The Sherry in Shadow

Chapter 11: Callback

"Power... I need more power!"

My voice resounded through the empty throne room. My hand was raised, a purplish-blue ball of magic illuminating the darkness in my grasp, flickering and crackling between my fingers.

But would a glass of wine, if I crushed it to shards in my hand, look more impressive? A possibility worth trying, certainly. I could probably get wine glasses from the kitchens, and I doubt Gamma would object. She's always giving me free Mitsugoshi stuff after all.

Well, of course, there's probably a limit to her hospitality, I bet. I'd be mad too if someone came over to my place, broke all my dishes, and then asked for more. I'd probably show them the door.

No, I'd definitely kick someone like me out. "Hmm, show them the door... kicking... Interesting." I stood up.

I need to find a good door... let's try this one. I advance towards the door, and with a swift motion, my foot connects with it.

"It's time for you to 'kick' the bucket!" I announced, stepping through the blasted-open entrance. "Nah, that's a tad too cliché."

When the dust settled from my kick, I noticed that the door slammed into the wall across the room. I didn't think I put that much power into it. I walked to it, picked it up, and placed it back on its hinges. It... didn't quite fit right. Eh, it'll be fine.

Let's try another one. "Hiyaa!" I added a little less force.

"Let's 'kick' things up a notch!" Aw, yeah, I felt that one. Except, no... A shadow broker wouldn't say "Hiyaa!" That's more of a ninja thing. I need to be more... ominous.

When the dust settled again, the door flew only halfway across the floor. Well, that's better, but I'll work on that. Aw man, the first door fell again from the shockwave.

I returned both doors to their frames and welded the hinges back together with my magic. It creaked a bit, but it seemed to hold. "A little grease and it'll be as good as new." Not really, but I'm sure Gamma will understand.

"I mean, Gamma bought this set for me, right?" I justified as I looked at the doors that couldn't close completely. "It'll be fine." She can't be mad at me for breaking my own stuff, right? And maybe it's entirely her fault for leaving me unattended, yeah. "Idle hands are the devil's playground," I smirked. That's a good one.

And besides, if I absolutely had to, I could blame it on Delta. And then when Delta whines to me about it, I'll tell her Zeta set her up. And then when those two keep blaming each other in a vicious cat-and-dog cycle, I'll be golden. Honestly, that's a pretty good plan. I should write that down.

"Haha, my genius knows no bounds!" My magic flares dramatically as I laugh with abandon.

"Anyway, should I say my line during or after I kicked the door?" I pondered, hand on my chin. This was a very important question. I needed to get it just right, and my edgelord-senses are telling me that I'm about to hit an epiphany. Fortunately, Mitsugoshi had an abundance of doors.

Wait, wait, wait, I nearly forgot where I was. There's a more pressing issue to address. I looked at my deserted surroundings...

That's right – This world didn't have the same idioms as my old one so they wouldn't get the puns. If Akane was here, she'd get them; she'd be cool like that. Man, that Japan trip was so fun, and I'm still not sure how I got there... there was a portal that randomly spawned, right? Well, this world does have some unique natural phenomena. Since I plan to live for at least 600 years, I'm sure it'll happen again.

"There'll be another," I voiced cooly as I walked out of the room, "I'll seek it out." Where are those wine glasses by the way?

Harnessing my magic, I manipulated my cape to give the illusion that a gust of wind was billowing beneath it as I sauntered down the hallways. Naturally, indoor settings lacked the wind required for such a dramatic effect. I looked up how they did it in the movies, and they literally just have a guy holding up a fan off-screen. Even if I could hire a "fan-holding guy" to follow me around, there's no way I'd be able to hide him off-screen in real life.

Well, in this world, I figured out how to use magic to create wind from my legs by producing ionic thrust, a technique I picked up while researching nuclear deterrents. But producing enough wind indoors to flap a cape usually knocked more things down than you'd expect, so it still ended up becoming a logistical nightmare. So I figured I'd move the cape directly with magic, although replicating the flow of wind realistically yet stylishly can be quite challenging. Fortunately, these empty hallways provided the perfect opportunity to practice.

Speaking of empty hallways, isn't it too quiet? I probably should have asked that question earlier but I didn't realize how much fun being here alone would be. Gamma really did put a good set together and it got all my creative juices flowing. She would undoubtedly be pleased to hear of her efforts' positive impact. I should compliment her more often. Her nose-bloodstains in the drapery and carpet are only barely noticeable, and some even made for a good mystery in terms of placement.

I held up a flier that got caught on my foot. "A mystery most intriguing," I said as I crumpled up the flier.

When I was walking over here, I already saw a bunch of these fliers saying that Mitsugoshi were celebrating an employee appreciation week, but I didn't pay it much mind and snuck in anyway. But now that I think about it, it's strange that not a single person was back here, not even Gamma. Even when I occasionally snuck in at night, there'd be at least someone walking around.

I mean, I know I was the one to suggest a company holiday because I didn't want Mitsugoshi to become a black company who overworked their employees, but stopping business for a whole week? I'm not an expert on business, but doesn't that sound like a little too much appreciation?

Maybe they were finally done with my antics? No, that's silly. They wouldn't abandon their operations just to evade me. But still... I'm not sure what to think about this. I mean, I'm not complaining, but it's just so strange. I'm sure there's a perfectly reasonable explanation for this.

"Am I but a shadow king, ruling over a kingdom of nothingness?" I spoke with a hint of melancholy in my voice. I made it back to the prop throne once I found some wine glasses. My crimson gaze swept over the greenery in the courtyard. Well, I might as well make the most of it. Crush!