An Elf Appears

While I stood inside the guild, I became the center of attention. Everyone rushed towards me, cheering for Mr. Satori. Their shouts rang in my ears. I could barely move. I felt claustrophobic from the lack of space.

The women began wrapping themselves around my arms in a romantic manner. Their sweet aromas filled my nose. The men were wrapping their sweaty, huge arms around my neck. Some heartedly chuckled as they challenged me to some training while others wanted to share a drink with me.

This felt worse than the fire drills at school. As someone who barely had social interaction, this became very overwhelming. Who just elbowed me in my chest? Who stomped on my foot? And did I bump into someone’s breast?

I scouted the crowd in hopes of finding Amada. We weren’t friends, but she’s the person who knew me the most. Maybe she could help me.

“Help me, Amada.” I pleaded with Amada, reaching out my arm to her. However, Amada ignored me and instinctively escaped the crowd, leaving me to rot. My arm slowly sank into the crowd. “That bitch!” I muttered to myself in anger.

The crowd’s rowdiness intensified. There was no way I could hold them back. I wanted to tell everyone about the situation, but I feared they wouldn't listen.

Eventually, the female employee behind the admission counter raised her voice. “Everyone, stop!” Her demanding voice stopped everyone in their tracks again. “Mr. Satori must be extremely exhausted after his return. So, let's give him some space.”

She secretly glanced at me, giving me a nod.

I responded with a face almost pouring with tears. “Thank you so much! Even though you were the one who initiated it, I forgive you!”

The crowd dispersed as everyone returned to their activities. I guess there’s an authority ranking here, too.

As the room cleared, I hurried to Amada, who was searching for something. I caught up with her and said, my sarcasm visible. “Thanks for the help back there.”

“But you looked like you were enjoying the attention… Mr. Satori. Pff.” Her chuckle couldn’t have been more obvious. Anger built up inside me, so I secretly raised my fist. Before I got my revenge from Amada, she stopped in place.

A rush of joy rose on her face. “Finally! There you are!”

Who is she talking to? I faced the direction she faced.

There was a petite girl, two tables away, wearing a small dark blue witch hat. She rested her head on her arms at an empty wooden table. She looked like she was in a deep slumber.

Amada shouted, excessively waving her hand at the sleepy girl. “Hey, Hinabe!”

Amada’s shout couldn’t wake Hinabe up from her deep slumber. She rushed to Hinabe with an evil grin on her face. She shoved the sleeping Hinabe like a linebacker. The sheer force knocked Hinabe to the hard, concrete ground, splatting like a pancake. She quickly woke up.

“Ow!” Hinabe grunted in pain, rubbing her head. “Why do you always do that?” Her voice sounded so soft-spoken and innocent.

Amada lay on the floor laughing at Hinabe’s reaction. “How else can I wake you up?”

Hinabe looked annoyed but was shy to speak up for herself. The bells in her silver-blue long double braids rattled as she recovered her hat.

I inspected Hinabe. She looked completely different from most of the people in the town. Her complexion was darker than Amada's, like smooth, caramel-colored skin.

Her long-sleeved dress matched the color of her hat. Her layered skirt reached just above her knee and stuck out slightly. But that wasn’t the most interesting part about her. Her ears. She had long pointed ears that stuck out like a sore thumb. She eventually noticed my curious, yet awkwardly long gaze.

I instinctively turned my head away, embarrassed after being caught red-handed.

She managed to get back on her feet and wipe the dust from her skirt. “Umm, Amada. Who’s this man?” She curiously asked while pointing at me.

“Oh, this is Mr. Satori.” Amada clarified.

Curse you, Amada! She knows I’m not him, so why does she have the urge to keep messing with me? I was expecting this girl to approach me like the others. However, she held her chin with a confused look.

“Are you sure this is Mr. Satori? This guy doesn’t look like the man in the stories.” Her gaze deepened as if she were looking into my soul.

“Yeah… about that.” Amada nervously rubbed her neck. “This is supposed to be him, but we used the wrong spell, so we have his doppelgänger. His name is Takumi Hitaro.”

Amada turned her attention to me, “Takumi, this is Hinabe, an elf from the Dryd Village.”

I couldn’t control my excitement. I mean, I’m standing in front of an actual elf. That’s so cool. I reached out my hand and shook her small, soft hands.

Then, Amada asked a question, “So, Hinabe, any luck in finding us more members?”

“No, not really. But the flyers are still up.”

“Mhmm… I see. Well, we should probably go and claim some quests.”

Someone in the guild overheard Amada’s question and shouted, “Mr. Satori, do you need another member on the team? I’m a good mage, so I can protect you from long-range attacks!”

Everyone else decided to put their names out there and tried to join the group. Another crowd formed around me. I felt overwhelmed again.

Amada suddenly thought of an idea, “Hinabe. Takumi. Let’s get some money!”

Hinabe and I quickly followed Amada through the crowd. We hurried towards the admission corner, where a tall board with various quests was displayed. The crowd followed behind us.

Amada grabbed the first quest she saw and ripped it off the thumbtack. I didn’t see what kind of quest, but given the situation, I imagined it had to be a combat quest.

We rushed out of the guild to the quest’s destination.

We raced through the busy streets of Stalu. The crowd pursued behind us. Bystanders stood confused by the large commotion around us.

That felt like paparazzi. Was this how the Cutsey Twins felt? I feel bad for them. How do they deal with this?

As we headed towards the quest, I asked Amada, “What kind of quest are we gonna do?”

“Let’s see…” Amada quickly scanned the quest. “Looks like our job is to kill some Gran Warthogs.”

“Gran Warthogs?”

“The Gran Warthogs are an invasive species that have infiltrated the capital.” Hinabe kindly explained. “They are huge, magical warthogs that attack civilians and ruin their crops.”

Wait a minute. They are expecting me to hunt down these warthogs, but I can’t do that. I barely do any physical activity back home. Even all this running is tiring me out. “Umm… I don’t want to alarm you guys. But I don’t think I can help out with this quest.”

Amada let out a slight chuckle. “Come on, Mr. Satori. You should still have similar powers to your past self.”

She must be calling that name on purpose. I really don’t like her. I would love to leave these guys behind. However, the crowd behind wasn’t planning on stopping. I had no choice in the matter and had to follow along.

I don’t want to know how everyone will respond when they find out I am a fraud. I am mixed with emotions. My thoughts were clouded with negative thoughts as we closed in on the destination.

…