Welcome to Hikari City (C)

Being in the starting city for Infinity was nice on the rare occasions that I found myself wandering about. The climate controlled location made me rather comfortable as if I was in my own home as I traveled. The city was bustling with other beta testers, none of which I was interested in conversing with, and their digimon. Seeing the different varieties of digimon possible was quite amusing as the three digimon that I owned walked by my side. I felt that they deserved a brief break considering the activities we have been participating in as of late. We went exploring and battling constantly due to my boredom with little complaint from them. At least not from Din and mostly not from Farore despite the fact that she is a passivist. The least I could do for them was treat them to a day off in the city.

It was not much however I was able to purchase small treats for each of my Digimon to eat while they recovered from their recent wounds. Farore kept a reasonable pace from behind me as she ate the assorted dango I purchased for her and appeared to be enjoying it. Nayru balanced herself upon my shoulder and I casually fed her the chocolate filled biscuit cookies since she enjoyed her position. I ate some too as I thoroughly enjoyed this treat in the real world and to my surprise it tasted remarkable similar, if not better than I remember. They were always fresh and crisp, filled with the delightful taste that is pure rich chocolate. Nayru certainly did not complain about them. For once Din remained nearby within my vision. Perhaps this is due to the lack of hiding locations or positions here or perhaps it is due to having no need to be wary within the city. Yet she remained a few steps ahead as she popped a few lychee into her mouth. I had to give her one thing. She is diligent.

I did not anticipate stopping however seeing Farore stop caused my to halt my step. In a chain reaction, Din halted as well. "Farore? Is something the matter?" I questioned this firmly. I could not help but note how silly she looked as she held one of the dango in her mouth however. "Nothing. I was wondering what that was. I do not believe it is a digimon." My gaze followed Farore's paw as she pointed over to a group near this tree. I questioned what she was referring to however I swiftly began to understand as I saw the strange figure with long bunny ears. "The bunny? That-"

"That appears to be a human with a strange hoodie accompanied by a digimon team." Nayru stated with calm nonchalance. I blinked then returned my glance to the strange group. It was a rather strange hood if that was the case and we were in the city so there was no need to wear it. In addition this is the infinity city so this person had to be an infinity. Or perhaps Nayru was wrong though I guess the chances of that are slim. "Want to take a closer look Farore?" Din had approached us again and I saw that she swallowed the fruit she was chewing on previously. I partially expected her to be antagonistic however she merely stood there looking towards Farore with her ruby eyes. I think Nayru was doing the same since it was rare that Farore took an interest in doing anything past resting.

"It would not hurt." I smiled at Farore's response as I began walking over towards the tree where the other group had been. We did not even need to talk. We were only checking it out and perhaps even passing through. It was not as if we had a destination in mind and this counted as what we were originally doing regardless. I was not required to evade other tamers and no one stood in my way as I approached my desired destination. With a casual glance I looked over the digimon and the mystery person so to speak when Nayru decided she would break my cover. "Usagi." In my surprise and haste I glanced away however I instantly felt as if that was rather childish. Thus I turned back and attempted to wave for a friendly greeting. I figure I might as well if he had noticed me. "Sorry about that. I did not mean to disturb you." I pushed one of the treats that I was holding in my free hand into Nayru's mouth before she could say anything further.

As Nayru accepted the treat and chewed on it wordlessly I redirected my attention to the mystery hooded one. The person looked up to me as Nayru said the word Usagi as expected. I suppose that whoever this was understood what Usagi meant and the implications that his clothing was making. However the fact that the person turned to look at me I was able to see who was under the hood as well. It appeared that whoever this is was a male and was only further proven by the tone of his voice. What he had said however was strange. He had instantly said Shiro rather than respond to me causing my waving hand to subconsciously move to my hair. I suppose that much could be expected. Nayru had pointed out his bunny-like hood and likewise my stark white hair was able to draw quite the bit of attention. I was used to it so the comment did not bother me which I hope was likewise for the Usagi comment. However it had caused me to become rather aware of my hair regardless.

