Astraea: The Journey of Magic

Rolling back time a bit, in a different city in the morning, a certain two boys were laying in bed. Reiji and Juno had found the inn they were looking for, had a bit to eat, and then promptly went to their room. Reiji was tired, while Juno, thanks to his Wish, was not. At least, not yet.

As such, the boy had told Reiji he would get some things done and then promptly pass out from exhaustion in bed with him, so he should go ahead and sleep. Reiji just stripped, handed over his clothes since Juno said he would handle laundry tonight so they had clean clothes tomorrow, and then Reiji quickly passed out in bed.

Reiji was now awake, and he had serious concerns. The fact that Juno was asleep so soundly was one of them. Juno should be waking up before him, so the fact he was still asleep suggested he outdid himself, or something very bad happened. That or they overestimated his ability, which seemed plausible too.

However, it became clear to Reiji that Juno not only outdid himself, he went out shopping. There was now a simple handmade clothesline in their room, where their still damp clothes were drying in the morning sun since it was next to the window. It wasn’t just Juno’s clothes, but Reiji’s as well. Both only had one set of clothes after all, even underwear, but during the warm months sleeping in the nude was common and expected anyways. But the water was outside, which means Juno had essentially been forced to spend at least an hour or two outside, hand washing and scrubbing all their laundry, completely naked, at night. Reiji felt rather guilty about all that, but they literally had no way to have clean clothes otherwise, and their situation was precarious.

But not only that, but there was a cloth on the floor with all their possessions aside from their clothes laid out on it, including remaining rations and money. Apparently he counted it all, took inventory and stock, and even cleaned their weapons and Reiji’s shields.

He even wrote a task list for today, such as registering at the adventurer’s guild and buying Reiji armor. As well as gathering information and looking for Akano and Kuroki.

He did all of this last night, then crawled into bed and fell asleep half clinging to Reiji. His feet seemed a bit dirty too, suggested he had walked or ran outside barefoot quite a bit last night. His limbs had since kicked and moved around in his sleep, although he seemed genuinely unconscious right now. Reiji felt rather guilty letting Juno do all the work, but he still needed to sleep himself. Far more than Juno did.

Still, he decided he would help pick up the slack. Not only for the small hardworking boy next to him, but for himself as well. Especially for his reputation. Reiji was like, three times as big as Juno overall right now. And he could see how people might misunderstand the situation, a large guy like him forcing a small, younger boy to even wash his underwear? Reiji would hate it if people thought that. The two of them were best friends after all.

While thinking that, there was a knock at the door. Reiji tried to get up, but Juno had kicked the sheets off completely now and was clinging in his sleep. This made things difficult, so Reiji just decided to speak and hope he didn’t wake him up. After all, Juno couldn’t sleep easily anymore, but he looked quite happy right now and Reiji didn’t want to wake him up.

“Who is it?”

”I am Marla from the kitchen. Your friend came after he finished the laundry last night to place breakfast orders for you both this morning” she said as she opened the door. Reiji was technically covered in the right area, but only because Juno’s butt was sticking up into the air in the way. She left them two trays inside the room, and then left. She had absolutely zero reaction to this, and Reiji realized this was probably a common occurrence for the staff.

“Mhm…I smell food” Juno said, stirring as he nested his head into Reiji’s chest. He still looked sleepy. Perhaps his alertness only kept him so awake because they were in a forest before, and he could relax better in a city? Perhaps it was easier for him to sleep then they thought. It wasn’t like they had a status window to open, and there were no skill descriptions to check.

“Juno, you awake?”

“Yeah. Is it morning?”

”Yeah…but you knew that already didn’t you?”

Juno nodded as he finally got off Reiji and sat up in bed, pulling his legs in as they lay sideways.

“Ah, the food is here”.

Each of them had eggs, sausage, as well as some buttered toast. The eggs had some salt on them too. Juno quickly got both trays and brought them back, deciding they would eat in bed. The mattress was quite soft and stable, and moving around in it didn’t even spill the glasses of juice on the side. Even when Juno jumped back into the bed and sat with his legs going off to the side.

Seeing this, Reiji smiled awkwardly. “Thanks for looking out for me. And sorry for not being able to help you last night”.

”It’s fine. Besides, I wasn’t alone the whole time. I met a few other kids, a few younger and one my age, at the same time while we all did laundry”.

And so Juno began to talk about his night last night.

Juno was sitting on the back porch of the inn, not a soul in sight. His butt parked on the smooth wooden porch that felt kind of like a well made and refined oak, but a bit softer and yet more firm and hardened at the same time. His feet were off it, with a large soapy basin bucket of sorts right on his lap while the other end was held up by its own stand. It was a bit chilly, but his beastkin blood meant he had a somewhat higher body temperature. Still, that didn’t stop him from feeling chilly, though he was able to enjoy a beautiful starry night.

Laundry had to be done outside, since the inn didn't want people bringing water through the main hall and spilling it, and also the basins filled with water were insanely heavy. Juno also didn't want to wake up Reiji anyways, and he had more or less started to get used to things here. Reiji always did so much for him, for everyone. Kind and considerate, and always thinking. So compared to helping Reiji out for a change, this was nothing.

