Akihisa Yuuta stood at the gates of Hojiki Castle, steadily becoming more and more annoyed. It was early in the morning, to the point where the sun hadn't even come up yet, it was snowing, and this stupid goddamn guard wasn't letting him in!
"Aren't you a little short to be called before the council for a special mission?" The guard asked, a skeptical expression on his face.
"Well aren't you a little stupid to be a guard?" Yuuta asked, growling slightly. "I'm telling you, they called me over here! I had to travel all the way here from Tano village!"
"Yes, I'm aware." The guard sighed. "You've been shouting at me about it for fifteen minutes now."
"Well if you know, then why won't you let me i-"
"Stop! Please, just... Just stop. Listen, we're just getting confirmation. As soon as the other guard comes back, I'll know whether you're telling the truth or not, and you'll be escorted in."
Barely a couple of seconds after the guard had said this, another guard emerged from the castle and approached them.
"Kei, its alright. They want you to escort him in."
"Does it have to be me?" The first guard, apparently named Kei, asked, an expression of pain on his face.
"I'm afraid so. I'm to wait for the other one."
Yuuta's scowl faded a little as he watched Kei's expression grow even more tired.
"Alright, ok, lets just head in and get this over with." He said, walking ahead of Kei. "If we keep standing around together I'm gonna end up feeling bad and apologising, and I'd prefer not to do that when I'm so clearly in the right."
...
A little while later, he found himself standing in a room filled with members of various races. Amongst them, his eyes focused on the chief of his own village, an elderly Oni named Suzuki Kana. He smiled when he saw her, feeling just that little bit less nervous. The woman had practically been like a grandmother to him, after all.
"Ah, Yuuta-kun." She said. "Please, sit down."
And then the nervousness re-emerged. They weren't gonna get annoyed at him for getting frustrated outside? Because sure, he was kind of being an ass, but he was tired!
Also totally in the right!
"Now," an elderly Nurarihyon said, "we'll discuss your mission when your partner arrives. For now though, would you like some tea?"
No, he hated tea.
"Oh, yes, thank you." He said, accepting the vile liquid from the servant with a smile he was pretty sure didn't look as strained as it felt. His eyes flickered to chief Suzuki, who wasn't even trying to hide her snickering.
"So, we hear you've been training as a spearman recently." A Tengu woman said, bringing his attention back to the moment. "How good would you say you are?"
Not.
"I'm afraid I still have a ways to go before I can claim mastery." He said. "I've trained with my mother in a few different ways of fighting, but I think it would probably be smarter to just dedicate myself to a specific weapon or style."
"That may be the case on occasion, but you may be surprised how often a versatile fighter can best one who is locked in their ways." The nurarihyon said. "Besides that, we hear you are also training with your father as a blacksmith. Chief Suzuki tells us you wish to become a smith who creates powerful magic weapons."
"Yeah!" He said, nodding with an excitement that somehow managed to wash away the nervousness he still felt. "My hope is to make weapons that will protect Hiyuki, and one day become as famous as the weapons of legend."
"An intriguing goal, but do what you can to keep it from consuming you." The tengu said. "Remember that weapons are not all you can make, nor the only things that would benefit out country."
Before the conversation could continue further, however, a guard entered the room, bowing to the council.
"Forgive me for interrupting, councillors, but the other warrior has arrived."
"Ah, good. Please escort her in." Chief Suzuki asked with a small chuckle. "Perhaps when she arrives, we can finally stop interrogating poor Yuuta-kun!"
Yuuta blushed as the rest of the council laughed along with her. He was honestly beginning to wonder why he was being so formal in the first place! They clearly didn't actually care all that much!
Still, besides the embarrassment, his thoughts were also taken up by curiosity. Just what was the mission he was being sent on? Why was someone like him being sent on it? And most importantly, what was his teammate going to be like, and why did it sound like they were going to be his only other teammate?!
Just how much more difficult was his life about to become?
"Aren't you a little short to be called before the council for a special mission?" The guard asked, a skeptical expression on his face.
"Well aren't you a little stupid to be a guard?" Yuuta asked, growling slightly. "I'm telling you, they called me over here! I had to travel all the way here from Tano village!"
"Yes, I'm aware." The guard sighed. "You've been shouting at me about it for fifteen minutes now."
"Well if you know, then why won't you let me i-"
"Stop! Please, just... Just stop. Listen, we're just getting confirmation. As soon as the other guard comes back, I'll know whether you're telling the truth or not, and you'll be escorted in."
Barely a couple of seconds after the guard had said this, another guard emerged from the castle and approached them.
"Kei, its alright. They want you to escort him in."
"Does it have to be me?" The first guard, apparently named Kei, asked, an expression of pain on his face.
"I'm afraid so. I'm to wait for the other one."
Yuuta's scowl faded a little as he watched Kei's expression grow even more tired.
"Alright, ok, lets just head in and get this over with." He said, walking ahead of Kei. "If we keep standing around together I'm gonna end up feeling bad and apologising, and I'd prefer not to do that when I'm so clearly in the right."
...
A little while later, he found himself standing in a room filled with members of various races. Amongst them, his eyes focused on the chief of his own village, an elderly Oni named Suzuki Kana. He smiled when he saw her, feeling just that little bit less nervous. The woman had practically been like a grandmother to him, after all.
"Ah, Yuuta-kun." She said. "Please, sit down."
And then the nervousness re-emerged. They weren't gonna get annoyed at him for getting frustrated outside? Because sure, he was kind of being an ass, but he was tired!
Also totally in the right!
"Now," an elderly Nurarihyon said, "we'll discuss your mission when your partner arrives. For now though, would you like some tea?"
No, he hated tea.
"Oh, yes, thank you." He said, accepting the vile liquid from the servant with a smile he was pretty sure didn't look as strained as it felt. His eyes flickered to chief Suzuki, who wasn't even trying to hide her snickering.
"So, we hear you've been training as a spearman recently." A Tengu woman said, bringing his attention back to the moment. "How good would you say you are?"
Not.
"I'm afraid I still have a ways to go before I can claim mastery." He said. "I've trained with my mother in a few different ways of fighting, but I think it would probably be smarter to just dedicate myself to a specific weapon or style."
"That may be the case on occasion, but you may be surprised how often a versatile fighter can best one who is locked in their ways." The nurarihyon said. "Besides that, we hear you are also training with your father as a blacksmith. Chief Suzuki tells us you wish to become a smith who creates powerful magic weapons."
"Yeah!" He said, nodding with an excitement that somehow managed to wash away the nervousness he still felt. "My hope is to make weapons that will protect Hiyuki, and one day become as famous as the weapons of legend."
"An intriguing goal, but do what you can to keep it from consuming you." The tengu said. "Remember that weapons are not all you can make, nor the only things that would benefit out country."
Before the conversation could continue further, however, a guard entered the room, bowing to the council.
"Forgive me for interrupting, councillors, but the other warrior has arrived."
"Ah, good. Please escort her in." Chief Suzuki asked with a small chuckle. "Perhaps when she arrives, we can finally stop interrogating poor Yuuta-kun!"
Yuuta blushed as the rest of the council laughed along with her. He was honestly beginning to wonder why he was being so formal in the first place! They clearly didn't actually care all that much!
Still, besides the embarrassment, his thoughts were also taken up by curiosity. Just what was the mission he was being sent on? Why was someone like him being sent on it? And most importantly, what was his teammate going to be like, and why did it sound like they were going to be his only other teammate?!
Just how much more difficult was his life about to become?