Kurapika accompanied Dahly with pleasure as he promised her. After finishing the ice cream sundae that was way too sweet to his taste, she gently pulled on the sleeves of his shirt and visited stalls after stalls
They first arrived at a vegetable stand. Boxes of produce on display shined like emeralds and rubies of earth with water droplets garnishing them like crystals. Although the two teens were impressed by the superior freshness, it was not grand enough to subdue their playful spirits. They joked around the more interesting looking greens while picking out the regular vegetables.
It all began when Dahly smirked at the spiral looking roman broccoli. She held one hand over her mouth but failed to contain the giggles, saying the pointy vegetable reminded her of the Kurapika she first met, spiky like a hedgehog. To which, Kurapika rolled his eyes. But before he could counter, she tempted him to try some seemingly harmless peppers.
Knowing Dahly too well at this point, Kurapika would not budge. There had to be a catch, so he insisted on them trying together. Sure, he could sacrifice for a laugh, but no way he was going to leave Dahly off.
Luckly, the unpersuasive girl conceded because the fruit stand owner next door exposed her plot. He saw the stupid game of the two and burst out laughing. He complimented Kurapika for being smart because the heat of those colorful peppers could certainly bring a big man to tears.
Kurapika darted a look at Dahly, and the unsuccessful trickster played innocent, swearing she did not know they were chillies. He did not buy that excuse.
Kurapika would have roasted her more if the fruit stall owner did not snitch away the opportunity. Unfortunately, the big guy was laughing way too loud. Hollering how he liked young couples, he patted hard on Kurapika's back and wanted them to taste some extremely rare fruit. He promised it was going to be super duper magnificent and surely, definitely, undeniably the most delicious fruit they ever would eat. As the business man popped more fancy words, a few strangely patterned peaches were pulled out.
The silver tongue kind of forced Kurapika and Dahly into accepting the offer, but the peaches were truly big and sweet. While they ate, the fruit stall person kept emphasizing how much a rare-find the peaches were. According to him, they were imported from the outlands, so it was their one and only chance to get some. Although Kurapika believed that it was mostly marketing and fluff, he still paid for them because Dahly was having fun with the excessive amount of adjectives used.
After they bid goodbye to the fruit stand, they shopped for meat and fish. On the way, they also stopped at a few interesting antique stores.
To Kurapika's surprise, Dahly did not react to strangers very much. He carefully sought out the least crowded routes, and she just followed closely. Nonetheless, her slender hand never once left his sleeves.
It was getting close to noon when they bought some just-out-of-oven croissants. The baker lady generously gave them some apple pies to try, so Kurapika suggested a lunch break near the stone bridge where there were benches to sit. Dally happily agreed and thus they walked back to the canal away from crowds.
Under the warmth of the sunshine, they ambled naturally. Kurapika led the way, and Dahly trailed close by. Birds scattered around as they approached the waterfront, leaving feathers everywhere on grass.
"I can't believe that the bakery gave these pies away just because they are testing products." Sitting down, Dally opened a package and rejoiced, "Lucky!"
Kurapika smiled with the chirpy girl, and he also took some food. Right away, he realized that it was not a traditional pie but a modified sweet sandwich with pastry sheets wrapped around. The new design allowed one to consume with just a hand, perfect for people on a go. Upon examination, he took a bite, and a mild cinnamon aroma filled his mouth instantly. It was lightly flaky, buttery, and perfectly balanced between sweet and tart.
"It's made convenient." Kurapika arrived at a practical conclusion.
To his comment, Dahly grumbled about his lack of appreciation for good food. She was so noisy that, for a second, he thought he was going out with a female version of Leorio.
Afterwards, they ate in silence and only stared at the reflection off the river in a daze.
A few blocks away, the market was still loud and busy, but the waterside was peaceful. They could hear the street performers playing violins, the swans flapping their wings, and the wind whispering through the narrow canal. Regardless of other actions, time settled between them. What a beautiful day it was, bright, mellow, and fine. The glory could never be replicated.
