Date: August 13th, 2011
After the unexpected fight to the death the other night, I set about reconnoitering the terrain in search of the lake near Aiai where Hisoka had bathed in the canon, and after wiping away my sweat and cooling my head in the water I slept like a log until late the next day.
After waking up and realizing how late it is, I pack up camp and return to Aiai to continue the quest while the memory of that clash echoes in the back of my mind like a catchy song.
In the city of love, things continue as usual. The streets are colorful and lively with businesses, players keep hitting on attractive NPCs, and everyone smiles warmly and joyfully at the chance to enjoy dating such attractive girls, even if they aren't real.
If you look closely, you can also find female players being hit on by male NPCs, but they are much less common than male players having lucky encounters with female NPCs. Clearly, whoever designed this part of the game was a man.
Either way, I try not to get distracted by these picturesque and lovable scenarios of people acting lovey-dovey and stroll around the city in search of the next event to participate in. My senses are sharps and my mind is focused as suddenly, a familiar voice calls out to me from the distance.
"Kai! There you are!" Hana yells, approaching me with her hand waving in the air and her face beaming with excitement. "I've been looking for you. Do you want to hang out for a bit with me today?"
At seeing Hana reaching me, I smile glad to be able to continue the storyline I started yesterday with her.
"Sure, I'm free for the moment. What do you have in mind?" I ask.
She grins mischievously before answering. "There's this amazing cafe-restaurant I know. It's a bit hidden, but it's got the best food in town. I would really like to introduce it as a thank you for yesterday."
Upon hearing Hana's proposal, my instincts instantly tingle with wariness. In spite of her genuine enthusiasm and the possibility of uncovering another event, I still can feel that there's something fishy going on with her proposition.
'The last time I followed the path to find a restricted card, I let my guard down and had to face a new, quite strong monster and the raid of a group of players. This time I must avoid being so reckless and think more ahead.' I reflect before giving Hana my response.
"Okay, I gladly accept. A brunch would be perfect right now. I haven't had breakfast yet." I respond with a smile that hides my concerns.
"Oh yeah, it's great! Come on, I'll guide you!" She says very excited, leading the way while holding my wrist.
As make our way through the winding streets, I take notice of my surroundings with my eyes and my En, searching for someone or something out of place until we eventually until we eventually turned into a secluded corner of the street and descend a narrow staircase into a basement.
The shop is indeed hidden, with no storefront or sign to indicate its presence and being in an area not visible to passersby. Despite my wariness about the chilling establishment, I enter together with Hana because of my piqued curiosity.
Inside, despite my initial worries, the local is posh, cozy and filled with the pleasant aroma of breakfast and freshly ground cafe, just like a good restaurant. While I appreciate how good the place looks, Hana leds me to a small free table in a corner and orders our brunch to one of the employees.
A short while later our orders arrive. Hana has waffles with blueberries and syrup accompanied by fresh orange juice, while I eat a pepper omelet with a side of tomatoes, a couple of avocado toasts with smoked meat, and a couple of cups of freshly prepared latte.
As we enjoy the meal, we pass several minutes in the establishment chatting about our lives and enjoying each other's company.
"It must be difficult to take care of your grandmother all by yourself without anyone to rely on. Did the herbs from the other day help with her arthritis and sarcopenia problems?" I ask.
"Yes, very much so. Thanks to the medicines, her pain is subsides and she regains the use of her limbs. After you said goodbye to us yesterday, my grandmother was able to move around the house to do chores and even go for a walk to exercise. And it's all thanks to you." Hana says with a grateful smile.
We continue chatting and laughing about this and other topics for several minutes until only Hana's juice pitcher and my latte remain on the table, both of us having finished our meals.
"Hmm. I must admit, this place has been very satisfying. I could easily get used to having brunch here everyday." I say pleased while sipping my latte.
"I'm so happy to hear you say that. In that case, I have something else for you." She says bringing out a box from her pursue.
"It's my favorite, and they sell them at a very popular store in the city, so I wanted to give them to you as a little something for saving me from those brutes yesterday. Here, try one. I assure you that you will feel like a new person after taking just one bite."
Despite Hana's innocent and harmless words, my guard immediately goes up when I see her opening the box. Taking into account the rare card I'm looking for in this city, I can't help but be alarmed when I see her picking up one of the many cookies from the box and holding it out to me with sparkling eyes.
"Thanks, Hana, but I'm not really in the mood for sweets right now. Especially after eating so well." I gently decline.
"Nonsense. There's always room for dessert, and I've bought them exclusively for you. Come on, say aaahhh." She says with tenderness in her eyes, bringing the cookie closer to my face.
'This is bad. She doesn't seem willing to back down. There's no other option; I'll have to create a distraction.' I think with eyes of horror, conjuring my hidden Barrage Orb with In and launching a aura blast to one of the walls of the premises.
This causes a loud explosion that startles everyone in the local, and gives me the opportunity to "accidentally" lift the table in my fright and stain Hana's clothes with juice and coffee.
"Oh, my god, what was that?! Has there been a gas leak, or are we under some king of attack?!" Hana asks pretty hectic like the rest of customers.
"What does it matter what it is? We have to get out of here!" I state, gently pushing her outside.
After everyone has left the cafe-restaurant and the initial hysteria has subsided, in the border of the street, I take out some napkins and tried to clean up the mess on Hana's clothes.
