Capítulo 16: Window Shopping (1)
The rumble of engines grew louder as the Bullhead landed on the airship pad. Soon, the engines were cut off and the doors began to open with the blaring beep-like sound of the airship's alarm signaling their arrival, similar to how the subway trains from Subaru's home country would sound like when they stopped at a station. Subaru came out first with Beatrice behind him while the others waited, holding his hand as they descended the steps and gaze upon the sight in front of them in awe.
They landed at the entrance of what is known as the commercial district. Shops, cafes, grocery stores and food carts alike filled the streets with brimming activity, a sight he had not seen since he had visited the Capital of Lugunica. Both faunus and humans alike walked along the pedestrian roads while cars occasionally passed by, driving through the cross-section, where the group currently was. The futuristic dust lamp posts and banners can be seen in front of the low rise commercial buildings, glowing a holographic blue hue while showing the ads and displays that were essential for the common civilian, such as the map of the district and some local landmarks.
"This really reminds me of the Capital, right Beako?" Said Subaru, looking towards the spirit as she was gazing in awe at the sights of the bustling city in front of her.
However, after being noticed by him, she quickly changed her expression into something more fitting of her, a small frown with her neutral eyes, "Betty does not see any resemblance of Lugunica to this place, I suppose. However Betty would agree that this place is beautiful and majestic," she replied, "Though not as beautiful and majestic as Betty, in fact!" she said, giving a prideful huff as Subaru chuckled and heatpatted her as a response.
"Beako's really cute when she does that!" said Ruby, a smile on her face as she walked up to the pair and greeted them.
"Why are you still using Betty's Subaru's nickname for Betty, I suppose!?" Beatrice questioned, annoyed that Ruby had called her a name only Subaru was allowed to use.
"Ehe," was all she got in response, further annoyed the spirit, who angrily responded with
"What do you mean by 'Ehe', I suppose!?"
"Beako, could you please calm down and not get overly attached to a nickname please!?" interrupted Subaru, trying to stop an argument from breaking out.
"Beako is Subaru's own word, I suppose! He should put a copyright claim on it! No one should use it other than Betty's Subaru!" Beatrice brashly responded.
"Beatrice, could you please calm down? It's just a nickname!" Ruby pleaded, trying to sooth the spirit.
"Betty will not calm down if it's a request coming from someone who stole Subaru's word!"
"Beako." Subaru warned, assisting Ruby in her efforts to calm Beatrice down.
"What is it, I suppose?"
"Stop arguing or you won't get any sweets for a month"
Beatrice looked down in sadness, puffing up her cheeks in the process. No sweets for a day are alright for her, but if it's for a month and it is a punishment coming from her very own contractor, that's just too much!
So she sighed and reluctantly uttered, "Betty will stop, Ruby can use the nickname whenever she wants, in fact."
This earned her a head pat from him, "Good girl, you'll get extra sweets once we get back!"
Suddenly, Yang who had lagged behind, watching the spectacle unfold, cut through both Subaru and Beatrice, catching them with a mix of surprise and anger. Ruby, though she secretly hated it whenever she ruined a moment like that.
"So!" She started, looking back at the group, "Where are we heading?"
"How about we visit the dust shops nearby and see if there are some discounts?" Weiss replied, suddenly appearing right beside Ruby, "We could stock up so we don't have to refill too."
"Betty would agree with that notion, I suppose. Betty wants to buy more dust for her to use and experiment with. Subaru, lend me your wallet, in fact!" Beatrice commanded, extending her arm towards her contractor after speaking her demands.
"No no! This is the last of our weekly allowance, you've already spent a quarter of it on sweets! You can just ask Weiss for her credit card if you want!" Subaru denied, trying to save the rest of their money. Beatrice's spending habits had left them in quite a tight spot. "Plus, why do you want so much dust? Don't tell me you're getting an addiction from eating them here! I heard some people can absorb them like drugs!"
"Even Betty's Subaru doesn't know it" She sighed, shifting her tone to that of a teacher, "The dust will be used as a supplement for Betty's mana, I suppose! This world is dangerous as you all said, and Subaru's mana from his broken gate is not enough for Betty, in fact!"
The rest of the girls and even Subaru tilted their heads in confusion. "Gaining mana from dust? That's outrageous! How can you do that!?" Yelled Weiss.
She knows that Beatrice is a magical being after showing her spells and magical prowess and knowledge. She even copied some of the loli spirit's spells to her arsenal by utilizing dust as a substitute for mana. But directly absorbing mana from dust is something otherworldly for her.
"Betty guesses she owes you all for an explanation, I suppose" She sighed looking at the confused faces of the group. She shook her head before beginning, "To summarize, Betty has figured out a way to extract mana from dust and absorb said mana into Betty's own gate. The mana contained in those things pales in comparison to actual magic crystals found in Lugunica and Gusteko, but a single one is enough for about a day's worth of mana, in fact!"
