Chapter 8: [Chapter eight] Luggage

Ugh... I know that look.

It's the same one that my mother gets whenever my father and I get too excited about whatever the current subject of our interest happens to be.　Like she's having fun just watching me be a total weirdo.

But considering everything she's been through, my ego is a small price to pay to cheer Yahanaseara up.

I guess.

Technically.

I mean my inner five-year-old still wants to scream at her that she's the cute one here, not me... but my outer nineteen-year-old is well aware of the fact that that'd just cause her to find me even cuter.

And then my embarrassment levels would rise to the point where I'd be compelled to run off and bury myself in a hole somewhere.

I guess this only serves to further drive home just how bad I am at dealing with others... I haven't even known this girl for a day yet and she's already caused me to have multiple internal freakouts.

KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK

"Eh?"

Oh.

The door.

Wasting no time in opening it, I'm met with the same nervous innkeeper girl from before. But this time around, she just so happens to be pushing a cart that's carrying two large covered plates.

Dinnertime.

Being the most gracious guest that I am, I give the poor girl a silver piece for her troubles before relieving her of her foodly burden.

Not that it keeps her from booking the hell out of here the second the coin reaches her hand.

Whatever.

Balancing one large plate on either hand, I push the door closed with my foot and make my way over to the table.

"Hey, food's here!" I call out to my temporary roommate as I place our respective dishes down.

With my upbringing being what it was, I am well aware of the complexities of proper dining protocol. Seating arrangements in respect to table size and shape, the order in which each person is to be seated, which utensils to use and when, where to place napkins, all of that stuff.

But since my mother isn't here to nag my ears off, I shall instead eat as I please.

As such, I take a seat myself, scoot the chair next to me back for my lovely guest, and wait for her to-

"...oh."

I stare at the fluffy-haired girl who just bolted over here like light...

...ning...

...oh God that pun is terrible.

"Savior?"

Through the gaps in the fingers covering my face, I can see Yahanaseara's concerned expression.

"Are you alright?"

"...yeah, it's nothing," I mumble, trying my best to shake it off.

She then flashes a cute little smile and takes her seat.

And, uh.

That just looks awkward.

"Sorry, I didn't know the portions for that would be so big," I say, pointing to the massive baked fish platter that's sitting in front of her.

Like, this thing is huge enough for two grown men to share and still have some left over.

"No, this is fine," Yahanaseara shakes her head. "Thank you for allowing me to choose my own meal."

"It's nothing," I shrug. "I could probably try to help you finish some off, but uh..."

I gesture to my own order- a large plate of spaghetti.

"You need not worry about that."

A blindingly brilliant smile, further augmented by the light reflecting off her hair ornaments.

"Fish of this size was a rarity back home," she says wistfully. "I always enjoyed the rare opportunities I had to indulge in it."

As she picks up the fork and knife that I'd set out for her, the Elemental Spirit's gaze turns downright predatory.

"And it has been centuries since I last ate anything."

Her lips curve into a wide smile, and then open to show off two rows of perfectly-aligned teeth.

Wow those look sharp. Her canines extend noticeably lower than her incisors, and even her molars look kind of jagged...

...aaaand it's time for me to stop ogling this girl's mouth and get to my own food.

So I do just that.

Man, whoever said that hunger was the greatest spice wasn't kidding. After not eating anything all day, it was like the floodgates of gluttony opened the second the first noodle went into my mouth and I ended up completely losing myself in the joy of stuffing my face.

Still though, my regards to the chef. While they could've gone a little harder with the garlic, this was still a perfectly enjoyable meal.

With my own food having been fully devoured, I take a look over at my meal buddy's plate-

"Whoa, you actually ate all of that!? Already!?"

All I can do is stare at the girl who's leaning back in her chair with a very satisfied look on her face.

"Did I not say that there was nothing to worry about?" Yahanaseara says with a sly grin. "Were I feeling particularly gluttonous, I could easily finish off two more plates before even beginning to feel full."

Uh.

Wow.

She must've really been starving.

"...do you want me to order you some more, then?" I ask. "I mean if you're still hu-"

"No no no," she shakes her head, "it is fine. I may not be full, but I am still quite satisfied."

