#I wasn't planning to translate this but the second I saw Gavin's sprite I CAVED

[cheri-translates]

[CN] Journeying Together Date

🍒 Warning: This post contains detailed spoilers for a date, 同行之约, which has not been released in English servers! 🍒

 [ Release Date in CN: 19 Nov 2020 ]

MC: It’s White Dew today. The weather is clear and bright, and the sky is cloudless. My first demon-slaying mission... a failure.

[Trivia] White Dew (白露 - “bai lu”) refers to the 15th solar term spanning from 8 - 22 September

As the orange light of sunset filters in through the window panes, I bite my writing brush, a little defeated as I write this sentence in my manuscript.

The pitch-black book bears the symbol of the Royal Occultist's Guild. The page that I’ve flipped to has a large portion of white.

According to the rules, every Occultist has to record his or her experiences in the manuscript after every mission, for the ease of the Guild’s management.

It was the first time I received an official demon-slaying mission.

The Occultist who sent me on the mission had made a solemn vow that on Gavin’s account, he’d give me a very elementary mission.

In the end... 

Thinking about yesterday’s utter chaos, I can’t help but heave a long sigh.

MC: He clearly gave me an extremely difficult mission, yet he said he did it on Gavin’s account... Looks like Gavin’s account is even thinner than the pancakes sold outside the gates of Three Dreams Quarter!

While muttering complaints to myself, a clear, spirited voice drifts from outside the window.

Gavin: Who did you say has an account thinner than the pancakes sold outside the gates of Three Dreams Quarter?

[Note] This is meant to sound funnier in Chinese! I translated “account” from 面子 (“mian zi”), which directly means “face”. So it’s supposed to sound like “Who did you say has a face thinner than the pancakes...”

MC: !

My heart thumps, and I turn my head guiltily.

MC: Gav... Gavin, what are you doing here?

Gavin holds his sword, leaning against the hexagonal window, a few fallen catkins on his inky cotton robe.

He lifts his eyes to look at me, answering my question concisely and comprehensively. 

Gavin: Just passing by.

His gaze falls onto the Occultist’s manuscript I tossed onto the table, the light in his pupils stirring.

Gavin: I heard that your first demon-slaying experience didn't go very smoothly?

MC: How did you know?

Gavin: I heard it from others. A new Occultist chased a demon across three streets, and ended up getting lost.

MC: ...

I cover my face using the manuscript, voice despondent.

MC: Truly, good deeds never go beyond the gate, but bad news travels far and wide. 

Suddenly, the manuscript is removed from my face. The autumn light and the person who is basking in it both enter my vision.

Gavin flips through the manuscript, his eyes sweeping across the white page, his voice bringing with it a faint smile.

Gavin: What happened exactly?

Returning to my senses, I start speaking, a little vexed. 

MC: Yesterday, I accepted the mission and headed to catch the demon at the city moat. But he trapped me in an alley. By the time I went around the alley, the demon I was supposed to capture was already gone. 

I relate the incident to him, laying on the table listlessly and in low spirits. Turns out being an Occultist wasn’t as easy as I thought.

The room is quiet for a moment, and Gavin sets down the manuscript.

Gavin: Want to be my partner?

MC: What? 

I sit up abruptly, looking at the person in front of me with slight incredulity. 

The Royal Occultist's Guild has a rule that a senior Occultist can select his own partner.

MC: What you’re saying is...

His eyes sweep across my face. 

Gavin: Anyway, I don’t have a partner yet.

After saying this, his eyes pause on the corridor outside the window. My heart thumps, something important occurring to me. 

MC: I’m someone you recommended into the Guild. If my results aren’t good, will it cause trouble to you?

Is that why he felt there was a need to lead me by the hand?

Gavin: No. I just find that you’re the most suitable.

Although I have no idea what he means by “suitable”, I nod. Having someone to cover me is always a good thing.

MC: Sure.

Gavin nods slightly. Just as he’s about to say something, a red firework soars into the sky, especially conspicuous in the air.

It’s the Royal Occultist's Guild special firework, which signals that something which has appeared in the vicinity isn’t a demon, but something else...

