Chapter 175

CHAPTER 14 Mimicry Cerceus and I trudge along the snowy path after Seiya. It’s probably easier to walk thanks to everyone having shoveled the snow earlier. We soon come to a long road with wooden buildings lined up on either side of it. Although some are dilapidated and have snow-covered roofs that looked like they could collapse at any minute, this part of the town feels the most alive so far, with many demons and humans crossing paths and chatting. This must be the heart of Iglu. “Hmm. That’s probably the item shop.” Seiya creases his eyes at a sign that does seem to be for an item shop. After opening the wooden door, we walk inside the hut to find the shelves packed with all different kinds of medicinal herbs. There are also swords and shields displayed on the walls. “Wow. They have weapons here, too. I guess it’s closer to a general store than an item shop.” We make ourselves at home and start checking out products, despite the shopkeeper being nowhere in sight. There are horrendous items in the shop as well, perhaps used by demons as good luck charms, but just as Seiya predicted, there isn’t really anything that’d be useful for us on our journey. After looking through the store’s items for a good while, all of a sudden, we hear a rattling coming from the back, followed by a young girl rushing over. “S-sorry for the late introduction! Welcome to my shop! Is there anything I can help you with?” She seems to be in her early teens with freckles on her cheeks. She’s wearing her hair in two braids. Is she helping out with the shop? The innocent girl leaves a good first impression in my eyes, but Seiya looks down at her with disgust. “You’re too careless. Your entire store would have been robbed clean by now if I were a thief.” “I-I’m so sorry! I was preparing a few items in the back to put on display, and…ah…! A-a thief…?!” The little girl looks at Cerceus and Seiya, and her face tenses. “Seiya, stop saying stuff like that! You confused her! I’m sorry. We’re not thieves. He’s the Hero, and I’m the Goddess! And, uh… This buff guy is also a god, technically…and… Hm…?” After taking a good look at her face, I am suddenly struck with déjà vu. “Hey, have we met before?” “No…” “My name is Ristarte. What’s yours?” “Nina.” “Nina… Nina?! Wait! Did you used to live in Edona?” “Y-yes, I did, actually! My father and I are from Edona!” She isn’t the same age, but I can definitely recognize the little girl I met back then. When I first came to Gaeabrande and met her in Edona, she barely came up to my knees. “Oh my…! Look how much you’ve grown!” “Rista, you sound like someone’s grandmother.” “Wh-who are you calling a grandmother?!” I glare at Cerceus, but I can’t help reacting the way I did, since it makes me so happy to see Nina all grown up like this. Before I even realize it, Nina is looking up at me with twinkles in her eyes. “You really are a goddess! You even knew who I was!” “Oh, um… I don’t really know everyone. I just, uh… Anyway, Nina, you’re working at a general store now, huh?” “Yes. Ever since Rosalie gave me this job.” “Rosalie did?” “She invited all of the survivors to this town. My father and I used to travel from place to place to escape the dragonewts until we were brought to Iglu five years ago. I don’t have to be scared anymore, and it’s all thanks to Rosalie and Chaos Machina.” In the Gaeabrande I know, Nina’s father was almost killed by Chaos Machina, but in this world, she is grateful to her. Hm… Fate is truly a mysterious thing. “By the way, where’s your father? Do you two run the shop together?” “No… My father passed away not too long ago…” “Oh…” This town seems safe, so I guess he got sick. Or did he get injured? Whatever the case, I feel bad for asking. The air grows cold and melancholy until it is drowned out by the thuds at the counter, where Seiya is placing stacks of weapons and items. “The weapons are weak, and the items don’t seem like they’ll be of any use, but I might be able to Synthesize them into something decent. I’ll take your entire stock.” “Seiya, wait! We don’t have any of the currency that is currently used in this Gaeabrande.” “It’s fine. I already prepared an alternative to money.” Seiya pulls something out of his pocket and drops it with a thud before Nina. “Cerceus’s horn.” “Seriously?! Those again?!” Those might be valuable in