Money Problems

20th day of Aluvard (approx)

Today, after my morning run, I practiced swinging my sword for an hour, then traveled over a bridge to explore the lands across the river. As expected, the buildings were much larger, and I suspect if I travel farther afield they would become larger still. I felt something peculiar on that side of the river, the same uneasy sort of feeling in my stomach that I used to get before entering a dungeon.

I want to explore that part of the city more, but before then I find myself facing a far more pragmatic problem: my war funds are running dry.

This too is exacerbated by my incomplete memories. When I arrived in this world, some lingering memories were still available to me, and so I learned about Aiko's (that is to say my) bank book. It is a ledger of funds that records each time money was put into or taken out of a holding, something like the money lenders in Al'zar. Updating the ledger is simple enough. The figures inside seem to grow regularly, and since I am not doing it myself, I surmise someone or something is trickling bels into my hands, but I have no recollection of who that might be.

Either way, it is not a large amount. And my expenses are mounting.

Since I promised Lady Nomura, I have been going to the bath house more regularly. Although I sometimes run into my enemy, the blond-haired girl, I have been able to keep her at bay by baring my teeth. I do not know how it is that she knew Aiko before I awoke, but it is for the best to keep her at arm's length. The bath house is not expensive, only three hundred of money here, but on top of everything else, I am slowly finding myself spending more money than I am earning.

Although this worries me, there is nothing to be done about it. There is no guild here to take on extra work, and if there were, what sort of work would they even offer? Perhaps somebody can pay me to take care of those wraiths if they appear again.

For now I will focus on training. My body is still too weak.

---

Aiko swung the sword over her head for the hundredth time. A long sweep that started with the blade held up over her head, and ended with it held level in front of her eyes. She breathed out, then let the tip lower toward the ground.

"You're overexerting yourself," the sword said.

"Shut up," Aiko muttered.

"If you're too weak to fight you'll collapse. Like you did before when you fought the wraiths."

"I won't. Shut up."

"This body is not strong enough, Mathilda."

"Stop calling me that. Shut up. Shut up."

"You're going too fast."

"No time. Shut up. Stop talking. Go away."

Aiko let the sword dissolve into purple fumes, and vanish back into her dimensional pocket. She took a few more breaths, then stretched back and forth, pushing her hands down as far as they could go toward her feet, then back the other way over her head. When she had stretched enough, she decided her workout was over. Aiko straightened up and used a towel she'd found in her apartment to wipe the sweat from her brow, then hung it around her neck.

As was now her morning routine, she had come down to the river to exercise. To begin with she had stuck to running, but after she had sensed that other presence observing her the other night, she had started practicing her sword swings as well. It was no substitute for real training against other knights, but keeping up the fundamentals was also important. Right now she was standing in the shade of an enormous bridge that stretched from one side of the river to the other. It was mostly concrete here, so it was easy to stand. Being out of the sun made it easier to focus on her practice swings.

The sword had not been wrong when it said this body was not strong enough. The Aiko of this world before Mathilda had not exercised regularly. Maybe never. But her body was adaptable, and took to the extra physical activity easily enough, as though it had been starved of it. So during the day she ran and swung her sword. At night, she did sit ups and push ups and squats until her muscles burned. She needed to get stronger.

Aiko was pulled away from her thoughts by the sound of something rustling above her.

She looked up, and at first saw what she thought looked like a crow, nestled in the space between the underside of the bridge and the supportive network of cables that kept it suspended over the water.

But it was slightly too big, and the black feathers slightly too black, and its red eye glared at her with slightly too much malice.

"Demon."

Aiko scooped a small stone off the ground and pelted it as hard as she could at the demon. It pinged as it hit the metal just below where the creature was perching. Surprised, the demon opened its beak to hiss at her, more lizard than bird. Then it spread its wings and took off, quickly fleeing over the water out of Aiko's reach.

Aiko clicked her tongue. She needed to practice throwing stones as well. When she had been Mathilda she could have put that stone between the monster's eyes. She needed to chase after it. Maybe if she crossed to the other side of the river she could find it again?

"You shouldn't throw stones at crows, missy," said a voice from behind her. "They're smart birds, you know."

Aiko looked back and saw a leather brown old man without a shirt walking down the embankment toward her.

"Oh. Granpa Yuuji. Not bird. Demon," Aiko said. She pointed across the river in the direction it had fled.

"Demon, huh." Yuuji nodded his head. "Hope not. Well, try to leave the birds alone, at least."

This was the same old man that Aiko had saved from the wraiths a few days ago. She had run into him again during her morning exercises, and he had introduced himself as Yuuji. He always came by to say hello whenever he saw her.

"You exercising?"

"Yes, training. Just finished."

"Good to hear. Me too, I suppose. Still having money troubles?"

Aiko nodded. "Steamed buns are expensive."

"That they are. Say, if you're done, why don't you come with me? I have a friend I want to introduce you to."

Aiko looked back over the river where the demon had vanished. She had been planning on going in that direction to look for it, but there was probably no way she'd be able to find it again so soon.

"Come on. Your demon will hold."

Aiko sighed. It wasn't like she'd be able to catch it now anyway.

"Ok."

"That's the spirit."

Yuuji led her up the embankment, back into the comfortable forest of houses that edged up along the side of the river.

"By the way, missy, I've been meaning to ask, but are you a foreigner?"

Aiko tried to find the right words to explain. In a way she was, though probably not in the way he was imagining. Aiko's body was Japanese, at least. But as Mathilda she had lived eighteen years in a totally different world.

"Parents Japanese. I'm not Japanese."

"I see, well that explains a few things."

"No good?" Aiko looked up at him.

"What? Oh! No, nothing like that, missy, I was just curious. Ah! It's just over here."

Yuuji had led her to a part of the city that wasn't too far from where Aiko lived, on the opposite end of the shopping street from the bath house. They were in front of a little shop with a big glass window through which Aiko could see a few small tables and chairs, none of which were currently occupied.

When Yuuji pushed open the door a little brass bell set into the wall chimed merrily. A man who had been sitting on a stool by the counter looked up from his newspaper to see who had come in. He had curly black hair that was thinning out on top, and a thin layer of stubble. He was wearing a clean brown apron on top of a white shirt, sleeves folded up to his elbow.

"Yuuji, you cretino," the man said, seeing who had come in, "put a shirt on for the love of God."

"Giorno!" Yuuji smiled. "Don't be like that! Look!" He stepped aside and pushed Aiko in front of him. "I brought you that part timer you were looking for!"