The Gladiator's Soul chapter 9

Previous chapter: The Gladiator's Soul chapter 8

I was caught off guard with those words.  But I was not going to give up, that was for her sake.

”I also wanted to be with you, moreover I enjoyed a lot (Hime crinkles slightly her nose and looks at me askance) but you have worked a lot and I think you deserve a reward. So I have prepared this surprise for you, and I hope you will accept it.”

“… but why wouldn’t I accept it…?”

I smiled widely: “Yes, that’s what I think. So let me show you.”

“Yes, goodyyyy!”

Once more I grabbed her hand and we arrived in front of a door. It read again ‘Ministry of Education’.  We entered without knocking, before approaching a counter near the entrance, where a moustached man around 40 years old attended.

I looked at him with a certain expression of complicity as I said: “Good morning. The small owl has arrived to the nest. I come for the Golden egg.”

The man raised his right thumb gesturing ‘ok’: “The hen clucks.” (She observed us with a slight face of confusion). Following he dug something enveloped in gift wrap from under the counter. Judging by the shape it seemed something flat, like a paper.

“Are you Hime?” He asked.

“Yes, I am!” The girl was excited from seeing the present.

“Then this present you see here can be yours…”

“…Can be…?” Hime seemed a bit confused.

Probably she had assumed that the surprise was already hers and was just going to take it.

“Yes; all depends on whether you guess the secret word.”

“Aaahhh… the secret word…? But, what kind of word is it? Can you give me any hint?”

“A hint? Ok, but I can’t give you many… It’s a thing that exists.”

“Ehhh?” She pulled a really funny face of surprise.

“Just that? Something that exists? How am I going to guess it like this? Uguuu, give me some other hint!” Her cheeks were swelling again.

Another hint… buff… err… it’s a slightly long word…”

“I know it! Platypus!”

“Jajajajaja….! The man in the counter and I burst into laughs at once. I looked at her sideways: Is that a long word? Don’t make me laugh, you are underestimating me…”

Now she also crinkled her nose, with a face of annoyance. It is not that I liked teasing her (well, maybe a little…) but we had to provoke her a little bit more.

“Well, and what about a third hint?” Hime asked.

“It’s ok”, the man said, “but this will be the last one”.

“Ok, but I hope this one is at least a little more useful than the other two.”

“Here you are” the man offered her a paper.

“What is that?”

“Here is written the secret word.”

“You give it to me, just like that?”

“I give it to you, but in exchange you have to be able to read it aloud without mistaking.”

“Ok!” The girl jumped and took the paper from his hand.

She started to read: “Hipopotromonstross…  Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaarrrrghhh! What is this?! You are mocking me!”

(By the way, the Word was ‘hippopotomonstroesquipedaliophobia’, haha).

Now YES SHE WAS angry.

“Ahhhhhhhhh!” Hime gained momentum and jumped on the counter. Then grabbed violently the present from the man’s hand and jumped down.

“Hahaha! Now it’s in my power, you won’t catch me!”

She ran towards the door, went out to the landing and escaped downstairs noisily.

I immediately went after her, but not without previously winking at the dependant as I raised a thumb:

“Thanks, mission complete!”

“Hahaha, not at all. I had a lot of fun.”

“See you later!” I also dashed downstairs, trying not to lose trail of the fugitive.

When I reached the hallway she was already gone, and kept running along one sidewalk!

“Himeeee! Alright, you win! The present is yours! But wait for me, please!”

After hearing that the girl lowered the speed until he stopped to wait for me in front of a zebra crossing. Luckily for me the light for pedestrians was red, and she could not go across the street. I took advantage of the circumstance, ran and caught up with her. Hime saw me coming hiding the present behind herself.

“It’s my present!”

“Yes, it’s yours. Don’t worry, I’m not going to take it.”

“Really…? Do you promise it…?”

“I promise it. I said you deserved a reward, didn’t I? So it’s yours.”          

Her face changed from what seemed a frog (because of the swollen cheeks) to the classical insurance seller grin.

“Then, can I open it…?”

“Of course, but only if you guess the secret word…”

“Bah!” She stuck out her tongue feigning an expression of disdain and started to open it.

“By the way, open it carefully, don’t break it…”

And so she did, removing prudently the sticky tape of the wrapping. It was becoming obvious the fact that the present was indeed a paper. After unwrapping it almost totally, it read: ACCEPTED TO THE ACCELERATED COURSE. Her mouth opened suddenly, as though she could not avoid it. Hime seemed petrified, with her eyes wide open staring at the paper.

The story continues here: The Gladiator's Soul chapter 10