the underworld, but you can’t expect to use them as currency in any world you visit! It’s not like they’re made of gold! But when I look over at Nina, her eyes open wide. “I-is that the horn of a devil?! Those are so rare! I’ll pay anything you ask for it!” “What the hell are those horns made of?! Cerceus’s horns are seriously amazing!” “Tee-hee…!” Cerceus blushes while boastfully crossing his arms for some reason. Is this really something to be proud of?! It’s not like he did anything special! While cringing at Cerceus, Seiya suddenly grabs the few dozen swords he bought and thrusts them into Cerceus’s arms. “Cerceus, carry these.” “What?! A-all of them?!” “You’re the God of Swords, right? Carry them.” “That doesn’t mean I want to carry a bunch of swo—I-I’ll carry them! I’d love to! It’d be an honor!” Cerceus changes his tone the moment he sees Seiya lift a sheath into the air, and he immediately begins stuffing the swords into the item pouch. After shopping, we start to leave the store when Nina suddenly runs over to us. “Hey, um… Since you bought so much, I want to give you this. It’s nothing special, but I enjoy making these, so…” She holds out a flower that has been pressed inside two pieces of parchment paper and sealed like a good luck charm. Oh yeah! Now that I think about it, she gave Seiya a pressed flower when we first came to Gaeabrande! I suddenly reminisce about the time the innocent little girl gave Seiya that pressed flower. I vaguely remember Seiya claiming it was probably cursed, but looking back, I’m sure he was just saying that to hide his embarrassment. This sure brings back memories. But as I fondly think about the past, I suddenly notice Seiya’s frowning. “Just one? You don’t have a hundred?” “What are you going to do with a hundred pressed flowers?! This isn’t an item for combat!” “Hm… I’ve developed a habit of always asking, but I suppose you’re right, now that I think about it. One is enough.” “Ugh…!” “After giving it a bit more thought, though, I don’t believe it’d be of any use to me… Yeah, I don’t need it.” “What do you mean you ‘don’t need it’! It’s one flower! Take it, dammit, and stop being so rude!” I yell while grabbing the flower as he tries to hand it back. Nina giggles while Seiya sighs. “Come on. Let’s go. There’s nothing left for us to do here.” “O-okay… Bye, Nina!” “It was really nice meeting you. Have a safe journey. Bye-bye…” After leaving the shop and saying good-bye to Nina, Seiya immediately demands that I open a gate to the underworld. But before I pass through, I turn around out of curiosity. Cerceus then casts a quizzical glance at me. “What’s wrong, Rista?” “No… It’s nothing.” Nina’s smile… While it seemed cheerful at first, there was something about it that bothered me. It was as if there was a dark shadow hidden behind it. However… “Ah! Seiya, wait!” I catch Seiya walking through the gate without us, so I chase after him in a fluster. “The underworld’s far more relaxing than Gaeabrande.” “Yeah, it really is. All things considered, Uno’s house is actually pretty comfortable to live in.” Cerceus and I chat all the way until we arrive at the front door of the Porta residence. Uno and Due immediately notice and welcome us in, all smiles. “Welcome back! I am so glad you are all safe!” Just like the spirit world, time moves extremely quickly in the underworld, so the few hours it took to defeat Hydral and check out Iglu were equivalent to several days in the underworld. Perhaps that’s one of the reasons why Uno seems so happy to see me when she takes my hand. After walking us into the living room, Due asks me: “How did it go?” “Well, we defeated this dragonewt called Hydral, but nothing really happened after that. We did proudly declare that we’d save warped Gaeabrande…but then we left.” I look expectantly at Seiya, since he was the one who talked a big game, but he nonchalantly adds: “‘Mission: Let Rosalie and the Others Save Gaeabrande’ is currently in progress.” “What kind of absurd mission name is that?” “Oh, Rista. I am sure Seiya knows what he is doing. Anyway, shall I put on some tea for us?” “I need to ask you something before you two have tea. There’s a guy named Joker that lives on Seventh Avenue, right?” “Y-yes.” Uno nods. Due then slaps his knees and says: “Ohhh. Good idea.” “Learning Joker’s special move could