Noble Lady

"That place..." Elizabeth said after they left the Emerald Smoke.

"What about it?" Yamato asked looking at her sideways.

"Do they sell information?"

"Hmm... Yeah, everything about Street Fight, you can find it there,"

"But isn't it too cheap?"

"Cheap?" Yamato shrugged. "One note might look too cheap to you but in truth we were ripped off. Didn't you see those fixtures on the board? There are bigger fights yet you can see them for free."

"Then.... why did you pay?"

"I didn't pay, I just tipped him for wasting his time," Yamato started explaining to her. In truth showing fixtures is not part of the service this bar originally offer. They only started doing it as a way to draw in costumers. After all most of their costumers are Street Fighters or those interested in Street Fight.

As time passed, because of this this bar became a sort of gathering place for Street Fighters where they can eat and drink and also discuss about Fights.

However even though big fixtures are written on the board, the smaller ones are not, as it'll take too much space to write down every fight most wouldn't bother with them. So the old Fox being a business expert made an official website were the Emerald Bar post all the small fixtures they know about there.

Yamato's phone was not a good model that's why he couldn't access the website directly. If could he would have been able to look for it in the Web and don't have to come here himself. That's why for wasting the bartender's time he decided to tip him. Normally he wouldn't do that but it's not his money so he has no heartache. Of course he didn't tell Elizabeth the last part; who knows how this noble lady will react if he did?

It's also a fact that Yamato felt slightly responsible for breaking that table the Fang brother fell on so he wanted to give something back to clear his guilt, even a little.

"We could have checked with a phone? Why didn't you tell me, we could have used mine," Elizabeth said, irritated that the long trek earlier was not necessary.

Yamato blinked feeling stupid. "I.... I didn't think of that,"

"Humph, you made me walk all this while for nothing now my feet are killing me,"

'You look alright though,' Yamato thought. It was true, Elizabeth didn't look like the trek had bothered her physically.

"Anyway does that place sell other information?" Elizabeth asked what she wanted to know. Her subordinates knows a few information brokers but she reasoned it is always best to know more.

Yamato was confused. "What kind of information?"

"Any kind besides street fighting..."

"Well I am not sure," Yamato said honesty. "That bartender said there's a fight happening in Dragon Zone..."

"Is that the place me and Saldo met you yesterday?"

"Yes, that's Dragon Park,"

Dragon Park is the park which Katrina lives in its woods, while Dragon Zone is the district that surrounds the park.

Yamato suddenly paused as something occurred to him. "Um lady... The fight is happening two hours later, we can't just go and wait there, do you have somewhere you want to go first....?"

"Hmm... Show this lady the famous Fighters Hall,"

"Sure but its too far. If you have money we could take the bus there instead of walking,"

"Good, after all I can't walk anymore," Elizabeth said surly. Yamato wondered why she's still pretending to be weak, in his eyes he discerned that she has some martial arts training and could run round Band E a few times without breaking a sweat, but he said nothing. Like that it was decided and they walked to the bus station.

At the bus station there was only one lone bus that was already full at that. Yet more people were trying to squeeze themselves into the bus.

Yamato and Elizabeth arrived in time. Now if they could squeeze themselves into the bus it'll immediately start moving. "Noble Lady, that bus is almost full, let's hurry over," Yamato said.

'Almost full?' Elizabeth felt like laughing. But outwardly she scrunched her nose as if in deep displeasure. "This young lady will not enter that bus and squeeze in with those people,"

"What's wrong with squeezing with people in a bus?" Yamato said genuinely curious. "How do you expect to take a bus in the first place?"

"Is this perhaps how buses are in Kreal city?"

"Of course. Is it different in your place?"

"In any decent city no one will enter into such a vehicle," Elizabeth scoffed looking at the bus filled to the brim with people that it looked like it might burst any moment and sighed in wonder. "In fact the bus driver will be arrested if even half the number of this crowd enters his bus at the same time. The transit company might even be shut down by the government and passengers will go to jail,"

Yamato frowned. "That serious?"

"Well it is for the people's safety you know?"

Yamato did not understand what she's saying so he shrugged and asked the most important thing. "If you are not taking the bus then we walk?"

"Are there no other means of transportation?"

"There's taxis... But it's very expensive,"

Elizabeth glared at him. "Does this miss look like she lacks money?"

Yamato suddenly realized his blunder. This lady is not like him that like money. "Not at all... you look like you don't lack anything,"

"Then let's go. Remember you are my guide that I am paying for it so don't look down on me,"

Yamato nodded though he was irritated at her in his mind.

