Yo what's up everyone, sorry I missed dropping the chapter yesterday closed a pretty big deal yesterday at work (biggest I've ever done) so was busy out with some coworkers to celebrate and didn't get home till late. Going to be pretty busy today and tomorrow with this so might not drop tomorrow, if I don't I will post 2 chapters the following day.
Enough about that tho here's the chapter hope you enjoy
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The bustling streets of Sylvanelle were alive with afternoon activity as merchants hawked their wares and travelers moved between the town's many inns and shops. Located in the southeastern region of the Clover Kingdom, the town sat nestled at the edge of the Arden Forest, with the Lufen River marking the border to the Heart Kingdom just beyond. It was the perfect stopping point for those traveling between kingdoms—and apparently, the perfect place for Yuwei to lay low while continuing her work.
Kenji walked alongside Johnny, noting how the orange-haired boy's eyes had regained some of their spark over the past few days. It had been a week since Johnny woke up, and Kenji could honestly say it hadn't been all sunshine and rainbows since then.
The trip back to Johnny's village to collect his belongings had been somber enough, but when Johnny insisted they search the forest for his father—unable to accept that the man was truly gone—it had cast a shadow over what had so far been a pleasant journey for Kenji. He hadn't complained though. He understood that Johnny needed to come to terms with his father's death on his own terms and begin the grieving process properly.
After a full day of searching, Johnny had finally faced reality. Seeing the blood-stained ground where his father's body had lain, and then viewing his father's covered remains among the other casualties from that night, had broken something in the boy—but also allowed him to start healing.
During their time in the village, Kenji had walked around in his X appearance, garnering admiration and grateful gestures from villagers who had witnessed his showdown with the creature that destroyed their homes. The attention had been nice, but his focus remained on helping Johnny through his grief.
The first couple of days after leaving the town had been the hardest. Johnny had maintained a depressed air, seemingly unwilling to react to the world around him as he remained lost in his grief. But after days of traveling and Kenji's persistent attempts to cheer him up, he'd managed to slightly ease the boy's depression. The novelty of traveling to new places had gradually brought out Johnny's playful, cheerful side, though it was obvious the pain still lingered beneath the surface.
"So this is where your friend has been hiding out?" Johnny asked, looking around at the busy marketplace with renewed curiosity.
"Yep. Yuwei said she wanted to stay somewhere near the border. Should be around here somewhere—"
He stopped mid-sentence, a mischievous grin spreading across his face as he spotted his target.
There, weaving through the crowd about fifty feet ahead, was Yuwei with her distinctive white hair pulled back in its usual braid. But she wasn't alone. Two younger figures flanked her—a girl with bright turquoise hair bouncing excitedly between shops, dragging along a reluctant-looking boy with dark hair who was clearly trying to maintain a facade of indifference despite the slight smile threatening to break through.
Yuwei trailed slightly behind them, watching their antics with a barely visible smile of her own.
"Hey Johnny," Kenji said, his grin widening. "That's them over there." He pointed toward the group.
Johnny followed his gaze, taking in the trio with curious eyes. "That's who you've been talking about all this time?"
"Yup." Kenji's eyes gleamed with mischief. "Hey, you want to pull something funny for your first meeting?"
Johnny's eyes lit up with stars, his cheerful side fully emerging. "How?"
Kenji paused for a second, considering. "We shouldn't do anything too crazy—Yuwei might actually kill me if we do. She's already mad at me, so let's just give her a quick scare."
Johnny nodded eagerly, getting into position, and Kenji brought his fingers up in the familiar snapping gesture.
Snap
They teleported directly behind the group, Kenji opening his mouth to say "Guess who—" before stopping with a disbelieving look as Johnny suddenly yelled at the top of his lungs:
"SURPRIIIIISE!"
The effect was immediate and dramatic. Cyan let out a high-pitched shriek that could probably be heard three blocks away, while Luo jumped so hard he nearly knocked over a nearby fruit stand. Yuwei, however, just turned around slowly with an exasperated expression—she'd already recognized Kenji's voice.
