me?"
"Because you mentioned that I'm a demigod in front of Aiko!" Jotaro yelled.
"But you were the one who said it first!" Kira shouted while running, scared.
"Shut up!" Jotaro shouted as he got closer to Kira.
"Help! He's trying to kill me!" Kira screamed.
"Shut up! People are going to get the wrong idea!" Jotaro shouted, chasing her through the streets of the kingdom as the day ended with laughter, shouts, and a friendship that kept growing stronger despite everything.