Reunion

The party had just left the bustling city, and as soon as they were far enough away, Hajime retrieved their bikes. Without hesitation, they were off, traveling swiftly along a well-trodden path carved by countless travelers over the years.

"Hey, Hajime!" I said. Hajime looked back. He looked at me with a curious glance. 

"What is it, Selena?"

"Did you know I come from a world where yours is just this fictional story from a country called Japan? And right now you're not even halfway through the plot? Not only that, I helped change several of the events around also! Now do you get why I'm always trying to stick around?!"

At least that's what I wanted to say. Yue's piercing gaze rested on me as we continued down the trail. The silence stretched, heavy with unspoken words. Finally, I broke it. "Are you going to keep staring, or are you going to ask the question?" I teased, glancing back at her. "I know you're curious about why I took control back at the guild and accepted the job Hajime was trying to avoid."

She remained silent, but I pressed on. "You heard what the guildmaster said. Those monsters we killed just outside the city—they're not native to this area. Something is off." I turned to Hajime, catching the confused expression on his face. "We can't handle this alone, Hajime. No matter how much you want to."

"Mm," Hajime muttered, his brow furrowing as he mulled over my words. After a moment, he sighed. "We just need to reach the lakeside town of Ur and get this over with. Having the head of a guildmaster in your back pocket isn't a bad idea."

His reluctant acceptance was a small victory. I felt a pang of guilt for manipulating the situation, but deep down, I knew Hajime would need these connections in the future. Yue and Shea watched our exchange in silence, their expressions a mix of amusement and apprehension.

Deciding to lighten the mood, I grinned. "Hey, I heard they have rice in Ur."

Hajime's eyes lit up slightly. "Yeah, I can't wait."

"Rice? What's that?" Yue asked, her curiosity piqued.

"It's a staple food from our homeland," I explained. "Not the most exciting thing, but it's comforting."

Hajime's tone turned exasperated. "Tortillas can't be eaten alone."

"Of course they can! Just fry them, and they turn into delicious, crispy chips," I shot back, grinning.

"Rice can do the same thing, and it tastes better," Hajime retorted.

Before the debate could escalate, Yue intervened. "The wind feels nice," she said, directing her words to Shea, who nodded enthusiastically.

I chuckled, letting the argument drop. "Sorry. When we return to our homeland, I'll show you all the beauty of tacos."

Hajime sighed. "I have to admit, though, when Yue cooks, it always tastes better."

Yue smirked. "Clearly, rice is superior. I've never even heard of tortillas."

"Same," Shea chimed in. "Although we use big leaves for food. Is that what you mean?"

My jaw dropped. "Wait. There are no tortillas in this world?" I stared up at the sky, devastated. "This world doesn't know the glory of tortillas."

Hajime chuckled. "Looks like you broke her," he said, watching as I spiraled into despair.

"It's not our fault," Shea defended, crossing her arms.

Yue's voice turned somber, almost reverent. "Perhaps… tortillas are a myth in this world."

"Yue, you're old as dirt, yet you've lived in a box your whole life!"

"No! There has to be tortillas somewhere!" I protested. "You two must know about this. Shea, you've lived in a backward tree city—"

"HEY!" Shea and Yue shouted in unison, glaring at me.

"Just let it go," Hajime advised. "She'll forget about it soon enough."

Shea frowned. "Is she crazy?"

"I could hit her with Draconic Thunder. That might help," Yue offered, static crackling ominously around her hands.

The conversation carried on in a lighter tone as the group made good time toward the lakeside town of Ur. Using telepathy, we chatted about random things while Shea, at one point, dozed off mid-ride. When the town finally came into view, we decided to dismount and walk the rest of the way.

The sight of the shimmering lake took my breath away. The water sparkled under the afternoon sun, and the air was filled with the bustling activity of townsfolk returning from the fields. Many carried shovels, hoes, and other farming tools. Clearly, Aiko's innovations were already making an impact on the town's agriculture.

"We need to check in with the guild," Hajime said, his voice breaking the peaceful moment. "But I also want to find the inn Ilwa recommended."

