A near decade of pestering

The accident that ended my first life is now over 14 years in the past, and in that time I’ve secretly mastered a plethora of magical techniques. I can now cause minor tremors, summon inclement weather, and even drain the life force of animals. Unlike with plants, this is a technique that can extend a person’s lifespan and even reverse ageing if used constantly, but since the only animals nearby are docile, I’ve barely had a chance to use it. Maybe once I start fighting monsters…

“Shiidou! To my study, if you please!” My mother’s voice snaps me out of my internal monologue, and I absentmindedly follow her orders. “Be a dear and assist your fathers errands. Okaa finds herself busy, and I must remain at home in wait of a message from our cousins.”
“Yes, mum.”
“And take Ann with you, so as to avoid danger.”
“Yes, mum.”

Another weird quirk of this world is that the people of a place most like feudal Japan speak in something resembling middle or maybe early modern English, somewhere around the end of the Great Vowel Shift. Once again, I have no clue why, but I understand them well enough and they stopped questioning why I speak so differently a while ago so I pay it no mind.

I walk up the stairs to the door of the room next to mine, and call in.
“Ann, we’re going shopping.”
“A moment please, master Shiidou.”

I hear some noise from inside the room, and after a few seconds the sliding door opens, and Ann stands on the other side with two baskets in either hand.
“Want me to take a couple of those for you?”
“Oh, heavens no, master Shiidou, what good is a maid who forces her work upon those she serves?”
“You’re gonna struggle carrying all four once they’re full, give me two of them.”
Ann sighs, although fails to hide a slight smile, and hands over the two baskets in her left hand.
“Shall we be off, then?”
“Yeah, let’s go.”

Waving goodbye to mum on the way, me and Ann leave our house and start our walk down the beaten path. Of course, I don’t actually need Ann here, if I actually did get in any trouble I the only difficulty would be in not accidentally killing my assailant, but as far as everyone else is concerned, I’m magically inept and still haven’t found my element. Everyone, that is, except the girl next to me.

“Do you truly require my assistance in this errand, master Shiidou? With your exceptional skills, such a short journey should provide no peril, correct?”
“My folks still don’t know I’m a darkness user, so I can’t just act like I’m totally safe from danger or whatever. Besides, I enjoy your company, Ann.”
“In that case, I’m pleased to have been of service to you.”

Ann is probably the person I’m closest to in this world, and thus is also the only one who knows my secret. As it happens, she’s a naturally talented light mage, one of the country’s most promising in fact. Both Okaa and my parents wanted to send her off to magic school so she can come back a fully fledged mage, but she refused to go ‘until master Shiidou is prepared to attend too.” She’s nice like that.

It also helps that she was my best friend in my past life too. After she died I thought we’d never meet again, but some quirk of fate lead to us being reincarnated together. Although she seems weirdly evasive about this fact.

“This reminds me of when we were kids and would sneak off to the corner shop on the way to school, although that was normally to buy snacks and manga instead of actual groceries.”
“Master Shiidou, I’m afraid I’m utterly clueless as to what you’re talking about.”
She’s so tsun about it.

“Back on Earth, remember? We’d always show up late to first period and get yelled at by Mr Taylor?”
“...master Shiidou, as I’ve informed you many times, I have no memory of a previous life on a world called Earth. Upon Terra I was born, and upon Terra I shall die. It is my one and only world of origin.”

She gets really into the roleplay of this place. She even talks like the people here. But in reality, we both know where we actually came from. She probably doesn’t appreciate me breaking the illusion so often, but it feels sad not to reminisce on those good times.

As I think back fondly on those times, I begin to walk closer to Ann, closing the physical distance between us until our shoulders are only inches apart. Ann being Ann, she blushes and steps a half-stride away.

“M-Master Shiidou, when we arrive at the marketplace, you mustn’t stand so close to me. A house of great honour, such as your own, comes under much scrutiny from those they reside over, and they may be led to think that you and I have a relationship unfit of a young lord and his servant.”
“C’mon, we’re friends, ain’t we? We can afford to be closer than this. And anyway, how many times I gotta tell you to drop the ‘master,’ it feels so distant”
“As I’ve said a thousand times, and I fear I may have to say a thousand more, it would be completely unbecoming of a maid to refer to her master by given name alone. Were it not for your insistence, I’d have dared not even refer to you by given name at all, but you eroded that barrier with a near decade of pestering.”
“For someone too proud to refer to me without honourifics, you sure are happy to accuse me of annoying habits like pestering.”
“I am merely giving the facts as I see them, Master Shiidou.”

This was a banter we’d had more times than I could count. Even though Ann is vehemently against open closeness between, like clockwork we always fall into these casual conversations where neither of us makes headway. Although I’m admittedly disappointed at the social distance she keeps me at, I’m glad we can talk in such a friendly way at all, even if we can’t say so directly.

At her insistence, I acted more like Ann’s master than her friend while we were in the marketplace, and didn’t try any further to close the gap between us.

As the son of the Lord in control of Shimatou Island, I was met with respectful bows and reverent treatment by the townsfolk, and Ann was met with affection. The population of this island was some few hundred thousand, but Ann had been a help to each and every one, either directly or indirectly. She had healed hundreds of wounded, blessed the growth of crops so plentiful they could feed our population twice over, and magically enhanced the training of our local samurai to the point that they were sought after countrywide. Most referred to her as “the hero Saido,” but hero wasn’t an apt description for her deeds. It wouldn’t be an exaggeration to call her Shimatou’s guardian angel.

The errand was fast and the load light, so it wasn’t long before she and I were back on the road and returning home.

“Even if they revere me, the people love you more than anyone else, y’know.”
“Such love would not have been earned without assistance from yourself, Master Shiidou. My abilities would have grown to a mere half of their current extent had you not helped me unlock and train my element at such a young age.”
“Hey, don’t disregard your own efforts like that. It was your hard work that got you so far, y’know.”
“Even so, I must offer thanks. Though I am your servant, it is you who has helped me greatest of all. I am ever in your debt.”
“You offer thanks every other week. But if you really wanna repay that debt, you could at least start by being friendlier. At least when it’s just the two of us.”

Her face goes red. I don’t even have to tease this girl, just the mention of friendship is enough to fluster her. It’s incredibly cute.
“I-If that’s what you so desire, m- Shiidou, then I suppose I must acquiesce.”
I give her a wide smile, and she avoids my eye. She still talks like a Shakespearian play protagonist, but all progress is progress.

Perhaps due to her bashfullness, Ann picks up the pace quite a bit, and I speed up to match. Before long, we’re back at my father’s admittedly obnoxiously large house. A basket full of expensive foods and liquors on either arm, Ann opens the front door to let me in, and I announce our return.

“Muuum, Daaaad, we’re baaaack.”

For a moment, silence. Normally we’re met at least with a ‘welcome home’ from Okaa, even when my parents are busy.

“Shiidou. Ann. Please step into the meeting room.” The voice is my father’s, and it has a solemn tone. Ann and I look to one another, before walking down the hall and entering through the sliding door to the meeting room.

We’re met with my father, still dressed in his samurai garb, holding a scroll in both hands. Likely the one from my cousins that mum was waiting for earlier. His expression is hard to read, but among his current emotions, the most prevalent was certainly stress.

“Our cousins on the far east of the island have sent word. A large tsunami has struck, and their largest towns have hundreds dead, and thousands wounded. They’ve requested for Ann’s assistance, and should she fail to arrive soon, there is a chance of further fatalities. I intend to have her leave before nightfall.”