Being a delivery boy has its advantages and disadvantages. The major compint with my side job is that Roman is still an asshole and sends me to shitty pces since I’m low rank in whatever stupid hierarchy he has designed.

  So it shouldn’t come as a surprise that I was finally sent back to the slums to make a delivery. The pce is as bad as I remember, except now I am much better dressed. I finally bought a sleeveless vest in a nice light blue tone and a pair of leather boots.

  It cost me quite a bit of lien, but the brand and comfort they provided were more than enough reasons to pay. Although, I should buy a darker color set, only for deliveries where I might get dirty, like the slums.

  But those are thoughts for ter because I’ve reached my destination.

  Another rundown pce; the poorly built building was a testament to perseverance, as the cracks showed the possibility of the whole thing colpsing under its weight. People should at least have some decency to pretend to care about their homes. I can’t imagine living in a pce like this.

  I approach the metallic door and knock twice before stepping back and wait for a reply.

  But instead of a vocal reply, the door is thrown open with the full intention of hitting me in the face, which I easily dodge.

  A deep frown forming in my face when I catch a glimpse of a human with short bck hair before he sms the door shut.

  “Hey asshole, do your fucking job!” I hear him screaming behind the door. “Why is a fucking animal on our turf?!”

  I roll my eyes in annoyance. Roman probably thought it would be funny to make me deliver shit to open racists. What an ass. However, if these idiots try to attack me again, then I will just beat their sorry asses and take the money pay by force, and that’s not even counting my due compensation. A rule that Roman leaves very clear with anyone who does business with him.

  Honestly, I actually want these pricks to attack me again, so I get more money for myself.

  As in cue with my thoughts, the door opens again and a much rger and bulky man steps outside with a metal bat wearing a gray tank top and a pair of bck trousers.

  “Before you try anything, I’m here to make a delivery. You fucking wastrels.” I taunt him as I summon the small box of liquor between my hands.

  A rather innocent package, considering where I am.

  The big guy stops and zily inspects the box before turning his head. “Oi, this is our special booze.”

  I look in the direction he is looking and see the window open and the same guy from before sticking his head out with an indignant expression. “Do they take us as a fucking joke? Take the drinks and break his arms. I’m sure that cat stole some of our stuff. That should teach them a lesson to not mock us and treat us with due respect.”

  The giant chuckles as he looks at me.

  I let out a long sigh, knowing full well how things will end, and smirk. “Go fuck yourself, you mongrels.”

  “Beat him up!”

  like a Carrying out the supposed leader’s orders, the thug tries to hit my head with his bat, only to miss the mark entirely as I am already behind him, where I kick behind his knees to force him down and grab one bottle before smashing it against his head, drenching him with strong alcohol and causing a few cuts where the liquid seeped into as I hear him hiss in pain.

  I drop the box and grab a fistful of his hair and expose his throat, where I deliver a direct punch, causing him to fall to the floor while gagging and coughing.

  I didn’t use my full strength, or I would have obliterated his throat and killed him by accident.

  I turn back and catch sight of the bastard who started this, and as any spineless bastard, he flees screaming deeper into the building.

  Knowing that I need to get paid for my services, I kick down the metallic door and invite myself in.

  Unfortunately, the commotion outside and the scared human were really loud.

  Armed thugs pour into the hallway, blocking my path to collect the money. I sigh in annoyance as my hand goes to my right pocket to retrieve a pair of gloves.

  The gangsters slowly walk towards me with wicked smiles, seemingly thinking of ways to hurt me when they bring me down.

  Retards.

  As I adjust the st glove around my wrist, I summon my trusty pair of brass knuckles and charge towards the first moron who failed to react in time. With one swift punch, I shatter his nose and send his body crashing into the wall. To ensure he doesn’t get back up, I follow up with a knee straight to his stomach, knocking the air out of him and taking him out of the fight.

  I focus on the rest and send them a smirk, causing all of them to take one step back in fear.

  I give props to Neo, this is fun.

  “You sent me to a human supremacist gang.” I growl as I approach the table where the crime boss is calmly counting a sizable stack of money.

  Yes, I won’t pull any punches when I refer to those idiots as supremacists. In retrospect, it makes sense why I didn’t see any faunus as I moved around their turf. Also, some of those guys were spewing nonsense as I knocked off their teeth.

  “Yeah, and?” He answers with a mocking question of his own, not even bothering to lift his eyes from his money.

  “You are an asshole, you know that?”

  “Thank you. But you are here in one piece, so that means you collected my money.”

  “I freaking hate you.”

  I throw the pack of lien cards on the table, most of them with spots of dried blood. Nobody died, but it is surprising how much a person bleeds if you cut certain parts of the head. I’m lucky that none of that stained my brand new clothes or I would have been beyond pissed.

