Friendly Neighbourhood Baker?

Mizuki lifts her head, eyes now red-rimmed and puffy. Wiping her face once, she grips onto the dress Hinata threw at her. It's a red cotton dress with a high collar but this one goes all the way until her ankle. On the way down, she notices how there are wet footmarks across the ground, meaning Hinata should've already seen the mess left by her.

The door out back is wide open, pushed around by the incoming wind. Mizuki skips wearing the petticoat so she can afford to move around, pinning her hair back with black paper clips and heading out the door.

Under the sun, the tear stains are a lot more obvious but Mizuki doesn't bother, setting her mind on the idea that she's going to make today a good day, be it with Hinata's help or without.

Mizuki refers to the map she found in her satchel earlier and she realises how a lot of the town is marked grey on her map. "I guess I'll meet other characters while I'm out here," Mizuki ponders. "I'll take up a couple commissions."

She clicks on a location on her map and then closes her eyes. When she opens them again, she finds herself in front of the headquarters of the Wanderer's Union. She grins proudly, glad she got the hang of teleportation on her first try.

No one stares to question Mizuki's sudden appearance. She jostles past other adventurers, raising herself onto her toes to catch a glimpse of the commissions.

She hears whispers among the other men, 'Are you taking Mocha's commission?' 'No, I'll die if I eat that suspicious breadstick again!'. Her eyes fall on a request written in bright red, one by the alleged Mocha. Wetting the tip of her finger, Mizuki runs her hand over the words of the commission. It gets crossed out and vanishes, earning shocked glances from the other men.

[Commission Accepted: Friendly Neighbourhood Baker? - Visit Mocha's Bakery]

"One commission at a time," Mizuki thinks to herself, flipping her hair over her shoulder. The men continue to watch her with helpless expressions. A blue wisp-like arrow directs her towards the direction of Mocha's Bakery, where her commission is to be accepted. It's a short walk down the street, next to a moist and oddly suspicious alleyway.

"Is anyone here?" Mizuki peers into the shop, a bell ringing overhead as she steps inside.

"Oh my! Do you want to buy my bread?" A petite girl comes running out from the back. There are all kinds of pastries on display, cookies tied up in ribboned bags stacked on shelves and loaves of multi-flavoured bread next to the shop window. Mizuki takes a step closer, admiring the selection. "I'm Mocha, you should try my cheesy breadsticks~!"

"Are they good?"

"I don't know, I'm lactose intolerant so I always get a stomach ache after!" she exclaims in a cheery voice.

Mizuki wonders how she can. "What did you put up the commission for? I'm here to help you."

"Oh, lovely!" Mocha cups her hands together. "All I need is a list of items from the forest out of town and that'll be it!"

[Mocha's Ingredients List, x7 glass jars received]

"I'll make sure to return you with hearty rewards when you're back!" Mizuki bows politely out of habit before she leaves the store, excusing herself. She assumes it's going to be an easy task for h - to complete, maybe boring which is why there were so many complaints from the other adventurers. The ingredients drabbled on the paper state otherwise.

She reads: Wild Pumpkin, Boblin horns, Slime Condensate, salamanders and trapped moths. At the bottom of the paper, in almost illegible handwriting, is written: "Catch me a frog as well, thank you!".

Mizuki purses her lips, questioning what she has gotten herself into. Tying a leather belt around her hip, Mizuki tucks the sheaths of her daggers in them. When she straightens her back to adjust the bag around her, a sharp pain surges through her hip. She groans, attempting to comfort herself by rubbing it lightly. On her way to the forest, she spots an exclamation mark over Garden's head at the restaurant.

"Good morning," Mizuki greets with a warm smile.

"Ah, Mizuki!" Garden welcomes. "You're heading to the Blueblume forest, aren't you?!" Mizuki nods in acknowledgement.

"Could you get me a couple of Blueblume flowers?" Garden hands her a sketch of a flower.

[Commission accepted: Garden's Special Request - Find Blueblumes]

Garden jumps happily, thanking her profusely for the favour. Five hearts appear above her head, six grey and one red. Mizuki quirks her eyebrows. "Ah? There's a friendship system?"

"Hm?" Garden hums.

"No, it's nothing. Hi, Olive," Mizuki smiles. Olive waves meekly. Adjusting her satchel around her shoulders, Mizuki sets off on her journey. Where exactly, she'll find out some way or another. She always does, she always will.

Lucky for her, there isn't much searching to do, thanks to the blue wisp arrow that leads her in the right direction. She follows it carefully, often left dazed when it disappears around an intersection or corner. Mizuki realises she hasn't ventured far enough to see the castle gates before. There are two armoured knights at their post, wielding polearms.

Mizuki nods, passing them and they return her with the same. "Oh," Mizuki stands, breath-taken, outside the town walls. Blueblume forest is across a moss-covered stone bridge right outside the town, a whimsical forest. Even from afar, it looks magical and utterly enchanting, fireflies and tiny wisps of colour floating around amongst the blue canopies of the trees.

Mizuki can almost wonder how much better it would look at night when the insects come crawling out.

She makes ginger steps into the forest, scanning around to keep herself ready for any jumpscares. It's quiet, an eerie kind, in which Mizuki can even hear the thumping of her own heart. On the dirt path, she hears the quick scuttling of tiny feet. Beside the trees, her attention is caught by bright blue flowers. They're something like a crossbreed between tulips and bluebells, the cup of bluebells enlarged perhaps.

Mizuki bends, uprooting a patch. She catches three. She picks up a few more around her, growing at the roots of trees. Considering herself lucky, she even finds four or five growing on the shallow stump of a lopped-off tree.

She tucks them into her satchel, satisfied with her work. Mizuki navigates her commissions, setting it to Mocha's now in hopes of being led to a Boblin hideout or slime patch. She doesn't see the blue wisp arrow anywhere. She huffs.