The next day…
"Reika Shimizu talked to you?" Fujii asked. "That girl's trouble, what deal did you make with her?"
Dachii was sitting on the living room couch while Fujii interrogated him. "She helped me a few weeks ago, during the Hunt. She saved me from being caught by Himeka's team."
"And now she wants you to help her squad navigate Estrium," Fujii wondered. "She's in Squad S-6, so that means you'll be right under mean man Toru. I hope you've built some chemistry with him during the Hunt."
"I guess," Dachii remarked.
"Well, obviously I'll have to send the rest of the Squad with you. Now that you've shown the ability to transform into a Zharian, even temporarily, the Queen doesn't want you going anywhere alone anymore, unless it's to your mom."
"About that," Dachii clarified. "She's already IN Estrium."
"Whoa! She left? They just let her leave?"
Dachii shrugged. "I guess so. She texted me that she was going back to handle some things, and that she'd be back in a week."
"She might be trying to cover up leads to your true nature," Fujii mused. "Once you get there, I think you should have her explain more about your father."
"Okay," Dachii said, still bland.
Fujii clapped his hands together. "So! When's Squad S-6 leaving?"
"In three days."
"Perfect! That gives you plenty of time to lift your spirits! Remember what we discussed, about your little…romance?"
"Oh. Right."
Fujii gave him a pat on the shoulder. "Let's start with some FIRE to pep you up. Who better than Aoki?"
"Okay."
"Knowing her, she's probably slashing through robots in the training room. Let's go see!" Fujii insisted.
He led Dachii to the training room, where sure enough, Aoki was busy practicing her swordsmanship. "Ahh, perfect. Go on in, player! Go make conversation!"
"Understood."
Dachii walked into the training room, right as Aoki slashed through a wave of robots. As she took a moment to breathe, she noticed Dachii walking up to her.
"Here to practice too?" she asked.
"Not really."
She noticed Fujii standing in the doorway, a smile on his face. "Oh. That man's playing games again."
Aoki put her blade up. "Fine. I guess I can play along. What's up?"
Dachii analyzed her, a million questions in his mind, though he didn't know which one to ask. "How…old are you?"
Aoki folded her arms. "Really? That's the first question you ask? Like we haven't been over this?"
"I…don't know the exact age."
She rolled her eyes. "1,496. Fujii's got me beaten by like, maybe 100 years."
Dachii looked her up and down. "And…how do you look so young?"
She put her hands on her hips. "Are you implying I'm supposed to look old? Does Fujii look old?"
"No…but he has an Element. You don't."
She scoffed. "Artifacts. They're rare, but if you find the right one, they can either bestow you with an Elemental effect, or an Element itself. I touched a large sword one time, I guess it had traces of the Time Element inside of it. And boom, now I look like I'm a teenager. I don't age."
"That's…a story," Dachii replied.
"Anything else?" she questioned, expectantly.
"Should I ask her about Titan and the Order?" Dachii wondered. "No. I'm supposed to make casual conversation. Okay. Okay."
She continued to watch him. "So. Do you have kids?"
She appeared taken aback by the question, and Fujii laughed from the doorway.
"W…what? Huh? You really think…did Fujii put you up to this?"
"No," Dachii clarified. "You're over 1,000 years old. I just assumed you'd gotten married in that timeframe or something."
She composed herself. "No. Gross. Kids. Never. And no, I haven't gotten 'married.' Being tied down like that would just make squad duties harder."
She lifted an eyebrow. "Unless it's to the right person. Anything else?"
He noticed her hair in a ponytail, as it usually was. "Do…you ever let your hair down?"
"Hmm?"
She took the tie out of her hair, letting it flow freely, and Dachii noticed her hair was much longer than it appeared. "Is this better?"
"I…guess?"
Fujii continued to watch from the hallway. "Nice! They're actually getting along!"
"That…suits you," Dachii complimented.
"Thank you," Aoki replied. "Let me ask you some questions."
"Okay."
She appeared stuck on what to ask. "What's…your home like?"
"Boring," he answered. "Bland. Monotonous. One-dimensional. Regular."
"So no fighting, no monsters, no wars, and no Elemental Powers?" she asked.
