Return of the Fallen Vol1 Ch34
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Author: Blue_Rat
ch34
Kazuki rolled out of bed feeling refreshed. After a nice shower, he threw on some clothes and checked himself in the mirror.
(Hmm, this won’t do.)
Kazuki scrambled his hair until it was messy all over. Untucking part of his shirt and buttoning it up incorrectly so it was one button misaligned, Kazuki continued to fuck up his outfit. Using his ki, he moved a bit of blood to his eyes until they appeared to be bloodshot and also drained some blood from his face so he appeared pale and slightly sick. Taking another glance in the mirror he laughed inwardly.
(Now that’s what a mess looks like.)
Kazuki slumped his shoulders and then headed out the door. As soon as he exited, the soldiers guarding his room were not surprised. They had learned of him getting stinking drunk yesterday and had a laugh about it amongst themselves. What kind of hero gets so drunk that they can’t even stand. Still, they felt a little pity for him, as they assumed it was his first time having a hangover. The guards said nothing as Kazuki slowly dragged his body to the cafeteria.
Kazuki lugged his body into the cafeteria where he saw Asuna and the others already eating and chatting pleasantly. They took one look at him and laughed at his terrible appearance with Asuna even saying.
“Serves you right.”
Besides that though she couldn’t even look him in the eye. For some reason just thinking about him going into that brothel made her stomach twist in knots and her heart felt heavy.
Kazuki sat down and said nothing before laying his head down at the table as though he intended to sleep right there.
How could a jealous Shin allow this, though? Shin grabbed him by his shirt and shook him hard.
“You bastard, tell me everything that happened. Was she gentle or rough, what did it feel like? How come you got to go in and we got bounced away? What trick did you use to get in there, huh? Tell me the details, spill them.”
Being shaken so dramatically, Kazuki had to fulfill his acting role of a freshly hungover person and forced his ki to churn the contents of his stomach.
*Blegh*
Kazuki vomited on Shin, as well as the table and floor. Shin jumped back and yelled.
“You nasty bastard, you got it all over my shirt.”
Nearly everyone else at the table quickly escaped in a panic and retreated several feet away. Kimi herself almost puked just seeing the mess.
“Ew, Ryuta, what the heck!”
Kimi looked at Sam who was still eating his food without a care in the world.
“Sam, how can you still eat when Ryuta just puked everywhere?”
Sam simply looked up and shrugged his shoulders before digging back into his meal. Kimi couldn’t help but think.
(Does nothing bother you when you eat, how monstrous.)
Danny, although felt slightly sick seeing the mess, still he was a bit excited as well. Running over to Shin’s side he said.
“Don’t move, Shin, I got this.”
Danny’s magic ring flashed and a small orb of water no bigger than a fist materialized in front of him. Using some concentration he floated it over to Shin and soaked his shirt. Shin was now completely pissed.
“Dammit, Danny, I’m completely soaked. How in the hell is this supposed to help?”
Danny flipped it back on him.
“Would you just shut up and let me concentrate. I’m not finished yet, asshat.”
Shin went quiet for a moment with a [Oh] type of face.
Danny focused on the water on Shin’s shirt and began to imagine it surrounding the vomit and pulling away from the shirt. With the image in his mind and his power flowing from his Mage Core to his ring, Danny could feel it working. Shin and everyone else watched silently as a tendril of water began to separate from Shin’s shirt a little at a time.
Asuna ran into the kitchen and grabbed a bucket and placed it in front of Shin.
“Danny put it in there.”
Danny nodded to Asuna.
“Thanks.”
And just as she said, Danny slowly began to pour the clouded water into the bucket. Only just a moment later and he was done.
Shin’s shirt was now clean and with all the liquid removed it was dry as well. Shin slapped Danny on the back and laughed.
“Haha, thanks for the help, I knew you could do it.”
Danny at first was a little upset at being hit on the back but with Shin’s praise, he felt valued and appreciated. With a smile he said.
“Of course, this is what friends do.”
Shin smiled before pointing at the table and floor.
“Think you could get the rest?”
Danny’s good mood vanished.
*Haaa*
Danny cleaned up the mess while feeling slightly depressed.
(I’m only good for cleaning up vomit. Well, at least he didn’t deny it when I said we were friends.)
Even after everything was clean, no one wanted to sit back down at that particular table and they moved a table over.
Shin got Kazuki a glass of water.
“Sorry about shaking you. I was just so curious and impatient. Are you ok now?”
Kazuki gulped the water down as though he were dying of thirst. Grabbing a cloth napkin from the table and wetting it with some water, Kazuki lay face down on the table again and put the wet napkin on the back of his neck.
*Haaaa*
“Much better now, thanks but also can you all please just not talk too loudly, my head is banging right now.”
Shin leaned in close with a hand next to his face he whispered to Kazuki.
“Ryuta, so how was the brothel?”
Kazuki slowly turned his head to the side so just an eye could be seen.
“Do you really want to know?”
Shin nodded his head up and down like a maniac but still, he whispered.
“Yes yes, of course, come on, tell me already.”
Kazuki flashed a smile but none of them could see it.
“Fine, I’ll tell you but don’t spread any of this around, got it?”
