Chapter 1.5 - Picking Up [Tutor/Saki]

[Kiri]

What’s the weather like?

The voice echoed in his memory. He wouldn’t say it was a distant memory, nor would he really say it was something from a recent interaction. They often blur and meld between timelines when he was being lazy to keep track of his chakra pulse. But at the most, Jien was certain that he responded with looking up to try and get a long good look at the passing clouds where the endless sky was painted with orange and purple and yellow. He doesn’t remember replying verbally, but it didn’t seem to matter anyway. The memory ends and he finally straightens his sit and stretches his arms before stifling a yawn. Sleeping hunched over on the table may not have been the best idea.

He was wearing only his black shirt, leaving his trademark bluish grey coat back in the inn, along with his rifle case. But that didn’t mean he was unarmed for his handguns were securely holstered on the side of his hips. He had thought it would just be nice to relax for once. Even if it meant for a good twenty minutes before the designated time. He glanced at his wrist watch just as a small bluish creature would jump and land on top of his white hair. The slug perched like it was the most natural thing to do before saying, “It’s almost time for training. I hope you’re ready. Don’t fall asleep again.”

He smiled at the words and pulled out something from his pocket. He opened the small packet and cracked the chocolate wafer in half, eating one part and passing the other to the slug who happily accepted it and started to nibble on it. “Well, I was given an assignment this time, so I can’t dare to fall asleep,” replied Jien. He left a few coins in payment on the table as he stood up, gave a few more stretches before he started to walk away. He would be meeting this genin who was to be given guidance, or so. He figured the others were already too busy babysitting the rest to pick this one up. Or maybe this one, in particular, was a special case. He preferred the latter.

“Sounds like a good adventure,” he chimed as he began to walk further towards the said inn where he was supposed to pick-up the genin.

WC: 399
[MFT]

 

[Sato Yuji]

This was not the first time Saki had been overlooked, and she doubted it would be the last. First, she had missed one of the earlier boats to Tea because the academy instructors had forgotten to tell her that there was one. She had been forced to catch a ride with her family and hadn't that been a horrible experience. Not only had they ridiculed her for being forgotten but they had also teased her mercilessly on the boat over. The joke was on them though most had gotten seasick on the way over. That meant she didn't need to "accidentally" mix in nasty herbs when it was her turn cook. She would just tell some key people that some people in her family puked their guts out over some smooth sailing. So here she was being schlepped to Kurosawa. When they arrived her family told her to go find the head instructor to receive an assignment. So she did then things got strange. It seemed all available teachers had already been assigned to their students and adding her would ruin the "growing team dynamics," whatever that was. The head teacher had then panicked. It wasn't as if they could allow an academy student to wander the streets of Kurosawa by themselves -- even if said academy student was happy enough to do just that -- because it was "unsafe." She was planning on becoming a Kunoichi wandering the streets of a city populated with large numbers of shinobi was probably the least dangerous thing she would do. Alas, her argument had fallen on deaf ears, she had been given instructions to meet with her new teacher the next day outside of the city.

She had almost been forced to spend the night in some ally but her family had thankfully picked her up so she could sleep in one of their closets instead. The ally might have been a better option. The only inn with rooms still available was not the cleanest. It was quite far from the city, firmly in the countryside, and dubious. She could have sworn she had seen a drug deal go down last night and when she had gone out back to get some air this morning she was pretty sure she had accidentally walked into an arms deal. Thankfully her clothing made her look conspicuous enough to be inconspicuous with this crew. Wearing her normal night camo clothing with her face completely covered she looked like a very short bodyguard. She was thankful that her clothing covered her figure making her look unisex. Looking like she did without her normal clothing would be like having a sign saying "target me." After the deal she had walked into she figured vacating the premises was more important than waiting for her instructor. Still, That's how she wound up sitting about 200 yards away from the front of the inn in a tree next to the only road leading to it. While her clothing blended in nicely with the shadows created by the shadows cast by the leaves she wasn't exactly well hidden from people with situational awareness.
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[WC: 524/1,500]
[PC; 1/5]

 

[Kiri]

The way to the said inn wasn’t much of a trip, so along the way, Jien thought of doing a few things. One of them was a no brainer the moment the sweet aroma wafted into his nose. There was no mistaking it that it was that delicious seafood pancake topped sweet sauce and freshly cooked bacon, perhaps a cup of freshly grated cheese and scallions before sloppy wet sunny side-up egg would complete its facade. Indeed, it was the okonomiyaki stall, and Jien happily got a bag full of rolled okonomiyaki– around six pieces and rolled for optimised space use of the brown bag, and so he wouldn’t have to carry another bag. Carefully, he took one of the paper wrapped ones, and peeled the top open as eh bit into the delicious goodness as he continued to walk. Tyki, the blue slug, would climb over to his shoulder and take a bit of his own. After all, he had gotten used to sharing everything with the young warrior slug that this was nothing more than a casual snack for two.

