Knock. Knock. Knock.
"Aiko, someone's at the door! Go see who it is!" grumbled the gruff voice of an old, round-faced man with a large belly, sitting lazily behind the counter. His name was Steve.
In stark contrast, Aiko—a petite young woman with dark hair and brown eyes—was sitting nearby, calculating the month's earnings with a grin so greedy it bordered on villainous. Annoyed by the sudden interruption to her methodical counting, she rolled her eyes.
"Why don't you go for once, you decrepit old man?" she shot back.
He crossed his arms over his large gut and retorted, "I am old and tired. You are young and strong. You do the math!"
"Fine," she finally huffed, pushing herself up.
Reaching the door, Aiko slid open the small, rectangular peephole, just large enough to peek through.
"Who is—" she started, but the words instantly died in her throat, forcing her to swallow them down. Her skin crawled as a violent jolt of pure terror shot up her spine, draining every ounce of color from her face.
Framed perfectly within the peephole was the terrifying pitch-black mask of a demon with three jagged horns and two abyssal pools of endless darkness where its eyes should be.
Click.
Her legs immediately giving out from sheer terror, Aiko slammed the peephole shut, spun on her heels, and slumped to the floor, sliding down the heavy wood of the door.
"Well? Is it another one of Gunlag's cur here to cause trouble?" Steve asked, turning around.
Still paralyzed by fear, Aiko met his gaze and frantically shook her head. "Old man, call the guards! Actually, no! Call an exorcist! There's a freaking demon outside the shop!"
Knock. Knock. Knock.
The renewed knocking right behind her made Aiko let out a sharp squeak. She scrambled to her feet and darted behind the counter with a speed Steve had never seen before, hiding underneath it while trembling in fear.
Knock. Knock. Knock.
"I'm coming!" the old man shouted at the third set of knocks.
Shooting a bewildered glance at his young assistant—who was staring at him with terrified, pleading eyes—Steve pushed himself up from his stool and made his way to the door.
"No, old man, please don't!" Aiko begged from beneath the counter, only the top half of her head peeking over the edge to reveal large, pleading brown eyes.
Ignoring her completely, Steve unlatched the heavy lock and swung the door open. As the old wood creaked, the petite assistant shrank further into her hiding spot, paralyzed by fear but keeping just enough of her head exposed to witness the final moments of her business partner's life.
The silence stretched with every inch the door opened. The tension peaked.
"Greetings! By any chance, is this the legendary Memory shop within the castle I've heard so much about?" Sunny asked, a wide, genial smile plastered across his face.
"..."
Eyes wide with disbelief, the icy grip of fear rapidly melting away, Aiko slowly pulled herself up from behind the counter, blinking rapidly.
Standing in the doorway was a young, relatively short man with pale skin, pitch-black eyes, and hair of the exact same shade. He wore a dark grey tunic that covered his lean frame, paired with leather black boots. He certainly didn't possess the kind of rugged charm that would make women line up, but there was a certain experienced, lived-in depth to his eyes that—combined with his stature and appearance—made him look undeniably harmless.
Cute, even.
Steve shot Aiko a highly annoyed glare before turning back to their customer. "Beat it, little pipsqueak. Unless you have the soul shards to pay, turn around and walk away."
The old man moved to shut the door, but before he could, Sunny planted a firm hand against the wood. Flashing a bright, friendly smile—despite a prominent vein throbbing on his forehead—he replied.
"Hey, you fat old bastard! Unless you want me to help you lose some weight by kicking your ass up and down this street, you better lower your tone. Otherwise, I'll rip it out with my bare hands and make you swallow it piece by piece."
Both Steve and Aiko froze, staring blankly at the black-haired young man who still had that bright, pleasant smile fixed on his face.
For a moment, nobody said a word, leaving a heavy, tense silence hanging in the air. Then...
"Hah!" Steve snorted loudly. "Hahahahaha!"
The old Sleeper laughed heartily, instantly taking a liking to their foul-mouthed customer.
"I like you, kid!" he bellowed, slapping his own thigh. He then turned to his assistant. "Aiko! Give our customer the grand tour. Show him the good stuff."
Aiko, standing behind the counter with her hands planted flat on the wood, observed the bizarre exchange in long, stunned silence.
Hearing the old man's order, she finally dropped her head and let out an exhausted sigh.
"Okay," she muttered. Then, she moved toward the door.
"Welcome to the Bright Castle Memory Market. I am Aiko. How may I help you?" she recited, clasping her hands together by her cheek and putting on a bright smile that didn't even try to hide her boundless greed.
Seeing her, Sunny smiled. This time, it was entirely genuine and devoid of any malice.
In both his previous timeline and Timeline B, Aiko had become his most trusted, irreplaceable assistant in managing the Brilliant Emporium. They had certainly never developed what one would call an intimate relationship, but Sunny would be lying if he said the greedy little fairy wasn't an important person to him.
Aiko led the way, showcasing the various weapons, armor, and utility Memories they had in stock. Sunny cast a dismissive glance here and there, occasionally asking questions about flashy but useless Memories just to feign interest and divert their attention. His true objective in this shop was singular, and it had been hanging right behind the counter like an insignificant piece of decor since the moment he walked in.
"I'll take these," Sunny said after a while, casually dumping a handful of randomly selected Memories onto the wooden counter.
Steve inspected the pile, then looked up at the boy, thoroughly perplexed. "Kid... I don't really know how to tell you this, but all this crap you picked out is nothing but garbage."
"So what?" Sunny replied with a casual shrug. "Haven't you ever heard the saying, 'one man's trash is another man's treasure'? Besides, I have the shards to pay for them, so I don't see the problem."
Then, acting guarded and seemingly curious, Sunny leaned slightly to the right, peering past the old man. "And what about that?" he asked, pointing at an old, broken suit of armor hanging on the back wall.
The suit of ancient plate armor was jet black in color, its design intricate and solemn. It radiated a feeling of dark resolve and stalwart, adamantine grace. All parts of it were perfectly fitted to one another, creating an almost seamless barrier of impenetrable steel—or rather rock.
Steve glanced back at the dusty Memory hanging on the wall. "That one? Oh, that supposedly belonged to one of the legendary members of the cohort that first conquered the Bright Castle—the first Bright Lord himself," he chuckled. "However, it's completely broken now, and it's far too heavy for anyone to actually use. It's only good as a shop flag or an antique."
Sunny's smile widened. "Ah! Well then, since it's useless to you, how about I take it off your hands? Of course, considering it's broken, I expect a hefty discount."
The negotiations concluded swiftly.
[You have received a Memory.]
[You have received a Memory.]
[You have received a Memory.]
[You have received a Memory.]
[You have received a Memory.]
[You have received a Memory.]
[You have received a Memory: M... Un... o... ld.]
Seven Memories in total.
That was the haul Sunny had acquired by spending the hard-earned savings he had gathered from hunting alone in the treacherous depths of the Dark City.
"Very well, I hope that's everything, kid. Come back and see us again," Steve said, pocketing the soul shards and waving him off.
But instead of turning around and leaving, Sunny stayed exactly where he was.
"Not quite. There is one more piece of business I'd like to discuss with you."
"Uh?"
"Uh?"
Both the old man and Aiko were taken aback by the sudden request.
"And what else could you possibly want? Let's hear it," Steve grunted, leaning heavily on his right elbow against the counter, clearly unamused.
Sunny raised his hand and pointed a single finger directly at Aiko.
"You."
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To be continued...