Tourney Sign Up

  Chapter word count: 2505

  “I should also go back to my inn,” Airot notified, taking a step away. Then stopped in his tracks. “Right… I don’t know this street.”

  He glanced around. The library was still nearby, no farther than it had been when he was at the arcade.

  This was still in the district surrounding the monolith, but beyond that, there was nothing to hint at which direction he was in.

  The library’s circular form lacked defining features, offering no indication of where he stood.

  Elfein looked at Haruku. “Are you gonna…?”

  “Do you want to?”

  “I’m not skilled enough, but I can try,” Elfein opened his hands wide while pointing his palms to the ground.

  “Try what?” Airot asked, feeling a need to grip his things.

  Beneath them, the air slowly swirled, then rapidly surged into a fierce burst, taking hold of them and lifting them skyward.

  Engulfed within a column of wind, they were clumped close to one another but weren’t squished together.

  As he ascended, Airot felt the wind tighten around his entire being, though it didn’t rush against his face.

  Yet, there was an extra sense of repulsion towards his boots. It felt like they were naturally resisting the wind, unbending to their attempts, as if repelling the force that carried him. The wind struggled against them, making them heavier than they were before, even after lightening them with his yellow.

  Though enveloped, he wasn’t restrained and remained free to move within the air.

  They soared above the district, though not high enough to see the entire city. Even in flight, they barely reached a fourth of the library’s towering height.

  From above, Airot could see the district circling around the library, with the main road then encircling it. Few buildings in the district showed signs of destruction, and the structures here were noticeably shorter than those in any other district, where decaying skyscrapers still loomed.

  A few minutes of nothing but the subdued whisper of piercing air followed their flight.

  Eventually, they began their descent. As they neared the ground, the wind softly slowed, holding them in suspension before vanishing.

  The air released its grasp in an instant, unleashing the currents that engulfed them. The released gust was rapid and powerful, unlike the calm flight within the wind.

  They landed in the middle of the street, right in front of Airot’s inn.

  “Here we are,” Elfein announced as he stepped toward the inn.

  “Yeah,” Airot replied flatly, following him.

  Haruku lingered for a moment, watching the inn before finally stepping forward. Just before they entered the inn, he spoke up. “Oh, right. I forgot,” he went up to the inn’s wall and tore down a poster. “You can get paid by fighting to put on a show.”

  He lifted the poster for them to see.

  “Local Central District Yapper Tournament! Applications Open!”

  “Right,” Elfein recalled.

  “You want me to get into a yapper fight?” Airot scoffed, waving off the idea as he stepped inside.

  “You’ve just awoken. Isn’t it good to learn your abilities?” Haruku asked, following inside.

  Airot hesitated. “I mean, I guess. I didn’t know you realized, though.”

  “It’s obvious,” Elfein commented. “You grew taller, suddenly have a decent build after a near-death experience, and after cleaning up, you look nothing like you did when you first arrived here. You’re a yapper, aren’t you?” he looked up at Airot’s back as they climbed the stairs.

  Airot clenched his fist, hardening it with a faint golden glow. “...Yeah, I am.”

  “You’ll get paid regardless of the outcome, and the best way to figure out what you can do is through tense situations. I don’t see the problem with you joining,” Elfein reasoned as they reached the top of the staircase.

  “No problem?” Airot nearly sneered. “I see a huge problem with throwing a rookie with zero experience into a fight just to get beaten down.”

  “They cover injuries,” Elfein pointed out. “And if it makes you feel better, I can sign up with you. I haven’t really fought either,” he offered, carrying a little intrigue in his tone as they walked down the hall.

  Airot stopped at his room’s door, fishing its key from his old jacket’s pocket. “I guess.”

  “Fighting’s tedious and wasteful, but I could sign up too,” Haruku commented. “If we get matched, I’ll forfeit so you win.”

  Airot swiftly turned his head to him. “Eh? Really?” he exhaled in relief. “Yes, we can do that.”

  Elfein shot Haruku a glare as Airot entered his room. “I’ll just sort out my stuff, then I’ll rejoin you.”

  The two nodded and headed back down the hall while Airot closed his room’s door.

  He marched in, plopped his old shoes down by the TV stand across from his bed, and set the rest of the items he was carrying onto the empty spot on top of it, finally freeing his hands.

  He then transferred his notepad, pen, tuallet and the room key into the inner pockets of his new jacket before pausing to stare at the used wrapper.

  ‘Hah, I didn’t get to throw this.’

  He tucked it into one of his outer pockets and leaned over the cabinet, absentmindedly overlooking the clothes he brought.

