"Alright, Jianyu, you got everything ready?" Ta Siyu asked.
"Yes."
"Toothbrush?"
"Yes."
"Underwear?"
"… Yes."
"Socks?"
"Yes, mom, I have everything!" Jianyu groaned.
"He's a big boy already, mom." Siduo rubbed her brother's head. "He'll be fine. And if he forgot anything, that's on him."
"Sis! You're supposed to defend me over here!"
"And you, Sisi, do you have everything ready?" Ta Siyu asked.
Siduo's face fell flat. "Mom. Seriously?" Her voice was low.
"Well, if everything is ready, let's go meet up with the Wang family." Wu Jianguo packed his bags in the Soul Car's trunk, then turned to look at the other bags. Food, towels, some books to read, and obviously trunks of clothes.
Karni picked up some of the bags and put them below the backseat where the legs would come. It would be a little cramped, but not too badly.
Karni and Jianguo packed up everything and they were ready to go.
… … …
"Ah, the Wu Family is here." A man closed the car trunk and pointed to the incoming Soul Car. He was looking at his daughter with a smile.
"They're here?" Wang Chao looked with excitement. The Wu Family car pulled over. The whole family stepped out. The first to greet everyone was Wu Jianyu. He and Wang Chao hugged in excitement.
They were having a joint vacation! Or, well, a joint trip during the weekend.
"Good morning, Mr. Wang." Jianyu said.
"Good morning, Jianyu, how are you?"
"Excited!"
Mr. Wang chuckled. Both kids were excited. He walked over to the car, and was about to greet Wu Jianguo and Ta Siyu, the three of them knew each other well enough already.
But he was surprised when Siduo and Karni stepped out of the car as well.
"Ah! Teacher Val, Teacher Wu! I didn't know…" Mr. Wang did not know they would be here.
"Mr. Wang. Nice to see you again. Don't mind us, we're also here for a vacation. And please, call us Karni and Siduo outside of the academy." Karni smiled.
Mr. Wang scratched his head. "I keep forgetting that Teacher Wu is the big sister of Jianyu." He respected both teachers greatly due to their talent and ways of teaching. His daughter constantly talked about how hard the training was, but that she felt great with how much she was improving. It was a bit difficult to connect the teachers to the Wu Family in his head. It reminded him that the teachers were still teenagers.
Mr. Wang looked to the car. "You guys are quite packed, eh? There's only two of us in this car. If you want, we can take Jianyu with us."
Jianyu looked excited at his parents. "Can I?"
Mother and father looked at each other and smiled. "Sure. We don't mind."
The Wu Family might be wealthy due to Ta Siyu's and Wu Jianguo's second professions, but they didn't spend much on luxury items like Soul Cars. Their car was a normal family car, which, when it included all the bags they brought with and five people—minus Jianyu now—was quite cramped.
Jianyu joined the Wang family car, and the Wu family returned to their car. Wu Jianguo as the driver led the way, while Mr. Wang followed behind. The destination was an hour away.
"You two don't have to worry about watching over Jianyu. We'll take care of it. Just relax, okay?" Jianguo said. The usually stern yet loving father.
"Dear, don't pretend like you're doing them a favour." Ta Siyu chuckled from the side. "You and I both know that Sisi would not allow us to bother her lovey dovey time with her Karni."
Siduo coughed from the back seats, but did not deny it.
"As long as it's not too lovey dovey." Jianguo said sternly.
"You do realise we went camping alone more than a year ago?" Siduo complained.
"Yes, but now you're fully teenagers, I know what kind of thoughts I had at that age." Jianguo admitted.
"We'll wait till we're eighteen, no worries." Karni added from the side.
Jianguo looked at Karni in the mirror, then nodded. "Good lad. That's how it should be."
Karni scratched his head. That was not the reaction he expected, he wanted to mess with Siduo's father a bit. Him and Karni were quite close due to the many years he had lived with them.
"Hm, but after that, maybe we'll be grandparents really quickly." Ta Siyu added.
"Hmm. It wouldn't be that bad." Jianguo went into thought.
Even Ta Siyu was now surprised. Nothing got under her man's skin today.
"I'd rather not be a mom so quickly." Siduo complained.
"Same here…" Karni nodded.
