01. intro [open]
A short young man stands, waiting. For what purpose, none shall know. All of these people, mostly taller than he, pass by, and he looks at all of them uninterestedly, for they are normal people, as far as Toru Muhyo can tell.Â
Being exposed like this was ridiculousâ he was taking place in a deadly game, but there was nothing he could do, besides wait for his servant, wherever they were or whatever it was. It made him feel uneasy because he didnât even know who they were, and thus, Muhyo stood there, fiddling with a page of his grimoire.
His eyes felt like they were going to droopâ there was nothing interesting happening anyway, and nothing to keep him on the lookout. What a bad first impression this âFuyukiâ made, or was it more guarded? He didnât really know, but if they were trying to keep this game a secret they were already doing a good job.
âHeehee, I really canât fall asleep right here,â he muttered quietly to himself, âI donât really have anywhere to stay.â
At least the town couldâve provided accommodations, but alas, it didnât. However, he didnât need to worry about that right now, for his eyes perked and he turned around, detecting a powerful presence akin to a Master or a Servant. And he didnât say anything, he just watched.
Would they approach?
Some sort of cover storyâthatâs what she needed. She couldnât keep living on stolen pocket change the entire time she was here. Not only did it eat away at her conscience, it just wasnât practical. Buying whatever a hundred yen coin could purchase and sleeping on the streets wasnât exactly ideal here.
It certainly beat how she lived when sheâd aimlessly wandered around Kou. That had been a pretty rough time. While it hardly made this situation great, she was grateful it wasnât as bad.
So here she was, walking around the busy parts of the city. All the hustle and bustle helped her think, and it was a good chance to check out places and see if anyone was hiring. Not that she could apply for much of anything as it wasâshe still needed to come up with a story.
She had the basics; her luggage had been stolen while traveling. But a convincing story needed to be fleshed out and rich with details. And then she needed someone who would believe it, of course.
Well, that was something sheâd worry about once she got her story straight. For now, it was back to working on those details. Her gaze swept over the people walking by. She paid attention to what they were wearing, what they were holding, what they were doingâit made it all the easier to think of things to add to her sob story.
Youkoâs stare soon fell on a kid flipping through pages in a book. He looked as if he was about to drop dead, eyes fluttering open and closed. She frowned, wondering if he was all right. It wouldnât hurt to approach him and check.
âHey, you okay?â
What nerve, Muhyo thought, looking at the red-haired young lady in front of him. It was clear that she was a Master, but still, for her to harbor concern for him... He wasn't sure if it was a gesture of kindness or if she wanted to stab him in the back after he did something to her benefit. Either way, he wasn't too concerned-- He could take care of himself, most certainly.Â
"I'm fine," he says, really stressing the 'fine'. Suddenly, he remembers how comfortingly annoying it is for people to express concern for him.
Though, with an honest thought, he's feeling even more sleepy, though he has to shove that away-- he has to remain vigilant around this woman he knew nothing about-- Muhyo was sure of that. However, he had to make sure that he didn't show this guard openly.
And then, he said nothing, slightly playing with the pages of his grimoire. He wasn't really one to lead conversations anyway.










