A Journey Within the Realm
Chapter 8-2: Next Stop, Transbola

We exited Leiko’s home and glanced at the sky. The sun was setting and it was beginning to get dark.

“It’s too late to start traveling,” Miki said, “I guess we should stay another night at the inn.”

“No need,” Rin corrected, “You guys can stay at my house.”

“Your house?” I asked, “You don’t live with your grandmother?”

“Don’t be silly,” Rin answered, “I’m old enough to live on my own. Come, this way.”

We followed Rin to her house. Her house was just a short walk out of town, on top of a nice hill. The house was not too big, but it was also not too small. It was the perfect size, enough room to have at least six people able to sleep comfortably. Rin unlocked her door and opened it.

“Welcome to my home,” Rin said.

We walked inside. Rin followed as she closed the door behind her.

“Is anyone hungry or do you guys want to get to bed?” Rin asked.

“We should just get some sleep,” Miki answered, “We might have a long way ahead of us.”

“I have six beds upstairs,” Rin said, “Each of us can take one.”

“Why do you have six beds?” Nori asked.

“I used to have a big family,” Rin replied, “But, because of Kei, my family died. My grandmamma saved me before Kei could hurt me. Since my grandmamma lives in the chapel, I inherited my family’s house.”

“How sad,” Miki said.

“Someone else who had their family taken away from them,” Nori said, “I feel your pain.”

“You too, huh?” Rin asked.

Nori nodded. We headed upstairs. When we got there, we saw six beds in a neat row. Rin told us who got what bed. As we got ready for bed, Miki walked up to me.

“How are you feeling? Anything hurt?” Miki asked.

“Nothing hurts, Miki,” I replied, “I’m fine.”

Miki smiled for a second before something started to bother her.

“What’s the matter, Miki?” I asked.

“Something smells funky,” Miki answered, sniffing the air.

She sniffed around for a while before smelling me. When she did that, Miki held her nose.

“Whew, Randy,” Miki said, still holding her nose, “When was the last time you washed?”

“Ummm…,” I replied.

“Don’t tell me it was when we were at the edge of the forest,” Miki said.

I blushed.

“Oh, Randy,” Miki complained, “Rin… Can you come here for a second?”

Rin walked over to us.

“What’s up?” Rin asked.

“Do you have a bathroom where Randy can wash his body?” Miki asked.

“I have a shower he can use,” Rin answered, “It’s the only door up here.”

“Good,” Miki said, “Randy, go and bathe.”

Miki grabbed my arm and dragged me into the bathroom.

“Don’t come out until you smell fresh and clean,” Miki said, closing the door as she left.

I sighed. I’m in a house with four women and I’m the only male they’d seen in ages. Here I am taking a shower in a room next to these women. Sometimes, I have the feeling that I can’t trust them. Well, I trust them as loyal friends and teammates, but not as women who never saw a man in their lifetime. Even though they might hide their true feelings, lustful urges can be hard to control. On top of that, these women are not shy in the least. I sighed again. Well… better get it over with. I got undressed and entered the shower. After making the water temperture just right, I started washing myself. The water was actually very relaxing. It was calming my nerves down. As I kept washing, I started to feel a chill. It wasn’t the water nor the air in the room. Suddenly, I heard a giggle. I looked around the shower. That’s when I saw what made the chill. I quickly covered my crotch and glared at the tiled wall in front of me. There, almost invisible, was Nori.

“Nori… what are you doing here?” I asked, annoyed.

“Oops… you caught me,” Nori replied, giggling.

“That doesn’t answer my question,” I said.

“Sorry, Randy,” Nori said in a sad tone, “I was just curious what a man has in their pants that women don’t, just like you said.”

“I don’t think you are ready for that quite yet, Nori,” I replied, “Now leave!”

“Aww… not even a peek?” Nori asked.

“No! Not until you are at legal age,” I answered.

“When’s that?” Nori asked.

“18 years old,” I replied.

“But, that’s two more years,” Nori whined, “You might be gone by then and I don’t know when males will be back in this realm.”

“I don’t care! You are not ready,” I said, “Please, leave… Now!”

“Okay, okay,” Nori said, floating out the bathroom door.

I sighed as I turned off the water, got out, dried myself off, and got dressed. As I left the bathroom, Miki stopped me and smelled.

“Okay… you pass,” Miki said.

“Can you do me a favor next time I bathe?” I asked.

“Ummm… what kind of favor?” Miki asked.

“Keep a eye on Nori,” I replied, “She tried to see my naughty bits.”

Miki giggled, “No wonder Nori was smiling. She is a curious teen. I will try my best.”

“Thanks,” I said, walking to my bed.

We got in our beds and went to sleep. The next morning, I woke up to the smell of bacon and eggs. I sat up and looked around. Nobody. I guess they were all downstairs. After getting out of bed, I walked downstairs. There, I saw everyone sitting at the table while Rin was cooking breakfast. As I walked over to the table, Rin saw me and smiled.

“Morning, Randy,” Rin said, “How do you like your eggs?”

“Scrambled, please,” I replied, “Morning, everyone.”

The rest of the gang mumbled ‘morning’ with food in their mouths. I sat in one of the empty chairs and poured myself some orange juice. Rin brought me my breakfast as I took a sip of my juice. I said my thanks to Rin as she started cooking her breakfast. Yum… eggs, bacon, and two slices of toast. I started eating just as Rin sat down with her breakfast. We ate our meals quickly and quietly. When we were done, we packed up everything we needed for our long journey and headed out. I pulled the magical map out and studied it.

“From what the map tells us, Transbola is the closest town from here,” I said.

“I guess that’s where we should head,” Miki said.

“Show us the route to Transbola,” I commanded to map.

The map glowed for about five seconds before showing us the route.

“It appears that we have to climb Mount Dracin,” Kuri said, “Transbola is at the very top of that mountain.”

“That climb is no easy task,” Rin said, “It might take us at least a week to reach the top.”

“Does that include getting to the mountain?” Nori asked.

“I believe so,” Rin replied, “However, don’t quote me on this.”

“Well, if it has to be done, it has to be done,” Miki said, “Our best bet is to start right away. Let’s go, guys!”