New Dawn Chapter: 09

( More on P@treon.comLordCampione)

A challenging smile flitted across Mai's face. "Maybe the Gods want to see you in that bunny outfit? It'd be a tight fit, but that's hardly the fault of those in power, is it not?"

Tysone twitched slightly. "Now you're invoking the wrath of the pervert?"

She tittered, snorting a little. "That's what you get for harassing me with those indecent eyes of yours." Mai made it her priority to push herself in front of him and be right on display with a pompous face.

But Tysone refused to capitulate that easily to her. "Sorry, bunny girl, don't get the Gods of rain too excited if you want to leave dry and satisfied."

She turned her nose up at him and reached into her bag. After rummaging through the bundle of clothes, she unexpectedly pulled out an umbrella. "All men can become idiots so quickly; they truly are unreliable. Now stop complaining and come here already." Mai stretched out her hands and opened the umbrella over them.

Tysone alternated his gaze between Mai and the umbrella. 'Isn't this like those scenes in anime where people huddle under the same umbrella in some supposedly important and romantic scene?' It was cheesy, but Tysone doubted this bunny girl was aiming for anything romantic. Still, he didn't like the thought that some omnipotent force could be, potentially, pushing him into those situations.

So, he was reluctant at first—but his common sense decided to act up at the same time Mai made room beside her. After staring at the umbrella again, Tysone smiled slightly and walked next to her, gracelessly huddling together, his long limbs bumping slightly with hers and making her body look small.

She muttered an indignant 'Hey!'.

And due to the height gap, the poor girl had to lift the umbrella all the way up. She'd get a cramp like this. 

"Yeah, this ain't working. Give me the thing." Tysone snatched the umbrella and raised it up to a level where he didn't have to crouch to fit under its cover. "Like this."

Mai mumbled an 'unreliable man', while she shuffled closer to him.

The rain pelted the umbrella relentlessly. 

The streets were lifelessly empty except for them; Mai occasionally glanced at Tysone whenever she saw fit. Sometimes she stared at him until their gazes met and he'd send her the most aloof expression ever, and that was enough for her to roll her eyes and look away.

"You're weird, you know that?"

She asked, though it came off as a statement. 

"Is it because of my skin color?"

Mai elbowed his side, grinning slightly when she was mildly successful. "No, idiot." Then her tone turned a little serious. His ears perked up. "You have this odd presence, as if you're here, but not really."

He raised an eyebrow. 

She struggled to put her thoughts into words, and he was honestly surprised that, in some corner of her mind, she may have seen him as some sort of alien. Someone foreign—literally.

"I don't know… you're not like the other guys I've met." Mai met his eyes, briefly. "It's in the way you speak and act, I think. I'm an actress, I know all about embodying someone else for a play, but you—"

"What are you babbling about?" His stoic expression momentarily lit up with a teasing smile. He reached a hand out and rubbed her hair. She swatted his hand away. 

"H-Hey…!"

Tysone didn't want to urge her to go down that tangent, so when she shook her head in resignation, he was more than happy to let it slide. 'Drop that thought, bunny woman.'

They continued walking, this time in silence. Tysone had no idea where they were going; Mai's home, he supposed. And the moment they got there, as if on cue, the rain tapered off. 

Mai popped her umbrella closed, looking up at the beautiful, washed out sky.

"Looks like the Gods are happy." She said, teasingly. 

"Not with you." Tysone didn't miss a beat. "Anyway, give me your digits."

"My dig–what?"

"Your phone number."

"Ohh…" 

Mai held her phone up. Tysone did the same. Old technology still had uses, he had totally forgotten about infrared. Still, Mai's contact info was now safely saved in his contacts. 

"I'm going to text you lewd stuff." Tysone said, waving his phone in a lazy, playful way.

"Don't even think about it!" Mai's eyes narrowed.

He chuckled. "Alright, I'll be going. Sleep over what we've talked about today."

She rolled her eyes, turning around as well. Her characteristic scowl turned into a little smile. "Maybe."

Tysone's smile, the moment he had his back fully turned, faded. 

With that, he headed towards the address Saya had handed him the previous night. 

…

Tysone's shoes squelched against the puddles. 

Then he stopped, his eyes trailing over the imposing gates that stood in front of him. 

