Reincarnated As An Extra With The 10x Link System-Chapter 48: Alliances And A Bit Of Self Doubt

Chapter 48

Megumi stared at the boy with a deadpan expression for a few seconds and then nodded his head. Together, they exited the grand hall through one of the many exits—a side door that led to the castle’s cloister. It was already night, the moonlight dancing on the castle’s stone floor.

They walked into the castle’s courtyard, gently wrapped around by the cloister, which opened up to a picturesque garden in the middle—a serene oasis amidst the castle’s stone walls, perched with vibrant flowers and winding paths.

In the middle of the garden stood the statue of a woman, crafted from obsidian stone, crowned with multiple gems sitting on her head and her palms opened wide, gently arching toward the sky.

Megumi stared intently at the face of the statue for a while, the face of a woman whose eyes were closed and her lips gently parted, as if she were praying... perhaps she was indeed praying. From her closed eyes, water was gently streaming out, falling on the cold stones of the fountain.

What he was staring at was nothing short of an eerie, mystical scene; his gaze slowly went down the statue to the fountain on which it stood, his purple-plagued eyes reflecting on the water’s surface. They had grown colder and sharper, giving him a somewhat juvenile yet mature look.

By his side, Kuran was staring into the waters of the fountain as well, his green eyes reflecting in the water as well as his own. Megumi looked towards the boy’s reflection and stared at it for a while, a subtle similarity in their eyes dawning on him. The boy possessed the same cold gaze that he did.

Right from the moment he set his eyes on the Kitsuboma branch’s heir, he always knew that the boy had gone through as much harsh training as he had. The boy’s tentative and friendly nature was clearly a ruse he had employed to aid in this demon hunt; he was adapting, or had adapted, rather.

His gaze screamed of deep desires—like Yuki’s told of her longing and his told of his lust and greed for knowledge and power—but he couldn’t tell what exactly the boy’s deepest desires were, and in truth, he really wanted to know it.

In the end, he desired to free himself of thoughts of Kuran and stepped back slightly, taking a deep breath as he gazed up at the night sky, a myriad of twinkling diamonds littering the vast expanse of the dark sky. The scent of fragrant flowers instantly pierced his nostrils, a slight smile curving up on his face.

Basking in the grandeur of the castle’s peaceful retreat, he inhaled deeply once again and sighed heavily, his neck lowering and his gaze shifting to the statue that stood in the middle of the garden. Kuran was now turning away from the fountain, staring at him intently with a somewhat grim expression on his face.

The boy cleared his throat and gently walked closer to him, each step telling of the confidence of the remarkable Kitsuboma’s heir. The boy’s demeanor had changed ever since they left the grand hall.

Megumi tilted his head, trying his best to hide his amusement. He knew this coping mechanism well enough; who was the kid even trying to fool? He had played nice, made himself appear tentative and genuine, and now it was time to slowly tear away at that mask in hopes of creating a more honest relationship between the two of them.

’Ah, man. No matter how much stronger, smarter, or bigger they might be, the fact that they are still just children will never change.’

He smiled warmly at the boy and asked:

"So, why was it that you asked we have a chat?"

The boy remained quiet for a moment and then answered thoughtfully.

"Since you’re an heir just like I am, then you must understand the implications our first demon hunt places on us both... You have a sister too... Rikiyo Fujiboma. Well, my sister was among the participants of the first demon hunt three years ago... One in which she participated side by side with Lady Rikiyo..."

He took a deep breath and continued:

"Well, us having older siblings shouldn’t be a problem, or it shouldn’t have been, at least. But Megumi, both our sisters unfortunately set the standards too high... It doesn’t hold any effect on the other participants, but when it comes to the both of us, there are expectations we have to meet because someone else reached higher than they..."

He paused abruptly, staring at Megumi in an attempt to gauge what his reaction to his words was.

Megumi sighed and walked closer to the boy. Staring at him straight in the eye, he gripped his shoulder and squeezed it gently.

"I have an elder sister too, of course. I also used to chase after her in hopes that I would one day catch up and perhaps surpass her... But now, I’ve realized that no matter how hard I try, I won’t be able to catch up to Rikiyo, not anytime soon... and that... that doesn’t make me any less weak than she is—we don’t have to break the records they set, Kuran; we can always create new ones."

Looking past the boy towards the fountain, he hesitantly let go of his shoulder and stepped back.

"And another thing, Kuran, we both already have a great start to our first demon hunt, though your coming to ask for my aid has been a little unexpected. All this while I had considered you to be a rival... an opponent I had to beat, but that said, it would be my pleasure to have your aid, just as you’ll have mine."

The boy’s face remained frozen, his eyebrows raised, and his eyes slightly widened as he gazed at Megumi in awe. He awkwardly rubbed his palms against each other.

His gaze shifted away from Megumi’s face and slowly to the flowers growing around the garden.

"I see, then it was truly nice talking to you. I never expected that you saw me as a rival, but I would suggest you evaluate your expectations of me better; I’m really not as great as most people tend to think I am... However, before anything else, why don’t we get to know each other better... as allies should."

After he was done talking, there was an air of silence between them, each of their gazes intently fixed on the other. Megumi took a deep breath and then slowly turned around, choosing his next words carefully.

"I’m Megumi, heir of one of the main branches of the Boma Clan, Clan Fujiboma, and inheritor of the divine light ability. Oh, I also have a crimson flame ability, and one of my attributes allows me to heal others, but not myself... As far as I can tell, that’s just about everything you need to know about me."

He wanted to end the conversation as fast as he could, but at the same time, he wanted to treat his conversation with Kuran the best he could. Indeed, the boy would make a great team with him, but he couldn’t risk someone like him by his side.

So far, he had managed to keep the conversation cool, quickly steering it to its end, but he knew that the boy wasn’t done. He was persistent and would, of course, keep pestering him—an alliance definitely wasn’t the only thing he wanted.

’Or maybe it’s just me being a little too cynical.’

While he was still lost in thought, Kuran quickly cleared his throat, calling his attention. Megumi instantly turned his gaze back to the boy, who began to voice his thoughts.

"Well, I’m Kuran Kitsuboma, inheritor of shadows. I don’t have any other innate abilities, nor have I acquired any... And also, if I may add... I am the awakened with the most versatile ability in all of Tsukimori..."

The boy paused and walked slowly toward Megumi; then he hesitantly grabbed his hand, holding his palm tightly with both hands.

"Let me show you a simple trick..."

Megumi stared at the ground and watched as the boy’s shadow quickly left his feet and attached to his own. Then the shadows disappeared... No, they didn’t disappear; they latched onto him.

And then his eyes widened, his muscles coursing with newfound strength; they doubled, in fact.

Seeing his reaction, Kuran looked up and smiled.

"There are at least five other things I can do with my shadow far better than this."