Soon enough, however, and when he had finished one of the rolled okonomiyakis, that he came standing in front of the designated inn. He raised a brow as a suspicious looking man who stood by the porch gave him a good nasty glare. Jien may have jumped on him with drawn guns when he was younger, but he reminded himself that this was not Old Arcadia and there was really no need for him to get heated up. Instead, he let his eyes wander along the exterior of the inn and let the jyukkai power to analyse the surface as well as read the chakra pulses. After a brief while, he was certain that his target was not here, when there was nothing special about the chakra pulses in the vicinity. That, or this special case was simply weak and far too ordinary to be so easily forgotten.

Tyki, who was perched on his shoulder and seemingly finishing his share of okonomiyaki, would soon lean out and then pull Jien’s ear to notify the other. “There. A sense a strange chakra pulse over there,” said the blue slug before he climbed and settled on Jien’s white hair like a watchdog.

At that, Jien nodded and then started walking away from the inn. It wasn’t far and no sooner did he started to walk that he felt the said chakra pulse. Underneath a tree, he saw a figure seeming waiting. It was small, probably a child, and perhaps the purpose of his current situation. Thus, he walked up to her, finally taking in the visage of the child and he wondered if he had read the assignment well. Was it a student or was it a genin? He couldn’t remember well…. that’s odd for a shikan like him, but perhaps he mind was being sloppy just because he wanted to do something else other than babysit.

In any case, he made sure to keep a good distance as not to intrude into her personal space. He made eye contact with her before he reached for one of the paper-wrapped roll okonomiyaki inside the brown bag and threw it at her direction.

“Apologies for being late. Now, will you tell me why you’re out here all alone and not waiting for me by the inn? I’m sure you’d have gotten the instructions properly,” said Jien.

[WC: 577 + 399 = 976]
[Post: 2]

 

[Sato Yuji]

It had only taken a couple of hours for Saki to regret her quick departure from the inn. It was hot in Tea and she was not used to the climate. Her clothing also wasn't the most suitable for the weather -- it was too heavy. That combined with sun made her deserted her position in the branches to leaning against the base. It was a beautiful day, the sky was cloudless and the sun was shining brightly. This was exactly the kind of day Saki hated for training. Her clothing was weighted lighter than it normally but it still covers all available skin meaning she was bound to sweat a lot. An unpleasant activity that she was not looking forward to experiencing.

The other downside to leaving the inn was that she had yet to eat anything since last night. She had packed a few protein bars but when she had woken up that morning all her food stores had disappeared; along with the rest of her family members. She had thought it wouldn't be a problem seeing how the inn had a place to buy food but then the whole 'interrupting' thing had happened so, she had never gotten around to it. While she had been watching the inn she had made a game out of who she thought was entering. She split people into four categories: buyer, drug dealer, pimp, and weapons dealer. While she had been standing out there she had pegged at least seven buyers, two drug dealers, one weapon dealer and one pimp. For it being the morning she figured that was a lot of activity the inn must be a hotspot.

The person in front of the inn now was giving her some problems. He looked like a foreigner, his skin was darker than natives to part of the continent. His white hair was also quite unique. As she looked at him longer she realized why he was so different. He was a shinobi. It wasn't exactly hard to spot shinobi if you knew what to look for. Even ones as young as herself had a certain way of moving that gave them away. It was a combination of gracefulness and conservation of motion along with other tiny tells. The one she was watching now had those traits in spades. It was probably her new teacher seeing as she had yet to see such a high-level shinobi enter the establishment. She had seen a low-level one but she had pegged him as one of the weapons dealers.