A passerby eyed us curiously, likely noting that we were newcomers. Deciding to approach them, I put on my most charming smile. "Excuse me, could you tell us where the guild hall is? We're also looking for a good inn."

The man was captivated by her appearance but eventually replied. "Umm… The guild hall is on the north side of town, and the best inns are located on the south side."

"Thank you very much," I said, bowing slightly in gratitude.

Handing me a letter, Hajime spoke. "Here, take this. You can check in at the guild for us. We'll catch up with you later." He delegated reporting to the guild. They all split up. Shea and I went one direction while Hajime and Yue went the other, Hajime on the other hand clearly had rice on his mind as he searched for the inn to find.

With that, we split up to tackle our respective tasks, the lively town of Ur welcoming us into its fold.

"Oh! Do you think we should go get some fish, Selena? At the trading city fish was so expensive, but I bet here it's cheaper!"

Shea's voice filled with excitement. I wonder if the Fish here was like the fish back home. "I know how to cook thanks to my mother. Anything we should try?" 

"We should probably grab some rice, would go nice with the fish."

"We should check the spices too!" Shea was clearly excited. 

What was your mom like? This was something I did not remember about anymore. 

She was the strongest person I knew. Shea had looked as if she was looking back at the past. Back when I was younger I was bullied since my hair color was different. But my mom would consult me, tell me I was strong. 

"She told me that I would find people like me. You, Hajime, Yue, people that I can relate to and find common ground with. My mom knew I was gonna find people like me. Somehow she knew."

"Mom…"

Shea gave Selena a quizzical look.

"Did you not have a mom?"

"No, I'm afraid. I was an orphan."

That was just one part of the truth. In this life I was an orphan, but in the other…

I remember my past. I remember my mother and I, always bickering, every other conversation seemed to be a debate. Yet, there was plenty of love between us. I try my best to remember her, but her face was somewhat blurry to me now. Shea woke me from my stupor as she embraced me in a hug.

"I'm sorry that happened to you." Shea told me.

"Don't worry, beautiful." I tapped her head, feeling the soft curls strands of her hair. 

"I think we should head to the guild, now."

Both of us went to the guild. Entering the hall, the gazes of dozens of men began to wander to us, their eyes scanning Shea and even me. 

"Hey! Why don't you two join us for some drinks?"

One of the other adventurers called out to us, his voice laced with desire. 

"We should ask the receptionist for nearby markets for fish!"

I put a hand on Shea's slender shoulder, guiding her to the receptionist. 

"It'll be ok, I got you."

"Hey! Knock it off before I knock you down!"

The rowdy adventurers quickly kept their voices down. Even the one that clearly wanted Shea and I decided to start looking the other way. 

"Seems to be a nice receptionist, at least for the moment." 

Shea smiled at me, as we went towards the reception desk. A tall and gruff man with a weathered face looked at us, his eyes thankfully not undressing us immediately. 

"Don't worry about those noisy bunch, we get these types all the time. All bark and no bite." I flashed a smile at him, glad that he's not just another pervert trying to look at Shea or me. 

"We've gotten used to it.." Shea's head nodded in agreement. 

"What can I do for you?" He had a professional smile. 

I pull out the latter from my pocket. "We are here to report before we head to the inn our part will be staying at." Hand the latter over the man look at the seal see it was from Fuhren guildmaster 

He opened the letter and read what was on it. "Mm I see I will inform our guildmaster later. It's good to hear that we got another strong team to check on the other party." the receptionist did not seem to hold any prejudice towards being told women would be doing this job. 

"Thank you, by the way you would happen to know where the best prices for rice would be."

"As a matter of fact I do." He quickly told the girls who to go to. 

As they both walked out of the building, the man they had rebuffed was waiting there with another two men. 

"there you are, you little slut!!" the venom lacing his words. 

"I'm going to need you to come with us or else." he spat the last words. 

Shea looked ready to pull out Druken, but I held her hands. "I got this." 

Shea shrugged since she didn't care one way or another who took them out. 

pouring chakra into my eyes I look at the three men and I try to put them under a genjutsu. The men's eyes glazed over for a moment.

