Chapter 47 - Actually Actually

It was just before four o’clock when Yuzu and Char Char arrived at the outskirts of Tye-An street. They walked at a casual pace down the cobblestone street. Even before the first set of colourful stalls that denoted the edge of the market there were plenty of people walking around.

“It’s even more busy than earlier!” Char Char said, looking around in wonderment. She noticed a lot more people around her and Yuzu’s age wandering around in groups. A large portion of them were dressed in school uniforms, the girls wore pleated dresses and long sleeved shirts. The boys wore breeches, white shirts and vests. Char Char glanced down at her more mature outfit and felt strangely out of place, but she decided that not wearing what most people her age were wearing made her more important.

“This is the afternoon rush. School is done for the day so a lot of students come here to hang out. Also, housewives and servants come to buy groceries for dinner at this time.” Yuzu said, barely glancing at the crowd. “Between six and eight most people finish work for the day so there’s another rush at that time.”

As a shop owner, it was important to understand the general flow of the markets. One of the reasons Yuzu had picked five o’clock to meet Enoki was because it was just before the evening rush, missing the busiest time of day.

“Since we’re early, do you want to eat something?” Char Char asked, “My treat.”

“Sure.” Yuzu said. “That tea shop over by the grocery store is known for its sandwiches and biscuits.”

The two girls walked over to the small shop, which had a patio set up outside of its entrance. It was full of customers, with a line up out the door and all the patio seats full. Char Char went to order inside while Yuzu was tasked with finding a table. Luckily a group left shortly after Yuzu walked out onto the patio, and she was able to sit down in the corner and reserve the seat beside her for Char Char.

Yuzu watched the crowd with a placid expression, her chin resting in the palm of her hand. The golden threads drifted in the periphery of her vision, so numerous that it was like she was surrounded by a glittering translucent mist. She wondered if she would be able to turn it off at some point, or if this was just how the world would be for her from now on.

As she relaxed in the afternoon sun, one particular thread caught her attention as it flowed directly past the patio. It was pure white, like the thread that came from the chest, like the colour of her own thread. This was the first time she’d seen a white thread other than her own. She did a double take as she glanced down at herself to make sure that the thread didn’t actually originate from her.

Her posture straightened as she turned her head to follow the white smoky strand down the street. It passed the grocery store and turned into a doorway. She couldn’t see the sign from where she was sitting. She instinctively reached out with her spirit body to touch the thread, but hesitated.

If she was going to distance herself from this world of fate threads, then examining random threads was the last thing she should be doing!

She bit her lip as she paused for a few more seconds.

“One last time.” She muttered. This wasn’t just any thread, it was white! Her curiosity got the better of her as she reached out and grasped the thread.

A young boy with curly golden locks of hair and a school uniform walked past her in the vision. He had bright green eyes and freckles, and looked to be no more than twelve years old. As he walked by, he seemed to sense something. He looked up to the patio where Yuzu was sitting and looked directly at her.

Yuzu froze, nearly disconnecting from the thread out of shock, but the boy’s gaze only glanced casually past her, without any hint of recognition. He continued down the street, eventually turning into the doorway next to the grocery store. At that point Yuzu cut off her connection to the vision. She remained completely still, her thoughts racing.

It was impossible that he actually looked at her, right? After all, this was a vision of the future. So unless she stayed in this spot for an extended period of time, he wouldn’t actually be looking at her. More likely, the boy was looking at the person who was sitting in her spot in the future.

At once, Yuzu stood up and walked to the opposite corner of the patio. A group of girls was chatting vibrantly at a table. Yuzu reached out with her spirit and yanked their threads away, connecting them to another vendor across the street.

“Oh!” One of the girls suddenly stood up. “Why don’t we go get some meat pies!”

The other girls laughed, “What are you on about? We just got our food!”

“Why do you suddenly want meat pies?”

“Aren’t you vegetarian?”

“I just have a sudden craving.” The first girl looked extremely confused as she grabbed her bag and took off.

“H-hey, wait!” Her group of friends shot perplexed looks at each other as they stood up, grabbed their sandwiches and left to chase after their friend.

Yuzu sat down at the empty table, and with a wave of her hand chased off a number of threads that had shifted and were approaching the other seats at the table. For the next little while, no one would disturb her at the corner table despite there being three empty seats beside her.

Once again, Yuzu reached out to the white thread. The boy with golden locks and freckles approached once more in her vision, passing by the patio. Looking closely at him, she noticed that he did not look like a typical Kumin boy; His chin was not as angled and his hair had tight curls. Nor did he have the round face and small eyes typical of those from Huan. Despite not being able to place his origins, he did not stand out too much and was fairly plain in appearance.

As he first walked past Yuzu’s original spot he glanced up to look at the seat where she had been. He continued on, a slight look of puzzlement on his face. Then as he passed by Yuzu’s new position, he once again looked directly at her.

