[center][h2][b][color=0072bc]Shuichi[/color][/b][/h2][/center]

Shuichi listened to the woman's speech and one by one the others accepted her offer. Shuichi found several things odd about the whole situation. This was the second time she had stressed the urgency of the situation, and yet what could they possibly do "urgently?" A bunch of teens with limited magical abilities vs. Lord Ultimate, Devourer of Mana? It didn't exactly sound like they were ready to deal with this thing any time soon, so she could at least put aside urgency for the sake of explaining just what the hell they were supposed to do about it. Plus, how is it that two people in some random hilltop castle were the only people on the planet who knew what was going on? Everybody else seemed just as confused about things as Shuichi, but then the girl who introduced herself as Charlize spoke up. 

[color=0072bc]"Umm, actually..."[/color] Shuichi raised his hand in protest as the girl proceeded to speak for all of them. [color=0072bc]"I get a lot of letters like yours. 'You could already be a winner.' 'There is an issue with your account, please contact us immediately.' 'This is an urgent public service announcement about your current electric bill.' Stuff like that. So when I ripped the letter, I was only committing to tossing it in the wastebasket. I mean, it didn't even have a government seal on it..."[/color] Shuichi pursed his lips, now finally processing the gravity of the situation. [color=0072bc]"Right now, my little sister is probably freaking out and trying to explain to my parents how I disappeared into thin air. So don't get the wrong idea and think I'm eager to go fighting monsters for you."[/color]

Then, Shuichi let out a sigh, and his expression softened. [color=0072bc]"But, if this is a scam, it's certainly the most elaborate one I've ever seen. So, I guess I'm in, but on a few conditions. First, if you ask me for money, or plan on sending me or any of my relatives any kind of bill, I'm leaving. I'll need a chance to contact my family, tell them that I'm safe, and what I'm doing. And, you'll also notice that there are no bags slung over my shoulder. I'm gonna need a chance to acquire some fresh clothes for myself. If you can agree to that, then sure, I'll help you save the world."[/color] Even though Shuichi was no great businessman, his parents' basic lessons were still drilled into his bones. When you've got leverage, make demands. If he was as important as they said, then they should be eager to grant him these simple requests. If they wouldn't at least attempt to comply with such reasonable requests, then perhaps the whole thing was a load of bull and he would be better served leaving anyway.