"Yukina, want to come out with me?" Shen asked. She looked oddly calm and composed despite the loud noises.
Did I do something wrong? Before my heart could start racing, Shen gave me a smile. Does she just want to talk?
"Do you want to?" Shen asked me again, she tilted her head this time.
"S-Sure…"
She held the door for me. No one questioned why we went outside. I stopped right in front of the front door.
Am I in trouble? Also… Why is she acting different? She's usually harsher than this or more strict.
"You enjoying your birthday?"
"Y-Yeah I am…"
"That's good." Shen walked over to the railing at the front of the porch. The moonlight glistened on her skin when she turned to me. "I know it's early for presents with what they planned.. but I have some special gifts for you."
What-
Shen patted the rail to her right, and had me lean there.
"Ask me anything. I'll give you an honest answer to everything." Shen stated as she mimicked my forward lean. But she raised her chin to the sky with a smile.
…
"Hm?"
"Why are you acting like this?" I asked what first came to my mind. Shen tilted her head and gave me a weird look. "You're less serious… and seem warmer for some reason."
"What you saw wasn't me."
"What do you mean?"
Shen went quiet for a moment and took a deep breath. "That wasn't me, it's a face I put on for work."
"Huh?"
"I'm not a teacher in this life, nor am I unemployed. It's a little more complicated but," Shen said and continued with what she was saying after a second.
"I'm basically your father's right hand. He assigns me jobs to do.
During these missions I need to not be myself. That reason is because of your father's status as a demi-god."
"So who are you really?"
"I'm not Takeda. I'm Shen Silva."
"..."
"Fourty-nine years is nothing to how long I've lived as Shen."
That's true. I kept my mouth clammed as I turned to the road ahead. My heart felt at ease next to Shen. I never had this before, not even back then.
"And to be blunt, I only remembered you through a library I have."
Library? I wondered about Shen's statement.
"In a dungeon near Gaia I have a library." Shen brought a finger up. "I can witness memories through what I wrote— Your father informed me that you were found in Untergrant. So I had to look through my old life to find the memories of you. Though, if you ever go to Gaia, I'd advise against going through the dungeon and through the library."
Makes sense… I let the tension in my body release and leaned even further. Shouldn't expect her to remember everything…
That library sounds interesting though… I wonder what she's written. Probably a lot of stories about her adventures.
We stood in silence for a moment before I asked her another question.
"How did you and my dad meet?" I asked whilst not hiding my curiosity.
Shen turned her head before explaining.
Five hundred years ago she, as a child, was an adventurer. One day she was setting up traps for a hunt… and it didn't go well.
She got pretty badly hurt, and just as she was about to be killed the boar she was hunting died. A clean cut across its neck, and my dad was the one to do that.
He was seventeen at the time and she was nine. Ever since that day they've been working together. Even when she was turned into a vampire he stuck by her side.
Really sounds like him…
Back on earth he never gave up on people. Even if he did hurt himself in the process… Shen seems happy about that.
Her tail was wagging, retelling the story. Even her ears became less rigid.
"How do you really feel about my dad?" I had to ask her. There's a few things that feel suspicious about them both so, wouldn't hurt to ask.
"He's kind…" Shen merely stated with a smile. "Silly at times, but kind."
Uh huh… I felt like Shen wasn't saying everything. Reason being… Seeing how she was with Jin during the journey. I believe she has some feelings about him. Even if she did deny it… seeing how she talked and thinks about him.
Could also be wrong… we barely talk about him.
"You have a scary look on your face…"
"It's… Nothing." I waved my hand and furthered my words. "How long have you had our last name? Honestly, that made me jump at hearing it."
"Since our old party died… It took him a few years to forgive me. He gave me it as his forgiveness and protection."
She's not lying. Shen's voice never waivered, her eyes were completely locked onto me. Was my dad that well known? Well… he is a demi-god.
"So…by technicality I am your aunt in this life!" Shen pointed at me and exclaimed. "So I'd listen to me for advice and…"
"And by technicality you're my teacher NOT aunt! I am not blood related to my dad or my mom anymore—"
What am I saying-
"I mean that is true, but blood relations don't mean everything! Especially in this world, you know?! For your information, Yukina, your dad and I consider each other siblings.
We've been working together for over five hundred years. Five, hundred years!"
Why is her face red?She looks so much like a child right now… Shen was so much shorter than me. Due to her little spat right there, she was standing on her tip toes and was emphasizing her words with a finger.
"Alright… alright I got it."
"Good. Next time you should believe me."
"You should control your reactions better. Your face is telling me the opposite of how you feel."
In an instant shen's face turned completely red. The ends of her tail stood straight up… There's no way she's over five hundred years old… and a former guy…
Someone five hundred years old shouldn't be this sporadic… she went from calm to embarrassed— she's acting like a teenager…
For the next few minutes she turned away, her tail was flicking— I could hear huffing under her breath.
I just leaned with my weight on the fence. My hand rested on my cheek. So this is the real Shen?
I wasn't expecting her to be like this… It really is like she wasn't Mister Takeda at all.
After some time I felt my mind go elsewhere. A topic that was stated before… does she know anymore?
Fenrir.
"Shen…"
"Hm?"
"What's a fenrir?"
"What's with that question?" Shen asked with furrowed eyebrows.
"Well… I kind of want to figure it out." I replied, scratching the back of my head and continued. "Since… that's what I am."
My question seemed to have stunned Shen. She looked at me with her mouth wide open… There were gears that were clicking behind her eyes.
"That's… quite difficult to explain. Give me a second to collect my thoughts."