章節 54: Tempest (II)
Kiyro quickly scanned his items through the self-checkout machine, fumbling in the process. One by one, he tied the ends of his bags and then picked up the girl's. The amount he had to carry doubled in size.
Gah. I forgot how heavy groceries can be, thought Kiyro. Next time maybe I should borrow a cart or something. But then again, it's considered stealing.
While walking towards their destination, there were a couple of times he had to stop and adjust the weight. It was cutting off the blood flow to his fingers and creating an annoying numbing feeling.
"I'm so sorry. I know it was stupid of me to buy so much." She walked next to him trying to match his speed. He was slightly faster than her.
"It's alright. It's not too bad actually. Just balancing it is what makes it slightly difficult."
She smiled. "My name is Isabel, by the way, and on the bright side we're almost there. I just need to get to my friend's store. She'll be taking me home."
"Well, mine's Kiyro. Nice to meet you, Isabel."
Silence followed after. Kiyro could not figure out what to say, and instead he quietly walked forward. He was not the type to stay silent, but being around her made him nervous.
What should I say? His heart beat faster as he walked next to her. I must look like a complete idiot. He did not understand why words would not come out of his mouth right this moment. Just calm down, everything will be alright. Just ask her a damn question. It shouldn't be so hard. I'm usually not like this. Come on, Kiyro. Come on.
"Um…Do you listen to music? I mean, do you have a favorite genre? I'm sorry. I know it's awkward. I'm just trying to start a conversation. I'm not good at this."
"Yes to your first question. I like to listen to pop, rap, and alternative rock. You?"
"Same here. Have you heard the rising group called Kariss before? They have some great music these days."
"Actually I do. I've been listening to them recently. What was it, their number one title this month, wasn't it Trinity Falls?" she replied.
"Yeah, I loved it."
"It had such an awesome bass line and its wicked electric guitar. I wish I could play like that." Isabel's eyes drifted off into her own world.
"Agreed. The vocals were amazing as well. Something about it just makes you electrified," he said excitedly, enjoying their short conversation.
"Well, we're here." They stopped in front of Geek City, a small shop selling electronics. In front of the door was a human-sized cat figure waving its paws at all passersby.
"Is that a Maneki-Neko?" Kiyro stared upon it, surprised to see such a large Maneki-Neko in America.
"Yep. My friend is a huge superstition maniac. He has so many 'good luck charms' it's outrageous. You should see his house…"
Kiyro peeked through the door and was amazed at the number of different cultural good-luck items were inside the store. From colorful banners of fish kites, to brilliant colored Maneki-Neko cats, to small bamboo good luck trees, and many more. One could say it was overflowing with them. As they walked in, from left to right in the mixture of electronics, in between each shelf were small statues of different good luck items and good luck charms.
"Well then. I'll just drop this here." Kiyro placed the groceries next to the counter. A large bowl of good luck bamboo trees decorated the counter. It was so heavily covered in it that it looked like a forest. Something pulled him through the store, he wasn't sure what, but an odd feeling that he couldn't explain. Out of the many items that he had passed by, one particular charm stood out to him. It was near the back of the store in between two large animal statues. Something about it lured him in. It was a small figurine of three small koi fish swimming up a river. Oddly enough there was a faint, soft white aura around it. Kiyro reached over and picked it up. He closely examined the details. Something about it felt warm and good.
"Are these good luck charms for sale by any chance?" He turned around towards Isabel.
"The one you're holding? Nope. That's his treasured one. He only sells similar copies of them in the front desk. He won't sell the ones that are already there for display. He's odd like that. After he visited China, Japan, and Korea, he collected so many of them that it's mind boggling. I'm surprised you picked that one out of all the rest. What made you pick that one?"
"I'm not sure. Instinct?" He did not want to tell her that there was a small white aura around it and make him look like some kind of crazy fool.
"You're not the only one to pick it up. There have been a rare few that have asked to buy it. I personally think there is something special about it. I'm not sure what, but whenever I look upon it has a warm feel to it."
"It does."
"Please wait." Isabel placed her bag down next to his and rummaged through her pink side purse. She was diligently searching for something, and when she found it she stopped and looked up at Kiyro with a brilliant smile.
Isabel handed him a ten dollar bill. "I know this isn't much, but here. Please take it," she said softly. Kiyro looked upon her with surprise. He did not help her to gain any money, but did it to just help.
"No, please. It was nothing really. I do not need it." Kiyro pushed the money back towards her.
"But I would feel so bad if you don't take it." Isabel pouted. She looked like she was thinking over something to say.
"Look. It is not a big deal." Kiyro reassured her as he closed his hands around her hands. He could feel her soft skin under his own. Her hands are so soft, he thought. It would feel so nice if I could hold it for a while. Just as quickly as he thought of her hands, he quickly let go.
"Well…" Isabel glanced up at Kiyro. "It is embarrassing to say, but do you play Growth? I could help you a bit in the game." She fidgeted for his answer.
"No. No. It's not embarrassing at all. I too play Growth." Kiyro gave her the most charming smile he could make.
"Do you mind trading contacts?" she bashfully asked.
"Sure. I'll be glad to." He fidgeted to get his Alive gear out of his pocket. He was jittery from a stroke of luck he was given. A couple of times he almost dropped the gear from fumbling through his pocket.
"H-Here." He slightly stuttered. "What's your game name?"
