Chapter 20 - Is This Considered Paperwork?

Retracing their steps after Ivan signed up to become an adventurer, he and Yae Miko reached the Yae Publishing House at the bottom of the stairs. Although he did not recognize the building initially due to the fact that the city was structured somewhat differently than it was in the game, he immediately recognized it once they stood directly in front of it.

Like many other buildings around them, the main structure was built from wooden supports, bamboo-like doors and walls, and green tiled roofs. Pink and purple banners with sakura designs on them hung from the green tile overhangs in front of the building with circular paper lanterns hanging from the support beams to either side. 

Under the main overhang, a man standing at the front sales booth widened his eyes upon seeing Yae Miko. Bowing at a nearly ninety-degree angle, he stammered, "B- Boss Yae! Welcome back!"

"Yes. Don't mind me. Continue about your business, child."

When the man finally noticed Ivan, his eyes narrowed as though puzzled, but then he bowed respectfully. Ivan returned the gesture out of politeness.

"Follow me, Ivan. There is much to do, after all."

"Right…"

Leading him into the building, Yae Miko walked through the main hallway. A few people greeted her respectfully just like the man outside had, but when they asked about Ivan, she mostly brushed off the topic by vaguely explaining that he was helping her with something. The people looked confused but quietly accepted it.

Further down the hall, they arrived at a larger office. Bookshelves lined the walls. A single large desk sat in the center of the room with one chair behind it and two in front of it. Yae Miko gestured for Ivan to sit in one of the two chairs closer to them. Shortly after he sat on the comfy cushioned chair, Yae Miko placed a thick stack of blank papers on the desk directly in front of him. 

Raising his eyes to meet Yae Miko's amused purple irises, Ivan pressed a finger on the papers and asked, "This… What kind of paperwork requires blank pages?"

"Unfortunately, you are a little too masculine to do any effective advertising for the Publishing House that could quickly pay off your debt, but that doesn't mean you are incapable of providing another means of increasing our profits. You did promise me a story, after all, and what is a story if not another form of paperwork?"

"..."

"Oh, don't look at me like that. How much do you think the shrine's high-quality floorboards cost, young man?"

"You really expect me to write a story right now?"

"Of course not. Not in one sitting, at least. If you don't wish to keep your promise, then perhaps I can still manage to fit you into an advertising role if I put in some effort?"

Grimacing, Ivan vehemently shook his head. Then, he sighed, scratched his head, and asked, "To be honest, writing isn't my strongest suit, so don't expect too much."

"We have editors to aid with such a thing. Even so, what happened to your confidence in telling a story from before?" Yae Miko asked, lips curling upward even further while covering her mouth with her hand.

"I can tell a story, but I'm not confident I can write one. If there is an editor, then that helps. Is it okay if it's short?"

"That is fine, so long as it can be sold."

"Can I get some Royalties?"

"Sure. One percent."

"That's even worse than that scummy site back home…" Ivan grumbled.

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Nothing. Make it fifty percent, pretty please?"

"Two percent."

"Excuse me? Nah. Forty."

"Three."

"Forty-eight."

Smiling widely, Yae Miko gently chided him, "No, no, Ivan. That's not how you are supposed to play this game."

"Ow, ow, ow," Ivan yelped as a finger jabbed into his ribs. She didn't even press that hard, but maybe it directly pressed a pressure point or something since it felt like a needle piercing his skin. "Sheesh. I'm just joking. Twenty is fine."

"Hm… alright. That is acceptable."

"Huh. Thought you'd keep it going. That was kinda fun."

"I can continue if you would prefer."

"No thanks."

Nodding and maintaining a pleasant smile, Yae Miko walked to the other side of the room, retrieved a tea set from a cabinet, and began preparing some tea back at the desk. While doing so, she said, "You may begin writing now."

"Hm… Well, I've got a couple of ideas. One, I could write about a world in which some adventurers travel to myriad worlds using an interstellar train, solving problems along the way."

Yae Miko's eyes glittered at the somewhat unfamiliar terms, but then she sighed and shook her head due to the apparent nature of traveling worlds hinted at in his description. There were already too many of that kind of story sitting on the shelves outside.

"Second," Ivan continued, holding up two fingers, "I could tell a story about a cursed orphan who was picked up on the roadside by a kind man and woman who raised him out of the kindness of their hearts. All the while, the child and the people around him struggled to deal with the absurdly bad luck that worsened throughout his life until one day, after a close dance with death, he woke up in a distant land that he had only read stories about; a land where he could cure his curses. It would be a tale of both upbeat comedy and painful drama. So, which story do you want to hear?"

Yae Miko's smile faltered briefly. She gazed at Ivan in a contemplative manner for several seconds. 

"The latter is the kind of story that used to be told in gatherings a long time ago, right?" Ivan eventually commented with a somber smile.

In response, the pink-haired fox woman's eyelids flickered. Her eyes glazed over for a few moments. Then, she blinked and glared at him between narrowed eyelids while saying, "You truly do seem to be aware of many things that you have no business knowing, Ivan."

"Perhaps, but even if I might know some unusual things, I at least hope a small gesture like this can bring you a bit of joy since I know this world is full of hardships, loss, and pain. I know those feelings well myself. Everyone who was ever close to me is dead now, after all."

The fox woman's purple eyes lowered while she quietly poured some tea into two cups. Only the sound of liquid trickling into the porcelain cups staved off the silence. A certain purple-haired friend of hers appeared within her mind's eye. 

Then, she sighed, looked back up at Ivan, and said, "Although it may not be the most profitable decision, I would like to hear the latter story. Please write that one."

Smiling in response, Ivan chuckled a little and said, "Got it."

~~~~~~~~~~

A/N: All I want for Christmas is your Kidney Stones- I mean Power Stones. Yes… Power Stones. Nothing else at all. Haha. 

{Behind you, you hear a subtle clink of metal and a strange phaser-like hum. When you look behind you, there is nothing there. It must have been your imagination.}