Arc 1, Chapter 5: Hotline of Fate
by owryintheblindforestA field somewhere. An Eevee, about Amadeus’ age. Someone other than his sister.
“…We need to talk.”
Amadeus can’t hear his own response.
“About us! Isn’t it obvious?”
“What did you do? You’ve been prancing around, not a care in the world…”
“Why do I care? Why do I care?! I thought we were partners! We-”
“…What? Why didn’t you…”
“H-how could you say that?!? After everything I’ve done for you…”
“…I’m done. I’m done being treated like shit by you!”
The Eevee starts storming off, tears in her eyes.
“…I’m going far away from here. See you in hell.”
Who? Where? When?
Amadeus woke up with a start, panting heavily. What… He lazily glanced around the room, and his breath slowly evened out. Weird dream… It felt strangely real to Amadeus, but he couldn’t place how or what had spawned it. He arrived at the seemingly inescapable conclusion that it was just a weird dream and nothing more, which didn’t ease him any more, but he’d surely forget about it as the day crawled on anyway. He took another glance out of the window. It seemed like he’d gotten up at dawn, with the sun just barely peeking out over the horizon. He hadn’t had a chance to actually see sunrise since coming here yet, so it was a rather pretty sight. What a way to start the day… What am I gonna do today, anyw- oh, the festival, right. He rubbed his eyes with his paws and yawned. He lazily threw on his glasses, fixed his pin to one of the shirts he’d been loaned, and after a brief trip to the bathroom, he headed into the kitchen to see if Haruhi and Haya were up having breakfast yet. He found Haya sipping tea by herself. She immediately noticed him.
“You’re up early. Were you too excited for the festival to sleep?”
“Uh, not really. I just kinda… woke up early?”
“Hmm…” Haya took another sip of her tea. “Did you sleep well?”
“I think? I don’t know, sometimes I just… Wake up early. For no reason.”
Haya shrugged. “Well, that happens sometimes, kid.” She took another sip from her tea, and set it down. “You have any requests for breakfast before Haruhi gets up?”
“Well, not really…”
“You sure? You must be tired of the toast I keep making every day…”
“No, really, it’s great.”
“I want toast!” Haruhi said, bounding into the room with seemingly perfect timing.
Haya laughed. “Of course you can have some, kid…” Haya started to hum pleasantly as she prepared the griddle and loaf of bread, and fixed the two of them up some Leppa toast, a specialty of hers. Amadeus was in absolutely no mood to complain about the bewildering coincidence that Haya just happened to be well-versed in his breakfast meal of choice, given it meant he didn’t really have to adjust his appetite at all. Haya set down a plate for both him and Haruhi, and resumed sipping her tea. Presumably, she’d already eaten.
“Man, I love toast…” Amadeus said, his mouth full of food. “Your toast is amazing, Haya.”
“Is it, now?” She asked with a smirk. “Surely you’ve had better. Assuming you had as much money growing up as I think you did…”
Amadeus swallowed his food before responding. “I’ll have you know I made my own toast. Yours is definitely better.”
Haya chuckled. “In that case, I’m flattered.”
Haruhi paused. “Is that why you didn’t say anything when we gave you toast these past few days?”
“I guess…”
Haruhi wasn’t done prying. “How often do you have toast, anyway?”
“Every day I can, I think.”
Haya raised an eyebrow. “We’ll have to get you to try something different for breakfast, then…”
“But I like the toast. It’s good.” He resumed chowing down on the pieces of toast on his plate. He heard Haruhi mutter something under her breath.
“You’re not gonna be able to have toast on the road…”
Amadeus finished off his plate, and went to deposit it in the sink. “So, uh… festival?”
“Festivities won’t start until late in the afternoon. I’m sure there’s already a lot of visitors arriving, though. In the meantime, you’ll need something to wear for the festivities. Let’s go pay a certain someone a visit, shall we?”
“Who?” Amadeus asked.
“The tailor, silly. Haven’t you met her yet? Sakura Leafeon?”
Not long after, the three of them were outside the door to Sakura and Mayumi’s house, with Haya gingerly knocking on the door. A frustrated voice could be heard on the other side mumbling something about morning people. “Coming…” A bleary-eyed Leafeon opened the door, wearing a large, single garment that covered her entire body like a robe, with a flower design on it. “Do you have any idea how early it is, Haya?”
“Not early enough, if I’m quite honest.”