  Roman merely chuckles as he grabs the money and stacks it together with his own stack, and shuffles through it. “I assume you also got your compensation for such unruly clients, didn’t you? It would have been a waste if you left so many things up for grabs for any idiot in that ghetto.”

  I merely scoff and fold my arms. It’s called a slum for a reason. They barely had anything of value besides cash, and the cash I gained wasn’t that much since most of them ran away like rats after I knocked out the seventh crook. “Am I done for the day? This is supposed to be my free day, you know?”

  It’s Saturday. If it was Sunday, I would be throwing a fit.

  The thief merely shakes his head. “Not yet kitty, there is one more job for today. I rarely mind doing business with anyone, but this client is a bit… formal. Too formal for my liking.”

  “Get to the point.”

  He calmly stands up from his chair and walks over to a crate, where he picks up a bag with colorful clothes inside and tosses it at me. “Wear this uniform when you meet up with them and drop whatever they want you to drop.”

  “What?” I inspect the clothes inside the transparent bag, a pin red shirt with a red cap and a pair of bck pants. It’s a simple work uniform, but this is the first time he asked to wear one.

  “Surprised? I sell stuff, but I can also smuggle things into the city. With you around, smuggling goods couldn’t be any easier. You can walk up to a cop or cross any checkpoint and they would be none the wiser.”

  I can’t argue with that logic. Nobody can tell what I have stored in my inventory.

  I check the clothes again and see a small logo on the sleeve saying Xpress. It is surprising that an actual courier company exists. I just saw none of them or trucks. Or maybe they only operate in specific areas in Vale, which could expin a lot of things. Anybody who moves cargo would rather do it in safe areas like the Upper Css district or the commercial one.

  It’s not like the residential district is a war zone, but neither can I deny how dangerous it can get at certain hours of the day, especially in what zone you live in. The closer you are to the slums, the higher chances of getting mugged.

  “What makes this… client special? This is the first time you are giving me actual instructions on how to do my job.”

  Besides the obvious written instructions of drop off, and get paid in cash.

  Roman shrugs nonchantly. “Atlesians can be a rare bunch.”

  “Atlesians?” My ears perk up at that name.

  “They aren’t as smart as they think. They can’t hide their pompous accent even at gunpoint. What’s the point with all the secrecy when your mouth betrays you?” He finishes with a ugh before taking a long puff from his cigar.

  Questions are pointless. That’s the best I can get from him.

  “Okay, fine. So I meet up with the atlesians that want something smuggled into the city and then delivered to another pce disguised as a company courier?”

  “Pretty much.”

  “Wouldn’t Neo be better suited for the job?” I ask. Her sembnce is perfect to blend in with anybody and move around the city unnoticed and her help would be very much appreciated.

  “You are my delivery boy, kitten. Besides, my dear Neo is occupied with… garbage disposal at the moment. You will be fine, I think. Now if you excuse me, I have… business to attend.” He says before heading deeper into his hideout, leaving me alone with my thoughts.

  Neo doing garbage disposal? I ugh at the mere idea. She is probably beating up people somewhere in Vale and must be quite entertained, since she isn’t texting me to amuse her.

  I quickly head to an empty area in the warehouse and change to the uniform before leaving through the main entrance, where I am greeted by a man wearing the same uniform as me, but I quickly identify him as one of Junior’s men thanks to his red sungsses.

  I hop onto the fake company truck and head off to the Agriculture district, a very silent drive. Unlike the luxury cars, there are no drinks or even rexing music, just me watching the highroad, the tall buildings and other passing vehicles.

  We arrive at the specified location, but there is nobody around. I look at my driver, who shrugs before pulling out a cigar and his lighter. I sigh and get off the truck before jumping on top of it where I y on the roof in wait, watching the darkening sky along with the abstract beauty that the shattered moon provides. An idea pops into my mind and I bring out my scroll, which I promptly used to take a picture of the sky with the moon at the center.

  I don’t know what came over me, but I really liked the view.

  A view I have little time to appreciate as my ears perk up when catching the unmistakable sound of bullhead engines getting closer by the second. I become concerned at first, but my stance rexes when I don’t see any w symbol. Or any symbol at all.

  Night vision for the win.

  The bullhead skillfully nds on the ground and opens the hatch, revealing a pair of atlesians walking out in interesting uniforms, both wearing white helmets hiding their faces but their mouths. A third one comes out pushing a rather big cart filled with unmarked bck metallic crates.

  A quick count tells me there are five crates in that ptform cart.

  One soldier approaches me and hands me a paper note. “Deliver these crates to the written address. We will make the payment upon successful delivery.”