The whole family looked at him, grinning. Humour was apparently genetic, because every one of them said the same thing. "Don't worry, Kiki, you'll be a good mother."
"Oh, for fuck's sake, really?"
"Don't worry, Karni. I'll give you some tips on how to be a mother." Ta Siyu was the first to say.
"Hmm. A daughter-in-law isn't bad either." Jianguo seemed to be in deep thought again, though this time it was clear he was doing it intentionally.
Karni saw the escape route. "You'll have a son-in-law officially, don't worry."
The whole family turned silent.
"Eventually. You think I'm telling you ahead of time when I'll propose? Please. Besides. We're too young. Oh, Sisi, don't fidget."
"I'm not fidgeting!" Siduo fidgeted.
"You still have time. I already know when I'll do it. You'll have to wait for a few years. Oh, Jianguo, Siyu, you guys don't have to worry. I'll ask you beforehand."
The parents smiled, while the one who was left flabbergasted was now Siduo. She was holding her face in her arms. How did he turn it around so quickly.
"I hate you." She mumbled into the arms at a high pitch.
"Oh, you love me."
… … …
The group went to register. Wu Jianguo and Mr. Wang had already taken care of these beforehand, so these were supposed to be fast… except.
"That will be an apartment for three reserved for the Wu Family and an apartment for two for the Wang family." The receptionist confirmed. She pointed to two apartments that looked decently expensive.
"Wait… three?" Karni and Siduo turned to Wu Jianguo. It didn't include them.
Wu Jianguo turned to Karni and put his hand on his shoulder. "I trust you."
Karni was confused, but the receptionist waved them over. "We were informed by Mr. Wu Jianguo that another pair would sign up. No need to worry, in this time of year we are not busy, so a lot of the apartments are free for the weekend." The receptionist was a professional. Siduo's unusual look with cat-ears did not catch her off-guard.
"Oh." Karni said unwillingly, before taking a look at the picture the receptionist presented them. They could choose their apartment. It turned out that Wu Jianguo was doing Karni a little favour.
Karni's eyes immediately caught a little neighbourhood of wooden apartments among the pictures. They didn't look particularly comfortable; they didn't even look of a particularly high quality. They didn't have an image of a cozy wooden hut, more just an old partly wooden interior apartment. He was filled with a sense of nostalgia.
"We'll take these." Siduo said and pointed to those exact apartments.
"Eh?" Karni was surprised.
"You kept looking at them, you think I don't know your face by now?" She smiled at him.
The receptionist broke her professional mask for a split second as those were among the cheaper apartments, the only cheaper ways to stay overnight was to go to one of the lower quality hotels. But her job was not to doubt her clients' wishes.
"It won't be a problem." The receptionist took back the pictures and handed the keys as well as directions to their apartment.
They stepped out of the reception area and met Ta Siyu alone, grinning. "I hope you've got yourself a nice place. Enjoy the stay. If you're wondering, Mr. Wang and your dad already went to the rooms to unpack. The kids want to go to the pools as fast as possible, so they went ahead. I'm going after them now. We'll meet you there. Have fuuun." She waved them goodbye without letting them get a word in.
The two looked at each other and shrugged. They didn't mind. More freedom for them. They walked from the reception down a modern stony path.
This little village they went to for the weekend was a tourist village. It had both interior and exterior thermal baths, which were quite popular in the region. They were quite modern. The whole place reminded Karni of his previous life. It seemed to be especially family friendly. With a ten-minute walk away, they could reach an aqua park with rides and everything.
But Karni did not care much for that. He came here to relax more than to have wild fun. And the scene that greeted him as they walked into the neighbourhood he saw in the picture just reinforced this feeling.
What greeted him was a normal looking row of almost fully wooden houses. Though he could tell most of them weren't wood on the inside. Neither were the doors, made of strong plastic that looked freshly installed. They did not look exactly harmonious with the rest of the environment; it could not even compare with Shrek for that matter, but what mattered was this feeling of a home away from home he got here.
"So, are you going to introduce this place for me?" Siduo asked.
Karni smiled, feeling a bit embarrassed. "Back home… My grandparents used to take me to a similar touristy village just like this one. Obviously, it didn't look remotely the same, but… it had the same vibe. I really liked it there, because… well, it just allowed me to relax. My grandparents would mostly let me do what I want, especially so when I was a teenager. So, I spent most of my time in solitude here, but I enjoyed it. It let me get my mind off things. I didn't expect this to evoke those memories."
