Noisy. Very noisy.
Apparently, the market was closer to the City Center than I had expected—so much so that the two fairies suggested I simply walk there.
I decided to go with their suggestion, since I didn't have a much better alternative anyway.
On the way there, the two decided to settle themselves on each of my shoulders. Yin sat on my right shoulder, while Yang sat on my left.
The two were… vocal, to say the least.
I got to find out a lot of things and even had a few realizations. One such realization was the fact that I had left my backpack containing the book back in the warehouse. Fortunately, I didn't have much use for it, so I wasn't exactly in any rush to go back there.
Heck, I wasn't even sure where that place was, or whether it was even possible for me to head back to it through normal means, given how I was practically teleported out of it. Though, I'm not sure "teleported" would be the right term for it.
Aside from that, I ended up wondering about a lot of things thanks to the fairies. I voiced a few of them, such as whether they were twins or not. It turns out, they were twins, as I had suspected.
Then, I asked them about how their race could use something like the Moker, to which they explained to me how there were versions specifically made for them.
"Oh, for example, something like the ones that can only be used by humans?" I asked as I thought back to what Leron had said.
The duo both let out a noise that showed their confusion before they confirmed with each other that they had no recollection of such a thing existing.
So, either that device is something new, these two simply don't know about it, or…
The last thought pissed me off, so I decided not to think about it too deeply. For now, that is.
In any case, the two showed me their Mokers, which were color-tuned… opposite to their hair colors.
Yin's Moker was a black one, unlike her white hair, while Yang's Moker was a white one, contrasting her black hair.
Why the fuck do these two have to be so confusing?
Not making any remarks, I instead opted to shift the topic.
"I'm planning to attend the Auralis Academy soon," I stated, hoping to get some information out of the two as I internally wondered how Leron would contact me later when the time came.
"What!?" Yang shrieked. "Seriously!?"
"Yeah, what about it?" I asked back, a little startled by her overwhelming excitement.
"We are going to attend it too!" she responded gleefully.
"Oh!" I understood now. "So we might be able to meet."
"Huh? What do you mean by 'might'?"
Is she insinuating something?
"Uh… I mean, if we're taking different classes…"
"Silly, there are no different classes for the first years. Everyone is a part of the general course."
"Right… forgot about that." Or rather, I had zero clue about it. But that was better left unsaid.
"I was wondering since earlier, but how did the two of you save me?" I finally asked while wondering how long I must've been out for.
"Well, it's kind of complicated. Sis and I combine our Channels to heal."
"That sounds interesting," I remarked.
"'Sounds interesting,' you say. It's hellish for us," she responded in a somber tone, as Yin affirmed with a few light hums.
"Why?" I was somewhat afraid that there was a price for whatever they did or that they suffered while doing it.
"Because without each other, we are nothing. My Channel is strictly offensive, and its side effects are a rebound in the offense that damages me. Sis's Channel is kind of the same. Instead of damaging, she heals, but in turn, she also 'overheals' herself, meaning growing extra bits she doesn't need."
"Oh, I think I know where you're going with this," I said, having understood the implications.
"Yeah… we're co-dependent. Faulty."
She practically spat the last line out. It was very obvious that there was some kind of story involving that word, and it definitely wasn't a pleasant one.
A few more minutes passed before I noticed that the streets were suddenly much more crowded, both in terms of traffic and pedestrians.
Finally getting close.
On the way, I had spotted so many things that were straight out of a fantasy. I enjoyed it very much. But in all honesty, what I truly enjoyed the most was surprisingly the interactions I had with the twin fairies—as noisy as they were.
Hey, Sylvie, think I can trust these two?
The response that followed was a firm and immediate one. "Affirmative."
Sylvie was an extremely capable judge when it came to character. I already had a good feeling about the duo, and her response only further solidified it.
My conversation with Markus was nice, yes, but in no way could it be compared to the pleasure I was having at that moment.
"For some reason, I feel like you're having some very creepy thoughts," Yang suddenly remarked.
"The heck? I was just thinking about how nice it was to make friends with two cute fairies."
"SEE!? Who calls fairies cute!?"
"Doesn't everyone?"
"No? Literally no one does. And I can even tell that you genuinely mean it, somehow. Weirdo."
Okay, sure. I am the weirdo for thinking tiny creatures with tiny wings and fun personalities were cute.
A few moments later, I was finally walking beside stores. There were all sorts of them: clothing, houseware, kitchenware, weaponry, jewelry, grocery, and so much more.
What caught my attention were the so-called "Crystal Stores." They were extra fancy-looking with a ton of colorful lights.
"What did ya need from the market anyway?"
"Nothing much. Just wanted to take a look."
"I somehow doubt that's the case," Yang spoke with a huff.
"You sure are a talkative one."
"Bite me!"
I chuckled at her antics as I walked over to one particular store. The sign on top of the entrance read: Mirage Crystals.
"Oh, you decided to go for Mirage, huh? Good pick."
"Are they well-known?"
"You didn't know? They are famous for their fair prices and quality items."
What did she mean by quality items? In fact, I just realized that I had no idea what the Night Crystals were used for.
There wasn't much contemplation to do, as I simply had to step into the store to find out for myself.
And so, I did just that, taking note of a white crystal that stood out among the dozen or so crystals that were put on display behind a glass pane.
Deciding to give it a try, I sunk my right hand into my jacket before attempting to recreate the white crystal…
A moment later, I realized that I had succeeded, given that I felt something fist-sized in my hand as I cheered in my mind with great joy.
Wasting no time, I quickly approached the only person in the store—not even bothering to look around at the rest of it—and placed the white crystal on top of the counter.
"How much for this?"
The man's eyes widening like saucers, accompanied by the startled shrieks on my shoulders, were all the clues I needed to realize that I had royally fucked up.