  I check the address and learn the delivery is somewhere in the upper district. Then I eye the soldier who keeps a stoic professional attitude. “These… these aren’t bombs, right?”

  An atlesian military group giving me the mission to smuggle goods to Vale upper district doesn’t give the best vibes. However, Roman’s advice comes into py and I promptly dismiss those concerns since it isn’t my business to care and I shouldn’t bother myself with questions that will never be answered.

  The soldier also agrees with my thoughts, since he doesn’t answer my question. Instead, he calmly turns around and heads to the bullhead with the other two. The hatch closes and takes off to who knows where into the night.

  I keep staring in the direction where they left for a couple of minutes before walking up to my driver and handing him the paper with the address. He takes a quick read and starts the engine.

  In my case, I return to the crates and send them straight to my inventory.

  [(Unmarked crate) added to your inventory.]x5?Why haven’t I tried to store a vehicle yet?

  -An hour ter-

  I adjust my red cap, wincing as my ears twitch in protest. This only feeds my hate for hats. They are so uncomfortable, but I must keep the dress code for this stupid job.

  We soon arrive at the specified building, a closed apartment complex which even has the luxury of affording a gate guard who notices our arrival and sighs before walking up to us with his clipboard.

  “Can I help you?” He asks with a deep voice.

  I grab the paper and read it out loud. “Yeah, eh… delivery to miss Lee. Apartment number 103?”

  The human nods and takes a quick note on his clipboard. “I see. I will notify the young miss. Please wait a moment.”

  He hurries to his cabin and I watch him do something, which I wasn’t sure about until a small holographic screen appears in front of him and he talks to whoever is online.

  I wait a long minute before he exits his cabin and opens the gate. “You can come inside.”

  I nod and exit the truck, but since I need to keep appearances, I head to the back of the truck and unlock the cargo door, where I retrieve a sizable but empty sealed box.

  The guard says nothing but yawns out of boredom. “First floor to the left.” He says between tired breaths.

  Finding the apartment door was fast thanks to the guy’s directions.

  Standing in front of the door and my job destination, I take deep breaths and adjust my hat again, fucking hats, before knocking on the door and wait.

  The response is quick as a dark-skinned girl answers the door, and I must admit her magenta eyes are unique and the small brown hair with two tan strands sticking up in the front. She is wearing what I think is work-out clothes.

  “Your delivery, miss Lee.”

  She frowns at first and sticks out her head to check each side of the hallway. “Come inside, quickly.”

  I comply and enter her apartment, which looks much nicer and bigger compared to mine, with at least four rooms and a very organized and clean appearance. Although I clean my home regurly, I only do so once a week to maintain its tidy appearance.

  As I drop the fake package on the floor, I ask her, “So, where would you like me to put all your crates?

  The girl kicks the rug beneath her feet to reveal a trap door, which she quickly unlocks. “Over here,” she says, gesturing towards the open trap door.

  That totally doesn’t look suspicious, none at all.

  Sadly, I must follow the instructions and complete this very convoluted delivery. So I go down to the secret basement, which is unsurprisingly dark until she flicks on a single light bulb hanging from the ceiling, revealing a dimly lit, empty room

  Assuming this is the dropping point, I summon all the crates from my inventory and pce them in the left corner, one over the other, forming a small five story tower.

  “There you go, five crates of whatever they are. So about my paym…”

  She sharply turns around with a gre. “I will check them first before I give you anything.”

  I raise both hands in mock surrender. “Fine by me. No need to be aggressive.”

  The girl quickly makes her way over to the tower of crates and begins checking each one, handling them with practiced efficiency. I watch as she barely opens the lid of the first box, keeping her face impassive so I can’t tell what’s inside. She then moves the top crate and pces it below, inspecting the second box in the same manner. This process continues until she has checked every single crate in the tower.

  I patiently wait, trying to read the girl’s expression for any sign of approval or disapproval. But her face remains stoic, giving away nothing.

  Finally, she approaches me and hands me a small object. “Here it is,” she says bluntly. “Now leave.”

  I check the item in my hand and recognize the sleek, bck shape of a digital wallet. It causes me to frown slightly since I was expecting cash, but I can’t really voice my displeasure with the method. As I examine the wallet more closely, I admit to myself that it’s been a while since I’ve held one in my hands. I may be able to convince Roman to let me keep it after he wires all the funds.

  With my job finally done, I exit the basement and then the apartment before heading to the truck, where my professional driver is calmly smoking another cigarette. This time, he doesn’t throw it away, but keeps it in his mouth as he enters the vehicle and starts the engine.

  I follow suit, and once inside, I finally take off the stupid hat. My ears relishing in their freedom from their horrible prison.

  Not even a minute inside, my scroll starts ringing.