“I’m going to guess you’re here to ask about the Yukatas you had me fix up for you and Haruhi and the one you had me make for Amadeus, all with a whopping two day’s notice?”
“Indeed I am. How are they? I hope Amadeus’ came out good, given I went through the trouble of taking his measurements for you.”
“You took them wrong. I already had a different set of measurements for him,” Sakura flatly asserted.
“Really? When did you have the time to do that? You didn’t take the measurements the night he came here, did you?”
“…Yeah, when did you?” Amadeus asked. “I’ve never even been inside of the house itself, only Mayumi’s dojo…”
“I found a way, alright?” Sakura responded, seemingly in no mood to give a straight answer. “Come on, I’ve got them inside…” Sakura led the trio inside the house, which seemed to have a rather sizeable portion sectioned off for a tailor’s workshop. Amadeus could see what was presumably the living room past some curtains in the back, with a rather non-tired looking Mayumi sitting down nearby a similar table to the one in Haya’s house, wearing an outfit very similar to Sakura’s. How much living space do Sakura and Mayumi even have back there? So much of it gets dedicated to their work… Sakura used grass knots to grab a trio of hangers off a rack, each with a large, full-body garment hanging down from it, all three in the same style as the one Sakura was wearing, with the exception of one designed for a biped. She handed them over to Haya. “Here they are. Three Yukatas, one for each of you. One of which, and I cannot stress this enough, you had me make completely from scratch for Amadeus.”
Haya took them, and threw a sack of money Sakura’s way. “Is this enough?”
“I’m too tired to check.” Sakura snatched it up without checking what was inside the bag. “Now scram, and maybe consider giving me more of a heads-up next time.”
Haya chuckled. “Suit yourself. Come along now, you two…”
“Bye, Miss Sakura!” Haruhi said, louder than strictly necessary as she started trotting out of the door. Amadeus said his own, more quiet goodbye and followed Haruhi, not wanting to bother Sakura any more. On the walk back, he noticed a few faces he’d not seen on days prior. A Sandslash, giving a Zangoose a handshake. A Luxray that looked strikingly like his father in a conversation with a Leavanny. A Flygon, flying overhead as a Swellow followed. A surprising number of the new faces were shiny. I guess we do have a few visitors… None of them seemed to pay the trio any mind as they made their way back to Haya’s house, which made Amadeus happy. The less people coming into town to gawk at me, the better…
Back at Haya’s house, Amadeus stretched.
“So, uh… are we going to try these on?” He asked.
“Well, you’re going first, seeing as yours is the only brand-new one,” Haya responded, throwing one of the Yukatas at Amadeus. “Come now, try it on.”
Amadeus quickly dashed back into his room with the thing to get dressed in a little bit of privacy. He inspected the Yukata more closely now. It was a deep yellow, with streaks of black running across it. It wasn’t an overly complicated design, but it looked nice. The size of the garment itself made it a chore to put on as a quadruped, however. He fumbled with the thing for a good while before finally getting it on properly. Once he was done, he readjusted his pin for the Yukata and went back into the kitchen. Haya and Haruhi were already dressed up, with their purple and red Yukatas contrasting with Amadeus’ own.
“You look nice in that, kid,” Haya said pleasantly. “How do you feel?”
“It’s… Surprisingly comfortable, actually.”
“Good, good…” Haya got up. “Now that you’re all dressed up… Scram. I’ve got a showstopper of a meal to prepare, and I can’t have you two intruding on my secrets.” She rather aggressively ushered the two of them out of the house. “Have fun.” She closed the door in their faces with a slam. Inside, Amadeus could hear the sounds the oven starting up.
“So, uh… Any ideas on what we do for the next… what? Seven hours?” Amadeus asked Haruhi. Fortunately, Amadeus had made sure to stuff the ‘delightful gift’ for the mathematician into the Yukata back in his room. Hopefully, it didn’t tear in there.
“Uh… watch the clouds, I think?” Haruhi responded. “That’s what I do every other year, since Mom gets mad if this thing gets dirty…”
“Why don’t we go to the top of the hill, then?” Amadeus gestured. After a bit of a walk, they were atop the hill overlooking the town. Amadeus sat down on the grass, next to a lone tree. Then, for a good while, he and Haruhi just stared at the clouds while lying on the ground under said tree, trying to say what they looked like.
