“Damn you Furukawa Shiro~!” I shouted with a rather low volume in order to not make a ruckus right after waking up. I sighed as I rubbed my eyes while yawning loudly. I looked upwards to see an unfamiliar ceiling, and a familiar bed I just got acquainted with st night.

  I looked around to see a pin small bedroom with a nearly empty wardrobe and other furniture that I wasn’t familiar with. I gathered all of my strength to wake up and open the window to see the sun barely getting up as the sky still had its own darkness.

  “I want a bath…” I said while zily walking towards the door. Still, with my new pajamas that Catheri me.

  As I opehe door, I could see a ly dressed Catherine in the hallway while holding a broom and her magical staff. “Good m, did you sleep well?”

  I answered by noddihargically. Without me notig, there was a butterfly that kept following me on my side. After looking at it closely, the butterfly disappeared. I yawned and asked Catherine what we would be doing today.

  “I’m sorry, but I have an emergency meeting with an old friend of mine in Thalradia, a human kingdom, so I ’t bring you there.” Catheri her hand inside her pouch. She grabbed a bag of s and a small box the size of the palm of my hand filled with various crystals inside.

  “So, if you don’t mind, could you please run an errand for me? There would be a group of merts that would be ing to the vilge, please sell these medium grade magic crystals for me. It doesn’t matter how much you get them for, just sell them.”

  With ahusiastic smile, I grabbed the box and the bag from her. With a half hearted attempt, I tried to make the box and the s disappear just like my sword and the luminous gem I got, and it worked.

  [+1 Box of Magic Crystal (50 medium grades)][+15 Silver s]

  Catherine didn’t look surprised at the sight of the box and the s disappearing and just smiled as she walked towards the front door. “Feel free to use the allowance I just gave you. I’ll be bae in the evening. There’s a bar in the vilge where you grab something to eat for dinner.”

  I just tentively as I paid attention. I felt a tingle of disappoi at not being able to show her my new skill, but I pushed it aside and gave a small wave. “Alright, take care, Catherine.”

  ? ? ?

  “It’s Miss Mashiro!” said a group of children cheerfully as I saw them running towards me. After spshing myself with water and ging from my pajamas to my usual pink and bck dress, I desded from the hill and walked towards the vilge.

  I saw Roy and Elise in a group of children alongside others that I didn’t know the name of. I simply smiled and greeted them as I started a versation.

  “Good m, do any of you know if there are merts ing to this vilge?” I asked.

  I could see some of them holding toys like spinning tops or dolls made out of wood and some clothing made out of silk. Some of them even hold a small wooden sword and e.

  “The usual old men arrived this m to sell their wagons for the month. There’s also a new guy that came and gave us some toys for free!” excimed one of the boys with aed voice while holding the toy sword.

  “Yes! He seemed really strong and cool! I heard he would be staying at my older sister’s inn for a few days,” Elise chimed in as she poiowards the outskirts of the vilge while holding her wooden doll, “I think he’s still oskirts hanging out with the merts. Miss Mashiro should go there and see him!”

  With a lukewarm smile, I nodded and thahe children. I waved my arm to bid a bye as we parted ways and walked towards the dires that Elise pointed. Some other vilgers greeted me on the way, and I simply greeted them back while walking.

  I didn’t meet many vilgers that were around my age, mostly elderly and some old fishermen that were walking towards the o while holding fishis and rods. While walking in silence, I could hear some of the vilgers discussing how lohey were ever siheir childrehe vilge to find a better job in the capital city of Thal something, the human kingdom that Catherine would be visiting.

  After a long walk, I finally could see some wagons and the people that were sitting and repositioning a bunch of crates, while some of them were feeding the horses. I estimated that most of them were in their forties but I could see one really young adult that was dressed differently thahers.

  I saw all of them wear a surprised expression as they saw me approag, a bit more than normal. However, I swallowed it all as I tried my hardest to smile while walking towards the one closest to me.

  “Excuse me, do you happen to know where I could sell magic crystals?” I asked one of the middle aged men that was sittio the wagon.

  He seemed hesitant and unsure, no, it was more like he kept avoiding my gaze. “I’m sorry Miss, but I only buy magic crystals from the witch of the hill.”

  I sighed in relief after he said that. As I waved my hand, the box that Catherine handed me appeared in my hands as I showed it to him. He was beyond surprised, even furious as he stood up straight and finally started looking in my dire.

  “Where did you get that?! What’d you do to the witch, you fox?!” The middle aged man yelled.

  My fidenstantly shrunk as others started to encircle me, “um, um…”

  My tongue was stuck. I opened my mouth but no words came out as I watched them silently gred at me with an enraged expression. I wao run away, but I kept standing without saying anything. I tried to take a deep exhale, but the breath I took ruined my rhythm as I couldn’t trol my risibeat.

  You do this, Mikan. I told myself, as I tried to y eyes and ope slowly. I’ve had to deal with worse situations like this, and they weren’t holding any ons like the bandits. I tried to assess the situation calmly by four or five merts looking at the man standing in front of me.

  "Please, allow me to expin, I am—" My words were cut short as a tall figure stepped into view, his golden-blonde hair catg the light like a halo. His sharp jawline and pierg blue eyes could have been pulled straight from a shounen manga cover. He carried himself with an effortless ess, his coat fluttering dramatically behind him despite the ck of wind.

  “Excuse me, Miss. Are you by ce, Miss Catherine’s acquaintance?” When he spoke, his deep, fident voice practically radiated main-character energy. Pg a hand on the hilt of the ornate sword at his side, he spoke in a voice as steady and reassuring as a knight's vow, "I’ve heard something about you from the children."

  “Y-yes, that’s right,” I muttered in such a low volume that I ractically whispering. All of my instincts were screaming, and tellio run away from him. My hands fidgeted at my sides, and I could feel my face heating up as his pierg gaze stayed fixed on me."I-I'll protect the light of the Sakura Star!" I blurted out, my voiexpectedly loud and shaking with nervous energy.Wait. What?! My eyes widened in horror as I realized I’d just shouted a random line from Luminous Dream: Magical Girl Cherry Blossom. His expression barely shifted, but I could swear I saw the faiwitch of his eyebrow. Kill me now, I begged the universe silently, my body now frozen i of sheer embarrassment.

  Please stop talking to me! I screamed internally, my mind practically begging for an escape route. My legs felt frozen in pce, but my brain was running ps, frantically searg for a way out of this increasingly mortifying situation.

  “So, I please sell this?” I hurried to the middle aged man I was talking to first. I could tell that he was still distrustful, but he took the box and put it on his carriage while grabbing a bag sack filled with gold s.

  “Here, now get out of my sight.” The guy ha to me with a hint of disgust. Still, I didn’t think of it much as I grabbed the bag. As usual, I made it disappear as the familiar text bubble materialized.

  [+25 Gold s]

  25 Gold s… If ihe box was filled with 50 medium grade magic crystals just like Catherine said, that meant 2 medium grade crystals worth approximately 1 Gold . Still clueless with the currency or what even medium grade means, I didn’t think much of it and would just talk to Catherine about it ter.

  “Hey, why are you so rude to her? Where is your professional courtesy as merts?!” The blonde handsome young man interjected.

  The other merts didn’t seem to care much of his white knight attitude, “Shut up. You’re just a bodyguard. Stay in your ne.”

  Hearing this, the handsome mahe hilt of his sword with a frustrated expression. As soon as he started to open his mouth, I panicked. Whatever he was about to say, I didn’t want to hear it—ive him the ce to say it. Without a sed thought, I spun on my heels and bolted, running as fast as I could.