He seemed to be done viewing the building and was now approaching her. As he approached she noticed two other odd things about him. First, he seemed to have a blue slug on his shoulder. It was probably a summons, she couldn't think of another reason why a slug would be blue. Second, he was armed with guns, a unique choice. They greatly interested Saki, hopefully, she could get him to demonstrate them. Watching as he walked up to her she applauded his politeness. He stayed well out of her personal bubble. Pushing her self off the tree she caught the object he threw at her. Looking at it in a puzzled manner she turned it over in her hands, it appeared to be some type of food. When he began talking she turned her focus on him. "Arms deal." She said shortly then pausing for a second "I accidentally interrupted one. It was better for everyone involved if I wasn't on the premises after that." Hopefully, that would be enough of an explanation for him. Peering down at the food item again she looked up through her eyelashes at her teacher. "What is this?" She asked holding up the food.
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[WC: 631/1,155/1,500]
[PC: 2/5]

 

[Kiri]

“I see,” he replied to her brief answer. He could get a trace of honesty from her tone, though he also knew that she was also hiding a certain amount of information from him. He didn’t bother to pry for more. Dealings in other countries weren’t really their concern, especially when the said country was hosting a massive international event. Best not become an international incident. For a brief moment, his memories wandered about to recall a certain notice of incident from the Torre about a certain shinobi who caused problems in Konoha before. He absentmindedly nodded his head as he would recall it before bringing his mind back to the present. “So long as they’re not causing an uproar, best to keep out of their way.”[/b

Carefully, Jien walked closer, trying to feel for the girl’s reaction. He didn’t want to suddenly make her jump or uneasy because of him. Ah, that’s right. He thought about introductions and then spoke, “I’m sorry for forgetting. My name is Jien, and you’re Saki, am I right?” It was more of a confirmation since he had already received the student information before. It was also to show the latter that he wasn’t some creep. He then reached a hand for Tyki and the slug rode on top of it before he reached out his hand in front of Saki. “This is my friend, Tyki. He has been traveling with me in order to become the strongest warrior slug.” To that, Tyki gave a courteous bow before Jien once more placed the slug on his shoulders.

“That’s a wonderful okonomiyaki. Fresh seafood straight from the deep blue with a good choice meat and freshly laid eggs,” he continued to explain as he would then lean against the tree next to the girl. “The shop in this small town may be small, but they serve up a good treat. The flavor is definitely different from that of Kumogakure’s but it’s what makes okonomiyaki as a type of cooking and dish unique. It can adapt to whatever local flavors there are present, and yet, it is strikingly rich and simply okonomiyaki.” For a moment, he sounded like a complete okonomiyaki-otaku though without the shrill voice or over-the-top fanboy lecturing. Perhaps it would be apt to simply say he was an okonomiyai enthusiast. But he soon realized his words and gave a brief apologies.

“Well, I’m sure you wouldn’t want to simply listen about okonomiyakis all day, Saki. But I am quite curious on a different matter,” Jien spoke as Tyki reached in to grab another rolled okonomyaki from the bag and began to eat as if to reassure the girl it wasn’t at all poisoned. “Just why exactly are you here alone? Why did you enter the academy? And what’s with trying to push yourself against the tree?”

[WC: 473 + 976 = 1,449]
Posts: 3

 

[Sato Yuji]

Saki didn’t truly expect the man to believe her lacking answer. She was thankful he was happy enough to let the incident go. It would be embarrassing to have to explain how she had, slightly, overreacted to the flash of a gun in her peripheral. Her only excuse was that she had just woken up and her brains were much more sluggish then her reflexes. She had at least been able to pull back in time so she wound up with two unconscious people instead of two dead bodies. An international incident would probably be avoided considering they were the only three people in the area at the time. She doubted they had seen her before they had blacked out. To clean up the scene she had simply taken what they were trading for herself and piled the two together in a convenient hay pile. At least she had gotten a bunch of shiny new weapons from the exchange. Seeing as she doubted anything would come of the episode she decided not to mention it to anyone. It seemed her instructor was on the same page.

Saki watched as the man began to walk closer to her. If it wasn’t so funny she would have found the approach funny, it was like he thought he was around a skittish horse. Did he think she was going to run away from him? So his name was Jien, that would be easy enough to remember -- it wasn’t exactly a common name. It didn’t seem as if he was really asking who she was but she nodded confirmation always wondering what would have happened if she hadn’t been who he expected her to be. It seemed she was right about the slug not being a normal one. It was cute and the name was pretty ironic. When Tyki bowed to her she bowed politely back, he seemed to have a high level of intelligence and wouldn’t do to insult him.

