บท 9: Chapter 9 - New Clothes!
Mid-afternoon, the sun still shone brightly in the sky. Long shadows stretched out under the nearby cliffs and darkened the already dim paths snaking through Chinju Forest. A calm blue and purple hue generated by the forest's unique plant life wreathed the local foliage and wildlife in serene harmony. A narrow stream babbled down the hill between the trees and stones, rippling with a gentle gurgle due to the many twists and turns it took before falling into the waters of a shallow pond. In the distance, the gentle ebb and flow of the ocean's waves added to the natural ambiance of this almost ethereal place.
On a stone path winding through the forest, two men quietly walked uphill toward the Kamisato Estate. One of them walked casually as though completely familiar with the forest while the other quietly admired the scenery. Unfortunately, the peaceful walk was interrupted by Hilichurls and Treasure Hoarders a few times. If not for that, it would have been an almost meditative experience.
Shortly after exiting the boundary of Chinju Forest, they reached the front gate of the Kamisato Estate.
Turning to look at his volunteer bodyguard who was steadily turning into a friend, Ivan asked, "Do you want any of the materials I picked up along the way?"
Thoma started shaking his head, but then stopped. His brows lowered in thought. Then, he replied, "Actually, if you don't mind, can I keep those Treasure Hoarder tokens? The energy contained in them is compatible with how I train my Pyro abilities, though I don't really understand why. I don't usually pick up the ones from the lower ranking members these days, but every little bit helps, I suppose."
Nodding with a knowing smile, Ivan asked, "I don't have a bag to put them in, so do you have a personal room where I can drop them off or something?"
"Yeah. That'll work. I can give you my old clothes at the same time."
The two of them subsequently passed through the front gate while giving a slight bow of greeting to the guards. While following Thoma through the front courtyard, Ivan sighed at the opulent sand garden and decorative stones surrounding the pavilion-esque walkway leading up to the front door.
'Would be nice to have a home this nice in the future. I'm sure I can accomplish it if I can get rid of my curses. Maybe not quite this big, though.'
Stowing away that wish in the back of his mind, Ivan followed Thoma inside the estate. The moment they entered, a gentle voice greeted them from behind a decorative bamboo barrier.
Stepping out from behind the barrier with a folding fan held in front of her face, Ayaka greeted, "Welcome back, Thoma. I hope your outing was pleasant today."
"It was, milady. Mostly, anyway…"
Nodding in affirmation, Ayaka turned her eyes to Ivan, and her brows raised a little.
"It is good to see you again, Mister Ivan. It seems you are feeling better now."
Ivan smiled and replied, "Good to see you again as well. I suppose I am better for the most part. The food last night helped a lot, so thanks."
"That is good to hear," Ayaka said, her eyes beaming above her folding fan. "If I may ask, do you have business here today?"
Thoma jumped in by explaining, "Hehe, well, if you couldn't already tell by his ruined clothes, he kinda needs new ones. I'm going to give him some of my old clothes since we're around the same height."
"Oh, I see," Ayaka replied. Her eyes quickly scanned the entirety of Ivan's body and observed the numerous cuts and scratches on his clothes and skin. Briefly her gaze stopped on his crotch, albeit not long enough for either of the boys to notice. She inwardly breathed a sigh of relief that her fan could hide her cheeks which burned due to remembering Ivan's naked body again. Moving on, she commented, "That is very kind of you Thoma."
Nodding solemnly, Ivan added, "I agree. I'm very thankful for the offer since nobody has shown such kindness to me in a long time."
Thoma chuckled and awkwardly scratched the back of his head. At the same time, Ayaka looked at Ivan with a hint of pity in her eyes.
Meeting Ayaka's gaze, Ivan grinned and asked, "By the way, I've been meaning to ask since I'm not one hundred percent familiar with the customs here, but how should I refer to you? Miss Kamisato or Miss Ayaka?"
Ayaka blinked and pondered his question for a second or two before answering, "Hmm… Most people simply call me Miss Kamisato, but if you want… you can just call me Ayaka if that makes you feel more comfortable."
Thoma raised his brows and widened his eyes but then smiled widely.
Showing a similarly wide smile as Thoma, Ivan said, "Cool. I feel like we've officially met now since I'm not dazed and lying on a bed this time, so nice to officially meet you, Ayaka."
Ayaka paused briefly, but then lowered her folding fan to reveal a smile of her own.
"It is nice to officially meet you as well, Ivan. Considering your situation, if you have need of anything, you can come here to find Thoma or I."
"Thanks for the offer, but I don't particularly enjoy taking advantage of others, so I'll at least try to return any favors in the future if it comes down to it."
Eyes flashing in appreciation, Ayaka said, "I see. That is a fine attitude to have so long as you do not allow yourself to be taken advantage of in return."
"I agree. There is a balance to everything. Except for my bad luck. Haha."
Ayaka's lips twitched as though she didn't know whether or not to laugh at Ivan's dark humor. Thoma chuckled a bit, but then sighed bitterly upon recalling all the enemies he had to fight today.
Seeing that the brief conversation somewhat ended there, Thoma interjected, "Do you want to grab those clothes now?"
Ivan nodded in response.
