CHAPTER 421: ARC 6, CHAPTER 37: WHILE THE CAT’S AWAY

Her tail swayed from left to right as she sauntered into the guild hall. It is then when she spotted someone with her brilliant blue eyes, "Meko? What’re you doing up this early?"

The brunette sat alone at a table, chin in her hand with a scatter of dishes across the table. She side-eyed Hotaru and raised a brow, "You call eight early?" her eyes darted around, alluding to the hundreds of adventurers teeming around.

"Early for you, yes," Hotaru continued her approach.

"Got hungry, couldn’t sleep."

The redhead took a seat next to her and placed a number of old tomes onto the table.

Plates and utensils clinked and jangled as Fumeko pushed them away from her. "Had time to read through them?"

"Some of them," she handed the top one to the brunette. "Jotou and the Inferno left just a couple of hours ago with no time of when they’re coming back, so I’ll have ample time."

"Or none at all," Fumeko thumbed the cover and eyed the colourful strips of paper sticking out of various pages. "Is the confetti you fed this book meant to mark things?" she snarked.

Hotaru rolled her eyes, "Red’s for anything that has some relevance to the things we’re trying to glean. Green’s for things completely relevant. The yellows, I need a second opinion on. I’d suggest checking the yellow ones first.

I was going to do blue for things relating to the cult and purple for things relating to the castle that might attract Ambrose’s attention, but I knew that’d take too long."

Fumeko opened up the pages marked with yellow strips of paper first.

"Like we assumed, most of these are journals with no name and date back centuries. The contents of it, in general, seem to be matters of daily life.

The handwriting’s unique, it doesn’t look like usual cursive today," as Hotaru informed, she covered her lips with a hand to yawn. "Excuse me."

"Asobi’s theory about Ambrose being centuries old might hold more water if this was in fact written by him," Fumeko replied before peering to her left. "How much sleep did you get?"

"Enough."

"Clearly not," Fumeko turned away from the page. "Look, I know with what’s happening between you and Jotou that she’s not exactly looking after your wellbeing lately-"

"The only person’s who’s responsible for my wellbeing is myself; Jotou doesn’t need to look after me like some at-risk patient," Hotaru grumbled.

Fumeko stared sideward.

Hotaru’s lips twisted coyishly.

"How many rejuvenates did you splash yourself with?" the brunette spoke serious and unfazed.

"...About a mug’s worth?" Hotaru measured it in between her palms.

Fumeko scowled and rubbed her temple, "We need to put you in an affinity-lock once all this cult business is done to curb your addiction."

"I don’t have an..." she dared not finish that sentence. "You don’t understand, I need it. It’s the same as you drinking coffee all the time. My thoughts get all cloudy and my body feels lethargic," she attempted to justify.

"Don’t compare me drinking coffee to whatever you’re doing," she shook her head as she spoke. "And the only reason you feel that way is because you keep doing it!"

"You think I’m unaware?" the redhead sighed.

"So you do need someone to keep you in check then," and her point had been made.

The defeated wolf-girl’s ears fell in surrender.

_

With the morning gone as quick as it came, the afternoon was spent on plank flooring and in an auditorium-sized room with hundreds of equipment all over, ranging from gym equipment such as barbells, to targets for archery and swords.

Above them was the sky, bright and blue. Though it was an oddly pristine sky with the fluffiest of clouds floating still. The illusion of daylight beamed down upon those using the guild’s training chamber.

"Severed Serenade~!" Tiffany crossed her arms in front of her and threw them outwards... but nothing happened to the target in enchanted armour in front of her.

"The spell’s name’s Songcutter Tiffy," Fumeko reminded with one eye lowered.

"Unaware I am not," she quit her pose and straightened up her footing.

"Then say the proper words."

"It’s not overly important," Hotaru chimed in. She sat cross-legged on the floor while examining a scroll splayed before her. "As long as you know or can imagine the spell you’re casting, you just need a trigger word or phrase till you can master it non-verbally.

Though I guess it can cause a steeper learning curve," she stood up, dusted off her skirt and walked up behind Tiffany. She took Tiffany’s arms and lined them up with her own.

The pale blonde’s lashes fluttered and eye widened a smidgen, causing her to close her legs and keep her knees and feet tensely stuck together.

"I’ve seen Jotou cast enough to help," Hotaru stuck her foot in between Tiffany’s and spread her legs apart into a more stable stance. "How many offensive spells do you know to cast?"

"J-just the one."

"Hm," Hotaru adjusted Tiffany’s arms and waved around. "And how did you learn that?"

"By complete accident," Fumeko answered.

Tiffany side-eyed. "I casted it first, and only later found it out by looking for spells at the local library. I’ve not really learned new spells, school was busy enough."

"Huh. Didn’t realize we were similar in that," Hotaru’s ears bristled. "Well, whatever the case, the spell you usually use seems to be from your vocal muscles most."

"I think that’s the nature of the spell," Tiffany replied.

"Exactly, so different spells require different methods—even if only slightly," Hotaru folded Tiffany’s arms. "Why don’t you try using some of your voice into the spell? Echo’s not really a traditional ’element’ as opposed to all the others."

"I shouted out words," Tiffany tilted her head back to face the redhead.

Hotaru opened her mouth, but then sealed her lips with a pout. "It’s... hard to explain."

"Put your magic muscles into it silly!" Asobi exclaimed from the corner from where they all were.

Hotaru shrugged, "I know that doesn’t make too much sense, but try that, yes." She stepped away from Tiffany.

A nervous blonde took centre stage against the target. She cleared her throat and her one eye focused. She took a few seconds to give her some resolve.