  No rest for the wicked.

  To the surprise of no one, Neo is the one who sent me a message. Clearly, she was done with her job and got bored again.

  ‘Are you done?’

  ‘Yes, these atlesians are really weird. But at least they weren’t assholes.’ I write back.

  ‘How did they pay you?’

  A slight frown passes over me. Her question is rather strange, but I am honest with my answer. ‘They handed me a digital wallet.’

  I calmly stare at my screen, watching the three dots moves showing that Neo is taking her sweet time to send her message.

  ‘You have a tracker with you. Go to the commercial district, my favorite pce, and don’t move.’

  Shit…

  I quickly pull out the wallet from my pocket and examine it closely. As I run my fingers over the surface, I search for any signs of a tracker or anything out of the ordinary, yet I can’t find anything. Or maybe there is something that I’m not knowledgeable enough to recognize. Better leave it to the expert, it seems.

  “Drop me off in the Commercial district.”

  Without questioning my orders, he takes a sharp left turn to reach the highway faster. I take the opportunity to remove my fake worker’s shirt and retrieve my regur clothes from my inventory. Changing my pants would be too uncomfortable in the car, so I opt to keep them on. I don’t want to risk my driver catching a glimpse of me changing and making things awkward for both of us.

  Leaning against the wall, I wait for the girl to arrive, tapping my foot impatiently on the floor. My worry and apprehension grow as I consider the implications of the potential tracker on my person. The technologically advanced Atlesians are not to be underestimated, and I don’t want to invite any unnecessary trouble if I can help it.

  Or at least until I grow strong enough to brush off their tech, or perhaps if my intelligence stat is high enough, I could start developing my own technology to counter theirs. I can only ugh hopelessly at the mere idea of building anything tech reted. I don’t even know shit about the basics.

  My thoughts are interrupted by the sight of Neo slowly making her way towards me, her pink umbrel wide open despite the sun having long set. I no longer feel the need to dwell on my worries as she sends me a smug smile and extends her hand towards me.

  I throw her the bugged wallet.

  The smug girl catches it mid air and pulls out her own scroll with a cable. This is the first time seeing her with her scroll on hand, and oddly enough I find it surprising that her scroll is pink. It should be an obvious choice, but I am accustomed to seeing either white or gray scrolls.

  I don’t know what she is doing, but she is clearly doing something with her scroll on that compromised wallet as she is typing something really fast. The moment doesn’t st, though. She disconnects the device and drops the wallet before crushing it under her boot.

  There go my pns to gain a new wallet.

  “Can I go home now?”

  She shakes her head with a smirk.

  I drop my shoulders in defeat. “Figures…”

  Wasting no time, she takes my right hand and leads me wherever she wants to go. I know better than to resist her; letting her have her fun is the easiest way to avoid any conflict. Besides, it’s impossible to forget that she is still physically stronger than me.

  On the bright side, I’m slowly getting there and I have a gut feeling that I will match her at level ten. Maybe.

  As we arrive in the unfamiliar area, I can’t help but notice that the street is buzzing with young people, mostly teenagers and young adults. Many of them are holding bottles, and the scent of alcohol is unmistakable. It’s a pretty straightforward deduction, if you ask me.

  We make our way through the lively crowd, and it doesn’t take long for me to realize that we’re in a completely different part of town. We continue walking until we reach a building that stands out from the rest.

  A nightclub, to be exact.

  One with a long queue.

  Neo takes me to the entrance, btantly cutting the line, and the other guests are already voicing their anger and displeasure. However, Neo seems unfazed as she smiles at the bouncer, who immediately opens the door for her and lets us in.

  To rub salt to the injury, she turns around and blows a kiss to the crowd waiting outside. We don’t stay to watch the consequences unfold since the bouncer closed the door behind us.

  As we enter the nightclub, the change in scenery is immediate and striking. The loud music is the first thing that catches my attention. It’s a catchy techno song that immediately invites me to dance, or at the very least, bob my head to the rhythm.

  We make our way deeper inside, the pulsating beat gets louder, and I begin to see more of the club’s interior. We descend a flight of stairs, and as we reach the bottom, I’m met with the sight of a rge dance floor packed to the brim with people. The DJ, perched at the top of the dance floor, control the flow of his music, which causes the lights to fsh, and he becomes lost in his own world as he moves to the beat.

  But why is he wearing a big teddy bear's head?

  I’m not given much time to process the scene around me as Neo pulls me towards the bar section. As we make our way through the crowd, Neo’s arrogant attitude becomes more apparent as she snatches drinks from other customers and downs them or spills them over the counter.

  Obviously, such disrespect would be met with a response.

