Chapter 28 - A New Face

When the sun rose the next morning, Ivan once again found himself staring at an unfamiliar ceiling. He happily took his time adjusting to the sunlight pouring in through the nearby window. Eventually, though, he crawled up from the futon, folded it back up in an admittedly messy way, and stuffed it back in the closet. 

Still not fully awake, he stepped over to the nearby window to admire the view of the front shrine area. Slightly to his left, he saw a shrine maiden sweeping the front veranda, but she had her back to him. Ignoring her, he focused on the pond sitting below the front stairway. While enjoying the view, he opened his inventory and retrieved some lavender melons to snack on for breakfast. 

With a beautiful morning background frozen in time as a backdrop, he then checked his quest log to ascertain his priorities for the day. Although he was able to collect mission rewards from his quest log, he had noticed last night that his adventure log still showed that he could collect payment from the guild on its magically updating pages.

'Looks like I'll be able to double-dip from the guild thanks to Yae Miko's commission. Other than going into town for that, I guess I could see if Ayaka needs help with anything or try out some of the easier daily commissions posted today.'

Either way, since he would end up teleporting near the Kamisato Estate in order to save time, he decided to visit there first. Aside from his quest to help Ayaka with something while waiting for the Crux, he was more than happy visiting her to improve his friendship with her.

Before that, however, he changed from nightwear to travel clothes. Then, he stepped out into the small living room. Not seeing Yae Miko there, he walked out into the main hall to see if she was there, but the hall was completely devoid of people.

"Hm. Guess I'll leave a note in case she comes up with a new request for me…"

With the help of his constellation's translation function, he wrote a note mentioning that he was going to Inazuma City although he did not think it was completely necessary. Once that was out of the way, he teleported to the waypoint near the Kamisato Estate. In the blink of an eye, his figure flickered into existence on the small cliff overlooking the seaside. 

Upon arrival, he looked around and waited for his eyes to adjust to the morning sunlight. A warm breeze wafted in from the ocean, carrying with it a salty mist that tickled his skin. Waves gently splashed against the rocks on the shoreline below.

'This is really a nice spot. I can see why the Kamisato family set up shop here,' Ivan thought.

Shaking his head, he stuffed his hands in his pockets and set off toward the Kamisato Mansion, but then stopped after only a few steps. He pursed his lips in thought for a moment. Then, he turned and took a short detour so as to make it seem like he had taken the normal path down the mountain. 

Not even a minute later, he accidentally stepped on the head of an Electro whopperflower.

Back at the Kamisato Mansion, the two men standing guard at the front gate raised their eyes to the nearby hills upon seeing purple lightning bolts flashing down from the sky.

One of the men rubbed his chin and mumbled, "Looks like a Vision-holder is fighting over there."

The other guard dismissively replied, "Mhm. Got nothing to do with us, though."

"Fair enough."

Meanwhile, Ivan cut down the whopperflower after a short struggle. The creature dissolved back into the earth and he unsummoned his sword. Sparks gradually dissipated from his arms. 

While picking up the drops, he mumbled, "That was quite a bit easier than last time."

With that, he resumed his detour and eventually arrived at the main path leading down from Mount Yougou to the Kamisato Mansion. He quietly sauntered down the path. His eyes occasionally scanned his surroundings for possible danger. 

When Ivan arrived at the Mansion's gateway, the two guards nodded in greeting. They put two and two together and realized that he was one fighting before but did not bother mentioning it.

Still feeling a little uncomfortable just barging into the building like the Traveler might have, Ivan approached one of the maids raking the sand garden and asked, "Excuse me. Would you be able to inform Miss Ayaka that Ivan is here to see her?"

"Oh, Mister Ivan," The maid quietly replied, raising her head from her work. "The young lady has instructed us that you are free to enter the estate whenever you wish, so you may enter as you please. She should be in her office at this hour if you wish to see her."

"I see. Thank you."

The maid nodded and returned to her work. 

Now feeling more comfortable about entering the mansion without anybody accompanying him, Ivan sauntered over and pushed the front door open. Inside, his feet tapped on the wooden floor as he sauntered around the decorative screen sitting in the center of the main hall. He then peeked his head around the corner of the office entrance to see if Ayaka was there. As expected, he saw her seated behind the desk wearing her usual blue, black, and gold dress. Her head was lowered as though focused on reading something.

In the center of the sparsely decorated office, Ayaka lifted her head from a book sitting on her desk upon hearing a floorboard creak. Incense burned nearby, slightly blurring her view, but she still recognized her visitor.