Parting her lips, motes of transparent white energy reverberated in a low hum. She imagined the energy wrapping around her folded arms and she threw her arms outwards! "WovoVoWovW."

Two curving arcs of silvery white echoes resonated forward through the air. "TONG!" The enchanted armour was buffeted back by the spell and the vibrational sound kept humming for the next few seconds, rattling the target.

"Aha!" Tiffany stood triumphantly.

"And you just... skipped the verbal factor of the spell..." Hotaru pursed her lips together. "Of course you did... Congratulations," she put her discontent aside.

"Is that bad?"

"No, she’s just by the books," Fumeko responded.

Hotaru folded her arms, "Like you don’t do the same?"

"My point is, out of all of us, only me and Aru really study our spells to use them—her more than me. The other two," she said with a sigh, "Just, do it.

They learn it sure, but they just figure it out through practice like it’s some sixth sense," she lamented. "Jotou damages herself when she doesn’t cast it right, sure, but I don’t think she’s ever looked at a spell scroll or a book twice. And then there’s this one."

Asobi popped out of illusory bushes with a safari hat and big bushy moustache, "Muffle Mouth!"

A bullet-like speck of light shot towards Fumeko and splattered onto her lips like slime, before it solidified into white tape made of light that replaced where her mouth was.

"MMHHMHNMNHNM!!!!" The raging Fumeko grabbed her own mouth, but could not grab onto anything there. She glared daggers at Asobi and raised her hand. "Whosh!" Asobi’s wand warped into Fumeko’s grasp.

"Hey!" Asobi frowned and whined as she jumped up.

Showing a middle finger and wand in her grip, Fumeko blinked away. "Woosh!"

"Fumekooo!!" Asobi formed an illusory musket and began the hunt.

"...Every caster’s different," Hotaru continued to Tiffany.

"So I’m told."

"By the way, I like your normal voice. It has a nice accent to it," her fangs glistened.

"Ahem!" Tiffany gulped, realizing the act had dropped for a while now- "Ordinariness permits one such as I communication where no boundaries lie. However, the void acknowledges thy praise." Correction; her true persona was merely hidden for a time—purposefully, of course.

One of Hotaru’s ears bent down, "I’m glad you’re becoming more comfortable around us."

Tiffany echoed the sentiment with a timid hum.

"Mind if we join you?" a familiar voice entered their conversation.

Hotaru turned, "Oh, Clyde. We were just training some spells, but you may join if you’d like," she nodded.

"You remember me?" the flaxen-haired elf said in reply.

The wolf-girl raised a brow, "Why wouldn’t I? We just met yesterday."

"Nothing, never mind," he smiled at the ground, nodding several times. "If magic’s what we’re doing," he raised his open palm at the target and closed an eye. "Wildshot!"

A wispy faded blue ball formed out of his open palm and fired off with a whistling sound. The small ball pinged off of the target’s armour, bounced against the floor then kept going towards the ceiling before it simply fizzled out.

He let out a laboured breath and put his hands on his hips, "Impressive, I know," he displayed all his teeth in a grin.

"I encourage anyone to study the intricacies of magic, but if you don’t have an affinity, you really shouldn’t push yourself too much," Hotaru remarked.

"He won’t listen," Colwyn’s calm and collected voice followed shortly from behind him. "He wished to impress you and was psyching himself up for the past twenty minutes to come talk to you all."

"Who’s side are you on here!?" Clyde howled.

Colwyn blankly stared and shrugged. She then waved a hello to Tiffany. Tiffany acknowledged it with a wave, though she somewhat hid herself behind the redhead.

"There’s no need for that," Hotaru reassured. "Jotou and Ben are close friends and we’re both their friends, so we’re all on equal footing here."

"Yeah... Yeah," Clyde furrowed his brows and agreed. "I still can’t believe his real name’s just... Ben. I mean, he’s still the Inferno, but," there was a look of dejection on his face that he quickly covered up, "Eh, never mind."

"I believe what my brother intends to say is the fact that we’ve not been privy to some truths and that has made him, think of some things is all."

"Oi, that’s not what I ’intended’ to say," he argued.

"It’s fine," the redhead quelled. "I understand. We’re dealing with people not from our world, it can be a bit jarring to realize. I know we didn’t even believe Jotou at first for a short while."

"Descending into a realm beyond one’s own; tis an uncomplicated occurrence. For even I, Stella Vespertillio, was born into this domain from the void resting in the sea of stars," she posed with a hand over her eyepatch.

Fluttering her lashes a few times, Hotaru then continued, "You’ll get used to it. He probably had his reasons for not saying; you can probably ask him once he gets back even."

Clyde ruffled his own hair, "I might; or, I will. Anyway, there’re a lot of legends about you all passed on by bards through the guild, but nothing beats the real deal. You all are much cooler adventurers than I expected."

"Woosh!"

"Blinding Mask!" white specks shot from Asobi’s illusory musket sprung onto the just reappearing brunette’s eyes.

"Ack!" Fumeko palmed her own eyes with both hands as light seeped into her vision and all she saw was bright white. "Sobi I swear to- Oh," she could feel her lips move again.

The raven-haired elf quickly rushed over and plucked her wand back from Fumeko’s hand. "The twins, hello!" she greeted and bowed with a hand on her hat. Colwyn waved at her in reply.

"I still can’t see you twit," Fumeko glanced at the wall.

"I know," Asobi beamed.

"How about we resume training after a little drink to collect ourselves?" Hotaru rubbed her forehead.

"Now that I can go for!" Clyde smiled wide.