"Oh," I shrug. "Well if you get hungry again later, just let me know."

With that, I gather up our plates and utensils and deposit them on the cart that's still sitting outside our door.

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Cleaning might be included in the lodging fee, but there's no reason to make them do extra work, you know?

"Alright, then..."

Cracking my knuckles in a most unladylike fashion, I make my way towards the bed that I designated as "mine."

"Hey," I call out-

...and she's already standing right next to me.

"Yes?" Yahanaseara looks up at me with those big beaut-

Ahem.

"Wanna see something cool?" I ask, doing my damnedest to bury this stupid awkwardness that keeps on showing its ugly head.

"Cool?" She tilts her head. "I find the air temperature to be perfectly acceptable, but were you feeling hot?"

"Er-"

Oh.

Yeah.

She might be able to understand all languages, but the specifics of vernacular have obviously changed over the thousand years she's been sealed away.

"...something interesting, I mean." I say, clearing my throat.

"Interesting?"

And that perks her right up.

"I shall take that as a 'yes.'"

With her interest having restored a little of my confidence, I reach into the sleeve of my robe and bring out a large cloth sack.

"A bag?" She asks, understandably confused.

"This is just step one."

I then give the bag a couple of good flaps to catch some air inside it, and once it's opened up to its maximum size...

Though I cross the endless expanse
My claim yet remains unbroken
Though I wade through a sea of countless impostors
I shall never lose sight of what is mine
I cast away this shell of falsehoods
So that my loyal servant may return to me

To my hand, "Nighttime Bag#1!"

All the Script around me blinks out of existence, and with a flash of light...

whump

...the air-filled sack is replaced by one whose contents are decidedly more solid.

"You... used magic to fill the bag?" The puzzled Yahanaseara asks.

"Nope," I shake my head. "I used magic to replace the bag."

"Eh?"

Please... I'll lose all my self-control if you keep on making adorable gestures like that head-tilt-plus-finger-to-the-lips thing you're doing right now.

"You see..."

I heave a long sigh in an attempt to expel all these impure thoughts of bullying that are filling my mind.

"...the spell I just cast takes one object and swaps it with a named object of similar shape that the caster happens to own."

"So 'Nighttime Bag Number One' is this bag's name?" she asks.

"Exactly," I reply, crossing my arms triumphantly. "It's one of a series of prepared supply bags that I have the maids back home maintain so that I can call upon them as needed. With this, I'm able to travel without ever having to put up with lugging around a ton of supplies, not to mention that this guarantees that I'm able to change into a fresh set of clothes every single day and as the name implies this one's got nightclothes in it which is a massive luxury for an adventurer like me but thanks to my incredible genius I had the brilliant idea to repurpose a spell that was originally intended for swapping out named weapo-"

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaagh I'm doing it agaaaaaaaaaaaaain

"...sorry," I mumble.

"Worry not," Yahanaseara smiles, "Your enthusiasm is quite endearing."

"......"

Great, now my face is on fire again.

"Anyways," I sigh, "this one has sleepwear and other supplies for overnight stays."

With that, I flip the bag upside-down and unceremoniously dump its contents onto my bed. A pajama/robe set to sleep in, my favorite soap and shampoo from back home, a comfy pillow and blanket just in case I happen to be stuck at a low-quality inn with trash amenities... all that good stuff is now just lying there in a huge pile.

"That does indeed seem quite convenient," Yahanaseara nods in approval.

"Sure is."

...oh yeah.

Digging into the pile, I fish out a large pajama top and hold it up.

"...hm..."

Perfect.

"Here you go," I say, tossing it to her.

"Eh?"

She catches it with ease, and then stares at it for a little while before holding it up in the air so she can stare at some more.

On me, it's just a shirt that runs kinda long. But on her tiny frame, it'd practically be a dress.

"You can sleep in that," I tell her. "I'll just get something for myself from another bag."

"...to sleep in...?"

Yahanaseara stares at the shirt some more.

"...ah," she nods to herself. "I suppose it would be rather untoward of me to sleep in the nude."

Yes.

Yes it would be.