The black streets sparkled under the hot sunlight as we followed the shady walkway under massive arcades. To our left raged the busy traffic, and to our right stood large, elaborately decorated shop windows. Alan stopped in front of an especially massive, rotating door. His eyes studied a board displaying a variety of store logos before he gave me a helpless look and shrugged his shoulders. “Well, Rika said this one’s good.” 

Immediately after entering, the first thing to reach my senses was the smell of perfume, coffee and fabric, followed by the noise of a thousand busy people and their clacking footsteps on shimmering black tiles. A seemingly endless hall supported by black-marmored pillars spread in front of us. Its glassy ceiling must have been nearly ten stories above our heads, flooding everything in bright daylight. The structure of the building allowed you to see the higher levels, where just as many people scurried from store to store, or rested at one of the cafes while they gazed down at the action below them. Weaving through the crowd, we tried to find a way to orientate ourselves, but were hopelessly lost. A pair of girls marched past us, each one carrying a multitude of shopping bags. My gaze shifted to Alan, then back at the girls. “Uh, maybe we should follow them?” I proposed.

“Oh! Good idea!” Alan clapped his fist into his palm.

Following behind the two girls, we came across large ponds filled with water that ran down a few central pillars and passed various shops and restaurants. Our unaware guides stepped onto a large staircase - one that moved. I instantly stopped.

“It’s one of the very first buildings to have access to a complete network of electricity - I’ve read an article about it once.” Alan rubbed his chin.

So this isn’t magic? I wondered as I carefully stepped onto the stairs. Once we had reached the second level, we spotted a large sign containing a map of the entire mall.

“Puuuh, I thought they would eventually mistake us for stalkers.” Alan let out a relieved sigh.

After having at least somewhat of a plan of our location, we were able to find our target store in a matter of minutes. Unlike the other stores, there was an actual security person standing guard in front of it.

“Excuse me sir, but I need both of your identifications.” the young man, wearing a navy-blue uniform, demanded sternly.

Alan began to pull a few pieces of paper out of his jacket, “Increased security here?” 

“Just so that the kids around don’t do anything stupid, sir.” The man adjusted his hat and shot me a quick glance, before skimming through Alan’s papers.

“I see.” Alan replied.

It was a rather large store, larger than the one I had visited with Evelyn shortly after they had adopted me, but I guess that didn’t mean much around here. Our current level was filled with clothing racks which showcased a vast offer of combat attire - from jackets all the way to boots and minor accessories like bags. Alan dug another piece of paper out of his jacket pocket and unfolded it.

“Rika has given me a small list of what to buy for you.” he mentioned while wrinkling his eyes, trying to decipher Rika’s handwriting. His facial expression soon turned into a concerned frown. “Just what in the world is that woman thinking?!”

“What’s wrong with the list?” I asked after we had spent some time searching for Rika’s listed items. So far, I had acquired a pair of black pants that were tight around my calves but a bit looser on my thighs, some boots, and a long sleeved, black shirt. Next up was a thin, grey jacket which was surprisingly warm.

“You want to go into the mountains, but these clothes are pretty thin. And there isn’t any armor.” 

“They seem fine to me.” I held out my arm to see how the fabric wrapped around my skin.

Alan lightened up a bit and smiled, “Well, that’s the most important thing in the end…...Okay actually not but it’s still important!”

We then headed to the back of the store, where stairs led either one level higher or lower. Deciding to go downstairs, we arrived in a much smaller room with an arrangement of weapons. The black racks displayed basically everything - from kunais all the way to swords and bows.

My mouth gaped wide open when I noticed the prices. Five thousand Sen for one kunai, that was about equivalent to a small carriage. Alan went to a staff member, handing him another piece of paper, while I continued to look around. An illuminated shelf piqued my interest.

Does this also work with electricity? I wondered as I stared at the items it contained, unable to make sense of them. 

“These are rifles, they’re pretty new,” Alan had returned with a heavy bag. “And expensive.” he added.

A friendly, female staff member inspected our items behind her counter. The final price she announced was mind-boggling.

“Alan, you should use this.” I pointed at the money in my pocket which I had saved over the last couple months. The thought of letting him pay for all of that just for my sake was hard to bear.

“Are you crazy? That allowance is for your own use!” 

“But…”

“No but! Just let me pay - it would be kind of pointless anyway since we were the ones who gave you that money.” Alan deflected my concerns with an assuring wink.

Deciding that we still had some time left, we browsed through a few more stores. The mall split into three wings, each one with their own unique design. It took us a long minute to reach the outer left wing. Another giant statue, similar to the one on the city gate, kneeled in the middle of the circular segment. It’s giant lance, which went all the way up to the ceiling, was driven into the ground. A thin trickle of water followed down its carvings, quietly filling a flat pond around the bizarre statue. It should be around here, I thought as I looked for a bookstore I had spotted on one of the maps.

The shop was located on the highest floor. As we walked up the moving stairs, the omnipresent sounds of shoes clacking on tiles as well as the eching crowd voices weakened, until even the calm dribble of water was able to overshadow it. 

“You have a look, I need to search for the restroom.” said Alan right before we entered the empty store. In the end, I couldn’t help but spend around half of my entire allowance on books.

I took a seat on one of the benches outside the bookstore and began to read while I was still waiting for Alan to return.

Takes him quite a while…

“Yo! Nice books!” a smooth, curious voice sounded from behind me. Lifting my head, I turned around. A young man grinned brightly into my face. A few piercings stabbed his lips and ears, and his throat was covered in a pattern of dark scars.

“Ah...thank you.” I replied unsettled and turned my attention back to my book, but instead of moving on, the guy just wiped a long strand of his dark-blue hair away.

“Say, these are some nice things you have in your bag. Quite deep-pocketed, aren’t you?” 

His face moved even closer when I didn’t answer immediately. “Is everything alrigh-”

A shiver ran down my spine and he snapped back in an instant. “Woah~! That’s inter...”

“Ahhh~, I'm so sorry~! Please excuse my friend’s unpleasant behaviour! He can be quite the difficult fellow.” another guy with an absurdly cheerful smile wrapped his arm around his friend's neck. A few bangs fell down his forehead despite his otherwise neatly tied, black hair.

“Hm? What is the matter? I was trying to lead a convers...”

“Yeah, yeah I know you were.” he interrupted his friend and pulled him away. 

My gaze followed them for a while as they slowly walked out of sight. I only noticed now that they both wore the same dark-red shirts tucked into black trousers.

A uniform?

“Sorry it took me so long! These stupid restrooms are on the other side of the building.” Alan came rushing towards me from the opposite site, complaining passionately.

“Are these guys over there academy students?” I pointed at the duo.

“Oh, yea. I believe last-years wear these colours.”

Now that I thought about it, I remembered Rika telling me to visit the academy myself when I first met her. A few things went through my mind as we headed back home. Would the other students ignore me again? What kind of people attended the academy? My gaze fell through the carriage's window, drifting aimlessly through the crowded streets, towering buildings, and the rays of the afternoon sun. Through the corner of my eyes, it felt like Alan eyed me thoughtfully from time to time. Am I supposed to be more talkative?