"Nope."
"Then what do you guys do over there?"
"Human stuff."
She appeared confused. "Care to enlighten me?"
"They play sports, scroll on social media, prank each other, go to school, and take the best-looking women out on dates."
"What's a sport?" Aoki wondered.
"It's…something you play. Like a competition, but not deadly. Just for fun."
She took in the new information. "What's your favorite sport?"
"I don't know," he responded. "They're all…cool. Maybe basketball, or football."
"What are those?"
"It's…a long story. Just think of it as…using a ball to do various things in a certain area."
"Like kill people?" she inquired.
"No. I'll…show you sometime."
"That sounds good," Aoki agreed. "Does it draw blood?"
"…No."
Later that day…
Dachii sat back on the couch as Fujii paced back and forth in front of him. "Nice! You got her to warm up! What'd you think?"
"She's…interesting," Dachii pointed out.
"Yes she is," Fujii laughed. "After having her by my side for an entire millennium, you see things others don't. She's dark, ruthless, and impulsive, yeah, but I think she likes you!"
Aoki walked past them both, waving to Dachii as she went up the stairs. "See?"
"That's…great."
"Now, let's move from fire to ice! Let's say we take you to see Akari now, ehh?"
"Okay…"
Fujii took Dachii to the backyard, where Akari was busy brushing her hair on one of the benches. Taking Dachii by his shoulders, he led him right up to her. "You're next, Princess! Have fun!"
"Huh? What is—-?"
Fujii went back inside as quickly as he came out. "Great. He's still on this. Some General he is."
Akari got up, setting her brush down and giving Dachii a brief hug. "Hi."
"Hi. I was told to come here after Aoki."
"Aoki?" Akari's demeanor immediately changed. "Did she say anything about me? Did she bring my name up at all? I swear, if she did—-!"
"She didn't."
Akari calmed down. "Good. Now, what are you here to do?"
"I guess…talk to you."
"Okay," she said. "I'm listening."
Dachii pondered for a moment. "Polar opposite of Aoki. What do I ask her?"
A lightbulb popped in his head. "Are…you stronger than Aoki?"
Akari studied him. "Did she tell you to ask that?"
"No…just a thought."
Akari brushed her hair aside. "Easily. She might have the edge in swords, but she's just jealous I have both Magic and an Element. I can already beat her with just one, now imagine both?"
"What IS your Magic?" Dachii asked.
"It's Empowerment," she answered. "It's passed down through royal bloodlines, but it skips a generation every time. Since my grandmother had it, it came to me. It gives me tons of stored-up power from other princes and princesses."
"That's…cool."
She nodded. Dachii thought of another question to ask her. "Is it different, being a royal?"
"Too high-class for you?" she remarked.
"No, just…wondering. I've heard the terms commoner, noble, royal, and ghettos, I want to know what difference they mean."
"Well, commoners apply to people who live in Shonora," she explained. "They're the regulars. Nothing bad about them, but nothing special either. Like Luca and Aoki, if they weren't a part of this squad, that would be where they fall. Totally normal individuals. Nobles apply to people who live in Asuka. They are high-class. Hikari and Fujii are nobles. They come from wealthy, influential families. Some noble families can even communicate directly with my own. That's why nobility always gets the prestigious invites, and the top of them get to live in Aleora. And then there's royalty, like myself. We live in the castle. And we're obviously the head of the entire nation and known all over. But as for your question, it feels…fine. I'm used to it, since it's been my life for 15 years. And besides, it has a LOT of benefits."
She stepped a bit closer. "Which is why Aoki should be your last choice, if anything. Even Kazue would be better."
"And…you would, too?"
She appeared slightly offended. "Of course. Do you SEE the difference in how we present ourselves? Besides, I've cleared her in just about every category months ago. She's just waiting to realize it."
She tilted her head at him. "Is there something else on your mind?"
Dachii looked her right in the eye. "I…have to know…"
"…do you like pizza?"
She smiled. "Of course I do! Pizza is delicious. It's one of the only human foods that brings delight to my mouth."
"So, you've tried it…?"
"Yeah, my people learned how to make it from Batango. It's actually really great."