Siduo looked around and couldn't exactly feel the same way. She obviously didn't have any history with places like this, but she also understood Karni's feelings, as she did have attachments similar to these to other places.
They found their apartment, looking exactly like the rest of the houses. They entered and Karni was pleasantly surprised. "Huh. The whole top floor is ours?"
The building was a two-floor apartment complex with an apartment on the first floor and the second floor.
"It wasn't like that in your previous life?" Siduo asked.
"Oh no, this is quite more luxurious. There were three or four apartments on a single floor back home. It does have the same vibe though, just… a loooot more spacious."
"Huh. I think I'd like the smaller apartment version more." Siduo tapped her chin. "Those usually feel more homey."
Karni nodded, pointing at the rug. "I mean. A Soul Beast rug? That's… this is definitely still for the rich."
"The receptionist probably knew my parents were Soul Masters, so she only showed the richer houses, not ones for normal people. Say, what do you say we do this trip alone some other time? Get those smaller apartments?"
"We just got here and you're already thinking of next time? Sisi, live in the moment a little."
"Says the guy who constantly sees the future." Siduo said and threw herself on the bed. "It's so fucking soft. Kiki, get on this!"
He jumped on. "Oh, these are much better than the ones home. Then again, I usually slept on the couch."
"Hmmm. Maybe it's okay to have this one after all." Siduo mulled it over.
"Alright." Karni stood up. "Let's pack our bags and go to the pools. I'm curious how the place looks like."
"Sure, let's hurry up."
… … …
Karni and Siduo walked toward the pool area, feeling like total badasses. Feeling almost like actual teenagers for a change. They wore shorts, exposed their bodies. Their swimsuits could be seen underneath, though it was not the warmest of days.
They had sunglasses on, and walked the walk of people who did not care about anything. It was partially cloudy outside.
They walked to the turn gate that allowed them to enter the pool area. Karni scanned a little card he got that allowed him to enter, and stepped through-
The gate didn't turn.
He scanned again. And stepped through again. It still didn't move.
"Lemme go first." Siduo said in a cool voice, pretending to be cool. She scanned her card as well and stepped-
It didn't move either.
A receptionist overlooking the area stepped to them. "Let me see the card."
She grabbed the cards and put them in the computer. She clicked a few things then returned them. "You were supposed to put them in the card slot the first time, then you can scan."
"Kay. Thanks." Karni said. Put the card in the card slot and stepped. It still didn't move.
The receptionist said again. "I already made it so you can just scan, no need to put it there anymore."
Karni nodded slowly, scanned the card, and stepped through. Finally, it worked. He, with his shorts, sunglasses, and catchy swimwear raised his fists into the air at the victory.
"We're idiots." Siduo said, stepped through the door, and felt shame.
"Yes, we are, and we should embrace it. Now! To the relaxing massage pools."
"I did not think that your idea of relaxing time would be the same as that of old people."
"It is, and it will be yours too. Though perhaps it already is, since-"
She gave him a look.
"… we are both old in soul, but youthful in bodies." Karni finished the sentence, pretending to be confident. It was then that the pools opened to them.
Siduo rolled her eyes as she put the few snacks and towels they brought with them on an empty pool lounge chair. Karni put his things on the chair right over.
"The kids are already in the pool." Karni pointed out at one of the corners. There was an artificial waterfall in the pools and next to it was a wall for climbing that was suitable for kids. Though the two kids being Soul Masters, this was more a playground for who could do most absurd tricks.
The place was beautiful. It was bright. Most of the pool walls were partially made of stones, while the grounds around the pools had deep blue tiles with water on them. Karni could remember slipping on tiles like these when he was younger. The roof of the place was high, high up, wooden pillars and supports connecting to the tip in a circular shape. It was incredibly spacious.
"Mm. And my parents placed their things there. I recognise the bags. I don't see them though." Siduo pointed.
"They're in the outside area." Karni said. He heard them with a small bit of focus. "They're drinking some alcohol with Mr. Wang."