"aaa…aaa" the men started bleeding from their nose.. see that i grab Shea and quickly walk away since people began to stare where the yelling coming from. 

"What was that?" Shea had not seen this ability. 

"Well it is a skill for my eyes" point at my spin sharingan. 

"So why did they start to bleed from their nose?" she seems curious more than put off by that display of skill.

"Well it was supposed to be an illusion but I think I over stimulated and thus you saw…" 

"It's still awesome!!! you didn't even need to throw a single punch bam they're down for the count."

"Hehe it works on weak people but I tried on Hajime and he activated limit break to break out of it. And Yue it never works.. she is too good at mana control." 

"Ooh so want to try it on me?" 

"You sure? I'm not good at this still"

"What's the worst that can happen? I want to help you out. It is like my skill that lets me see possible futures. without using it, how will you get good?"

"Yea, thanks Shea Hajime and Yue don't like my eye abilities."

We end up going to the market to look for the person that the guild receptionist told us to look for.

some time later.

"Hajime! We got the rice!"

Shae shouted at the top of her lungs as she threw open the door, grinning with excitement. I followed behind her, struggling under the weight of a massive load of rice and fresh fish. Unfortunately, we hadn't been able to find any spices, much to Shae's disappointment. She had been practically bouncing the entire trip, eager to bring all this back for Hajime. She hadn't stopped talking about it for even a second!

As we entered, we saw Hajime and Yue sitting at the table. Hajime gave us a casual wave as we approached, setting down our haul. Without hesitation, he quickly stashed everything away, as if it might disappear if left unattended.

Standing next to him was a very familiar woman who seemed thoroughly exasperated. She huffed, clearly annoyed that Hajime was paying us more attention than he was giving her. Meanwhile, Shae eagerly took a seat across from the table. I settled in across from Yue.

Aiko, the woman beside Hajime, finally spoke up, her voice tense. "So, who are they?" she asked, gritting her teeth as she eyed us suspiciously.

Hajime, unfazed, simply shrugged. "Thanks for the food, guys. We'll save it for later. I already ordered something for us to eat. Curry. You guys probably haven't heard of it, but I guarantee you'll like it."

"Curry?!" I exclaimed, perking up at the mention of it. "I mean, I can eat curry, but I'd rather have tacos…"

Hajime smirked. "That's too bad. Just shut up and eat."

Right on cue, an old man arrived with steaming plates of curry, setting them down in front of us. The aroma was rich and tantalizing.

"Just admit defeat," Yue said, taking a spoonful of curry. She closed her eyes as she savored the taste before swallowing. "Mmm." A satisfied smile spread across her lips. "It's good."

Shae eagerly followed suit. "Mmm! It's so good! Now I really wish we could have found some spices from this place!"

I grumbled to myself. Team Taco was alone in its struggle.

Meanwhile, Aiko seemed completely thrown off. She had barely gotten a word in before we had steamrolled into a whole other conversation. Now, she was trying to catch up, her frustration boiling over.

"More women, huh, Hajime?" Aiko huffed, crossing her arms. "Who even are they? I'm your teacher! I'm only looking out for you!"

Hajime, completely nonchalant, gestured toward us. "That's Selena and Shae," he said, pointing at each of us in turn. "And they can speak for themselves."

Shae wasted no time. "Hajime and I are in love!" she announced proudly. "He was even my first kiss!"

Aiko's reaction was immediate. "He was what?!" she practically shrieked. "How can you be cheating on this poor girl, Hajime?! I don't believe it!"

I chuckled as Hajime shifted uncomfortably, slightly flustered by the accusation.

"Now, listen," Hajime started, rubbing his temples. "First of all, mouth-to-mouth isn't a first kiss, Shae."

Shae tilted her head. "What do you mean? I thought we agreed that we were all in a polyamorous relationship!"

Hajime's face darkened. "When the hell did I ever say anything to that effect?! And where the hell did you even learn that word?!"

Aiko, who had been about to go off on another tirade, looked even more horrified now.

Hajime, looking for an escape, suddenly turned to me. "This is Selena. She's been pretty quiet. Why don't you say something?"

I smirked. He quickly realized his mistake.

