Beyblade Burst Adventures

Cloth and Dust (DISCONTINUED)

In which his time in hiding has ended after three long years, his wounds healed and his name legendary but no longer existing in the forefront of everyone's minds. Now he must try to begin life as an adult and maintain a quiet existence, not yet ready to face those he knew in the past. (Incomplete crossover AU, primary protagonist is 18.)

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I push the door open and step through, glancing up as the bell hanging overhead jingles loudly, alerting the elderly owner of the small shop to my arrival.

"I'll be there in a moment, dearie!" She calls out, and a moment later the door to a backroom opens and she steps out of it, occupied by some antique book in her hands as she speaks, "We're actually closed for the night, but feel free to look around anyway! I'm happy to have the company while I wait on the new night watch to arrive. Oh, he's such a delightful young man, so quiet and polite!"

"Um, thank you," I reply, and she startles as she lifts her head.

"Oh! Oh, dear, you little scamp! I hadn't realized that was you!" She laughs softly, stepping over to me. "You're very punctual, too!"

"I wouldn't want to be late for my first night on the job." After all, this is the only one I can get without any prior experience. I need it more than you realize.

"Well, I appreciate it!" She smiles warmly, then she goes and places the book on a shelf with other old books before beckoning me to follow. "Come along, and I'll show you how the security setup works!"

I follow her into a different backroom, one that's small and laid out like an office, with a chair and desk set to the back wall. The only special decoration are a few antique trinkets and a cap laid out on the desk and the curtains hanging over the window. A black tablet also lays on the desk, but it's clearly brand new.

Kobutsu steps over to the desk and picks up the tablet, turning it on. "I'm a little embarrassed to admit that I'm not the best at handling this thing- oh, technology nowadays is so wonderful but confusing! I'll do my best to get you started."

She stands beside me, showing me the screen as she explains, "Now, I've got security cameras set up in different spots throughout the shop, which is all mapped out in the bottom corner here. You just have to tap these different icons to look through them."

She taps on one of the icons in the main room, bringing up an image of the main store from a view over the checkout counter. You can see the front door, but both of the windows on the side of the building are blocked from view by the display shelves. I assume that's why there are two more icons in that room- cameras that cover those blind spots.

"Now, to save on the electricity bill, we are going to have to turn out all the lights except for the ones in here, but it's no biggie, because the cameras are equipped with little flashlights," She tells me, going to one of the two cameras in the other backroom and clicking a flashlight icon beside the map. I can see a bit of the light shining against the curtains around the window, but it's overpowered by the main light.

"And lastly, there's one camera in the hallway connecting the security office and the storage room."
She clicks on that, showing me the camera's view. It seems to be focused right in the middle of the hallway, and it can't see either of the doors.

"I know it's a lot to remember, but you'll have plenty of time to get it down pat," She says with a reassuring pat on my arm, and I simply nod.

I'm not the best with technology, either, but even to me it seems simple enough to grasp. "Is that everything?"

"Not quite. Now, I just wanted to let you know that the doors in the hall that connect the office to the storage room are a little broken. Neither of them stay shut on their own, so I just leave them open."