[44] Who’s This Lost Blonde?
Chapter 44: Who's This Lost Blonde?
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This situation presented an unexpected opportunity. To find myself in a [Dungeon] out of pure luck, fate has blessed me.
This is not a game. I won't get Experience Points for killing the beasts here. I just have to cultivate in this richer environment, and that pool of mana-rich water is going to help with it. I think I can advance to [Underlord] ten times faster if I cycle inside that pool.
When I left home, I was at 11% completion of [True Gold]. After these few days of cultivating on Mount Fuji, I was at 34%. It's not much since I could only be at Fuji for a few hours a day without people looking for me. However, if I pushed myself, I could advance with the help of that water.
"Alright, great."
I landed on my feet from the sky and walked to the door of the room where the girls were. I walked in and found them somewhat sprayed with the blood of the rat. I looked at them as they were already undressing, they paused seeing me, their kimono halfway down and their chest exposed.
I stared at them one by one while talking, "Looks like you need a bath. I'll be in the male part of the onsen, you guys wash up first and then head to the female side. Mem-Cho, Mai, can you two explain everything to Akane? She has no idea about the supernatural world, even though she should be. Do not disturb me."
Saying so, I turned around and left. Mai grabbed a sandal near her and threw it at my head – for I had just been blatantly enjoying their nakedness while I was talking like a reserved scholar, but I dodged it with a side move of my head and headed to the onsen.
A slight problem is, it might take one to three days for me to gather enough Qi to advance. LoveMy's Episode 5 was uploaded a bit before we started playing cards, and all the adults from the production crew had gone to the town below to enjoy a last-day meal. That's why only the kids and I were transported to this Dungeon, the adults should still be in the normal world and they can only suppress the news of our missing status for a day or two at most. People will know, our guardians will make a fuss, and it'll be trouble.
It's not a trouble that'd usually worry me, but Ai will lose it if she learns I suddenly vanished. She will come here, I know it, and since there would be reporters here too, they'd see her and me together when I finally come out. Currently, there was enough material for people to connect the dots, or at least form theories, given my sister somehow managed to get permission to use Ai's Idol Band name right from her, and the two of them did look similar except with different hair and eyes. People should also be curious why Ai suddenly made a TikTok with Mem-Cho right after the episode where I and she kissed. Now if they see me and Ai together, worse if she gets all emotional, then it'll be a problem.
"What a useless worry," I couldn't help but be amused at my own thoughts as I took off my clothes in front of the luminous blue-green water of the onsen. "Heh. I can deal with it somehow. Though I'll try to finish fast anyway."
There were also text messages I was sure to get from my friends; I worried for Shoko in particular, as she hadn't messaged since the day I and Mai uploaded that kissing photo. But Shoko had acted perfectly normal after returning to school, despite having surely seen that episode where I kissed Mem-Cho, so I am wondering if the reason is something else.
Oh well, it'll be fine.
* * *
[Third Person Point of View]
In a dimly lit room, the walls were covered in countless posters featuring young girls. Disturbingly, each of them had been marked with crimson circles, creating an unsettling mosaic of obsession. There was one picture in particular of a green circle. The harsh contrast between the room's shadowy corners and the vivid, marked faces lent an eerie aura to the space. The meticulousness of the markings hinted at a disturbing fixation or a criminal's twisted ritual, leaving a sense of foreboding in the air. The room whispered secrets of a dark and troubled mind, raising unsettling questions about the person who had created this chilling shrine to their obsessions.
Shoko stared at the pictures from her chair as she chewed on her lips, "Another one…" she stared at the picture of a black-haired young lady with bunny hair clips. "He is really popular with girls…"
Then, her eyes locked on the poster of a single young man in the midst of those girls. It was a picture of Sen Kaibara, which she had printed out just earlier after finishing the episode. "Also, this guy. Should I kill him? He dared to try and make Aqua look bad…"
Should she kill him? How? The echos, the memories of her Sacred Gear Echo, told her about multiple ways. A fake suicide might do the work, people would think he couldn't tolerate the negativity he received and killed himself. Should she do that? Maybe push him off a bridge or something?
