Chapter 27: Heart To Heart

"*sigh* If you want to shoot the shit, nobody has a problem with that, just don't forget what you're doing in the first place. Touji, go outside and take these. Adelard, come with me"

Hawk passed me two glass bottles capped with a metal lid with a piece of paper.

Ever since the devil appeared two weeks ago, everyone has been on edge. During training was the only time I felt as if I could relax a bit, distracting myself enough to just swing a sword, now the worries had returned.

A specific straightforward order always meant something from Enda and the copies, but it wasn't till I stepped outside into the rain I realized what it was.

We knew it was the end of winter thanks to no more snow in the city, sadly, that meant plenty of rain instead before the Season of Rise thanks to the effect of the skull.

Nobody was at Riders workshop and most of it was moved around and stored underneath the school building in preparation for her new forge.

Yet to my left I saw her, sitting under the lone tree in the heavy rain.

Arisu sat with her knees to her chest, back against the tree, with a depressed look lost in thought. Her ears bent down and her tails dirty, she sat in the pouring rain in her hoodie and puffy gray pants she normally wears as loungewear.

I took out my relic, mimicked a wand, then cast an adept water manipulation spell by chanting it out loud and targeting both of us before approaching.

Ru left me a scroll to study during Heroes Giving, it was of the same spell she used when I first met her to dry everyone off, and instructions on how to apply it like an umbrella.

Its name is 'Flow'.

I figured it would be a useful thing to learn, so I practiced it over the past week knowing how often it would rain before next season. Although I still haven't mastered it, I knew I could essentially replace 'Stream' with 'Flow', then combine its effects.

"You should training"

"And should be inside, you're gonna catch a cold you know"

"I think I deserve it"

Normally, she would bounce back faster than anyone, so seeing her outside collecting the rain meant it was far worse than I initially thought.

I sat down on the wet grass next to her, and passed her a capped glass of pink liquid.

"So, can you at least tell me what happened?"

"Didn't she tell you?"

"All she said was 'trust'"

"Nothing with that fancy blessing then"

"I've... I'm not in the mood to use it"

After seeing that rapist use his to control others, it felt wrong to even consider using mine.

"Why not? It's a cheat skill"

"I don't want to use a power I didn't earn. Besides, it's not like it can save people like yours"

"Just because you don't know how it can benefit others, doesn't mean you shouldn't try to find a way it can"

"Yeah yeah, still, what happened between you two?"

"I told her my past, who I really was, then showed her I didn't trust her with giving me advice... Or trust she wouldn't march straight to whoever lit her home on fire"

"Ah"

"She probably thinks all the things I said where lies, that I didn't mean it or was after something else"

"Something else? Like what?"

"That night when we drank together, I had to look around for something to drink. I found some old bottles and followed the instructions. It was a prank by her brother, a good drink with a fucking aphrodisiac! This body tends to resist poisons like alcohol and boost positive effects, that's why I cut up that berserker fruit as a trump card-"

I had no idea alcohol was a poison, but it made sense when I thought about it, making people dizzy and pass out if they drank too much, or even death.

All things in moderation I guess, by an aphrodisiac!?

"-Anyway, things got heated... And I may of confessed to her and told her everything, I barely remember it"

"Is that why you asked if you were weird?"

"Yeah, cause-"

"You know why Water-Born all look sort of similar right?"

"What do you mean?"

"I guess you never got taught this stuff?"

"What?"

"'The birds and the beasts'?"

"*Pfft* Is that what they call it here? Of course I know about that stuff. I guess I haven't told you about my past either"

"Some other time, the point is, they all kind of have the same body shape, like a few other Beast-kin, and they adapt, you know... That, uh, part, for whatever they need"

"Huh, like a clown fish. I guess I fit the clown part"

She couldn't help but bring herself down because I made her feel like a fool, for worrying about something already common in some races.

"I really don't think it matters to her, well, that part. Uhh, I'm not great at this stuff, let me grab someone els-"

I stood up to leave, having felt already incredibly uncomfortable enough, only for her to tug on my shirt"

"Don't! Please... I'm still not great at talking to girls"

"...Uhhh"

"I don't know why! It's just... how I am"

"Cause of your past?"

"Yeah... It's easier to say cheesy stuff than this sort of thing, ok?"

The last person I expected to be a tomboy was her, yet here we are.

Putting two and two together, I figured she was once a guy, before being reborn by her benefactor into a new strange body. So she spent a bit of time getting used to it but still didn't feel comfortable in it.

Who am I to say she should just deal with it when I'm not so sure about mine, and the only thing that changed was beneficial to me.

"The other day I was told something..."

"By?"

"The Goddess of Reflection"

"That's uh?"

"The 'benefactor' who gave me this body..."

"What happened to your other one"

"It was destroyed by a dragon... In my world, something that should have been impossible..."

Enda once mentioned the name 'Kuzunoha'.

"So you had no choice"

"I thought it would be fun... A new world, cheat powers, I'm such an idiot. The world isn't a game, I can't level up, no stupid status screen"

"I-uh"

"In my world we made stories, manga, games all about something like this. Here I am, and the center of it, because I was too stupid to think for a few seconds what it would be like if it was real"

"I don't-"

"Sorry... I realize you have no idea what I'm talking about"

"Yeah, there are a lot of things I don't understand, like how I replicated your sword and swung it as fast, but sometimes I don't need to, you know?"

"Touji, as I grow, that Goddess can't help me as much, and because I was never a Kutsune to begin with..."

"You think you won't be able to use those powers?"

"Just the Yokai things..."

"That is?"

"Transforming my body... Like a fox... and"

"Then it's simple"

"What do you mean?"

"Well, do you want to marry her and have kids of your own flesh and blood? You could just adopt a kid... I mean I got to shout out my Orphanage right? *sigh* Maybe it's not so simple"

"No, you're right. I should have thought about it before, the point of it all. I just, I try not to be selfish but always end up acting like it. Rrr! What's wrong with me!"

"For starters, stop trying to avoid the person you love. I see her trying to approach you, and you keep running away. It's like you keep punishing yourself"

"Did you know? She's blessed, like you. She can track any soul she wants. That didn't make her the best bounty hunter in that guild, it was her strength to confront people... Something I wish I had"

She rolled back her hoodie's arm, then stared at it.

Something I'd done before when wondering why I even had it.

"It's so you can forge your own path"

"?"

"I wondered the same thing a bit ago, why I had them. I don't need my blessing to tell me that much. Change has to come from you... Because you have to want it. What do you want? What does she want? Why not ask her"

"Your relic can't copy anything, it makes them, can you make that?"

She pointed at the diagram on the piece of paper Hawk gave me, a strange looking tool I could only guess was meant to open the bottles.

I picked up my relic and attempted to create the tool by making the motion to open the bottle.

To my surprise, it created the small tool, then I immediately stopped just before applying enough pressure to open the cap.

"You two need this more than me, take them"

"I once said you don't act your age, in some ways that isn't true, but in others-"

"Just go, I don't need your compliments"

"*giggle* Then why is your face red? Thanks Touji, I... I need to go do something"

I passed her the bottles and quickly cast the spell to dry her off as we headed back inside.

Her tails lifted up with determination as she walked, even though they were dirty.

I guess I'll know how it went if I see three silky clean tails tomorrow.