"Really, I'm so sorry, you have no idea. It's just... I got startled by the explosion and got up without meaning to." I say sincerely, regretting it, as I rub the stains.
"It's okay, Kai. We were all scared when that explosion happened. The important thing is that no one was hurt." Hana says, unfazed and without showing resentment.
"No, it's not right. This is my fault, so I have to fix it. Come on, I saw a women's clothing store earlier near the third intersection; we'll find something for you to change into. And don't worry, I'll pay for it, so pick whatever you like."I say, leading her by the wrist.
Hana simply nods and follows me around as I had done with her before. At the store, I buy her blue jeans and a white sleeveless top to replace her stained blue spiral-patterned outfit, and after leaving we spend the rest of the day exploring the city, enjoying each other's company with various activities.
The tourist guide I got in Heart's Desire proves very useful in this situation, as its advices allow us to keep on stimulating conversations nonstop and visit several points of interest where we have a great time. Overall, it was very rewarding and pleasant.
After several hours of walking and soaking up the city's culture, Hana gets a bit tired and we decide to sit down to rest on a bench in a garden decorated with various brightly colored flowers, which is also one of the city's popular date spots, and we let the floral scent of the place cleanse away our fatigue and calm our nerves.
"It's a beautiful place." Hana says with a soft voice.
"Yes. It's perfect to take a rest and clear your mind of all the stressful thoughts while enjoying the company." I say, admiring the beautiful scenery.
'Perhaps I should bring Ponzu here. Since she has to watch out for the bees on her hat, she'd surely appreciate a place with so many flowers. Although I haven't yet confirmed if I could bring someone without a ring. I might get banned by the Game Masters if I try.'
"It's also a perfect spot for a snack. The sudden explosion in the cafe-restaurant interrupted us earlier, and you didn't get a chance to taste them. But now's the perfect opportunity to pick up where we left off." Hana says, suddenly taking out one of her cookies again. "Okay, open your mouth wide and give it a bite."
'And there goes my peace of mind.' I think freaked out. "T-That's not necessary, Hana. The truth is that I'm not hungry right now."
"Oh, don't say that, Kai. I'm sure a gentleman like you wouldn't do something as boorish as reject the food that a pretty girl bought especially for you, right? So stop resisting and enjoy the treat. You'll surely enjoy it." Hana says, holding the cookie very close to my face with an adamant and expectant look.
'Ahg, she's still going on about those damn cookies. I need to try and change the subject. What did the guide say...?'
As I think carefully about the section on interesting talking topics to get closer to your partner, I have just the right thing to say flash through my memory.
"Hey Hana, do you have a dream? Something you desire to make in the future?" As I ask this desperately, Hana stops on her marks and shows a little hesitation.
"Why do you ask me that now?" She asks.
"Well, I thought that sharing our dreams would be a good way to get to know each other on a more intimate level and strengthen our connection. I'm sure you must have a dream of some kind, right? I'd love to hear it." I make up in the act, inspired by the guide.
<
Hana freezes for a moment before lowering her hand with the cookie and answering. "I... I really like seeing people smile happily."
This catches me by surprise as Hana turns her head and continues.
"I don't know why, but I've always felt more cheerful when I see people smiling genuinely. Even as a little girl, I've always focused more on people who were smiling than on people who were sad. It uplifted me."
"I believe that people who smile can encourage others who don't to strive to do better, and that smiles can light the way to a brighter future. That's why I want to help bring smiles back to the faces of people who have lost them."
"I have learned to make various medicines with plants, so maybe I could one day become a pharmacist or apothecary to help people who feel unwell and make them feel healthier so they can smile again."
"Like you do with your grandmother?" I add, trying to contribute to her speech.
However, my good intentions backfire as Hana's expression becomes more grim.
"Yes, like that. Although I haven't really decided yet. There are other ways I could contribute. Perhaps I could dedicate myself to helping people I meet in trouble on the street, or paint beautiful pictures to cheer the people as a hobby. The possibilities are endless." Hana states, backing back from her previous boldness and sporting a smile that I easily recognize as fake.
Seeing the air of sadness that suddenly surrounds Hana makes me feel somewhat uncomfortable and sorry for her, but I immediately try to shake those thoughts out of my head. 'Pull yourself together, Kai. This is all part of the quest. You must remember that she's an NPC, not a real person. Don't get carried away by the flow.'
Apparently abandoning her intention for me to try the cookies, Hana puts them away and gets up from the bench before turning to me again. "I might have gotten a little carried away on this date. I think it's best if I head back home to my grandma. Kai, could you come with me?"
"Yes, of course. After what happened yesterday and the explosion earlier, it's best if I escort you. You never know what might happen." I say, getting up too and offering her my hand.
She takes it, her delicate, soft hand holding mine as we walk the road back to her home. After a few minutes, we finally arrived at her house and she lets go of my hand with a somewhat conflicted look.
"Well, here we are. It's been quite an entertaining rendezvous, but it's time for us to close it and go our separate ways." I say, trying to dismiss her with a fake smile to hide my discomfort.
"Yes, we should. Thanks for today, Kai, and for walking me home too. I hope we can see each other again." Hana says, giving me an unexpected warm hug before heading inside.
I smile and turn to also leave to continue with my schedule, but as I walk a couple of steps away, I feel something in my pocket. Reaching in, I pull out a small note that reads: "Help me."