  “Who the fuck do you think you are?” A towering faunus guy with rge horns confronts Neo as she continues to snatch drinks from other customers.

  She releases my hand and slowly approaches the faunus with a malicious smirk on her face. He takes the bait and tries to grab her. Except his hand never gets close, as she already has him on the ground and her white boot slowly crushing his throat.

  What is even more surprising is that nobody is paying attention to the scene unfolding right next to them. They are either dancing or drinking. She continues with sadistic glee until the bartender coughs, successfully getting her attention.

  The worker waves his hand, and another bouncer quickly enters the scene. But instead of chastising Neo for her behavior, the bouncer grabs the faunus by the colr and drags him away, effectively diffusing the situation in the wrong way.

  She slowly looks at me and gives me an innocent smile, causing me to sigh.

  To lighten the mood, the bartender pces a pink-colored drink with a small brown umbrel in front of us. Neo happily takes the drink and starts sipping it through the curvy straw, clearly enjoying the sweet taste. With the aggressive fashionista pacified, she calmly gestures to me to follow her.

  Without paying any attention to the other partygoers, Neo leads me up the stairs to the VIP zone, which is guarded by another bouncer. The second floor is noticeably different from the first, with a more subdued atmosphere and a higher degree of luxury.

  Instead of dancing wildly on the dance floor, the people on the second floor are sharing drinks and lounging on luxurious couches and tables.

  But I don’t stay to appreciate the view as I catch up with the ice-cream girl and arrive at another door, which is no longer guarded by the average bouncers but by actual armed people with fire-axes and guns. All of them sharing the same dress code, the bck tuxedo with the red sungsses and tie.

  One of them notices our arrival and opens the door for us, except Neo doesn’t enter. Instead, she gently nudges me to enter first, which I do. I check over my shoulder only to find her outside as she waves me goodbye and finally leaves me alone.

  The same armed guard enters and closes the door.

  “Ah, our star of the day is finally here.” The distinguishable thief announces as he mockingly cps his hands. “Don’t be a scaredy-cat now. Come in! Take a seat and grab a snack. There is a lot to discuss.”

  As I take a quick look around the room, I’m struck by how luxurious and opulent it is. I notice a rger man sitting across from Roman, who I assume must be the owner. His expression is stern and disapproving, and I can’t help but wonder if Neo has something to do with it.

  Who am I kidding? Neo is clearly responsible for his sour mood.

  “So tell me kitty. How was dealing with the mighty military from Ats?” Roman, as always, is the one to break the ice in the room.

  I frown. “Ats military?”

  I thought they were just atlesians, but that would expin why they were so formal and disciplined. Yet still doesn’t answer my question why they are here in the first pce and smuggling whatever they are smuggling.

  “Mmhm, our friend Junior here has his suspicions, but nothing too concrete. But one thing is for certain, Ats presence is terrible for business.”

  “Do you really want to discuss business here with him?” Junior speaks up, pointing a finger at me.

  The fmboyant thief just leans on his sofa with a grin. “Why wouldn’t I? He is useful, and this little job proved he can step up in the dder. Just a bit.”

  Junior sighs in exasperation. “Whatever, your way of things is not my business.” He then turns to gre at me with a deep frown. “Listen kid, Roman is right when he says Ats presence is bad for business, so take a seat. This might take a while.”

  Understanding his underlying tone to keep my mouth shut, I comply and settle into a comfortable chair to listen to what he has to say.

  He reaches over to his desk and grabs a file, tossing it onto the table with a thud. I can’t see the contents from where I’m sitting, but Roman’s eyebrows raise as he looks through the pictures. “We have sighted their airships around the city walls, and your delivery proved they have undercover agents inside the city. I assume those crates had weapons and dust. Can you confirm it?” The bearded man directs his gaze at me.

  I shake my head. “She didn’t let me get close.”

  “That’s unfortunate, but it matters little. The purpose, on the other hand, does matter, and I can make an educated guess.”

  “Go ahead, it might be interesting.” Roman waves his hand dismissively.

  Junior crosses his arms and rests on the back of his seat. “If you kept up with the news, Vale’s council purchased a war hound from Ats around a little more than a month ago. But any news or rumors about it went dark. I know very well how those from the council operate and they would have announced their purchase and premiere for active service. But they never did. Doesn’t that strike you as odd?”

  What is a war hound in the first pce?

  “Those old fools only know how to bicker against each other. It wouldn’t surprise me if they lost or broke their new toy.” Roman scowls, and gulps down a small drink that he has next to him.

  “It’s a possibility, a very low one. But that doesn’t matter after learning that at the same time, information about it stopped coming. They dispatched multiple bullheads, ambunces, along with cops headed outside the city. And coincidentally, the White Fang becomes more active in Ats.”

