Wish ~Yato x Reader AU~

Chapter 3: Nora

If her idea of scenic is old, traditional houses and modern apartments all clustered together with little greenery, then yup. It's a scenic ride.

For the last hour, I've been on this bus with my earbuds securely settled in my ears as my music pulses through them. Though the bus has grown more and more empty with the closer we've grown to Nora, I still don't feel like acknowledging the other passengers. I'm not here to exchange small talk with passersby and it's not just because the bus had been running a tad late. I just don't feel like talking. I'm too busy trying hype myself up so I can put on my best customer service smile in hopes of impressing the manager or whoever of this place.

I glimpse down at the flyer resting between my fingers. Seven. I think to myself. I've never heard of the place. Then again, I've never heard of Nora either. This place I'm going to...it's just a village. It's not even apart of Tokyo. Which is why I did some research when I got back to my hotel room last night. To my surprise, the Internet had no information to offer me. No article...no website...nothing. Which I found surprising since the woman had seemed to speak highly of the village's cherry blossom display. Surely that would earn at least one small article, but no. There was nothing to find, which makes me nervous.

I could be heading towards an utter dump for all I know. Maybe the boutique and village, in general, are both just shitty places with little people that venture to them. After all, why else wouldn't there be any information on the two? If this place is supposedly popular for something as beautiful as cherry blossoms, then it should have some sort of publicity, but it doesn't. It doesn't have a single clue about its existence on the world wide web and that is what has me a tad anxious, which makes me question why I'm even bothering to waste my time with a day trip to this place. If it's that big of a hellhole, then why am I going out of my way to even check it out? The answer is quite simple.

Desperation.

With the same outcome always finding me back in Tokyo, I have reached a critical level within myself. I need a job and I need a job as soon as humanly possible. With each day that passes, the closer my bank account grows to reading zero and that is something I do not wish to see. If I'm able to, I'd rather avoid that altogether. So, whether this place is a dump or not, it's still somewhere hiring and thus, still somewhere worth checking out. The bank account does not discriminate.

"Next stop, Nora," the bus's automatic voice says as it breaks through the pause in my music.

At that, I exhale a haggard breath and slide the flyer into my pocket as I glance around. Aside from myself, there are four other people, including the bus driver. There is an older man with a scruffy appearance and tired eyes seated at the back, most likely only riding the bus back and forth all day for whatever reason who has not said a single word the whole time. A few rows up from him is a woman with a little girl next to her. I'm assuming they're mother and daughter due to how the woman has tended to the child since they boarded a few stops back. They have appeared to exchange a few words earlier, but I couldn't make them out through my earbuds. But that doesn't matter. My stop is coming up and unless they get off with me, I won't see them again.

With Nora quickly approaching, I turn my music off and take my earbuds out, wadding them up neatly before dropping them in my bag. I arrange my bag so that its strap is pulled over my shoulder and brace myself to stand as my eyes lift to the front window. Sure enough, we are coming up to an entrance gate. The iron barrier is tall, with the name Nora held above it in neat Japanese as, to my surprise, colorful flowers and tall green grass is planted at the base of the gate. The cheerful plants dance in the chilly breeze, which intrigues me. It's autumn. It's autumn and the landscape shouldn't showcase that, but we are in southern Japan, so maybe the weather is slightly different.

"Destination, Nora," the bus's automatic voice chimes as the driver pulls the vehicle over in front of the stop.

The doors slide open and I jump to my feet, making my leave. As I anticipated, no one else followed me off, which means they're most likely heading back to Tokyo or to one of the stops beforehand. Regardless, it's just me, myself, and this gate.

The bus pulls off as I approach my destination, my stare still plastered on the entrance. From a distance, I hadn't been able to see much detail, but up close, I can see just how neat and clean the iron bars are. It is kept in pristine condition with not a single spec of rust to be seen. Everything. The gate, the flowers, the grass, the cement...it's all so perfectly maintained. Honestly, I find it settling. Any images I had previously painted about the village possibly being a dump is beginning to evaporate. Maybe this place won't be that bad. I tell myself.

With a sharp inhale, I begin to make my way in past the gates. The scent of sea salt immediately greets me, the fresh aroma rolling up into my nostrils as the sound of the village echoes around me. To my pleasant surprise, this place seems to be alive and doing well. Locals are going about their days, all appearing to be enjoying life in the little village. Women in aprons flash friendly smiles as they exchange bouquets of flowers for money. An older man dressed in all white is opening what must be his bakery, the smell of freshly baked bread and rolls immigrating from the infrastructure before mixing with the ocean's perfume. A small cluster of men in beat-up jeans and dingy shirts are working on a house close by, each working like a well-oiled machine as they carry materials up the ladders to the roof to do whatever repairs are required. And, of course, in the distance, I can hear the hustle of the port as people laugh and call out the haul of the day.

This little port village that I've never heard of before is not what I pictured. In my mind, I had painted it to be some dump with rundown, decaying buildings and unpleasant civilians. I was expecting dirt and filth and just bad news. However, I am pleased to be met with this lovely view. Though it is just a village, it is very quaint and very much alive, which means my fears about the boutique must be discredited as well.

I tighten my grip on my strap and breathe in a hardy breath as I begin my search for Seven, hoping for the best.

**Bello my lovelies. Now Y/N is in Nora, but she's gotta find the boutique. I wonder what'll happen next. Are you all ready to find out? I hope so! Thank you oh so very much for all your support. It truthfully means the world to me! Y'all are awesome sauce! Wuv yous!! <3**

-Noel Ross