.
.
.
.
[The market.]
[28 days till the end of the month.]
Both twins watched as Kazuhiro and the army of trolls disappeared into the distance. With their forms now gone, the twins pondered on what to do next.
.
+Akemi POV+
.
"So, should we wait for him here or?" Her brother's voice broke the silence, side-glancing toward her.
"I think he can handle it. Besides, after what we've been through, we deserve a night-long rest," she then retrieved a device from her pocket. Her eyes focused on the screen.
.
.
Xxxx
You have eliminated 'The giant underground troll'.
Receiving rewards:
︎ 15 (AP)
︎ 15 (STA)
︎ 15 (STR)
︎ 15 (CON)
︎ 7500 SC
︎ A new device feature
-- Credit transfer: This function would allow the exchange of credits between worker or customers.
Xxxx
.
.
"We've scored big with this one," grinned Asahi after mimicking his sister by retrieving his own device.
Akemi nodded, exhaling a gentle sigh of relief. The environmental collapse of the cave had assisted with their kill. She then shot a side glare at her brother. "But none of that recklessness you showed. We should have left once our mission was over. I don't want a repeat of drinking piss to recover." She turned green, sticking her tongue out as if she could still taste it.
"I know I've apologized on our way here, but yeah, I'm sorry, super sorry," Asahi looked down in guilt. It was his call to engage the giant.
She furrowed her brows at him. "Sorry wouldn't cut it, Asahi. I need to know that you wouldn't do it again," she sighed and closed her device.
Asahi let out a sigh of his own, nodding in response. He could feel the weight of his mistake hanging in the air.
Seeing his contrition, she decided not to push further. She could tell he understood the gravity of the situation and would try to learn from it. "So, got any energy left to find the grumpy hag?" she asked, trying to lighten the mood.
"No, any more action and I might collapse," Asahi replied, letting out a small yawn. It had been an exhausting day for both of them.
She nodded, "Alright, where do you want to rest? Dont think this place has any dorms or such."
"You can look it up. I'll have to go take a number two. Be right back," Asahi said, making his way to the restroom.
Akemi watched his figure before delving into her thoughts. 'How in the hell should I know about different worlds?' She looked around, her eyes landing mostly on the napping new faces. She didn't know where to get information regarding worlds; she couldn't find it even in her device.
Resigning herself to the situation, she thought, 'Might as well wait for Kazuhiro-san for that.' She mentally sighed and leaned against the counter, her eyes drooping from the day's exertion.
Not wanting to fall asleep right there, she allowed her mind to wander. The recent events had been a whirlwind, and she couldn't help but feel a growing curiosity about the market and their enigmatic supervisor, Kazuhiro.
.
~~
[W3, (Courage)]
[Kansas, bagge's residence.]
"Going so soon?" Muriel asked, her voice laced with concern
Akemi exhaled heavily after gulping down a bottle of water to remove the aftertaste of their 'medicine.' "Yes, it's just, we don't know how long we've been gone and, uh, yeah, no hard feelings. It was nice of you to invite us and—"
"AUUGGH—" She was interrupted by her brother kneeling on the floor and vomiting into a bucket.
Muriel's worried gaze turned back to Akemi. "Are you sure? Your brother doesn't seem too well."
"He'll be fine, just that the taste got to him." Akemi turned slightly green herself at the memory of the remedy they were forced to consume. She shot a quick glare at Eustace, who simply huffed and looked away. but overall, they felt better and are able to move again.
"Can someone turn that music off?" Asahi groaned, his voice strained between breaths. The ambient sitar music, seemingly coming from nowhere, was getting on both their nerves.
Dr. Vindaloo, the one who had administered the vile remedy, noticed this. "Music?" he hummed thoughtfully. "Ah yes, you must be hallucinating. There's nothing to worry about, it's one of the symptoms of nerve damage. But I don't understand, the remedy I provided should have solved all your problems. I don't get it."
Asahi slowly stood up, still feeling queasy, as Courage approached to take the bucket and dump it outside. "No, that was way before the incident, doc."
"It's true, it happened on our way here. Someone picked us up and I think music played. Doubt it was a car radio." Akemi massaged her temples as she tried to recall the details.
"Oh my, that sounds serious." Muriel said.
"Nothing to worry about, good thing I have the remedy here." Dr. Vindaloo retrieved two jars from his coat, both containing a brown sludge-like substance. The twins glanced at each other, their expressions filled with dread. "This here is a solution to your problem, one good sniff will do the trick, do the trick."
