"Hai….dara….Haidara. As in Hydra the serpent…?"
"....What else would it mean, dumbass?"
"Ack-right…..right…."
Her sharp tongue would be something that Daizen Shizaki would have to take some time getting accustomed to.
The girl named Haidara now looked at him with slight annoyance once again.
"So? Ya name?"
"Oh, right! I'm Daizen Shizaki. Seventeen years old!"
"Shizaki….wait. 'Shi' can mean two things. Does the 'Shi' in the name 'Shizaki' stand for 'four', or 'death'? Wait, you also said that ya was seventeen? The fuck? Aren't only eighteen year olds and above allowed to register for the Selection?"
"I-I will be able to register since I will be turning eighteen this year either way."
"Huh. It's February. When's ya birthday then?"
"The fourth of April, hence my last name. 'Shi' for four as in my birthday being the fourth day of the fourth month. My name was not the same as my original birth name, so it was changed to compliment me in some areas….uh, a-anyway….when's yours for when you turn eighteen?"
Just realizing that he had touched an area of his past that he usually tried to keep secret, he quickly asked her for her birthday. Not noticing this, she answered.
"Mine…..October 19th. Oh….and I'm already eighteen if my age is what ya truly wanted to know about, sneaky brat."
Caught red-handed again…
She had noticed the 'when you turn eighteen' guess from him in order for her to correct him and state her real age.
Somehow, the conversation was indeed flowing, and slowly, Shizaki's fears were put to the side as he was able to converse with Haidara.
Every now and then, she would blurt something out that would naturally offend any person or hurt them, but Shizaki tried his best to nervously laugh it off or not to take it too much to heart.
Soon, though, time was ticking as the Royal Guild Selection drew near.
"Twelve minutes, huh? Guess I best get going, and you too if you don't want ya ass to be given the late treatment."
"Yeah…you're right."
She displayed a small smile and got up from leaning on the guardrail. Carefully touching her necklace chain with her thumb and index finger, she slowly pulled out a small, chained, clear bottle out from between her two closely-knit breasts.
Shizaki almost flung his head sideways, but slowly turned back to see what was in the bottle.
What looked like a white, solid cylinder was in the bottle. Removing the cap, she opened the object onto her palm.
"What….is that?"
"Mana-Infused Gickpea Mint. I bought it to make use of it especially for this Selection. It gives your Soul Realm lots of extra mana to work with, which means that you can hardly ever run out for a good while. Wouldn't want your vessel to run out of mana to work with, right? Plus, the mint tastes pretty fuckin' good. Interested?"
"...Yeah. Thanks."
She closed the capsule on the bottle and slid it back down between her breasts, after which she broke the mint into two. Giving Shizaki one, she plucked the other into her mouth.
"I forgot to say that it slowly melts into ya mouth."
"Mmmm….it's really good! Thank you! This must've been expensive, huh? I have to repay you back somehow…"
Haidara shook her head at the gratitude of Daizen Shizaki.
"No need to pay me back, you damn bastard. Well, I'm leavin' now. You comin'?"
".....I'll arrive in five minutes. Don't worry about me."
"If ya say so."
She turned to leave, and although he hesitated, he dared to ask.
"U-Um!"
She looked at him.
"Getting to talk with you was pretty cool! Hopefully….next time….you know…we could…"
Meet again, he wanted to say, but his words trailed off. It was the first time that he had been able to have a nice conversation with a beautiful and captivating female stranger.
His heart was pounding, but he tried to push the words out.
"....Cute."
"Huh?"
"Yeah, yeah, don't get ya fuckin' hopes up, but if we bounce into each other again, then maybe. You'll hardly find me, though, jus' sayin'."
"R-Right. And….I didn't get your first name."
She looked at him again, though this time in surprise as she paused. With a little trail of red forming at her cheeks, she spoke.
"Yuki. My full name is Yuki Ashlesha Haidara."
Shizaki stared at her. Her unusual shyness effortlessly outweighed all of her bullish personality, and his eyes wavered at the sight of her. It was like he saw her in a whole new background, with the sun beaming down on her nervous expression and the wind blowing her long, silky hair around.
She has a middle name….
She then stepped backwards while still facing him and grinned.
"See ya, Daizen Shizaki."
"Same here, Yuki Haidara-san."
After that, the young woman left.
***
"There he is! Shizaki-kun, over here!"
King tried to catch Shizaki's eye as the latter finally made it to the Duel Arena after registering his name just a few minutes before the Royal Guild Selection would begin. Thankfully, he was successful, and Shizaki walked up to the third row from the bottom of the stage and met the rest of the group.