  As his gaze wandered, he eyed the cabinet’s drawers. He hadn’t checked them yet.

  Curious, he pulled the top one open, revealing a clean but empty compartment.

  Pushing it closed, he moved on to the next two, only to find the same result.

  After closing the bottom drawer, he straightened up with slight disappointment, then stretched before changing his undershirt and pants. He left the discarded clothes on the cabinet, now fully outfitted in the boutique’s attire.

  Keeping his jacket unzipped, he spun around, controlling the jacket to wave fluidly, mimicking Elfein. He played around a bit, floating across the room while spinning midair.

  As he dashed from one end of the room to the other, his gaze landed on the nightstand by his bed.

  The tale has been illicitly lifted; should you spot it on Amazon, report the violation.

  The handle of its drawer was encased in yellow, opening without being touched.

  With a finger raised, Airot noted, “As expected.”

  Flicking two fingers upward, the nightstand levitated alongside him. He curled his hand as if gripping an invisible force, then twisted his wrist, causing the nightstand to flip over in midair.

  He watched in amusement as it spun, but mid-rotation, a piece of paper slipped from the open drawer. Quickly halting its fall, he set both the nightstand and himself back onto the ground.

  Confused as to how the paper had fallen from a drawer he was sure had been empty, he checked inside again.

  It still looked the same, nothing seemed different, nor did it appear like the paper was placed beneath the compartment. Running his hand along the interior, he searched for anything unusual.

  It wasn’t until his fingers brushed against the ceiling of the drawer that he noticed something: a recessed groove, discreetly carved into the inner front panel. It was shallow but curved inward, just enough to hold small objects like a slip of paper.

  Testing his theory, he slid the paper back into the groove.

  It fit.

  Satisfied with the answer, he sent the nightstand back beside the bed before turning his attention to the paper strip.

  “Pick up lines to use:”

  Airot winced at the bold heading.

  “Are you a criminal? Because looking that good has to be a crime.”

  His lips pressed into a thin line as he skimmed further.

  “—Did you just fart? Cause you just blew me away—”

  He grimaced. Hard. The text was crossed out, but, regretfully, still legible.

  “Are you the lottery? Cuz I’m delusional and think I have a chance.”

  He grinned a little, grateful that it wasn’t as awful as the previous one.

  Bracing himself, he read the final line.

  “Call me Earth cus I’m obsessed with your humanity.”

  Airot exhaled deeply as he finished reading the text in its varying handwriting. Without hesitation, he crumpled the paper and shoved it back into the nightstand’s hidden groove, regretting ever playing with it.

  Finished with his antics, he turned to the door and left his room. Down in the lobby, he reunited with Haruku and Elfein, and the three of them left the inn once more.

  A green flash later, they were in an open area reminiscent of the hill by the freeway with the Roman palace atop. Except, instead of a hill, the place was flat and covered by a sizable canopy that shaded cushioned couch chairs underneath it, all of which were empty. The chairs were faced toward a small, square platform in the distance, akin to a boxing ring.

  Led by Haruku, the trio went up to a foldable table set under a smaller, separate canopy. Two girls were talking with each other at the table. One leaned over a box on the table, while the other sat on a foldable chair.

  The standing girl was the first to notice the trio, swaying her braided blue hair as she turned toward them.

  “Looks like I should finish,” she murmured softly.

  Without waiting for a reply, she shied away and left while carrying the box.

  The seated girl, who had long black hair tied back with a large bow, raised her hand to wave, only to awkwardly retract it when she realized the other girl’s back was already turned.

  Shifting her attention to the trio, the seated girl inhaled through her mouth. “Hey~ there, Haruku, library guy, and other guy,” she greeted the trio in a confident, friendly tone.

  Haruku placed the flyer he got from Airot’s inn on the table.

  “Whoa, you’re signing up for my little gig?” she asked, astonished as she shuffled through the papers on the table. “I didn’t think you’d be one for the indie side.”

  “Mm, no. I don’t think I’ll be fighting,” Haruku replied bluntly.

  “Hah?” she looked up, clearly caught off guard.

  “These two are the ones who want to fight,” Haruku motioned to Airot and Elfein.

  “Oh. Alright,” she returned to her papers, though her enthusiasm had noticeably dimmed. She lifted a pen and flipped a paper to face the trio. “I’m Urara, and this is my first tournament!” she admitted proudly. “I’ve announced at larger events, so I’ve got experience. But this is my first time running one myself. So, if you’re giving me a chance, sign here.”

