42 The Missing Spring part 2? (1/2)
Editor: Katanasoul_91.
-Evening, Netherworld-
-My POV-
The color of orange filled the cloudless sky. The Netherworld's weather is calm and soothing compare to the Gensokyo's weather right now.
Some of the tree in the Netherworld starts changing their leaves color from the color of yellow to the color of pink, a tell tale that the season changing into that of a spring, and in the mid of this peaceful scene, a black clad individual is talking with a silver hair girl in a green school uniform-like dress at the base of the stairway.
The black clad individual gave something to the girl.
”Here's the share for today.”
”…Thank you.”
The black clad individual really doing something suspicious with the school girl, he should be captured by the police by now if a police is a thing in the Netherworld or even in Gensokyo in general.
'This is the police! Get your hand in the air!! …is what I imagined happening right now whenever I'm giving her the petal.' I thought.
”…As always, Arah-dono gathered more petal than I do.” said Youmu with defeated look.
”Haha, you shouldn't mind it too much, in the end you are the one that get the petal anyway.”
The amount of petal that I collect steadily increase as the days goes on, based on principle, the longer someone doing work, the more familiar they're with said work, and if you're familiar with it, you could minimalize your effort. Those practices summarize the saying I heard a long time ago, ”when you work, work smarter, not harder.”, which resulting me creating an air vacuum with my ability to collect the petal faster, this method toke less time and yield more result than grabbing them one by one with my hand.
”Well, see you again tomorrow like always.” I said before I turn around.
But just as I'm about to leave, Youmu called out to me.
”A-arah-dono, please wait!!”
I look back.
”?”
”W-well, u-um, i-its.” she hesitates to say something, her phantom-half also hiding behind her human-half.
'…Seems like I'll be here for a while.' I thought as I turn around again facing Youmu.
”P-please teach me how to gather the petal just like Arah-dono!!” Youmu asked me as her face is red with shame and her phantom-half have a tinge of red in its white body.
”…I don't think you could do what I did with my method.”
”B-but, if this goes on, Yuyuko-sama might replace me with Arah-dono?!” said Youmu with teary eye, her phantom-half franticly flying behind her.
”What?!” I'm shocked. ”…wait a minute.” But I immediately start thinking.
At first, I'm really taken back with what she just said but if I really think about it.
'It's Yuyuko. She might just teased Youmu like usual, moreover this might her ploy to probe my intention based on my response to Youmu's distress, after all I'm an unknown individual that suddenly appeared to help her, of course after that she will start collecting an information about me.' I rationalized everything.
'And no, I'm not complaining, by all mean, keep teasing Youmu, just don't meet with me or something, just let me get my reward in piece.'
But first, let's calm Youmu down.
”Let's calm down first, and then we'll talk, okay?”
She nodded.
I make my way to the stairway. I blew the dirt away with the wind before sit on its step. I also beckon Youmu to do so as well.
After she sat not too far away from me, I start talking to her.
”Youmu-san, is becoming a servant for Yuyuko-san an important thing?” I asked.
”Of course, it's important! As a Konpaku, serving Yuyuko-sama is a great honor for us!!” said Youmu with firmness in her voice, her phantom-half nod too. ”…Although, I already served Yuyuko-sama ever for a long time, but no matter how much time has passed, I still couldn't understand Yuyuko-sama, I wonder if grandpa understood her already in his time? Will he feel disappointed in me if he saw me right now?” Youmu looks down, and her phantom follow suit.
”I see.” I nod in understanding.
”Oh, sorry, I shouldn't tell you about my problem.” she looks sorry.
”Don't worry about it. I'm just happy that Youmu-san share your problem with me.”
”I-I see.” she scratch her cheek.
I do my thinking pose.
”So from what you said, basically your little understanding of your master led to insecurity of quality of your job if its meet your master satisfaction or not?”
”Well, to put it simply, it is like that.” Youmu nod weakly.