“That one looks like… A guild badge!” Haruhi said, with a somewhat constrained enthusiasm. The boredom of how long they’d been going for had started to get to her, evidently.
Amadeus squinted at another cloud. “That one looks like an nft.”
“…What the hell is an nft?” Haruhi asked. “Some kinda human thing?”
“You know what?” Amadeus started, recalling his burning hatred of nfts. “I’m not going to explain that one.”
“That’s like the fifth time you’ve said something I’ve never heard of and refused to explain what it was.”
“…Well, it’s nothing important.”
Haruhi sighed out a small flame in frustration. “Whatever you say, dude.” She got up and looked around. “Oh, it’s the Mayor.”
Amadeus looked over to what, or, more accurately, who, Haruhi had spotted. The same Leavanny he spotted talking to the Luxray he’d seen in town earlier was headed right for them. The insectoid spotted them and waved, then picked up the pace, headed straight for them, also wearing a bright green and gold Yukata.
“You’re the mayor?” Amadeus asked.
“Indeed I am. Mayor Masahiro Leavanny of Nōgyō No Machi. My apologies for not speaking to you sooner, I should’ve introduced myself by now.” Masahiro bowed, his body seemingly bending like a twig. Amadeus wasn’t sure he’d really understand how bug-type biology worked, but that was the last thing on his mind right now.
“Oh, no need to apologize. It’s fine. Not many people have talked to me since I got here…”
“Trust me, it is. I planned to formally welcome you into the town and everything, and I haven’t even introduced myself to you! For shame…” he shook his head. “I kept putting it off, with the festival coming up, and then something came up just now related to you, so I dashed here before I could tell myself ‘later’ again. I’ve been a horrid mayor… I didn’t even try to stop the rumors about your name was! Half the town thinks you’re named ‘Ama’, I swear—”
“Mister Masahiro, don’t beat yourself up over this…” Haruhi pleaded.
“I can, and I will, you little firebrand. But in any case, there’s someone who wants to meet you, Amadeus.”
Amadeus perked up immediately. “W-wait, really?!?” I-Is this…
“Indeed! Come along, now…”
“Can I come?” Haruhi asked.
“The individual in question requested to speak with Amadeus in private, so no.”
“O-oh… okay…” Haruhi looked a little defeated, but didn’t seem to want to push the issue any farther.
Masahiro escorted Amadeus through town, reaching a building that looked just a little more… regal than the rest. The sloping convex roof of the building, and how the multiple floors looked like layers, just gave off this air of superiority. For crying out loud, it was the only building in the whole town to have more than one floor. At least, from what Amadeus had seen.
“Is this your office?”
“My office as well as my place of residence. Come on, your visitor is inside.”
The first floor resembled a reception area of sorts. There was a lone desk, with a set of stairs off to the side. A Ribombee was sitting at the desk, chatting away with a rather imposing-looking Luxray.
“And I’m back!” Masahiro announced. “How much information has gotten you to part with, Sachio?”
“Oh, hush, you.” The Ribombee responded, wearing a pink and red Yukata. “I’m not that chatty.”
“Excellent. Dumas, he’s all yours.”
“Great,” The Luxray responded. “Should we use your quarters for this discussion, or—”
“My private study on the third and top floor. It’ll be nice and quiet up there.”
“Good. Take us there.”
Without may other words, Masahiro guided Dumas Luxray and Amadeus Shinx up the stairs, up to a dusty room with two chairs that looked like they didn’t get used very often. Between the two chairs was a small table. “I assume this is to your liking, Dumas?” Masahiro asked.
“Yeah, this is great,” Dumas said with a nod. Amadeus took a moment to look Dumas over. He was huge and imposing, a feeling accentuated by the medallion he wore, with the baleful eye it depicted. “Alright, introductions time.” Dumas threw a badge down on the table that resembled a tree, or maybe a cloud, with wings on it. It was covered in all kinds of colors, and also managed to feel utterly regal at the same time. “I am Dumas Luxray, the official seer of the Guild of Honor in Hakken no Machi.”
“…Okay.”
Dumas scowled. “You’re staring down one of the highest ranked members of society on the whole continent, and that’s your reaction? ‘Okay?’ I’m jealous of your complacency.”
“…uh.”
“The seer! The head detective of the entire Guild? Renowned the continent over? Hell, you must’ve grown up under a rock…”
“…I guess so.”
