Takashi could watch her for hours. The way her eyes sparked with glee on a successful move, and how her nose scrunched when she’d make the wrong one. How could anyone not see something amazing in this woman? He didn’t get it. It was part of the reason her confession took him by surprise. She had always come off as confident and put together. He knew these failed dates had affected her, but hearing just how much, from her mouth, it hurt. I hope she’ll be more open to confide in me.
I also need to keep myself more controlled. He’d meant to be more tactful with his little confession, but the single word shot out of his mouth before he had the chance to think. He was lucky she didn’t freak out and push him away.
“Ah-ha!” Mercedes shouted.
The door crunched in response, and pieces of the puzzle moved around on their own. The door shook and then lifted up several feet. Mercedes clapped with excitement and Takashi laughed. He’d never get tired of her happy quirks. How could I?
Both peered into the dark. From what he could see, the room wasn’t large, but there were several unlit sconces on the walls. Takashi pulled out a twig and chip of flint from his reagent pouches and activated a fire spell. He tossed the balls of fire to the wall sconces and the room lit up.
Mercedes pointed to the far end of the building, to a dais with a small altar and a large stone tablet erected behind it. Kumar sniffed the air, and Mercedes encouraged him to move ahead, warning him to be careful of traps. Takashi always found the ranger class to be interesting; the beast master path, even more so with the bond the ranger made with their pets.
Kumar ventured into the room, his large head swiveling back and forth, and his nose taking in strong, short inhales. Mercedes stepped into the building, mindful of any floor traps that may be hidden but not triggered by her pet. Takashi followed, keeping an eye on anything that could pose a threat.
The three of them made it to the altar without incident, but they weren’t out of danger yet. The altar contained old half-used candles and broken stone tablets. Mercedes carefully picked some pieces up to inspect, while Takashi found interest in the large tablet behind the altar.
Mercedes giggled, the sound elating Takashi. “Another puzzle.”
He glanced her way to see her lining up the tablet pieces. “You sound so disappointed.”
“I know. They’re dreadfully boring.” She read over her combined pieces and tapped her fingers on the altar. “We need three keys of some sort and they have to be placed—”
“Here.” Takashi pointed to three indents in the tablet. “Looks like we need a crescent moon, a cat, and… I’m not sure what that is.”
Mercedes scoured her smaller tablets. “A woman. A moon amulet, a cat statue, and a statue of a woman. The tablets also mention color, but there’s a chunk missing where it’d explain more.”
“Let’s start looking, then,” Takashi suggested.
The two split up, searching high and low. Ten minutes passed before Mercedes managed to locate the moon amulet, hidden in a dusty sarcophagus. The body inside, while not animated, didn’t want to let the piece go. A short while later, Takashi found the cat statue in an alcove, trapped with poison darts. Of course I’d find the trapped one. Every time they did these hunts, he got caught up in more traps. Really. They’d done the math.
They checked every wall, stone coffin, and even a secret room that contained hidden treasure they were sure to snatch up. Yet, they still couldn’t find the last statue. Takashi looked at his log to find they only had fifteen minutes left before the quest expired. They’d come this far—he’d hate to fail now.
Mercedes tilted her head when she noticed Kumar pawing at the stone floor by the altar. “What is it, boy?”
The two of them went over to the large feline and took a closer look at the ground. Takashi pointed to a crack in the ground. “Looks too neat. My guess, hidden compartment.”
“You’re right.” Mercedes pat Kumar on the head in praise of the find. “Let’s see if there’s some sort of switch around here.”
The two scoured the altar, and Takashi was the one to find a hidden lever. He took a deep breath and then pulled. Stone ground on stone, and then where the crack had been found, the floor popped up, revealing a hidden pocket with a small box. Mercedes looked for traps and then retrieved the object. To their joy, they found the last key hidden within.
Takashi gave Mercedes the honor of placing the keys, but just as she got to the last, she handed it to him with a smile. “You did as much work as me.”
Grateful for her thoughtfulness, he didn’t want to be the one to finish the quest. He’d taken it to cheer her up. Takashi placed his hand over hers, noting how well they fit together, and held the key up to the last slot. “Together.”
Her smile widened and she nodded. Together, they placed the last statue, and their quest log completed with a ping, showing they’d completed it with only four minutes to spare. The tablet shook and then slid down into the floor. Behind it was a room filled with treasure. Their quest auto-updated, showing they needed to retrieve a tablet to bring back to their quest giver.
The two entered, marveling at all the riches before them. Kumar ran off to the far end of the secret room where a small tablet stood on display. He chuffed at Mercedes and looked at the stone object. Takashi and Mercedes jogged over and retrieved the tablet, their quest step completing upon touching the item.
Mercedes looked around. “Let’s grab some of this treasure, too. I could use the coin.”
Takashi chuckled. “Who couldn’t?”
The pair went about collecting what the game allowed, and then left. Takashi noticed Mercedes’ better mood as they hopped on their mounts and headed back to Algona. He wanted to keep that going, so he decided to attempt some casual conversation. “So, what did you and Narissa talk about that held you up earlier?”
