Searching At The Town
Stories similar to this that you might like too.
The next morning, the three of them set out for town. They had decided to leave their horses at a nearby stable and walk instead; it was about two miles away from where they were staying in the forested area near the lake. It would take longer than riding there but that wasn’t an issue since all they needed was food anyway.
As long as they didn’t need anything else like clothes or other supplies then this trip wouldn’t be too bad on their wallets either.
Plus, walking gave them more time together without having to worry about being late back home because of traffic jams caused by people driving around with no regard whatsoever for anyone’s safety.
“So what do you want me to get?” asked Kaito after taking his first bite of breakfast while sitting down beside Yuka who sat across from him. He’d gotten up early enough so he could have some alone time before she woke up and joined him.
She hadn’t woken up until just now though which meant that he still got to eat her cooking even if it did mean eating cold eggs. “I know we’re not going shopping today but I thought maybe you wanted something.”
Yuka smiled softly when she heard those words coming out of his mouth. Her eyes glimmered brightly as well as her cheeks flushed slightly pinker than usual. However, she quickly shook off any signs of embarrassment as soon as they appeared. Instead, she looked straight into Kaito’s eyes and said, “No… Actually, I don’t really care much right now…”
Kaito blinked once in surprise. What? Did she say ‘no’?! Wait, why is she blushing again…? Oh yeah embarrassed over saying that word!? Why does she keep doing these weird things? This isn’t fair!!
He felt himself growing angry despite knowing full well how silly he must look acting like such a child. But he couldn’t help it. After everything they went through yesterday, he knew that he should feel happy about finally getting to spend time alone with her.
And yet here he was feeling frustrated and annoyed instead. Wasn’t this supposed to make him happier? Well, whatever. If she doesn’t want to go shopping then fine. Just let me enjoy my meal already!
After finishing his plateful of eggs, Kaito stood up and began heading towards the door leading outside. Before leaving, however, he turned around to see Yuka staring intently at her own empty bowl of rice porridge. When she saw that he noticed she stopped looking away and met his gaze head-on. Then she spoke quietly.
“…Do you think I’m ugly?”
Her question caught Kaito completely off guard. Not only that but he also found it strange that she suddenly brought it up. Hadn’t she been perfectly content with herself just moments ago? So why ask him that now?
However, Kaito didn’t hesitate to answer. “Of course not,” he replied immediately. “You’re beautiful inside and out!”
That made Yuka smile happily. “Thank you very much~”
Then she took another spoonful of her porridge and started eating. Seeing that, Kaito left the room and headed downstairs to wait for her outside. Once he reached the front entrance, he realized that he forgot to bring along his wallet.
That meant that he couldn’t buy anything unless he returned upstairs to grab it. In fact, he might end up waiting for quite a while if he did that. With nothing better to do, Kaito decided to sit down on one of the benches placed against the wall next to the building and waited patiently for Yuka to finish eating.
It seemed like forever passed before she came out of the house carrying her bag. By that point, Kaito was starting to wonder whether he should’ve gone ahead and bought something earlier. Maybe she’ll come out sooner if I start worrying about her…
But when Yuka stepped out onto the porch, she didn’t seem particularly worried about anything. Quite the opposite actually. She walked briskly past him and continued walking forward without turning around. For a moment, Kaito wondered if she was trying to avoid talking to him.
Or perhaps she simply didn’t want to talk about the subject anymore. Either way, he figured that it was best to follow her lead rather than force the conversation. Besides, he had plenty of time to spare. There was no rush to return home anytime soon.
As they proceeded further into town, Kaito spotted several stores lining both sides of the street. Most of them sold various types of clothing including shoes, hats, gloves, dresses, shirts, pants, skirts, and many others. Some of the shops also carried accessories like jewelry, bags, belts, umbrellas, sunglasses, etc.
Others offered services like haircuts and massages while still, others provided medical treatment ranging from basic checkups to emergency surgeries. The list goes on and on. It wasn’t hard to tell where all their money came from either since most of the buildings were decorated with large advertisements plastered everywhere. They weren’t exactly subtle by any means.
The two of them eventually arrived at an intersection near the center of town. A sign hanging above the road read: “Welcome to the city of Zirconia. Please be careful crossing the streets.”