Gavin: I’ll leave now. 

He turns to leave, but I pull on his sleeve deftly.

Gavin looks back in surprise.

Gavin: What is it?

Bringing along the demonseeker in a habitual manner, I quickly hop out of the window.

MC: Since we’re already partners, of course I’m coming along with you. Don’t worry, I’ll not hold Senior Occultist Gavin back!

Gavin’s eyebrows twitch, and a faint smile flashes across his eyes. 

Gavin: In that case, follow me closely.

-

Gavin and I move quickly, and we discover that the location where the firework appeared happens to be near the city moat. 

The city moat is incomparably quiet. A light mist floats above the lake’s surface, and it appears as though everything is normal.

Gavin tightens the demonbinder ribbon entwining the sword. With his other hand, he protects me behind him.

Gavin: The demonseeker isn’t moving, so we can’t be certain of where the demon is. Follow behind me and be careful.

I nod nervously, gripping the demonseeker tightly in my hand. 

Gavin walks in front of me, his inky cotton robe exuding a sense of indifference.

The days of climbing over walls and shielding each other in the Heavenbright Academy seem to have happened just yesterday. I can’t help but feel slightly muddled.

Suddenly, the cold tip of a blade flashes, and the swift and fierce sword bursts from Gavin’s hand, volleying towards the surface of the city moat.

Gavin: It has appeared!

Water splashes all about. Something powerful suddenly rises from the water, rushing towards us.

But when we see the object in the air, Gavin and I are left dumbfounded.

MC: Why is it... a pufferfish?

A gigantic pupperfish monster rushes towards us. It’s movements are very fierce, splashing water everywhere.

Gavin didn’t expect that his opponent would be a pufferfish. The unsheathed sword makes a stiff turn in the air before returning to its scabbard.

At the same time, Gavin calls me.

Gavin: MC!

Suddenly realising it, I step aside, glancing at the fishing net at the stall next to me.

I immediately hurl up the fishing net, tossing it towards the pufferfish monster.

The pufferfish monster seems to have a limited ability to think, and doesn’t know how to turn around halfway. Its head gets trapped in the fishing net, and it plummets to the ground.

I tug at the mouth of the fishing net. In the midst of the pufferfish monster’s frenzied ramming, I can sense the difficulty in slaying it.

Fortunately, Gavin comes over very quickly. Using his scabbard, the gigantic pufferfish monster is completely inhibited from moving.

He looks at me, a vague smile in his eyes.

Gavin: You weren’t bad just now.

I’m really proud of myself.

MC: Of course. I’m your designated partner.

The pufferfish monster tries its best to struggle underneath the scabbard. It releases squelching sounds, grabbing my attention.

MC: But what is this thing?

Gavin: Some creatures are the same as humans, and they possess special abilities. This pufferfish monster probably does too. It’s only a coincidence that it followed the flow of the city moat and appeared here.

While speaking, he shifts the scabbard away slightly, beckoning me to take a look.

MC: What should we do now?

I poke the rotund belly of the pufferfish monster. Getting angry out of embarrassment, it spits a huge glob of saliva at me.

Not prepared for this unexpected occurrence, the water splashes onto my face, and I even choke on it.

MC: Cough cough...

While finding this slightly amusing, Gavin helps to pat my back.

Gavin: Even though these creatures can’t speak like humans do, they have human-like characteristics. They strike back when angry, and are completely defenceless when they trust you.

He leans down, shifting the scabbard away.

Seeing that Gavin is leaning down, the pufferfish monster in front of him suddenly changes its expression. It retracts the spikes covering its body, and displays its rotund belly.

Speechless, I watch how agreeable it looks, placing a hand to my forehead.

He reaches out to hold one end of the pufferfish. Lifting it up gently, the pufferfish monster plunges into the city moat.

After entering the water, the pufferfish monster flops around excitedly several times before following the direction of the river and swimming towards the city.

MC: You’re letting it go just like that?

Gavin: It isn’t a creature managed by the Occultist’s Guild, so there’s no need to handle it in a special manner. 