She looked back at him and grinned. “It’s a secret.”
Cheeky. That was a common response when Narissa, Shira, and Mercedes were having private conversations, especially in front of everyone.
“All right, how did work go today?”
“Work?” She sounded surprised he’d ask, though he wasn’t sure why. It wasn’t the first time he’d asked her how her day went. “It was a normal day. No new cars came in, and we’re not close to finishing any current projects. I did have an interview with a guy with some good painting skills. He was more than happy to demonstrate. I was impressed, but I have to wait on my father’s input.”
“Do you need that spot filled?”
“We’re not desperate for it, but we’d like to have an employee with a designated body work skill, preferably in painting. Adrian and Dave are good, but they split their skill between body work and mechanics. Someone with a sole focus on painting has the potential for higher-focused skill.”
Even though they focused on different aspects of business, he liked listening to her talk about her work. It fascinated him, though her passion contributed to that.
Conversation continued, all light topics to keep her mood upbeat. Upon arriving back to town, Takashi led the way to the NPC scholar who’d offered the quest. Per the coding, the scholar rummaged around his office, barely able to keep focusing on the pair for more than a few seconds. As irritating as it was, Takashi liked the little quirk the game developers had given the NPC.
The two finally managed to hand over the tablet and completed their quest, adding some nice coin and reputation with the explorer faction.
“I should be going now,” Mercedes said when they ended up outside. “Work tomorrow and all.”
Takashi nodded, not liking the time difference between them. “I understand. Thanks for joining me on this hunt.”
She smiled. “Thanks for inviting me. It helped me take my mind off things.” Mercedes leaned over to him and pecked him on the cheek. The action flooded him with a
warm sensation, leaving him in a bit of a daze. “And thanks for listening to me vent. I needed that.”
“My ear is always open if you need someone to talk to.” She nodded and went to log off, but he stopped her. “One thing.” She looked at him expectantly. “I told you yesterday I was making a visit to my family this weekend. They also live in San Francisco. I was wondering”—he rubbed the back of his neck—“if you’d like to meet up, maybe Saturday or Sunday? Actually see each other outside the game for once?”
Mercedes’ eyes widened at the sudden invitation, and she hesitated on her words. Takashi worried he hadn’t presented the request correctly, but when she smiled his nerves calmed. “I’d really like that. I know of a good place for lunch.”
Her choice to decide lunch intrigued him. “I’ll be hopping on an early flight tomorrow. When I land, I’ll send you a text to finish planning.”
“Sounds good.”
Takashi watched her log off and then activated a quick travel stone in his inventory, set to his in-game business. Excitement and nervousness washed over him. He really hoped things would go well this weekend.
CHAPTER FOUR
Mercedes pulled her fingers away from her mouth so she’d stop chewing her nails. When Takashi landed in the states after his grueling flight, he decided to call instead of text. Fifteen minutes later, they agreed to meet up for lunch on Saturday at Sushiki.
That time had come quicker than she expected, and she now sat in a booth at the restaurant, waiting for him to show. It’s okay, Mercedes. He’s too nice to bail on you. She couldn’t shake the doubt. It’s not like the other times. It’s a lunch date with a friend. Though Narissa and Shira would disagree with that.
When they found out about the meet up, they were sure to tease her for a while about finally going out on a date with Takashi. No amount of insistence changed their minds, though Mercedes couldn’t deny she had tried to convince herself more than her friends. The treasure hunt she and Takashi had gone on the other day put her in that situation.
Her phone buzzed, reminding her she still had it on the “no-ring” setting, and she turned on the screen a bit too quickly, only to find the notification was for a text from Shira, not Takashi… like she’d hoped. I need to stop being so pathetic.
She read the message.
Is he there yet?
Mercedes frowned. Looked like she wasn’t the only one with doubt.
No, not yet.
A reply came in a few seconds later.
Well, he’s not late yet, but I had hoped he’d be early. If he doesn’t show, let me know immediately. I’ll come by to eat with you and tell the boys to give him hell and a half for us if he shows his face in-game.
Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that…
Sorry, I should be more positive about this.
Hard to be when even I’m not confident myself.
This is Takashi, the guy who dotes on you every chance you give him.
Mercedes’ cheeks flushed.
I wouldn’t say dotes…
Yeah, don’t even deny that with me. That’s exactly what he does.
Mercedes’ phone buzzed again and this time the incoming message wasn’t a second one from Shira. Takashi. Her finger hovered over the unread message and then she tapped it.
Mercedes,
I am Takashi’s personal assistant, Ochi. He asked me to inform you he has not stood you up, the traffic is just terrible and as a responsible motorcycle driver, he will not weave through traffic.
That explained why he wasn’t sending the message himself. Due to the nature of motorcycles, even with self-driving functionality, they still required the riders to balance. Drivers also weren’t allowed by law to use their phones while on the road, where those in cars had less regulation on that matter.