Thus they walked out to the main street and quickly hailed a Taxi. "Won't you come in?" Elizabeth went in before calling out to Yamato when he stood there with a dazed look.

"Ah? Sorry," Yamato said and hastily slipped in. Sitting at the back seat of the vehicle beside this noble lady, he felt uncomfortable. What surprised him more is he could smell her sweet perfume that immediately assaulted his nostril in this confined space.

Yamato was immediately mesmerized. Despite being in his first year of high school, Yamato is not that close to girls. The only girl he hangs out with is Shandy. However because he and Shandy occasionally sit close to each other. He inevitably notices her enticing flowery scent that disturbs his mood.

His master too, when she steps close to him to teach him some moves, it takes a lot of willpower to not freeze in place and sniff. For some reason he's very sensitive to female scent.

Yamato thought of that while the taxi carried them towards their destination, the Fighters Hall.

Yamato didn't get why Elizabeth would like to see it or if it's really as famous outside Kreal city as she claims. After all that place is just an old temple that some monks maintain.

He didn't understand. Tourists usually go to the most beautiful parts of a city to look at impressive landmarks and beautiful gardens but this lady wanted to see the ugliest of places. Isn't this noble lady strange? Or maybe Yamato didn't know much about tourists, honestly to be fair he didn't.

Perhaps she thinks the Fighters Hall is an impressive place? Definitely she'll be very disappointed once she sees it and might even ask for a refund. Yamato thought pitying her.

At this point Elizabeth didn't have any idea that she looked pitiful in Yamato's eyes, if she knew, with her pride, she'll definitely be angry that she might vomit blood like those crazy martial artists.

The taxi continued driving towards the temple. Yamato had expected to sit in the car for more than twenty minutes but surprisingly before ten minutes the taxi came to a stop.

"We are here," the driver said.

Yamato wanted to sneer, believing that the man wanted to cheat them thinking they don't know the place, but he got a shock when he looked outside. He's indeed sitting outside the Fighters Hall temple. The car was parked in front of a barred red gate that led into a plaza. Inside the plaza,through the gaps between the bars, he could see the gray dome building with monks dressed in yellow robes mingling with normally dressed people.

'It seems the speed of a bus and a taxi is different,'

Yamato now understood why people took the taxi despite its higher fare. It was ridiculously fast. Normally it'll take thirty or so minutes to reach the closest bus station from their starting position. After all Kreal city is big, while Band covers almost half the city.

It also made it worse that the streets are crooked. So starting from Xulong back street to the middle of the Harbour district is a decently long journey if you take all the twist and turns into account.

Yamato felt the advantage of a taxi first hand. But it didn't mean he'll use one again because the fare is too expensive. Take this journey as an example. In a bus he'll only pay no more than a few coins but now Elizabeth paid five notes!

'It is also possible that the fare is this high because the driver wanted to ripoff tourists.. '

Thinking of that Yamato stepped out of the taxi and watched it drive away before turning back to the Fighters Hall in front of him.

"So this is the Fighters Hall, wow!" Elizabeth said. Unlike what Yamato thought she looked excited. "It indeed has the aura of Fight, a great arena just as it was described in the internet!"

Saying that Elizabeth took out a camera from her bag and started taking pictures. That was just the beginning of their tour of the city. Yamato being the guide led her to all kinds of places that are famous in Band E.

At late noon they had lunch in a fancy restaurant Yamato couldn't normally enter then went and watched the street fight.

When the sun started setting their little adventure came to an end. Spending a full day with this noble young lady, that will not be less than five years older than him, left Yamato feeling fulfilled. It was like he was on a date with his girlfriend.

Thinking of that he thought of Shandy, perhaps one of these days he should ask her out. But regarding that he felt fear of being rejected and hesitated.

"It seems our time together has come to an end," Elizabeth sighed as she handed him his pay.

Yamato received the money with a nod and started counting. These days it could be said that he's making a lot of money and spending less, maybe he should buy something he really needs.

Like a good phone. This way he can talk to Shandy and Zack even outside school and can also check about fights on social media. Besides keeping cash is too risky with parents like his own.

"Well, farewell then,"

Elizabeth hailed a taxi then drove away. Yamato watched the car disappear out of sight then shrugged. He turned around and left.

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Author note; don't know why I couldn't access my account since yesterday. I apologize for not posting...

I was forced to use ink stone now...