Finally home

By the time Takumi’s shift was over, it was already night time. He walked with Yuriko to the bus stop, she was attracting some stares with the way she was holding on to Amano and the way her clothes were dirty. Takumi put his jacket over her shoulders

Takumi: wear that, it's cold out here, and you’ll draw less attention with it. I can't buy you clothes because i dont have that much money. I already went off budget paying for all those snacks, i wonder if i even have enough for the bus

Yuriko: Why would I wear your rags?

Amano: wait Yuriko, he has a point, besides…

Amano took a deep breath and didn’t continue her sentence, Yuriko just resigned to wearing the jacket. Shortly after, the bus arrived. Yuriko seemed completely outside her element, she had clearly never been on a bus before. They remained vigilant until Takumi told them they had arrived at their stop.

Yuriko: w-what is this place?

Amano: this place looks ancient, where are you taking us, some ruins?

Takumi: sorry for not living on a skyscraper, this is just my neighborhood

They walked until they arrived at Takumi's apartment, a room of many in a 2 story building. as soon as Yuriko stepped inside, she threw Takumi’s jacket off, Amano turned into her human form and catched it to use it herself

Yuriko: Do you really live in a storage room? Is this how peasants live?!

Takumi: “storage room” ? this place is perfectly fine, also, lower your voice, the walls are thin and we don't want to wake up the neighbors

Amano: I appreciate you having us here but, is this place really in conditions to hold guests? Is the kitchen really combined with the living room?

Takumi: You asked me for a roof above your spoiled priestess’s head. The best I can do is not sleep on my futon today to show solidarity with your situation. I wonder if bringing a girl and her exhibitionist deity to my apartment was even a good idea

Amano: Right, I apologize, that was quite inconsiderate of me wasn’t it?, this is all new to us

Takumi: I fulfilled my part of the deal, you got snacks and a roof, now it's time to hear some explanations: for now i buy that you’re a spirit, but what about her? all she does is boss me around and eat, is she really a priestess?, and why is the Tendou conglomerate after you?

Yuriko flung an ID card at him, he catched it and checked the information, “name: Yuriko Tendou, Rank: Master”

Yuriko: Do you understand who I am now?

Takumi: not at all, but hmm, “Tendou” ?

Amano: you really don't know her?, search her name on YourTube

The results of the search were various videos of the Kiseki Fight League, with many featuring a girl with glowing green eyes and pale blonde hair.

Takumi: “Kiseki Cup Finals: Team Sky VS Team Synchronicity - Yuriko Tendou Highlights” … you’re in the league?

Yuriko: was, but i “retired early”

Amano: she left her promising career when she heard what the Tendou had in store for those like me

Yuriko: You're more important to me than Team Sky, more than the Tendou family…

Takumi: “those like you” ? you mean spirits?

Amano: not just any kind of spirit, but… there’s some things better left unknown, for your own safety. long story short: they want to destroy me and any evidence of me ever existing

Takumi: So that's why you had to flee, and Yuriko Tendou helped you escape?

Amano: correct

Yuriko: i didn’t just “help you escape”, i am your priestess, anything they do to you, they have to do to me, dont just say things like i chose the wrong option in a visual novel

Amano: Sorry, and thank you Yuriko, I'm honestly happy that you chose me, but I feel so guilty at the same time…

Takumi: That would explain why you guys act so high and mighty, you’re literal princesses, I bet you have never seen a toilet before. But then why did you attack me in the alleyway?, you didn't even steal my money

Yuriko: of course i know what a toilet is, dont be ridiculous

Amano: we attacked you because we needed a source of energy, all i had was Yuriko’s energy to keep me from completely vanishing

Takumi: you also kept saying i was your servant, and you also mentioned something about “hollowing me out”

Amano: hmm, how do I explain without putting you at risk of knowing too much?

Yuriko: we wanted to create an obedient servant, but the ritual failed and you just kept your arrogant personality

Takumi:... so you wanted to turn me into some sort of zombie slave? and to do that you ambushed me and hit me in the head really hard?

Amano: basically

Takumi: Do you even hear yourselves right now?, if it wasn’t me, you could have seriously injured someone, or killed them, or worse, turned them into a zombie slave

Yuriko: and?, the Tendou did that all the time, that's simply how loyal servants are made. and if a servant was useless, they just gotta got rid of it

Takumi stood in silence and disbelief for a while, hearing the lack of remorse and normality with which they talked about that made him feel like he was talking with people from another world, predators that viewed him and others as disposable assets

Takumi: … if you try anything on me again, i’ll be the one to give you away to the police

Amano: i understand, and i give you my word as a deity that we wont, its the least we can do after you helped us so much

Takumi: so whats your plan?, are you just gonna hide forever and live off snacks? Do you have somewhere to go after my house?

Yuriko: I'd rather not stay in this hut forever, but if that's what it takes to avoid the Tendou… i can endure, probably

Amano: As I said before, we have nowhere to go, and we’re quite clueless on what to do. I guess we could try traveling as far as possible, but seeing how you had to use your ID to get us on the bus, i think it wouldn’t be long before the Tendou finds us

Takumi: Which means you’re gonna stay here for the time being…

Amano: if possible, yes

Takumi: seeing how much you guys eat, and the clothes, and a new futon, it's definitely gonna be costly, my budget, my frugal lifestyle…

Amano: if there’s a way to help, do let us know

Takumi: hm… in that case, just like my master made me earn my place, you’ll also have to get your act together if you wanna live here, and by that i mean various things, including her attitude, and not taking human life so lightly

Yuriko: MY attitude?

Amano: You're strict, but fair. understood, we’ll try

Takumi: you better do more than just try, i was supposed to have ramen for dinner with the money i burned on you guys

Yuriko: We survived over a week living on the streets, this is nothing, probably

Takumi: now if you excuse me, i’ll get ready to sleep, i only have one futon, and i’ll use it, i have some extra blankets and a pillow you can use, there’s also the bathroom if you need to use it or take a bath

after laying his spare blankets on the other side of the room, Takumi got in his futon while the girls went to the bathroom. he could not fall asleep just listening to the constant fumbles happening in there

Yuriko: hyah!

Amano: What's wrong?

Yuriko: The toilet is cold, where is the heating button?

Amano: Hurry, I think I found out how to get this shower working. Finally, a bath after so long

Takumi: (I can't sleep, what if they break something? Perhaps I should have taught them how to use the shower, but I'm too tired to get up again…)

after a bit of guessing, Amano found the hot water and filled the tub, she and Yuriko went in together

Amano: its a little cramped, but its better than nothing, i hope you dont mind

Yuriko: You're basically my sister, of course I don't mind… Hey, what he said, it made me wonder, what's gonna happen to us?

Amano: I think we should go one step at a time, first lets recover properly, then we can think about what comes next

Yuriko: Will we ever sleep on a bed again? and play videogames?, and eat good food?

Amano: i dont know… no, i give you my word as a deity that we’ll enjoy all those things again

Yuriko: …im sorry

Amano: hmm? what for?

Yuriko: for being so useless, al i know is fight, eat, play videogames and sleep, im always making you worry and act like you have it together

Amano: …you’re gonna make me cry

Yuriko: surely that guy wont listen to us all the way in here, …i also haven’t cried since we left