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Lesson 3:
You shouldn't look anywhere else if you're walking, you wouldn't want to bump in a gorilla
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"Sir Katsura?" I called out his name when the first thing I saw in the morning was his absence. Where did he go?
His wounds... They might be healed but of course, my magic drained his energy to heal it overnight. What if he'll collapse suddenly somewhere?
If I remember correctly, he's a wanted person. Why am I helping a wanted person anyway?
I looked around the place where I slept. It seems like he left on his own.
I'm torn between searching for him or not. Why should I search for him though? I don't really know him so why bother?
But what if the swordsman yesterday attacked him once again?
I decided to help him so I have a responsibility to keep him safe until he's free to roam again.
I transformed my gown into my uniform and headed outside.
As I walk, I notice that almost everyone I come across keeps on throwing their glances at me. But I didn't care, my eyes were fixed on looking for someone.
Where should I search for him?
"Oh my! I'm so sorry, Ma'am!" I said when I bumped into someone. I bent my knees to help her pick up her things that were scattered on the ground.
"You should put your gaze on where you're heading, young lady." Our eyes met and her mouth slightly hung open as she saw me.
I mentally grinned. Does she know me?
"Ma'am?" I asked.
"Apologies, ojou-san, I was surprised to see your silver hair. I suddenly remember the unpaid rents of my silver-haired tenant. Like what I've said, you shouldn't look anywhere else if you're walking. You wouldn't want to bump into a gorilla," she said.
"Did I hear someone calling me?" A tall tanned muscular man with a goatee came from nowhere. My jaw dropped as I kinda saw his resemblance to a gorilla. There is really a gorilla! I'm glad I didn't come across one-It's a human... or a gorilla dressed as human?
I coughed and looked at the older lady.
"I apologize for my carelessness, too, Ma'am. I was busy searching for someone that I didn't notice everybody else," I said.
"You're searching for someone? Maybe the kids living above my snack bar can help you. They do any jobs, after all."
"Really? Thank you! That will make my search a lot easier."
She let me go along with her until we reached our destination. There was signage written on this place's character so I can't understand it.
We climbed the stairs and went to the second floor. She knocked on the door.
"Oi, obasan, we're entertaining a client right now."
A man with silver hair opened the door while he was picking his nose. I slightly flinched at the sight. "I already told you that I'll pay you next month."
"Stupid! As if you will really pay me. Anyway, I brought you a client so you should be thankful," said the old lady.
"We don't need another one when we already have--" the old lady cut him off.
"Are you sure you don't want her? She looks like she's willing to pay you an amount enough for you to pay all of your unpaid debts. She looks like from a royal family." I was about to object to what she said when the silver-haired guy's expression changed from an annoyed one to an expression as if he's plotting something evil.
"Where is she? Is she--" He stepped outside to look for me. I looked up on him. Our gazes met and then his eyes landed on my hair.
Seriously, what's the big deal about my hair?
"Ginpatsu! Another ginpatsu! Are you my sister?" he exclaimed as he examined my attire. He crouched down and his face went closer to mine. "Are you here to pick me up and bring me to our silver empire?"
My face turned red in our distance and I could feel my heart racing. I moved my face away from him.
"I-I only have one broth-" I suddenly remembered Prince Aurelius and the whole empire. My expression softened. When I left there, they were having a war against the abyssal demons. "I only have one brother and unfortunately... we never saw him again before he could even celebrate his first birthday."
I forced myself to smile even though it hurts reminiscing what happened in the past.
"Stupid! This is what you get when you just randomly talk to a stranger as if you were close. She might also have silver hair just like you but that doesn't mean she's your relative. Go apologize!" the old lady scolded the silver-haired man.
"I'm very sorry! But what's with your hair? Why did you shave the sides, ane-ue?" he said but the old lady hit his head causing him to crash to the handrail. He fixed his posture. "I-I mean, ojousan."
"Uhm... I-It's okay!" I said while panicking as his nose bled. "He can call me however he wants, I don't mind, really. About my hair-"
"Gin-san, what's taking you so-GINPATSU!"
A young man wearing glasses approached us.
"Ora? GINPATSU!"
A girl with a vermillion hair tied in two knots appeared, too.
"GINPATSU!" I read the words written on the signboard of the large duck that also looks like a penguin that came from behind. I exclaimed it just like how the other two said it a while ago.
They seemed to be so surprised on seeing me and what's with Ginpatsu? What is that? And the duck, too!
"Wait a minute, oi!" I said. "I should be the one surprised seeing this gigantic duck but why does it look more surprised than me?"
"I have the right to appeal," says his signboard.
"I-It even argues with me!" I said with disbelief.
"Wait, Elizabeth-san, did you just write in romanized character?" The duck-like creature nodded to the boy with glasses who turned at me. "And you did read it, didn't you?"
"Yes? What now if I was able to read it? What could be the problem?" I asked them.
They all took a step backward, as well as the old lady and looked at me with a very surprised face. Then as if they were on cue, they all shouted at the same time.
"F-F-Foreigner!" even their stutter was in sync!
"Hey, when did you practice that?!" I exclaimed and faced the duck-like one. "And why are you surprised, too? You wrote this way because you know in the first place that I didn't come from this country, aren't you?"
"I don't want to be left out," it wrote on its signboard.
Just when I'm about to lose my sanity, a phone ring interrupted us. The silver-haired man picked the call and the two teens together with the huge duck or penguin or whatever it is, went inside.
"I'm very sorry about them, young lady. They're always like that," the old lady said as if she didn't join them earlier.
"Well, it's okay! As long as they'll help me find the one I've been searching for, I won't mind the loose screws on their heads," I smiled at her.
"Gintoki," the old lady called the silver-haired man who's about to go somewhere else. "Take care of this young lady."
"I'm sorry, old hag, but you should tell that to Shinpachi and Kagura-chan. I'm about to meet another client," he said before passing us. Did he just call the old lady an old hag?
"Well, I'll be on my way now, too, young lady," she said.
"Thank you for your help again, Ma'am. I hoped I was able to bring some fortunes with me just to pay for your kindness. I'm afraid, this is only what I have." I bowed and placed the piece of gold in my pocket. "I didn't bring any because I never thought something like this would happen."
"This is more than enough, young lady! All I did was to accompany you here," she explained.
"I insist though. Please correct me if I'm wrong but you said that these people haven't paid their rent, right?" I asked. "How many months does that cover?"
"You don't have to pay for their debt. They should be the one who'll do that. I'll be on my way now, for real. Here." She handed me back the gold I gave to her. "Keep it. Pay them with this instead."
"Thank you. I'll never forget your kindness," I said.
When she totally left, l also decided to enter the agency or whatever you call it.
"She's crying now! We've really done it. Does she really like it?" I overheard the boy say.
"Good job, Shinpachi! Look what you did!"
I came to the living room and I was dumbfounded by what I saw.
"Gah! The... It even cried! Liquid really did pour from its eyes!" I exclaimed. "Oh my God of Light, living here is tougher than living in a world threatened by demons!"