11 Farewell
"Hmm...You did a good job, Daniel." Mera said, sitting on the couch while observing Ink in his new clothes.
"Now let's test your actual skills...Ink, would be so kind to pour me a wine." Mera "asked" with a smile while swaying back and forth with the wine glass in her hand.
No one actually knew what she was thinking about since Ink was under Babara's care and he shouldn't waste his time on such things. Nevertheless, Ink went and did just what Mera wanted albeit with very crude movements and with his blank expression.
"...Your movements are crude but it's something I already expected, however, you shouldn't pour wine without a smile. Can you smile for me, Ink?" Mera asked with an expectant smile.
"..." Ink brightly smiled at Mera but forgot to close his dull eyes.
"...Forget it" Even Mera who witnessed his expression from up close got a creepy feeling from him.
"Ink...Do you swear your loyalty to Oarburgh?" Mera's smile disappeared and she asked with a serious expression.
"I swear my loyalty to Oarburgh as long as granny and Taeko will be loyal to Oarburgh." Ink replied.
"Hmm, not the answer I wanted to hear but it will suffice for now, however, don't you think you are getting too attached to them? Well, Taeko is certainly a cute girl but...?! Don't tell me you are already having your first crush?! That won't do!" Mera said with a smile, teasing Ink waiting for his reaction.
"I just don't have any other reason to swear my loyalty to Oarburgh. I think the boss wouldn't appreciate an empty vow of loyalty without any reason...that's why I mentioned granny and Taeko." Ink explained, feeling confused by her last words so he didn't comment on it.
"...You are smart. But you aren't getting away without answering my last question...is it the first crush?" Mera nodded her head before once again asking with a teasing smile.
"...What is that? I don't think I am capable of answering something I don't understand." Ink replied with a blank expression.
"Eh? ...You are not kidding. And here I thought that kids of your age should already have those feelings. Maybe you just have no idea what love is...Hmm" Mera thought while holding her chin.
At first, she didn't like Ink for his specific skill set but after talking to him a bit, she found him alright to be around. While she was thinking about her next step, she just came with a good idea.
"What do you think of when you look at me? Please be forward and honest." Mera said, shifting her legs on the couch, looking quite seductive and deadly at the same time.
"...I don't know. I don't think of anything other than how you became so strong." Ink replied honestly while looking at seductively lying Mera on the couch with a blank expression on his face.
Hearing his words, Mera's eyes widened before she smiled.
"We Oarburgh have our ways. We have many secrets, be it combat techniques or very effective healing medicine. Do you want to become physically stronger and faster?" Mera asked, taking a sip from her wine glass.
"Yes, I find myself very lacking." Ink nodded his head with a narrowed eyes, giving off a determined aura from his body.
Hearing his answer, Mera released a sly smile, as if she was scheming something.
"Tell you what, Ink...I am quite severe when it comes to men but you are just a child and you are practically part of the family so I will be kind. If you can endure 3 years of being here while Taeko and Babara will be traveling around, I will have Gil and Dora train you during those 3 years, who knows...maybe even I will train you personally but that is only if you can show me that you aren't too attached to Babara and Taeko. Obviously, I will be occasionally sending you out on small missions, we can't have you locked up here for so long."
"What do you think?" Mera asked with an inviting smile while extending her arm with the wine glass in her hand towards Ink.
Without even a second of hesitation, Ink stepped forward and took her wine glass which made her frown a bit before he drank the remaining wine in one go.
"Understood" Ink replied and returned the wine glass into Mera's hand.
"...Alright, first what I would like to tell you is... never drink from the same cup as me ever again. Other than that...I like the way you responded, without any hesitation but are you truly sure?" Mera said while looking at the side from which Ink drank before raising her head and asking him one more time with narrowed eyes. Ink just nodded his head.
.
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Several hours after that, Babara visited him in his room to give him a scolding.
"You shouldn't have accepted her proposal. Didn't you see that she just wants to separate you from me so I can't watch over you? It is unknown what she will do to you but I doubt it will be pleasant years of training. Everyone here listens to her so no one will dare to help you...And here I thought that you are intelligent child *sigh*" Babara said with a stern expression.
"..." Ink just looked at her with an uncertain look as if he was hesitating about something and even Babara could sense it which intrigued her as she thought that Ink has no reason to keep any secrets.
"What is it?"
"...From the previous fight, I figured out that the boss is quite prideful and would rather retreat than appear in a bad light in front of those close to her. She has her own honor, I know that she doesn't like me much but she tolerates me for the good of this organization, not because of the granny. I obviously know that she is going to make it hard for me but she won't let her own feelings get in a way of the organization's interests"
'?! He could figure out that much just from a few clashes with her?'
"Then why did you agree? You think I can't train you anymore?" Babara asked in a cold tone.
"Not at all...I accepted because I knew she is going to be harsh with me, I knew she is going to have high "expectations". If I want to become stronger fast, I need to take drastic measures, harsh and impossible to do training is what I am seeking. I need to go break down the walls limiting my body and the only way to break them is to have someone mercilessly train me. It would be impossible to do that while traveling with you and Taeko." Ink said with a serious look.
'Does he actually just want to catch up to Taeko? Anyway, "break down the walls limiting my body" huh? If it's him, he might be capable of learning that technique with that kind of mindset.' Babara sighed and released a small satisfied smile.
"The next time we will see each other, Taeko will be much stronger, I hope you will be ready at that time and won't show some pathetic results." Babara said before turning around to leave, she didn't like "goodbyes" so she wanted it to be fast.
"I will be ready no matter what...even if my body's talent will somehow stop me from advancing, I will just destroy it and reconstruct it." Ink said with narrowed eyes.
'He might be capable of doing as he says which is the scariest part about this child...But who would have thought that there would be such a rivalry between the two of them...I always thought that he isn't interested in anything.' Babara thought while looking back at Ink.
"Let's hope that your heart will also mature." Babara said before leaving his room.
Not even 20 minutes passed by and Taeko suddenly appeared in front of his room with an upset expression. Ink let her in and they started arguing for a while but it was mostly Taeko being upset and Ink answering calmly.
.
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"...There is no use talking to you. Let's have a match after those 3 years, the loser will have to do whatever the winner says! Taeko said with furrowed brows and a determined look in her eyes.
"...Sure" Ink replied with a genuine small smile.
"?" When Ink thought that Taeko will finally leave, she suddenly hugged him tightly before letting go not even after 2 seconds, and then she ran out of his room without saying anything else.
Ink just stood there and watched her back with a confused look in his dull eyes, while he stood there, watching her back, he couldn't help but recall the time she hugged him when he lost control of his emotions.
'...I will win' Ink thought and subconsciously clenched his right fist tight. He had no idea what was that feeling but he felt his body getting hot and itchy however he knew one thing and it was that he wants to go train. He knew that only by training this feeling will disappear.