Dumas raised an eyebrow. “…What’s that supposed to mean?”
“Uh…”
“…Never mind, let’s just down to business.” He turned to Masahiro, who was very awkwardly watching this whole exchange take place. “Why don’t you lead the discussion? Explain what you did the night Amadeus arrived here.”
“Ah! Of course, of course. As is standard protocol for most towns that are directly aligned with the authorities in Hakken no Machi, we reported the details your arrival to the Guild of Honor using the radio we have on the first floor. This, apparently, caught the attention of Dumas here, who believes your sudden appearance can’t be explained by simply ‘getting lost’, as he puts it.”
“Specifically,” Dumas began, “I requested that those who were caring for you report the details of any and all conversations you had directly to me. That means that I’m aware of the conversations you had with Haya Delphox and Hirohito Audino.”
“W-what?” Amadeus stammered. I trusted-
“Relax, I didn’t specifically request they get private details from you. I only asked that your conversations be explained. I’m not asking for personal details.” He paused. “Breathe. I know this might feel like a bit of a betrayal, but please understand. I’m not out to get you.”
Amadeus tried his best to appear composed. Despite Dumas’ words, he was anything but trusting at the moment. “I-I understand…”
Dumas turned to Masahiro again. “Alright, you’ve served your purpose. Now get out. The rest of this conversation stays between me and him.”
“Yes, yes, of course…” Masahiro left the room, and closed the door behind him. Dumas then moved closer to Amadeus and put a paw on his back.
“Amadeus?”
“Y-yes, sir?”
“Breathe.”
“I-“
“Just breathe. I know this must be hard on you. You’re surrounded by people you don’t know, and you feel like you can’t trust a soul. You feel like you need to lie to protect yourself. Am I right?”
“…”
Dumas sighed. “I don’t expect you to trust me with all of your secrets on our first meeting. Just… say what you’re comfortable saying. Can you do that for me?”
“…I’ll try.”
“Alright. Let’s start with what I know, shall we?” Dumas stretched his neck casually. “According to what I’ve heard, you were found by one Haruhi Fennekin on a stormy night in the middle of Haya Delphoxes’ berry tree fields, who were having dinner with Mayumi Umbreon and Sakura Leafeon. You apparently collapsed due to your injuries in front of Haruhi, who then ran inside to get those other three, who called in Hirohito Audino to treat your injuries, which I’ve heard were quite severe. Does this sound right to you?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now, here’s the bit I’m most interested in. You were bleeding quite heavily. So heavily, in fact, that despite the fact that it was raining for at least a portion of it, the path you took through the forest was extremely easy to map out, minus your stint through a mystery dungeon. In fact, it was even obvious where you had gotten the initial injury. A very particular tree. The blood starts right there, and is even splattered on the tree’s branches high above you… seemingly implying you fell. This is further supported by how some of your ruined personal belongings were forcefully thrown into the surrounding area. Now… do you remember falling down from a great height?”
“All I remember is waking up on the ground…”
“Is that the first thing you remember happening on that particular night?”
“Yes.”
“So would you agree that you probably fell from a great height, and the tree broke your fall, all while you were unconscious?”
“…That seems like the most logical explanation.”
“…Would you explain why you might’ve ended up in such a situation in the first place?”
Amadeus paused for a long moment. He seems trustworthy… It probably can’t hurt to say a little bit. “I… Got separated from my family. Very suddenly. Like I got teleported. And I think they’re too far away now for me to ever return to them.”
Dumas scratched his chin with one of his front paws. “Hm… Were you kidnapped by someone?”
“…No. It was kinda my fault, too.”
“Are you sure you could never get back?”
“…Yeah.”
“All right, I think I’ve heard enough.” Dumas stood up, and opened the door “You’re free to go. Enjoy the festival.”
“…Thank you, sir.”
“Please, call me Dumas. I’ll have you know I hate being called ‘sir’. It sounds so Arceus-damned pretentious that it starts to feel like pandering.”
“I, uh…” Does this dude flip his attitude on a dime, or what? “Sorry…”
“Don’t apologize, Amadeus. It’s a little meaningless when you do it all the time.”