A small confused smile crossed his lips as his gaze once again passed by without locking onto her.

Yuzu’s heart was beating hard in her chest as her eyes followed the illusory form of the boy. The vision had changed, she was sure of it. Whether or not he was looking at her in her original spot, she was certain that he did not look back up at the patio a second time in her original vision.

This boy, who had a white thread, saw her watching his future.

Yuzu felt the hairs on the back of her neck rise as her throat suddenly felt dry. She was about to stand up when a voice interrupted her thoughts.

“Wow, we have a table all to ourselves! Lucky!” Char Char approached with a pot of tea and two teacups in her hand. “Sandwiches are coming. Also I ordered a slice of cake for us to share. Keep an ear out for number twelve.”

The pretty girl sat down and observed Yuzu for a second.

“Yuzu, are you okay?” Char Char asked, looking concerned. “You look pale.”

Yuzu’s eyes snapped away from the street as she looked at her friend. “It’s nothing.”

“What’s nothing?” Char Char looked confused.

“Nothing.” Yuzu said, pouring the tea. “Nothing is nothing.”

Char Char smiled, nodding as if she understood something. “Okay. Nothing is nothing.”

Not sharing one’s concerns was the prickly nature of a cactus, after all.

Yuzu’s eyes had already turned back to the street as she sipped on her tea absentmindedly. Char Char followed her friend’s gaze, not seeing anything unusual. It was Yuzu that broke the silence.

“You know that cleric and that hunter that you met. You said they had supernatural powers.” Yuzu didn’t take her eyes off the road.

“Yeah, they were incredible. It was just like something out of a story.” Char Char said.

“If you... had... the chance to get powers like that, would you take it?” Yuzu asked.

“Of course!” Char Char replied without hesitation, her smile beaming. “Going on adventures, helping people in need, we always used to dream about that right?”

“But what if it’s dangerous, if it means you get hurt? What if you had to pay a price for those powers? What if you got involved in something too big too handle?”

Char Char laughed, “Then I’d deal with it when it came up!”

Char Char caught Yuzu’s frown at her words and calmed down a bit, smiling softly, “I know what you’re saying. Powers always come at a price, even in the stories. I’m always focused on the reward, but you always keep a cool head and think about the risks.”

“Isn’t that natural?” Yuzu asked, finally taking her gaze away from the street and meeting Char Char’s eyes.

“I guess.” Char Char sipped at her tea, and then smiled wryly at Yuzu, “I know! If we ever get powers, you can watch out for me when I get into danger.”

She laughed again.

“If you got into danger, I wouldn’t help you.” Yuzu said bluntly, aggravated by the laughter.

“I guess not.” Char Char smiled, unperturbed. “What about you? If you had the chance to get powers, would you?”

From inside the cafe, someone called out the number twelve. Char Char stood up, “Oh, that’s our number.”

She left to grab the sandwiches, leaving Yuzu to contemplate the question.

Of course, the answer was already a moot point, since Yuzu already had experienced such a thing. Worse yet, she hadn’t been given the choice. The chest had just thrust these powers on her. Then again, if she could go back in time and actually choose, would she?

Her hand subconsciously moved to the bag at her waist. In it, a small ornate chest sat wrapped up in a bundle of cloth. She had wavered back and forth between leaving it at home, but in the end she had decided to take it with her. It was the practical choice. As long as she didn’t access the powers of the chest directly, there shouldn’t be any risk, right? Or at least not much. And if she actually needed it, she’d have it.

This was the compromise she had made with her logical side.

She’d already checked whether Xiang or Zwei would go into the storage room that evening, and whether any of the golden threads that walked by the shop belonged to the owner of the chest. Thus she determined that it was also safe to bring the chest with her. No one would miss it.

Before long, Char Char returned with the sandwiches and a slice of strawberry mousse cake. Yuzu had ordered the cafe’s specialty, a barbecue duck on white bread with pickled radish. Char Char had gone for the special on their daily menu, a pork pate with julienned vegetables and sweet sauce on a baguette.

They dug into the sandwiches, whose bright, crisp flavours perfectly complemented the hot, fragrant tea. For a moment they relished the atmosphere of eating an afternoon meal on a patio, with the fresh spring breeze drifting past and the afternoon sun beaming down on them.

“So?” Char Char asked, after they had eaten in silence for a while.

“So what?” Yuzu asked.

“Would you take powers if you had the chance?” Char Char asked.

“It sounds like a lot of trouble...” Yuzu sighed softly, looking annoyed.

“But you would, wouldn’t you?” Char Char grinned.

“No.” Yuzu retorted.

“Actually no, or no because you’re too embarrassed to admit it?” Char Char’s grin widened.

“Actually no!” Yuzu said irritated.

“Actually actually no, or actually no because-“ Char Char laughed as Yuzu picked up her tea cup menacingly, mock threatening to splash it on her friend.

“Actually actually no!”