04. The Dancing Priestess
Mysterious and demure, wearing the flowing robes of an old priestess, our personal phantom stands beside us on the sidewalk. Oddly, she still hasn't said a word. Not one. Even all the way here to this street filled with food stalls and chatting people. All of them enjoying the coolness of the night air and the warmth of food and companionship.
We wait in line for our turn. Me and Mayumi chatting about simple nothings. An attempt to put the girl at ease. She holds the demeanor of a novice. Acting somewhat shy of everything now that the adrenaline of battle had faded. Her shoulders sit slightly hunched, and her eyes dart quickly in the telltale sign of nervousness.
Everything about her says untested. New. Yet… the way she moved during the fight…
I still remember the way she danced.
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"Mind if we join this dance, pretty girl?"
The new girl's eyes had widened, but on a screech from the demon, she nodded and darted forward.
I hefted my sword, grinning at the face of a challenge. Our little gang had tracked that one for weeks. A class-C hiding as a bunch of class-F roaches.
I advanced with confident steps. Sword ready. Mayumi already rained it with arrows, which kept it moving, didn't let it get comfortable. It was our signature move. Mayumi hits them from afar, I hit them where they hurt.
Only this time, our new girl was putting double the hurt on the oversized roach. She danced around the thing with a grace I've only seen from trained performers. She cut and sliced at it with the most basic of weapons—a fucking short sword! Its reach wasn't effective. It kept drawing her too close. Dangerously close to the roach's claws. If she wasn't so nimble she would have been out of the fight already.
Between Mayumi's arrows and the girl's dance, I almost could've sat this one out.
Almost.
A cry had risen from the girl as the roach clipped her. A close call. With an elated cry, I launched myself forward, brought my sword around in a devastating cut. It screamed in rage, the sickly yellow ooze that counted for its blood spilling from the gash in its carapace.
Three arrows entered its hide. In its rage it launched itself at me, struck me right in the chest and sent me flying. I'd tucked the hilt of my sword close, next to my head as I rolled. The quick glimpse I could catch was it charging. So I braced myself against the concrete, sword and shoulder held forward for the blow… only it never came.
The girl, the dancer, leaped with a cry. She flew across the alley like an avenging spirit, skirts billowing around her as if they were wings, and plunged her weapon into the demon's head.
I flinched from the dying scream of it. Nearly dropped my sword to cover my ears. It thrashed wildly as it tried to fling her off. Like a born warrior, she let it. Using the momentum, she let it throw her, her weapon leaving it's head, yellow ooze flying in a wide arc. The girl spun in a graceful twirl to land lightly on her feet, sword already held ready.
But the demon was already dead. It's body dissolving into red mist and ash.
Silence reigned.
Then, Mayumi's cool voice broke it.
"Oh that was awesome," she said, coming up besides me. "You okay?
"Fine. Just a scrape or two," I said.
"What about you Miko?" Mayumi said.
The girl opened her mouth but faltered, something wavering in her expression. I could see the twitch in her motions. The wide-eyed look. That and the short sword told me clear. This girl was new. Still in the daze of battle and didn't know how to handle the come-down.
I shot a look to Mayumi, tapped her upper arm as I did so. She understood, let me take the lead.
I drew close to the girl, making my voice gentle as possible. "Hey, you're coming to get food with us. Helps with the nerves after a fight." I could see the hesitation in her expression already, so I added. "Its not far, we know a food stall around the block. Should still be open."
Almost on cue the girl's stomach rumbled. She smiled sheepishly.
"See?" I said, tapping her shoulder, "You're hungry! Lets go." I moved to turn and added, "Oh, and loot's all yours. You got the killing blow after all."
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"Next up!"
Its our turn, looks like. Mayumi steps up to the stall and places an order for yakitori, her favorite. I throw out a request for takoyaki, and Mayumi turns to the girl.
"Hey, Miko, whatcha want? I'll spot you."
She falters, lips moving like a beached fish while she gets the look of someone about to bolt, but then, in the quietest voice she can muster says, "Dango please."
"Dango it is," Mayumi says, shooting me a knowing glance.
We both heard it. Despite the quietness of her speech, it was unmistakably deep.
After about a minute we grab our food and retreat to sit on a low wall overlooking the street. It's silent, all of us watching the passers-by with mild curiosity.
As we eat I weigh my options. Mayumi would be direct. Cut straight to it and ask. She already wants to, I see it on her face, but… at least for now it's not the best idea. Best skirt that particular demon till we know how to hit it.
"So," I say between bites. "You're new to the game."
The girl blinks in surprise. "Oh, uh… It's that obvious?"
She's still speaking in that deeper tone of hers, but I let her think I haven't noticed. "Basic weapon, no backup, and out in prime class-F territory? Yep. You reek of newbie."
"Held your own pretty good tho," Mayumi adds. "Good job."
I shoot a smile at my girlfriend, glad she's caught onto the game plan. We've always worked well together because of that. Our ability to read each other.
"It's a good thing we showed up. That roach was a class-C. Could have banged you up real bad."
A flash of fear crosses her face. "Oh."