An awkward pause followed. “I’m gonna go…” Amadeus left the room with some mixed feelings. On one hand, this guy had basically been listening in on him from the beginning. That alone was reason enough to distrust him. On the other hand… something about him felt like he really understood Amadeus. Like he really, truly, cared. I think he means well. If this guy’s an important person at the guild, then that’s one more reason to head on over to the city. Amadeus thought about some of the other details he’d heard. The mayor has radio? One directly connected to the ‘Authorities’? So this town is part of a larger empire of some kind? One that’s more technologically advanced than I know? That’s a lot to think about… And more reasons to make the trip. After walking for a while and paying a certain someone a visit, he eventually made it back to the hill where Haruhi was waiting. For some unknowable reason, she’d set up a campfire. In broad daylight.
“I’m back. What did I miss?”
“Oh, I uh…” Haruhi looked quite embarrassed. She quickly did her best to stop the flames, with mild success. “Just, uh, was hanging out… By myself…”
“…You just got soot on your Yukata.”
Haruhi hurriedly tried to brush it off, again, to limited success. “Ah haha, wouldn’t be the first time… So how did it go? Who was it?”
“Well, apparently, I caught the eye of one of the higherups at the guild. The seer, I think he called himself?”
Predictably, Haruhi exploded in excitement. “OHMYARCEUSAMADEUSTHEGUILDSEER!?”
“Uh—”
“He actually introduced himself to you as the Guild’s official seer, too? Arceus, that’s supposed to be a secret! Who is it?”
“The Luxray that arrived in town. Dumas, I think his name is?”
“Oh, I wanna go meet him right now! Aaaaaaaaaa…” Haruhi seemed to be in full-blown fangirl mode. “Oh, crap, I probably shouldn’t just blurt it out, right? Gotta be all sneaky about it, maybe pull him aside, and—”
“Haruhi?”
“…Yeah?”
“Please don’t get on his case.”
“I know, I know… it’s just, when am I ever gonna get another opportunity to talk to such an important ‘mon, y’know? I’ve always wanted to meet the seer, since it’s always someone shrouded in mystery… it’s so cool!”
“I’m sure we’ll get another chance later today or tomorrow. I doubt he’s gonna leave so soon after coming here, after all…”
“True, true…” Haruhi started pacing around the tree impatiently. “Man, I need a good minute to settle down…” She pondered aloud. “Uhh… One, ten, one hundred, one thousand, ten thousand, one hundred thousand, one million…”
There was still quite a bit of time left in before the festival began. Amadeus figured that they could probably fill that time with conversation, so they did. As a result, the rest of the time before the festival was spent right on top of that hill. It wasn’t until it was nearly time for the festival to begin that they were finally interrupted again.
“C’mon, move it!”
“I-I’m trying!”
It seemed that Amadeus wouldn’t have the whole day to indulge in the festivities after all. Not with Haya’s grand display in the works, oh no. He, Haruhi, and Haya had been carrying platters of food, which had yet to be revealed, all the way to town. This was their third and final trip, so it wouldn’t be much longer now, but the smell of delicious food not for him was absolutely torturous. Haya, of course, hadn’t given them much notice before it was time to move all of the food.
“Aaaaaaah, this is torture, I’m starving!” Haruhi complained. Manual labor was one thing, but having to carry food, and her own mother’s cooking no less, was clearly getting to her.
“Me too…” Amadeus joined in. “Are you sure this is the last of the food?”
“I’m positive, you two. Be patient, I’ve spent all day on this.” Haya seemed a little exhausted herself. The look in her eyes, however, was that of fierce competition. She was serious about this. “If you drop those, I’m going to ground the both of you for the next month.”
Knowing Haruhi, that’s probably way harder on her than it is for me… “O-okay…”
The banquet itself was, in a word, hostile. It was almost evocative of a battlefield. Right in the town square, there were rows and rows of lowered tables like the one in Haya’s house. And on opposite sides of the square, there were tables where the food was being placed. One side for Haya’s cooking, and the other for this Masayuki person, or ‘the enemy’ as Haya called him. It is a ‘he’, right? I can never tell with these names… Amadeus set down the covered platter he was carrying onto the table on Haya’s side. It smelled tantalizing, and he could hardly wait. Hopefully the small fire under it meant to keep it warm wouldn’t blow out
“You swear that’s all of them?” He asked.
“For the last time, yes.” Haya looked around, and towards the stage near the back of the square. Mayor Masahiro was standing on the stage, looking around nervously. “It’s starting soon. Let’s take our seats…”
The trio sat down, and an agonizingly long time later, with nearly the entire town gathered into the square and seated, the Mayor finally began his speech. The sun was just starting to sink under the horizon.