"Already?" Siduo chuckled as she undressed, only her swimsuit remaining. Karni could not help but glance at her. The past half a year they've been in Star Luo City, they hadn't spent much quality time together outside of their regularly scheduled morning cocoa.
She looked at him. "Why're you still dressed? It's not okay that only you get to have eye candy."
"You perv." Karni said and undressed as well, only wearing his swim shorts.
"Mmm. Me likey." Siduo nodded.
"Oi, Sisi. Keep it in your pants."
"My pants?" She perked out her butt and pointed at her swimsuit.
Karni put a palm over his eyes, then made a small opening. Siduo was looking at him, smiling.
"Allllright." Karni dragged. "Into the pool!" Somehow, he felt like an inexperienced teenager again… and he loved it. No worries about battles and death and future here.
He went to the stairs and walked into the pool. The pool was warm. It was very comfortable to go into it.
Karni's body shook however, as his muscles remembered this feeling from his previous life. The comfortable sensation of being enveloped by warm pool water. He hadn't taken breaks for such things in this life yet.
Just as he got warm and comfortable, a flying Siduo came into the water, splashing directly in front of him. He was covered with water. Hair no longer dry.
Siduo came back out of the water, spewing water from her mouth. "Ahh, it's so warm." She immediately relaxed in a starfish pose.
Karni obeyed his instincts and dunked her relaxed pose underwater.
Siduo came back out, blowing out her nose that got filled with the water. "I deserved that."
But no one answered her. She looked around, looking Karni already in an uncaring, relaxed position by the bubble massage chairs. She swam over and cuddled next to him, so they shared the chair, despite there being multiple underwater massage chairs available.
"This is the life." Karni breathed out, fully relaxed, enjoying Siduo's cuddles.
"Mm. Perhaps I am an old woman."
"Mhm." Karni said subconsciously and earned a soft pinch on his cheek, then a kiss in the same place.
Yeah, this place was great to fall asleep to.
… … …
They had a café… inside the water. It was perfect. They went to it as soon as the bubbles turned off. They were on an interval.
Not long after, the parents and Mr. Wang happened to see them. They joined Karni and Siduo at the little water café.
"Yo, dad. This is a great place."
Wu Jianguo chuckled. "I know. I heard about it from a friend. His family regularly travels here during the summer season. Figured we could go on a trip out of season, but that's not why we got here."
"Right. You did say you would leave us be." Siduo chuckled. "What's up?"
"It's actually me." Mr. Wang raised his hand. "I'm curious about my daughter. She said she is in the Special Class, but I know they cannot enter in Junior Academy. When I asked the school, all they said was that the teachers approved her to be there, so… I'm curious."
"Right." Karni chuckled, then looked to Siduo. She was at the centre of that whole debacle.
"My idiot brother and her came to the practice field, demanding that they join the class because they already got the talent. They weren't wrong but…" She turned to look at her parents.
Her parents blinked. They haven't heard about this.
"You two spoiled Jianyu a bit too much." She told them, then turned to Mr. Wang. "Mr. Wang, don't worry, it was mostly Jianyu who demanded things, while one could say your daughter was the one who resolved it. I gave them an overbearing challenge, and she found a clever solution."
"That's all they needed to do?"
"They're not officially in the class." Karni added. "They can join the practice, but they have to find how to use what we teach on their own. We don't guide Jianyu or Wang Chao. They also don't get the resources. They'll get those next year though, but for now, it's more about challenging them than teaching them."
Mr. Wang was surprised. He didn't expect the teaching system to work like that. "How… is she performing?"
"Quite well." Siduo nodded. "Her Martial Soul is strong and compatible with my brother. With Karni's training method, it's even better. Especially since Kiki's particular Blooming Loti skill is nature focused, and her Martial Soul is plant-type."
Mr. Wang smiled. "That's good. As long as she's improving. I'm glad she has things to focus on. The move was the right idea."
"Mm." Ta Siyu smiled. "Sometimes, a fresh scenery can clear the mind."
Karni found himself nodding. This little trip was great for his mind.
"I was really worried that my little girl would get stuck in the past." Mr. Wang said. "She inherited her Martial Soul from her mother, who was a normal person."
"You lived down south, if I remember?" Karni said. He read up on Wang Chao's past studies before.