"Really?" she said with a completely emotionless look, staring directly at Kenji.
Her gaze then shifted to Johnny, and dark lines immediately appeared on her face. "Absolutely no—"
"KENJI!" Cyan's shout cut through her words as the turquoise-haired girl spotted him. She became a bundle of bubbly energy, launching herself into a hug. "You're here!"
Kenji caught her easily, giving her a small hug in return. "What's up, little songbird? How have you been? Yuwei's not bullying you, right? I know she can be mean, but try to bear with her."
Cyan broke the hug with a bright smile, completely missing his teasing tone. "No! Big sister Yuwei's been awesome—she's so much fun!" She continued in a rush, "We've seen so many cool things! Have you tried ice cream? It's so good, I love it! She gets me some after dinner sometimes. I even wrote a new song about it—do you want to hear it? She said it's really good! Luo even helped me write it!"
"Ice cream is awesome, isn't it?" Kenji laughed. "Maybe later, but right now let me introduce you to your new friend and travel buddy—Johnny!" He pointed to the orange-haired boy, who was still chuckling on the ground from the success of their scare tactics, and with a snap confetti launched dramatically into the air. All the while Luo glared daggers at Johnny for the scare.
Johnny hearing his name stopped laughing, and getting up launched a bright smile that showed how meeting new people was bringing back more of his cheerful side. "Hi! I'm Johnny, nice to meet you!"
Luo said nothing, still glaring, but Cyan smiled just as brightly and grabbed Johnny's hand. "Hi! I'm Cyan! You have cool hair—it looks like fire! Hahaha!" She immediately began dragging him toward Luo to start talking, completely forgetting about Kenji's presence.
With the children now occupied, Yuwei finally turned toward Kenji with complete seriousness. "Absolutely not. You are not doing this to me again. It's already dangerous enough with the two of them, and I'm not babysitting a third."
"Come on, you love having them around," Kenji protested. "What difference is a third? The kid's great—you'll love him."
Yuwei looked over at the three thirteen-year-olds, watching as Cyan's bubbly personality acted as a bridge between the boys, getting them to smile and laugh while even hesitant Luo seemed to be warming up to Johnny. She sighed. "Yes, I like having them around, but that does not mean I'm a babysitter you can drop kids off with all the time. Where do you even find them? Really."
Kenji's expression grew serious—more serious than Yuwei had seen since they'd become friends. "Yuwei, please."
The change in his tone caught her off guard, surprise flickering across her features.
"Listen, I know this isn't really fair to you, and you have goals you want to accomplish," he continued, "but the kid just lost his father—his only parent—saw him get killed, and has nowhere to go. I could take him to the church I grew up in and let him meet my brothers, but it's too dangerous right now. You're the only one I can trust to handle anything unexpected that might arise."
Yuwei's expression softened as she looked at Johnny, sympathizing with his loss and seeing similarities to her own experiences. But then her voice turned stern. "What do you mean, dangerous?"
Kenji sighed and pulled her a little further away from the group. "When I first found him, he was transformed into a giant black four-legged creature that was completely out of control. I don't know how it happened—the kid himself doesn't even remember it—but I can confidently say that after seeing his father on the ground bleeding and the man who did it, he lost control and transformed. I had to step in and knock him out with quite a bit of force before he reverted back."
Yuwei's expression grew complicated as she processed this information.
"Look, I know what you're thinking," Kenji said quickly. "You're worried about Cyan and Luo being around him if he loses control. Believe me, I'm worried too. But I don't believe it will happen again unless he's under extreme emotional distress, and you're the only person I know who can control him or knock him out safely if needed. Besides, he's been through a lot this week, and even after seeing definitive proof that his father was gone, it didn't happen again."
Yuwei remained silent for a long moment, looking back at the three children chatting and laughing together, seemingly lost in deep thought.
Finally, she sighed deeply. "Fine. I can't just leave the kid after hearing all that. But if I'm doing this, I need to know everything."