  Elfein glanced at the paper she presented, scanning columns of blank spots accompanied by questions. Ignoring the rest, he wrote his name down in straight and standard writing.

  “Just Elfein?” Airot asked as Elfein passed the paper to him.

  “What? You gonna write your full name?” Elfein jested.

  Airot, ignoring him, did just that.

  “Oh. Plasho, huh,” Elfein noted as he read over the name.

  “Yeah. Plasho,” Airot returned the paper to Urara, then pulled out his notepad.

  “Alright, now if you could both tell me about your battle experience, and how long you’ve had your yapst,” Urara requested, readying her pen.

  “No real battles, and barely any training. The library took me in when I unlocked my yapst. It’s been about three weeks since I became a yapper,” Elfein answered.

  “No combat at all for me. And, uh, just a day since I got mine,” Airot added as he quickly corrected Elfein’s name in his notepad before tucking it back.

  “Ah, I see… fresh rookies,” she had a pause. “Well, I guess this would be the best place to get experience,” she jotted down notes in an elegant yet still legible handwriting. “And now thanks to you guys, I can actually have more than one match. But there’s still an odd number of participants…”

  “Okay, I’ll sign up. Just pair me with Airot,” Haruku interjected.

  “Really?” Urara perked up. “But, I can’t rig the matches,” she composed herself.

  Haruku was already writing his name down in quick, loose strokes. “Alright. I’ll only fight if I’m up against Airot, though.”

  “Yeah, yeah, sure,” she brushed him off, unable to hide her excitement. “Same experience?”

  “Yes.”

  “Of course, if you participated in anything else, I would’ve been there,” she said, scribbling away. “Three years as a yapper… 2nd Grand Joust finalist… 3rd Autumn Colosseum participant…” she muttered as she wrote.

  She shuffled through her other papers after she finished writing.

  “Uhm,” Airot started. “What are those?” he quietly asked Haruku.

  “Larger, more established tournaments,” Haruku answered, monotone.

  “That I was the announcer at,” Urara added. “Now,” she turned back to Elfein and Airot, “any questions before I go make this official?”

  “Well, when’s it held?” Elfein asked.

  “Unless something major happens, we’ll be hosting it as early as tomorrow. You three are, like, last-minute entries.”

  Airot showed a little surprise at the speed.

  “What about medical needs?” Elfein continued.

  “We’ll have a healer on standby,” Urara assured.

  “I see,” Elfein nodded along. “I’d ask about the safety of the fights, but it’s you. So, with that, I don’t have any other questions.”

  “Aww, thanks for the trust, library guy.”

  “Elfein.”

  “Sure, sure,” she got up with her papers. “If that’s all, then I’ll officialize this quickly. Elfein, Airot, Haruku,” she gave each of them nods. “Come back early tomorrow.”

  She placed a fresh application on the table alongside an “on break” sign before eagerly scurrying off.

  She first went to the blue-haired girl, who was sorting a pile of boxes, and exchanged some words before disappearing down the freeway road.

  “Leaving the desk in broad daylight seems a bit… unprofessional,” Elfein noted.

  “Probably doesn’t expect anyone else to show up,” Haruku replied. “With this settled, we can separate until tomorrow. I’ll pick you up by your inn,” he directed to Airot.

  Then, without another word, Haruku began walking away, leaving Elfein and Airot by the empty table.

  “Wait, what about getting back—”

  Before Airot could finish his sentence, Haruku was gone. He turned to Elfein, who just gave a shrug in response.

  “So, are you gonna—” Airot started.

  “Mmm,” Elfein hummed, lifting the paper from the table with a gust then began reading it. “How about you try going back on your own? Use your yapst. Might as well get some practice in, maximize your usage.”

  “I mean, I guess,” Airot said reluctantly. “What about you?”

  “Well, if your yapst isn’t suited for travel then I could help you. But for right now, I’m reading the details of their contract here,” Elfein stayed focused on the paper. Seeing Airot put on a slightly confused face, he added, “Can’t sign up for something without knowing what exactly you’re getting into—something my mentor drilled into me.”

  “But didn’t you sign first all excitedly?”

  “Yeah, but that doesn’t mean I can’t check now,” Elfein waved him off. “Anyway, why aren’t you running yet? You need the practice more than I do.”

  Airot scoffed before stretching. “Alright then,” he turned away. “Tell me if it’s secretly some slave contract or whatever you're looking for.”

  “Will do,” Elfein replied playfully, his eyes still on the paper.

  Airot looked down the freeway and readied himself.