"Hunters don't last long alone," Mayumi says. "We always go out in pairs at least. More if its a high class."
"Which means we should have brought a third along, but the rest of the girls were busy, and… well, we're good as a pair." I eye her with a smirk. "Lucked out with you though."
"There's other girls? Are you a team?"
"Yep! There's four of us. Hotaru, our spellcaster; Chie, our techie; then me—name's Haruki, nice to meet you— and Mayumi here, my girlfriend." I lean in conspiratorially. "Take a guess what we do."
The girl huffs a laugh. "I'm… uhh… I'm Katsumi."
Mayumi hums. To anyone else it would be a simple acknowledgment, but to me its a pointer. And I heard it too. Katsumi keeps referring to herself as if she were a boy.
"Nice to meet ya," Mayumi says, leaning across me. "Listen, you don't have a group, right? So, join ours. We could always use another girl."
Katsumi balks at that. "Oh! Umm, well, you… you see, I…"
"Don't worry," I say, "We know girls like you. Its no big deal."
"Well, I…" she sputters, then quickly throws out, "I'mnotagirl!", and bows asking for forgiveness.
I nod sagely then wave my hand towards Katsumi's clothes. "Then what's with the getup?"
"Because I'm… I'm in training! I aspire to be a girl one day! But… I'm not. Not yet. But I will be!" She becomes more animated as she speaks. "You've heard of the [※MAGICAL SEX-CHANGE DEVICE 3000※]? I'm going to become an A-rank hunter so I can get it, and turn myself into a girl!"
She finishes with a brilliant smile.
A heavy, long sigh escapes from me.
Thankfully, Mayumi takes over from me.
"What do you mean you're not a girl, but want to be one? That makes you a girl!"
"Nuh-uh! That's not how anything works. Just look at me!" Mayumi raises an eyebrow just as Katsumi looks down at herself. "I mean, my body, it's so manly! So… male! There are no curves, I don't have wonderful hair, soft skin—I smell! Need to take showers all the time! Its ridiculous! I have none of the things girls have! Not to mention the constant feeling of discomfort. I hate it!"
Mayumi taps her chin. "You know… we could do something about that."
"I'm already…"
"Yeah, yeah, the [※MAGICAL SEX-CHANGE DEVICE 3000※], heard ya. But…" She hums, looking around. "Tell ya what, lets get out of here. Cash in that demon heart of yours."
"Oh, okay! But… you really don't want to split it?"
"Keep it," I say, "Consider it thanks for saving me back there."
Katsumi looks ready to argue, but seems to decide against it. A good sign. Selfish hunters who fight over spoils belong with the muhōmono. The mention of a 'next time' does seem to put a pep in her step though. We head towards the nearest bus station. The closest Guild branch office is far from this part of town.
While we wait Mayumi leans over to whisper in my ear.
"We just had to pick up a baby trans girl tonight, didn't we?"
I shrug. "We'll set her straight. Besides, you saw how she moved? We've been needing someone quick on the team."
She hums. "Must have a lot of mana to be moving like that as a novice."
"See! She's a perfect addition. We rank her up a bit, and we'll be unstoppable. Oh, Chie and Hotaru are going to flip."
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"Whats this?" Katsumi asks, eyeing the package of over-the-counter HRT with suspicion.
"Estrogen," Mayumi deadpans. "Duh."
Their new girl frowns. "And whats it do?"
"All those things you complained about? The skin, the smell, the testosterone—it makes it all go away. Makes you look more girly."
"At once?" Katsumi nearly shouts.
Mayumi shakes her head. "Over time."
"Oh…" The girl practically deflated.
"Look, you want to be a girl right? Get rid of all that masculine shit you hate? This will do it. Softer, less oily skin; lusher hair; better smell. Fat redistribution to more feminine places…" Mayumi grins. "You'll even get breasts."
That seems to get Katsumi's attention. She blinks, wide-eyed. "Re—really? Will it change, umm…" she waved a hand over lower half.
"Nope. Sadly."
"Well, whats the point?" She pouts. "I'd still be a guy."
"No," I say, finally. Standing before her with my arms crossed. It's become quickly apparent that Katsumi has some very… rigid ideas about what girls are and are not. "You're already a girl. This will just… help you look the part."
Katsumi scoffs.
"Look, you wanna be part of our group?" Mayumi says, "You take the estrogen."
"But it wont make me a girl," Katsumi whines.
This was like talking to a kitsune.
"It will make you more girly, and that's what you want so, by extension, it will get you closer to what you want!"
Katsumi blinks then, a wash of realization in her eye.
"Ohhhhhh! It's… training! If my body is more feminine, then that’s like training for later when I’m finally a girl! It will make it easier."
I facepalm. This is too much.
Mayumi sputters before nearly crying, "Yeah, sure, fine, just take it!"
Katsumi does, reading the back of the box before opening it an popping a couple pills in her mouth. She swallows.
"There you go," I say, feeling the relief of having outwitted an unruly child. "If you wanna be part of our group, you keep taking it. And when you run out you buy more, got it?"
"Umm, sure!"
I share a look with Mayumi. She returns it, the agreement clear: What a strange girl they found.