There was a small fountain nearby too. Its water flowed freely down its stone pathway and splashed into a pond situated below. Several people could be seen sitting or standing beside the edge of the pool enjoying themselves.
One man even sat atop the rim of the fountain itself playing the flute. He played so beautifully that it almost sounded like someone was singing. Another woman who happened to pass by him gave him some coins which he gratefully accepted.
They continued walking until they reached a large department store located across the street. As expected, there was a crowd gathered outside of it. Apparently, today was a busy day after all.
Yuka looked back at Kaito as though asking what he wanted to do. However, he remained silent and kept following behind her. Eventually, they entered the building together.
Once inside, Kaito’s eyes widened upon seeing the sheer size of the place. Unlike other places he’d visited thus far, this particular establishment was filled with countless products lined neatly throughout every available space.
Even the ceiling appeared to have been designed specifically for displaying merchandise. Everything was arranged in neat rows and columns. Each section contained different items grouped based on type and price range. On top of that, each display case featured numerous samples of whatever product it held.
Naturally, those were free for customers to take whenever they pleased.
Kaito followed closely behind Yuka as she navigated through the crowds of shoppers. After passing by dozens of departments, they finally arrived at the shoe department. Upon reaching the counter, Yuka picked out three pairs of sandals and handed them over to the clerk.
While doing so, she glanced briefly at Kaito. Her expression clearly indicated that she felt uncomfortable having to deal with strangers alone. But then again, that probably applied to everyone here regardless of gender.
After paying for the shoes, Yuka turned towards the exit. Then she stopped abruptly and stared straight ahead.
“What is it?” asked Kaito.
She shook her head slightly. “Nothing…”
He tilted his head curiously. What does she mean by that…?
Just as he thought about pressing her for more information, Yuka began moving once more. This time, however, instead of heading directly for the door, she went right up to a rack containing men’s clothes. She took one of the shirts off of it and put it on. Once done, she headed toward another part of the store.
A few moments later, Kaito found himself staring at a mirror. In front of him stood a young girl wearing a shirt similar to the ones he wore. His face immediately lit up with surprise. So she really did buy these for me!
Then he realized just how much trouble he would’ve gotten into if he hadn’t brought along enough cash. If I’m going to keep buying stuff for her, I need to make sure my wallet can handle it.
With that said, he decided not to say anything else. Instead, he focused on changing into a new outfit.
***
When Kaito returned to the living room, he noticed that Yuuki was already waiting for him. He must have finished eating earlier than usual.
Yuuki smiled happily at Kaito. “I see you’re back!”
“…Yeah,” replied Kaito.
“Didn’t your friend come back yet? Is everything okay?”
“Nah, we haven’t talked to anyone besides each other… We’ll go talk to her soon though.”
Kaito watched as Yuuki nodded excitedly. That made sense. Since they had no idea when the next person might show up, they should try talking to whoever showed up first. Besides, they needed to figure out what to do now anyway.
While thinking about things, Kaito changed into new clothes. He didn’t know whether or not they fit well but he figured it wouldn’t hurt to wear them around for a bit. Plus, he couldn’t very well leave without trying them on.
As he walked past the sofa where Yuuki was seated, he suddenly heard her voice from behind him. “…Hey, Kaito-Kun. You look good in that shirt.”
His cheeks flushed red. It wasn’t because of embarrassment either. The reason why he blushed was due to the fact that he knew exactly what she meant.
It seemed that he had managed to get used to being called by his name while still retaining the habit of addressing others by their last names. And since he was currently dressed differently, he assumed that she was referring to the change rather than his appearance itself.
But even so, hearing someone complimenting him like that left him feeling embarrassed.
The only thing that could possibly be worse would be if she started calling me ‘master.’
Despite his misgivings, he tried to respond cheerfully. “Thanks. I think it looks pretty nice too.”
“Really?! Thank goodness! Now I don’t feel bad anymore!”
Her response caused Kaito to laugh awkwardly.
Eventually, he came to stand before the door leading to the hallway. As he reached for the knob, Yuuki spoke up once more.
“Oh yeah, Kaito-Kun. Do you want me to help you carry all of your bags?”
“Huh? No thanks. They’re light enough to manage me.”
“Okay, then let’s hurry up and find our friends!”
Kaito gave an awkward nod and opened the door.
***
They eventually arrived at the kitchen area. There, they found Ruri sitting down across from Eiko. Both girls were looking at something on the table between them.