  Junior’s st words seize Roman’s full attention, and his face contorts into a frown. My ears prick up, and I become more attentive when he mentioned the White Fang. Maybe it was my ck of interest or a busy mind that pushed its way down my priority list about learning more about the guys who kidnapped me from other sources. Or I am making excuses for totally forgetting my original objective.

  Either way, this big guy clearly knows something important.

  “Oh? You think those terrorists had a hand in these events?” Roman asks.

  “I don’t think so. I know so. Supposedly, Ats’ forces dealt a crushing blow to the White Fang cell in their kingdom, but recently they made a comeback and the faunus gangs in Mantle unched a massive attack on the other gangs. And shockingly, they were winning until Ats forces stepped in. As for Mistral’s gangs, they didn’t unch a major offensive or anything crazy, they just expanded on undisputed territories. However, Vale’s sect went completely dark. Not a single SDC convoy was attacked or any report of sabotage or kidnappings.“

  The thief rubs his chin in thought. “Mmmm, that expins Ats’ poor attempts at secrecy. They want to keep whatever they are doing here off the books. Can’t bme the general, it would be a massive loss of reputation if the public ever learns that a bunch of animals stole their precious robot.”

  “Exactly. Currently, we identified their agents inside Vale. The iron bastard sent his ace operatives.” He throws another pair of pictures on the table.

  And I instantly recognize one of the women shown in the pictures.

  Roman picks the other picture and frowns as he analyzes it. “They… might pose a problem to my pns. Off the books give those bastards free leeway to act as they see fit. Say kitty, you met with them, didn’t you?”

  “I… I only met one of them, the one with a shaved head.” Her hairstyle and magenta eyes are too unique to forget so easily.

  Junior sighs as he crosses his arms. “So maybe they are taking turns to investigate the city. That makes things more manageable, but my boys still wouldn’t stand a chance against any of them.”

  “What about your girls, then?”

  Junior shakes his head. “It’s better if we don’t pick a fight with any of them, lest we want the full might of the strongest army of Remnant on our asses. Let’s just wait it out. They will give up after a couple of months.”

  “Ah ah ah my dear friend.” Roman chides in. “You know me. I cannot just sit around and do nothing like you. There is a lot of business to conduct and I can’t g behind. Just keep me updated on their movements.”

  “You are pying with fire, thief.” Junior growls.

  “I know. That’s what makes it more exciting.” As ever, my boss shows off his arrogance.

  The bear man stares at the thief with a bnk expression before he sighs in annoyance. “Don’t drag me or my boys down with you, that’s all I ask.”

  Roman merely shrugs. “Sure, whatever, it is not like I will charge head on. Now onto other business. I heard you wanted to move a lot of things and I happen to know somebody who is more than capable.” He gnces my way with a smug look.

  Selling my services?

  “My boys can deal with the work. I won’t trust a stranger.” Junior straight up rejects the offer.

  I see genuine surprise in Roman’s face for a second, but disappears as soon as it appears. “Worth a shot. At least give the poor kitten a drink for his troubles.”

  Junior silently pulls out a bck card from his chest pocket and throws it in my direction. I catch it with ease, curious about its purpose. As I inspect the card, I notice it’s not a credit card or lien.

  “Give it to the bartender.” Junior says.

  I get the message loud and clear. They don’t want me around anymore, and I won’t press the issue. But I would have liked to stay to hear more and ask Junior more about the White Fang, especially about Bke.

  And their overall situation.

  But I will have to leave that matter for a future time.

  I exit the VIP room and make my way back to the first floor, returning to the bar counter where the same bartender is meticulously cleaning a cup. Taking a seat on one of the bar stools, I slide the bck card towards the bartender, who raises an eyebrow but remains silent. He takes the card and slides back a menu filled with an extensive list of drinks, many of which I’m unfamiliar with.

  Does it hurt to add a small description for each drink?

  However, I am sure most, if not all, of the options have some level of alcohol mixed in them, which I want to avoid as much as possible. I know it is ridiculous to sit in a bar and not order any drink, but I have my principles, or what I think my principles are.

  “Anything that isn’t alcohol or at least has barely any?” I inquire, using a single finger to push the menu away.

  The bartender rolls his eyes but accepts my order nonetheless, proceeding to gather the necessary ingredients.

  I observe calmly as he skillfully cuts the fresh fruit and effortlessly blends everything together in a matter of seconds. The vibrant mix is then poured into a shaker, and the bartender continues to work his magic.

  Within moments, he slides my drink across the counter, garnished with a small orange slice and a straw. I bring the gss to my lips and take a gentle whiff, relieved to sense no burning sensation in my nostrils. It seems that the bartender has successfully followed my request for a drink with minimal alcohol content.