"Oh, Hajime," I said, my tone dripping with mischief. "I didn't know you had taken the next step."

The peanut gallery, which had been watching this spectacle unfold, erupted into whispers.

"Wait, isn't that Selena?"

"Look at her chest! She always had a nice size, but now…"

"So both of them survived the fall… What the heck happened to them to make them look like this?!"

"Does Hajime do it with all of them every night?!"

That last comment made me burst into laughter.

Just as the room descended into chaos, a dark aura suddenly filled the air. The chatter died down instantly as Aiko slammed her hands onto the table, eyes blazing with fury.

"Is one woman not enough for you, Hajime?!" she demanded. "I can't believe you! You need to stop two-timing and pick one!"

She then turned her glare toward me. "And you!" she jabbed a finger at my face. "Don't think I didn't catch that! I'm your teacher! Stop adding fuel to the fire!"

Aiko took a deep breath before continuing, clearly exasperated. "Both of you need to rethink the way you act!" she huffed.

Then, suddenly, her expression softened as she turned to me. "Also, I'm glad to see you alive, Selena. How have you been?"

I hesitated. I couldn't say too much, not in front of the knights who were silently observing.

"It's been… something," I finally replied.

Aiko frowned. "What happened after you fell?"

"We went through hell," Hajime said simply, and I nodded in agreement.

Her eyes flickered with concern. "How come your hair turned white?"

I smirked. "Because I went through even more hell."

Aiko's frown deepened. "And your eyes?"

I sighed dramatically. "I thought bleaching my hair would look cool, but the bleach got in my eyes." I rubbed them as if I was recalling the sting.

Hajime raised an eyebrow at my answer, clearly unimpressed.

"Hey Yue, what's Bleach?" Shea grabbed onto the weird word Selena said.

"Why didn't you both come back to the party?" Aiko pressed.

He shrugged. "I didn't have a reason to."

Selena chimed in, "Where he goes, I go."

"What happened to your eyes" look at my scar and Hajime eye patch.

"It happened while going through hell." "A cat won that fight." I look towards nowhere in particular. Though in my head I could not help laughing. 

"What kinda cat can leave scars like that?" one student said.

Aiko slammed the table. "Both of you need to take this seriously!"

At that moment, one of the knights who had been watching finally stepped forward.

"Is that how you talk to your teacher?!" David, one of Aiko's bodyguards, challenged, stepping into the conversation.

And just like that, the chaos escalated yet again. I couldn't help being amused at the love struck puppy. 

"We're eating here mind your manners…" Hajime took a spoon of curry after telling that to David. 

"The nerve. Is that how you talk to a templar knight!!! I'll have you know that I'm an elite member and that's why I'm here guarding your teacher!!!"

"Umm," Hajime didn't even give the knight the time of day. 

"I will not be looked down upon by some who dine with beast-men." He turned his body towards Shea. "Maybe I should cut those disgusting ears off, maybe then she will be acceptable!!" He was getting heated. Yue look at him with contempt 

"What? Do you have a problem!!!" He eyed Yue. "You're not even Saint!!"

"Small men are so sad. Something so irrelevant as race…" venom lacing her words.

"How DARE you!!!" He moved to pull out his sword. Aiko tried to calm him down, seeing that things were getting out of hand. 

Bang!!

Crash.

I had my mouth stuffed as if watching this like anime and enjoying the sheer chaos. 

Everyone in the room turned to look towards Hajime's gun. Soon the man who had served our food stepped into the room and it was like the pause button clicked off. The other knights start to let out a pathetic blood lust. 

I released my bloodlust, quickly dousing them and they all took a step back.

"So are you going to mind your manners?" Hajime said his tone was a bit playful but from the look of our classmate they saw the devil given how freak out they got. 

"Excuse me, do you have tortillas here?"

"Umm no I'm sorry I don't know what that is.." The Chief said in a rather confused tone quickly switching gears. Man he's good, didn't even miss a beat.

"Give it up." Yue said in a dry tone. 

"Never!!!! My passion for tortillas will not let up." 

