World 2.6

"This place is awfully spacious," Kaoru had told her, "so make yourself comfortable wherever you'd like."

And so Yuri did.

She chose a room somewhere towards the back, on the first floor above the ground.

It's a nice room; the floor is wooden, mostly covered by a large red rug, and the walls are a stormy blue color. There's a bed against the furthest wall from the door, adorned with a navy-blue bed-set and topped with a thick white blanket and matching white pillows. It's probably the fanciest thing in the room; the desk, set at the window to overlook a vibrant green copse of trees, is simple and empty, though not nearly as dusty as Yuri was expecting, and the closet beside the bed is much the same.

There's no bedside table, let alone a lamp, and the walls are unadorned.

Yuri thinks it looks both minimalist and somehow, also cozy. That there's a guest bathroom right across the hall is a bonus.

Andromeda manifests herself as Yuri unclasps her spaulder and sets it atop the desk, following it up with her pack off her belt, and then her gloves. She hangs her hat on the doorknob, then clicks the aforementioned door shut.

"Haah..." Yuri sighs as she leans her back against the door. She hasn’t been in this world for long, but switching from her mind-palace to reality so frequently is a little bit exhausting for her brain.

"So, since we have some time to kill," Andromeda begins, lounging in midair, "what shall we do now?"

Yuri moves to take a seat on the edge of the bed. "I think I wanna try something."

Andromeda looks at her with a raised brow. "Well, go on then."

She nods.

"Um.... open inventory."

A part of Yuri expects nothing to happen, and this part is what makes her jump when something actually does happen.

A purple window pops up, displaying a series of boxes in a sort of 10 x 5 grid- ten rows of five. Most of the boxes are dark and empty. But there are a few that are, to Yuri and Andromeda's surprise, occupied after all.

In the first box at the top left corner, there's an envelope.

In the box to the right of that is a box wrapped in a yellow-star-patterned pink cloth. It looks very much like a bento lunch.

And to the right of that box is a burlap sack- the very same one Yuri had carried with her when she left Arcport.

When she curiously hovers her finger over each item, a descriptive text bubble pops up, in much less elaborate font than everything else had been so far.

「Letter」: A letter in an ordinary envelope. Who could it be from? Only one way to find out...

「Mystery Box」 : It's a box. A cat might enjoy playing with it once it's empty, so try not to tear it.

「Rations」: A bag of dried meats and fruits, perfect for the hungry adventurer.

"Huh...."

So this is my inventory...

Cautiously, Yuri taps the letter. Another small window opens up; it has a tail to indicate it's in reference to the letter.

「Read」

「Discard」

She taps the topmost option, and the inventory window is replaced by a parchment scroll, already neatly unfurled.

Her eyes scan the words carefully.

Yuri, it begins.

First and foremost, I'd like to apologize for not being able to see you off in person. It pains me, as I'm sure it must pain you as well. Even so, there is no rest for the pious, and I believe we will meet again someday.

I don't know where (when?) you came from, and I don't know where (when??) you're headed, and such uncertainty worries me. It's strange, isn’t it? We only knew each other for roughly a single day, and I've already grown very fond of you.

I wish you safe travels regardless, and an uneventful journey.

-Kaoru

P.s., the three men who introduced us send their regards. It is my understanding that they've added a gift of their own into your pouch.

"Sweet..." Yuri murmurs to no one in particular.

There's a suspiciously large spot between the body of the letter and the signature, as if something had been written and then subsequently erased.

Yuri decides not to think too hard on it as the scent of fried rice reaches her nose.

Right, she recalls, Kaoru had insisted on doing all the cooking and cleaning and... stuff.

She flops backwards onto her bed.

Ugh... how pathetic and useless I am. I should at least be able to cook for myself, right? I know this, and yet... am I really so cowardly I can't stand up even for that?

She sighs. "I should repay him for all his help..."

"Bull," Andromeda cuts into her downward spiral. "First of all, stop using the word "should"- it's like sullying yourself except mentally and emotionally instead of physically." She crosses her arms. "And secondly, there’s no need to pay him back when you never asked for his help to begin with." She tuts. "And if it's making you feel so guilty and awful about yourself, then he's not only not helping- he's making your situation worse."

And now Yuri feels bad for feeling bad.

Seeing exactly where her mind is going, Andromeda hovers above her and snaps her fingers in front of her face.

"Hey. None of that, now. Self-deprecation isn’t a good look on anyone, and especially not on you." She points to the letter still hovering open. "Now, you're gonna go back to your inventory, and you're gonna check out that obnoxiously brightly colored box, and you're gonna remember it was put together by a complete stranger who thinks you're deserving of it despite not knowing you at all." She stares into Yuri's eyes. "Got it?"

Yuri lets out a tiny squeak. "Yes ma'am!"