He says this simply, turning around and walking onto another path.

I follow behind him.

MC: Where are we going next?

Gavin: The Occultist’s Guild.

-

The sky seems to have become much darker. Gavin takes me to the Occultist’s Guild. Climbing a wall at the back, we arrive at a room which stores dossiers on hidden abilities.

I try to control my curiosity but to no avail. With a turn of my head, I ask Gavin a question.

MC: Why do we have to climb over a wall to come here?

Gavin: It’s very troublesome to walk in through the main door.

I recall how Zeth and the others looked when they saw Gavin, and realisation dawns on me slightly. 

Gavin uses his scabbard to poke the window in front of him, smoothly entering the room. Then, he pats the dust off his hands before lifting his eyes to look at me.

Gavin: Come in.

Dumbstruck, I watch his incomparably practised, smooth movements.

MC: ...have you always been taking such unorthodox paths?

Gavin: Not often.

Gavin: Just that I’m used to it.

He coughs lightly, eyes turning to the room.

I have no choice but to leap into it too.

Several bookshelves filled with dossiers are in the room. Candlelight flickers, illuminating several sealed memories.

MC: Is this where the Occultist’s Guild stores documents on hidden abilities? I never had the chance to come here before.

Even though the pufferfish monster was harmless, it’s still a creature we’ve never seen before, and needs to be recorded into a dossier specially provided by the Occultist’s Guild for unheard-of and strange matters.

Gavin retrieves a particular dossier from a bookshelf at the side, tossing it to me.

MC: Do these dossiers record the demons encountered by Occultists?

Gavin: Mm. All the demons that have appeared over the past three years are here.

He leans against the window lattice. Bending his leg, he lowers his eyes and writes something on the book in his hands.

Occasionally, fallen catkins will drift in, falling on his robe.

After being dazzled for a moment, I return to my senses and flip open the dossier in my hand.

The dossier is very long, and seems to be filled more than halfway through. The handwriting is diverse, and very few mention Gavin.

It’s probably because Gavin doesn’t have the patience to specially return to make a record. As such, anything related to him is mostly found in what other people have recorded.

His name appears at the most fortuitous moments, or when he saves a certain Occultist, or when he can’t be found when rewards are being dispensed.

From these few, isolated words and phrases, I gradually put together a Gavin I’ve never seen before.

During upheavals caused by demons, the Senior Occultists always band together to slay them. Only then can they ensure their own safety.

The well-known Occultists have their own partners, but only Gavin has always been on his own.

Suddenly, the light from the lantern near me suddenly flickers before extinguishing completely. In an instant, the entire room descends into darkness.

MC: The candle has burned out. 

I stand up, wanting to find a candle. Because it’s too dark, I walk to the edge of the bookshelf.

Reaching out and feeling around, I touch a protruding object. With a slight sound, the bookshelf suddenly moves--

My heart instantly sinks, and I recall what Zeth once said: Don’t walk around and don’t touch anything. There are many hidden mechanisms in the Association.

MC: Oh no...

-

I had accidentally bumped against a defence mechanism in the storeroom. The bookshelf continuously shifts towards me, forcing me into a corner. 

In the midst of the threatening and forceful pressure, the sound of wind suddenly resounds.

Turning my head, I see Gavin in front of me.

He does something, and the bookshelf stops moving.

But the space is incredible narrow, and the both of us seem to be pressed together tightly.

MC: What should we do now? I didn’t know it was a mechanism in the storeroom. I just wanted to find a candle...

I couldn’t find a candle. Instead, Gavin and I have gotten trapped in a corner of the storeroom.

Gavin: There’s no need to worry. There’s a time limit to the mechanisms in the storeroom. After a while, it’d automatically return to its original position.

MC: In that case, how long is “a while”?

Gavin’s voice carries with it a hint of hesitation.

Gavin: I'm not sure either.

MC: ...

Wanting to lift my head to look at the surroundings, I accidentally bump into Gavin’s chin.

My neck stiffens immediately as I dodge out of the way. Because my centre of balance is unsteady, I end up hugging Gavin’s waist with one arm.