What after that, though? Shoko turned her head back to the girl posters. "What should I do about them…? He likes them, I'd rather hurt myself than hurt something he likes…"
Silence fell in the room and Shoko soon sighed. She turned on the lights and hunched back on the chair. What was she doing, pretending to be creepy? From the echoes within her Sacred Gear, from its memories, she had heard creating the atmosphere might help with plans, but what was the point of brewing such plans? It made her feel weird instead.
Instead, she turned to the one picture with a green circle, contrasting with the six other pictures on the board. It was a picture of a blonde-haired young lady with a face sculpted out of the sun, and red eyes representing tranquil chaos. "Ruby…"
For the past few days in school, she'd been hanging out with Ruby and her group. Just like Aqua, his sister was a kind soul who took care of her. Aqua did want her to be strong and independent, but this was all too sudden, but with the help of Ruby she felt like she had done a good job for the past few days. There was also Kana and Tsubasa; she didn't like the former, as she was too loud, but Tsubasa was a nice girl too.
Though the only one she knew was safe was Ruby. Because she was his sister, it meant she was not a competitor.
"…" Shoko planted her palms on her face and grumbled, sighing loudly. "What am I doing? What competitor, someone like me? Ugh…"
She got up and gently plucked the posters off. She threw them into the trash can… and then took them out and then burned them off. She didn't want someone to find those and misunderstand.
To begin with, this was a waste of time. She had been with Aqua that day, hugging and cuddling, but she had only felt gentle fondness from him. In opposition to the romantic hot approaches he showed in front of the camera. She wasn't a love expert, but her Sacred Gear memories did help her judge things a little. Aqua didn't see her like that, she was more like a… pet?
No, that'd be disrespectful to him, he wouldn't see her like that. Shoko suddenly felt guilty even thinking of him like that.
[A precious little gem.] The voices from within her Sacred Gear answered in unison, giving her the term she was looking for. [It's not clear, but he might be fond of you.]
Shoko paused, then blushed. She shook her head and hugged her knees. "No way, I am a nobody… he has better choices than me."
When she saw him and Mem-Cho that day, she felt devastated. Then, she accepted the truth. In reality, she was nobody. To want to compete with other, better girls for his love was just a delusion. She was his friend, and she was okay with that. No matter what, he would be her first friend.
A long sigh heaved out of Shoko's lips as she fell on her back on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and then beginning to laugh. Oh, how greedy humans were; all her life she had always hoped her hearing would be cured somehow. Now that such a miracle truly happened, here she was wanting more.
"How pathetic."
Shoko covered her face with her hands and continued lying down for the hours to come.
* * *
Ai Hoshino has been feeling very annoyed recently because her stupid son left for a trip without telling her. Yet, whenever she'd call, he would dodge her questions and cut the call in no time telling her he was busy.
"Entitled little brat," she muttered, annoyed as she called his number and found his phone turned off. "So annoying."
"Madam, is everything alr-"
"Can you shut up?"
"Erm… alright."
Her driver, who was also her bodyguard, was shut up promptly. She was inside one of her more normal cars, so as to not attract too much attention, returning home. About five minutes remained until they would reach home.
Ai grumbled and put her phone down. Then she leaned further back in the chair and sighed.
'Why has he been so difficult these past few days?' Was she like this during puberty too? Or was it something else? She had asked Ichigo about it, and all he did was laugh at her question. Like mother like son, he said.
"Annoying men." she sighed. At the very least, Ruby was doing alright. She's always been a good girl, just like her mother. Aqua was more like that bastard father of his, that playboy murderer.
Ai suddenly felt a little chilly thinking about that man. She had tried to convince herself that he wasn't the one behind the incident eleven years ago, but she wasn't delusional. For the lack of evidence, she had kept her distance from him since then. But what if he tried to approach her again? No, worse, what if he tried to do something to her kids? Ruby? Aqua…? No, Aqua will be fine, for some reason she couldn't see him ever having a problem with anything. That was odd for a mother to feel, even when she always felt worried about him too. What a paradoxical way of thinking.
