Chapter 515:

Dominating Presence

Shift


Yuki felt sweat build up on the back of his neck as she gazed down at the two of them. It felt like she spared him only one eye as the other watched Saki independently. Through the different journeys that he made within his short life and the people that he encountered, she held that rare quality that they started to make him familiar with.

It wasn’t something that normal people possessed. He doubted that it was even something that he could mimic with the same sort of conviction that this woman bore. Any attempt that he might make would ring false. She didn’t simply have a bloated ego stacked upon a frail foundation like came so common with normal people that tried to hold something closer to bravado than confidence.

The woman’s presence nearly left him terrified with how she dominated them. You would have to be blind or unbelievably arrogant to not be curbed by her. Yuki left his legs shaken trying to keep still so that he didn’t tip his hand to her. Her strength unnerved him more than he expected. This wasn’t how she acted before with their Master. She had command in her space, but there was a yielding that she gave to him clearly allowing him to feel superior despite the situation. While their Master might not have been a buffoon, he couldn’t be certain that it was something that he noticed. She had talents for manipulation and control that would make anyone envious.

Yuki glanced over at Saki, who remained prepared, though hesitant like him. ‘She’s holding up better than me,’ he assessed. It didn’t surprise him that her grit gave her an edge. That quality of hers only seemed to be getting enhanced while in this digital world of Yumi’s. ‘This sort of person is certainly special in this world. Given Masa and Sumiko before, I’m almost completely convinced that she’s got to be the one Yumi’s looking for and not Moriko that she’s been following.’ Giving Saki a silent brief stare to communicate, Yuki returned his attention to Aya.

He lowered his eyes to the ground and knelt down with a bow of apology to the woman. Without needing to check, he could tell that Saki followed suit with him. “Our apologies, Mistress.”

Aya watched the two servants closely during the seconds that they took to deliberate on a course of action. A small smile came over her lips seeing their reactions and reading their thoughts through their bodies. ‘These two have more life in them than I’ve found among others. They will be valuable…’ She walked over to the opposite wall and slid back a well concealed door revealing a closet with more wardrobe. Pulling out a sheer silk gown, it did little to improve the situation for them, but it provided a little bit of protection from cool night air.

Crossing her legs after she sat down, Aya called out to them. “Don’t treat me as if you’re beneath me. We’re equals in my eyes.”

Saki lifted her head at the woman’s insistence. Meeting exchanges of stares, she could tell that the woman only said that on formality to get them to stand and talk rather than believing it. ‘She still sees us as something that she can use. But in our situation, there’s little option for us.’ Returning to her feet, Saki refused to give the woman the win.

A subtle change in the angle of Aya’s eye lids was all that she gave to signal her mood, which neither noticed. Internally, she had trouble not smiling with excitement. ‘Yes, they’re perfect!’

Chapter 515 – Dominating Presence

Quiet staring between both parties left them playing their moves as one tested the other. Little progress would be made without more words exchanged. However, it was a matter of who would reveal their hand first. Saki and Yuki both knew how disadvantaged they were. The woman had a plan, but showed no intentions of revealing it. And neither of them could make any sort of meaningful play as they didn’t know enough about this charismatic woman.

If given a choice, Yuki would have attempted to leave to call her bluff, but he didn’t even have that as a card in his hand. Their Master in the other room would remain asleep most likely for hours having paid for the evening. They were going nowhere and this woman knew it. Saki’s stubbornness would refuse to bend to Aya, especially with how unclear the situation was.

“You certainly are tired and wish to have some peace. We can step into the adjoining room so that you may have your privacy.” He bowed to her with the best retreat that he could manage. Not playing the game was what Saki wanted, he could tell that well enough. ‘We know where to find her. So coming back won’t be that hard…mostly…’ thought Yuki, second guessing himself as soon as he remembered where they were.

‘Trying to maintain some sense of control…we’re not done yet. You two are too interesting to pass up…’ Leaning back into the soft pillow, Aya turned her entire attention to Yuki. “Leaving the table so soon? Perhaps I misjudged your resolve.”

“If you’ll excuse us.”

“No bite at all.”

“You’re not going to goad us.”

A clear smile came over her face. “Glad to hear it. It’d be a shame for you to leave now.”

Yuki’s eyes narrowed realizing only after that what she did. ‘Damn, she’s still playing us. That was just a test to see if we’d fall for a simple psychological trap. What’s this woman want with us?’ He stared back at her for a moment, now curious what her game actually was. This entire time she said nothing, but created tests for them. It was obvious that she wanted something and had no intentions of allowing them a simple escape.

He glanced over at Saki to see what her read of the situation was. The conflicted look told him everything that he needed. ‘She’s going to press this until she gets what she wants…’ Yuki narrowed his eyes looking back at Aya. Across from her was a table, the same that she sat with their Master as they discussed history, politics, philosophy among other topics.