  So naturally, I take a quick sip from the pstic straw to wet my taste buds, but grimace when the taste differs completely from what I expected from the fragrant smell. It isn’t strong, but it sticks in my throat and feels very odd, difficult to describe the sensation in my mouth.

  Alcoholic beverages truly are an acquired taste.

  Setting my drink back on the counter, I slowly push it away. Despite the unexpected fvor, I find myself oddly satisfied with that initial sip.

  Unexpectedly, Neo swiftly snatches my discarded drink and takes a sip, hey eyes lighting up in delight. And she pnts a quick kiss on my left cheek.

  I’m not given time to react or say anything before she disappears between the dancing crowd.

  [Affection with (Neo Politan) increased by 2, 08/100]?I can only stare bnkly wondering what is she truly thinking or how her mind works because sure as hell I don’t. But on the bright side, I no longer have to force myself to finish that drink.

  “I never thought that bitch could be affectionate.”

  “I agree sister, she is more the stabby type, after all. “

  As I turn my head to the right, my eyes fall upon a pair of identical twins walking up to me. “And who are you?”

  I take a closer look and notice the heavy makeup on both of them, accentuating their pale green eyes. The twin on the left is wearing a strapless white dress, while the other is dressed in a bold combination of red and bck.

  They immediately fnk me on either side, and fsh matching grins.

  “Menie”

  “Miltia.”

  I take a quick gnce to both sides and let out a sigh. ‘Well, I’m Ma’iq. So, why are you here?’ I gesture with my hand for emphasis.

  ”We work here.” Menie answers.

  “And we make sure no idiotic kid with aura can cause damage to Junior’s club.” Miltia adds, motioning her hand to the bartender, who starts working again.

  “And we need to monitor your friend unless we want a murder to take pce.” She states this matter-of-factly while pointing in a specific direction. I follow her gesture with my gaze and find Neo yet again shoving off people or stealing their drinks with btant antagonistic intentions.

  And whoever even had the stupid idea to fight back is met with a potentially bone crushing kick.

  I sp my forehead and let out an audible groan, which is drowned out by the bring music. “I… I cannot argue against that. How the fuck I am still in one piece?”

  “That’s why it’s surprising.” Menie shrugs.

  Moments ter, the second twin slides the same drink I had before towards me. “Here’s your drink, by the way,” she says with a smile.

  That’s a nice gesture for her part, but I can’t help myself but push the alcoholic beverage away, earning a slight frown from Miltia. “I don’t really drink. I just ordered it because I didn’t want to waste the card.”

  “You don’t drink? Are you aware of where you are?” Menie asks incredulously.

  I force a smile, though my ears fold in embarrassment. “Yeah, I am. I was pretty much dragged here without much choice in the matter. I’d rather be at home sleeping or watching TV, but Neo wanted me to come to this club and meet our bosses.”

  There is a momentary silence before Menie fshes a knowing smile to her sister. I can even see a glint in her green eyes.

  “What do you think, sister? Should we have some fun?”

  “I would love to, sister. It’s not every day an opportunity finds itself to get back at that bitch.”

  Their small talk makes me wonder what caused this bad blood between them and Neo, besides her terrible attitude inside the nightclub. It is a mere curiosity on my part.

  And what are they pnning exactly? Hopefully, nothing bad. I don’t want trouble, but I doubt they would start something since they have been polite so far.

  “You kinda lost me…” I reply with both hands up in surrender.

  However, Miltia takes that opportunity to grab my left hand gently and pull me up from my seat.

  “I will help you to find your way, then.” She says with a sultry tone, completely taking me by surprise.

  Before I can even utter a word, Miltia grabs my left hand and pulls me towards the dance floor. As soon as we step onto the floor, she snaps her fingers, and in a surprising coincidence, the music changes, and the lights start fshing in a mesmerizing pattern, creating an entirely different atmosphere.

  The energy in the room is palpable, and people are going wild with excitement. They are dancing with abandon, throwing their hands in the air, and shouting at the top of their lungs, all while enjoying the pulsing beats of the music.

  I am the only one who stands out like a sore spot, remaining like a statue and looking at everyone in confusion. An awkward moment that doesn’t st as Miltia grabs my hands and starts guiding me to the rhythm of the music, occasionally having me give a spin.

  She continues to guide me through the dance floor, and I soon find myself letting go of my reservations and just enjoying the moment. I start to move with more confidence and even attempt a few dance moves that I never thought I was capable of.

  Unironically, I think I am a quick learner.

  I don’t pay much attention to the time, but I notice the music gradually slowing down, and with it, the energy of the crowd. Coincidentally, it is the time where couples around us start getting close to each other. And some take it to the extreme and shamelessly suck each other’s faces.