Juno knew part of why he was probably used to things already was because of the Compliance Effect. Without a doubt, something had affected their minds, but knowledge was power. By being aware of it, they could utilize its strengths. And right now, Juno was convinced it was best to go along with it. Especially with what he heard through the open door behind him, which led to a hallway which connected to the main dining area. He was a bit nervous being so exposed near such a crowd, but he had no clean clothes. He had a single outfit, and the tailor they had visited earlier today had prices that were...not affordable at the present. Well, they could afford it, but their reserves would be so low that it would put them in dire straits. Unless they wanted to go out and hunt for every meal and sleep under the stars, and not pay for any information or supplies, it was a non-starter.

That was why Juno had to do laundry while nude, but apparently that was normal. Or rather, having lots of spare clothes was a luxury that typically only nobles and wealthy merchants had. Most people in this world had on average two sets of clothes, with many having just one set or at most three. At least casual average outfits. There were work outfits as well. Incidentally, adventurers often fell into the One Category, mainly low ranking ones admittedly, since there was no magic that would let them store things infinitely. One could get storage expansion on a backpack, but that would at most double interior space, and there were far more valuable things to carry then clothes, such as rations, camping gear, potions, recovered items from monsters. Magic had no super cheaty and convenient spells that just trivialized such things, same for laundry.

The only thing that did more then double capacity was bags specifically designed to store corpses. However, they couldn't store anything other then corpses. Try to put anything else in, and it shoots right back out. Apparently making it more specific made it better, but apparently one couldn't use it to carry anything other then corpses because of how finnicky it meant by specific. Corpses were considered one thing. Juno thought maybe it was due to the genetic data all being the same regardless of the part. However potions, armor, weapons, even clothes are all collaborative. Actually made of many different things. Armor would be read as its metal parts and leather, or different various leathers, and even the stitchings would be considered its own thing.

One could technically make a bag for just wood though, but those only worked well for lumberjacks. Adventurers didn't really need those, so there was little demand for them.

In short, there was no convienent way to have lots of storage space. The corpse one was the one adventurers got, along with their generic ones, and that was that.

Incidentally, clothes actually were not as bland and basic as Juno might have thought. Business suits or swimsuits didn't exist in this world, but apparently there were quite a few stylish hoodies and jackets that felt modern-ish. The material and quality felt like they would be better then one would have found during the coresponding time period of Earth.

However, when he asked Reiji this, he just said "Well, this is a different world, so perhaps their technology developed in different ways?"

While thinking such thoughts and starting his scrubbing, he heard someone come out. He was a bit startled, but when he looked behind him there were two boys. Both as naked as he was, carrying dirty laundry.

This back area was basically reserved for people doing laundry at this time of night, and it was considered rude to stare or pry too much, but it seemed they also had laundry to do. One appeared to be about his age, while another was younger.

"Ah, excuse me" one said, passing by on the way to get a washing basin, setting their dirty laundry nearby. For a moment, Juno was not sure why they said that until...

"Ehk! It reeks!"

"Sorry!" the boy cried out, as he began to fill his clothes washing basin. The other boy set down his huge pile of laundry, and also went to fill a basin from one of the faucets. The faucets were all located out here along with the necessary basins, so people just needed to bring their laundry and their soap and other cleaning instruments. Also, this was for clothes only. Armor had to be done elsewhere.

Incidentally, that large pile stank even more.

"Wow, I think you should wash yourself once you are done with that!" Juno complained. He might have been embarrassed at one point, but they were all boys and all in the same boat, so it seemed unnecessary. Incidentally, they were allowed to wash themselves off out here afterwards. The moon was just inching out over a large tree nearby, its branches rooting out from even low in the ground as if reaching out from all over to grab the moon.

"Sorry, I get stuck with these kinds of jobs sometimes" the silver haired boy said, looking a bit sheepish.

Juno and the blue haired boy both looked over at the massive pile. "Wait, isn't that mainly adult's laundry?"

"Yeah...for my entire squad. I am Ellio, the lowest ranked Squire of a squad of knights from the Brigade of the Silver Wind".

The ten year old boy said that as he looked at the huge mound of laundry, and let out a sigh. His bare feet tredding across the sea of grass, walking reluctantly with a filled basin in hand towards the intimidating pile of filth.

"Good luck~"

"We are rooting for you~"

"Yes I know, it sucks! But this is what every Squire has to go with. At least its only a squad. Gods, I would die if I have to do everyone's laundry solo".

As he sat down, he moved the basin in front of him and pulled out a shirt, and got to scrubbing.

Meanwhile the blue haired boy sighed.

"I have quite a bit too, but...its kind of my fault I suppose. I put off laundry way too much, and I don't have anything left to wear now. And while I might be an adventurer, no one tends to trust a thirteen year old who stinks like crazy, or anyone really".