"And what exactly is that?" Akemi raised a brow, already dreading the answer.
"Sacred cow poo—"
"On second thought, we're fine!" Akemi interrupted hastily.
"Totally! I hear no music!" Asahi chimed in, equally eager to avoid another dose of the doctor's remedies.
"We should go now, bye!" Akemi grabbed her brother's arm and dragged him towards the door, leaving the others blinking in surprise at their sudden departure.
Silence enveloped the room, only to be broken by Dr. Vindaloo. "How fascinating, even the sight of it can cure such ailments, cure such ailments," he murmured to himself, examining the jars with a puzzled expression.
.
.
Outside, both twins paused to catch their breath. The fresh air was a welcome relief from the stuffy atmosphere inside. After catching their breathes Akemi started. "With that done and over let's head back, we don't know how long we've been gone for."
"Right," Asahi exhaled, still catching his breath. "You go on ahead. I got something I have to do."
Akemi raised an eyebrow and turned to her brother. "And what might that be?" She crossed her arms, eager to leave this bizarre world as soon as possible.
"I, uh... I." Asahi hesitated, scratching the back of his head.
"For God's sake, Asahi, spit it out!" she snapped, her glare prompting a swift response.
"Lost my bat. I lost my bat in the cave that we were in."
"And? I'm sure we can get it back. Maybe we can find something in that little device," Akemi suggested, trying to remain calm.
"No, I've checked really, went through every app and it's functions. No clue on how to retrieve it. I checked the store and, thought about buying but it's damn expensive. Atleast that dog was kind enough to retrieve your weapon during the collapse, but didnt risk to take mine. Plus, reading about its traits, its heavy for anyone unless it is me."
Akemi sighed, rubbing her forehead to soothe the growing headache. "Look, Asahi, we've been through a lot. All we need is some rest. We can search for it later."
"I mean, you can go. I'll be quick. I'll grab it and leave. And look." He retrieved his device and showed her the screen. "That giant boss from earlier is dead. Mission accomplished." The screen glowed, showing the mission's name and the confirmed kill of the troll, displaying the rewards and completed objectives. "Must've been an environmental kill. The cave collapsing did us a favor—"
"Asahi! Get it through that thick skull of yours! We almost died! And you want to go back in?!" Akemi yelled, completely disapproving of his idea.
In a meek voice asahi replied, looking around to not meet her sharp gaze. "That's why I'm saying you should go on ahead. I swear I'll be back. Heck, I don't think anyone would be alive after that collapse."
"Did you even listen to a word I've said?!" Akemi's voice rose, she knew her brother was stubborn but holy fuck, they nearly died.
Asahi hung his head low. What he was about to do was risky, but he couldn't bear the thought of losing a powerful weapon, let alone spend a fortune to buy a new one.
"Alright, look." With the device in hand, he tapped a few buttons, summoning a golden door nearby. "If it gets dangerous, I'll get out in a jiffy." He tapped again, making the door disappear.
"That's not the case—" she started, but the door was summoned and disappeared again by Asahi's hand.
"We don't—" the door appeared and vanished.
Akemi's frustration mounted as she continued. "We just don't want to risk—" happened again, the door appeared then disappeared.
"Asahi—" door.
"Would—" door
"You—" door
"Cut—" door.
"That—" door.
"OH MY FUCKING GOD, FINE!" Akemi's outburst finally halted Asahi's antics. With a wide grin, he thanked his sister and turned to leave. "I'm coming with you. There's no way I'm leaving you alone in there," she sighed, tagging along behind him. Despite her anger, she couldn't let her brother face the potential dangers alone.
.
After navigating the route through the entrance and squeezing through the crevices inside the narrow, tight cave systems, one of them clearly didn't enjoy this at all.
.
+Akemi POV+
.
Squeezing through yet another tight space, Akemi resented her brother every step of the way. 'I swear, once I get my energy back, it's on sight, first thing in the morning.'
"You doin' alright, sis?" Asahi called from the other side, his voice echoing through the cavern.
"Fuck off," she muttered, managing to crawl and squeeze through another constricted passage.
Meeting her on the other side, Asahi looked concerned. "You can go back if you want to. No one forced you to come along."
"Asahi, be quiet please. I'm not in the mood to hear your voice right now. I came by my own accord anyway," she snapped, brushing the dirt off her clothes.
They continued deeper into the cave, the air growing cooler and the darkness pressing in around them. Akemi's frustration simmered beneath the surface, each step fueling her irritation. She glared at the back of Asahi's head, imagining various ways to make him pay for this unnecessary ordeal.