I saw as the humanoid wolf creature thing had nudged the man and in turn the male stood up from his sitting position. I could not how but get the feeling I was disturbing something or another however it could not be helped. The male subsequently spoke to accept my apology and removed his hood to reveal is entire face to me. I committed his face to memory as usual and I took note of his boyishly good looks as I removed my hand from brushing through my hair. He introduced himself as Koa and with a coughing signal that I picked up on from his digimon introduced his other digimon as well. As he introduced each of his partners my eyes trailed to the side to look over to the team he named. Admittedly the names were intriguing as were the digimon themselves. One of them even looked like a red version of that black dinosaur digimon that I saw before and in turn more friendly.

Nevertheless I returned my attention to the male and a smile was cast upon my lips. I decided that if I were to converse with any local tamer I might as well converse with the one that Nayru bothered. He did not seem bad and he had his charms. As a bonus Din was not complaining either which is good. "Likewise. Name's Ava." I raised my hand to pet Nayru, stroking my hand into her soft fur as she noticeably relaxed on my shoulder. "This little one is Nayru. The one that said Usagi." I could tell that Nayru was enjoying herself however she attempted to maintained her upright facade in her speech. "Greetings. You have my apologies." I did not expect Nayru to apologize however the type of apology she gave was funny. It was how she was I suppose. I then looked to Farore and Din, Din having had turned away as she was more interested in eating the lychee compared to Farore who had stood by my side with casual interest. "And these two are Farore and Din." Farore as always gave a friendly wave as a greeting and Din did not bother to respond. Usually she would have retorted that her name was not Din and stated she is a Gazimon however slowly but surely she was allowing it to slide.

As I looked back to the boy he was looking towards Nayru though Nayru was too busy nuzzling into my neck to care. Momentarily I wondered why until he had said something. He was asking if I was from Japan? I suppose it made sense. The beta testers were from around the world so finding another native would be difficult I suppose. I stopped petting Nayru momentarily to feed her another of those chocolate biscuits treats as I continued. "Nayru says many things however you are right. I am from Japan, Okinawa to be exact." I paused momentarily and shifted my weight onto my right leg. "Guessing from all that it means you are from Japan as well?"

I listened to his answer and it appears that he was from Tokyo. I recalled that Tokyo is one of the busiest cities in Japan so the fact that this guy is from Tokyo intrigued me. I recall my parents frequently visiting Tokyo for business and even personally visiting to explore. It was an excellent place to shop however even if it was always noisy and crowded from what I recalled. Okinawa was busy and noisy in a different way than Tokyo in a tourist way and aside from that it was something I had grown accustom to. Thus Tokyo was rather different in that respect. "Tokyo. Fun place." My right hand grabbed another treat and this time I carefully plopped it into my own mouth. I allowed the taste and texture enrapture me as the male commented on Okinawa. What he said was difficult to disprove. For most that do not live there, Okinawa's atmosphere would appear rather commercial rather than reality. It happened with the frequent tourists and tours that occurred which I learned to deal with.

Nevertheless I could not say more or less about the native foods in Okinawa either due to my upbringing. I mostly ate at home rather than the local eateries. No point in disclosing that. However the way he spoke about Okinawa was not that most foreign teenagers looked at it. Most looked upon Okinawa as a vacation site rather than take an interest in the food and travel. Must be one of those kids that enjoy travel. I understood those types however I could never say that the same was true for me. As long as a place is fun I did not mind where it was. Regardless I slowly finished swallowing my treat and thought of what to say on the topic at hand. "Really? I suppose it depends on how you look at it." My attention shifted mildly to Farore. I could not distinguish what she was saying however it was quite obvious she attempted to be friendly with the other Digimon. It was a good sign.

The male spoke up again to which I glanced to acknowledge him. He questioned something rather strange. I could not distinguish if he meant in the real world or the game. A pause formed as I debated how to answer within my mind. I doubted I gave him much reason to believe I held many unique experiences outside this world with our current interaction however it would not hurt to ask. "Do you mean here or in the real world?" I took this moment to move my hand to Nayru and gently grasped her form to lower her off my shoulder to the ground. Nayru did not rebel against this act. Most likely because she understood that she should socialize with the other Digimon rather than simply sit and watch on my shoulder. This was her fault after all.

