In spite of knowing deep down that she is just an NPC created for the game, my heart skips a beat at seeing this note and I turn back towards Hana's house. As I approach the door of the house, it creaks half-open, revealing Hana talking to her standing grandmother through the gap.
My eyes widen in surprise as I see her slapping Hana hard and throwing her to the ground.
"What do you mean you haven't made him eat the fucking cookies? Are you trying to make fun of me, you little cunt?" The old woman says, her gaze and tone of voice became much more sinister, with no trace of her previous kindness.
"No, it's not that, it's just that I thought..." Hana doesn't have time to finish the sentence before the old hag grabs her and slaps her face again.
"Who told you to think?! You are merely a tool intended to fulfill the tasks I give you: prepare the medicine so that I regain strength and then bring me a vessel so that I may regain my power and beauty!" As the old woman begins to rant about her evil goals, her clothes begin to ripple.
"All you had to do was get him to eat one of the cookies to turn him into a gorgeous woman, and bring him to me without any clues so I could be rid of this withered, aching shell! And yet here you are, back again, having accomplished nothing!"
*Slap.*
"Even if he refused to eat them, you only had to plan some way to sneak them in so he'd eat them without realizing it, and that young, strong, beautiful body would be all mine! You just had to keep trying like I told you, but not only you didn't, but instead you get distracted having fun in the city and buying yourself little dresses! Are you trying to screw me?!"
*Slap.*
"Have you perhaps gotten the ridiculous idea that you can live a happy and fulfilling life outside of your obligations?!"
The old hag, who looks increasingly unsettling, draws Hana closer to her.
"Stop building castles in the air, wretched worm. You're just a pathetic beggar I took in off the streets and gave a purpose in life. You have no value beyond what I give you, so stop causing trouble for your master and catch that man with the perfect body once and...!"
*Zas! Crash!*
The old woman doesn't have time to finish her vile, aggressive order when, fed up with this scene, I rush in and kick her hard, sending her flying and crashing into one of the walls.
'Even if this is just a video game, I can't take this disgusting situation anymore.' With this thought, I bend down to check on Hana. "Those were some good slaps. Are you alright?"
Y"-Yes." She meekly answers.
"You bastard! What are you doing here?!" The old hag snarls standing up, her voice cracking with age.
My eyes narrow as I take a prudent step back together with Hana. "You aren't Hana grandmother. Who are you, really?"
As I demand to know, the old hag seems to flicker, her clothes and appearance beginning to change.
"Oh, I see it now Hana. You foolish, disloyal girl managed to reach out for help! You're persistent in giving me problems, aren't you? I should have known better than to underestimate your recklessness, little girl." She hisses, her voice dripping with venom.
The old hag then begins to cackle, her form finally stabilizing into an ugly witch cloaked in a black robe.
"You've ruined my initial plan, but it doesn't matter! I have you here as I wished! Now, with my strength renewed thanks to the special herbal medicine, I'll force you to eat these Hormone Cookies that will change your gender, making it easier for me to take over your body for my own."
Before I can react to her monologue, she raises a beans necklace she wears, using it as a catalyst to cast a powerful binding spell, transforming it into energy bonds that hold me firm.
"There, stay nice and wrapped up. Now, handsome young man, do my bidding and give me your body. Do it for me and my longing for youth!"
As the old hag launches at me with a crazy and uninhibited expression, I channel my strength into breaking free, and with a burst of energy I easily shatter my restraints and try to catch the hag off guard with a fist enveloped in aura.
However, to my shock, my fist and body pass right through the witch as if she were made of smoke, and we both stand watching each other from a distance with surprise. 'That was unexpected.'
"Wow, you must be really strong to break free from those restraints. But it doesn't matter. Do you really think you've won by freeing yourself from those restraint? This is far from over!" She yells, turning her robe into several black tentacles which she throws at me.
What follows is that we both try to land attacks on each other for a good while, wrecking the furniture and decorations of the house with our little fight. However, just as the hag had said, no matter what I try to do with my aura, my attacks simply pass through her body without harming it, as if she were invincible.
Despite everything, I keep my mind clear and continue dodging her blows while trying to come up with a way to overcome this seemingly unfathomable challenge.
'If I can't beat her, the best thing would be to grab Hana and run away from here. That would be the case in a normal situation, but if I do that, I'll have to leave the Hormone Cookies behind and I won't be able to get the card. So the only option is to defeat the witch somehow.' I think ducking to dodge one of her lateral tentacle strikes, which shatters the wall upon impact.
