Chapter 22: Shy Masa
Ayla entered her room and found the elderly woman sitting in seiza at a wooden floor desk with many fine delicacies placed on it.
Standing up, the elderly woman walked over to the door and bowed. "Please enjoy your meal; I will be excusing myself."
After saying so, she exited the room, shutting the sliding door behind her, leaving Ayla alone to look at the fine delicacies neatly placed on the floor desk.
'As someone from America, I don't know any of these foods, so I'll just eat them all, besides the vegetable-looking ones.' Ayla thought as she grabbed the chop sticks that were set on the side.
With no experience of ever using or even holding chop sticks, Ayla did it wrong, and gave up afterwards. She conjured silverware and dug in.
'I should probably learn how to use chopsticks, so I don't have to conjure silverware every time.' Ayla thought as she took a sip from her drink.
A few minutes after finishing her meal, the sliding door was pushed open, where the elderly woman bowed. "I'm here to take care of your dishes."
"Thank you." Ayla's mouth was slightly shaped as she wasn't used to being served like this.
The elderly woman didn't pay any mind to the expression of Ayla and sat in seiza at the floor desk, placing the empty dishes on the tray.
Once she was done, she stood up, walked over to the sliding door and bowed, saying, "I'll be excusing myself, young lady. Please enjoy your rest."
Ayla nodded in response as the elderly woman closed the sliding door.
While wearing a yakuta with no innerwear, Ayla lied down on the bed, falling asleep shortly after due to the long day with no rest.
* * *
The next day, Ayla got up from bed and put on her black kimono.
'My kimono must've been cleaned as it doesn't have my feminine odor; Kiera, did you clean it?' Ayla asked telepathically to Kiera.
'Yes, my mistress, I cleaned it when you were asleep.'
'I see, thanks.'
'Of course, my mistress.' Kiera bowed slightly in Ayla's shadow.
'I'll go see if Masa is up, since I'd like to head out immediately.' Ayla entered the shadow next to her bed.
Emerging next to Masa, who was sleeping soundly on her bed, wearing a white kimono and covered in white sheets.
'She's still asleep, then I'll have to wake her up.'
Ayla conjured a blue flame on her index finger, and placed it beneath her other hand's palm, allowing the blue flames heat to reach it, gaining a slight quiver from Masa, along with a faint scent of flesh being burnt.
"Ahhhhh." Mana jumped out of bed, screaming as she felt pain in her palm. "Why does my hand feel like it's on fire?"
The burning feeling faded away as she clasped her hand, a frightened look appearing on her pretty face.
"Are you going to stand there frightened all day?" Masa looked at Ayla, seeing her standing next to her, dressed in her black kimono.
Masa got up from her bed as a blush emerged across her face. "I'll get dressed quickly, then we can leave, but can you leave the room, so I can get changed? I don't feel comfortable getting changed with others in the room in this body."
"Sure. I'll be waiting in the carriage house." Ayla entered the shadows, leaving Masa all alone.
Masa got up from her bed as a blush emerged across her face. "I'll get dressed quickly, then we can leave, but can you leave the room so I can get changed? I don't feel comfortable getting changed with others in the room in this body."
Masa grabbed the woman's kimono she bought the day before and donned it without difficulty, as she knew how to put it on as if she had done it before.
"Now that I'm wearing a woman's kimono, I feel much better, like this was my true self all along." Masa thought, strapping her katana onto her hip.
Then, Masa exited her room, walked down through the corridors, paid the elderly woman the 35 mon and left the lodging house, stepping onto the stone-paved road, heading in the direction of the carriage house.
Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone