“Urgent Report 7304-CA-IGP-56-U


    Protocol broken. Be advised. Demonic forces lessened the attack on Marsun. Suspected regrouping. Potential renewed offensive. High potential new front. Advise all eyes across the Frostwind.”


    - Confidential Letter, On Desk of Inquisitorial Office of Volksgrad, “Urgent Report on Demonic Activity”


    <hr><hr>


    Kimura Hanabi, or Hanabi Kimura, if going by the conventions of this world, was a particularly troublesome outlander. In class she wasn’t a delinquent, but she had certainly been one of the teacher’s least favourite. She didn’t dress too outlandishly, nor did she contribute much to the classroom, but she was there. And because of that, for the past year, she had been trapped here with others from her class, though a few did slip through the Astralian church’s grasp.


    Trapped in a new world, she wanted to do things. To experience the world. To see it and change it with her own hands.


    They had subjugated goblins, trained to be part of something bigger, even did a few ‘quests’ on their own to help out the city and local villages. But those opportunities were few and far between, and even then, it mostly went to the kids in the class president’s group or those Sensei Eva deemed to need more practice. With her being competent yet not outstanding, she was mostly left to do whatever. But whatever under the watchful eye of the church, was no fun at all.


    So she did the one thing she could only do in a new world where her teachers didn’t hate her yet. She negotiated. She would stay at the Academy, and therefore under some form of surveillance. But she was mostly allowed free reign, provided she forfeited the benefits granted by the church for saints and saintesses in their care. A deal she readily took without a second thought. Which then left her in the unenviable position of needing to actually get a handle on the concept of money, seeing as the church no longer paid for any of her expenses.


    For the first few weeks, there wasn’t much need. But when she realized that anything related to doing things outside the Academy would require monetary exchanges, she despaired. Thankfully, a friend she made in the church, a younger lightwarden named Lorraine, told her of an off campus party that might let her meet some people. Thankful for any such opportunities, she seized it and found herself facing a new problem.


    She was energetic, excitable, but didn’t like socializing too much. Finding the pressures of trying to understand others is an anxiety inducing task. She attempted a few flaccid greetings and tried to retain her composure while taking everything in. It turned out, there were a lot more beastkin students than she thought!


    Still, she mostly sat on the sidelines until who she assumed was the host, a wolfkin called Tavaevia, introduced herself and dragged Hanabi along. Fidgety but appreciative, she was too focused on trying to find the right words to say when the two of them entered into a larger room with a few other students already partying away. It left her wondering just what she might have missed back in her old life whenever others would get together. But before she had more than half a minute to dwell on the thought, an angry drunk redhead approached her. Before Tavaevia or herself could react, she felt a pair of hands cup her face and pull her in for a kiss.


    Shocked, she could only try to process what was happening when Tavaevia reacted by, rather forcefully, shoving the drunk girl to the ground.


    The offending girl seemed none the wiser and just picked herself up. Or at least tried to and ended just coiling herself around Hanabi’s legs rubbing her chin on them.


    “I’veee missed youuuu, Sooophieee!”


    Flustered, bewildered, but still capable of action. She could only hotly reply, “Ummm, I’m not Sophie.”


    The girl was a little too drunk to understand, but when she moved towards Hanabi to sniff her, she froze.


    “Oh.” Was all she said.


    The next hour was filled with new friends, new explanations, and a lot of pleading from the now slightly less drunken girl for forgiveness. She was on the verge of tears when Hanabi tried to casually dismiss the incident. After all, it was more than evident that the girl was trying her best to forget about something or another with how heavily inebriated she was.


    But insistent on making proper amends, Hanabi felt bad if she refused, especially seeing how sincerely apologetic the girl was. So she made an offer that she was certain the girl wouldn’t even remember anyway.


    “How about you help me find a job in the city? Let’s meet just before the afternoon at the Academy pier?”


    <hr><hr>


    She didn’t know why she had waited, just in case. She especially didn’t know what to make of the fact the same drunken redhead now seemed like a completely changed person. Nor why the same girl was now awkwardly standing next to her with her head hung low. Or why there was a small pixie looking creature that occasionally popped out of her shirt’s pocket.


    “Kimu-err, Hanabi Kimura. It’s nice to meet you!” She bowed politely, chiding herself for still occasionally forgetting Sensei Eva’s lesson that the people of this world tended to prefer using first names instead of their family names.


    “Uhh, ummm, my name is Aryana. I’m so sorry lady saintess, please forgive me.” The girl bowed even deeper.


    Hanabi wasn’t exactly overly self conscious, but seeing someone do this in public was a little embarrassing. And the little thing in her pocket might fall out too!


    “But I’ve already forgiven you, so please. Also I am not a saintess anymore. I quit.” She tried to whisper the last part.