Everyone stood dumbfounded, unbelieving at the words the spirit had uttered. After a moment Subaru broke the silence, excited at the implications of such a discovery, "Beako, do you know how much of a breakthrough that is?"
"What, I suppose?"
He looked towards Weiss, "Weiss, can you lend us dust daily? Just a single one for a day's worth!" Stars in his scary eyes at the thought of giving Beatrice a sufficient amount of mana. His spirit was already amazing using what little mana he generated. If she could now gain even more mana, oh things were looking interesting now!
"What!? No way! Buy your own!" She yelled back in response. Dust was beginning to get expensive and Weiss didn't think she could afford to donate so generously.
Subaru can only frown at her rude reply. But he quickly turned his attention towards Beatrice, who he headpatted with a smile, before turning to look at the others.
"Hehe, classic Ice Queen" Yang said
"Shut up!"
"Anyways! Let's get back to the topic!" Said Ruby, "Any suggestions on where we should go? Weiss said we should buy some dust for us to stockpile. I already decided to go to the weapon shop district with Subaru to look at some weapons for inspiration. However, we still need to visit some places to have fun! So how about you two?" she pointed at Yang and Blake.
"Are you ignoring Betty again, I suppose!?" Yelled Beatrice, once again annoyed at Ruby's antics.
"Beako, you know that you already picked to go with Weiss' idea" Subaru replied, making her squeal in annoyance.
"Valid point, I suppose," She begrudgingly admitted.
"Uhhh, we could go visit that new fast food restaurant! I heard they sell those new bacon and egg burgers, it makes me drool!" Yang suggested, a tiny hint of saliva coming out of her mouth before she wiped it off, "Plus, there's a clothing shop nearby! I want to buy a new set of bras since my chest is getting bigger," She said, earning a blush from Subaru and a facepalm from Beatrice at how blunt the girl was. Yang clicked her tongue at this, rolling her eyes and looking away.
Ruby was secretly mad at how casual Yang was about such sensitive topics, but chose to ignore it, instead turning to Blake and addressing her. "How about you Blake?"
"Huh? Oh," She closed her book before thinking for a moment, "The marketplace to buy some sardines? I heard they're 70% off right now, we need to buy it now before they run out of stock!"
"I don't really like their smell, but okay" Ruby placed her hands onto her chin, before perking up with a surge of an idea, "Since we all want to go to different places, how about we split up and then meet up here once we are done!"
"Who will go with who though?" Asked Subaru
"Easy! You'll come with me, Beatrice can go with Weiss while Yang and Blake will go together! Three pairs, it's perfect!" Said Ruby with excitement.
Subaru admired her naive and joyful smile, responding with a smile of his own before questioning her idea, "Ruby, are you sure Beako should go with Weiss? You know she's overly attached to me" he said.
"That is true, I suppose. But for now Betty wants to bond with the Ice Queen over dust among other things. Subaru can go with the Ruby girl and perhaps grow closer while Betty does the same with the white haired girl, in fact!" Beatrice said.
"Beako, is this your way of avoiding Yang's teasing or are you just trying to be my wingman?" Asked Subaru in a joking tone.
"Awww you hate me that much?" Yang jokingly cried, placing her left hand on the spirit's head, messing up her hair.
"Stop it, I suppose!" She pleaded, "and yes! Betty does want to avoid this busty blonde's teasing, I suppose! She has to stop ruffling my hair too!"
Yang released her arm from Beatrice's head, not even bothering to apologize, "So, three pairs, are you sure about this little sister?" She questioned while grinning at Ruby's sudden initiative, a hint of pride coming out of the blonde girl. Her going with the idea of pairings to get closer to her crush is not something she thought her little sister would do. She thought Ruby would stay quiet after she saw how embarrassed she was when she didn't want to mention that she likes him. But now she's trying to be more assertive and active! Yang was overjoyed by this development.
Ruby cheerfully nodded, "Three pairs! Do the rest of you agree?"
Yang nodded, giving a thumbs up at her sister. Weiss nodded with a small smile, getting Beatrice by her side while subconsciously head patting her head, Beatrice can only look up towards her before accepting. Blake only answered with a small but noticeable nod as she continued on with her book.
Finally, Subaru replied with a shrug and a smile. For him, splitting up is generally not a good idea for exploring a new setting, especially with his experience. But he eventually agreed. "If that's what you want, sure." He replied.
"Then let us commence Operation: Window Shopping Spree!" Said Ruby with a smile, followed by a small cheer accompanied with the clapping of her hands. It earned her a laugh at her sheer excitement by the rest of the group.
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