Purely-Kissed Sabers: The Adventurous Vagrant Gaiden

Maiden Domain

Hershey's birthday is the 8th of Leafmonth.

Since this fair feralkin lass is a fresh immigrant in this humble kingdom, she still has much to learn about Lebenswasserheimische culture in general.

For example, debuts for girls reaching the age of 18.

They just simply aren't a thing back in the Republic of Sardentha.

Instead, there is a simple rite of passage called “the child of commandment” ceremony, in which a male or female feralkin who reaches the age of 12 is deemed an adult, in terms of being responsible for their own actions.

A special birthday party is usually held right after the five-minute ceremony, to let everyone in the community know.

This kind act of cultural exchange was divulged to us by none other than Hershey herself, one month before her birthday.

And now, here we are.

Hershey Aedoll's 18th birthday and debut, which falls on a Fireday.

As a special consideration, the commanding officer, Cpl. Ben-Kulera, gives us cadets who are invited to her debut (and the debutante herself, of course) a one-time exemption from the mandatory dinner.

After all, bloated tummies from overeating are a liability in the battlefield.

The exempted cadets, besides Hershey, are Laika, Yulissa, Ivanka, Joey Ramon, Bienvenide, and yours truly.

The debut itself is being held right here at Vertisia Tent, which is located in the Poblation part of the capital.

As for the debut expenses (which include renting the tent for the event, of course), Hershey's two close friends from her hometown all paid for them, since they both come from rich families.

These two friends, who are of course invited to the debut, are identified as Innania Raymundo, an octopean (classified as an octopus) sea-type feralkin, and Gurada Kahabagan, a squaliformid (classified as a shark) sea-type feralkin.

Sea-type feralkins are the rarest type of feralkins due to their nature, as they usually reside in Sardentha's only coastal area. And while they are able to live on land, they must be constantly hydrated, which explains the water-filled tumblers Innania and Gurada bring with them.

Punctuality is a must here in this kingdom. General etiquette forbids VIPs to arrive fashionably late, as this counts as lack of commitment and disrespect to the event's other guests and organizers. If a guest arrives late, the organizers must be informed beforehand; and this is where commugrass is best used for such a situation.

It's now 7 post meridiem, and we cadets wear our best formal wear.

And Hershey's... manifestly, as the star of the night, wears only her best.

She wears a green ball gown with a long puffed-out skirt, complemented with long white gloves and a pearl necklace.

Simple, yes, but that simplicity is the best form of elegance.

The tent is filled with decorations made of twigs and leaves wrapped in purple ribbons, befitting her chosen theme of nature.

We seven are currently chatting with the two feralkin friends on the backstage; as this is the so-called cocktail hour – the prelude of the debut – where guests first arrive at different times. The guests munch on appetizers and shoot the breeze right before the program starts.

Innania, whose hair consists of dark indigo-colored tentacles, asks our feline feralkin debutante, who is holding a calico cat in her arms.

“Wow! That cat is so cute! I presume you have it as an advanced debut gift, right?”

Hershey replies, “Absolutely, nya! Actually, it was given to me two months ago by two fellow cadets who are allergic to cats... but are strangely not allergic to me, despite my cat-based bloodline. This kitty was pestering the two, you know; so I had to do something.”

Gurada, who sports semi-long white hair, aqua eyes, cute shark-like teeth, and a shark-like tail, follows.

“You have the instinct to pet an animal you inherited from, after all. We sea-type feralkins don't have that luxury, since the animals we come from oddly run away at the first sign of us. We wonder why.”

“Don't sweat the details,” I respond. “What's important is that we citizens of our kingdom treat animals humanely. Yes, we eat meat, but we ensure that the livestock we use for our meat are ethically slaughtered.”

The prescribed method of butchery usually begins with the chanting of “In the name of the Most High”, then sending the livestock to a painless end by a swift incision. This method was first implemented by nomads who settled in the kingdom 1,500 years ago in what is now known as the town of Azkha'abad, in Avaya Prefecture – and was slowly implemented by other butchers in the kingdom for the next hundreds of years.

“Alright then, enough animal talk. For all we know, those annoying so-called 'animal activists' could be snooping on us,” Bienvenide segues.