With that, Thoma led Ivan toward his personal quarters. For some reason, Ayaka followed them, but since Thoma did not seem to mind, Ivan also ignored it. Since he knew both of these characters were trustworthy, he only pondered on how to explain his inventory to her when the topic inevitably arose.
Down the hall, the three of them eventually arrived at a simple bedroom. Everything inside looked immaculately clean. Not a speck of dust could be seen on the desk. The bedding was folded and tucked without even a hint of wrinkles. When Thoma opened one of the drawers of his wardrobe, each item of clothing was neatly folded and pressed to the point that Ivan wondered if this was what bedrooms in heaven looked like.
For a few minutes, Thoma slowly combed through several outfits and organized them on the bed. Both Ivan and Ayaka watched him work in silence until several piles of mostly red and black clothes as tall as a large slime sat on top of the bed.
Patting on of the piles, Thoma looked at Ivan and asked, "Whaddya think? Will this be enough to last you a little while?"
"Uh… honestly, that's a lot. I thought you would just give me a few things, not an actual mountain of clothes," Ivan hesitantly replied.
Next to him, Ayaka giggled a little at his comment, but then coughed and said, "We do not lack such things, but this is indeed a lot. Are you going to need any replacements, Thoma?"
"Nah. I've still got plenty to work with."
"You sure you want to give me this much?" Ivan asked again, feeling like this was a bit too good to be true despite knowing Thoma's overall personality.
"It's fine. You don't need to feel bad or anything. I don't even wear any of these anymore."
"Alright, then… Where do you want the tokens?"
Ayaka raised a brow at the question while Thoma responded.
"Go ahead and put them on that desk next to you."
Giving a thumbs-up, Ivan stepped toward the desk. Before opening his constellation icons, he looked at Ayaka, winked, and said, "I"m going to trust you to keep a secret, okay?"
Tilting her head slightly, Ayaka furrowed her brows in confusion. However, not even a second later, she widened her eyes upon seeing more than ten Treasure Hoarder tokens of varying levels popping out of a small ball of light floating in front of Ivan's palm. They clunked onto the wooden desk in quick succession. When she looked at Ivan's cloudy blue eyes again, she saw him placing a finger over his lips.
Nodding subtly, Ayaka said, "I understand. Thank you for being willing to trust me with this. Everybody has some things they do not wish to be spread among the populace."
Ivan smiled and nodded. Then, he walked over to Thoma who also smiled widely.
"No need to worry about your ability being spread out. Milady is incredibly trustworthy."
"I believe that both of you are worth trusting and befriending since you helped me without asking for anything in return," Ivan came up with an excuse on the spot for trusting them so easily.
Averting his eyes, Thoma scratched his head awkwardly upon being added into the compliment.
"So, it's fine to just take all of these?"
"Yep."
Receiving a final affirmation, Ivan sucked all the clothes into his inventory. It barely took a second.
"That is incredibly convenient. I am almost envious," Ayaka commented, her lips curling into a small smile.
Ivan nodded in agreement since he knew that Thoma and Ayaka were two of the least likely characters in this world to overtly take advantage of him just because of his inventory.
Since he didn't have any other business here and had a new quest to return to the Grand Narukami Shrine, Ivan said, "Thanks for all the help today, Thoma, but I've gotta head back to the shrine to see if Guuji Yae can remove one of my curses tonight."
Ivan extended his hand out for a handshake out of habit. He almost pulled it back, but Thoma grasped his hand and shook it before he could.
"No problem. If you ever need a hand with something and I happen to be free, don't hesitate to let me know."
"Would you like to have something to eat here before you leave? I could ask one of the maids to prepare something," Ayaka offered.
"Actually… I haven't eaten anything besides Amakumo fruits today, so if you don't mind, I'll happily accept that offer."
In response, Ayaka happily nodded and left the room to inform one of the maids to prepare a meal. A little while later, the three of them ate a rather sumptuous meal of mostly Inazuman cuisine. Throughout the meal, Ivan inwardly noted that he felt more lively and healthy after eating a few dishes that he recalled were used for revival or hp recovery in the game. Even the Amakumo fruits he picked throughout the day improved his overall energy a little. It made him wonder if the food here contained more magical properties than he originally thought.
During the meal, Thoma told Ayaka about all of the enemies he fought that were pulled in by Ivan's aura of bad luck. All of his descriptions vividly and animatedly portrayed their journey, though he conveniently left out the part where he brought food for an injured dog.
After the meal, Ivan bid farewell to Ayaka and Thoma at the front door by saying, "Thanks again for everything today. I'm glad I got to meet both of you."
"Right back atcha," Thoma responded with a thumbs-up gesture. "Today might've been a bit tiring, but it was fun."
"Likewise," Ayaka said, "You are a very pleasant person, so please feel free to visit if you have time in the future."
"Sure. I'll probably see both of you later since I'll likely be around the shrine a lot. See ya."
Each of them bowed or waved goodbye in unique manners. Then, Ivan left. Once the door closed behind him, Ayaka's friendly demeanor disappeared.
Turning to her blonde friend, Ayaka solemnly said, "Thoma, we need to discuss a serious matter."
"Eh? Does it have something to do with Ivan?" Thoma hesitantly asked, slightly unnerved by the Young Miss' serious demeanor.
"No. It is something official. The Shogun seems to have declared a new decree, and I fear that our future will not be easy."
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