Charming Tails

Chapter 22 - New World, New Faces

Reading the message Rouji sent to him, Rumiha, sitting next to Rika, had her face frowned up and can be drawn with worries all over.

"Rumiha, please tell Rika I'll be back as soon as I can. I just have to go somewhere important for the next couple of days. Please take care of her while I'm gone. And Rumi, don't worry about me. I'll be back before you know it. Good bye. I'll see you soon."

How can I not be worried you idiot? I pray that you'll be okay. she said in her mind.

"Um, what's wrong?" Rika pokes her cheek.

"Hm? Ah. Nothing. Your brother will be gone for a short while. He needed to go somewhere."

"Huh?? Without taking me with him?!" she shouts.

"N-No. He can't do that. It's something important for him."

"Geez. I can't believe he abandoned me here."

"Eh? Are you not liking it here?" Rumiha asks.

"No. I really like it here.."

"Then stop acting like that okay?"

"..."

Rika closed her lips and just kept quiet. She looked worried as much as Rumiha does.

*   *   *

His first step on the soft grass of Masehouka finally happened. As the portal behind them disappears, the two stood in a thick forest of huge maple trees. Leaves fell all over them like snowflakes, slowly drifting left and right in the air as the pull of the earth attracts them down on the ground.

"Where are we?" Rouji looks around.

Tatsuko took a few steps ahead.

"Where do you think?"

"..."

"Are we moving or what?" Tatsuko reminds him.

Rouji started walking together with Tatsuko.

The clouds were timid at that time. Even with the knowledge of Rouji that an impending havoc is currently happening and the fate of Masehouka is at stake, it was no different than any holiday he has experienced. Soon after, they arrived at a small cliff overlooking an entire city.

"Woah.. it's huge." Rouji said as he saw the city.

Just like in the book, it looked just like how it described. An early modern-looking city of Japan surprised Rouji as he felt like he just went back in time. Particularly in the Edo period of Japan. In fact, the entire city resembled much of Watono.

"This is the city of Heiku right? My.. dad's home."

"Yes."

"Tatsuko-san.. why does it look very much like Watono?" he asks as he looked at the city.

"I think you can explain that by yourself. You read the book didn't you?"

"R-Right.. I remember some parts saying that it looks like one of the cities but I never thought it would be Watono.."

"Good thinking then." he smiles. "Let's go."

"W-Wait! Are we going to leg it towards there??" he asks.

"Are you stupid? What do you think should we do?"

"Hell do I know? You live here, why don't you decide?"

"I thought you read everything in the book?" he snaps his finger.

In a short while, galloping can be heard at a distance and it was getting closer and closer.