As Nayru had all fours on the ground I had watched her as she casually strolled towards Farore. She had lowered her head in a formal way of acknowledgement to which I felt a giggle emerge from my throat then redirected my attention to Koa. I figure it was not a bad thing to share my experiences with someone of the same team plus he would likely go himself at some point. He did appear to enjoy traveling. "Here I have only explored portions of some of the offered areas. Resistor Jungle and Palette Amazon are too hot and humid. Limit Valley turned out to be a rather dangerous area as well but that was exciting." I glanced to Din who was usually my bodyguard but she did not appear to care one way or another of what I said. I know she heard me. She usually stopped me. Perhaps she was simply being complacent today with her treats. No matter.

"Proxy Island is nice however. Reminds me of Okinawa in some ways if you want to check it out. Overall I would say that it is rather entertaining." Now that I think on it, I truly have not traveled much. Perhaps it was due to Nayru's pestering. I rarely remained in the city area however I did frequent the Coliseum. It was something to think about I suppose. Nevertheless it was up to Koa if he would accept my word or not considering I am not entirely sure if that was what he was referring when he said that.

I watched at the boy spoke and offered his own treats to his sleepy digimon that had awoken. A smile developed on my face as the scene had reminded me of Farore. In fact I am sure Farore saw this and was quite envious considering that she loved to rest. Or perhaps not. Now that I look at her she appears more content with her dango and did not bother complaining of her surroundings. Nayru on the other hand was looking strangely upon the scene as the red dinosaur appeared boastful about whatever it was that it had done. She did not question it nor comment upon it as I thought she would but I simply chalked that up to counting blessing so to speak. Regardless it is none of my concern. The digimon were not causing trouble which was the primary thing I was worried about. Nevertheless it is also amusing to see the dynamics between other teams however. Looking at these digimon I began to think that perhaps my own digimon are not so strange and incompatible as I originally believed.

I returned my attention to the male as he began to speak again. He then mentioned that Proxy Island was a place that he would need to see. Perhaps it was due to how I mentioned the similarity to Okinawa but this was more in reference to the beaches than anything else. The Okinawa beaches were the true tourist trap. I did not comment on this however. Out of the four locations I visited Proxy Island was most likely the most recommended location. That was simply my opinion however and most likely due to how relaxing and enjoyable my visit there was. Nevertheless he proceeded to comment on his thoughts upon my travels as well as how well I answered his question. I suppose that meant that I was correct in my assumption that he meant the game rather than reality. I could not help but think that he was flattering me and regardless of whether or not it was, I accepted it with grace. "I suppose. In retrospect I believe it is hardly much compared to other tamers.” I paused and had to remind myself of my situation. This is a game and I should remember that. “That said I have not run into any bugs thus far either so the game appears to be coded rather well. It makes our job that much simpler."

Nevertheless the male offered a smile to which I mirrored mildly. Unexpectedly a breeze flowed through that caused my clothing to flutter to the side with the wind's flow. My free strands of hair had done the same as they tickled my face. Within moments the winds subsided however as they had, the male's expression appeared to have dropped instantaneously. I watched him cautiously and wondered if this was a bug of some sort. However he had instantly spoke stating he had lost his train of thought. I raised a brow in curiosity then simply released it with a chuckle. I suppose that was common enough. Yet afterwards he persisted to speak as if to himself. I attempted not to think much on the subject however and simply decided to assist by interjecting.

"You are a strange guy." My smile grew larger in an attempt to diffuse my statement in a casual sense rather than taking it too seriously. Let me see. What could I ask? I suppose going into his experiences could not hurt. "Why don't you tell me about yourself and your own adventures? I imagine that you did not spend your entire time as a beta tester here underneath this tree."

Nayru and Farore watched as the other Digimon around them laughed. Farore attempted to join in on the laughter while Nayru watched. Nayru appeared somewhat baffled but said nothing further in an effort not to antagonized everyone I guess? I do not know what Nayru was thinking. Nevertheless the male did not appear to take any offense and on the contrary took it as a jest in an appropriate fashion. "I suppose so." I voiced among the other digimons' antics. The subject matter at hand shifted now and the male spoke of his travels, or at the least his favored locations in this world. It was amusing as it appeared that he spent most of his time in the city but perhaps I was wrong on that account.