"Yes. Near the sea, most everyone gets a type of sea related Martial Soul. The Durvillaea, which she has, and her mother had are a type of algae that are quite aggressive in its expansion, and usually give birth to Soul Masters… but those who don't have Soul Power are often taken over by their own Martial Soul."
Karni and Siduo fell silent. That sounded like quite the gruesome death. A slow death of being taken over by one's own Martial Soul would be horrifying.
"Chao saw her mother on her deathbed… she decided back then she would not use her Martial Soul at all. I was very surprised that just a month into the transfer, Jianyu somehow managed to get her to not only use it but even enjoy using it."
Siduo looked to her brother and Wang Chao playing around. How did Jianyu do that? She never knew of how the two befriended each other. Then again… She had noticed that when the two sparred, Jianyu never won. Her Durvillaea was great at countering electricity. She looked over at Karni, the two suddenly had a silent agreement. They would have to do some testing with that.
"Look at me, exposing my past to you young people who're trying to relax." Mr. Wang drank the last bits of light beer he had. "I'm gonna go look for the little ones. It's about time for lunch."
"We'll join you." Ta Siyu said, then looked at Karni and Siduo. "See you around."
The parents left. Karni and Siduo were left alone. "You hungry yet?" Karni asked.
"Not really… the bubbles turned back on."
"Round of bubbles and then lunch?"
"I can agree to that." Siduo nodded.
The two paid for the drinks and jumped fully into the pool again. Siduo jumped onto Karni's back. "Onward to the bubbles, my brave warr-bubvabubbebbe." She was dunked into the water.
Siduo resurfaced a few metres away, already at the bubble chairs. She spread her arms wide, looking unbothered.
Karni swam close, floated over her and gave her a hug. They looked at each other with a slightly hazy eyes. Cuddling with swimwear and with clothes was quite a different experience.
The two kissed softly. Then Siduo parted and looked over Karni's shoulder.
"Don't worry, I checked before I swam over. They went to the jacuzzies." He pointed to a three circular, raised walls, inside which were the jacuzzies. "They can't see a thing."
"In that case." Siduo hugged him tight and gave him a deep kiss. "We should enjoy ourselves."
… … …
Evening. It turned out that there was a little village centre that got busy during the evenings even during this untouristy time of year.
Most people who visited these thermal baths and this little village seemed to be older people and families with small kids. There was even a below-average band playing on a tiny stage—they specifically played songs for children, and the kids danced to them. Even Jianyu and Wang Chao were too old for these sorts of things. Far too old.
Karni and Siduo, were here alone. Jianyu and Wang Chao seemed to have fallen asleep early due to playing in water so much, while the parents had already had a good amount of beer today and also wished to rest.
So the two went alone, and the atmosphere… was kind of lame, but that also made it a bit funny, simply because of how un-special it all was. There were a few cheap stores that surrounded the centre, most of them selling cheap tourist bracelets and the kind.
The most "exciting" thing happening was the few stares Siduo was getting due to her cat-ears, but that was it. People saw it, stared a bit, then went back to doing whatever they were doing. Big cities had a greater variety of people, so Siduo rarely got stared at there.
Karni and Siduo sat down at one of the outside tables of a café. And ordered coffee. Unfortunately, this place didn't have cocoa. As the two were waiting for the drinks, Karni got a little idea.
"I'll be right back." Karni said and made his way to one of the cheap shops. There were glasses that caught his eyes. One of the sunglasses they were selling were cheap knock offs of classic, old-style sunglasses. Round and small in size, but with a rainbow tint. Karni found them amusing because of how ugly they were. Combining tacky modern elements with classic ones. They were popular to buy due to their oddness back on Earth as well. It was interesting how cultures evolved similarly, despite on different planets.
He bought them for barely any money and made his way back to Siduo, where he saw another youth had approached her. Huh. That must be the only other teenager here, actually. He already heard the conversation from afar.
"Come now. I'm quite a strong Soul Master you know? I doubt that small boyfriend of yours could compare."
"Hm. Hm." Siduo smiled. "Why don't you ask my small boyfriend?" She looked at Karni.
"Hey there." Karni said to the teen and immediately ignored him. The teen was large and bulky. A strength type. Karni was decently smaller than him. He was of average height.