"Okay, you win," Dachii declared, matter-of-factly.
"I do?"
"Yes. You like pizza."
"Huh," Akari remarked. "I thought it would take more than that. But I'm not complaining. Is there anything more you need?"
"Do you have any right now?" he asked.
She pulled a bag of coins out of her pocket. "No. But I can easily get some, if that's what you want."
"Okay," he agreed.
Not long after, Dachii was back on the couch in front of Fujii, fifteen boxes of pizzas in his hand. "So, how was the Akari thing? Was it great?"
"Sort…of," Dachii admitted. "She bought me pizza."
"Seems like she bought a lot of it too," Fujii noted. "What's a kid gonna do with fifteen boxes?"
"She wanted to make sure I had enough," Dachii said. "So she cleared them out. And bought fifteen for herself as well."
"Yeah, that's the power of wealth!" Fujii chuckled. "Now, we've got one more lined up for today, your sweet little friend Hikari, how's that sound?"
"It sounds…fine."
"Good! Because she's probably at the park right now, so we've gotta catch her before it gets dark!"
Minutes later, Dachii was brought to a nearby Asuka park, where Hikari was busy healing plants. Fujii dropped him off and waved from the sky. "Do your thing, kid!"
Fujii's Ice Dragon disappeared, leaving Dachii alone with Hikari, who immediately stood up once she noticed him. "Dachii! Hi! What are you doing here?"
"Fujii sent me," he answered.
"Right," she remembered. "I almost forgot about that…little game."
"What…are you doing out here?" he asked.
"Just tending to nature," she explained. "Since my powers affect more than just people, I'm trying to see the scope of them. Watch this, I can both kill and revive a flower!"
She sent a pink wave of energy through a large rose, which immediately withered away. She touched it once more, and the flower sprang back to life. "Sadly it doesn't work on people like that. If they're dead I can't bring them back."
She gave Dachii a sympathetic look but he immediately changed the subject. "How long have you had your powers?"
"Five years," she stated. "My sister was SOOOO jealous! If you could see the look on her face, that was PRICELESS."
She looked at her hand. "I wonder if I'll be able to get a Weapon like you, Akari, and Luca. My Element isn't exactly an offensive one, but it's getting there! Slowly but surely!"
Dachii scanned her pink hair, the familiarity coming back to him. "You know…you kinda look like someone…I sort of like."
"Oh!" she gasped, turning red. "Who?"
"A friend from Estrium. She's a human with the same hair color as you."
He made note of her eyes. "But…she doesn't have golden eyes."
"Yeah, ha, well…" Hikari stammered. "My parents did say my eyes are unique! Do you like them?"
"They're…nice. Do they do anything special?"
"Well, they glow when I do this."
She used her Storage Magic to open a portal and drop out a bunch of flowers, and her eyes glowed golden.
"That's…cool," Dachii said, pointing to the flowers. "What are those for?"
She picked up the flowers. "They're a gift from my dad. Here, wanna smell them?"
She lifted them to his nose, and the moment he sniffed them, he passed out on the spot as Hikari panicked. "Dachii? Dachii! Hey, what's wrong? Are you okay?"
He coughed. "Sorry…overwhelming scent."
Meanwhile, in Estrium…
A young boy was busy skating the busy town streets, zipping past annoyed parents and nagging old men.
"Ha! Catch me if you can, losers!"
As he continued, he accidentally bumped into a man with a jacket on, making him drop his guitar. "Crap! Sorry about that, sir!"
The man casually picked up his guitar, which oddly didn't have a scratch on it. "Don't worry about it, kid."
He turned around, revealing a youthful face with white and purple hair, and piercing black eyes. "What's your name? You're out pretty late."
"My name is Sho!"
"Nice to meet you, Sho," the young man greeted. "You can call me Uta. Say, do you like music?"
Sho nodded.
"That's great. Here, take this."
He gave Sho an invitation slip. "What's this?"
Uta's eyes lit up. "You'll be the first invite to the best concert you'll ever see. You won't want to miss this…"
Uta's eyes seemed to glow purple for a brief moment. "It'll be a BLAST."
And by the time Sho looked back at him, he was gone.
—-