And thankfully, there are none.

An event planner then approaches us all.

“Guys, the debut's about to start. Hershey, please ready yourself. And to her distinguished friends, please be seated over there.”

We all nod silently in agreement as we secure our positions.

As we six and the feralkin's besties find convenient seating spots at the front of the stage, the lights go dim, as the emcee declares...

“Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for gathering in tonight's momentous event. It's unbelievable that a feralkin like her is willing to undergo her coming-of-age ceremony, even though she had one back in her homeland. But as she is ready to adapt into the culture of our glorious kingdom and maybe become the ambassador of goodwill between these two nations someday... we're making sure we are inspiriting enough to let her make her wishes come true. Alright, let's not get ourselves tangled up, for here is our star of the night, the feralkin cadet of Lebenswasserheim Royal Academy Military School... Miss Hershey Aedoll!”

The stage opens for the literal cat girl herself.

As per her own wishes, she holds her pet cat in an elegant way.

This decision of hers makes her chosen theme of nature all the more appropriate, if I say so myself.

Next comes the cotillion de honneur, where the entire entourage (which is us six plus Inannia and Gurada, for convenience's sake) gets to take turns dancing with the feralkin debutante, while the bards hired for the event sing the song of her own creation.

“Nature is free, my one and only 17~

“Free is nature, onward to my lovely 18~”

We've spent days practicing that routine beforehand, so we shouldn't do the boo-boo of failure bails.

Thankfully, nothing disastrous happens in that 10-minute portion.

We all breathe a sigh of relief once the next part, the dinner portion, beckons.

Yeah, most of us can eat and drink and have friendly chats with fellow guests as we please.

And then...

We come across a couple consisting of two women, who both sport cute and frilly dresses.

One is a tall girl with long blonde hair and blue eyes, with some braids and ribbons to match.

The other is a girl with short lilac hair and purple eyes, and is a few inches shorter.

The two girls stand out for another reason.

The blonde girl is fully-stacked, while the short-haired girl is proud of her chest... or her lack of it.

Ivanka tells the rest of us six...

“I think I recognize this blonde girl. She's Nadine Limbaugh, one of the most recognizable socialites in Pulozuela Prefecture. She lives in a posh mansion with its own garden and farm.”

Joey Ramon asks, “And what about her companion?”

“Not a clue. I've heard she took her in just two weeks ago, when the latter was at her worst point in her life. She fed her, gave her clothes and a permanent home. How generous of her. I'd wish she'd do the same to other poor, destitute ladies.”

“Or maybe there should be more girls like that blondie, right? More chances to be helped, for one.”

“Great point you've got.”

“So then... who should convince our debutante to strike up a conversation with them?”

Laika, Yulissa, and I quickly raise hands.

“Alright. We'll be enjoying some drinks over there. Have fun.”

We three immediately spot Hershey enjoying her meal with her fellow feralkin besties.

“What's the matter, Keenan?”

I make my reply with the following...

“Ahem. In case you're wondering who that blonde over there is, she's Miss Nadine Limbaugh, one of the kingdom's well-known socialites. Why don't you take this opportunity to be friends with her? After all, you can never have too many friends in this kingdom that encourages making them in the first place.”

“Oh, I see, nya. I would like to be friends with her! Please take me to her. Innania, Gurada, may I leave for a moment.”

“Sure thing.”

As befitting of a gentleman, I take her hand as she stands up and hands over her cat to the two.

We three then lead her to where Nadine and her partner are.

“I'd never knew you to be this confident, willing to join this event on such short notice. Weeks ago, you were... Oh!”

Nadine notices us four while she talks with her partner.

“Nice to meet you, Miss Hershey! And your fellow cadets, too!”

“It's an honor to meet a first-class lady like you, nya!”

“I don't mind the 'nya's, to be honest. Here, I'll introduce you all to my partner.”

The lilac-haired sweetie then introduces us in a prim and proper way.

“Hi, honorable cadets of the military school. My name is Pavlina Portendorfer. Lady Nadine took me in as I was about to end my own suffering due to a traumatic event. If not for her, I wouldn't be here making brand-new friends!”

We four then customarily shake hands with her.