Saki had thought she had finally gotten a relatively sane teacher until Jien began talking about the food he had tossed at her. As he started espousing the food, apparently called okonomiyaki. He sounded like her smaller cousins did about a cute boy in their class. It was slightly overwhelming. It didn’t help that while he was talking he had leaned up next to her on the tree. This made her unconsciously shrink into the tree as if to get away from the now crazy man. Trying to appease him she began to eat it, her possibility of surviving any poison in it was probably higher than her probability of surviving annoying the fanatic in front of her. It actually was quite good though she didn’t think it was anything to write home about. She was just happy to get something in her stomach.
Jien at least seemed to realize how crazy he sounded but even as he apologized he was pulling out another one. His carrying capacity must be high for these things. Listening to what he asked next she almost wished he had continued to rant about okonomiyaki. She always sounded stilted when she answered these types of questions. “I traveled here with my family and they had other things to do this morning,” she said figuring that was a much more polite way to say they had abandoned her. “Being a Shinobi is a family occupation, all those with chakra capabilities are sent to the Academy when they come of age,” she continued. Hopefully, Jien wouldn’t pry about why she was slightly older than “of age.” The last question got him a look that clearly stated she thought he was going mad before she wiped her face of all emotion. “The tree is my friend,” she deadpanned.
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[WC: 636/1,791/1,500]
[PC: 3/5]
[MFT]

 

[Kiri]

Jien gave the girl a good long look as she answered. He could sense the nerves in her, especially with the way she reacted to him earlier. He would have frowned had this happened when he was a lot younger. Back then, he was more sensitive to how others saw him, often than not making him more self-conscious. But in this case, it was curiosity that was driven within him. He raised a brow at her few answers, as if to make a silent “Oh?” comment just so he could he let the girl finish whatever else she may want to say without him interrupting.

It was only when the girl had finished saying her piece did Jien began to think again. He could tell that the girl was trying to be sly about this. Half-truths were okay, but they, no doubt, meant there were things being omitted with conscious effort. Nevertheless, he couldn’t help but chuckle at her momentary shock at his question and her best effort to answer as straightforwardly as she could.

At that, he reached out a hand and placed it over her head. It was the first contact he would make, and already he could tell that there would be more in the future. The chakra pulse within her was reserved but it was also enigmatic, making him wonder what it could possibly become. Tyki may have sensed the curiosity in Jien that it made the slug look up from his okonomiyaki and tap at the white-haired man’s face. That quickly brought back Jien’s attention to the present and so he went to say, “Well, then, I suggest you leave a note to your family saying you’ll be training from now on, under the guidance of the Main Branch. At least, until the next assignment.”

Jien allowed her to comprehend his words for a bit before he added. “That said, I’ll be your watcher for the time being. If you’re ready to part from you friend, the tree, over here, then we shall start by having you perform for me the most basic of all… an attempt at my life.” Saying such, Saki would feel a surge of chakra pulse from all around her, seemingly originating from Jien who still faced her with a casual expression.

[WC: 384 + 1,449 = 1,833]
Post: 4

 

[Sato Yuji]

Saki could tell that Jien knew that she had left out information with her explanation. Thankfully, he was polite enough not to pry or he just didn't care. She did not appreciate him laughing at her though if she had been a lesser person she would have pouted. Apparently, Saki needed to up her obfuscation skills. After she spoke there was a long pause she didn't know what she had said that required that much consideration. She hoped she hadn't somehow insulted her instructor. Though they weren't an official clan the Abe family prided itself on appearing unified. They had been taught that speaking badly about the family, or an individual member was frowned heavily upon.

When Jien put a hand on her head she almost startled giving him a confused look but held still regardless. It had been a long time since anyone had touched her in a none medical way. Thinking back it had been a long time since anyone touched her in any way. What really did surprise her, though it shouldn't have, was the tickling of her senses. It seemed as if he was reading her chakra. A smart move all things considered, she couldn't help but wonder what he felt. Saki had never had any try to get a deeper read on her chakra. She blinked in surprise at his next words. Leave a note for her family, she had no intention of doing anything like that. Once children reached the age of nine they were basically treated like adults. Her family had so many children for a reason considering the mortality rates for shinobi. No one would look for her unless they need something and that was a rare occurrence. So she just shrugged.