    She was proud of her choice, but she at least knew enough from sensei’s lectures that saying she had rejected the church and the honor of being a saintess might not be the brightest of plans to announce publicly. Judging by the girl’s eyes widening in shock, she could tell there was at least some truth to that belief. She grimaced as she noticed a few eyes land on them. Thankfully, their strange meeting was somewhat mitigated by the fact that at the Academy pier, there were plenty of students who had their own little rituals and what not that they might perform before heading to and from the Academy.


    “Come on then, Aryana-san, you can ask me questions as we eat.” She tried to urge the girl to move.


    Reluctantly, Aryana seemed to go along with it, “Definitely a vaettagh...” The girl muttered something strange.


    “Hmm? Waiter?” Hanabi asked, looking at herself to see if a part of her outfit resembled that of a butler’s or a restaurant waiter’s.


    “Ah!” The girl let out a startled squeak, “I meant no offense lady sain-errr, Miss Hanabi.” She tried to bow again, “It just means saint in my language.”


    “That’s fine. And you can just call me Hanabi, Aryana-san.” Hanabi froze, “Ahh, sorry, force of habit, Aryana.” She smiled, only for a troublesome thought to creep up. Wait, did she say ‘my language’? Ah no, is she not a local?


    “I feel like I’ve heard it from someone before. What does ‘san’ mean?” The girl asked.


    “It is just an honorific. Umm, like Miss or Mr.” She tried to explain.


    “Ohhh…” The girl nodded thoughtfully.


    “And umm, do you mind if I ask you a question, Aryana?”


    “Eh? Ah? S-sure?” The girl let out a flustered squeak.


    “Are you… not a local?”


    “Errr… what?”


    “As in, are you not from the city?”


    “Uh, no?” Aryana seemed a little confused.


    “I see.” Hanabi acknowledged the new information. Whoops, seems like I got the wrong person to help. Though that’s on me for not asking around.


    “Umm, Miss Hanabi?”


    “Just Hanabi is fine.”


    “Where are we going?”


    “Well, the cafe for one. I’m a little hungry.”


    “O-oh.” Aryana squeaked.


    Scholar’s Rest welcomed both students and non students. Though it was relatively filled during this time of day, they were able to grab a seat and treat themselves to a small meal. Only with some food and a juice in front of her did the redhead seem to relax a little. Hanabi herself merely wondered what would be the next step to her plan of finding some, hopefully, exciting work. Maybe find Ryo-kun and Jun-chan, last I heard, those two were doing pretty well.


    As they quietly dined, she could see the redhead occasionally glancing up at her. The little creature from her pocket meanwhile, had climbed out to also partake in the meal. It was almost as if the girl was trying to check for something, and upon noticing her staring back, the girl immediately dropped her gaze back to her food. How adorable.


    “You have a question for me?” Hanabi broke the silence.


    Aryana practically froze, much to her little creature’s amusement. It seemed to seize this moment of pause to wolf down some more food before fluttering in front of Hanabi’s eyes. Now she found herself also a little unsure on what to do. But as it zipped back and forth in front of her, she also noticed something about it. It seemed to be trying to track how her eye moved.


    A smug expression appeared on its face and Hanabi nearly fell off her chair when it zipped towards her face and tapped her nose. Gah! Fly?!


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    “Uhhh…” Hanabi muttered, growing increasingly concerned.


    “Yana!” Aryana called out from the other side of the table.


    The little creature tapped Hanabi’s nose, leaving a warmish spot that made her itch a little. It looked strangely smug, prideful even. But just as quickly as it touched her, it zipped back over to Aryana, settling back beside the plate of food.


    “That was…?” Hanabi asked.


    “I’m sorry Miss Hanabi!” Aryana clasped her hands together, “Yana’s a faerie. She’s a bit more willful than anyone ever expects.”


    “A faerie…” guess it really is a mythical creature. Though I doubt it’s a yokai, probably more of a yosei or something tamer.


    The fae, Yana, fluttered up between the two and posed with her hands on her hips, her chest puffed out to assert dominance.


    “Her reactions were muted for me, but the eyes cannot deceive thee. You saw me all along, and your doubts are now hopefully proven wrong.” Yana declared.


    “Hello? Yana… san?”


    “And now we’ve met, outlander, so that your mind won’t meander.”


    Hanabi frowned. She was certain it was likely that she hadn’t caught on all the nuiansces of the languages used in this world yet. But it seemed like the faerie was trying to rhyme. And that the last one didn’t really make any sense to her. She choose to keep her observation to herself however, no reason to offend the first mythical creature I see.


    “Right.” Hanabi settled for a curt nod.