'Against these seemingly invincible enemies, games often include special hidden elements that allow you to overcome them. With that in mind, since I started this quest, there are three things I've acquired so far: Hana, the pendant she gave me, and Aiai's tourist guide.'
'Hana and the pendant are here with me, but they don't seem to have any effect on the fight, so are there any requirements or steps I need to follow to win?'
'Thinking back a few minutes ago, Hana stopped insisting in giving me to try those gender-swap cookies when I followed the guide's advice. If it had clues to advance the mission, then it must also have some on how to defeat this monster.'
'Let's see, let's see. Damn it, it didn't mention anything about a witch or some evil entity in that brochure. Hey, wait a minute.'
Flashback.
Following the advice in Aiai's tourist guide for a successful date, I've come to visit, along with Hana, the city's main bookstore, which has a wide range of catalogs on home cooking, massage, psychology, and other topics that can be directly applied to couple relationships.
"Hey Kai, look at this weird book I found. It's kind of creepy, but also cool." Hana says, handing me that book while I browse the psychology section.
The book catches my attention because it's a folklore book, a topic that doesn't quite fit with the love theme of this shop and city, so, driven by curiosity, I quickly skim through it. Among the fantastical stories it recounts, there's a section about a creature called Yamanba that goes something like this:
A malevolent and vile entity born from envy and fear, Yamanba hides bewtween us, where no one can see it, and casts its evil shadow to steal what gives life to others in order to continue without end.
It poisons your mind with lies and doubts to make you fall, because that way it's easier for it to steal your light and gain strenght. Because of that you must show to not .
As a being of emotions, swords and arrows drown into its darkness like in a swamp, that is why the monks crafted an amulet from the desire for hope and security of the people.
When it unites with the one who stands with a virtue that shines like a star, a new light will be born that will erase the nightmare forever.
"Excuse me sir. This isn't a library, and you have to buy the book if you want to read it." A bookstore employee calls me out, much to my embarrassment.
End of the flashback.
After recalling the contents of that book, I finally remember how to defeat the tentacled hag nicknamed Yamanba, so I jump away from her attack and stop my assault against her.
"What happens? Not moving anymore? Have you finally given up and are you willing to give me your body?"
Ignoring Yamanba's arrogant questions, I turn around and approach Hana. "Hana, do you remember what we talked about on that garden bench?"
In response to my off-topic question regarding the situation, Hana seems a little confused and nervous, not knowing how to answer.
"You told me about your dream,remember? Helping people smile to make a better world. Honestly, it seemed like a somewhat innocent dream, but also very beautiful. But you won't be able to move toward that goal if you allow that monster to continue controlling you with its cruelty. You have to stand up to it."
"What?! No, no, that's impossible! I can't do that!" Hana replies with instant denial.
"Ha ha ha ha! What a joke at a time like this! Do you think that useless woman can stand up to me? Stop making things up out of despair!" Yamanba gloats, starting to deamining Hana.
"That girl is nothing more than a pathetic beggar I picked up off the street when she was all alone and molded to serve as a tool for my plans. Since she wasn't strong enough to serve as a proper vessel, I tasked her with finding someone worthy of hosting my essence, and she failed even in that."
"She's a complete disgrace. The only thing she's good at is embarrassing me. I think it'll be best to get rid of her when all this is over and find a new pet who actually listens. Anyway, no one will miss her when she's gone."
The witch's demotivating words upset and frightened Hana even more, so I grabbed her trembling shoulders and looked directly into her face with an unwavering gaze.
"Don't listen to that twisted old witch's nonsense, Hana. She's only telling you all that because she's afraid of you, because she knows you're the key to defeating her." I say with strength, making Hana open her eyes in disbelief.
"What would I have to fear from her? I am a witch who has lived for centuries fighting against great warriors who thought they could defeat me, including you, and they all failed. There is nothing I could fear from that little piece of trash." Yamanba continues with her gloating.
"Then why don't you attack me now that I'm standing still?" I remark, making the witch twitch, not knowing how to respond.
"I-I was just curious about what you were trying to do. I can beat that bitch anytime I want. In fact, I've done it before." She responds with a certain lack of confidence, causing Hana to rub her flushed cheeks.
"Yes, but that was before this appeared, right?" I say, grabbing the pendant around my neck. "You can attack if it's one of the two things separately, but not if they're together, and that's why you waste words instead of taking actions right now."
My words seem to affect Yamanba, who tries to continue justifying herself and despising Hana, but she no longer seems as insecure as before, so I take the pendant off my neck and put it on Hana as we continue our dialogue.