His next instructions did not surprise her at all. Whenever she had a class like this the instructor always wanted her to attack something. She shivered slightly when she felt his chakra pulse. She could already tell this wasn't going to be the most pleasant experience for her. Almost imminently after he said she was to try and kill him she made a battle plan. Turning back slightly to the tree she infused chakra into her arm and punched it. That combined with her gloves took a large enough chunk out of the tree to destabilize it. As it began to fall she helped it head towards Jien by pushing it at him. She highly doubted it would hit him but at least it showed she was not messing around. Quickly moving away she prepared herself for getting hit, he wouldn't be trying to severely damage her -- probably.
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[WC: 451/2,242/1,500]
[PC: 4/5]

 

[Kiri]

As Jien observed the girl from his minutes actions in relation to her, he could feel the fluctuating tendencies of her chakra pulses. For an observer, reading into chakra pulses was one way to learn about a person’s tendencies, intricacies, and even their secrets. After all, the chakra can move like one’s own soul, always reflecting the desire even if it was unconscious, and only a few could truly control it to the point of exercising great constraint and discipline to say that they are in full command of their chakra and soul. Saki was still, in every way, still a child, so he felt a slight difference when he touched her. Almost as if she had not expected it and yet she wasn’t resisting so much. But when he spoke later, there were more changes, partly for what the words could mean to her.

In response to his burst of chakra, the girl acted out almost instantly, breaking the tree and trying to crush him. For a moment, Jien looked at the incoming fallen tree and sighed, thinking it was a pity that nature would have to be brought into this test. “So you’re willing to kill off a friend?” he voiced out as he lifted a hand to touch the incoming trunk only for the latter to stop mid-air, then it almost instantly, the tree would be flung to the opposite side, crashing a few meters away. In that moment, Jien would disappear from Saki’s vision, only to appear behind her, grab her by the arm, twist her and pull over and then pummel to the ground, pinning her down with his weight as a cold steel would touch her cheek, while the other was kissing dirt.

“Sometimes a shinobi must do so in order to carry out a mission. Sometimes, a shinobi must also think of the objectives more clearly and see to which way the goal can be achieved without having to waste effort or for better results. There’s really no way of telling what is the best recourse of most decisions, as duty is first and above all things. However, cliche as it sounds, you can only have a handful of allies before you realize you are alone and nothing can help you. Sacrificing your allies must never be, if possible, a choice. It only hastens one’s defeat, and whatever victory you see it achieving for you is only brief,” said Jien with a monotone, eyes direct and sharp towards her. He would keep his strength to keep her unable to move or resist. “I won’t deny your way of having been raised to become a shinobi. It is what has made you up to this point. But I know of other ways of becoming a shinobi without the rudiments and strictness, and quite frankly, the self-serving egocentric formalities of expectations. That’s right, my way of living as a shinobi may not particularly be the one agreed upon by most, but it’s certainly something others have never thought possible.”

Slowly, he drew back the trigger of the handgun as his chakra would begin to engulf the cold steel pressed unto her cheeks. “You seem to be bored, to be frank. Your chakra pulse tells me you’re too conflicted about everything, feelings, and even desires. Tell me, Saki… would you like to die right now? You might end up living a different life in the next.”

[WC: 572 + 1,833 = 2,405]
Post: 5

 

[Sato Yuji]

Saki watched as the tree she had sent to her instructor was swatted aside like a particularly irritating fly. What confused her was what Jien said while doing it. Did he really believe her when she said the tree was a friend, she had thought her sarcasm was quite clear? She had forgotten the golden rule when working with Shinobi, they were crazier than a sack full of cats. As she continued to watch Jien disappeared from her sight and the next thing she knew she was on the ground. Half her face was pressed into the ground while the other half had a gun pointed at it. The throw to the ground had hurt the shoulder when the arm that wasn’t in his grasp which was forced in front of her. It had also cracked one of her ribs slightly. About to say something she shut her mouth when he began talking.

Saki listened carefully to what her captor was saying. He was right in saying that what she had been taught was much different then what he was speaking of. She had been taught that the mission was the mission objective was the only thing that mattered. Though it was optimal to come out with the same number of mission members that one went in with, it was not a necessity. If someone was slowing the mission down, or stopping the mission from progressing, it was better to leave the problem behind and in the worst case, cull the weak from the pack. It was one of the reasons there were so many children in her family. It was expected that only around a half or a third would make it to adulthood. Hence, the lack of care after a child turned nine, they would either survive or they had no right to pass on their genes to make the next generation. This caused people within the family to grow up together yet apart. Knowing that if you were to slow down a mission with a member of the family you would be abandoned, family ties be damned. For her, it was worse because she already lacked something that allows other to make connections and have strong feelings for others.