The aura of the room that had been tense up until now quick changed and i got odd looks from our classmate since they were not use to food preference. Use my eye I gesture toward Shea Hajime to see that Shea mood had soured. Hajime let out a silent sigh. 

"Hey Shea don't let them get to you." Hajime seems to be putting effort into consoling her. 

"I didn't know people found my ears so disgusting." 

"No they are fluffy and cute he just says that because he was brainwashed to think that way.." Yue said try to get her to move on. 

"You could hand them their ass so stop worrying about it," Hajime said. Well at least he tries even if it is such a violent way I guess. Were my thoughts. 

"What do you think about my ears Hajime?" Shea looks at him with her play with her ear. 

"They're alright I guess…" 

"Baby step…" I whispered to myself.

"He likes them a lot." Yue didn't want Shea's mood to stay down. "He rubs them when we sleep together."

"You promised you wouldn't tell!!" Hajime shows the hint of red. 

"Ooh. So you really do like them." She rebounded fast as always. "Do you want to rub them later!!" 

"Cough cough" Aiko seemed to have recovered and was trying to get the conversion back on track. But before she could get another word in.. 

"Excuse me Hajime-dono may I call you that? Where did you find such an artifact?"

"Ya Hajime" one of the boys said "that gun, wherever did you find that??!!" He was oddly excited. 

"Gun? You know what that is?" 

"Well ya it's a weapon from our world. Where did you find it?"

"So Hajime-dono, is that something you build yourself?"

"Yea I made it…" he said in a neutral tone. "And before you ask, no I will not help make it or give you one so give it up." 

"But a weapon like that could help us win." 

"Yea and would allow your weakest soldier to help… the answer is still not give it up.. But if you want to try to steal it, be ready to die before the real war starts." It let our bit of his blood lust quickly cowing the other knight who were growing annoyed with Hajime attitude. 

"Hajime you need to be nice!!!" Aiko did not like how Hajime handled the situation. "Look, I'm sure Hajime has his reason for not wanting to share. But there is no need to fight for every little thing!!"

"Sigh," Hajime finished eating before continuing. "Look, I'm not going to tell you where I've been, or what happened. I'm here for a job and going to finish it and move on. Do what you want, go where you want. But you better stay out of my way because he wasted your only warning shot." The other knight had picked up David. 

Hajime got up and we all followed suit. But just before Hajime could start walking. 

"Hey Yuka, do you want to say anything?" Throughout the whole time she never stops looking at Hajime and seems to have something to say. 

"Umm," Yuka looked quite meek at that moment. "Thank you Hajime…"

Hajime looked confused.

"I mean, for saving me on the bridge!!" Her voice went high pitched.

"Oohh from getting your head split. That was no problem." Hajime said offhandedly. 

He started to walk away soon after. I gave her a wink since I didn't want her to have regrets. God only knew that waiting for the right moment would never happen unless I made one. It reminded me about some of my choices where I could have kept friends around but didn't due to me not saying something sooner. 

Yue was eyeing Yuka. Only for a moment longer than the rest. 

"Both of you can't just leave." Aiko looked at her wits end since the talks broke down. The rest of her words were muffed as we closed the door, leaving Aiko and her Defense Squad behind.

We decided to call it an early night, but sleep eluded me. The room they had booked for me felt comfortable enough, yet I found myself tossing and turning on the bed. A restless energy coursed through me, a mix of excitement and anticipation that refused to settle. After what felt like an eternity of trying and failing to sleep, I finally gave up.

With a quiet sigh, I sat up and stretched before making my way outside. The night air was cool and crisp, carrying the gentle scent of the lake. The full moon hung in the sky, its silvery glow casting shimmering reflections over the still water. 

Walking along the stone wall with practiced ease, I soon found myself perched atop the highest point of the building. From this vantage, I noticed a set of makeshift steps leading to a separate room. It wasn't hard to guess where they led—most likely to Aiko's room. If I had to take a guess, Hajime had gone to talk to her about the gods.

Letting my thoughts drift, I settled at the edge of the rooftop, gazing out over the lake. The wind whispered softly around me, rustling my hair as I took in the peaceful scenery. The reflection of the moon rippled slightly with the gentle movements of the water, creating a hypnotic dance of light and shadow.