Nadine then segues, “Well then. We'd want to join your feralkin friends. I'm raring to meet another race as wonderful as us humans, elves, and half-elves.”

As if saying yes, we don't delay ourselves in accompanying Nadine and Pavlina to the table where Innania and Gurada reside.

Once at the table, we all exchange introductions as we dine on a course inspired by the typical meals served in feasts 500 years ago. The highlight of the course is a stew named pottage, which is made from the broth of slowly-boiled meat and vegetables and has added chopped meat and herbs.

As we move on with our conversations over grilled meat and various fruits and tarts, which is also served as part of the course...

I notice something peculiar about the lilac-haired girl.

Isn't she...

“Hey, Amitabhilia to Kennan! You're spacing out!”

“Brother, I knew that girl is as cute as me, so I don't mind you staring at her.”

Man, so Laika and Yulissa are noticing it, too?

I remember the day after we've resolved the prankster ghosts incident.

That piece of paper with the somewhat cryptic message which we've found while hunting down the tormentor ghosts.

We've informed the superintendent of that; and in response, he stated...

“Yes. According to gatherings from the Intelligence Service of the Royal Armed Forces, there are rumors among the staff members of the House of the Representative Parliament that say someone made an offensive advance on a young man, who's probably around 20 years old. But then... those rumors had to be silenced, because if the word spreads out, there would be blood. Blood showering the entire House.”

“Sir, that's so brutal, sir!”

“Yes, I know what you cadets feel. We all try to avoid needless violence, but this is ridiculous. Destroying someone over baseless rumors? Oh well, I must've gone too far. So now... please hold on to that piece of paper like you're doing with that controversial sphaeramnis. It could be useful... for resolving something of giant proportions. Alright. Dismissed!”

So... that guy named “PP” in the paper... could he be...

No! There are lots of men in this kingdom with those initials! Finding that one victim will be like finding a needle in a haystack... or combing the desert with an actual hair comb!

“If... If you'll excuse me... I have to go to the bathroom!”

“Wait! Pavlina, I'll go with you!”

We all say “See you later, then.” before the two girls head for the bathroom.

***

No! I can't let anyone find out who I really am!

I am Pavlina Portendorfer, not Pavel Portendorfer!

Or else... those goons of his will get me for good!

Lady Nadine, please help me!

Seconds later, I'm done releasing whatever tension was brewing inside me.

I then wash my hands and conduct myself once more as the prim and proper lady, as Lady Nadine awaits me right outside the bathroom.

“You're getting all too tense again. Trust me, those goons you're talking about... there are none of them here. We've got our brave cadets shooing them away if ever they show up, after all!”

“T-Thanks for assuring me, milady. I know I can trust you with all my life.”

“No sweat here. Come, they must be waiting for us.”

“OK.”

***

Nadine and Pavlina are back after around five minutes.

As the lone guy in a table full of ladies, I feel like I'm invading the so-called “maiden domain”.

But then, I'm already long-time friends with Laika and Yulissa, is already friends with Hershey, and will be friends with Innania, Gurada, Nadine, and Pavlina.

Friendship knows no gender or race, after all.

Harmony and understanding are some of the basic tenets brought down by the fairy of legend to our kingdom's founder, and are the bases of how we should conduct our lives.

The rest of Hershey Aedoll's debut proceeds without incident.

Well, if one considers bungling through speeches (i.e. mispronouncing some words and then having an unscripted fit of laughter) during the 18 roses, candles, and treasures portion, which lasts 40 minutes all in all, as minor incidents.

That's natural, since we are outside the military school and are trying to defuse ourselves from almost everyday lessons.

As the debut ends with an hour-long dance, we all feel like kids again, even as we approach the adult age.

But hey, daring to be a teen, even as we progress in years, is what we need to take the stress out of soldiery.

***

Thank you, Lady Nadine.

If it weren't for you... I wouldn't have found allies in my personal quest for justice.

These brave cadets whom you're now befriending with...

It may seem like revenge, but still... good deeds are rewarded, and evil deeds must be punished!

I will help them achieve my brand of justice, and maybe even get my manly confidence back!

And also... I will love you with all my heart, milady, as my gesture of gratitude.