Chương 4: A day in the west

The morning sunlight slipped through the windows of James' house, casting warm golden light across the wooden floorboards. Mochi groaned as he slowly opened his eyes.

"Five more minutes..." he muttered into his pillow. Unfortunately for him, the smell of fresh morning air and distant chatter from outside made it impossible to fall back asleep. After a few moments of lying there, he finally dragged himself out of bed and stumbled downstairs. As soon as he reached the bottom step, he froze. Amelia was standing near the front door with a backpack slung over her shoulder. Another bag sat at her feet, stuffed with supplies. She turned around and immediately smiled.

"Morning, Mochi!" Mochi rubbed one eye.

"Mornin'..."

"Soo.. are you ready to go out?" Mochi yawned.

"Can I get a few more minutes please, I'm still kinda tired?"

"No way!" Amelia replied instantly. Mochi blinked.

"Huh Why not?"

"The more time we spend here, the less time I get to spend with my new friend." She pointed directly at him.

"You." Mochi stared for a second before chuckling.

"You're surprisingly energetic this early." Amelia grinned.

"Of course I am! I finally get to show you around the village, when it's early it's actually a peaceful place, you wouldn't think it's ran by a dragon!" Mochi could barely keep his eyes open. Seeing this, Amelia crossed her arms.

"Come on, wake up already." Mochi sighed before suddenly slapping both cheeks. SMACK!

"Oww ow ow!" His eyes widened immediately.

"There. I'm awake." Amelia laughed.

"Wait that actually worked?"

"It hurts too much not to." Mochi stretched his arms.

"By the way, where's James?"

"Oh, he's at work right now."

"So early in the morning?" Amelia nodded.

"Yep. He won't be back until around five, so no need to worry about him." Mochi looked around the room.

"Huh. Feels weird without him here."

"Maybe so..." Amelia adjusted her backpack.

"But we've got a whole day ahead of us." Mochi's stomach suddenly growled. Both of them paused.

"..."

"..."

"What's for breakfast?" Mochi asked. Amelia stared at him.

"That's why we're going out, silly!" She grabbed his wrist and practically dragged him toward the door.

"There's tons of good food around here!"

"There is?"

"Of course!" The excitement in her voice was impossible to miss.

"I've been thinking about this all night. There's bakeries, food stalls, restaurants, dessert shops..."

"Dessert shops?" Mochi interrupted.

"Yes."

"I'm listening..." Amelia laughed. Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road.

"I'm so excited to show you around." For a moment, Mochi simply watched her. The girl he'd met a only yesterday seemed like a completely different person right now. Her smile was brighter. Her eyes were full of life. And for the first time since he'd arrived in the village... She looked genuinely happy. Mochi smiled.

"Alright then." Amelia tilted her head.

"Hm?"

"What are you waiting for?" Mochi stepped past her and opened the front door. The morning sun flooded into the house.

"Let's go!" Amelia's eyes lit up.

"YES!" Without hesitation, she rushed outside.

"Hey!" Mochi shouted.

"I don't even know where we're going!"

"That's because I'm the tour guide!"

"That's not how tour guides work!" Their laughter echoed through the quiet streets as the two friends disappeared into the village. Amelia decided to show Mochi around the town while it was still safe to be outside. The morning sun hung high above the village, bathing everything in a warm golden glow. Wooden storefronts lined the dusty streets, their signs swaying gently in the breeze. Merchants called out to passing customers, advertising everything from fresh produce to handcrafted boots.

Children ran between the crowds playing tag while musicians performed cheerful tunes near the center square. The smell of grilled meat, baked bread, and sweet desserts drifted through the air. Amelia spread her arms dramatically.

"Welcome to the Wild West!" Mochi looked around.

"... You might be overselling it a little..." Amelia pouted.

"How rude." Mochi laughed.

"But it is quite nice though..." For a brief moment, Amelia simply smiled.

"Yeah." She glanced around at the busy streets.

"Hard to believe this place turns into a nightmare after dark, don't ya think?" Mochi watched a group of children running past.

"Yeah, everything's so.. lively and happy."

"It's like a wolf in sheep's clothing." The smile on Amelia's face faded slightly before she quickly shook the thought away.

"Anyway! Enough of the depressing stuff. Follow me!" Before Mochi could respond, Amelia grabbed his wrist and dragged him through the crowd. Their first stop was a famous barbecue stand. Smoke rose from large grills while a heavyset man flipped skewers covered in a glossy sauce. The smell alone made Mochi's stomach growl. The vendor laughed.

"You hungry, kid?"

"You have no idea." A few minutes later Mochi was holding three barbecue skewers at once. Amelia stared.

"Three?"

"What?"

"Normal people only buy one." she sighed"You're a big back you know that?" Mochi took a huge bite. His eyes widened instantly. The meat practically melted in his mouth.