"Yeah. I had a fellow trainee in the academy get kicked out because he couldn't keep himself in a state befitting a knightly position" Ellio mentioned.

"Ah, my name is Rukia by the way" the blue haired boy said.

"My name is Juno".

"Ah, are we doing introductions out here already?" a fourth boy asked as he came in, levitating in a huge pile of laundry and as came out as well, just as exposed as the rest of them. He had the clothes land in a clear spot near the group and proceeded to get his own basin. He had brown hair, dog ears, and a dog tail. "My name is Jasper. Nice to meet you all".

"That is quite a large bundle".

"Its mostly sheets. Im doing this for a decrease in rent for the innkeep" he said, as he started to fill up the washing basin with the water he needed.

"Too bad you can't conjure the water or clean it with magic".

"Well that would just render it all unusuable, for like weeks. Not really worth it".

"Oh? I never heard anyone actually explain why that happens before, just that it can't" Juno mentioned.

"Its cause of mana intoxication. You cant make drinkable or bathable water with mana, and it really doesn't clean you well anyways. Apparently mana particles get imbued with it, and trying to use force tends to just hurt yourself and your skin. And mana intoxication is dangerous, you can die from it. Incredibly easily".

"That...is not good".

"Of course, you still suffer if you slowly absorb concentrated mana over time even if it doesn't kill you, it still hurts like hell and might leave you incapacitated the whole day. Although I hear some freaks actually enjoy that".

"And for clothes?"

"The mana from the water seeps in if you try and wash it. Of course, a single splash wont do it, but..."

"You cant clean them with just that".

"Yeah. In combat, you will die from spellwork long before any mana intoxication will kill you. Sometimes, dying soldiers who will die before mana intoxication will affect them are given a bath in magically produced water to ease their final moments. But that means they are basically dying any minute anyways".

It seemed that unlike the isekais that Juno knew of, magic wasn't some omnipowerful force that could solve all issues and recreate modern convienences. The mage, Jasper, continued to provide explanation for them. Apparently, Mana Intoxication also prevented someone from just guzzling down potions one after another. Potions were made with ingredients, and didn't require a mage to make itself, but mana was utilized in it. However, it was the more natural mana, in far lower doses, and diluted by the ingredients themselves. However, traces were still there, so one couldn't just use potions to solve everything. Especially since they could be rather expensive. In particular, mana restoring potions were especially dangerous, containing more mana than the average potion.

Not only that, but there was no all purpose potion. There were various different types, especially when it came to ailments, diseases, and other things that in a game, one might put under status effects. Apparently the potion to reduce fatigue from running a lot, and a potion to reduce fatigue when staying up late, were entirely different, and using the wrong potion at the wrong time would provide little to no benefit.

And there was no potion that could deal with mana intoxication. The best treatment for that typically involved just keeping them fed, hydrated, and naked, since the more exposed skin, the easier it was for the excess mana to leave the body.

While chatting, Juno got to learn of the three of them.

Ellio was the newest Squire of the Brigade of the Silver Wind, an order of knights that apparently were all magicians as well. He was hazed quite frequently, and he often had to do the other member's chores, but this was partly due to the fact they couldn't take him on many missions yet since he was still being trained. He was eleven years old, and apparently his parents had died. He had wanted stability, so he ended up joining the Knights so he could have that and put food on the table. It also gave him a place to sleep as well. Even though he did their chores for them, they actually paid for his lodging and his food on expeditions, so it seemed like overall they were decent people. They were also teaching him properly, and he even got medical benefits. Apparently one of the few organizations that did have something like that. He seemed hard working and honest, and despite having the largest pile of laundry of the group, he was keeping up with the rest of them in terms of pace.

Rukia meanwhile was actually an elf, and apparently working as an adventurer. He was thirteen, but Juno realized he himself looked younger and was shorter, which was why he mistook Rukia as being the same age as him. He was actually tall for an Elf though, since apparently like Beastkin, Elves aged slower after reaching the age of nine or ten, only to a stronger degree. Probably because their lifespans were much longer. Apparently he never knew his father, but his mother was an elf. She was actually the Vice-Guildmaster of the Adventurer's Guild in another city, and he was in the middle of traveling and adventuring himself. Also, apparently he was rank C. His ID card was the card connected to a small chain and was hanging around his neck.

Jasper, the Dog Beastkin, was in fact also a member of the Adventurer's Guild, but also the Mage's Guild as well. He was fourteen years old, although perhaps due to his species, he looked closer to eleven or twelve. He certainly didn't have any hair on him aside from the top of his head and his tail, although that was true for Juno as well. And leaving aside the tails, true for all of them really. Even without actively looking, Juno's Gift caused him to notice these things easily since they were all had bare butts as they did laundry. Apparently it was normal. That said, there was typically a staff member nearby ready to help as needed, and to keep any drunks or perverts away from them.