But really, Aqua would be fine. She had seen the latest episode just earlier, whilst inside the car, and saw him handle that forcing accusation with ease. He somehow managed to turn his relationship with Mai, who'd been ignoring him from the start, into this kind of chemistry. Ai felt proud.
"He'll still get a scolding when he comes back though…" Ai muttered and turned her head to the window, watching the scenery pass by to distract herself.
Suddenly, she paused. Her body froze.
"Stop the car." She ordered and the car was stopped immediately. Ai's eyes focused on a scene in the distance, as she felt a sense of familiarity – déjà vu – and goosebumps run over her skin.
A little girl, dressed like a nun, with blonde hair rare in Japan, was crouching down near a wild puppy. The puppy had a nasty wound on its leg, with flies circling around it. The little girl had a hand gently hovering over the wound as a green light illuminated her hand, sweeping into the wound and closing it. It all happened in real-time.
"It's like… Aqua that day…" Ai muttered in a low voice. She quickly looked around to see if there was anybody else. She looked at the driver too and saw he was busy changing the radio. Nobody saw that. Good.
Ai unlocked the door and stepped out of the car.
"Madam?"
"A minute."
She answered the driver and walked over to the girl. The girl was sitting on the fringes of the street, petting the puppy with an innocent smile on her face.
"Excuse me?" Ai asked in English. She put her hands on her knees and leaned down. The girl turned to her, blinking, as she smiled. "Are you from around here?"
"Ah! Finally, someone who speaks good English!" The little girl jumped up with joy, replying in English too. So Ai's guess was right, she's not from around here. Blonde hair was very rare among Japanese people; Ruby and Aqua's grandfather from their father's side was a German man with blonde hair and blue eyes, that's why their father had those features, and why they had it themselves.
The girl faced Ai, and Ai was glad to see she didn't feel intimidated. "Hi, do you know where the local church is? I've been searching for it for a few days now, but…"
And holy, she was so pretty! She was a petite, pretty young girl with long, flowing blonde hair that cascaded down her back. Her captivating green eyes complemented her delicate features. She stood short, perhaps about 5 feet 1 inch, with a thin build. She wore the unique outfit of a nun, a dark teal outfit with light blue accents.
[Image Here]
Regardless of how distracting her beauty was, what she said was concerning for Ai. 'A few days?' She frowned.
She smiled again. "Ah, yes, I do. Do you mind telling me what you're doing here, though? I think I can help you."
"Oh," the girl blinked and smiled wider. "A-apologies for the late introduction, my name is Asia Argento. I came from Italy. I'm a priestess, you see, and I was posted here in Kuoh. Nobody came to receive me though… so I'm a bit lost."
A foreign girl that nobody came to receive, and despite it being a few days there have been no missing reports filed? Something was strange here, Ai could feel it.
'That power…' she looked at her hand. 'She is a priest with the power to heal wounds. Yet nobody bothered to file a report for someone so important. I can't send her to this church, it sounds fishy.'
"My name is Ai Hoshino," she introduced herself, and to her pleasant surprise the little girl didn't seem to recognize that name. Ai always liked it when that happened, it made her feel like she was still human. Though this time around it also meant this Italian girl was really disconnected from the world. "If it's not a bother, would you like to come home with me? I have a son, he has… healing powers similar to what you used. It's better if you talk to him, and he can send you to the church afterward. Is that okay?"
Asia tilted her head and then grinned. "Is that true?! Is there someone else with Twilight Healing?! Then I must meet him! Please take me wherever you want!"
'Yeah…' Ai smiled down at her gently as she ruffled the girl's hair. 'She's too naive even for a church girl. I'll keep her with me until Aqua returns.'
With that, Ai brought Asia to her home and grew annoyed when Aqua didn't return on the supposed day.
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