He suspects you’d hit him if you found out. I was not supposed to tell you that, as he muttered it under his breath, but I thought it’d put a smile on your face.
He wasn’t wrong. She was giggling a bit. She liked his personal assistant’s quirky behavior.
Please be patient, as he is trying his best to meet with you. It’s all he’s thought about since before finalizing plans. I was also not supposed to tell you that, but I never said I was nice to him all the time.
Mercedes’ cheeks heated further, and she bit her lip. She wasn’t sure if she should be amused with his assistant, embarrassed Takashi’s thoughts mirrored her own, or excited he wanted to see her so badly. She typed a message back.
Please be safe, Takashi.
She chewed her lip and then added to the message.
I have a table already. Just ask for me, and the staff will know where to send you. I’m looking forward to seeing you. <3
She sent the message and then froze. Did I just put a heart at the end of that? She looked again and her breath caught. She had. Panic welled up in her. Takashi is going to think I’m such a loser.
Mercedes didn’t receive a reply back and it concerned her. She tapped her fingers on the counter so she wouldn’t destroy what little she had left of her nails, doubt gnawing at her. She jumped when her phone buzzed. Picking it up, she found a new message from Takashi.
I’m here. Be inside soon. <3
Her heart skipped a beat. I’m not a loser after all. She really needed to work on her confidence. She was acting like some nervous teenager. Woman up, Mercedes, seriously.
The door to the restaurant opened and she looked up from her phone. A tall man in his early thirties with short ebon hair and light tan skin entered. Dark sunglasses covered his eyes, a rare day of sun attributing to that, and a dark leather jacket clung to his slim athletic build. A beaded necklace with a cross hung from his neck.
He spoke with one of the girls at the greeting podium, who pointed to Mercedes. Her fingers curled as the man pulled his shades on top of his head and looked her way. He half smiled, his dark eyes snaring her. Takashi.
He headed her way and she rose from her seat, hyper aware of how his clothes clung to his form. Hot damn, he’s better looking in person. Takashi’s gaze never left her, making her self-conscious. Did she look okay? Why am I concerned about that? It’s a lunch date with a friend!
She shoved her hands into her pockets. “Hey, Takashi.”
He smiled at her. “Hey, sorry I’m late.” He flicked his wrist, and her eyes went wide at the sight of the white rose that appeared in his hand. “I hope this helps make up for it.”
Another white rose? She tentatively reached out and accepted the flower, finding out quickly that it was in fact real. She inhaled the sweet scent. This time I’m not in need of cheering up. Could this mean… She looked up at him, an alluring smile on her face. “Thank you. I didn’t realize you were a mage in real life, too.”
He chuckled as the two sat down in their booth. “Little hobby I picked up as a kid. Spell caster in the game gives me actual magic instead of illusions.”
“Illusions are still magic to people like me,” Mercedes said, setting the rose down on the table. “Thank you for the flower. It’s lovely. And unexpected.”
“I don’t change just because I don’t have a game system to shield me.”
“You never know with people.”
He regarded her for a moment before looking at the digital menu device, ordering a drink. “I’ll be honest, I’ve never been here before.”
“One of the most authentic places you’ll find in these parts,” Mercedes said, looking at her own device. “Goro immigrated here about fifteen years ago. Brought his love for cooking with him. A few bumps in the road getting this place up and running, but here we are. It’s my favorite place to eat.”
The two looked up from their menus when someone approached. Mercedes smiled at the sight of Goro. “Konnichiwa, Goro-san.”
The olde
r man smiled and set down the glass of soda Takashi ordered. “Konnichiwa, Mercedes-san. It is good to see you today.” He looked at Takashi. “And it is good to see you not alone this time.”
Mercedes gestured to Takashi. “This is my friend, Takashi. He’s visiting for the weekend. Not a date, so that’s why he showed up.”
She tried not to wince. She didn’t mean to word it that way, but the truth was hard to keep down.
Takashi did his best to bow while in his seat. “Konnichiwa, Goro-san.”
Mercedes listened as he went into a full conversation with Goro in Japanese. Goro smiled the whole time. She could pick out some of their words, thanks to the few classes she’d taken, and the talks she had with Takashi, but her lack of fluency in the language had her struggling to pick out words at their speed. Her name came up a few times, but those were times she couldn’t make out enough to understand.
Their conversation ended, with Goro nodding and looking her way. “I approve of this one. You should make this a date. Enjoy your lunch.”
Mercedes went to protest, but he walked away, leaving her confused. She looked at Takashi. “Was he grilling you?”
Takashi chuckled. “Yes. He seems to have a parental fondness for you. Wanted to make sure I wasn’t out to harm you in any way.”
She smiled. “Sounds like him. Mother and I were some of his first customers on opening day. I’ve come here on a weekly basis since.”
“Is that why you bring all your dates here?”
Spellbinding His Ranger: A Sci-Fi Gamer Friends-to-Lovers Romance (Looking For Group Book 1) Page 5