There’s complete silence. I can only hear the sound of Gavin’s breathing.

MC: Would you believe me if I said I didn’t do that on purpose...

Gavin: I believe you.

Gavin responds very quickly, then lapses into silence. He exerts slight strength on his wrists, pushing behind him.

His breath seems to move slightly further away, but his arm continues to cage the sides of my waist, shielding me from the edges of the bookshelf.

In the narrow space, I can’t see the expression on Gavin’s face, but can feel his heart beating.

It’s rapid and powerful.

In order to dispel the awkwardness, I break the silence. 

MC: Gavin, when you were slaying demons in the past, did you encounter anything which left a deep impression? Like the pufferfish monster we met today - I’ll definitely never forget it. If I include it in the manuscript, I’ll probably be able to pen several pages. Similar incidents have been recorded in bits and pieces in these dossiers, but they don't involve you. Could it be that you have nothing worth remembering?

Gavin hesitates for a while.

Gavin: I don't have much of an impression of things that happened when slaying demons. But there’s one thing that I’ve remembered for a very long time.

MC: What is it?

Gavin: I once met a demon who was very difficult to get rid of. I spent an entire day and night to annihilate it, but sustained injuries myself.

At this point, Gavin pauses. The moonlight outside the window is as cool as limpid autumn waters, casting the room with a peaceful silence.

I can more or less guess the words he has yet to say.

MC: And then? Didn’t reinforcements come and rescue you?

Gavin shakes his head. 

Gavin: When I regained consciousness, I found myself underneath a tree, and that a night had gone by. At that moment, I suddenly felt that having a partner isn’t actually a bad thing.

Even though he recounted the incident calmly, I can sense the path of hardships Gavin had gone through. 

MC: As expected, the role of a Senior Occultist isn’t one that can be obtained by anyone... I’m starting to worry about whether I’m qualified to be your partner.

Gavin: When we encountered the pufferfish monster, didn’t you help me catch it?

He pauses, faint anticipation in his voice. 

Gavin: Maybe the next time I faint underneath a tree, you can be of help.

I immediately shake my head. 

MC: It’s best not to have such an opportunity. Getting hurt isn’t something worth looking forward to. Also, I don’t have much strength. If you faint, I won’t be able to drag you. I’d probably stay by your side and not allow anyone to pick you up and leave.

Gavin laughs in spite of himself, low vibrations rumbling from his chest.

Gavin: That’s enough.

At this moment, a sudden soft sound is heard. The bookshelf pressing us starts to shift backwards slowly.

Gavin: The mechanism seems to have reset. I'll send you back.

-

Gavin walks beside me, the lanterns along the streets a brilliant, fiery red.

Gavin: Today’s tasks have been more or less completed. Have a good sleep after heading back. As for matters pertaining to the Guild, I'll handle them.

I nod. Something occurs to me, and I lift my head to look at him.

MC: Even if I can’t be an Occultist in the future, I’ll always be your partner. 

MC: Whether it’s facing interesting things like the pufferfish monster from today, or those dangerous circumstances you mentioned. 

MC: As your partner, I’ll experience them with you.

MC: We’ve made an agreement, and there’s plenty of time in the future.

I offer my hand to Gavin, my eyes filled with a smile.

We have walked to the end of this long street. With a turn, Three Dreams Quarter is in the distance.

Gavin halts in his steps. That pair of eyes, which are always incomparably calm, seem to be ignited by a spark in this instant, filled with a resplendent light.

He reaches out, hooking our pinky fingers together like a promise. 

The night breeze sends over the restlessness of human affairs and distracting thoughts, and also sends over Gavin’s calm and certain voice.

Gavin: I promise. 

Gavin: There’s plenty of time in the future.

-

[ Fun Fact ] The name of this date, “同行”, has two pronunciations and two meanings: 

(1) “tong xing”, which means “journeying together”

(2) “tong hang”, which means “same occupation”

It’s really witty on the writer’s part because both apply :> 

“Same Occupation Date” sounds a little... unromantic, so I stuck with the first meaning for the title HAHA