NOVEL WEB Chapter 31: Delta
Naru woke up early the next day to prepare herself, she “change” her clothing into a tight-fitting bodice and a skirt, as well as her trademark hat.
She quietly left the bar and walked to the fountain where she first met Georgine.
At the fountain was a curious woman, she wore a long pale Victorian-looking dress. In her gloved hand, she held a parasol and was balancing it in her hand with delicate precision, covering her whole body from the sun. She looked like the epitome of a high-class woman.
Naru was told the person who was instructing her was an eccentric woman, so she assumed this was the person.
Carefully, Naru walked up to the woman and tapped her on the shoulder. In an instant, she felt a slap across her face. It was like a flash, a blinding light that ended in sharp pain.
Naru turned to see the women had not moved an inch.
In Naru’s confusion, she saw the woman speak, not turning her head towards Naru.
“it’s rude to touch a woman without her permission, since you are one as well I will make an exception, but only one.”
Her eyes were closed, and that’s when Naru realized she was blind.
“Hello, are you my instructor?” Naru said carefully, she had already been slapped and she didn’t want to risk offending the woman again. The woman turned towards her, despite the fact, her eyes were closed, her face like a like pale moon, spotless.
“Perhaps I am, perhaps I am not. To some, I am the flower of the high court, a foreign emissary, and maybe even sometimes a teacher to the little animals that man sends me.” The lady spoke in a curt clipped tone, it felt measure, like each word was weighed against another and chosen.
“So you are my instructor,” Naru said “How should I refer to you”
The woman gave an annoyed look, with her other hand she pulled out a long thin object from her pocket, she flicked her wrist and there with a snap and the object opened into a half-circle shape. Naru realized it was a fan
The lady began to fan herself and spoke again.
“I don’t particularly care what name you give me if you bother to pay attention I have many names, but for these purposes, you shall call me ‘Delta’ and nothing more”
Naru frowned at the woman’s expression.
“So, what is this training going to entail?”
Hakuya was cryptic about what Naru was going to do, and he didn’t give her any hints on how she was going to be “trained”.
The woman didn’t speak, instead, she began to walk, and Naru followed her. Delta began to dart into crowds her parasol being the one marker Naru could use to identify her in it.
Her gait was smooth, although rushed, each step was small clipped, and careful, she navigated the crowds of people with ease and Naru realized she would have to work harder to keep up.
Delta’s parasol dipped up and down within the crowd and Naru was having trouble keeping up.
[Slow down please!] Naru thought as she lost the parasol once more.
She looked around to see that she didn’t know where it went. She was utterly lost in the crowd and had lost Delta as well.
“You would think an animal that has lived in a forest all their life would be more nimble but it seemed like it’s not.” A voice said behind Naru.
Naru turned around to see Delta standing behind her with a wry smile on her face. Her parasol was folded, which was why Naru had lost her, without the parasol she was unable to follow Delta at all.
“Let this be your first lesson, never lose sight of your target,” Delta said in a commanding tone.
Naru was shocked to see that such a prim-looking lady was able to navigate the crowds of people so easily but her respect for Delta grew. Naru frowned, not in anger but frustration at her own incompetence.
Delta began walking again. This time she took another route into the crowd.
Naru determined to not miss her again, went to follow her. This time She avoided focusing on the parasol but rather Delta’s body. It was harder for her, but she couldn’t keep using the parasol as a visual marker.
This time Naru was able to follow Delta for a little longer before the woman walked into a crowd of people Naru walked into the crowd only to realize she had obscured her own vision by walking into it.
She once again found that she couldn’t find Delta and left the crowd slumping her shoulders. She was shocked to find Delta standing in front of her once she left the crowd. It was as if the woman had teleported in front of Naru.
“Your second lesson doesn’t blindly follow your target, you must observe your surroundings lest you walk into a trap, but animals are quite poor at that” Delta’s expression was once again a wry smile, it was like she was taunting Naru.
“Stop calling me an animal,” Naru said annoyed and slightly insulted.
“I will call you an animal until you stop acting like one.”
She pulled out her fan again
“Again!” She ordered and walked into the crowd once more.
Naru sighed, she was already sweaty and tired, but for Delta, it seemed like the easiest thing in the world, there was not a single sign of strain on her face.