Chiyoshi Academy. Was that not the academy that newcomers went to as a sort of tutorial area that was also connected to the Coliseum? I recall frequenting the Coliseum often so I would occasionally see the academy on the way to the location. Regardless it was a place I should look into I suppose. However it appeared that the male simply went there for the sake of napping which was strange to me. If I were to rest I would usually log out to sleep in my own bed but I suppose if the male found it comfortable there I was not one to single him out. He then commented on how I would likely not be allowed up to the rooftops which I gave a questioning stare to. I was not aware anywhere in this world would be off limits, especially a rooftop if I was allowed to go to Limit Valley. Nevertheless it was something to look into one day. I could agree on one thing though and that was there is nothing to be accomplished without a bit of risk. "Sounds about right. Risk can lead to big rewards." And I do love rewards.

He then mentioned the Coliseum which was logical if he visited the Academy often but did not expand on his visit there. Furthermore he spoke of Chip Forest which was a place that I had yet to explore. I heard shifting from behind me once the forest was mentioned so I assume that Din caught on as well and had her interest piqued. See, Din had a penchant for exploring and diving into danger so it was not strange to know that she was paying attention now of all times. However what the male said most likely did not interest the grey pup. It interested me of course. Who did not like nice walks and scenery aside from war mongers like Din? He did say there were a few bugs over there when he traveled, but it sounds as if the problems resolved since then. At least that meant there were actually bugs in the system and that our jobs did have some meaning. If anything I am sure Din was quite intrigued. "I will be the judge of that when I decide to check it out. Thank you for the tip."

Nayru appeared bored as she approached my feet to paw at my ankle. My gaze traveled into her sapphire eyes and I have to admit I caved when I saw her. I took her up into my arms and redirected my attention to Koa afterwards as he asked if I would like to accompany him around the city. He reasoned it was a good idea and I will not deny that was what I intended to do regardless, thus I see no fruitful reason to decline. They do say it is better to travel in a group. Plus Farore appeared to be enjoying herself and sating her curiosity. "Sounds like a good idea as long as you lead the way." I did the same for Akibahara too when I was not in the game which was how I became so comfortable being in either locations. Thing was for Hikari City or any location in this game, Nayru acted as my tour guide so I did not explore the city often thus I was a tad curious as to what the city had to offer aside from simple directions. Speaking of which I felt Nayru's paw moving at the back of my hand and I could tell it was the hand that held the treats. Thus I took a piece and gave it to Nayru so she could enjoy it which led to her holding no complaints. Farore never complained so that was a given. Din the soloist huffed but said nothing as well. Wow these treats were something. I should get them more often.

I shook my head as the male bowed to me as he motioned to the direction we are to begin walking. It reminded me of all the butlers at home but I suppose any other female would be pleased. He quickly relented from the stance however and proceeded to smile as he led me down the indicated path. His digimon began to move and shift about as well so my own digimon took to returning to my side. I lifted Nayru back unto my shoulder as I gave her another biscuit cookie and watched as Farore walked to my side. Din for some reason took to standing behind us this time instead of in front of us but I assume that was because she would have preferred not to take the lead when other digimon could be watching her. Nevertheless I was not concerned. Instead I simply followed suit and walked with Koa further into the city.

As we walked I could tell he was looking around and examining what this city had to offer, exactly what I was doing moments before. I must admit that this city was not as extravagant as Tokyo or New York however it had the city feel within it. It was rather quaint however the strange names that everything was given left something to be desired. Then again who was I to speak of such matters such as the creator’s taste for names? It was a rather quiet yet brisk walk however at times Koa attempted to start up conversation, or perhaps he was talking to himself I would not know. Regardless I caught him asking about the mission boards to which was rather curious. I did not believe those were truly working as of yet or perhaps I simply had no mind to attempt to care for it over exploring for myself. Nevertheless Nayru was the one that provided a response seeing as I did not have one. “Headquarters for infinity is located in the bottom levels of the city, the entrance being near Terasu Gate. You are correct in stating that it is where one finds and return missions.” I fed Nayru another treat after that who eagerly accepted, scratching her head afterwards. What a good tutorial guide she was.

I had only then noticed that his attention was shifted to a nearby window, one of his digimon doing the same however was doing so in a way that was rather comical at best. I was unsure of how to respond to it thus I chose not to acknowledge it. My eyes had brushed over what had captured their attention as Farore decided to get a closer look as well. Different styles for several devices that may or may not have assisted other tamers it seems. He commented upon the devices however I could not say much on the subject. I usually only attained what was trending and new things that were only accessible in this game did not qualify as being trended. “Is that so? We could go in and look around for a bit. Maybe we could buy something that will help us down the line.” I stated. I trusted that Koa knew more on the subject than I did. I would simply play along with it.