"I think we're almost there," Asahi announced, holding his device up to light the way. "It should be just up ahead."
They squeezed through another narrow passage, emerging into a space where the remnants of their earlier battle were scattered about. The once open area was now cluttered with sharp rocks and rubble from the cave's collapse.
But they weren't alone. Sounds of rubble being moved and the breaking of stones filled the air. Hiding behind a large boulder, the twins peeked out to see what was happening.
Trolls. Heaps of them were working to clear a path and retrieve those who had fallen to the wreckage. Some trolls labored, while others grovelled and prayed over the dead before escorting the bodies to one of the cave's tunnels.
"I see it," whispered Asahi, prompting Akemi to follow his gaze.
Her eyes landed on a group of trolls struggling to lift something. Some trolls tumbled back from the effort. 'He did mention that it was heavy, but is it really that heavy that only he can carry it?' she thought, furrowing her brows. 'Even though it's too risky to go and retrieve it now, at least we know it's there. We should come back another time.'
"Hey, Asahi," she whispered, turning to her brother to share her thoughts. "Eh?" But he wasn't there. Just the faint outline of where he had been a moment ago. 'Where did he go?'
"INTRUDER!" Her heart dropped. It couldn't be Asahi. She peeked out again to identify the source. Spears were aimed at her brother.
"Ah, I guess going stealth mode didn't work," he sheepishly smiled, his hands raised in surrender.
'IT WAS HIM!' Akemi mentally panicked. 'Shit! That moron!' She readied her dagger in one hand and her device for an escape in the other.
"Came to get something that was mine," Asahi said, pointing at his bat.
'STOP TALKING!' Akemi mentally screamed. She watched as the trolls circled her brother, their eyes filled with suspicion. Akemi's grip tightened on her dagger. She couldn't just leave him there, but rushing in without a plan would be suicidal.
"This heavy stick is yours?" questioned what seemed to be the leader, identifiable by their silky garments and authoritative stance.
"If I may..." Asahi began,
"Oh, You can take it then."
Akemi's jaw dropped. 'WHAT?!?!?!?!' She was baffled as she saw the spears being lowered and Asahi casually walking over to retrieve his bat.
"That was a lot easier than I thought," Asahi voiced, holding both his bat and device in hand. He then summoned a door to leave.
Asahi's action drew two reactions. The trolls and Akemi both had their jaws dropped. The trolls were in pure awe and amazement at the phenomena. While the other.
'I'LL FUCKING STRANGLE THIS IDIOT! WHY SHOW THAT HERE?!?!' Her frustration grew as this was totally unexpected. Sure, her brother could be downright stupid, but this took the cake.
Her eyes followed his moves, her jaw still wide open as he tried to reach for the doorknob, only to be halted.
"WAIT!" exclaimed the leader, making Asahi turn. "If only we knew, we would've shown sincere hospitality. Forgive our actions, my lord." He bowed, and the rest followed suit, baffling the teen.
"Lord? Oh wait, I was about to leave. Forgot I had my sister here with me," Asahi said, glancing around.
'I can't, this can't be real.' Akemi slumped down, feeling defeated. She gave up on the idea that this was real, questioning whether it was how this world functioned or just her brother's high-maintenance antics.
The trolls, now in reverence, began to explain their history and religion. They shared how the enigmatic door was a sacred source that had allowed them to thrive. They then asked the twins to escort through after hearing from akemi that they werent deities.
~~
.
'Just remembering the events, it's enough to rise a headache.' She sighed, massaging her temples to ease the pain. 'As for that mystery about this place, it's best to think about it when I'm fully rested.' She wanted to contemplate more about whether Kazuhiro was truly a god, as suggested by the trolls. But some part of her didn't fully buy into that theory. Kazuhiro himself didn't seem aware of such a status.
A familiar beep sounded, prompting her gaze to shift to the entrance. The harsh noise of a working machine echoed, drawing and waking up those nearby to look at the source.
'What in the world is that thing?' Akemi wondered as her eyes landed on a dog with a chainsaw-like metal contraption on its forehead, held by a ragged, one-eyed teen who seemed out of breath.
"Just where is this place?" the teen asked, looking around at the curious faces nearby.
"Turn off that thing, some are trying to sleep," Akemi approached him, taking a good look at him. 'Blond, yellow-eyed, sharp-teethed. And did he say something? His lips moved... something something C. God, I'm so tired.'
