My Ninja Girl 4 Gideon Caldwell (motivational books for students .TXT) 📖

“It appears the later volumes, the ones that they don’t have in our country, have a male character that looks just like you. Well, he’s more muscular, and he has superpowers, but close enough. And here’s the real kicker: they also come to the future.” Choro flipped to the comic and showed the image to Micah. “It also introduces a nun who wields two swords.”

“Just like me…” Liza said.

“Exactly.”

“Is there a cute little grandmother in there?” Bunni asked.

“No, but there is a grandfather who is surly and vulgar, and prone to drunken comedic rants. He was in the first volumes as well.”

“What are you suggesting?” Yuri asked.

“Yeah, what are you trying to say?” Micah’s grandmother asked. “I’m not surly!”

“I don’t really know what I’m trying to say,” Choro told them. “And I know that sounds crazy. For one, I want to know why these comics are here. So maybe we could figure that part out first; it just seems really out of place. I don’t want to give too much weight to something like this, but it sort of feels like some kind of prophecy, or vision. I don’t know. Maybe I’m thinking too mystically about this.” Choro placed his hand on his head. He wore new clothing as well, the design similar to what Micah had on, but XXL, the red lens over his eye as usual. “Yeah, maybe. I was up late last night reading them. I want to flip through them again today, just to see if I missed something.”

“A prophecy?” Soraya asked as she finally sat. Her eyes fell upon the graphic novels, which Choro had set around his placement. There was something disapproving about the way she was looking at them, Micah sensing that she didn’t like the fact they were on the table next to the breakfast she had slaved over. Choro got the hint and moved the books to the couch. He returned and sat in his place.

“It’s something,” he said with certainty in his voice. “I mean, how would this writer, Hermane Coofyur, come up with all this on his own? Sure, anyone can come up with anything, I get that part, but to be so specific, and about ninjas who have come from the past, and to later introduce a character like you, and then a war between the rebel group and the Society of Monks—who aren’t called Society of Monks in the comic, obviously, but operate in the same capacity. I guess what I’m saying is whatever this graphic novel is, it means something.”

“Does it have anything about a young female leader taking charge and stopping further conflict?” Micah asked, referring to real-life Ahmey, the young nun he’d recently met.

“Actually, yes. Although, in the comic it is a race to prevent her assassination, the group ultimately failing.”

“Her assassination?”

“That’s right,” Choro said as he scraped some food onto his plate. The others were already eating and he started as well, continuing between bites. “I’m just saying that you should look through it, just to get a sense of the story. I don’t know how much it relates to what’s actually going to happen, obviously, but I’m also wondering why it’s here in this hotel room. And the question remains: why would it be in Heian in the first place?”

There was a knock at the door, and Bunni went to open it. She stepped aside and a hotel employee pushed a cart into the room with several silver platters on. “More food items, as per your request,” he said, the man with furry brown rabbit ears that matched his beard stubble.

“Put them in the kitchen,” Soraya told him.

She didn’t actually bake this, did she? Micah thought as he took a bite of one of his pastries. That’s a surprise!

“Before you leave,” Bunni called over to the hotel employee, “I have a question for you. Why are these comic books in the library?”

“Comics? You mean graphic novels?” he asked as he glanced at the stack that Choro had placed on the couch.

“Yes, My Ninja Girl,” Choro said.

“That’s because it’s famous around here.”

“But why would this particular series be famous?” Micah asked.

“Because the writer lives around here.”

“Hermane Coofyur?” Choro asked. “I thought he was Neo-Hokkaidan.”

This statement caused the hotel employee to snort with disapproval. “Of course you would think that, considering you’re from Neo-Hokkaido. I’m sorry to spoil it for you, but Hermane Coofyur isn’t from your country. He’s Heian, and that’s not his real name anyway, it’s his pen name. His real name is Youseg, and he is one of the most powerful monks in our country. His shrine isn’t very far from here, you know.”

Choro’s jaw dropped open. “Are you telling us that a Heian monk wrote the My Ninja Girl series?”

“It’s pretty common knowledge around here, especially because…” The hotel employee smoothed his hands over his vest and placed them behind his back. “Many, including myself, look to it as a point of pride that the series has been so successful in your country, and that people don’t know it wasn’t even written by a Neo-Hokkaidan. Subversive, or at least something like that.”

“We should probably visit this monk,” Bunni said.

“Yes,” Yuri added, “as part of our, um, diplomatic mission. It would probably be good for us to meet him.”

“And you said the shrine was around here?” Micah asked the hotel attendant.

“It sure is,” he said, pointing toward the west, “just a few blocks that way. Down an alley, you really can’t miss it.”

“Good to know. We’ll get directions once we get down to the lobby,” Micah told him.

“As you wish, sir,” the hotel employee said as he returned his cart and left the room.

“Were we supposed to tip him?” Choro asked once he was gone.

Liza shrugged. “Charge it to the room?”

“Ha! I would give him more