Chapter 4 - Going Home

Istoria is divided into 4 main sectors, with the Tower in the centre. To the South of the Tower is ASH headquarters which connects to a chain of businesses and services that their organisation provides.

On the western end of the city is a large section of cheap single-roomed houses lined up in a grey atmosphere to make up the Slums of Istoria. Even I don't bother going there, I would just be asking to get mugged or worse.

To the North is the Market District in the North-Eastern block where the higher-end businesses and dream houses are built. Many of the top guilds rent from there which seems impossible to someone like me but maybe one day with enough money I could rent somewhere with a good view of them…

Speaking of which, on the lower side of the slope beside them is the Residential Sector where the common markets, smiths, and housing are located. These are for starting businesses or if you're looking for a cheap place to live.

In other words, this is the section of the city where someone like me would spend most of their time.

I walked down the cobbled road between 2 rows of dainty wooden houses toward the very last building at the end of the street. The road I walked on as most of the ones in the Residential Sector, was slanted slightly down to the west.

I used to love sticking out my arms and keeping my balance as I walked in a crooked line through this street but lately, it has just seemed like a chore as I've gotten older.

I eventually arrived at a three-story building with white stone walls and a wooden gabled roof. There were 4 windows visible from the front view alone, each belonging to a separate room inside.

With my eyelids still heavy and craving sleep I only had my sights on one thing, reaching my bed!

I barged through the front door, greeting the elderly lady sitting behind the front desk.

She's the nice lady who acts as caretaker to the younger tenants of the building, however most of the day she spends her time sitting at reception like that.

"Good afternoon Rei- oh your hair is… uhm uh-"

I practically flew past her with a polite wave as I hopped onto the staircase ignoring her disheveled expression, as I climbed 2 steps at a time. The creaking old wood of the stairs triggered a harmony of eerie noises like a creepy wooden piano as I rushed to my room.

My room was on the top floor seeing as I was the oldest in the building. It wasn't anything special but I did like that the room was slightly larger than the others. As I stepped off the stairs and into the hallway to the third floor I noticed a curvy figure waiting outside my door.

"I swear he should have been home by now…geez where is he?" Her radiant voice groaned frustratingly.

"Oh Miss Kana, what are you doing here?"

The youthful figure stood in front of my door with her arms joined behind her back, her brassy-blonde hair flicked around as she faced me. Her arms were joined together behind her back which made her chest stick out quite a bit.

She was by no means flat-chested in any regard and realizing that her large assets were being pressed out my face grew warm and I snapped my attention to the floor. Even if I didn't do anything wrong, there was no way in hell I wanted to get called a pervert or something.

"R-Rei, are you not feeling well?"

This radiant figure before me is Kana, a representative for the Adventurers Support Headquarters, or ASH for short. She started there 3 years ago and was put in charge of being my consultant once I started going into the Tower.

She's only about 5 years older than me but she has a lot of experience for her age, she's been seriously helpful to me since starting out. It doesn't seem like a big age gap but she puts off a mature aura to her age.

Adventurers Consultants act as your support behind the scenes in a sense, by giving helpful tips and suggestions on where to buy equipment or updating you on events inside the dungeon as well. I suppose that's why she seems so mature; she must take her job really seriously. In my case, she mostly just helps me stay alive by telling me where to stay away from…

It didn't take her long to figure out that I was weak after all, so we haven't really had much time to actually talk about my progress.

"Where were you, I asked to meet you this afternoon for a meeting remember? Geez… you had me waiting out here for nearly an hour now." She sighed with one arm buried into her hip.

"…Sorry, I got into a bit of a mess today."

She probably didn't notice at first the state I was in but after a second look, her mood changed pretty quickly.

"Oh my goodness, what happened to you? Wait a minute, even worse than that…Rei where's your sword!!"

Her eyes went wide with frustration as she continued to lecture me for a good couple of minutes, shouting without needing to take a breath. All I could do was stand there and take it. I was in the wrong after all.

"Eh…uhm… Rei when did you have that done? It wasn't like that when I saw you yesterday?" Kana asked curiously as she pointed to my hair.

She seemed genuinely surprised by something even though I had no idea what she was referring to.

Is it some sort of prank, no I doubt she would do anything like that. She doesn't seem like the type to do anything so childish, especially not in the middle of shouting at me.

I don't feel anything strange on my head either, is it something small?

"I don't know what you mean, what's on my head?"

Kana moved my hand down to the bangs hanging over my eyes.

"My hair, what's wrong with it?"

"You honestly don't know??" She repeated with an alarmed tone.

I quickly broke off from the conversation by entering my room and rushed off to the bathroom mirror.

…

"HUH?!"

This has to be some kind of joke right- right?!

"When did this…how did it even happen?"

My usually solid black hair now had a handful of red streaks in it that seem to be dyed to the root.

Hearing my nonsensical rambles Kana peaked around the corner of the bathroom door to check on me.

Kana stared at me with a concerned expression from around the corner.

"I think it looks kind of…cool." She muttered under her breath.

"Did you say something, Miss Kana?"

"O-Oh no! Nothing, I was just saying it's not that bad!"

She must just be trying to make me feel better, I didn't realise she could be so nice.

"You think so?"

She nodded her head pretty violently with a bobbing motion. I appreciated that she was trying to make me feel better, most people on business wouldn't bother to go this far.

"If you think so then I guess I'll keep it for now then." I replied while coiling a strand of red hair around my finger.

I don't know how it got there but this is the first time that Miss Kana is complimenting me. So if a guardian angel like her says so then it must be good!

"So then Rei seeing as you're feeling a bit better let's get straight to the topic of this meeting."

Miss Kana had already come over to my place before when we spoke last time but she still wasn't comfortable with just sitting where she pleased. Seeing that she was waiting anxiously by the foot of the couch I gestured for her to sit down.

"You can have a seat if you'd-" Before I could finish my sentence she had plopped herself down opposite me onto the couch. "-like…"

If you were so eager to sit down then why didn't you just sit…?

Kana rifled through her notes and my eyes began to wander to her side of the couch. Every action she took, from gliding her fingers across the papers in her bag to the way she adjusted her hair all seemed beyond elegant. That was where my eyes should have stopped.

They continued downward and noticed a glimmer of skin peeking out from the cleavage of her chest. It looked as if they were trying to break free from a laced prison as her blazer and white blouse stretched from her volume.

Why am I looking at that...this isn't right! Just don't look!

My eyes continued to dart around the room as I tried not to look directly at them. The temptation was crippling to the point where my bright red face began to release single drops of sweat off the side of my cheeks.

"Are you sure you're okay to continue?" Kana asked me politely as she pulled out the files from her bag.

"U-uhm…yes!"

She handed me a single piece of paper that straightened her expression and dulled the atmosphere. When it came to her work she was pretty reliable which meant that the mood would have to grow a bit serious from here on out.

"As you know the orphanage is funded by the Adventurers Association which is why you and the other kids can live here every month as well as receive your monthly allowance."

When my dad died I was pretty relieved to hear that I would be alright all those years, apparently, it was only possible thanks to the little bit of money he had in the bank. If not for that there's a good chance I would have ended up in the slums…

"Yes, I know."

"Well the thing is…"

Kana gripped the papers in her hands, crinkling the corners where her fingers were holding. She wouldn't even look me in the eye, what she had to say next was clearly too much for her.

"Is there something wrong, you can tell me, Miss Kana!" I blurted out concerned.

"…since you've turned 16 you are now legally an adult, meaning you can no longer live here." She stated with a bitter frown.