Beyond the gates lay a sprawling estate. A meticulously maintained garden with manicured hedges. Ornate fountains with statues spewing water. And a long, reflecting pool that led up to the proud manor. 

That was exactly the kind of extravagance that millions would afford you. 

And honestly, Tysone felt out of place. He's never been in a high-end apartment before, let alone a damn mansion the size of a neighborhood. How much would the monthly upkeep cost? 

Then again, they had servants. 

'I'm surrounded by rich girls.'

He heaved a deep, preparatory sigh and rang the bell at the side of a pillar. 

A mechanical buzz sounded.

The intercom next to the bell lit up with an elderly man on the screen. He had an intimidating beard and eyebrows that made up most of his expression.

"Hello." Tysone began in a clear and polite tone. And damn if it didn't hurt to speak like some pompous prick. "My name's Tysone. I'm here for the Japanese lessons the young miss has graciously offered me."

The elderly manservant spoke curtly and dispassionately in fluent English, to Tysone's relief, without missing a single word. "Mister Tysone? Ah, yes. The young miss told us of your arrival. Wait for us to open the gate."

There was a sound of electronic clicking and whirring before the grandiose gates swung open by themselves.

A man in an old-fashioned butler outfit, came out of the manor and walked towards Tysone, his posture straight like a board.

"This way, Mister Tysone. The young miss will receive you in her chambers."

Tysone raised an eyebrow.

Still, without making much of a fuss, he followed after the butler towards the manor, marveling slightly over how they entered through the back and took a winding path that led to one of the entrances.

The place was as big as a small airport. There were more buildings annexed to the main one. He had seen this place in the anime, though it was nowhere as detailed and vibrant. 

As soon as the doors opened, he refrained from exclaiming 'Damn!' and gawking like some country bumpkin. If Saya saw him react like that, she'd never let him live it down. 'I wonder if I should have procured better clothes. Then again, I can't afford shit at the moment.'

Tysone raised his eyes slightly, taking in the decorations, paintings, vases, statues—shit straight out of museums. He was probably stepping on a hundred thousand Yen marble as well.

It was extremely uncomfortable. What if he broke something?

"Mister Tysone, right this way." The elderly butler spoke calmly. His composed demeanor and voice grounded Tysone back to reality.

The man took him across a couple of halls, all of them lined with rooms.

Maids and butlers walked past him at almost every junction, either attending to cleaning or doing a whole variety of other activities. They glanced at him—and were professional enough not to gape like a fish at the sight of him.

Eventually, the elderly man led him to a wide door, his movements as graceful as a controlled mannequin. After a courteous knock and a curt. "Young miss, Mister Tysone is here." He slightly opened the door and beckoned Tysone to get inside.

Tysone took one good look at the butler before shrugging. Shouldn't they, like, wait for Saya's approval first? If it were real life, he wouldn't have thought much about it, but he came to know how prickly girls in anime were when it came to their privacy. He didn't want to walk in on anything indecent and be accused of being a pervert; he already had his hands full with Mai.

Regardless, he entered through the door after thanking the butler. Tysone stared at Saya's room. It was the same from the anime, only life size, now. A room worthy of being called 'princess chamber'. A king sized bed that stood right by a balcony. Several bookcases filled with books. A pretty vanity for self-inspections—of which there would be plenty, Tysone supposed. And a coffee table surrounded by fluffy seats.

Saya Takagi's room screamed regality. Tysone preferred smaller, more humble abodes, but only because he was piss poor. If he had millions as well, why wouldn't he treat himself to a grand mansion, just like her? Then again, he'd rather not get lost in his own house, so maybe something smaller.

After looking around briefly, he settled his attention on the petite Saya herself.

"Yo."

He said, casually.

"You came." Saya said with a pompous air. She was sitting by a desk, which was filled with books and notes. "What took you so damn long? Do you know how long I was waiting for you?"

"You never specified a time."

"Details." She waved him off, a smug smile on her face. "Besides, everyone knows that the best time to learn is early in the morning. It's a good thing I'm here since I'll stick it in that thick skull of yours, one Japanese word at a time."

"Hmm..." Tysone stared deeply at Saya, which invoked a dumbfounded 'What?' by the latter. He sat down from across her, uninvited. "Say... you're not dealing with any paranormal phenomenon that you can't explain, are you?"