Kenji let out a sigh of relief, a smile breaking across his face. "Thanks, Yuwei. I owe you one."
Yuwei's expression turned slightly frustrated. "More like three."
Knowing not to push his luck, Kenji began to sweat slightly. "Yes, yes, I owe you three. I'll even buy you a new staff when you visit the capital."
Yuwei nodded at that. "But I need to know about his magic."
"From what I've seen, he should have some kind of transformation magic, maybe even taming magic," Kenji explained. "I can't say for sure since it's not a basic element that can be determined without a grimoire. But he transforms into that beast like I said, and animals seem to love him. Even the mana beasts I'd usually have to kill while traveling didn't seem to have any intention of attacking us while I was with him."
"That makes sense. It shouldn't be a problem, but you'll have to tell me his exact strengths so I can be ready if anything happens."
Kenji nodded, then noticed Cyan waving them over. "That will have to wait. Let's head over there for now."
They walked toward the group, Kenji calling out, "Yo! You guys getting along? What's up, Luo? Did you miss me? Don't answer that—of course you did. I can see it all over your face."
Luo scowled and looked away. "Who would miss you?"
Johnny and Cyan laughed, Johnny saying excitedly, "Yup, they're super cool! Cyan sang me a song they made just now—it was so cool! She could be famous!"
As Yuwei approached, Kenji grinned. "I know, right? Did you see Luo's face when she sings? He gets all doe-eyed—it's hilarious!"
Johnny laughed while Luo protested loudly, "Stop making things up! I do not do that!"
"Oh, so you don't like Cyan's singing?" Kenji said with mock surprise. "How mean! How could you not? She's amazing!" He pulled Cyan into a protective hug. "Don't worry, I love your voice. Don't listen to him—he doesn't know anything."
Luo turned furious, falling right into the trap. "That is not true! I love her voice!"
Cyan's eyes lit up at the declaration, while Kenji's eyes gleamed for an entirely different reason. Luo suddenly felt a pit in his stomach, sensing something was seriously wrong.
"Ohhhhh," Kenji drew out the word with obvious delight. "So you LOVE her! How bold to confess right in the middle of the street! How embarrassing!"
He burst into loud laughter, joined by Johnny on the ground as they watched Luo blush furiously, stuttering incoherently while Cyan turned bright red, stammering "W-w-what?"
"Enough, Kenji!" Yuwei cut in sharply. "Leave them alone. Seriously, can you not go five seconds without causing trouble?"
Kenji grinned sheepishly. "Come on, you can't expect me not to do that when Luo reacts like that. I mean, look at him—that's priceless!" He looked over at Luo and began laughing hysterically again.
Yuwei glanced at the mortified pair, then looked away, coughing into her hand to maintain composure as Luo shouted indignantly, "Yuwei!"
After calming down, Kenji and Johnny wiped tears from their eyes. "Alright, alright, we've caused enough of a scene in the middle of town," Kenji said, gesturing at the crowd of onlookers. "I mean, look around—everyone's staring at us. Do you have no shame, confessing to Cyan like that and embarrassing her in front of all these people?"
Before Luo could even respond, Kenji was already moving. "Come on, let's go get some food and catch up."
He walked ahead with the rest following, leaving Luo stuck between swearing revenge and trying to calm down Cyan, who was still blushing furiously after that final remark.
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Author note: So this is the last chapter before the magic knights exam begins. Thanks for being patient while I laid some groundwork for the future during his traveling.
It seems that the Black Bulls have won the pull on the squad he will join. For those of you who are going to be upset or complain that it is too overused or will just follow canon now, well tough luck lol the people have spoken. But do not worry because it is still 2 years before cannon so I could not even follow cannon if I tried right now, and also he will not be in the squad forever so fret not.
Anyways thanks for reading, hope you enjoyed, and you can look forward to Kenji meeting some of the fan favourites pretty soon.
Also he will be meeting some potential female leads in the future so comment who you think it will be. (Not a harem story btw)