Sencho Neo, Satou Yukino, Bella Kamazaki, Yukikama Kawarasuri and Alexandriya Aya all awaited him there. They greeted him with slightly nervous smiles, but Shizaki returned them a warm smile of his own.
"Hey guys. Thanks for saving me a spot."
"Of course,Babyface!"
"It's Daizen Shizaki!"
Aya silently observed him, but as his focus shifted to her, she spoke up.
"If you need any help with anything, let me know, okay?"
"Yeah. I'm much better now, don't worry about it."
He passed by most of the group and sat at the end of the row, right next to Aya, who continued:
"I was about to come and look for you since I thought you were lost, but you showed up just as I was about to stand. Don't make me anxious like that again."
"Look at you, genuinely worried about me. That's a first."
"Remind me to never look out for you again, then."
"Woah, woah, when did I say that I hated that! Alright, I'm sorry for making you worry, jeez."
He flashed an awkward smile.
"Hmph."
"Look, it's starting, it's starting!"
A guy who sat behind them yelled those words, and soon enough many kept their eyes on the arena in front of them.
A lady with an ominous aura walked forward.
Her eyes were bright yellow, and two furry, fox ears perked up from the sides of her head. Her skin was of a peachy color, and she wore a warm smile as she endeared herself to the audience.
Silent, the crowd awaited her speech.
"Good morning, everyone. I guess that we can start five minutes earlier than expected to get the ball rolling. My name is Anser Xulpeca. I am the chairman for the Northern Province of the Royal Guild and the supervisor for the Selection."
The chairman…was her, a foxkin, of the demi-human race.
"The Selection is a one-day process that spans over each of the three weeks to help those who missed the first week or even the second week to arrive and still do the test on the third week.
"Of course, even if you get the results, you as the future Low Tier juniors are allowed to remain in the Royal Guild, and not just for the three days. Please note that we have the Living Quarters that provide you with rental homes as you return from your missions, exclusively for those who are Low-Tier Adventurers alone"
Kamazaki leaned her head forward and whispered to the group.
"That's pretty interesting, don't you think?"
"Definitely."
"But we would be away from our families…..for like….forever…."
"Well, we can always visit when we need to."
As King answered, Shizaki began to think of the old man still in Sekoto Town. Being here at the Royal Guild meant that he would not see how the old man was doing for a while, unless he decided to go and stay there for a few days. He seemed slightly concerned, as he wanted to devote a lot of time as to going through many quests with his future adventuring party.
However, the fox-like lady quickly dismissed any concerns that any had.
"Some of you may be wondering about your true homes and your relatives or loved ones. But don't worry, you are allowed to leave the Royal Guild at any time, and can return after any period of time as well. If you somehow desire to leave the Guild for good, please make a formal request to me, and your adventuring license will be revoked.
She easily answered what most people were asking both to each other or to themselves in silence. Thus, the crowd present felt much more relieved.
"Well, without further ado, let's get started. These guys next to me will be your instructors. When we randomly call a name, please make your way here as they will give you a set of random various instructions to do. Don't worry too much, the tests are hardly difficult, and will test you on the fundamentals of what you will have to do to progress as an adventurer. Shall we begin?"
Shizaki felt tense and tried to calm himself down with deep breaths.
This is it. This is it, this is it, this is it.
Kamazaki faced her right, where King sat close to her.
"You ready, partner?"
"Always. You?"
"More ready than you will ever be, Suri-chan."
"Oh yeah? I highly doubt that. I was born ready, airhead."
"W-Well, I was ready before I was born, dumbass!"
Aya stayed silent as she seemed calm. Neo's emotions were unable to be comprehended as his face was hidden by his mask, but his posture was an indication that he knew he would easily pass.
Yukino closed his eyes and clenched his thighs tightly with both of his hands, gritting his teeth.
It's happening…..Mother.
And Shizaki remembered the words of his childhood friend, years ago, by a table in the restaurant of Sekoto Town.
(Years Ago…
"If you ever find yourself trapped, always know that I am always wishing you to gain the strength to overcome it. Even if we somehow part ways, you will have my blessing."
)
He asked for his help yet once more.
Lend me your strength, Gariah, my friend.
Suddenly, Xulpeca, the chairman, raised her voice.
"Okay, I have the list here…..first up…."
Most of the audience held their breath and waited, including Shizaki.
No matter what…
He would save everyone, in one year from now.
That was his resolve.
"Daizen Shizaki."
He could feel a shock that instantly struck his heart in suspense, but quickly simmered down as he instantly stood up.
Daizen Shizaki, the shut-in, the useless kid from Sekoto Town, the one with a fractured Soul Realm, was the first candidate of the Royal Guild Selection.
-----------------------------------------
(Chapter 25: In Front of the Ethereal Lights.)