“Greetings, everyone, and welcome to our fifteenth annual festival to the light! It’s good to see you all here tonight!”
Some cheering followed, and Masahiro continued once it died down a little. “We’ve had a great year! Let us continue to celebrate our continued thriving in this small little town of ours, and let us beseech the legends that the light will never burn us so!” Another round of cheers. “But enough talk! Let the festivities… COMMENCE!”
Immediately, everyone got up to get themselves some food. Haya had preemptively gotten up to remove her platter, and on the other side, ‘the enemy’, a Braviary by the looks of it, had done the same. Amadeus didn’t waste any time getting a taste of what Haya had made. He immediately got himself a bowl full of what looked like some kind of soup, and gorged himself on it. It was delicious. He then got himself a plate of rice topped with a sauce that was clearly made from colbur berries, which was almost euphoric to eat. As he did, he watched as Haya and Masayuki argued about something out of earshot. He leaned closer to Haruhi.
“What do you think they’re talking about?” He asked.
“Probably some kind of playful mocking. Y’know, like rivals do.”
“uh-huh…” Amadeus polished off his plate. “Anyway, I’ve got a victim to attend to. Tootles.”
“You finished your meal quick…” Haruhi sighed. “Aright, you go do nerd shit. I’ll be here…”
Amadeus scanned the crowd, and eventually spotted his target: Renjiro Dusknoir, eating something from Masayuki’s side of the banquet. He was chatting with his partner, A Mismagius whose name was apparently Shoma. He’d gone and made the challenge to him earlier today, and he hoped he’d done a good job of hiding the fact that he was actually decent at math. With any luck, he’d snag an easy victory.
“M-mister?” Playing the role of the small child was just one of his many tricks to lower his opponent’s guard. “Are you ready, mister Renjiro?”
“Yes, of course.” The old Dusknoir brandished a small note. “Be warned, little Amadeus. I am a difficult opponent.”
“Yeah!” Amadeus handed the Dusknoir his own sheet, and took the one for him in return. For some reason, this had attracted a small crowd.
“three…”
“two…”
“one…”
“Go!”
Amadeus ripped open the sheet to see… algebraic equations. A shit-eating grin spread across his face as he looked back up at his opponent. Who was somewhere between shocked and fuming. After a solid ten seconds of silence, the Dusknoir spoke.
“…Well played.”
Amadeus, of course, having essentially tricked his opponent, walked away with the victory in a cool twenty minutes, three of which were spent laughing at his own prank. Renjiro, impressively, managed to solve the first three nasty integrals Amadeus prepared in that time frame.
“Good game, good game…” Amadeus said, strolling away casually.
“Enjoy your victory, coward,” Renjiro called back.
“I will!” Amadeus called back, cackling. He had absolutely no shame about his crime against Pokémon. Operation do a little trolling is a success! Hehehe…
Amadeus triumphantly sat down back at the table with Haruhi, who had, by this time, finished her plate.
“Hey. Back from doing nerd shit?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you win?”
“Yeah.”
“Did you fight fair?”
“No.”
Haruhi sighed. “I have no idea why you did any of that.”
“it was funny.”
“It really wasn’t.”
“You didn’t even watch!”
“Yeah, yeah…” Haruhi looked around. “Oh! We should go check out Teacher! She’s the best fighter in town, so there’s always a few outsiders looking to challenge her…”
Amadeus and Haruhi went around town for a while, watching everyone show off their talents. One ‘mon would swallow iron spikes and blast seeds, a Totodile and Krokorok pair who had a whole water show thing going, a team consisting of a Fennekin, Espeon, and Vulpix who could nagivate dungeons with incredible efficiency (Amadeus had to physically drag Haruhi away from them, apologizing all the while), an Oshawott who played Banjo incredibly well, and more. By the time they watched their tenth little show, it was time for the fireworks to start, so Haruhi dragged Amadeus back to the top of the hill.
“C’mon, it’s gonna start soon! We’ll get a great view from up here!”
“I’m coming!”
SKREEEEEEEEEEEEE….. BANG!
The fireworks show was quite spectacular indeed. They exploded with many different colors, shapes, and sounds, and honestly? It was fun.
“Hey, Haruhi?”
“Yeah?”
“Do they have festivals like this in other places, too?”