Eiko looked up upon seeing Kaito and Yuuki enter. However, after taking a quick glance at both of their faces, she quickly averted her gaze.
Ruri also raised herself up and greeted the two of them. “Welcome home, Kaito-san. Welcome back, Yuuki-chan.”
“Thank you. How long has it been since we last saw each other?”
“About half a day ago, I believe. But I guess it feels longer considering how many times you guys ran away from us.”
“We weren’t running anywhere. We were just walking around town.”
“You know, I’d love to hear some details about this place someday. For example, what are those weird machines doing over there?”
At that point, Kaito glanced towards the corner of the room. A large machine resembling a giant robot was standing there. Its body was covered in wires and cables, making it difficult to tell what its true form actually looked like.
However, despite the strange design, it appeared to be fully functional. Perhaps it served as one of the facilities within the mansion.
After giving the device a closer inspection, Kaito turned his attention back to Ruri. “Well, uh…”
He hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Then, he finally settled on saying: “That’s the power generator.”
“What?!” exclaimed Ruri. She stared wide-eyed at the machine.
Unable to contain his curiosity any further, Yuuki asked another question. “So is that really safe to use?”
“Yes. If anything goes wrong, it will automatically shut off.”
“And does it work properly?”
“Of course. In fact, it works better than expected.”
“How can you be sure of that?” inquired Yuuki.
“Because it produces electricity. This entire building runs on it.”
“Electricity…? So it doesn’t run on magic?”
“No, it uses a different kind of energy altogether. It’s much safer to use than magic.”
Yuuki tilted her head slightly. Her expression suggested that she was having trouble believing such a claim.
Still, she decided to ask the obvious follow-up question. “Then why did you choose to build a house using magic instead of technology?”
“I wanted to make my own world,” replied Kaito simply.
“…A whole new world? Like, literally create everything yourself?”
“Yeah. Well, technically speaking, I’m already living inside a fantasy novel right now.”
Upon hearing Kaito’s words, Ruri gasped loudly. “Wait… Are you serious?!”
She stood up abruptly and began pacing around the room. After several seconds, she stopped moving entirely and took a seat again.
Meanwhile, Eiko remained silent throughout the exchange. Eventually, however, she broke out into a smile. “Heehee~ That sounds fun. Can I come with you next time?”
“Sure, but first things first—let’s go meet everyone else.”
With that said, Kaito led the way through the hallways until they made it to the dining room. He had no idea where the others might have gone, though. The only people who knew the layout of the mansion were himself, Eiko, and Ruri.
As soon as they entered the room, they spotted Haruaki and Konoha seated together at the far end of the table. Next to them sat Shiraho and Kuroe. All four of them seemed to be deep in conversation.
When Kaito called out to them, the group immediately noticed him. Everyone except for Kuroe reacted by turning their heads in unison.
Shiraho smiled brightly when she caught sight of Kaito. “Ah! Good evening, Master Kaito-sama. Did you enjoy your stay here so far?”
“It went well. Thanks for letting me borrow this place.”
“Not at all. You’ve done quite a lot for us today, too. Thank you very much.”
“Don’t mention it. Anyway, I think we should probably get started eating dinner.”
The rest of the party followed suit and joined them at the table. As usual, Ruri brought along a plate of food. They then proceeded to eat while chatting amongst themselves.
Kuroe spoke up first. “…By the way, I heard that you’re going to start working tomorrow morning, Kaito-kun.”
“Yep. Actually, it’ll be more like starting tonight. I need to prepare myself before heading over there.”
“Oh yeah, that reminds me!” interjected Konoha. “There’s something important I want to talk about with you later.”
“Really?! What is it?”
“Hmm… Let’s see… Oh yes, I remember now. There’s an item that belongs to you somewhere in this mansion, isn’t there?”
“Huh? Yeah, I do recall seeing it once or twice. Why?”
“In order to find it, I would like to search every nook and cranny of this mansion. Would you mind if I borrowed your help?”
“Um, sure… Wait, hold on a second. Didn’t you say earlier that you didn’t know what it looked like?”
“True, but I believe I could tell just from its aura alone. And since I don’t actually care whether I find it or not, I’d rather leave it to someone else. Besides, I trust you implicitly.”
