After convincing (forcing) the shopkeeper for the potion shop to hand over some free and cheap items, it was time for Keith to get going. He was currency on cloud nine, ready to head out.
'Man, nothing beats the feeling of buying free stuff. I missed bargaining and making people back down on the offered price.'
The shopkeeper looked like he was ready to cry but laugh at the same time. It was a funny contradiction that made Keith feel better.
No, Keith would have stuck around and shopped more after that but he was in a hurry to get away from Amelia. The female protagonist was looking at him with suspicious eyes and she was also hovering around him.
'There is no way Amelia managed to figure out my identity. She could not even imagine the grandmaster to ever barter with his purchases.'
Keith was willing to bet everything he had that Amelia had not figured out anything. But he still was not going to take any chances with her around.
"Can I help you with something, miss? You have been hovering around me for some time and I don't like it."
Keith calmly explained to Amelia even as he sweated bullets in his mind. It was nice to have a body that did not show anything on his face.
Amelia looked taken aback at the sudden form of address. She looked around, almost as if she was a little shy before she gathered her courage to ask Keith the question.
"Umm, excuse me but have we met before? You look a little familiar to me but I cannot figure out where I have seen you before."
Keith wanted to cringe and shout that he had never met Amelia before. But his new body and instinct made sure he did not disgrace himself.
Now that he was in front of Amelia, his body's training had kicked in and Keith straightened his back and held himself straight. He was posed in a dignified manner like he usually used to do as the grandmaster.
His unconscious habit caused Amelia's frown to become deeper as she tried to consider why he looked so familiar to her. But she was not able to figure anything out.
'Why did I think that this man looked like the grandmaster for a second there? There is nothing similar about this man and the grandmaster.'
Amelia cringed as soon as that thought crossed her mind and apologized to the grandmaster in her mind as well.
pαndα,noνɐ1,сoМ There was no way this street guy had been compared to the greatness that was the grandmaster by her brain. And Amelia felt guilty for what had happened.
"Miss, I don't know you. I do not know your name or your purpose for being here. And I am sure I have never seen you before in my life so the chances of you finding me familiar should be nil."
The stranger denied Amelia's words with a straight face. He looked serious enough for Amelia to be assured that he was speaking the truth.
'Hmm, maybe I am a little too sensitive right now. I should not be thinking weird thoughts.'
Amelia took in a deep breath and the feeling of familiarity finally faded away from her mind. She could see this man as his person now.
"I am so sorry. I think it was a genuine mistake that caused me to think as if I knew you. Let me know how I can make it up to you."
Amelia insisted, now feeling guilty for wasting this man's time. He was so concentrating on her as well and allowing her to go away.
She should be careful and help him out in return.
Meanwhile, Keith just wanted Amelia to go away. He had been throwing hints her way and subtly asking her to leave Keith alone. But so far, Amelia seemed to not be getting the hint and she kept on talking to him.
"I currently do not need your help, Miss Amelia. But I will let you know if I do need you sometime in the future."
Keith betted that Amelia would forget all about this promise by the time she went home. She was somewhat of a scattered head and did not often remember things if they were not important to her.
Amelia looked happy to hear Keith out and her face glowed with happiness.
"Yeah, you should do that. Here, have my number as well so that you can reach me."
Despite Keith's reluctance to interact with Amelia, he ended up receiving her number and Amelia finally, *finally* went away and out of the shop.
Since Keith had his fated encounter of the day, he was not willing to stick around and risk getting found by more members of the guild.
So, he quickly snuck into his room back at the guild and waited for the day to be over.
The next day, he got a message from Arata Musakabe that all the preparations had been done and he needed to collect the form from him.
So, Keith did not wait around for something bad to happen. He changed into his disguise and headed out toward the hidden bar and his entry pass.
Arata Musakabe looked happy to see Keith and he even welcomed Keith in. There were several people around who were keeping an eye on Keith but he did not feel nervous in the least.
Instead, Keith kept his head up and walked into the hallway with confidence. And on the other side, Arata Musakabe sat on his seat and waited for Keith to come.
"My dear friend, you finally made it here. I was waiting for you to come and grace me with your presence. Now, shall we head toward the back section or would you like to tell me your secret right here and now."
Arata had a sinister grin on his face when he faced Keith.
"Let's go to the back room where no one else would be able to hear what I am about to say. I am sure you would be surprised by what I have to say as well."
Arata looked surprised at Keith's choice. He was sure that Keith would choose to speak in front of everyone to ensure that the promise between them was kept.
But this man was full of surprises and Arata's grin widened.
"Of course. If you want to tell me your secret inside the back room then I will more than welcome you. Oi, you errand boy, hurry up and open the confession room. I have a high-class client to entertain today."
Arata Musakabe ordered the errand boy startled at the sudden order. But the boy opened the room nonetheless and Arata welcomed Keith in.
Keith hesitated to enter the room, now finally reconsidering being in an empty and private room with someone like Arata.
This man was dangerous and one of the best fighters at this stage of the game. He was someone who could cause Keith to die by just lifting his finger.
Keith could sense danger and that was why he cupped his earring. He was going to retaliate if he was attacked. He was sure he would be able to blow a hole in the ceiling if he felt any more threatened.
"There is no need for you to be so tense. I asked you to come here because I wanted to be friends with you. After all, are we not doing each other a favor right now?"
Arata spoke without any malice in his voice and Keith finally sat down in front of him. He was still uncomfortable but he no longer looked as stiff as before.
"So, here's your participation form. It took no effort to get you into the competition and I hope the result is satisfactory. Now, what about my end of the deal? Are you going to tell me what the prize is?"
Keith took in a satisfied breath as he looked through the papers. They seemed to be in order and authentic as well. He had certainly been entered into the competition.
Keith looked at the man in front of him with certain eyes. It was worth exchanging this piece of information for such a clear entry ticket.
"Well, Master Olivia managed to get her hands on an ancient artifact recently so it is certain that her prize had something to do with it. But as for which ancient artifact it is, that has yet to be seen. There are a few choices she could go with."
Keith started speaking and the man in front of her looked surprised as well as uncomfortable with the news.
"Wait right there. I do not think you need to tell me any more of this since I will just feel burdened by the information. And now that I know what she is wagering, there is no need for me to consider what to do."
Surprisingly, Arata did not seem to hold this information very dearly. Keith was surprised to see this.