"I bought you something." Karni grinned and presented the ugly glasses.
"Ooh." Siduo went along with it and put them on while crossing her arms, making a "cool" pose. "How do I look?"
"Oh, yeah, definitely winning the hearts of men." Karni said, looking at the tall teen that approached them.
"I can buy you much better gifts than that." The bulky teen said, trying to sound flirty.
"C'mon man, seriously?" Karni said, feeling genuinely disappointed at the wannabe fuckboy. "I know you're a strength type but use your head a little." Why did flirty guys like that always just assume they could fulfil some wish they thought the girls had?
"What? With that gift? You're saying I cannot do better?"
"What? No! I… Oh for fuck's sake, do I really have to explain basic banter to you? It's called messing around and having fun."
"This… is your idea of fun?" The teen laughed, still not getting it. "Come on, beautiful miss. Look here. Can't I provide you more fun?" He said, his Soul Rings showing. Three of them. Two yellow and One Purple. Impressive for a teenager. He would be a talent in Star Luo City Academy.
It was, however, at this point that Karni and Siduo immediately got disinterested. This was just one of those people. Nothing they could do about it. The people in the surroundings were already looking. They were clearly more impressed with the tall bulky Soul Master than with Karni. Most of them got the gist.
Karni leaned on the table and offered Siduo his hand. She, with her tacky sunglasses still on, stood up. He already told her what he wanted to do through Sound.
She cuddled into him, and gave him a deep, public kiss. Then Karni looked at the man and summoned his Cosmic Instrument, five Black Soul Rings appearing.
"Bugger off please."
"I- I- … sorry!" The bulky teens voice went into high pitch, as he quickly backed away from the surroundings. Ah, the "joys" of going through a classic cliché.
Unfortunately, the people now all looked at Karni and Siduo with complete shock. Karni retracted his Soul Rings. His mood soured a little. There was no use staying here. They would have no privacy now. The two exited the scene hand in hand.
On their way out, however, a couple stopped them. Two old people. A man and a woman who looked to be in their seventies. "Heyo, kiddos. If you want to still have some fun, you can go to the pools today. Once a month they organise a midnight lightshow."
The two stopped, not expecting that. They looked at the clock. Still two hours left till midnight. "Sure." Siduo said. "That seems like a nice way to end the evening. Thanks."
"You're welcome. Enjoy your stay." The old couple said with a smile and continued with their drinking.
… … …
The pools had a very different atmosphere during the night than they did during the day. On the floor the pools had cozy lights, and despite this being a once-a-month event, almost no one was there, which gave it a different atmosphere. Almost private.
However, while the pools were empty, it was because everyone was gathered in one corner of the pool, waiting for the show to begin. Six people in total. This was a lot during the off-season.
Karni and Siduo woke up the kids and the parents for this. Since it was once a month that this happened, and they were lucky enough to visit during this time, they thought everyone should experience it.
Two people walked onto the stage. An old couple. The old couple that invited Karni and Siduo.
On the inside, Karni was secretly expecting the two to be some old masters.
But the couple's Soul Rings appeared, and he was surprised in a way he did not expect. Two White Soul Rings appeared on each of them.
Most of the time, one wouldn't just find some secret Titled Douluos hiding away in a place like that. These two were clearly entertainers. Despite being old, they seemed lively.
First, the lady released her Martial Soul, which seemed to be regular Fog. Then the old man released multicoloured light. He was releasing it from his fingers and looked to be controlling the light with them. His Martial Soul looked to be the Rainbow.
What appeared was a fantastic lightshow. The fog emphasised where the light travelled. It was like a laser show that was often seen as entertainment for tourist.
Karni found this quite amusing. Yet another similarity to his own world on a different planet, with a different history. Entertainment and tourist traps seemed to be similar no matter where one went.
These two Soul Masters specifically developed in the way they could use their Martial Souls to look pretty. And they did it exceedingly well. They had great cooperation, and even control, despite only having two White Rings. It was the years of experience.
Siduo and Karni moved a bit away from the group, toward the bubble chairs that at the moment did not have bubbles. They cuddled together and watched the show from afar.
Siduo was in Karni's arms, her head on his shoulder, while Karni's head was on her head. In such a way they watched the lightshow from a distance. It was a perfect end to the evening.