Swiftly, a breeze stroked through Kurapika's bangs. In between his blond hair, he noticed that Dahly was watching him. Her brows furrowed and her hair pulled behind the ears, she was quiet and intent. Gently, her happiness dissolved into a quiescence, as if nothing was ever there. She faded into a mystery again, looming as a layer of fog. Delicate and ephemeral, like a bloomed dahlia on its way to withering.
Eyes fixed on Dahly, Kurapika squinted at the unnatural girl. In a blink of an eye, the flower spoke, "Kurapika, I had a lot of fun today. Thank you."
As she thanked him, a nearby church sounded the bell for twelve at noon. Yet, her voice was what echoed in his ears.
Confounded, Kurapika could not find the right words. He kept looking at Dahly, but his vocal cords were not working.
"I had never been out with anyone for this long, let alone letting this person treat me. Thank you for taking care of me."
Hold up! Why was she so serious? How was he supposed to react? And the taking care part...She must be kidding.
Suddenly, Kurapika swallowed down the choking air and probed the statement. "Did you let me pay?"
Dahly did not answer. She tilted her head instead.
He realized that she was not going to yield, so he pointed out, "I know you stuffed money into my pocket."
"Oh, so you know." Dahly stuck her tongue out and played cute.
"You were terrible at it. Who do you think you were hiding from?" Kurapika somehow found it funny.
"Um...you? Mr. hunter." She answered with a straight face.
Immediately, they broke off into laughter.
Kurapika teased Dahly about how badly she failed. Her hands were shaking the whole time. Any living person would notice that. What did she expect?
Of course, Dahly was not going to surrender without a fight. She blamed Kurapika for being too demanding. She was not a hunter, so it was not fair. If she knew he was going to make fun of her like this, she would rather keep her money and not pay back.
Naturally, the two went on and on in this stupid competition.
"This hunter license would be fake if I could not even catch you!"
"Did you not agree to pay? Of course, you caught me and said nothing!"
"Well, you tried even though you obviously lacked skills. I felt bad, and that's why I didn't say anything."
"What a gentleman. You joker!"
The quarrel progressed into nonsense. Some things said were so far-fetched that even Kurapika felt illogical, but it was too fun to stop. Finally, they ran out of energy and had to breath. Staring at each other, they cracked up one last time.
"You really know how to piss me off." Dahly complained, but she did not sound angry at all.
"I had not argued like this with someone for quite a while." Kurapika said almost joyfully.
"Seriously. I got thirsty from just talking."
"I'll go get something to drink then." Kurapika got up after patting dirt off his pants. He paused and presumed. "There are too many people in the market now. You should wait here."
For a brief second, Dahly hesitated. She looked to the direction of the market and reluctantly said yes after seeing a huge crowd.
"I will be back soon." Kurapika comforted her. "This time is on me for real."
"Okay." She nodded with a smile in her eyes.
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At the end of the day, Kurapika was a professional hunter. Unlike when Dahly was around, he was much more agile. To him, passing through the crowd was not laborious at all. Waves of people are the same as ocean tides in terms of having interludes. He was able to see through and carry on without causing attention.
Ever since he became a hunter, he was a lone wolf and always picked his own paths. He never cared much about the world, nor did he longed to be a part of it. Sure, he had a few trusted connections, but he much preferred solitary. Efficient, withdrawn, and unharmful to other folks, his path formed obliviously.
Kurapika traveled among people and crossed the traffic of the market. None of them was of his business. However, he felt oddly suffocating in loneliness right now.
He remembered the scene of meeting with the three in Downtown Yorknew park. They were throwing food at each other. Silliness. Since when did he become so nostalgic? Moreover, which awaiting one was he thinking about now?
Not important. No answer needed, so it had to be oblivious.
