You have arrived at the address that your father gave you. It was a two-story building consisting of a bar on the ground floor and an office space on the second floor. Since your father didn't tell you what floor of that building the people who will help find Pesu are located in, you just followed your gut and went to the second floor. Besides, the space on the second floor had a sign with the words "Odd Jobs" on it, so it wasn't really hard for you to think about it.
You knocked on the door. In only a matter of seconds, someone opened it, but in a very unlikely manner. The person who opened it didn't open the door like how most humans would because, unlike them, he kicked the door. You didn't see it coming, so you were sent flying back to the ground when he opened the door. The moment your back hit the ground, you realized that it really was a bad idea for you to come to a human's place, for it was evident that their animosity towards you was still there even after the Joui war had ended a few years ago.
"Hey, Gin-san! Why did you have to kick the door like that? Look at what you did to the poor girl."
You heard what the person just said. You didn't like being called a poor girl, for that only means that people think you are weak. You cannot let them think that way, so biting your mouth and holding your cries of pain inside, you stood up as if to tell them you were strong enough to handle it. You were, actually. However, the long time you spent not being on the battlefield caused you to forget being used to this type of force, so you couldn't help but feel pain.
"It wasn't too strong. See, the girl was still able to stand up."
"If it wasn't too strong, the girl shouldn't have fallen from the second floor into the ground floor. Besides, what were you doing kicking the door like that in the first place?"
"I thought she was the guy a while back. I already said no to the guy, and he kept on insisting I help him find some stupid Amanto's pet. I don't like people who take no for an answer, so I decided to give him what he deserved, but it turns out he had already left, and the person who knocked was a totally different person. It's not my fault, though. She just had some bad luck. That's all."
You had your head down when you stood up, pretending to look for scratches, for you didn't want them to think that you were listening to their conversation. It's not like it matters to them, but you just don't want them to think you're eavesdropping. Besides, it was a good idea, for you got to roll your eyes without anyone seeing when you heard the guy say you had bad luck.
When you heard footsteps approaching you, you decided to raise your head to finally meet the people talking about you. You saw three people nearing you, one girl and two boys. You're guessing that the one named Gin, the one who kicked you, was the tall guy in the middle of the girl and boy, for he was the only one with the looks of a person who displayed barbarism.
"Hey, lady! Are you alright?" the girl said. "Sorry for what Gin-san just did to you."
You smiled at the girl as if to show everything was alright.
"I also apologize for Gin-san's rude behavior," the younger boy said.
You mentally face-palmed yourself after hearing apologies from the people who didn't do anything to you. You didn't get why they were the ones apologizing to you when it should've been the guy who kicked you. Worse, the guy looked like he was not bothered by other people saying sorry for what he did, as he just casually picked his nose as if nothing had happened. You had enough of it, so you kicked him in the stomach just like he did to you. However, the result wasn't the same.
You were confused as to why he wasn't thrown away like you were because you were certain you had kicked him with the same intensity that he kicked you. You looked at where your foot landed when you kicked him. That's when it hit you that your kick didn't land on his body. Instead, it hit a wooden sword. He must've known you would retaliate against him, so he grabbed his sword and put it in front of his body in the split second that your foot was about to hit him. It was so fast that you weren't able to notice it.
"Shinpachi, Kagura, let's go. I would've said sorry to her, but it doesn't seem like she deserves it."
"What do you mean, Gin-san? You're the one who kicked her. She was just trying to give you what you deserved. Plus, it didn't even land on you," Kagura said.
"It's not about the kick, Kagura. You youngsters wouldn't understand a single thing."
"Then, make us understand, Gin-san," Shinpachi said.
"Whatever. All I'm going to say is that she doesn't have the right to step foot on this planet ever again, not after what she did in the war."
You were shocked to hear those words come out of his mouth, for you didn't expect to meet someone who fought in the war so soon, after only less than a day had passed since you stepped foot on Earth. However, the most unexpected part for you was that after staring at the sword for a few minutes, it suddenly hit you that the person who kicked you and openly expressed his hatred towards you was the strongest opponent you faced during the war.
You were never really good at remembering faces, so when you saw him for the first time again, you really couldn't recognize him. However, one thing you could not forget about him when you fought with him in the war was his sword, the sword that seemingly was able to withstand every single blow you gave it, the sword which, even if broken, did not break the wielder's spirit.
Perhaps, it is even right to say that the sword was merely an object you associated with him to help you remember him when you meet again, for it wasn't really the thing that made him stand out from the rest of your opponents before. It was and always will be his unyielding spirit that stands out above the rest, the spirit that never falters and only grows stronger, the spirit that never knew how to give up. It was the spirit you wished you had back when you needed it the most, the time when the Amantos and the humans were yet to be at war with each other, the time when you had the chance to prevent it from happening.
A few years have passed since the Joui war, but the scars on people's hearts are still yet to heal. When you went to Earth, you wanted to meet the guy who you had fought before badly because you wanted to befriend him. You wanted him to teach you how to have that kind of spirit. You wanted to have a chance to fight against him again, but this time in a friendly competition. You even hoped to fight with him, thinking that this time you would fight against the same enemy. However, as sad as it may seem, the truth is people do not forget easily. They remember the times when they felt wronged by other people. Worse, they remember the people who wronged them, and right now, all he could think of was that you were the person who wronged him and his entire clan. To him, you are nothing but an enemy and a traitor. To him, you are everything but a human.
You walked away from the place. You decided to find Pesu alone. Besides, you learned a while back that the three people you met didn't accept the job request of the Chief of Immigration. They wanted nothing to do with an Amanto, so staying longer in that place and trying to convince them would all be in vain.
