For the Journey Ahead

When Heidi opened the door, Yuushin stopped dead in his tracks.

“Haha, Yuushin…you’re here.”

The dark circles beneath her eyes. The crazed, widened eyes. The completely out-of-place hair. All of that, accompanied by the coffee-stained clothes, was more than Yuushin needed to recognize another victim of sleep deprivation and unrealistic deadlines.

…

Morinaka-san?

For a moment, it was as if he was seeing his old coworker after one of those weekends where the team spent hours giving their blood and soul to finish a project on time. 

“Morning…”

Poor Heidi...I know your pain.

Oh, I know it so well.

Since they needed to leave for Khunar as soon as possible, the woman took the task of crafting some armor and weapons they could use for the rescue mission. They said she didn’t need to go that far, yet because Heidi insisted on doing something to help the party, she went on a shopping spree and locked herself in her room.

Finishing everything in one day.

The red-haired woman stepped out of the way, an exhausted smile plastered on her face. “Come in come in, heh, I’m sure you will like it.”

Ignoring the creepiness of her eyes and voice, Yuushin stepped into the room. And for a moment, it felt like he had fallen into the nest of a hoarding monster. Pieces of leather, tools, fabric threads, needles, open books and crumpled scrolls—Heidi’s once neat and organized room had become a maze.

She did tell us everything would be done around sunrise, but…

“The others are still loading up the cart. I’m sure we still have some time, in case you—.”

“Nonsense, nonsense. You’re already here.”

Before Yuushin could ask if she didn’t want to rest a bit more, his eyes still wandering through the room—

…wow.

When had it been the last time? Probably the last tournament he participated, right before abandoning everything and moving to Tokyo, right? Seeing the pristine white uniform hanging from the door, with sunlight pouring from the window—the black belt hanging from the shoulder.

A Karate Gi that, even in its most perfect state, brought only a rotten bitterness to his mouth. A sickness to his heart. Something that made Yuushin wish the sun would never rise, and time would never pass.

Yet as his eyes landed on the leather set by the window, Yuushin’s heart began to race. Blood rushed to his face, something light and sweet spreading across his chest. It was a simple armor, with no fancy designs or extravagant colors.

Just a simple, blueish leather armor—covering the abdomen and the area above the knees.

Why does it look so beautiful, though…?

Why did it felt so special to him?

“You found yours pretty fast, huh?” Heidi’s voice brought him back, Yuushin’s mind taking a few more seconds to readjust. In the meantime, Heidi pointed at her bed—a proud smile beaming in her face. “I found some material that will aid Vel with her wild magic, and got some things for Johnny and Kez too.”

Tilting his head to the side, Yuushin scratched his chin.

“Well, I can’t say much for the others, but I’m pretty sure they will like it!”

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“I love it.”

All Yuushin could tell was different about the armor was that it looked shinier. Yet judging from Vel’s reaction, Heidi must have done something else to it.

I never saw Vel like this.

...

…is cute.

She looked like a child on a Christmas morning. Though her expression remained mostly passive, there was no way to hide the glee sparkling in her eyes. Before his face got too flushed, Yuushin looked away, clearing his throat.

“Yo Heidi, let me help you with this. Is quite heavy, right?” Johnny pointed toward a wooden chest in the ground, halfway through picking it up.

“DON’T!”

Johnny froze, widening his eyes as he stared at her. Blinking.

Crossing the distance in two long strides, Heidi grabbed the chest almost in a desperate act, her face reddening more by the second.

“There’s a lot of, uh, sensitive material here. I don’t feel comfortable letting others carry it.”

“Uh…guess I’m sorry?“

The woman didn’t even let the blonde man finish before turning her back and rushing toward the cart. Johnny and Yuushin exchanged awkward glances.

”We shouldn’t ask, right?”

Yuushin nodded in agreement. “It’s safer if we don’t.”

Johnny concurred without even thinking.

Before they could depart, Vel locked eyes with him, calling Yuushin over with her hand. Since they were still playing the ‘Noble & Servant’ duo, this time with the entire party, Yuushin didn’t hesitate for a second before rushing over, giving her a short bow.

“Did you call?”

Vel didn’t waste any time either, extending her hand toward him—holding a single item.

“The Sapphire Fang asked me to give you this.”

It was a small envelope, one that carried the faint scent of wild flowers and spices. Knowing the old woman, Yuushin was expecting to find a painfully accurate joke regarding his current skills. Something he would almost be able to hear the crackling sound of her laughter echoing in the air behind him.

Yet when he opened the envelope and read the content of the note—

Master…

Yuushin felt something tighten around his heart.

‘Ya better not die before graduating, boy.’

Holding his breath, the man put away the note into one of his pockets. The paper warmth reaching his skin as he locked eyes with Vel, not even her human form being able to hide the piercing intensity of her lilac gaze.

“We will do this, Vel. We’ll bring that guy down, no matter what.”

The female demon gave him a smile, and for that brief second Yuushin saw not the mysterious noble Vel, but the real demon ruler Vel’Skara in all her glory. The demon who, until that point, had been fighting to protect her home.

“Thank you, Retsugo Yuushin.”

“OI! Everything’s ready here, so atop stalling. Don’t tell me you're getting cold feet?” Kez called them from the cart, her horns and vertical pupils concealed with the same magic Vel was using. Yet while Vel was dressed as a royal, Kez looked closer to a mercenary.

The demon sighed, glancing down. “Always so boastful and loud, these dragons…”

Yuushin held back a chuckle, hiding his smile with his hand. Somehow, seeing Vel get so annoyed was funny. Then he gave a long bow, extending his hand toward her.

“Are you ready to depart, milady?”

For a second, he could swear he heard a soft chuckle before feeling Vel’s warm hand touch his.

“Yes, we may go. We must make haste, after all.”

And with everything done, after doing and preparing everything they could, the party left Orsyr city.

Making their way to Veritux’s headquarters.