"Hana, you have a wonderful dream, and you can achieve it, but you won't if you don't do anything by yourself. Right now, I could carry you in my arms and run away from here to never see that bitch again, but then the memory of that old hag belittling you will haunt you for the rest of your life."
"You have to stand up to her and bring out all the goodness you hold inside that enormous heart of yours. And you must do it not only for yours and mine, but for the smiles of all those you will help to smile by being yourself."
"But what happens if I mess this up too? I just don't have the confidence to do it. " Hana states, needing one last push.
"I do have it, and it's enough for both of us. Whether you succeed or not, I'll be right here by your side, supporting you. No matter what." I declare, noticing the sudden brightness in her eyes and the blush on her cheeks.
"Enough of this sentimental drivel! If you want to defend that trash so badly, then disappear together with her into oblivion!" The witch Yamanba screams with a mixture of anger and fear, floating in the air and beginning to emit a dark wave of anger, frustration, malice, and contempt.
However, both Hana and I seem completely unaffected, and giving me a look as if asking for my approval, I nod confidently before saying, "Go for it, girl."
Hana then begins to walk towards Yamanba with a serious expression on her face until she is standing in front of her.
"Do you think you're the star of this story now?! The only one one who matters here is me! You're nothing more than a...!"
"SHUT UP!!!" Hana screams, interrupting Yamanba mid-sentence. "I'm fed up with putting up with your abuse and helping you with your twisted schemes! I won't let you bully me anymore!
As Hana begins to grow bolder, the pendant around her neck begins to glow with an eery light amidst the wave of evil, like a beacon guiding lost souls to safety.
"From now on, everything I do will be in pursuit of my own ambitions! I will dedicate my efforts to creating a better world where people like you have no place! I WILL DEFEND EVERYONE'S SMILES!!!" With this last scream, the pendant suddenly bathes everything around Hana in a big light flash of pure goodness.
"No! How did you?! You'are only—!" She screeches, but it is too late, as her figure disintegrates in the warm light emitted by the pendant.
After the light fades, Hana, feeling relieved of a great weight she had carried for a long time, looks at me bewildered by what just happened, to which I give her a big smile before she rushes to hug me with teary eyes.
"I knew you could take care of that monster. Now she won't cause any more suffering." I say in a gentle voice as I stroke her hair as she starts to cry in a mixture of fear, relief, and joy.
A while later, with the situation calmed down and the two of us now separated, Hana wipes away the streaks of tears that run down her cheeks, walks to one side of the wretched house and brings me the ten boxes of Hormone Cookies that the witch had in reserve.
"For these cookies, I'd prefer they'll stay with you. For me, they're a reminder of the atrocious moments I had to endure serving that wicked witch and the evil intentions she had for using them. But if it's about you, I'm sure you will be able to put them to good use." Hana says, smiling with a tone of pure gratitude.
Grateful and encouraged by her offer, I nod and grab the stack of Hormone Cookies boxes, and the next instant they transform into the restricted card I had been searching for. Card No. 33 Hormone Cookies, S-rank: After eating this candy, your sex will temporarily change for 24 hours. A set of 10 boxes; 20 cookies per box.
With the mission completed and another restricted card in my possession, I breath a sigh of relief and store the card in my binder. Even if it was all a simulation, I had thwarted a malicious plot with an evil witch and saved a cute girl from a dire fate so it's natural that my confidence grows.
"Very good, Hana, now you are completely free. There is no evil elder woman forcing their selfishness and ambitions upon you. You can do whatever you want and live however you want. What do you think?" I tell Hana as I start walking towards the door.
"Yes, that's true. I think I'm going to become an apothecary after all. Even if I learned herbal medicine to help someone who was bad, I still want to use and expand that knowledge to help the people for real." She says with a convinced smile.
"That's wonderful. I wish you the best of luck with it. I know you can do it." As I say this phrase to say goodbye, Hana suddenly closes the distance and kisses me on the cheek.
"I want to be able to show it to you too and see you smiling again, so come visit me again sometime even if it's only to chat a bit, okay? After all, you're someone very special for me, my savior." She requests with a playful smile.
As I leave the scene with the promise to Hana that we will meet again someday to go for a date, I repeat in my head that it was safe to accept that kiss instead of rejecting it because it wasn't in the mouth, and remember that my journey on Greed Island is far from over.
And as I walk down the street with these thoughts swirling around my head, and feeling a sense of accomplishment after my success in getting the "Hormone Cookies" card, suddenly someone calls me from behind.
