"Great!" Kai exclaimed. "So, the promise? Tell me something interesting about the Supernatural World." He pressed.
"Something interesting…" Griffin muttered. What kind of thing was interesting in the first place? He couldn't really decide. Rather, something interesting was different for people.
But there should be something in common. Just like… "Festival." He blurted out, remembering news he had heard from his base.
"A festival?" Kai repeated, looking at Griffin with an expectant gaze. "Tell me more about it. Is it a Supernatural festival?" He asked.
"Y-Yes." Griffin stuttered as he replied. Everyone loved the festival. Under normal circumstances, he wouldn't mention it at all. But Kai said something interesting, and it flashed in his mind. He was glad he considered that one and blurted it out. "There will be an Oni Festival in Japan a week from now."
"Interesting!" Kai exclaimed.
Oni. A youkai described with blue or red skins with two horns on their forehead, a part of Japanese folklore. Kai was really interested in it. And there was a festival to boot. This would be a perfect place for him to know more about Supernatural World.
It was only thanks to Griffin he found out about this news. Even Amber didn't know that there would be an Oni Festival soon. So he took Griffin's hand, shaking it.
"Thanks, Griffin."
"You're welcome." The Slayer tried his best to smile.
'Headquarters… I will demand a week's worth of vacation in exchange for asking me to talk to Kai all of a sudden.'
***
Strange.
That was Kai's first thought after he closed the restaurant and remembered his conversation with the Slayer, Griffin. It was not the circumstance, but the man itself was strange.
"He's too afraid of Amber and me." He muttered, looking at the full moon hanging above his head.
The rowdy drunkard had begun their usual drinking party at the stall near his restaurant. Marcus could be seen among those people, laughing at the top of his lungs.
Kai smiled. For the last few days, his mood has been really good. In addition to the information about the Oni Festival in Japan, he was at the peak of his life.
"Still…" He turned around to look at Marcus. "How do I ask for his permission to leave for Japan?"
All his life, the only person or thing he feared was his grandfather. Somehow or another, the old man still looked scary to him. Way scarier than the Malice or Slayers that attacked him.
The old man was strict and always cursed. He gained his habit of letting out a curse when he was angry from the old man too. But he had reasonable control of it, so he didn't curse as much.
Even so, he appreciated his presence. He was the only family left after his parents died 6 years ago. That was the bitter part of his life. His parents died from something he didn't know because he was still too young.
Marcus also kept the cause of their death a secret from him, and he didn't ask anymore because his grandfather had a strange look on his face every time he asked for it. It was like a mix of anger and hopelessness. He didn't want to see it again.
From that time, he decided to protect the restaurant his father built. No one would be forgiven if they touched his restaurant.
Smiling bitterly, he decided on something.
"Let's use his misunderstanding to let me go to Japan."
***
"Sure."
"Huh?"
Kai let out a confused voice as he looked at Marcus across from him. Just like he had planned, he went to Marcus to ask for permission to leave for Japan in 3 days because the festival would be held in a week's time. He needed to get used to Japan first, so he planned to arrive early.
He stood in front of him, frozen. He didn't think Marcus would allow him to leave easily. Heck, the old man even banned him from going on a trip just two months ago.
"What? You don't want to go on a trip with your chick?" Marcus narrowed his eyes. "Brat, if I say I allow it, then I allow it. Why in the fucking hell you don't understand that?"
What made it change? Kai was confused. He guessed it was because of Amber's presence.
His journey to enter the Supernatural World seemed to be blessed. It felt like he was destined to enter the Supernatural World from the start. But that must only be his imagination.
Back to the matter of hand, he was certainly grateful for his grandpa's softness as of late.
"Thanks, grandpa." He said, smiling widely.
"Don't mention it, brat. I bet Suzuka also wanted you to visit her hometown."
'Ah, right. Mom came from Japan.' He remembered. She had always told him how beautiful her hometown was.
"Don't forget to bring some Sake, brat." His grandpa grinned with his teeth showing. His teeth were unexpectedly strong for an old man and still complete. It was a mystery for even Kai, but he mentioned carefully taking care of it.
"I will remember it."
***
Kai returned to the restaurant. Amber had been waiting for him inside, sitting on the chair that wasn't tidied up yet, still in her sexy sleeveless qipao. There were two cups of coffee on the table.
"Kai!" She called out. "I have prepared a coffee for you."
He was happy by her gesture and approached her. However, there was something he hadn't told her yet.
"Sorry, Amber. I can't drink coffee." He said, sitting across from her. "But thank you for the kind gesture."
"You don't like coffee? I should've bought a beer instead." She said, "Well, I know another thing about you thanks to this, so I will drink your portion happily. Want me to bring some beer from inside?" She continued.
"No, thanks. Rather than that, I want to talk about the Oni Festival. Do you know something about it?" He asked. He couldn't hide the excitement in his voice. His eyes flashed a golden light, and Amber noticed it.
Smiling softly, Amber nodded. "I do know about it. It's a Festival held in the Oni Village every 3 years. It's a very lovely festival with a lot of food and entertainment. Many Supernatural Races will attend the Festival. The Slayers will also be there as securities."
"Ooh! What kind of Races will be there, I wonder."
"Mostly Oni and Youkai from Japan. There will also be Vampires and some Devils mixed up. But those 2 Races seldom leave their territory, so there may only be 1 or 2 oddballs joining the festival."
"It sounds fun."
"Indeed."
Both of them smiled at each other. They then continued to talk about how to go to Japan and what to enjoy in that country. The Oni Festival would be his debut in the Supernatural World, so he was really looking forward to it.
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