prove to be beneficial down the road.” J-Joker…? What kind of special move are they talking about? The conversation continues as Seiya asks about this Joker and where he lives while Cerceus and I are left in the dark. It sounds like Seiya did a lot of investigating last time we were here and found the next person he wanted to train with. “All right, let’s go.” “Huh?! A-already? Can’t we at least have tea befor—” After Seiya grabs Cerceus by the scruff of his neck and drags him outside, we begin walking to “Seventh Avenue,” wherever that is. “Oh… It’s getting foggy…” The underworld’s local specialty: Thick fog appears as we head to our destination. Nevertheless, Seiya continues briskly marching forward without even a hint of hesitation. “Seiya, do you know where you’re going? Even in this dense fog?” “I know the area around the Porta residence and the geography within a five-kilometer radius of the Shrine of the Six Realms like the back of my hand. A little fog won’t be a problem.” “Oh. You’re always prepared, huh?” “I plan on making a map of the underworld when I have more time, since it’d make training easier if I knew who lived where and what kind of skill set they had.” “A map? But the underworld seems huge. Like, spirit-world-sized.” “Hmph. I’ll show you. It doesn’t matter how long it takes me or how difficult it is, I’ll make one.” “You’re acting like a person who dedicates their entire life to cartography… Seiya, you know that’s not your goal, right?” “I know. That’s exactly why I’m going to meet Joker now.” “Just who in the world is this Joker—” Seiya quietly points ahead. The fog seems to have cleared up before I even realized it, and I find myself astonished by what I see ahead. Behind a large iron gate is a giant Ferris wheel, and beyond that are a merry-go-round, a roller coaster, and many other rides. “Wh-what in the…? An amusement park?!” “I had no idea they had these in the underworld, too!” Wait… Hold on! Am I about to go on an amusement park date with Seiya?! I fantasize to myself for a split second before realizing that there’s no one else around. The rides are rather old as well. It’s like they haven’t been used for decades. The mood’s definitely not great for a date, either. After following Seiya past the ticket gate and walking slightly inside, I see a clown in a gaudy outfit with a pointy hat and red nose holding a sign that says: UNDERWORLD AMUSEMENT PARK. “Is that a puppet?” I timidly approach the clown when… “Welcome to the super-fun Underworld Amusement Park!” “Ahhh?!” It was, in fact, not a puppet. The clown suddenly greets us with a shout, but it’s immediately followed by a hushed silence. I look across what appears to be ruins as a cold wind blows by until the clown sorrowfully smiles. “This place used to be bustling with life, but before I knew it, it turned into this.” “Wh-what happened?” “Who knows. One day, everyone just decided to stop coming here to play, it seems.” “…Are you Joker?” “Yes, I am Joker, leader of the circus troupe.” “A circus troupe? There are others here, too?” “I’m the only one left. Everyone else disappeared, just like the customers. First it was one. Then it was two. And then eventually, they were all gone…” Cerceus whispers to me: “I-I’ve got a bad feeling about this guy.” “Y-yeah, he’s kind of freaking me out.” This clown hasn’t been abducting all these people, right…? Nevertheless, I muster up the courage and ask: “So, Joker, what kind of moves do you know?” Joker’s red lips curl into a smile. “So, Joker, what kind of moves do you know?” “What the…?!” I shriek in astonishment…because Joker just parroted everything I just said, using my voice! “Wow. That sounded just like Rista!” “Yes. This must be his special move.” “Wait… So his skill is Mimicry?!” Right as Seiya nods, Joker repeats in my voice: “Wait… So his skill is Mimicry?!” W-wow! He really does sound like me! But… “Anyway, cool. Thanks. We get it now, so do you think you could stop copying me?” “Anyway, cool. Thanks. We get it now, so do you think you could stop copying me?” “It’s getting kind of annoying…” “It’s getting kind of annoying…” “I’m serious. Can you stop?” “I’m serious. Can you stop?” “I’m not joking. Really.” “I’m not joking. Really.” My frustration soon reaches its peak, and I grab the clown by the lapels. “That’s enough, dammit! I told you to