    This seemed acceptable to the fae creature, who quickly returned to her meal. The move prompted a small sigh of relief from Aryana. Which brought Hanabi back to the main issue at hand. No more dancing around the subject, I guess.


    "I quit the church’s program.” Hanabi told her counterpart, “It just… wasn’t for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not going to rebel or anything bad. I just needed my own space.”


    “E-eh?” Aryana shot up in surprise.


    “That’s what you were wondering about, right? Why I said I’m not a saintess.”


    “Ahh…” The girl let out a soft gasp before lowering her head, “Yeah. But can you really just... leave?”


    “I mean, I did." Hanabi chuckled, "That might also be why I was looking for something that could replace the church stipend for living expenses. And why I thought someone who was a local could probably help introduce me to something. But well, heheh.” Hanabi chuckled.


    “Wha-? Ah… sorry.” Aryana seemed a little more depressed.


    “It’s fine, it’s fine. I couldn’t have known.”


    “Ah, but then… but then I can’t make up for what I tried to do.” The redhead mumbled, now looking positively dejected. Oops.


    “It’s nice to make new friends though.” Hanabi tried to cheer her up.


    Aryana offered a half hearted smile, but Hanabi could tell her heart wasn’t quite syncing up.


    “I mean it! Haven’t gotten many chances to get to meet people outside of classes or church.”


    “Heheh.” Aryana giggled a little.


    “I wouldn’t be the first one leaving though.” Sensing her chance, Hanabi tried to drive the topic to a more serious level, “There used to be more of us ‘saints and saintesses’ but a few have left church oversight.”


    “Oh?” Aryana was at least, a little interested. A small success.


    “A while back, two of us. Ryo-kun and Jun-chan, ahh, err, those are just honorifics. Ryo and Jun left on their own to do… well… something. All I know is they sometimes meet us to tell stories and it all sounds so exciting.”


    “Oh wow…” Aryana mumbled, “Hey wait, Miss Hanabi, do you mean Ryo and Jun? The adventurers?”


    “I told you that you don’t- Ohhh adventurers sounds about right. Huh? Do you know them too?!” Hanabi pressed the matter.


    Aryana empathically nodded, the girl spurred on by finding something relatable to connect to the outlander with. “They’re part of “Dragon Wagon”, it’s an adventurer group name.”


    “Huh.” Hanabi munched on a somewhat dry piece of pork, “Do you know where they’re staying?”


    At that Aryana looked sheepishly away, her movement evoking a small tut from the faerie.


    Yana’s little noise drew the two humans to cast their attention on her. Delighted at being noticed, she flicked a stray bean at Aryana’s face, making the redhead duck as it sailed past her face.


    “While where their home is, you could not have known.” Yana flapped her wings, “There is a guild where their profession is sown.”


    Hanabi turned to her companion and found the girl’s eyes widening in realization.


    “Of course!” Aryana mumbled to herself, “Of course, the guild would have information about them. Or at least a way to contact them, for sure. Thanks, Yana.”


    Yana now looked insufferably smug, “It is but a trivial matter to remember for illustrious Yana, but also try to sort out your own memories, Aryana.”


    “Look there’s a lot to worry about every now and then, alright?”


    Yana twirled and rolled her eyes, or at least Hanabi thought she did. “Perhaps that is true for you, silly little redhead. But do remember that without me you’d be dead.”


    Hanabi balked at this statement. That’s rather direct. But what does she mean?


    Aryana on the otherhand, seemed more calm, though a little bit more somber. She just grunted and moved to give the faerie a tiny pat. One which Yana proudly accepted.


    “And I thank you everyday for that.” Aryana said, no trace of discomfort on her face.


    “To honor the fae guarantees good health, so do convince the dastardly elf to spend her wealth. Treat us to more meals, with scrumptious foods like… veal!” Yana nodded approvingly at herself.


    “Pfft. I’ll try.” Aryana snorted.


    The two certainly had a strange dynamic, it''s nice, compared to how dry the church staff can be sometimes. And if she needed anymore confirmation, it was clear that the tiny humanoid was more than what she first seemed to be. She’s also somehow keeping Aryana alive? I wonder what magic they’re using. But ah, here’s my chance.


    “The guild?” Hanabi asked.


    Aryana nodded enthusiastically, “Yes! The Adventurers Guild. I bet they’ll know more about your friends. Ahh, they’d also be a good way to try and make some light income. At least that’s what Sophie tells me.”


    Fair enough, Hanabi nodded, an income would be- ah! That’s the name from yesterday!


    “Who’s Sophie?”


    Aryana instantly reddened, the girl’s cheeks turning an adorable shade of red. An instinctual smile snuck up on her face. Oh my.


    Perhaps a bit embarrassed, she tried to look anywhere but at Hanabi when she answered. “Sophie’s my… girl… friend.”


