Page 69 of Shinji Takahashi: Into the Heart of the Storm
“I don’t know,” Shinji muttered. “He hoped Roux wasn’t in trouble. Sure, he had stolen Tinker when they first met,
and had stowed away on the ship. Which was a fairly serious crime, according to Mano. But they wouldn’t have gotten the idol, or stopped the hurricane, without his help. That had to count for something, right?
Lucy sighed, resting her chin in her hands as she stared over the water. “I think I’m going to need a vacation after this vacation,” she muttered, earning a squeak of agreement from Tinker. “No more erupting volcanoes, angry guardians, and flying into hurricanes, thanks. I’m ready to go back to class, where the only thing I have to worry about is a pop quiz on spores and edible fungus.”
“Professor Carrero will be very happy to hear it,” Priya said.
Shinji turned. Roux was there, with Priya, Oliver, Mano, and Phoebe standing behind him. “We have come to a decision,” Priya said, making Shinji’s heart beat faster. “After talking to Roux, reviewing the events that led up to returning the idol, and speaking to some of the other board members, I have made the decision to offer Roux a trial internship in the Society of Explorers and Adventurers.”
“Really?” Lucy gasped.
“Yes.” Priya nodded gravely. “Which means I will be counting on you and Shinji even more,” she went on. “Roux will be joining the pair of you in all your lessons and Society training. I expect you will show him what it means to be part of the Society of Explorers and Adventurers. If you are willing to accept him into the Society.”
Shinji shared a glance with Lucy. She nodded. “Yeah,” he replied, gazing back at Priya. “No problem.”
Phoebe gave a squeal of excitement and clapped her hands. “Oh, this is excellent!” she exclaimed. “A new Society member, a font, and the discovery of a guardian and a hidden culture. I cannot wait to share this information with everyone back home in Tokyo. I haven’t been this excited since we found that Bigfoot print in the mountains!” She beamed down at them, then gasped. “Oh, I should be writing all this down, shouldn’t I? Journal! Where’s my journal?”
She bounded off, teal coat flapping behind her. Oliver rolled his eyes. “Welcome to our little family, kid,” he said as he turned away. “Never a dull moment around here. Oh, and don’t forget to ask Shinji about Kali; I’m sure she’s going to love you.”
Shinji looked at Roux and grinned. “Congratulations. You’re in the secret club now.”
Roux broke into the biggest smile Shinji had ever seen on him. Not a smirk or a taunt or a sneer, but a real, genuine smile. “I know,” he said. “Finally I get to leave that island and see what’s out there. That’s what you guys do, right? Travel around and dig up all the weird stuff no one knows about? Dragons and krakens and mermaids; all that stuff is real, and we get to find it.”
“Sometimes,” Lucy said. “It’s not all sailing the world and finding mythical guardians. Sometimes it’s memorizing
lists of poisonous plants and figuring out which mushroom won’t kill you if you eat it.”
“Hey,” Roux said, “if it means I get to be part of this, I’ll learn everything there is to know about poisonous mushrooms.”
Abruptly, Shinji’s phone buzzed once more. Wondering if it was another text from Tinker, he pulled it out and flicked on the screen.
Hey, Shinji! It’s Aunt Yui. I’m flying home from New Zealand tomorrow. Btw, how did your trip with Oliver go? Did anything interesting happen?
Shinji grinned.A few things, he texted back.I’ll tell you everything when you get home.