That said, the back of the inn was pretty well enclosed, and there weren't many windows that faced out into it. An adult could easily see over if they were tall enough, but at this time of night only the night watch really passed by, which is why it was an excellent time to do laundry. While nudity was far more normal and common in this world, that didn't mean people went out of their way to be exhibitionists. That was still considered very weird. It just meant there were many reasons for it, and they were accepted, but doing it outside of those could get you strange looks. Unless you were a child at least.

As they were doing laundry, Jasper was noticably doing it all by hand.

"Guess you cant use a spell to clean either huh?"

"I can use magic to move the clothes myself, but trying to properly scrub them like that would be difficult, or risk infusing mana into the clothes itself. So its better to scrub. And no such spell can really exist to just clean things instantly. After all, even if it worked, it would cause some heavy mana contamination and they would probably be unusuable for like, a month. People always think that all problems can be solved if you have magic, but thats just not possible. Even magic has limitations".

Ellio, who was somehow looking like he might finish before any of them, suddenly let out a groan.

"Focus...levels...exceeded...losing...willpower".

"Oh no! Ellio has been defeated!"

Rukia let out a dramatic cry, as he held up the sleeve of a shirt from Ellio's pile to declare it victorious. Ellio meanwhile dramatically reached for the sky.

"Tell my family...I loved them...and that I want an extra portion of breakfast tomorrow..."

Ellio then pretended to be dead, while Rukia, who had already moved to his side, played along.

"Don't worry. I will have both your breakfasts tomorrow so it wont go to waste".

"Ah, I will take his eggs. I love eggs" Juno joined in.

"I will take the sausage then!"

"Oi!" Ellio said, reviving from the dead.

"Its a miracle!"

"Ellio lives!"

"Aww. Couldn't you have waited to revive till after breakfast?"

"Breakfast is sacred! Stealing it is wrong!"

The group burst into laughter at that.

"Gotta say, seeing you wash all those huge underwear was kinda unreal. Actually, Juno, aren't you washing some too?"

"Yeah. My friend, Reiji, is always working hard for me, but he needs to rest still. I dont need as much sleep, so the least I can do is help out with stuff like this. Seriously, I owe him so much. He has helped me out since we were little".

"Ah. I have a friend like that" Jasper mentioned. "He always pesters me to eat properly, and that library books cant sustain a healthy body alone".

"I am that someone to a friend of mine. She is kind of clueless and helpless if I dont make sure she takes care of herself" Rukia mentioned, his blue hair blowing in the breeze. They all shivered a bit though because it was nighttime and they were dealing with cold water.

Ellio looked back at the inn. "I am grateful to have the knights. They might stick me with stuff like this sometimes, but they really look after me and treat me like family. Its very warm and fuzzy".

The three nodded, approving of that.

Another gust came by them, this time really sending them into a shiver. So far, the work alone and their idle chatter had kept their minds occupied, but now they were really starting to shiver. The buildup of cold water splashing on their skin didn't help either.

"Alright, I think we need to take a break. Ellio's mind is basically mush, my hands feel a bit numb, Juno and Jasper both look like their penises are shriveling up from the cold and are desparately trying to wrap themselves in their tails, and I think all of our butts are getting sore from sitting for so long on a cold wooden floor".

"Oi oi, we aint the only ones who are shriveling up!" Jasper countered.

"Yeah! And why did you leave out Ellio too?!"

"A random stray shot from Juno?!"

"Well, he is ten. I dont know how much of that is from the cold".

"And an even more damaging stray shot from Rukia?!"

Ellio said that, but they were all clearly laughing and okay with this.

Rukia looked around. "Hmmm, its grassy, but if we tried to spar here, we would probably still get dirty and such. And its not really flat enough".

"Its pretty wide, so if we all had targets and bows, we could hold an archery contest".

"You are the only archer here, Juno".

When the others had introduced themselves earlier, so had Juno, although he did leave a number of things out like being from another world.

Ellio shook his head. "I know how to use a bow as well, but if we damage the fence or anything, we will probably all get spanked into oblivion".

Juno remembered his spanking from last night, and would rather not have a repeat. "Fair enough".

"We could race" Jasper mentioned. "No magic, no mana circulation. The alley back there should be clear and smooth, and the fence is rather easy to climb over. It’s a nice long straight shot. We could see who makes it there and back three times first".

Juno wanted to suggest football/soccer, but they didn't have a ball to use and Juno wasn't even sure the sport existed in this world. After some other ideas got thrown around, such as dance contest and singing contest, both of which got vetoed by everyone including the one who originally suggested it, they ended up going with the race. Juno felt a bit embarrassed still, especially since he knew some people were nearby watching them, but everyone else seemed fine and he didn't want to be left out. Plus, he had become friends with them.

But also, his competitive streak flared up. He was someone who became the top archer in his region. Juno had a major competitive streak. He wouldn’t back down just cause he was a bit chilly.

Plus also they added a bet into the mix.

"Whoever wins, the other three has to help with their laundry".

As they were doing this because they got bored and tired of doing laundry non-stop, this alone served as the motivation Juno needed. But with all the other factors, he didn’t even hesitate. Partially because he was the slowest one here in terms of laundry. The rest of them were far more used to and experienced with hand washing. He had always used a washing machine in his previous world, and had only been fifteen and lived with parents as well, so compared to them, who had years of experience, he was an utter novice who went much slower by comparison. That was why, despite starting first and having the smallest amount of laundry, he had not finished yet.

The four boys counted together, and set off the moment they reached zero. The other three were faster, clearly more accustomed to running barefoot then Juno was. However, while the others seemed to be pushing themselves in terms of energy, Juno remained stable. Thanks to his Wish, he didn't passively use energy. Laundry had been tiring him out since that was anything but passive, but he was in a better state then them in terms of energy.

Plus, he was fast.

However, as it turned out, so were they, so they all remained roughly even with each other. Juno did end up stumbling a bit every time his bare foot stepped on a nut or a pebble, while the others were able to brush it off far more easily. Not only that, but the wind chill and the thoughts of people seeing them didn't affect them at all either. So this let them get a bit of a lead on Juno, who was not used to running barefoot, let alone naked.

The first to slow down that Juno passed was Rukia. On their second lap, it seemed he was starting to lose. Although he was an adventurer, it seemed to be that he had done a lot today, so he was the one who had ended up feeling it first. He really psuhed himself to keep going, but it was clear first place was going further and further out of his reach.

This left Ellio and Jasper tying for first. As a mage, Jasper should have a lower endurance then the knight trainee, however the mage had the advantage of being older then Ellio by four years, even if he only looked about two years older. He was also the more experienced runner. He kept himself stable and consistent, and his butt didn't wiggle as much. He seemed to adjust his shoulders to be more aerodynamic, and maximized his stride as he ran. Meanwhile, Ellio had been at the point of brain melting, and while that had been mental exhaustion, it seemed that was might have also been partly physical. The running was stimulating his brain again, so color was actually returning to his face. Still, Jasper got into the lead.

During the third lap, Juno had managed to close the distance at least, getting within sight of passing Jasper. But then at the very end he did a full force sprint, leaving Juno in the dust. Juno tried to sprint after him, but in the end Jasper crossed the finish line first.

"Yes! Woo hoo! Now I can get the three of you to do some of the sheets!"

"Damnit...to think as a Squire, I lost to a mage in terms of endurance..."

"...I am an adventurer, I travel and run all the time. How?"

"...I was the oldest and least exhausted here..."

All three of the losers were recovering from their shock, sitting on the grass back in the yard as they processed their losses differently.

"Now now, it was all fair. I was naked after all, so you would have seen me using magic".

Apparently, mana would glow at least a bit where one used it usually, so in fact it was impossible for him to have hidden using magic from them. Clothes would usually be enough to conceal it, so it wasn't that bright, but in pitch darkness with one being naked? It would have shown up easily.

The four of them ended up collapsing and laying on the grass before they continued laundry, forming a sort of circle with their heads pointing at each other.

"Tonight was fun. If we are all free, we should do a rematch tomorrow".

"Sure" Juno said, agreeing unexpectedly.

"I will win next time!"

"As a Squire, I can't just let this slide either".

Ellio ended up tackling the group to the ground in revenge, and so they ended up rolling around a bit as they laughed and messed around. It was a sweet and wholesome sight of friendship.

The cold winds returned, but thanks to moving around they had warmed up their bodies again.

Eventually they stopped and got back up, and then Ellio had a look of eagerness.

"I think...we should get something else done before we go back and finish the laundry".

"Like what?"

"How about we climb to the top of that tree? No contest this time, just for fun? See if we can reach the moon at the top?"

Everyone giggled at Ellio's suggestion. Obviously, the four of them knew they couldn't, but they decided to try anyways. The tree had very thick branches even low to the ground, and many of them. It appeared to be a pine tree too. They all got up and began to climb, with Ellio and Juno taking the lead. The bristles tickled his skin, but he was able to hold in his laughter as they climbed to the top.

Eventually once they reached the top, they found one large sturdy branch that they were all able to sit on together, although they basically had to squeeze right next to each other, hip to hip. They then gazed upon a beautiful starlit sky.

"So beautiful".

"Brilliant".

"The moon looks so warm and inviting".

"Such a great view".

At this point, Jasper incanted a spell, and then suddenly a flash appeared behind them. Soon after, four photos materialized in his hands.

"Woah, what is this?!"

"Its a special magic I created. Its unfortunately really mana intensive, and it cant produce images larger then this, but still..."

He passed them around, and it was a picture of the four of them from behind, sitting on the tree together, staring at the sky and the moon. The sky was especially captured in vivid and stunning detail.

They sat there for awhile until being in such a high place made the winds particularly bitter for them, so they climbed back down and finished the laundry, before heading back inside to their rooms.

And so, Juno finished his story to Reiji. He even showed him the photo.

It started out as something rather embarrassing, but it ended up being a wholesome story of friendship forming between four boys. KInda reminds me of the four of us.

"Well, glad to hear you had some fun. I take it all that helped to tucker you out" Reiji said as they finished breakfast.

"Yeah pretty much" Juno mentioned. "I might actually get some sleep potions as well at some point. It's not like I need to sleep, but maybe sometimes I will want to take a good long snooze without being aware of everything".

"Although you did look rather peaceful this morning".

Juno then caught him up on everything else, including the prices he found out last night and estimations on how long their current money will last with no additional increases.

"So, about two to three weeks then".

"Yes, provided neither of us gets injured, sick, or cursed. Apparently curses are a really big deal, but they should also be rare".

"And so, anything else?"

Juno nodded, a bit more grimly.

"Apparently out of the dozens of craters they found nearby the city, about half of them had corpses in them. All naked, but also all adults, so it seems that none of the ones found at least can be Akano or Kuroki".

"I think Kuroki will be fine. Even we got traces of magic, probably thanks to Kuroki's love of magic rubbing off on us. So he should have recieved a good deal of magical ability. The one I am least sure of is Akano".

Juno however shook his head. "Nah, if anything, Akano is probably more solid then Kuroki. After all, he desired the ability to protect Kuroki, and attack threats to his best friend. I am sure that translated into both defensive and offensive abilities. That should make him more balanced then either of us. You were always more protective, while I was always more aggressive. Together we are great, but separate, I think Akano will probably be better rounded individually. He also wanted to become a doctor sometimes, so I wouldn't be surprised if he got healing abilities as well...huh".

"What is it?"

"I just realized Reiji, we are kind of an awesome balanced party if we meet up, and my predictions of Akano are right. Kuroki is our mage, I am our rogue, you are our warrior, and Akano will be our priest I bet. We have it all covered".

"Provided you are right. But I think you are. That fits with what I remember about everyone's dreams".

Reiji seemed to be deep in thought, as he looked back at Juno. Juno looked rather adorable, but in truth he was probably one of the most lethal of them all. Not just of the four, but of all their classmates. And Kuroki will have magic. Looks can be decieving in this world.

Eventually, Juno determined that their clothes had finished drying, so they got dressed and headed out. First thing the two did was go to the adventurer's guild.

"Ahhh, this feels great. Totally worth it" Juno said, spinning around in his freshly cleaned clothes.

"It is nice. We will need to get spares though if we want to avoid doing laundry every day, or at least every other day".

"Remember though, we will be traveling a lot. There is often a lot of space between major settlements, so we cant pack too heavy. I think we should put up with it until we meet up with Akano and Kuroki at least".

"I suppose that is true, but at the very least we should get spare underwear and socks".

"That I agree with. It wont take up that much space if we stick to a single spare pair of each. But when we travel, we prioritize rations. I dont want to starve on the road".

"We should prioritize potions as well. Even if we cant drink a lot at once, they seem far too useful to ignore".

The two were walking down the street while discussing their preparations. Juno walked with both of his hands overlapping behind his head as if to support it, his elbows pointed out and slightly upward and forward. Reiji meanwhile had his arms at his side, but occasionally used gestures when talking.

"Reiji, should we have inidividual sleeping mats, or should we share one? I don't mind either way, but if either of us have to pee when sleeping, we might wake each other up. Or at least, I will wake you up".

"That is just more reason to get it. Remember, you are being targeted by the three women already...actually wait..."

Reiji stared at him.

"You didn't need to use the bathroom this morning...alright, spill it. What else happened that night?"

Juno froze for a bit. "Ahahaha..."

"Juno. I am not afraid of giving you a spanking either".

"What?! You can't Reiji! Adults and seniors are one thing, but we are the same age!"

Reiji was of course lying, he had no intention of doing that, but...

"Fine fine. Yes, there was more to the story last night..."

Juno began telling the rest of the story. The group of them finished up doing their laundry, and helping Jasper with the inn's sheets, when they all realized something.

"Ahh....all that moving around from before...dinner is finally hitting".

"I have been feeling it for awhile now, but wanted to finish first" Ellio said in a panic.

"Uhg...having that third glass of juice was a mistake" Juno admitted.

"Ah, I should go before bed as well, so how about we do it together to cement our new friendship?"

The three boys wanted to reject such an idea, as it was a bit bunch to say that, but...their bladders didn't let them disagree.

Ellio quickly ran over and got four buckets for them. It seemed they were enchanted and made out of special wood to prevent staining or from any gunk sticking to them. It was a bit too exposed out where they were though. Racing through the alley naked? That was fine and normal. Going to the bathroom in front of people, naked or clothed? That was considered rather embarrassing and indecent apparently. Running over to a corner in the yard, out of sight from any of the windows or passerbys, they put down their buckets and squated over them. There was a few trees nearby and a number of footprints, so it seemed this was a common shitting spot.

Once they were in position, the four of them let loose. As they pooped into the buckets, they also released their pee, becoming arcs that soared out in front of them. Especially Juno's, who had certainly had too much to drink at dinner.

Pleasure and blissful expressions appeared on all of their faces as they did their business. To keep them stable, their backs were leaning against the wall. It was made of stone, so it was rather cold and chilly. Especially since at the moment they were losing a lot of mass and body heat doing their business, they began to shiver again. They ended up inching closer for warmth, especially as their business got a bit unpleasant.