"Please wait a moment. Just wait a second."
"?"
"!"
Right in front of me appears a cute young girl with pink eyes and blonde hair neatly tied in two long pigtails ending in curls, one on each side of her head. She can be seen wearing a sleeveless dress, a bloomer with a mantle and wide skirt donned over it, and gloves and plain leather shoes, all covered in ruffles made up of the colors soft pink, bright pink and white.
"I'm so sorry to bother you, but I heard you were looking for me all over the city. So... I've come to introduce myself in person. My name is Biscuit Krueger, it's a pleasure." The newcomer announces, feigning a shy and innocent face.
I, for my part, am stunned for a second.
'What's with this situation? I had already resigned myself to not running into her in this city. Why has she decided to show up now that I was planning to leave? Perhaps she's trying to take advantage of the cards I've acquired. In any case, I finally have her in front of me, just as I wanted, so I'll play along.' I think carefully before answering.
"Likewise. My name is Kai Ikeda, and it's a pleasure to meet such a lovely lady like you, Biscuit-chan." I say, giving a slight bow.
"You can refer to me as Bisky if you prefer." She says with a pleased smile.
"Okay Bisky. Now, it's true that I have been searching for you all over the city, but I found no clues anywhere and thought of leaving. So that makes me wonder... why have you decided to come and introduce yourself to a stranger like me right now?" I ask.
Biscuit looks away and fidgets as if she was embarrassed to give me her answer, although I know that it's all an act. "The truth is, the group I was with before broke up a few days ago due to a series of misunderstandings that put them on bad terms with each other, leaving me here all in my own, so I've been doing miscellaneous jobs all over the city to pay for the accommodation and to hire someone strong to take me with him."
"And when I heard that someone was specifically looking for me, I admit I got curious about what kind of player you were. So... I've been watching you from afar."
"Wow, that's pretty sinister. Sounds like something a stalker would do." I say, pretending to feel disturbed.
"No, no! It's not like that! I just wanted to check if you were someone I could trust! There was no ulterior motive!" Biscuit replies, pretending to be abashed.
"Well, I'm not exactly a model of perfect behavior either, inquiring about your background all over town behind your back, so I could say we're even." I say, scratching my cheek, somewhat uneasy. "So, what conclusion have you drawn after taking a look at me?"
Biscuit clasps her hands together as if in prayer and looks at me with bright eyes as she answers.
"In the battle you had earlier in that house, you not only demonstrated the skill and determination worthy of someone who has dedicated every moment of their time to honing their abilities, but you also demonstrated your immense empathy and kindness by helping that girl overcome the traumas that tormented her."
"Seeing that convinced me of your character. There's no other man like you on this entire game. I'm sure of it. You're exactly the strong man I've been waiting for all this time. The only one who can help me achieve my goal here."
"So I implore you; please let me accompany you on your journey! I have some restricted slot cards, and I promise I'll be of help! I won't be a burden. Please take me with you!" Biscuit asks me, getting fully into character with teary eyes.
Seeing the performance she's putting on to convince me, I decide to stick with that script. "But of course I accept to take you with me, my pretty damsel. To meet and ally myself with the mysterious, elegant beauty whose praises are on the lips of every player on the island is the reason why I came to this city."
"A delicate, noble-looking young lady like yourself shouldn't be trying to survive alone in this place. So, until we achieve our goals together, it'll be my pleasure to protect you along the way as your knight, my beautiful princess."
Honestly, I'm overcome with deep embarrassment as I kneel down and offer my hand to Biscuit while saying all these corny phrases like if I were in a theatrical play, but the effect is evident with Biscuit's cheeks blushing and her gaze lost as she takes my hand in acceptance.
"It is for me too. I'm in your care from now on, my knight." Biscuit replies, honestly mesmerized by all my compliments.
"Alright. With this I've finished all the searches and commitments I had planned here. If you don't have anything pending on your end, we can head now towards our next clue on the journey, Bisky-chan." I say excitedly, and upon receiving the nodding of a charmed Biscuit, I begin to lead the way of our newly formed group.
A time of walking later, in the outskirts of the city, as the nightfall looms and the stars begin to twinkle above, I receive a notification in my head that Nicholas has been successful in arresting those responsible for the kidnapping cases.
'Awesome! Looks like Nicholas pulled it off! I knew I could count on you, champ!' I internally congratulate Nicholas on his success in the mission as Biscuit and I finally leave Aiai City behind for the time being.