Soon enough, he found a juice bar and ordered two cups. The total came out to be five hundred jennies. Unfortunately, no matter how fast he was on a move, waiting was inevitable because the juice had to be freshly pressed. Therefore, he stood there and watched the guy peeling fruits without displaying any emotion.
He was not thinking much but immersed himself in the lingering memories, including everything that had happened since he encountered Dahly. As he dived deeper into thoughts, the colors evolved. Vividly and vaguely they became, like great paintings soaked in water. He pondered and perpended, then he shook his head as if this could get the water out of his brain. Obviously, it was useless.
For a change of mood, he started to consider the practical matters, such as when he was going to leave Dahly. Without him, her life would return strained, but he had to go back to the Nostrade at some point. Staying longer may not be the best for her. He really should cut the mess here, but whose mess was this?
Kurapika looked at the juicing guy, who was still dealing with the ice maker. In desperation, he had to focus on something else, like some other stalls around. When was the last time he shopped at a market?
Once upon a time, he was curious about the world. Now, he only had endless work.
Every now and then, he also enjoyed a busy street like this, occupied, ordinary, and gorgeous. So he soaked himself in this atmosphere, browsing around. Right this second, he sensed a delicate aura from the store across. Without much thinking, he went for it and found a lace making place. It was owned by a elderly woman. She sat on a wooden chair, weaving white threads one by one. So focused, she paid no attention to the approaching Kurapika.
Kurapika used Gyo and saw thread-like nen interlacing between the needlepoints. This woman had to be a master lacemaker.
Handmade lace was another historical product in Segurb. It was once popular and generated a lot of wealth for the city. However, it became a lost art as technology developed.
Kurapika never thought he could see this technique in person. What a rare occasion he encountered! Even better, a particular piece struck out to him.
"May I purchase this one?"
He picked out a colorful one from various white fabrics. He was not sure why, but the yellowish-green reminded him of Dahly's smiling eyes and the way she answered him.
"Okay."
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Kurapika's spirit flipped upside down when he returned to the stone bridge with cups of juice.
Unpleasant.
Not for anything else but the two men who were messing with Dahly. They both wore fancy shirts and dark skinny jeans. One of them even had a vibrant-light showy hairdo.
Their similar fashion smelled too familiar to Kurapika. To his dismay, he called that evil.
Although he was not able to hear what they said to Dahly from where he was, he could tell it was not genuine from the unkind interest they had in her. He had not even left for fifteen minutes. It seemed like the world was never short of insects.
As he stepped forward, he started to hear their conversation. It sounded like the two men just wanted to pick her up, but there was something else going on.
The light-haired guy kept trying to impress Dahly, and the black-haired one was just watching. No, he was supervising. They had an apparent hierarchy. It was planned.
Of course, douchebags were everywhere. Kurapika could easily stop them. However, making a scene was not necessarily the best solution, so he waited and observed.
"I said I'm not available."
"We just think you are cute. Com'on, let's be friends!"
To his surprise, Dahly was not all scared. She dealt with them firmly.
"I'm waiting for someone."
"Stop making excuses. Reserved women are not popular these days. We will show you some fun."
Suddenly, one of the men reached out and grabbed the arms Dahly crossed in front of her chest. She yelped.
Kurapika furrowed. A fire ignited from the bottom of his soul, and he sprinted over. The next second, he was already standing in between Dahly and the two bastards.
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This was one of the chapters that I had to split. That was hard work because all the titles means a lot in story development. It took me a while before finding the appropriate word to add in.
Well, I think Segurb's real identify is pretty obvious at this point. Can you guess after putting all clues together? Canal, interesting buildings, waffles, lacemaking, and the way Togashi formed "Yorknew". It is a city in Europe.
I was able to visit that place once before the pandemic. Really beautiful. I will reveal the answer next chapter.
Next chapter has some fighting scenes...I am not looking forward to translate all that to be honest. Please kindly support by voting. It really helps me to get the story out there for Kurapika.
I hope you all have a good weekend!
Hanase