Saki stiffened when she felt Jien begin to gather chakra around the gun pointed at her face. Jien was mostly correct with his analyses of her personality. Yes, she was bored but she was not unhappy about it. And while yes she was conflicted it was not between two facets of her personality. Saki’s psyche was overlaid heavily with someone else's. Her personality made it hard for her to connect with most people but she needed to feel some human connection. To make up for that dichotomy her brain made her become extremely loyal to one person and one person only. This person was Saki’s world, she took their values and beliefs for her own. It was not the healthiest thing to do -- their beliefs, wants, and needs would overwrite her own. She already had someone to follow so dying here was not an option. Just when she was about to decline Jien offer she felt something happen on her outstretched hand. Stiffening to the point where it felt like her muscles would snap. She slowly flipped her hand over. On her wrist was a seal that seemed to be dripping blood. Looking at it she felt part of her mind shatter. “Do it,” Saki said in a wretched voice, “kill me.”

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[WC: 584/2,826/1,500]
[PC: 5/5]

 

[Sato Yuji]

OOC: Double post-- sorry.

 

[Kiri]

Jien briefly raised a brow before he looked back at the girl with certainty. “Okay. I’ll grant your wish.”

A loud resounding BANG would echo throughout the land, followed by a deafening silence. Jien looks on at the unmoving girl beneath him and wonders if he had another choice. Well, perhaps he might have, but certain intricacies had forced him to relieve his Old Arcadian days and he could only deliver finality as he would. Tyki looks on from being perched on his shoulder, wide-eyed before glancing back at Jien with a frown. Surely, the slug would run away now. But it was high-time for the slug to actually witness and feel the grittiness of a situation where one might have to kill.

Later that day, a letter would arrive at the inn, addressed to the Head of the Abe Clan. In it was a declaration of a certain Abe Clan member who had a fatal accident during the excursion and training with her teacher. The remains of the accident could be seen at the isolated area by the end of the town, just above a small hill where a tree once stood. The ground was upheaved, split and jagged. At the center was a pool of blood and some torn clothing. If an investigator would check, they see traces of the chakra pulse that belonged to the Abe clansmen. If the clan would pursue to have it further investigated and request an higher inquisition on the matter, they would risk belittling their clan name for such trivial death and incapability.

Patting on the lump underneath his coat, Jien leans back at the cart as it slowly moves away from the small town. He was just in his black shirt as Tyki propped himself on the cart railing, watching the sunset paint the sky in orange hues. “Oh well, guess that should solve the problem for now,” said Jien as he remembers the final notes on that assignment paper:

From special investigation, we’ve ascertained that for the candidate’s full growth, extraction from the clan is essential. Kumogakure’s new program hopes to ensure candidates who will be awakened to their full potential without the limitations of the old societal rules.

“Though it’s sad to be taken from your actual family, but I suppose it’ll be better. I heard that particular clan isn’t so keen on their members to begin with, at least for those who they deem inferior,” he added. Tyki sighed and then fumed and started running at the rail and jumped and punched Jien in the face before shooting a ball of slime to his hair.

“Idiot! I thought you really killed her!!!!” Cried the blue slug as he slinked away under the coat to nestle next to the unconscious girl who was laid on Jien’s lap.

“Well…” Jien trailed off… “They sure know how to use me well. My power may as well have killed her… wiped clean of any memories, she’ll definitely be the most fragile thing.” He sighed once more before he started to wipe off the slime with a bandana. “Besides, it’s time you also learn that when you have no choice but to kill, you have to pull the trigger without batting an eye.”

“STUPID! JIEN STUPID!” yelled the slug from underneath the coat.

It would take another day before the gracious old man who own the cart to travel all the way to Kurosawa with them as passengers. A day for the girl to fully rest after Jien’s Jyukkai power had flashed at her and taken all of her memories, wiping her mind and soul clean like a blank slate. A day when Tyki refused to talk to Jien or eat okonomiyaki. And a long day for Jien to contemplate on this troublesome adventure he got himself into.

“Oh well. I’ll protect this puppy. Never one to back out, after all,” he said with a gentle patting rhythm over the lump covered by his coat as he looked up to the changing colors of the sky.

[WC: 675 + 2,405 = 3,080]
[Topic End]