“Equals then…” he replied, answering her remark from before. Empty as it had been delivered to her, he would sit to that as his play. ‘We’ve got at least one thing over her. She’s interested in us that we can leverage something with that…for as far as that goes. It’s not a very strong foundation.’

Saki begrudgingly took a seat next to him, more frustrated with how the woman continued to dominate the situation no matter what they did. ‘She’s most certainly the one, but what is it that Yumi’s going to have to do? As it stands, she’s not going to be a match for this woman…’

“You two no doubt want to know why someone like me wants to talk to you. I consider myself something of a watcher of people. I like curiosities.”

‘Removing any sort of ground we had to hold the conversation…damnit…’

“You’re not merely killing time for a fancy,” answered Saki as she crossed her arms.

“No, I’d say not,” she delivered with a smirk. ‘I like her eyes.’ Aya shifted thoughts and plans around as she continued to watch and understand the two better. They weren’t the first that she had found to be of interest to her, but they did appear to be of value. However, the price remained unknown, but they did manage to raise it.

She looked over at Yuki as his pensive expression tried to work out a strategy for the battle that she dropped them into now. “You’re outsiders.” Aya dropped a little bit to watch their reactions more. The moment that they stepped into her room, she had sussed out details about them. What she found had piqued her interest in them, giving them an initial good value in her eyes.

That hadn’t been the sort of answer that Yuki expected. Thoughts that Aya likely didn’t have came to him and cracked his expression more than he wanted. ‘Damnit! She doesn’t know that we’re not from this world!’

‘Stronger reaction than I expected. There’s something deeper and secretive about them. They have a reason that they’re here that wouldn’t be doing otherwise…’ A few different possibilities came to Aya’s mind, none of which were naturally the truth. They did however serve Yuki and Saki well in improving her appraisal of them.

Aya leaned in a little with her curiosity taking her over ever so slightly. “You’ve got a story or two to tell.”

“Nothing worth telling.”

“Let me be the judge of that,” she replied with a smile.

‘Thanks to that slip we’ve got a little currency with her…’ muttered Saki to herself. It didn’t give a strong play, since it only had a perceived value rather than a real one. She could only make it work when it was something captivating. “I think we’re skipping ahead. We barely even know each other. Get me a meal first.”

Returning to her previous position, Aya kept her eyes on the two. ‘They’ve secured themselves a strong piece for the game. They want to challenge me…’ Aya glanced over to the cabinet on the corner wall. With a smile, she looked back at them agreeing to their pace. “Let’s get to know each other much better.”

A slight chill went down his spine hearing Aya both phrase it in such a way as well as accent on the word. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn’t have found it to be any more meaningful, but with her profession it proved difficult to not see additional implications. ‘…Yumi…’

“Let’s give a proper introduction. I’m Aya Mizutani, but you can call me Aya.”

“I’m Juro Koiso.”

“Michiko Koiso.”

“Siblings, that does answer something that I suspected.” She pondered the rest of the information to herself for a while. It had been a while since she took up her current vocation. Such a position allowed her access to a vast array of intelligence with little trouble. “Koiso’s not a noble’s name or even a clan name. You’re commoners then.”

Saki could see the dangerous woman continuing to work the information. They had only given their names and that suddenly felt like they had lost something to her. It shouldn’t have been so valuable, yet she turned it into an immediate array of further speculation. “That’s correct. Our Master employs many commoners to his service, that’s not an unusual choice.”

“Commoners do labor and tend to minor tasks. You two the Lord has as his body guards something that would not be offered to commoners under normal circumstances.” A small glow came about her eyes as more pieces came to her.

Narrowing her eyes a little, there wasn’t a lot that Saki could argue with Aya. She wasn’t wrong by any means. “Our Master values merit over rank.”

“Clearly.”

It was an empty answer, but she knew that. Saki knew what the woman wanted and she wasn’t going to give that up so simply. Every question and angle continued to lead toward the same thing. ‘This woman’s more than just dangerous… She consumes everything no matter the insignificance and converts it into power. None of us are ready for her…’

Saki stood up with her only option present. It felt certain to her that the further they talked the more she would take from them. “I believe we’ve talked long enough. You certainly need sleep after you’ve worked so hard for our Master. Good night.”

A subtle smirk slipped over Aya’s lips. ‘Seems I’ve cornered her, retreat is her only real choice, but the game’s not over, my dear… This is merely the first turn.’ She nodded politely to the two accepting their withdrawal. “You are correct. I am feeling a little tired. I look forward to our next meeting.”

Yuki and Saki stared at the mysterious woman as she departed to her personal room, apart from the room that she worked. They felt the unnerving truth in her words as a promise and warning for their future. Certain that Aya was the one that they sought, they knew it wouldn’t be over with this. Preparation for the next encounter became their top priority now.

Eytha
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