Then, almost imperceptibly, the air shifted behind me.

I didn't need to turn around to know who it was. Hajime had arrived, silent as ever. Given my awareness, he probably didn't feel the need for stealth, so he must have used Air Step to leap up here effortlessly.

A small smirk tugged at my lips as I greeted him.

"Hey, Hajime. How's it going?"

I was still lost in thought, my mind already moving ahead to the next potential member of our crew. Who would join us next? What kind of trials awaited?

Without a word, Hajime moved beside me.

Clang.

The soft sound of metal signaled as he sat down, his artificial limb tapping lightly against the surface.

For a moment, neither of us spoke. We simply sat together, watching the moonlight dance upon the water.

Finally, I broke the silence.

"So… how did it go?"

Hajime exhaled through his nose, tilting his head slightly. "About as well as you'd expect."

I turned to look at him. "So, she believed you? About the whole god thing?"

He let out a small, dry chuckle. "Yeah, she took that part surprisingly well. But the part about someone throwing us down a pit? That one was harder to swallow. Aiko couldn't believe one of her precious students could be capable of murder. ha"

"That sounds like Aiko," I said, offering a small smile. "Did you like the feeling?"

Hajime gave me a puzzled look. "What do you mean?"

I giggled. "Getting a lecture from our teacher."

He let out a sigh, shaking his head. "Out of everything from our old world, that's something I never looked forward to." Despite his words, his tone was slightly lighter, less weighed down.

I lean back and rest my back on the rooftop looking up at the star in the sky. "You know, we've been moving around so much that we haven't really taken in the sights. But this river, it's beautiful." I gesture with my hand at the lake knowing Hajime was watching, but I wish I followed what I said…

Hajime followed, looking towards the lake. "Yeah… it is."

he hesitated before continuing. "But it's just…"

"Not home," I finished for him.

I nodded. "I know you want to go back. But we can't always be thinking about the next step. Sometimes, we have to slow down and—" I smirked. "Smell the roses."

Hajime didn't respond immediately, but I could tell he was considering my words. Finally, he exhaled and nodded slightly. "I guess so." 

"What do you want out of this Selena?"

"Mmm.. I love our time on the road. although I could do with less of hearing your nightly activities." 

"You're one to talk. I've seen that Shea isn't exactly subtle.". 

I rolled my eyes. "Please. After hearing—or feeling—the shaking most nights, tell me you wouldn't be frustrated." 

"Yue can be very persuasive…" he didn't seem to want to talk about this topic much more than that… "And what about you, Darth Vader? You snored so loud that got us in trouble quite a few times down in hell."

"Smooth..." I murmured, exhaling softly.

I sighed. "I'm just always tired."

Reaching up, I stretched my hand toward the night sky, as if trying to grasp something just out of reach.

"Oh yeah, how's the flying artifact coming along?"

"Making small things fly is easy, but..." Hajime trailed off.

"Got it. Still needs work," I mused. "I want to touch a cloud one day."

"You know they're just gathered water, right?" He didn't seem to understand why I'd dream of something so odd.

"Does it have to make sense?"

"Guess not. But I want to make a jet out of magic one day."

Not wanting the conversation to get too heavy, I changed gears. "What about Gundams?"

Hajime let out a giddy laugh. "Haha! First, I need to get the flight working properly. As for beam weapons… hmm, maybe if I focus fire into a forced blast..."

"You also need to make your shield bits smaller," I pointed out. "They're way too bulky right now."

"True, but the smaller they are, the less I can pack into them... hmm, maybe... no... what if—"

At some point, Hajime pulled out a notebook and started scribbling ideas. He scratched out thoughts as fast as he wrote them down, his mind racing through possibilities.

Our conversation continued, winding its way through ideas and half-formed theories. The flying artifact still needed work before he could tackle the mech project, but that didn't stop him from dreaming. I got the chills that didn't come from the breeze, but it passed by as soon as it came… 

We sat there, letting the cool night breeze brush against our skin, the wind whispering around us. The world felt still.

Some time later, we both returned to our rooms, letting sleep take us as we prepared for the next day.