”And with that mind set, you concluded that I might replace you as a servant by your master?”
”Yes, I even heard Yuyuko-sama mumble about it when I accidently eavesdrops Yuyuko-sama in her room.” said Youmu worriedly.
”…” I blink. '…so sly, saving her face from Youmu while at the same time probing my intention based on Youmu's expression when she get back, very sly indeed.' I though.
”I think you shouldn't think too much about it, just do what you do everyday like usual and you're gonna be fine.”
”But…”
”Let me give you an example, when a new worker arrives in a work place, they often make mistake, their work efficiency is usually the lowest, and did you know why? It's because they are doing an unfamiliar activity, they are in an unfamiliar environment, and they work with an unfamiliar faces.”
”But I already served Yuyuko-sama ever since I was born!! I'm not unfamiliar with my own home!!” she rebuked.
”But you still make some mistake right?”
”Ugh!” my word hit the bullseye.
I think right now Youmu look more down than before. I smile, teasing people are fun.
”BUT the superior of the worker already know this kind of issue and should do his role properly too. Did you know what will the superior do next?”
…Oh god, her eyes are dead, did I go too far?
”..I'm gonna take a guess with what you're thinking and I'll say that you're wrong, the superior need to do nothing.”
Yay!! Her eyes are back!! She titled her head in puzzlement too.
”Or should I say that the superior need to stay patient. Give the new worker a chance to improve, experience takes time to accumulate, and that worker accumulating it as they work, at first they will do a few mistake here and there, but in the long run, they will absolutely do a great job with what they were doing.”
Youmu starts to understand what I'm saying.
”Your master already done her part properly, and now it's your turn to do the same. Although, you already doing your part Youmu-san, did you remember? You already asked if I could tell you about my gathering method, you already trying to improve yourself, that's why I said you don't have to do anything and just do what you normally do.”
Youmu looks happy.
”I see! I understand now! Thank you very much for your enlightenment, Arah-dono!!” she deeply bowed to me.
*ding*
[Achievement Alert]
[Impress Phantom Human Gardener]
[Reward: 20.000 AP & IP]
Thank you for the point.
”Glad that I could help, now onto another matter, I can't teach you how I gather my share, but I could show you how I did it instead. You saw how I blew the dirt away just now?”
”Blew the dirt? You mean that you used the air?”
”Yup.”
I swayed the grass in front of me using the air.
”Now that you know that I use the air, I also could use it like this for gathering.”
I sucked some falling leave by creating a vacuum to pull them to my hand.
”I see, it is true after all that I can't do such action, but…”
Youmu suddenly turn silent, she's thinking about something.
After several more second, I noticed the changed in her status.
Her level went up.
[Lv 46 into Lv 48]
'…Is this that 'warrior revelation' thingy? When a warrior got a 'revelation', they suddenly can create some new technique and somehow become more powerful. Is this what happening right now?'
Since Youmu still in her thought, and since I have some time to kill, I decided to stay silent and do some thinking as well.
'About the conversation between us just now, did Yuyuko already know that I'll be helping Youmu? or she just taking a gamble by using Youmu to gather my information? What will she do after she knows me from Youmu? Can I survive if she decided to end me? …Can I change the direction of death?'
…
'…Ugh, I should stop thinking all of this complicated stuff. After all, I'm just a normal guy that followed his desire to go to this Universe, I should have just imagining some cute girl rather than thinking troublesome stuff.'
*ding*
[Achievement Alert]
[Impress the Ghost Princess of Death]
[Reward: 20.000 AP & IP]
”…”
I immediately realize what that alert mean.
I get up from the step.
I look back behind me.
I follow the stairway with my eyes until I see the top of it in the distant.
I see her.
At the end of the stairway, she's floating, short wavy pink hair, light blue and white kimono. I can see that she cover her mouth with her folding fan.
It's her.
It's Yuyuko.