"Oh my god..." The vendor smirked.

"Told ya." Mochi immediately started devouring the rest. Amelia crossed her arms.

"You eat like you haven't seen food in days." Mochi swallowed.

"Training burns calories."

"That's your excuse for everything?" Amelia said flatly.. Less than a minute later the skewers were gone. Amelia blinked.

"... Where did they go?" Mochi rubbed his stomach.

"Right in my belly." The vendor burst out laughing.

"You really are a growing kid huh? I ain't seen someone eat as fast as you before." After leaving the barbecue stand, they wandered deeper into the marketplace. One colorful stall immediately caught Amelia's attention. Cowboy hats. Hundreds of them. Red hats. Blue hats. Black hats. Some even had feathers attached. Amelia's eyes sparkled.

"MOCHI, MOCHI, MOCHI we are absolutely doing this." Before Mochi could object, she grabbed a bright red cowboy hat and placed it on his head. Mochi adjusted it and struck an exaggerated pose.

"Well?" Amelia stared for a moment.

"You look like a cheap off brand cowbody." Mochi gasped dramatically.

"How can I even be a cheap version of an off brand!?!"

"The king cheap." Mochi grabbed a black hat and placed it on Amelia's head.

"There." Amelia looked confused.

"What?"

"Now you look like my fellow off brand assistant." Her eye twitched.

".." Moments later they were chasing each other around the stall while the owner watched in complete confusion. Eventually they purchased matching hats anyway. Their next stop was the town shooting gallery. Wooden targets moved back and forth on rails while competitors attempted to hit them using air rifles. The stall owner smiled saying"Hello there for 2?" Amelia nodded"Yes please!"

The man then held up the BB guns saying"It's simple, just shoot all the targets and you win the big prize" Mochi immediately stepped forward.

"I'll show you how it's done." Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" The attendant handed Mochi a rifle. Mochi took aim. BANG. Miss. BANG. Miss. The crowd winced. Mochi nervously laughed.

"That was a warm-up, that's all." Amelia was already trying not to laugh. Mochi fired again. BANG. A target flipped over. The crowd cheered.

"YES!" Mochi raised both fists triumphantly.

"I am the greatest marksman alive!"

"You hit one target." Amelia said"It still counts." Mochi protested Amelia stepped forward.

"Now, let me show you what someone who has been raised in the wild west all her life can do" The attendant handed her a rifle. BANG. Target down. She took a backwards shot.. BANG. Target down. BANG. She closed her eyes.. Target down. BANG. Target down. Every target fell. The crowd erupted into applause. Mochi stared blankly.

"..." Amelia casually handed back the rifle.

"What?"

"You're such a Showoff you know that.." She laughed. The attendant handed Amelia a small stuffed horse as a prize. Amelia hugged it happily.

"Yay, it's so cute!" For some reason that annoyed Mochi even more.. They continued walking until they found a lasso game. The goal was simple. Throw a rope around wooden horses moving on a rotating platform. Amelia failed immediately. The rope flew backwards. A nearby man nearly got tangled in it.

"Sorry!" Mochi laughed so hard he nearly fell over. His turn wasn't much better. The rope somehow wrapped around his own leg.

"You know," Amelia said while giggling, "I don't think either of us would survive as cowboys."

"Yeah.. you're right." After that they visited a boot shop. Mochi tried on an oversized pair. The boots were so large he could barely walk. Each step sounded like a horse galloping through the building. Amelia collapsed against a shelf laughing.

"Those are way too big, go find some that actually fit."

"Them shoes are huge enough to be used as an asian mothers weapon." As afternoon arrived they reached the town square. A small band was performing music outside a saloon. Several couples danced together. Both Amelia and Mochi watched them The music began.

"Amelia said ah, so romantic.. I hope I can find my prince one day" Mochi said flatly"Your prince? What are you talking about?" Amelia said "A boyfriend of course, I want one who's tall maybe around 6'0.. anything taller and the authorities may think he's dating a child""Oh, and he also needs to have a beard too and be kind and caring too and a bulky but not too bulky build" Mochi said "That's strangely specific.."

As the afternoon slowly drifted toward evening, they sat together on a wooden bench overlooking the town. The laughter faded. The crowds continued moving through the streets. Children were being taken home by their parents. Merchants were packing away their goods. People smiled. For the first time in years, Amelia was seeing her town not as a prison... But as a home. She quietly hugged the stuffed horse she had won.

"Today was fun." Mochi smiled.

"Yeah." He then asked"By the way, do you know what time it is?" Amelia said "Hmm, it's 5: 30, that leaves only 30 more minutes until Drago arrives" Mochi grinned saying"Great I can't wait to meet him so I can kick his butt" Amelia sighed "After today I learnt that all you think about is fighting and food""Don't forget about sleep, I need plenty of that too" Mochi said raising a finger.