The Mysterious Helper part 1
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Tanuj lay awake, his eyes half-lidded, as the cool night air wrapped around him. The events of the past two days had left him exhausted, but a new quest burned in his mind—the quest to find the mysterious person who had helped him when he was at his lowest. He had to express his gratitude, at the very least.
"Mysterious Helper…," he muttered to himself. "Oh, you mean the one who gave me those fruits and covered me with a blanket. I need to thank that person."
Determined to uncover the identity of his benefactor, Tanuj spent the entire day searching the city. He questioned passersby, wandered through markets, and even tried to retrace his steps from the previous night, but no one seemed to know anything about the mysterious helper. As the day wore on, frustration crept in, and he realized he needed a different approach.
"If I can't find them while I'm awake… maybe I'll catch them in the act," Tanuj decided. He returned to the same spot where he had slept before and settled down, feigning sleep. His plan was simple: pretend to be asleep and catch the person when they came to help him again.
But as the hours passed, his eyelids grew heavy. Midnight came and went, and still, no one appeared.
"Why is no one coming? I'm so sleepy…," he mumbled, fighting to stay awake. Eventually, fatigue won out, and he drifted into an uneasy slumber.
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*Step… step…*
The faint sound of footsteps stirred Tanuj from his sleep.
"Stop disturbing me… let me slee—" he began to grumble, but his words trailed off as he caught sight of a shadowy figure moving through the darkness.
"What the—how did I fall asleep? Wait, that person… they stopped for a second!" Tanuj sat up quickly, calling out, "Hey, you!"
But the figure didn't respond. They continued walking, their steps light and quick, disappearing into the night.
"Why didn't they stop? Something's weird about them… but what is it?" Tanuj frowned, trying to piece together what he had seen. Then it hit him. "Ah, yes… their ass was small—I mean, normal! Not like everyone else's in this crazy town."
He let out a sigh, running a hand through his hair. "I'll go crazy if I stay too long in this place. Well, at least it shouldn't be too hard to find a normal-assed person around here. I'll start looking in the morning… for now, I need to sleep."
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**In the Morning**
The sun was barely up when Tanuj began his search. The city was already bustling with activity, but he ignored the stares and whispers, focused on his mission. The task seemed simple enough—find the person with a normal-sized backside—but the execution was proving to be more difficult and far more humiliating than he'd anticipated.
"Excuse me," Tanuj approached a man in the street, trying to keep his tone polite. "Do you know a man with a small… uh, with a normal-sized ass?"
The man gave him a puzzled look before bursting into laughter. "Yes!"
Tanuj's eyes lit up. "Where?"
The man pointed directly at Tanuj and grinned. "Right there! Hahaha!"
"Ha, very funny," Tanuj deadpanned, rolling his eyes. "I'm asking if you know someone else. Anyone besides me?"
The man sobered up quickly, clearing his throat. "Ahem, sorry about that. Well, the only other person I know with a small ass—other than you—is the Chief's daughter, Mayra."
Tanuj raised an eyebrow. "Mayra?"
"Yeah," the man nodded. "The Chief found her in the forest when she was just a newborn and adopted her. But she—"
Tanuj held up a hand, cutting him off. "Stop right there. No need for extra information. I've read enough novels with this kind of storyline to know where it's headed. I just want to say thanks and complete the quest. I'm not here to play the hero who saves the girl in need."
The man opened his mouth to protest, but Tanuj wasn't interested in hearing more.
"No buts," Tanuj said firmly, already turning to leave. "I'm going now. Bye."
He walked away, determined to find Mayra and finally put this quest to rest. But as he made his way through the city, a nagging feeling crept into the back of his mind. This might not be as simple as he hoped.
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