Chapter 42: A Grandmaster Job

Tamie and Kokujin were soon transferred to the second floor, as the newly arisen Grandmistress and her muse. Once, when she was eyeing the papers of Grandmaster jobs on the second floor, she heard a familiar manly voice:

“Hey, Tamie…”

She turned around.

“Ah, Shiba! Good morning!”

“Morning. You’re looking for a job to take?”

“Yeah. It’s my first time ever taking a Grandmaster job, but I guess since they give more money for those, I’d like to try my luck”.

“Well then, can I ask you to accompany me as a partner on the job I’ve chosen? You’d gain more experience if you took the first job as a partner. Furthermore, I’m in dire need of your language skills,” Shiba showed her the paper, “Lord Nick says you speak nine languages, and I need a Japanese speaker to accompany me”.

Tamie blinked in surprise at first, but once she eyed the paper, she understood Shiba’s request – the job demanded Zodiac Masters to arrive in Kenshin and stop a dark order that operated from behind the shadows in one of the little towns. And, as Tamie knew, the official language of Kenshin was Japanese.

“Well, what would you say?” Shiba smiled, “You are a strong Zodiac Mistress too, so I wouldn’t mind splitting the income”.

Tamie looked at the reward in shock – five hundred and thousand Yans?!

“Damn, I’d gladly help!”

“Oh, thank you so much! Then it’s settled. We’ll go to the harbour this evening, so pack your things up”.

Thus, Tamie got her very first Grandmaster job. She rushed into her brother’s room and relayed the story to him. She jumped in joy and hugged him. Nick chuckled and congratulated her on such a grand event. Then, Tamie ran down into the hall and retold everything to her ‘sisters’. They too were happy for her.

“Congratulations, Tamie! You rock!”

“Thank you so much, girls! The paper says we must hunt down a dark order called Shadow Ninja. I’m so excited – I’m going to Kenshin for the first time in my life, and to fight a whole order!”

“Hmm… Shadow Ninja Order? That’s one of the most famous orders in Kenshin…” Riza put a hand to her chin. “Are you sure only the two of you can make it?”

“Shiba is strong. I hear he is the Tamer Class, Beast Rank. That’s the highest rank of the Tamer Class,” Jannah said.

“Hmph, the Tamer Class? He doesn’t even have a pet. How can he be the Tamer Class? Right, Blizzard?” Tiger caressed her dog, who barked and wagged the tail.

“Hmm, I wouldn’t agree with that, Tiggie,” Rianna cut in, “Shiba had a pet when he first joined our order – a giant dog, Bruno… a Saint Bernard breed”.

“Really? Where is he now?” Tiger petted her three animals.

“They say he died the day Shiba reached the Beast rank when he was gone on one of his missions,” Olivia said, “At least, that’s how Nora has told me”.

“Ah! That is… so unfortunate!” Tiger regretted she had talked so harshly about Shiba.

Silence fell for some minutes. Then, Riza broke it:

“Still, I don’t think it’s good to let only the two of you go alone, even if you are both Grandmasters”.

“Yeah, I think so too. That’s why I’ve decided to come with you!”

Tiger grabbed Tamie’s hand and embraced her. Riza widened eyes and put her hands to her waist:

“Now hold up, there! How can you accompany them? You’re not even a Grandmistress yet, Tiger. It’s dangerous!”

“Aww, come on! Shiba’s a Tamer like me. I’m sure he’ll teach me a lot if I accompany them,” Tiger argued. Christo walked up to them and rubbed Tiger’s feet with a proud purr. “See? Christo agrees with me!”

The girls laughed at such a remark of hers. Riza heaved a sigh:

“I’m coming too, then. I can’t let you go alone”.

“Hurray!”

Tiger and Tamie jumped in happiness and gave each other a high-five. Riza chuckled at their childishness.

In the evening, Shiba and Tamie, who had packed their things up, met at the door as they had promised. But so great was Shiba’s surprise when he saw Riza and Tiger too had accompanied Tamie!

“Huh? I thought only the two of us were going”.

“The plans have changed, bro. Deal with it,” Tiger stuck out her tongue.

“We were too wary to let you two go alone,” Riza explained, “Even if you are Grandmasters, Shadow Ninja is a dangerous order. What’s more, it’s across the ocean, in a foreign country. I think one cannot be too careful in this case”.

“Don’t worry, Shiba,” Tamie tried to justify her action, “I promised the girls I’d split my share with them”.

“Ah, no, that’s not the issue at all! We can share the whole income in four, I don’t mind. Are you all ready?”

“Yup!”

“Um… Have you alerted the Magister, Riza?”

Shiba smiled with quite some fear – he didn’t want to receive Edmund’s wrath for taking his girl on such a dangerous mission without his permission.

“Of course. He gave in to me and let me go”.

The friends laughed. They left the Order building and headed towards the harbour, whence their new adventures would start.