“Okay, gotcha. But still, shouldn’t we wait until after dinner?”
“Nah, let’s hurry up and finish our meal. We’ll take turns searching each area, okay?”
After finishing their meals, they split up into pairs and headed toward various parts of the mansion.
First, Kuroe and Konoha searched the kitchen. Then, Eiko and Haruaki checked the basement. Lastly, Ruri and Kaito examined the attic.
They spent some time looking around the rooms and corridors but eventually gave up without finding anything.
“Well, looks like nothing turned up…” remarked Kaito.
Ruri nodded silently in agreement. She was currently standing beside him in front of one particular door leading upstairs.
“Hey, can I ask you something?” asked Kaito.
“What is it?”
“You mentioned that you saw a certain item belonging to me once or twice, right?”
“Yes. In fact, I found it in the library. However, I wasn’t able to figure out exactly what it was because I couldn’t sense any sort of magical power emanating from it.”
“That makes two of us. So, how does that relate to the other thing you wanted to discuss with me?”
“…I’m sorry, but I really am clueless,” replied Ruri honestly.
“Then why did you volunteer yourself to look for it?”
“Because I thought maybe you wouldn’t notice if I helped you instead of asking directly.”
“But even then, you volunteered anyway, huh…? Well, whatever. It doesn’t matter anymore.”
He pressed his palm against the door handle and opened it. Inside lay a single large bedroom. A bed occupied most of the space inside; it appeared to be completely empty. After confirming that everything was clear, he closed the door behind him.
“So, uhm… Where are we supposed to begin?”
“Let’s try checking under the bed.”
She took off her shoes and walked over to the side of the bed. Kaito stood next to her and peered underneath. Sure enough, there was a small box hidden beneath. He reached down and picked it up.
“This must be it.”
“Indeed. This is the same type of container used to store my own personal belongings back home.”
“Wait, seriously?!” exclaimed Kaito. “Are you saying that this is yours?!”
“Of course. That’s where I keep all of my treasures. The only exception being the items that I use as part of my daily life—like these clothes, for example.”
“Wow, so this is basically your treasure trove, huh?”
“Very true. Now, please open it.”
“Sure thing. Hold on, though—” Before Kaito had finished speaking, Ruri grabbed onto his arm and pulled herself closer to him. Her face came within inches of his. Their lips were mere centimeters apart.
“H-Hold on! You’ve gotta stop doing stuff like that when I’m trying to work!”
“Sorry. Please continue opening it.”
“Ugh, fine. Just give me a sec here…”
Kaito placed the lid aside and lifted the box itself. Underneath rested several objects wrapped in cloth. One by one, he removed them and laid them on top of the bed. First, there was a set of silver hairpins decorated with jewels shaped like flowers. Next, a pair of earrings made from gold wire. Finally, a necklace is adorned with a pendant carved from jadeite.
All three pieces belonged to Ruri. They were among her prized possessions.
“Oh yeah, I almost forgot about those. Thanks for reminding me.”
“No problem at all. By the way, which piece goes best with your outfit today?”
“The earrings, probably. Although I suppose the necklace will go well too.”
“It depends entirely upon your mood. If you’re feeling bold, wear both together. Or perhaps you would prefer wearing just one? Either choice works perfectly.”
“Hmm… What do you think?”
“Personally, I feel that the earrings suit you better than the necklace. Your ears are more delicate, after all.”
“Yeah, you might have a point there.”
With that settled, she put away the jewelry and returned to the main room. Kaito followed closely behind her, carrying the box containing Ruri’s treasured belongings.
***
Meanwhile, in another area of the mansion, Eiko and Haruaki were searching through the basement.
“Ahhh~ There’s no end to it, is there?” groaned Haruaki while staring at the ceiling.
Eiko sighed quietly before replying:
“There should be somewhere else to check, don’t you think?”
“Right. But we haven’t been able to find anything yet.”
“We’ll search until our eyes fall out first, okay?”
“Uhuh.”
They continued their fruitless hunt for an hour straight without finding a trace of the missing item. Eventually, they gave up and decided to call it quits. As soon as they stepped outside into the hallway, however, someone suddenly called out to them from behind.
“Excuse me, Miss Eiko.”
When she turned around, she noticed that the person who’d spoken was none other than the maid whom they hadn’t seen since coming to this world.
The End