Itsy Bitsy Spider

50. City of Love

Shalnark was with Rein and Kalluto, Feitan and Phinks were fighting side by side, and it had been mentioned that Machi was helping the injured Lucky limp through the city. And Zushi?

Zushi was alone.

When they'd arrived at the city, one thing happened after another in rapid succession. Going off in pairs to search for the Emitter had been the plan, but as soon as they stepped foot on heart-shaped cobble stones, there had been girls falling into his hands, people coming up and proposing straight out to some of the adults, and accidental kisses Zushi had shielded his eyes from. When he'd opened his eyes again, everyone was already gone.

He wandered through the streets, searching for someone he knew. Was he going in circles? It certainly seemed that way. He had a feeling he'd been past this particular cupid statue dozens of times, though to be honest, there were similar statues everywhere in the city. The walls, the sidewalk, the shop awnings and the little fountains all seemed to have some sort of red or pink, if not, a picture of a rose or a heart. It all blended and swirled together; everything just looked the same.

At every corner, it seemed people were handing each other flowers, tripping and falling onto each other, or doing stuff that Zushi did not want to look at. He fled from this all, running away, running in circles, lost and confused. No matter where he escaped to, something cursed always seemed to pop out from the next corner.

He ran till his head felt like it would burst open, and eventually he slid down to the ground, defeated. His heart felt so troubled, and he wanted to bash his head in at everything he'd had the misfortune to witness. He wanted to cry out for help.

And a cry for help did ring in the alley, but it took a while to notice it hadn't come from him. It was high-pitched and feminine, and now that he was hearing correctly, pleading and desperate. He whipped his head around to look for the source.

"Come on, it's just a bit of fun."

"Stop, stop it! What are you doing? Let me go!"

Zushi pushed himself to his feet and approached the man harassing the woman. "Hey!" he shouted. "You heard her. Let her go."

He snorted, and stepped in front of the woman with a firm grip on her wrist as she tried helplessly to squirm out of his grasp. "This is an adult matter, kid, you wouldn't understand."

The boy puffed out his chest, his blood running hot at it all. "Ages or not, it's not right to do something if someone has told you to repeatedly stop! And if you don't understand that," he eased into his fighting stance, hazel eyes staring straight ahead, "I'll have to make you."

"Like an elementary schooler could-"

The fight was over quickly. Zushi had landed a solid punch to his diaphragm and a kick to his neck, and the man was already out cold. He dusted off his uniform, and saluted his fallen opponent with a small "Osu!". It'd been a while since he'd taken care of someone like a lot of the criminals that ran rampant around Heaven's Arena, those who liked to act tough but really weren't.

"Oh, thank you!" the freed woman exclaimed, and rushed past him, calling over her shoulder. "I will forever be in your debt! I have a daughter around your age, perhaps an arranged marriage will satisfy you?"

"A what?" Zushi shrieked, in vain. She was already gone.

A soft meep escaped his lips as he felt a sudden weight come crashing down on his soul. It wasn't right! He was a child, and marriage was for adults. And everything that had been happening in the city? K-kissing people without consent was bad! A-and...

He couldn't help but let out a groan in agony. Why was he in this situation? Why couldn't the city leave him alone?

Someone came up behind him. "She's just a simulation in the game, you know that?"