A Familiar Rival

  As the pair stormed into the postal building, they bumped into something that made a surprised squeak before they all tumbled to the ground. It took everyone a moment to collect themselves, but once they did, Gale was the first to recognize just who it was that they just bumped into.

  "...!!! Well this is certainly an unexpected surprise. I wasn't really hoping on running into you at a time like this. A little of a coincidence too since we just mentioned you not too long ago." She was the first to stand, helping her sister up first before offering a hand to the rodent.

  "You startled me out of nowhere. T-Thank you..." She took the offered hand and got to her feet, brushing herself off. "It's been some time as well Riptide. Though, that's just the name everyone gave you after the first few tournaments. I don't think we ever got to meet in such a public setting before." She puts her hands together and politely bowed. "For easier greetings, you can call me Ume Otogi. A pleasure to meet you."

  "Glad I can finally put a name to the title. You look different from what I know. Don't think I've ever seen you in public before." She acknowledges that the mouse was wearing a crop top and tight-fitting pants with her hair plaited into a single braid while the remainder is at shoulder length. "Oh right! I'm Gale by the way, and this is my sister Rumin." The two sisters would bow in return.

  "I admit it's nice to run into familiar faces from the tournament. It may have been a different story if you were complete strangers. Fans are a bit of a handful if you ask me." She held a hand to her chest and sighed in relief before noticing the letter in Rumin's hand. "I see you're here to send in a letter as well. Keeping in touch with those close to you is very important. Whoever it is must really be looking forward to the message."

  "Mmhmm!" She nodded in response. "Our Father had to go work in the Western Hemisphere when we were little; so we try to send him a letter every few months. Though, since you're here as well, I assume you had to deliver a message yourself? Apologies if I'm prying into anything personal."

  "None taken. I'm honestly glad that you can keep in touch with your family after so long. Been hearing that the situation hasn't been doing any better either. What little men left are being held up within the jurisdictions of the World Government. Whoever hasn't been picked up yet have been partaking in problematic activities. I suggest you both take great caution in the near future." She seemed concerned for the duo. It was likely that she may have experienced a situation regarding the issue.

  Gale was the first to catch a glimpse of Ume's disposition, resting a hand on the mouse's shoulder before walking up to the receptionist, urging Rumin to tag along so they can get the letter sent through the system. It's true that the world has been getting stranger as the years go by, but evidently enough, it's only a matter of time before things start taking a turn on this side of the Hemisphere. Once they were done, Gale decided to wait a while and let Rumin chat a bit more with Ume.

  "Hope you didn't mind what my sis did earlier." She apologized with a bow.

  "Not at all. I admit that she has a sharp eye. Needed a little cheering up anyway. It's been pretty rough recently..." She looked away for a moment, seemingly saddened by a thought.

  "Hmm~... Oh! I know! Why don't you tag along with me and Gale to the Harvest Festival this year? I'm sure that can be just what you need to get some of that stress off your shoulders. It was only going to be Gale and me but I don't think she'd mind having you around."

  She stifled a giggle as she listened to Rumin, eventually nodding her head in response. "Well I suppose it couldn't hurt. It's been some time since I've been to a festival. Sure, I'd love to attend." She gave a warm smile before being suddenly hugged by Rumin, who was excited to hear the answer. "O-Ok ok! It's honestly no big deal..." She said bashfully with a blush on her face. Despite being shorter than the two sisters, she didn't mind the hug all that much.

  Rumin finally lets go of the rodent as Gale rose up from her spot in the distance. The three eventually went on their separate ways on the agreement that they'll meet at the upcoming festival. Gale went to visit the Blessed Earth Monastery, Rumin headed over to the Shrine of The Harvest Moon and as for Ume, she departed to finish some remaining business matters throughout town.

  What these girls didn't know was that somewhere in the distance, they were being spied on by an unknown trio of individuals. Their attire was military in nature, equipped with a bandolier and weapon holsters. It was clear that they came from the Western Hemisphere but it was apparent that their goal has something to do with two of the three girls.

  "Well I'll be... All that searching finally paid off. I don't know what the Boss wants with those two beauties but, you could imagine how much fun we could have with them." The hyena snickered before getting smacked in the head with a bushy tail, holding their head in pained annoyance. "Hey~! What's the big idea Karina?"

  "Focus on the mission Nastya. I swear you hardly think of anything else aside from satisfying your sick perversions." The squirrel folded her arms whilst observing the scene in front of them. "Looks like this job is going to be a bit of an hassle. They're both seasoned fighters but that doesn't make the assignment any less mandatory. Don't forget our heads are on the line here."

  As the two bickered, the third member of the group received a call, stepping away from the two to continue the conversation.

  "I take it that you've all found our targets?"

  "Affirmative Ma'am. However, it seems that it's going to be a bit of a problem." The fawn would check their surroundings for a moment before proceeding. "We may have to use lethal force when push comes to shove. We'll need your permission to utilize them of course."

  "Use all the means that you have to. The targets are to be returned to us alive. There are no rules as to what condition they have to be in but they must be 'mostly intact'. Permission granted soldier."

  "Understood. Same as usual right? No witnesses, no problems."

  "You know so well~. When this job is over, I should definitely promote you for more 'lucrative work'. Our employer sure is paying a lot for these two. I don't know what the deal is but cash is cash. It's not our business to pry anyway and the pay's pretty damn good to boot. Cheers on a successful mission, Clarissa..."

  "As you wish, Madame Widow..."

  The call ended as the fawn pressed a button on her earpiece. When she returned to the group, it was already a chaotic scene with the two nearly destroying each others uniforms. Furious as she was, she only coughed to get their attention. That was enough to strike a sense of fear in the two as they turned in attention to face her.

  "Enough playing around you two. We're on a job; not a vacation. If you got the energy to fight amongst yourselves, you can put all of that into making this mission a success. Boss gave the ok to use as much force as we need but do keep in mind that the targets still have to be in good condition."

  "Now you're speaking my language!" The hyena licked her lips in anticipation of letting loose, if only a little.

  "I suppose that means our contractor means business. The payout must be pretty big, but that does still make me curious as to what makes these girls all that important." Her brow furrowed as she tried to figure out the motive of their client.

  "Don't bother. You're only going to cloud your judgment on the job. We do our work, get paid; move on to the next one. It's how we've lived for the longest time now and I see no point in making any changes to that until the time arrives. As it stands now, we don't have the means..."

  "You're still on that shit huh? I'm telling you it's best we cut our losses on that and just try to scrap by until the bitch gets what's coming to her. We're already in a fucking bind. No point in making it any worse than it has to be..." She was a bit annoyed that the matter they discussed about that day hasn't been ignored. It wasn't that she didn't like the idea. The matter was just riddled with a bunch of risks in their current position that left the possibilities of a smooth sailing anytime in their lifetime. Least, that's what is presumed to be believed.

  "We'll worry about that when we get there. We chose to be mercenaries because there weren't much other option aside from death. An opportunity will arise, but we just have to hold our tongues for the time being. A festival is supposed to be taking place in about six months and a tournament is just a few months away. It may seem like a leisurely trip but the main objective is to keep tabs on our objectives and to keep one of our suppliers in check." She would huff as if exhausted from going over the whole plan.

  "I'm sure we'll be fine. We've made it this far after all." She smirked, taking a look over to the town. "I think a drink is in order. It's already been a long day of just staring at people going about their lives so carefree."

  The trio shared a laugh in agreement to the proposal, seemingly fond of the idea. It seems that things are about the change in the Eastern Hemisphere, and it all starts here in Yasei no Mura (Village of the Wild).