    Everything made sense now. Hanabi had her own moment of realisation. So that’s why she tried to kiss me. I must look a little like her girlfriend. Hahah, she chuckled to herself, that’s cute.


    “A most despicable and utterly vile elf, if you encounter her best beware your health.” Yana growled.


    “Y-yana!”


    Yana snickered and landed near food once more, “I jest. She is mostly fine. That is where I’ll draw my line.”


    “Hmm, sounds like quite the character. She an adventurer too?” Hanabi chimed in.


    “Y-yes!” Aryana enthusiastically affirmed before she seemed to startle herself, “Ah! She might even be at the guild today.”


    “Hai, then it’s settled.” Hanabi decided, “Let’s go there after lunch?”


    “Really?”


    “It is as good of a plan compared to the none I had so far. Assuming you know the way.”


    “Of course!” Aryana beamed.


    “For now, let’s finish eating.” Hanabi sighed, such spirit over a person, how enviable.


    <hr><hr>


    Sophie and Mila spent their afternoon at the guild’s bar and cafe area. The food was admittedly more rustic than what she was used to on campus, but it worked. There was a strange feeling in Sophie’s chest as she looked over to the inquisitor. On one hand they were worlds apart in terms of profession, but on the other, they were similar in far more ways than one.


    Mila was suffering, that much was evident. Sophie could only hold out some hope that if their promised meeting with Annalise does happen, then hopefully, the girl could get a few answers that she seemed to sorely need. As awful as their current situation was at discovering the corpse pit in the direktor’s house, it was at least something that allowed Mila to grasp onto the fact that they were doing something for the greater good. For Sophie, it was just another part of her own puzzle against Arantos and his cult.


    Still, ignoring Arnold’s presence and the eerily revived Runebound, she couldn’t help but feel that things were only going to get worse from here. Judging by Mila’s trademark scowl having only grown compared to before. Or at least the mental image she had of her from before. She doubted that the girl would disagree.


    The two of them were exhausted though. Their push through the rat filled corridors had taken a stronger toll than they had expected. It didn’t help that Sophie felt like she potentially lost a year or two of her life just from breathing in all the putrid fumes and rotting rats. She almost wished they had dealt with another weevil swarm using Kewjie fruit. At least that’s a fruit, and definitely natural. Unlike those half undead rats. Sophie grumbled.


    “Ehuem, excuse me! Do you know where the adventuring party Runebound is?” A familiar voice called out. Huh? That sounds like Ary?


    “One second.” Aralyn’s voice replied.


    Honing in on the sound, Sophie glanced over to the front desk where a familiar freckled redhead was standing. Unexpectedly, there was also another taller girl, who also sported a ponytail and black hair like that of Sophie’s. But her skin indicated that she was not the same. Bizarrely, Yana’s tiny form was currently atop her head. Huh? Who’s that?


    “Ary?” Sophie unwittingly called out.


    She watched with amusement as the girl perked up and started looking around the room, unable to quite clear the crowd. Sophie waved to catch her attention, delighting in the joy that brightened the girl’s face upon catching sight of her.


    Ary traded a few words with Aralyn before she practically dragged the strange girl over. Upon closer examination, Sophie noticed something crucial about the new arrival. She looks like an outlander.


    Mila, having finally caught on to something happening, stopped drinking her soup to follow along. Only arching a brow at Sophie before returning to her meal, her scowl lessening a little.


    “Sophie!” Ary cried out and practically tackled her.


    Sophie absorbed the blow and retorted with a kiss to the girl’s cheek.


    “Eheheh. Sophie.” Ary giggled, “Mila, hi.”


    “Lady Aryana.” The inquisitor acknowledged without missing a beat.


    “What the hells are you doing here?” Sophie chuckled.


    “Missed you!” Ary cooed before bopping their noses together.


    “Besides that, silly.” Sophie pecked her forehead, making the redhead bristle a little.


    “Met friend at party, friend curious about friend, talked, friend curious about guild.” Ary breathlessly explained as she snuggled against Sophie.


    “Oh-hoh-hoh? And who’s this?” Sophie smiled at the newcomer.


    With a relaxed yet professional posture and well practiced movement, the newcomer bowed.


    “Hanabi Kimura, or just Hanabi if you will. Nice to meet you.” The girl introduced herself.


    “Eh?” Isn’t that…


    Mila’s tableware clinked against her plate. The two of them shared a glance. That’s definitely a saintess!


    “Sophie-san, Mila-san. Aryana has told me much about you. I was hoping to ask if…” The girl clapped her hands together, “you’d let me join your team.”


    Sophie tried to speak but couldn’t. Huh?!


    All Ary had was a sheepish if somewhat apologetic expression on her face. Ary! What did you do?!