Slamming the book shut and flicking it under her desk in a swift and sharp motion, Ayaka hopped to her feet, smiled stiffly, and curtly greeted, "Good morning, Ivan. Welcome. Do you need me for anything? Or maybe Thoma?"

Ivan blinked a few times and stared at the book sitting haphazardly on the floor under her desk. Then, he looked back up at Ayaka. Her eyes avoided his gaze, and her cheeks reddened ever so slightly.

Raising a brow, he fully stepped into the large room and amused himself by wondering, 'Well, this is new. Was she reading erotica or something?' 

Out loud, however, he only asked, "Did I come at a bad time?"

Waving her hands in denial, Ayaka shook her head and replied, "No. Definitely not. You can visit whenever you want."

"Uh-huh... Well, I was going to head into town today but figured I'd stop by to visit along the way. Hope you don't mind."

"You are more than welcome. Oh, are you hungry? Thoma is cooking right now. I can ask him to make extra."

Eyes brightening at the thought of eating something besides Lavender Melons, Ivan nodded and joked, "How can I refuse when he cooks so well?"

Ayaka's smile became more natural at that, and she nodded in agreement. Then, she straightened the papers on her desk and asked, "Would you like to come with me to greet him? I'm sure he will be happy to see you as well."

"Sure."

While the two left the office, Ivan smirked and asked, "So, what were you reading before I arrived?"

Ayaka nearly misstepped and lost her balance before regaining her poise. Then, turning her head to avoid his amused gaze and hide her embarrassment, she quickly said, "It… was just a stor- ahem. I mean an account about a farmer and a princess from a distant kingdom. It is a very useful account for learning about political maneuverings."

"And romance?"

"Ye- I mean no. It is a serious story."

Smirking, Ivan teasingly corrected, "An account, you mean?"

Unable to respond, Ayaka continued to avoid his gaze. Her ears steadily reddened under his questioning.

"Hehe. No need to be embarrassed. There is nothing wrong with taking a break to read a story from time to time."

"...Yes, I suppose you are right. There is nothing wrong with reading a completely normal story to ease my mind, although I really should not ignore my work for that kind of story," Ayaka mumbled in response, though the second half of her sentence was whispered too quietly for Ivan to hear.

'Hm. She kinda reminds me of Jean right now. Hehe. How cute.'

Before they could enter the hallway leading toward the kitchen, they heard the front doors opening again. Ayaka immediately pulled out a folding fan to cover her blushing face whereas Ivan simply glanced over out of curiosity. The next moment, his brows rose a little.

A man around the same height as Ivan who had similar sky blue hair to Ayaka entered the building. Aside from a sharper jawline and nose, he even looked like he could be Ayaka's twin. He wore an elegant blue and white overcoat that had black samurai-esque armor on the right shoulder. His pants were pure white with gold trim. 

The moment the man entered the mansion, his blue eyes flickered over to Ivan and Ayaka. His gaze silently scrutinized Ivan for barely a second, but then his gaze shifted to meet Ayaka's widened eyes instead.

Smiling, he greeted, "Good morning, Ayaka."

"Brother? What brings you here, today?"

"Can I only visit home when I need something?" 

"No, no. That isn't what I meant," Ayaka replied, rapidly shaking her head without removing the fan from in front of her face.

"Hm. I know. I'm just joking," Ayato said while raising his index finger and thumb to his chin. He raised a brow at his sister's unusually flustered attitude, but then moved his gaze back to Ivan. His smile changed ever-so-slightly before he asked, "And who might your guest be."

"Oh. This is my friend, Ivan."

Nodding, Ivan bowed slightly and greeted him, "Nice to meet you. Since you look like Ayaka, I assume you are Kamisato Ayato?"

Briefly furrowing his brows when Ivan referred to Ayaka by her first name, Ayato glanced at his sister. Upon seeing no reluctance on her part, he returned his gaze to Ivan, maintained a friendly smile, and answered, "I am Ayato, yes. It is nice to meet you as well."

"Brother, Thoma is preparing breakfast at the moment if you have time to join us," Ayaka mentioned.

Lips faltering into an apologetic smile, Ayato answered, "I would love to, but unfortunately, I am indeed short on time at the moment. Although I joked a little with you, I am currently searching for one of my subordinates who seems to have gone missing yesterday on the North half of the island. His name is Makami Takao. Have you heard anything about him by any chance?"

Hearing about a more serious topic, Ayaka's lingering blush of embarrassment quickly faded. She lowered her fan, shook her head, and honestly answered, "No, brother. I'm sorry. There were a few events of note that transpired yesterday that I have received notice of, however. The reports are sitting in the centermost pile on my desk if you would like to look through them."