"Anyways, blondie, came to buy something? Also, saying this again, turn whatever that thing is off." She pointed at the weird creature in his hand.
"Oh, ah, right." The noise stopped as he pulled the creature's tail, setting it down to receive a bark.
"Weird, right? This place connects to different worlds. You can buy whatever, go crazy," she said, returning to her spot and taking a seat behind the counter. She shot a quick glance at him, still standing there. 'Must've been a heavy load on his brain, but...' Her eyes moved to the chainsaw pup. 'He must have seen stranger things.'
She laid her head down, thinking of taking a quick nap until her brother returned. The day's events weighed heavily on her, and her body ached for rest.
.
+Denji POV+
.
'Came to do a job, and now I'm here.' Denji looked around, his eyes scanning the strange market and its equally strange inhabitants. He couldn't help but sneak a few glances at the girls around, but his main focus was trying to make sense of his surroundings. 'They don't look like devils...'
"Got any idea where we are, Pochita?" he asked his chainsaw companion, who responded with a shake of its head, clearly as clueless as Denji was.
"A world of devils, huh? Must suck, right?" A male teen approached him, raising question marks in Denji's mind. The guy looked casual, but there was an air of experience about him. "That chick was right, by the way. Basically, you can do whatever in this place. Well, not really—there are guidelines on what you can't do."
"Huh?" Denji replied, utterly lost.
"In short, you can buy anything you can dream of, basically," the teen sighed, trying to simplify things.
"Anything?"
"Anything."
"Even a girlfriend?"
"..." The teen was stunned into silence. Was this guy really so desperate that he'd consider buying a relationship? "I mean, by her words, she did say you can go crazy..."
"Understood." Denji's face turned red at the thought that buying a relationship was an option.
The teen chuckled, shaking his head. "Look, man, it's a weird place, but it has its perks. Just don't get yourself in trouble." He left him alone as he went back to his place.
With the teen gone, Denji took a few steps, looking around the area with Pochita tagging along. 'This place looks insane; it's huge,' he thought, taking in the endless rows of aisles stretching far off in both directions.
He neared the counters, seeing that girl from earlier with her head down. Before waking her up, he leaned forward, his face just above hers. 'She smells kinda nice,' he thought, blushing before returning to his position. He tapped her arm a few times to wake her up.
She groaned, lifting her head slowly. Their eyes met as she groggily wiped her face. "Yeah?" she asked, furrowing her brows in exhaustion.
"Uh, I can buy whatever, right?" he wanted to confirm.
She looked around, as if expecting someone. "Sure, what's on your mind?"
"Looking to buy a relationship, want a girlfriend." He bluntly said,
"..." She took a moment to respond, trying to digest and comprehend his words with her sleepy mind. She chuckled tiredly. "Sure, whatever. I did say go crazy, but you went far and beyond. Anyway, got enough to afford one?" She retrieved her device, before heading to the track application, she navigated to the shop to check the prices first.
"How much? I got like 8000 yen," he said after rummaging through his pockets and retrieving wrinkled cash.
"Yeah, that won't do. The price is enough to sell a kidney or so. Guess relationships are highly sought after in many worlds," she chuckled.
'Shit! I already did sell my kidney.' Denji was devastated. If he knew, he would have saved for this place. 'What else do I have? I got an ear; should I go blind? No, I want to enjoy the pleasures of seeing a hottie. Maybe I can sell an arm and a leg? Is it worth it, though? For love, totally!' Denji came to a conclusion, growing red by the second.
"Then I'll sell an arm, a leg, and an ear. How much in total for that?"
Akemi froze for a bit. "Yeah, dude, I don't recommend that. You'll literally cripple yourself to get some cooch. Are you really that desperate?" She furrowed her brows, looking genuinely concerned.
Denji nodded instantly, without a hint of hesitation. For love with a pretty girl, he'd do anything. His eyes were earnest, almost pleading.
Akemi sighed, shaking her head. "Look, I get it. Love is important, but it's not worth losing parts of yourself over. It's best to earn it through a job or something. I can't have someone severing themselves while im still here. I got morals."
Denji stared at her, digesting her words. 'Does... does she care about me?' Being himself, he completely misinterpreted her concern.
"I, uh, got a job. Though I don't make much," he admitted, scratching the back of his neck, clearly embarrassed. He looked around the market before gazing back at her. "Say, uh, I can do a two-timer. You hiring?"
.
.
.
.
(AN: sorry for being late, was binge watching a series, no that 'series' wont appear anytime soon.)