“A lot has happened since you woke up, didn’t it?” Enatsu asked. Pulling up the blankets, he checked the condition of the mattress hidden under them.

“Um? Are you talking to me?” Yoichi spoke, whose gaze was lost in the landscape visible from the window. ​​

“No, I’m talking to myself. Of course, I speak to you!” the merchant joked, in a low voice. Tiptoeing, careful not to wake anyone up, he approached his companion, stopping with him to look at the Tamer District’s Square. “I mean… from the moment you woke up, your life suddenly turned hectic. I admit that I’ve never experienced days so busy and full of absurd events, too!”

“You’re absolutely right… if it’s weird for you, imagine what it’s like for me! I woke up without even remembering my name. Hahaha!” Yoichi chuckled.

“And yet, despite this… you defeated a guild tamer without ever having fought before, you saved the Princess of Tentochu, you tamed a level ten Inoshuma as your first demon… should I add something else?” Enatsu smiled, complimenting his friend. His gaze was genuinely empathetic as if sharing the happiness for his successes.

“But… okay, listen. Let’s talk about you. Do we want to talk about the fact that you just joined a guild? If anyone has made progress in these two days, that guy is you, Enatsu!” Yoichi countered. In his words, the young tamer emphasized the ease with which the merchant had agreed to become a Nightblades warrior.

“Eh… I still don’t know if I made the right choice. My father would kill me if he found it,” Enatsu anxiously answered, scratching his head and compulsively touching his beard. The Silvertide Village merchant used to dump the tension on his body, letting himself go to that strange gesture.

“I’m sure you do really. Inside of you, you know what the truth is. Think of your grandfather Yanatsu. What would he say if he knew you’d decided to spend your whole life trading precious goods or other junk? I’m sure he’d disapprove of your father’s decision.” Having become familiar with his friend, Yoichi told Enatsu what he really thought of his family, without filtering his words.

Those simple but precise words echoed in his friend’s head, who continued to look outside the window. Enatsu’s gaze was lost in the grayish clouds illuminated by moonlight. “Do you think I’m really going to be a tamer?” he asked. In his eyes, the hope of receiving an encouraging response.

“I wouldn’t have spurred you on to follow this path if I hadn’t believed in you and Sora. The two of us will travel the world, Enatsu. We will become strong enough to go where all the other tamers have never dared to go,” Yoichi affirmed with conviction. “And when the time comes, we will fight for the people of Tentochu.”

“Wow. No one is better than you with this kind of talk. You’re pretty persuasive, I must say,” Enatsu smiled.

“I’m not the convincing one. You just needed someone to tell you out loud what you’ve been thinking for who knows how long. Let’s say… you are particularly ‘convincible’. Hahaha!”

The two friends continued to giggle in silence for a few more minutes, staying close to the window. Soon after, to avoid making too much noise, they approached their beds.

On Yoichi’s mattress, Kenji and Sora were sleeping next to each other. The little Nekage was wrapped on itself, with its tail covering its eye; a few inches from it, Sora was standing on its badger paws, its head wedged between its shoulders and his eyes closed.

“See? Our Oracles are telling us we can’t split up, brother,” Yoichi grinned, resting a hand on Enatsu’s shoulder. That gesture of friendship made the young merchant smile.

“I do hope tomorrow goes well,” Enatsu mumbled, referring to training with Hakamori and Rinji.

After the late-night chat, interspersed with some yawning, the two adventurers lay down on their respective beds. The cold air of that night subtly penetrated from some holes in the roof tiles.

However, the presence of all those people inside the room, generated a heat that contrasted the cold, making the sensation on the skin almost pleasant.

Thinking back to recent events and the bizarre mantis-demon of his new guild master, Yoichi fell asleep. Next to him, Sora and Kenji, and on the next bed, Enatsu.

…

“Hey. Hey, Yoichi!” a deep, baritone voice trembled. A large hand touched the young tamer’s shoulder, making his body shaking up under the covers. “Yoichi, wake up” the voice repeated.

“Um… what… who…” Yoichi stammered, forcibly coming out of the dream world. His eyes opened weakly, limiting the access of the dim sunlight that was rising beyond the east walls of the capital.

“Come on, sleepyhead. The Sensei hates latecomers. We have to hurry,” Rinji stated, standing in front of his new guild mate’s bed.

“Whooo!” Yoichi gulped, as soon as his eyes framed the Nightblades giant. “Are you crazy? You scared the shit out of me! No offense, Rinji… but I didn’t expect to wake up with your face in front of me!” Yoichi uttered, sitting on the bed, frightened.

Without exaggeration, the young tamer had limited himself to reporting the facts: Rinji’s face was actually a few inches from his and his hard and masculine features had scared him.

“Mmh… no, father… let me go, let me go, please…” Enatsu murmured, turning under the blankets. Still immersed in some deep dream, the merchant’s sleep was disturbed by the words of his comrades. Renji and Yoichi looked confused.

“Don’t… don’t touch me… leave me and… um?” the merchant spoke, still in his sleep. As soon as he realized his twilight sleep, he turned his face towards Yoichi and Rinji.

His eyes still closed and his cheek still in the shape of the pillow, made the two observers burst into hearty laughter.

“Hahah! Good morning, Enatsu. Are you done talking to your father?” Yoichi laughed, rising from bed. The young tamer woke Kenji with a pat on its head, right in the middle of its short black horns.

“With whom? Oh, gosh… is it already dawn? It looks like we went to sleep a minute ago… *yaaawn*” a long yawn followed Enatsu’s answer. As if lifting a two-ton boulder, the merchant got out of bed. The eyelids were still sleep-stuck.