stop! No wonder everyone left you!” Joker’s eyes suddenly open wide, and his shoulders droop. “S-so that’s why everyone disappeared…!” Uh-oh… M-maybe I shouldn’t have said that. Seiya gently pats Joker on the shoulder and tries to cheer him up. “Don’t let it bother you. That technique is extremely valuable. You can Mimic not only people’s voices but their skills as well, right?” Joker’s smile returns as if Seiya snapped him out of a dark place. “Of course! My imitations are spot-on!” “M-mimicking your opponent’s skills…?” “And if I manage to master his Mimicry, it won’t matter how powerful my opponent’s moves are, since I can simply copy and neutralize them.” That would be extremely useful! But is something like that really even possible? Seiya places a hand on his chin in contemplation. “Even if the Divine Hero manages to raise her berserker to Phase Four, I might be able to win if I can Mimic it.” “What?! You plan on copying her Phase Four Berserk Mode?! I don’t know, Seiya. It’s—” “It’s worth a shot.” Seiya pulls one of Cerceus’s horns out of his pocket and holds it in front of Joker. “You need to offer something in return whenever you want something in the underworld, right? You can have this if you teach me that skill.” But Joker shakes his head. “It has a lot of HP, but it’s still not enough to make a deal.” “Oh? Greedy, aren’t we? How many do you want, then? A dozen? Two dozen?” “S-Seiya?! Please don’t give him that many! Having my horns removed hurts!” “Shut up, or I’ll snap something else off as well.” “Eek!” Cerceus immediately places both hands over his crotch in a defensive gesture and quiets down, but Joker stares hard at me instead. “What is she the goddess of?” “I’m the Goddess of Healing.” “Then let’s have the Goddess of Healing help. Right this way.” Wh-why do I have a terrible feeling about this?! Joker trundles onward until he stops before a large circus tent, which he promptly enters. I follow him shortly behind, then scream: “Animals?!” Many caged animals are scattered around the room. There are beasts that resemble Earth’s lions, tigers, and even bears. Oh, my! “Rista, look! There are monsters here!” I follow Cerceus’s gaze to find large cages with dragons and chimeras inside. Joker puffs up with pride. “I’m interested in creatures from worlds other than my own! I collect monsters and even animals from Earth as well!” “Wh-what do you plan on doing with me?” The jester grins. “You’re going to strip down to your underwear and step into a cage for me.” “I beg your pardon…?!” He’s joking, right?! A cage?! Why?! And in my underwear?! Don’t tell me he’s planning on… “I’m not going to be violated by those monsters, right?!” “What are you talking about? I don’t want you to enter a monster cage. I want you to get into this one.” Joker points at cage containing a giant mountain gorilla. “I want you to get in this cage and act like an ape!” “What the…?! Why?!” “Rista, he just wants the HP you’re going to emit from doing that.” “Th-then why can’t Cerceus do it?!” “Hey?! Stop trying to sacrifice me to save yourself!” But Joker shakes his head. “Making someone who’s basically already a gorilla act like a gorilla won’t generate any HP.” “Ha-ha! Did you hear that?! I can’t do it because I’m pretty much a gorilla already! …Wait a second! That’s messed up!” “Why do I have to be in my underwear anyway?!” “I just thought it would be easier for you to beat your chest that way.” “You’re going to make me beat my chest, too?! I’m a goddess, you know! You understand that, right?!” I go ballistic on him, but Seiya steps in between Joker and me. “Just do it. Learning Joker’s special move is going to help us save the spirit world.” “But forcing a goddess to act like a gorilla? Give me a break… Huh?! S-Seiya?!” Seiya wraps me in his arms and slowly begins to undress me! Wh-wh-what’s going on? Seiya’s taking off my clothes… S-stop, Seiya… You’re turning me on… Hff…! Hff…! Hff…! As my imagination runs wild, I suddenly hear a clink. “Huh?!” …And by the time I realize it, I’m in the same cage as a mountain gorilla with a thick coat of black fur. Joker chuckles in utter amusement. “Come one, come all! Gather around to witness the performance of the one and only ‘Goddess Gorilla’! Let the show begin!” “‘Goddess Gorilla’?!” And that’s how I was forced to act like a gorilla in my underwear.