Yashin & Jiyu's Ultimate Adventure!

Looks don't Define Age [18]

The sunniest day occurred after the trial. The townsfolk were bustling in the aesthetically pleasing town centre. The stone streets and the colourful shops, houses and other buildings brightened the mood in every corner, crack and alleyway. 

Our favourite green-haired and purple-haired boys were strolling the streets, exploring the city before they figure out where to go next. 

Just then, they see Earl of Cupcakes laughing with... what looked like a schoolgirl with a messy purple braid. And of course, Earl being their friend, said hi.

''Earl!!!'' Pico exclaimed, alerting Earl and his friend. ''Oh hello there! Pico, Seiko, please let me introduce to you Asutoro! She's like a granddaughter to me!'' Earl replied with his usual big smile. ''Hi there Earl, Hi Asutoro!'' Seiko waved as the new girl finally spoke, ''Hello! You can call me Toro for short.'', She spoke with a feminine soft tone as Seiko noticed the uniform she wore and attempted to start a conversation, ''So, you go to Cloverton's local high school?'' he asked, Toro just laughed as she says, ''Actually no, I was supposed to graduate about... 731 years ago? Might have been more, I haven't been counting recently!'' She laughed once more and both Pico and Seiko's mouths were left agape. ''But- You look so young!'' Pico blurted out in sheer surprise. ''I get that a lot. Here, come inside my home base and I'll explain.'' She said as she opened the door to the building they were standing outside of. Earl whispered as she unlocked the door, ''This used to be my bakery, haha!'' Seiko raised an eyebrow in slight confusion.

Finally, they went inside and the whole interior was a traditional-Japanese style home, with a few modern touches here and there, like wall sockets and fluorescent lighting. ''Welcome to my abode!'' Toro said as she led the three to her dining room, where they continued to sit and talk.

''Okay... Well first off, it's the city of deception so how do you trust us so easily in your home?'' Pico asked, suspicious at first. ''Because it's also the city of luck and personally, I think luck cant happen if your paranoid all the time and don't take chances. Now then, would you like me to explain how I look so gorgeously young and yet have been around for almost 800 years or so?'' She gave Pico and Seiko side smiles as Earl mumbles loudly, ''I actually do know but I just love a good story!'' and Seiko says, ''Yeah, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't curious.''. Toro leans on her dining table as she closes her eyes and pictures her otherworldly explanation.

''You may not believe this, but given the other things that this universe holds, It can be so believable. Ever since my childhood best friend found her mom's diary, we figured out how to hop through different universes. Different time periods, different realms and even alternate galaxies! And a few hundred years ago, My best friend found out the hard way that when you're travelling through different universes all the time... it takes time off for when you get to your home universe. She came back looking like an old lady. Middle-aged more like, but still. She missed out on most of her life, and I knew I didn't want to end up like her. So I continued to travel, and I never aged. I later found out that she got married, co-owned her husband's company and even had a child. I wanted to meet them but more than a day on my home planet and I'd be dead with a tombstone on top. Literally. I'm happy for her, of course! But it makes travelling kinda lonely. Before you ask, yes this is my home universe, no I'm not making this all up, and don't worry, I'll only be here for a few hours to say hi to Mr Cupcakes and continue my travels.'' She finished there. By that time, Earl had gotten up to make tea for them all and had come back before she did finish. 

''Oh, I love hearing that story every time I listen to it!'' Earl excitedly sipped his tea as Seiko and Pico were, once again, left speechless. ''You can travel... through different UNIVERSES?!'' Seiko screamed. ''Different... universes...?'' Pico muttered. ''This always happens. Speechless and dumbfounded. Earl? Could you uh...?'' Toro said as Earl got the message. He clapped in both of their faces, which brought them to their senses. ''I'm sorry! It's just that... It's such a crazy concept to us...'' Pico smiled sweetly as Toro laughed it off and said, ''No worries! It'd be abnormal if you didn't react like that!'' Toro cleared her throat, standing up as Seiko inquired, ''May I ask, How you do it?''. Toro stopped in her tracks as she turned around and gave a soft smile with upturned eyebrows. ''Sorry, You don't have to!'' Seiko then exclaimed as Toro sighed and said, ''Sure. But you can't tell anybody about this! Remember when I called this my home base? Yeah. Home base for portals. Follow me!'' She excitedly skipped to the stairs which led to her basement. 

It was a long, dark hallway until it opened to a small room with a single door frame and a large control panel. All metal. Walls, ceilings, floors. Even the control panel was a different type of metal. ''So this is...?'' Seiko asked. ''I punch in a code, press the big green button and the door frame turns into a portal,'' Toro explains. In all its simplicity, she checked the time and hastily puts in a code, pressing the green button. She stood back-facing the newly lit, glowing a bright and vibrant green. ''Sorry to cut this so short but I'm already at the 20 hours mark, thus needing to travel a tad more till I can come back! Meet me here again tomorrow, if you ever wanna talk again, and Earl! The keys are in the plant pot by the door, please lock up before leaving. Buh-bye one and all!'' She leaned back and waved with a smile as she went through the portal and it shrunk into a small ball in the centre, and soon after, it disappeared. 

''She's such a pleasant young woman these days!'' Earl chuckles as he heads upstairs. ''Wait, Earl!'' Pico and Seiko said in sync with the same question repeatedly playing in their mind. Only satisfied when they got an answer. ''What is it, gentlemen?'' He raised his fuzzy grey eyebrows as Pico continued their question, ''How do you know Asutoro?''. Earl chuckled as he gave his answer, leaving shortly after.

''Well, She's Madame Majo's daughter, of course!''.