Ayato sighed and said, "That is better than nothing. I'll get started, then. Sorry that my visit this morning is so abrupt."

Ayaka shook her head and replied, "No, it's okay. I know how busy you are, especially with everything that has happened the last few days."

"Mister Kamisato, do you want some help with that?" Ivan butted in, drawing raised brows from the two siblings. "I owe Ayaka for helping me out before, so if I can assist, I'm more than happy to."

"Hm. I suppose that is fine."

Ayaka looked back and forth between her brother and friend a few times. She smiled subtly and nodded before saying, "In that case, I will go ask Thoma to make more food in the meantime. Hopefully you will be here long enough to at least bring something with you when you leave."

"If time allows, then I would appreciate it. Tell Thoma my thanks."

Ayaka nodded and bowed slightly before walking further down the hallway. Meanwhile, Ayato and Ivan walked back into the office. 

"So, Ivan, was it?" Ayato queried while sitting on one of the cushions next to the desk.

"Yes," Ivan answered with a small nod while sitting on the cushion next to him.

"Ayaka seems to have a good impression of you."

Shrugging, Ivan replied, "I guess. She and Thoma dragged me out of the ocean the other day and saved me from drowning most likely, so I'm somewhat in their debt. Kinda became friends with them thanks to that."

"Hm. Is that so? Does that have anything to do with the falling star I heard about?"

"Yeah. If you get to know me, you'll find out I'm a rather unlucky guy."

"I see," Ayato muttered. He then turned his gaze away from Ivan and picked up one of the reports. While reading, he said, "Since you offered to help, just try to find anything that might link to a missing person."

"Did this Takao person have a Vision?" Ivan asked.

"...Yes. I have considered that that may have something to do with this, but at the same time, it seems too early for the Tenryou Commission to start taking action on what you are suggesting. Even so, it is worth keeping in mind."

"Good to know."

From there, the two men fell silent while reading through reports about things that occurred in the region during the last few days. At one point, Ayato raised a brow while reading one of the reports.

"It seems the Tenryou Commission rounded up several wounded Ronin yesterday…"

"Ah, that one might've been from Thoma and I," Ivan replied. 

"I see."

Footsteps approached from behind them, but neither of them needed to look to see who it was. Ayaka arrived and sat on the opposite side of the desk from them. 

"You two have already gone through so many in just a couple minutes," Ayaka said, her voice drawing their attention from the scrolls in their hands. 

Both nodded but quickly returned to reading. Ayaka shook her head and picked up one of the reports to assist in their search. 

Eventually, Ivan furrowed his brows at a report he picked up and said, "The Kanjou Commission took somebody into custody who was trying to flee the island at the port in Ritou. I don't want to suggest your subordinate might do such a thing, but I don't want to ignore it, either."

Ayato sighed and closed his eyes. He thought for a few moments before saying, "Please set that one aside so that I can investigate later."

Ivan nodded and did as he asked. Before long, they narrowed it down to two reports.

"So," Ayato said while studying the scrolls on the desk, "there are two possibilities. One, the report Ivan found. Two, the one I found about a scuffle to the North where the meteor struck."

"Do you want help checking one of them, brother?" Ayaka asked.

"Hm. If you have time, I would appreciate it if you could check on the scuffle that occurred north or here. Dealing with the Kanjou Commission could prove tedious, so I will handle that."

"It is no problem, brother. I am happy to take an extra burden off your shoulders."

"Thank you."

Smiling at the healthy sibling interaction, Ivan rested his chin on his palm and asked, "Want me to go with you Ayaka?"

Ayaka looked into Ivan's eyes. Her blue eyes shone with anticipation at his offer, but then she shook her head and asked, "Didn't you need to head into town?"

"Not really. I was just going to go there to pick up payment for a Commission from the guild. I can do that later."

"So, you are an adventurer, Ivan" Ayato queried.

"Yeah."

In answer to Ivan's previous offer, Ayaka said, "Then, if you are okay with it, I would be happy to have you accompany me."

Ayato quietly observed the interaction between his sister and her new 'friend'. Then, he nodded, stood, and stated, "In that case, if I do not find anything in Ritou, I will return here later to regroup with you two. If you do not see me by tonight, then you can assume that I have found my subordinate."

Both Ayaka and Ivan nodded in agreement.

"So, uh, is this a bad time to say that the food is ready?" Thoma asked while peeking his head around the corner of the office entrance. When the three smiled at him, he scratched his head and chuckled.