“I don’t know, I haven’t ever left the town.”
“Oh, sorry…”
“No need to apologize, it was a natural question to ask.”
Amadeus shrugged. “…It’s nice here.”
“Yeah…” Haruhi paused. “You still want to help me join the guild, right?”
“Yeah, of course.”
“What’s this about joining the guild?”
The both of them jumped, and whipped around to see none other than Dumas, approaching them from the side.
“I believe I just overheard a pair of ambitious young folk looking to stake their claim. Could it be you two are interested in joining?”
“Oh, yeah!” Haruhi beamed. “We’re totally gonna make it as explorers!”
Dumas fidgeted with his medallion for a moment. “Are you sure? Being an explorer’s tough work. I should know.”
“You’re a member of the Guild?” Haruhi asked. Suddenly, a realization dawned on her face. “OHMYARCEUSYOU’RETHESEERFORTHEGUILDCANWEJOIN?”
Dumas burst out laughing. “You’re a sharp young lady. Hah, are you going to ask a favor from me?”
“…Can I?” Haruhi’s eyes were wide.
“I don’t know, I haven’t heard much from your friend over there. What does he think?”
“Well…” Amadeus chose his words carefully. “I want to help her, so I’m going to support her.”
“And?” Haruhi asked.
“What?” Amadeus asked right back.
“You’re leaving out the important part.”
“What?” Haruhi, I swear to Arceus…
“He’s the Guild seer, we can trust him with this!”
“We can’t just—”
“Fine, I’ll do it myself!” Haruhi marched up to Dumas. “We think that he’s maybe a human!”
Dumas’ expression shifted, barely concealing a bit of shock behind layers of trained skepticism. “…What evidence do you have to support this?”
“Well, it looked like he fell from the sky, right?”
“Any number of things could have gotten him there.”
“And his memories of what his life was like before coming here are shaky at best!”
“I’ll give you that.”
“And he totally thinks that he’ll never, ever be able to get home!” Haruhi paused, waiting for Dumas to respond. When he didn’t, she kept going. “It’s the only explanation that solves all of those problems, right?”
“Haruhi?”
“Yeah?”
“Your theory is shaky at best, appeals to mysticism, and is generally insane.”
“I—”
“And I’m here for it,” Dumas continued with a shrug. “In fact, you know what? Show up on the Guild’s doorstep in no fewer than two weeks, and I’ll let you two register as a team. I’ll even let your mother and the Mayor know about all of this.”
Amadeus was floored. So floored, in fact, that he barely heard the rest of the conversation. He went to bed that night with a lot on his mind.
Haya didn’t know what to do. What was there to do? Just… wonder why she ever had Haruhi in the first place? If only you were still here, Ken… She sighed, and started to pick up some of the now-empty platters. She’d won this year. Not that it made her feel any better about this. As she saw it, Haruhi was liable to hurt herself or someone else.
“Are you sure you can keep her safe until her arrival, Mayumi?”
“You have my word on that, Haya,” She replied, assisting with the cleanup.
For whatever reason, Mayumi almost instantly volunteered to chaperone Haruhi and Amadeus for the trip when Dumas came to them with… well, he wasn’t asking. It wasn’t like Haya could really object to the Guild seer’s proposal. Not when he’d already offered Haruhi the opportunity of her dreams. Hakken no Machi… If Haruhi would be going there, then it could probably pay to find someone would was willing to take her in. Haya tore off a piece of cloth and started writing on it. It was 147 blossom street, if memory serves…
“Mayumi?”
“Yes?”
Haya handed Mayumi the makeshift piece of paper. “When you arrive in the city, could you take the kids to this address?”
“…Who lives there?”
“…My relatives,” Haya responded hesitantly.
“Got it,” Mayumi responded. “I’ll take ‘em there.”
Haya stared off in the direction of her home. She couldn’t actually see it from where she was standing, but the worry was getting to her.
“Mayumi, can I ask you something?”
“What is it?”
“Why did you agree to this so easily?”
“That’s… something very difficult to explain.”
“Why? Do you suspect Dumas might be lying about who he is, or—”
“That’s not what I mean. It has to do with Amadeus. And a little bit with Dumas.”
“…Why him?”
“This will be a lot to unpack. Why don’t you sit down…”
One very long-winded explanation later, Haya was feeling a bit shocked. And a little more uneasy. She didn’t sleep well that night.
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