"Ah...I knew there was something a bit off with that sauce this night in the dinner special!"

"You think it was....ahhh, yeah! I think so too!"

"Same!"

"No wonder it hit us all at the same time!"

As they were distracted by this, Juno felt it right in the middle. Sets of eyes, gazing upon him. Not just him now, but all four of them even.

"...how unpleasant" Juno muttered between moments.

"What is it, Juno?" Ellio managed to ask.

"We are being watched".

"Tsk. You know where?"

"No, somehow I don't. They seem to be incredibly good at hiding and concealing their pressence. I can't detect them at all".

This surprised Juno, since he usually could. But they remained far enough away that he only sensed their gazes, and must have been experts at concealing themselves or using magic to hide themselves. The latter was probably another vulnerability to Juno's awareness.

"It might be that criminal organization. Lately, there has been one that targets young boys like us. I am sure they are sizing us up right now to determine who would be the most profitable to kidnap" Ellio mentioned. "Thats part of why my squad is here. We are investigating that organization and trying to take it down".

"Either way, lets finish up and get out of here".

Once they finished their business, they used some nearby leaves to wipe their butts, found the dumping hole for the buckets, and dumped them in. Then after a quick wash of the buckets, they returned them and headed back in...

"And I swear, that is everything" Juno said, finishing his story. Reiji looked at him suspiciously.

"You sure?"

"Yes!"

Reiji let out a sigh, and then looked back at Juno.

"So they really don't have any toilets in this world? How annoying. But Juno, you dont need to handle everything yourself".

"Well...I just relied on you so much back in our old world, and even now I am kind of relying on you to protect me...I just dont want to bother you so much".

"Juno, you are the one who keeps watch at night. So let me be the shield during the day, okay?"

"Right...sorry".

At that point, Reiji flicked Juno's forehead.

"Like I said, its not a bother. Just make sure you share stuff like this. So, how about right now?"

"Ah, one of those women from the other day is following behind us right now"

"Then lets take some precautions. Also, I would like to walk there faster anyways" he said as he lifted Juno up and gave him a piggy back ride. Reiji's size and strength made that a rather easy task for him, while this let Juno get a better view of everything. This was similar to when Reiji and Kuroki did this to win the Sports Festival as well".

After a few more minutes of walking, they arrived at the Guild. The sign said adventurer's guild on it, but there was also a sword, a bow, and a staff over a dead dragon as its icon. The little cartoon dragon thing was kinda cute, Juno had to admit. But his expression then turned serious. "So, odds of some kind of scheme prepared for us here?"

"Its a public institution, so I want to say unlikely. But if this criminal organization is wide reaching, we cant be sure who is in their pocket".

The two prepared themselves as they stepped through the door. There was a bit of an ale scent, but it was small and only Juno's enhanced nose was able to detect it at that. It wasn't all that rowdy, probably because it was morning, but it was still rather busy. There was a board full of paper notices, but there were also some that were carved into wood and hung off of hooks. From what Juno could see with his enhanced eyes, the wooden ones were recurring requests, things that often ended up repeating so they put them up over and over. Meanwhile, the paper ones were atypical requests, so rather then waste storage space with large blocks of wood, they used paper and put them up as needed.

As for the receptionist, there was a young boy, who looked like he could have been around thirteen years old, at one of the empty counters. His sign said "Administrative Needs only during peak hours", so it seemed that he handled administrative needs rather then requests. At least at that desk.

Since they were registering, that was probably where they needed to go. They walked up to the thirteen year old boy. He had white hair and ruby eyes, and noticably he had cat ears and a cat tail as well. It seemed he was arguing with a dark haired girl however, who seemed particularly arrogant and rude.

"Listen to me, you freak!"

Her voice was full of vulgarness and hostility. However, even more importantly was that Juno recognized it. He reached for his bow on reflex, when Reiji stopped him.

"We dont want to get involved with her and have her notice us".

"That...that person is the one who did that! She got expelled! How is she here?!"

"Mhm. I want to punch her too, but we dont want to become murderers or cause trouble when we have no one to vouch for us. We especially dont want to draw her attention".

The girl was around fifteen years old, the same age as them, and they both recognized her voice immediately. She was someone who they thought they were finally rid of, but it seemed their hopes that she left the city had been unanswered. Out of all the bullies, she was one that Juno hated the most. She had gone after all of them to degrees most bullies never would. There was a reason she was expelled, after all. Even she wasn't able to cover up her crimes forever.

In fact, Juno had hoped she had been sent to a juvenile facility. However, perhaps because she was a girl, they went easy on her in their old world.

"You should be helping me! Its your job!"

"Actually, my job is to handle administrative duties and punishments. And no amount of bribes, threats, or mocking my race is going to change that" the receptionist said. "And seduction like you tried earlier wont work either".

"But you know I am stronger then those other dimwits! So why wont you rank me up and give me better jobs! I deserve to be able to afford nice things! What are you, a stray?!"