Another subject change? Perhaps not. It was similar to what we were previously speaking of and it was something I had to think of, putting my right index finger up to my chin in thought. Perhaps it was due to my family’s fortune however I always spent my days in the better shopping areas of Okinawa where tourists normally wandered. I doubted there were any other places commoners shopped however. The allure of the street shops was too powerful. "Okinawa has a variety of things since it is a large tourist spot. I do not think that shopping as a tourist and a resident is much different." How to explain this. For one I suppose I should compare it to Tokyo because he lived there. Perhaps he would be able to relate or understand better. "We have all the popular things available similar to Tokyo but then there are more tropical things that the islands are known for."

A thought came to mind and as it did memories subsequently rushed through my eyes. It gave me an idea of what to mention next. "I imagine you have heard of the Kokusai Street. All tourists have." I smiled thinking back on it, remembering all the fun I had wandering those streets. All the vendors back then had known me by name after a while and everyone was so nice. Perhaps it was due to the position of my family or perhaps it was due to the frequency of my visits. Nevertheless it was a bright time in my memories that I was glad to remember. "The streets always feel festive and everything is so lively and colorful, usually on sale and has a large assortment of things. There were potteries, confectioneries, and even international goods can be found there but I suppose that the street was not famous for nothing. On occasion, up and coming artists would also sell their works of both traditional and modern styles alike." I chuckled. Good times. Perhaps there was something like that here. "Guess what I am trying to say is that Okinawa had quite a wide variety of things. May not be as high tech as what you have in Tokyo but I assure you it is likely similarly crowded and busy."

As I remained silent as Koa stated that he would pass on entering the devices shop, my gaze traveled to Nayru as I heard the bunny previously addressing her with a compliment. I knew that this would likely inflate her ego however I said nothing of it and allowed her this satisfaction. Otherwise who would? "But of course. If you have any further questions you are free to inquire." I shook my head and fed Nayru another of those sweet treats. It would be best if I began moderating her compliment intake. "Be careful what you say to her. It all goes to her head." Despite what she said Din did not appear to care either way when I threw my gaze over my shoulder and Nayru quickly turned to Din to what I assume to be glaring at her. I shook my head as Din ignored whatever it was. No matter. Farore on the other hand was too busy taking in the local sights to mind either of the other two. After I confirmed my digimon's presence around me I returned my attention towards Koa who appeared to be in thought this time.

I nodded as the male comprehended my explanation. I was unsure of whether I was clear or not as I indulged in my memories however it appeared it was acceptable. Regardless he then continued with the comparison to Tokyo and admittedly he had valid points. The traveling system was not as effective or efficient as Tokyo, not that I would know. I always had taken one of the personal vehicles of the family. Most of the time however limousines are too conspicuous for a beach community even of Okinawa's caliber. No matter. I am getting off topic. "It is what you get for living in a huge city. Okinawa's people are more laid back and cheerful about everything as if they have no care for the world." Then again what care would most people on the island have?

As I pondered that, my eyes were averted to the window displays that we passed. Several of them appeared rather amusing and had delightful little items for sale. That said unlike the real world my supply of money is limited in this game, thus I should take care to what I spend my money upon. "Ava." Huh? Oh right. We had stopped walking. I halted my step momentarily to gather my surroundings "Hm?" I gave my attention to Farore who had motioned to Koa looking into another window display. The shop itself did not look like anything spectacular. Something of a general store or an antiques shop I would presume. It was not a place someone of my caliber frequented in the slightest. However Koa had turned to me and asked to check the place out so who was I to turn him down? In this game I had no social standing so I suppose visiting was quite acceptable. First time for everything.

"Sure. I do not see the harm in it." I offered a smile to show my willingness to enter. All in all I do not believe I minded, however I could not help but have the feeling that Nayru was looking disbelievingly towards me. My attention however was focused upon Koa and then the digimon behind him that still made the strange faces into the clear glass window to stare at the objects within. It was laughable if anything. Before anything I made note of my own digimon and once again they appeared indifferent towards any and everything thus I took it as no objections and decided to proceed. I walked to the doorway of the building and glanced back to Koa before I entered. I am not familiar as to why Koa wished to come here however it was no matter. "Have anything in mind that you would like?"