Chapter 17

“Well, Syorin is a meathead. She can't play a game even if her life depended on it.”

“I'm not a meathead!”

It was dinnertime. Neila had woken up, and Astill had returned from her mission. The four gathered in Syorin's room. Unfortunately, with how things were, they couldn't go to a tavern to enjoy some food, so Astill brought back some with her.

She had brought back some beefsteak with a lot of rice, and they enjoyed the food together. After they finished eating, they went into business.

“They had been looking for us,” Astill said. No one was surprised by this revelation. “There’s a group of people who have just entered the city this afternoon. They're looking for ‘a barbarian with long yellow hair, tied in a twin tail, and green eyes’.”

Syorin held her hair tie and took it off, letting her hair fall.

“Idiot, you really think that'll change anything?”

Kakashi and Neila, meanwhile, stared at Syorin. It was as if they had gained a new member in their team.

“You look unrecognizable.”

“I guess that's why girls spend a long time dressing up, huh?”

“She's not…”

After actually bothering to pay attention, Astill swallowed her words. Syorin looked very different. She looked like a prim and proper lady, entirely distinct from when she had her fighter look.

“You look less like a cheater this way.”

“I've apologized, okay!?” Syorin looked on the verge of tears. Kakashi had been bullying her for the last few hours. He challenged her in all sorts of games. Each time, she would try to cheat, but Kakashi would use her cheating against her. She hasn't won a single game against him.

“So, what should we do? Should we make a beeline for the Empire?” Syorin said awkwardly, not really subtle in her attempt to change the subject.

“That's stupid. You'll get us killed.”

“As expected from someone who cheated in a game.”

“Will you please forget about it!?”

“This city is your original destination, right?” Kakashi turned to Neila, ignoring Syorin's plea. “What was your original goal for coming here?”

Neila, Kakashi, and Astill exchanged glances.

“I came here to deliver supplies,” Neila said. When they arrived earlier in the day, she had gone to a shop and dropped off some goods.

“I heard there are a lot of jobs for dragon hunters around these parts,” Syorin said, prompting the three of them to turn to Astill.

Astill sighed. “I'm here to find the last two.”

Number four and number five, the two remaining test subjects. It wasn't clear where they were, or if they're still alive at this point.

“I heard rumors that one of them is still in the empire.”

The room fell silent. The only one there that didn't come here with a goal in mind was Kakashi. If the girls part ways, then he would need to pick who he's going with.

“I'm going with Astill,” Syorin said. Astill raised an eyebrow.

“I mean, might as well, right?”

“Do what you want,” Astill said, pretending not to care, but Kakashi saw her breathe a breath of relief. With Syorin on board, the answer to where to next was obvious, or so he thought.

“I… need to think about it.”

“Eh?”

Neila's response came as a surprise to all of them.

“Huh…?”

“Give me some time.” Neila stood up and left the room. Kakashi watched as she closed the door behind her.

“... Huh…”

“Why are you so surprised?” Astill asked. “It’s not like she ever said that this party would be permanent.”

“What was the agreement when you first came together?”

“Are you dumb? We told you that before.”

“No, I mean, like, that’s it? There’s nothing else?”

“No. Once we get to this city, it’s done.”

“It’s not done, it’s just we never reached a conclusion on what to do after we arrived here,” Syorin cut in.

“We never even discussed that.”

“Wait, we never?” Syorin scratched her head.

“No, never.”

Kakashi was left speechless. He knew that the girls hadn’t known each other for long, but he wasn’t expecting them to actually part ways. Even if they part ways, he expected Astill to be the one not continuing.

“Well, there is nothing we can do about it. It’s her horse, her carriage, and ultimately, her life. She can choose whatever she wants. Meeting over.” Astill stood up.

“You know, that kind of left a bad taste in my mouth.”

“Why?”

Syorin tapped her chin. “It’s like… does she really not want to stay with us? Or is there a reason why she specifically doesn't want to go to the empire?”

Kakashi did notice a slight change in the way she acted ever since they brought up the empire. It was the slightest of feelings, like that small warning sign at the edge of the screen during a fight. A small visual cue, warning him that something wasn’t right.

Kakashi tried recalling his experiences back on Earth, wondering if he could find something useful in the stack of hours he spent playing games, but came up empty. He just knew that something about the empire prevented her from entering; he just couldn’t say what.

“Let’s get some sleep. We won’t be able to reach any conclusion tonight,” Astill said, disappearing behind the door. Kakashi stood up and headed to the door.

“Good night. See you tomorrow, cheater.”

“Please stop!” Syorin pleaded, her tearful screams falling on deaf ears.