Upon that word, Juno and the receptionist boy both twitched. It felt almost instinctive, an instinctive hatred and violation. Juno was not sure why, but considering it was both him and the receptionist, two Cat Beastfolk, who reacted that way, he wondered if it was something related to their race.

The boy made a cold, rage filled smile. His face might be smiling, but it didn't feel warm. And his eyes definently were not. It was more like a cool rage, with a huge fire being held back behind it. Several adventurers backed away, instinctively feeling fear.

"Listen, Miss Kanako Amiya. While it is true you were able to rank up to F from H at the start, combat strenght is not the only thing the guild cares about" he scolded her with a cold, icy voice. "It also cares about reliability, skill, personality, and trust. I wont deny your power, and you completed the quest. However, the guild does look at the quality of what is turned in as well. They were just barely passable, according to the report I got from Mia. And you were quite rude and looked down on them the whole time, despite the fact they tried to overlook the fact you cut in line since you are young and didn't know better. Furthermore, you have only done a single request so far. I quite literally cannot promote anyone who has only ever done a single request for us. And certainly I have no intention of making an exception for someone who is so damn unpleasant, that I want to glue their mouth shut and stuff them down a ravine".

The boy got a bit venomous at the end, which seemed to agitate things further. However, she herself seemed to break off, clearly voicing a complaint. She took a request off the board, and took it back, despite the fact it wasn't his job right now. However, he did it anyways, and then set her on her way. It was obvious he did that just to get rid of her. Either way, Kanako was just as the two remembered her at the end. She was cruel, mean, bossy, and calculative. But once someone showed her up, she often got flustered easily. Especially when it was done massively.

Unfortunately, she was quite easy to set off. Like when Kuroki scored higher then her on that test. Or when Juno used her own plans against her. Or when Akano took down her boyfriend at the time in a Sports Festival. One might think its weird for three of the four of them to have done this, but that roughly showed the average percent of the school that ticked her off somehow.

Either way, it was clear now, so they decided to approach the receptionist.

"Excuse me, we would like to register as adventurers".

The boy looked up, and smiled warmly at them.

"Ah, I see. My name is Kyri. Both of you right? First of all, can you fill out these forms?"

The boy passed two forms for them, as well as pointing to stools over there that Juno could sit on. Sitting on Reiji was a bit odd for when trying to fill out a form, but while he could reach over the counter, it meant standing on the tips of his toes, so this was more comfortable. Most of the form was optional, but it was still there. Both of them registered with their family names, as Juno told him that plenty of people in the cities had family names. That said, not everyone did, and especially not in more rural areas.

They did this so that their families might be able to find them.

Once they were done filling out the cards, Kyri then asked them to put a drop of blood on two cards. They did so, and then he took the blank cards and put them in what appeared to be a Microwave. Only, it didn't microwave things apparently, but extracted and then infused the two objects together, imbuing them with complex spellwork to make it impossible to forge.

Eventually it finished and they got the cards back, and saw the same thing that Kuroki and Riku had seen.

Name: Juno Age: 15 Rank: H

Class: Archer Titles: Photo ID Here

Name: Reiji Age: 15 Rank: H

Class: Warrior Titles: Photo ID Here

Apparently their cards were set up so they could make them reveal their last names only if they wanted them to, and not by default. It was there to protect children who might be trying to escape abusive parents. The last name would never display unless the card owner wanted it to. They could even change the first name if they wanted to.

As they finished up however, suddenly two large guys approached them.

"Whats this? A tiny little kitten signing up? Does he even have the ability?"

"Hey, runt. You shouldn't make your friend do all the heavy lifting for you, ya know?"

Almost immediately, two thugs appeared and acted all thuglike. Truly, they were classic thugs. Juno had no other way to describe them. They even looked like thugs.

However, Reiji just shook his head.

"Come on Juno, lets find a request to do to earn some money. We shouldn't bully the weak after all".

"Hmm...ah yeah".

Juno couldn't help but notice the sharpness of Reiji's tongue at the end there. Neither did Kyri, who chuckled a bit at those words.

Unfortunately, the thugs also heard it and immediately attacked Reiji in retaliation. Reiji raised his shields, deflecting the blades and bashing them right in the face. Juno meanwhile darted around them and kicked them both in the back of the neck. This caused them to collapse right there on the spot, unconscious.

"Well, that was..."

"Yeah, that was certainly disapointing. Kyri, can we leave the trash here for you to deal with? We do need to start accepting requests after all".

"Yeah thats fine. Its their fault. The guild will be fining them for littering. That said could you hand me your cards back first? I need to promote you both to F Rank, since you have clearly displayed the abilities required for it. Very efficient moves, good work".

Apparently, they were trash. The two thugs littered themselves on the floor. Juno didn't feel like getting involved and pointing out the paradox of the statement though, so he moved on with Reiji towards the board once they got their cards back.

Unfortunately for them, they ended up gathering even more eyes on them as a result. But that would be something to deal with later.