Shin again nodded his head like a crazy person. Kazuki outstretched a finger and curled it indicating for Shin to get a little closer and Shin in kind did exactly that. Asuna and the others as well leaned closer, waiting in anticipation. Asuna had a bit of fear hidden behind her eyes.
Kazuki curled his finger some more and Shin once more got closer until his ear was only an inch or two away from Kazuki’s mouth.
“Basically what happened was…”
*BUUURRRRRPPPPP*
Kazuki released a loud long belch that caught the attention of everyone in the cafeteria. A few more shocked soldiers even pulled their swords from their hip.
“Is it the enemy?”
“Where the hell are they?”
Shin, on the other hand, jumped back and was quickly wiping his ear. A bit of hot breath, as well as spittle, tickled his ear sending a creepy icky feeling all throughout his body.
“What the hell is the matter with you, you freak. Ugh, my ear, I’ve been poisoned, no, I’ve been infected and I’m gonna catch your stupidity. Damn you, Ryuta.”
Kazuki slowly sat up.
“Nothing happened.”
Asuna and the others didn’t quite hear him with the fuss in the background so he spoke up.
“I said nothing happened. I went in there and they immediately discovered that I was underage so they threw me out.”
Asuna wasn’t quite convinced.
“If that’s true then how come we didn’t see you being thrown out. We waited outside for almost 30 minutes.”
“Well, that’s because I was thrown out the back. They couldn’t let anyone see that some kid got in, so they tossed me out some back door. That sucked.”
Asuna pouted slightly.
“Then where were you all that time? Just at a bar, I don’t believe it.”
“It’s true though. I wandered around for a bit but then I noticed that there were no more guards around me. I figured it was the perfect opportunity to try a little alcohol. You know we can’t drink for a few more years back home but here they’ll let 16-year-olds have a taste.”
Asuna still wasn’t sure and Kazuki continued.
“I went in and I met some cool people but after two drinks, well, I can’t remember much after that. Next thing I know I’m waking up in my bed.”
Asuna grabbed Kazuki’s head and held it between her two hands. Looking into Kazuki’s eyes she nervously asked.
“Is what you said the truth.”
Kazuki didn’t even hesitate.
“Of course, why would I lie.”
One of the reasons why Kazuki didn’t share what happened in the brothel is that if it was the real Ryuta, Kazuki is almost 100% sure that Ryuta could not have interacted the way he did. The real Ryuta would have talked a big game but as soon as he saw those scantily dressed women he would probably have hightailed it out of there. Ryuta was actually not one who was good with the opposite sex.
The only reason why he was OK with Asuna was that he had grown up with her and saw her as a sister. Asuna and Sam as well would never have guessed that Ryuta wasn’t good with girls because Sam is oblivious and Asuna wouldn’t have realized that either because Asuna made sure to constantly keep girls at bay. And her interaction with Ryuta seemed normal to her.
The only people who realized this were the real Ryuta and Kazuki when he observed Ryuta’s weird behavior when he watched him interact with a female store clerk.
The clerk was not extremely beautiful or attractive but Ryuta had fumbled his words and shook nervously the entire time they talked. Kazuki had seen this happen time and time again as he observed Ryuta’s interactions with different women. Kazuki had wondered how someone who seemingly had so much confidence or rather didn’t seem to give much thought to anything was so clueless and bad with the opposite sex.
Out of the many things that made up Ryuta, this was one of his main flaws but because no one really knew this side of him, it didn’t affect Kazuki’s acting in the least.
The other reason why Kazuki didn’t tell them what happened in the brothel was obvious. If he did then they’d know right away he was not the real Ryuta. The consequences of that would most certainly be bad.
Asuna believed in Ryuta and let Kazuki go but a question still remained.
Shin started eating his food and between bites, he asked.
“Oh yea, that reminds me, Ryuta, how did you get in the brothel in the first place? When we tried there was some sort of barrier that knocked us back. The dude at the door said it was a magic thingy that could tell your age, so how’d you get in?”
Kazuki simply explained he had bought a magic white mask and that that had allowed him to enter. When they asked where it was he told them he had lost it and the matter was dropped.
While they enjoyed their meal and chatted casually, little did they know a small clear orb floated silently above them, out of sight.
A small short old man rubbed his chin in thought.
“Master Garn, why would the boy lie to his friends like that. We know for sure that the mask is in fact not magic and after questioning the woman who was impersonating him yesterday, she told us herself that she was instructed to wear the mask and walk around the city without speaking a word to the soldier following her. Master Garn, this is two lies, but for what reason does he have to lie?”
Master Garn couldn’t make heads or tails of the situation. The young hero Ryuta was for sure hiding something but neither Garn’s intelligence officer nor he himself could figure out what or why.
The short old man spoke up.
“Master Garn, should I continue to watch him?”
Garn was awakened from thought and said.
“For now. I don’t know why the boy was hiding something but it shouldn’t be too sinister. Simply observe him and report to me if something happens. Oh, and continue to observe these people, I don’t want anyone slipping through the cracks.”
Master Garn handed a small list to the short old man and thought.
(What is this odd feeling I’m getting, like I’m missing something obvious.)
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missing something obvious
yes he missed many things