"It's Flora."
"Register, Flora."
"Okay. I got it. If you ever need my help, I'll come running. I owe you a favor."
He slowly nodded, taking in her words.
"Well, I'll see you around." Isabel waved her hand. Kiyro slowly turned around and took a couple of steps out of the door.
Isabel. His thoughts drifted into a lull. Isa-bel. His grin widened. I wonder what she likes? Her sweet scent lingered in his mind.
"Kiyro!" A girl's voice shouted out towards him. "Kiyro!"
Kiyro snapped to reality and froze. Who?
"Kiyro!"
He slowly turned around with apprehension. A good distance away from him was Eve waving her hands wildly and trying to get his attention. Her long blue-silver hair fluttered backwards as her white summer dress flowed gracefully with every curve of her body. She stopped short next to him with heavy breaths. A whiff of soft fresh linen followed after. Placing her hands on his shoulder, she hunched over and tried to catch her breath.
"Didn't…you…hear me calling you?" she wheezed.
"I-I…" He was shocked that she was here of all places. "When? What? How?" Zero stuttered confused.
"I was passing by when I saw you with a girl. Is she your girlfriend?" She elbowed him lightly with a smirk.
"No."
"Aw, come on. I just saw you ogling her from miles away. It's okay. I won't tell anyone." She grinned from ear to ear as she stretched her arms. "Nobody will know. Just me."
"I know. That's what I was afraid of." He sighed. During the time that he had known her, she had literally created more than enough trouble in his life. He didn't need more.
"Well then. Who was she?"
"Someone you don't need to know."
"Come on, why?"
"Because you make my days a living hell," he said with a grin.
"What?! No I don't. I make your days exciting."
"Exciting enough to kill me. Especially like that time when you dragged me into that dungeon that was WAY beyond our level. I was literally, what, fifty levels short from the requirement and we had to run away from the boss. I would have died. You need to practice some more caution."
"Caution? I am always cautious. We were doing perfectly fine. Stop being Mr. Grumpy." She pouted for a second.
"Fine? Me being used as a toothpick was not fine."
"Well… At least we got away. It's all in the past. Let it go and think of it as a new day," she stated cheerfully and patted him on his shoulder.
He sighed, making a point to her sometimes it would go over her head as if it was nothing.
A soft meowing sound was heard behind them. Eve turned around so quickly that it startled Kiyro back a couple of steps.
"Did you just hear that?"
"What?" said Kiyro as he looked around to see where the sound was coming from.
"Over here!" Eve burst out in excitement as she directed him towards her voice. "It's a kitten!" she excitedly yelled. Kiyro saw Eve bent over by some empty wooden crates next to a garbage can. Underneath the crates was a small, white, fluffy kitten.
"Oh, you poor thing," Eve cooed at the kitten. She reached out towards the kitten with care.
"Hisss!" The kitten spat with such ferocity that it startled itself. It moved backwards, trying to hide underneath the crates.
"It's okay. Come here, sweetheart." Eve lightly placed her hands on its back as she tried to pull the kitten up.
"Meow!!" With a swipe of its claws it scratched Eve a couple of times on her hand. Eve cringed but did not pull back.
"That's not going to stop me. Come here." She snatched him off the ground by pulling him up from the scruff of its neck.
"You're so cute." She cupped the kitten with both hands, trying to calm it down and keep it from wiggling out of her hand.
"Careful. It's still young. Don't scare him; it's going to take a while for him to get used to you."
"Wait. How do you know it's a boy?" She looked up at him a bit surprised.
He pointed down at the kitten's private area.
"Oh." She blushed. "I see." Her voice became quieter. He couldn't help but chuckle at her reactions.
"Here, let me show you how to hold a cat." He reached over to her and lightly took it out of her hands. The kitten fussed and hissed a couple more times before it settled down comfortably in his arms.
"What? How?" She looked upon him with surprise.
"The way you held him made him uncomfortable. Put your hands underneath him to support his feet. It seems he's not used to being held in the way you just did. Here, you try it."
He handed her the kitten by the scruff. The kitten curled up into a small ball as it quietly waited to be placed back down.
"See. It's not too hard." He smiled gently, watching the scene before him.
"Oh! Look! Look! He's purring." Her smile radiated with pure happiness. Kiyro could not stop watching the two. It was a perfect scene of a girl and a kitten.
"I'm going to name it Tempest," she cooed with love.
"Wait, wait, wait. You're going to keep him? Are you sure? Does your place even allow pets?" He was surprised how quickly she decided without a second thought.
"No. I just wanted to name him. I always wanted to name a cat Tempest. Plus my apartment won't allow pets. Can you please keep him till I get a place where I can take him?" She pleaded and looked at him with a puppy dog eyes.
A message appeared on his Alive gear.
Ding!
New Quest has been initiated.
Quest: Tempest
Eve has asked you personally to watch over Tempest for duration of time.
Difficulty Level: D
Reward: One copper coin a day till you have given Tempest back.
Special trade in: You can trade in the money you have earned with one ticket for any events/hotels/food etc… that is listed on Growth's special promotional webpage and will be sent to you through email.
Duration: Unknown. Once accepted, the quest will be hidden and one other real life quest can take its place. Once filled you cannot get any other quest. When Tempest is given back to its owner, it will automatically update itself and the reward will be sent to your inbox.
Would you like to accept the quest?
"What?"
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