บท 19: Chapter 19: Gardens of Glowing grass and Pimp the Bulb
"Huh?"
Kaede can't believe what he is seeing.
"Should the sealing realm be like this?" he asked himself before scratching his head.
What Kaede is currently seeing somewhat resembles the Hitachi seaside park. But unlike the garden with green and lively grass colors, the grass inside Dungeons are dark pink, black, and blood red. What amazed Kaede most was that they glowed, intensifying the grass colors.
The night's moon is hovering over him oddly, too; instead of its signature round shape, it has a diamond shape.
"What the hell is this place?" he whispered again.
"Hello, are you the student that master Krutch has sent here?" a voice from nowhere made Kaede jump. He was looking around, but he didn't see anyone.
"Who are you? Show yourself!" he demanded.
"Look down, student," the voice said.
Kaede looked down and saw a large onion, no, more like garlic, but what had happened to him the past few years didn't surprise him anymore seeing this kind of creature. It has a greenish color, and it glows.
"You are an onion or garlic, maybe," he said.
"Rude," says the onion-like creature. "I ain't violet, as you can see. I'm green, so I am not an onion, let alone a garlic," it said. "I am a bulb from a wonderful tree, but I refuse to become a tree, so Master Krutch made me his Realm guide. My name is Pimp. And you are?" Pimp said, looking up at Kaede.
"Kaede. My name is Kaede," Kaede answered before deciding to sit down for Pimp's sake because he was too short.
"You are the first for the last ten years to come here after Takao," Pimp said.
Kaede scratches his head again, as it's getting habitual for him.
"What happened before Takao? Krutch-sensei told me no one gets out alive in his Dungeon aside for Takao," he said, as he started to get curious.
"Uhmm, dead," Pimp said. "As soon as they left this place, I do not expect they will come back safe," he said. "Behind this seemingly fairytale place is the real face dungeon. You will encounter massive-sized Onyro and a Goryo everywhere. They could be flying or crawling, but one thing that made them the same is that they smell energy. They will hunt you wherever you hide, so I suggest you get enough rest and be careful," Pimp said. "Here," Pimp added, giving him a bag at Kaede.
Kaede took it and opened the bag. He saw silvery apples and a piece of cloth.
"That apples are not the same as you can see outside. One apple can make you full for twenty-four hours. And this piece of cloth will be your warmer. Some parts of Dungeon will have aggressive winters, especially if you are hunting the black stone," Pimp said.
"Did Krutch Sensei give this?"
Pimp smiled at him.
"No. Those fruits are fruits of the tree I planted here long ago. I took good care of it and cultivated it until it gave a fruit. It took me ten years to have its first fruit. And the first batch were the ones I gave you," he said, tears in his eyes. "I waited for someone to come, but Master Krutch told me that Dungeon is close and no more students that allowed to enter," Pimp wiped his tears with his tiny hands. "It's so sad here without someone to talk to," he added.
Kaede looked at Pimp, placed his hands on Pimp's round body, and lifted him up.
"H-hey!" he screamed at him.
"Don't be sad," Kaede playfully squeezed Pimp. "I'm here. I will be your friend while I am here," Kaede said before putting him down.
Pimp made himself stable since he felt like everything was spinning, and then he looked at Kaede before sitting beside him and facing the moon.
"They all said that, including Takao, but they ignored me," Pimp said. "It's always lonely living here alone," he added. "Sometimes, I can't help but wonder how it is to live outside this realm."
Kaede secretly looked at Pimp. He saw hope in his green eyes and touched Kaede's heart. In his mind, maybe Pimp also wanted to get out of this Realm too, and he wished that one of those students would get him out, but sadly, they didn't.
"Do you want to go outside?" Kaede asked him.
Pimp slowly turned his head to Kaede.
"I want to b-but I'm afraid I will never have a chance to go out," Pimp answered, smiling at him.
"But do you want to see the world outside?" Kaede asked him.
Pimp took his eyes off Kaede.
"Well, if someone will take me out. I'll forever cherish whoever that someone is," he told Kaede.
"Then it's all set. I'll take you with me together with the black stone," Kaede told him, smiling.
"Huh?"
Pimp is shocked.
"Are you serious? Do you think you can survive this test? And the exit door is on the other side. This is just the entrance," Pimp looked at him like he didn't believe in this punk.
"I'll be taking you with me," Kaede said, still smiling at him.
This made Pimp's pea size heart swell up with excitement. No one ever told him those words. But still, he tried not to believe Kaede. Pimp doesn't want to hope again, just like Takao did.
He had hope in Takao back then but failed him, especially when Krutch gave him his words many years ago.
"Hey, Pimp," young Krutch told him when he was about to seal him in Dungeon. "You are not that bad at all, but since you are undeveloped Yurei and you can think, what do you think about walking outside again?"
"I-I can go outside again?" Pimp's face lightens up.
"Yes, you can if only you can find someone that will bind you with his soul so no Ryōshi student will touch you. Good luck on finding one, Pimp."
He remembered Krutch's words, but he had given it up. Takao promised him that, but he never came back for him.
"I can't walk that long," Pimp said. "I hate the cold, and I don't have a special ability like those students and you," Pimp answered him.
"That's not a problem," Kaede told him and started to take out his things from his backpack. "I'll carry you inside this bag," Kaede said. "And don't worry about surviving because I will survive this test no matter what. I'll take you out with me. That's a promise."
Kaede took the silvery apples and cloth in.
"Get in. We will leave as soon as you are comfortable inside," he said, offering the bag with wide space.
"You.." Pimp couldn't utter other words as his heart filled with happiness.
Pimp couldn't believe this. Of all the students who came to this Realm, only this boy who didn't know him offered to take him with him so he could finally leave this lonely Realm.
"Y-you won't change your mind?" Pimp asked him when he was about to enter the bag.
"I won't. I am the one who promised that to you, so I'll take responsibility until you see some green grass as you. Let's go and hunt and get that black stone, Pimp!"
"Alright. Let's go," Pimp said happily.
He hopes this kid survives and both of them will come out of the Dungeon.
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