  I roll my eyes and turn my attention back to the twin, who suddenly appears very close to me. She wraps her arms around my neck, pulling me closer for a few seconds before releasing her grip. She doesn’t stop there and turns around and leans dangerously close.

  I don’t know what game she is trying to py, but I won’t back down. After all, Neo enjoys teasing me. Without hesitation, I wrap my arms around her waist and pull her even closer, a wry smile forming on my lips.

  If she is inviting, then I will gdly take her up on her offer.

  Except my hands never even get the chance to go lower than her waistline as she elbows my chest and breaks away, except she doesn’t express anger or disgust but a pyful yet provoking smile. “Aren’t you an eager one?”

  I shake my head with a chuckle.

  Just as I open my mouth to reply, my first companion comes into the scene, butting in between Miltia and myself with puppy eyes, pretending to be hurt.

  My head tilts to the left in confusion, but also curiosity.

  “Do you mind?” Miltia scowls.

  However, like many times, Neo merely gives her a zy sidelong gnce and loses all interest, turning her full attention on me. An action that clearly infuriates my dancing partner but holds herself from shing out, yet I can see she is murdering the ice-cream girl many times over with her gaze.

  “You want to dance with me?”

  The mute girl nods.

  Her honesty causes me to furrow my eyebrows as I contempte my options. Both girls are… fun partners, but stupidly enough I have more… and very likely, mispced trust in Neo than Miltia or Menie. I just met them after all. Also, I took into consideration that I will be seeing this crazy girl the following days and there is a high chance she will hold a grudge over something this petty.

  I’m certain there are other reasons, but these main ones suffice to make my decision and take Neo’s hand, accepting*** her invitation.

  [Affection with (Neo Politan) increased by 3, 11/100]?Her smile widens as she takes me to a different part of the dance floor, but not before turning around and sticking her tongue out at the other sister, who responds by flipping her off.

  Funnily enough, as we walk away, a guy tries to approach Miltia but doesn’t get a chance to utter a couple of words before she knocks him over and leaves the dance floor with an ugly expression.

  Neo merely giggles and wraps her arms around me, pulling me close for a few moments before pushing me away with a daring smirk and starts dancing, or what I think is dancing because, unlike Miltia, she is very wild with her movements. Shaking her head to the beat and her hair flying everywhere with no care in the world.

  It’s a bit awkward being Neo’s dance partner, but fortunately, the other club-goers are too engrossed in their own little worlds to pay attention to us. As the music picks up again, Neo’s movements become even more energetic and unpredictable, and I struggle to keep up with her. She grabs my hand, twirls me around, and pulls me back in, her body pressed tightly against mine. Her head gently resting on my chest as her mismatched eyes lock onto mine, and her smug smile spread across her features.

  Goddamnit, my tail is moving on its own again.

  It doesn’t take long before Neo grabs my hands and leads me off the dance floor to a rge table on the side where a rge group of friends are seated. As soon as they catch sight of Neo’s murderous gre, they quickly scatter, leaving behind their drinks on the table.

  Neo takes full advantage of this gift and begins sampling each drink, discarding the ones she doesn’t like by throwing them off the table. She seems to be completely oblivious to the fact that the drinks are served in gss cups, causing them to shatter into millions of pieces and spill all over the floor.

  Junior’s men are going to be pissed when it is cleaning time.

  As I take a quick gnce around me, I find the twins gring daggers at us, though it’s likely that their anger is directed more towards Neo than me. At least, I hope so.Not wanting to leave Neo to her drinking game alone, I summon my favorite drink and crack open the can of Pepsi. Even though it’s absurdly expensive, I can’t deny how delicious and addictive it is, especially when it’s ice cold.

  After chugging down my drink, I crumple the can in my hand and follow Neo’s lead, tossing it onto the floor.

  Moments ter, my scroll begins to ring, and I shoot a questioning eyebrow at Neo, who maintains her typical smug attitude as she sips on her new drink. I roll my eyes at her and check my messages.

  ‘Don’t fool with the twins. Their mom will turn you into a rug.’

  I choke on my own saliva for a second before looking at Neo in surprise. “I didn’t pn to… who is their mom? And why do you think I would want to do something with them?”

  I didn’t pn on doing anything… overboard with them, but still. Miltia was inviting me to go a bit further. I’m innocent.

  Neo shakes her head in amusement and points at my scroll, which I promptly check as the next message arrives.

  ‘One of the strongest and ruthless gang leaders of Mistral and a very over protective mom too. And I saw you trying to grab her daughter’s sweet ass.’

  I drop my scroll and cover my red face in shame. “Fuck me…”

  Neo is already by my side and pats my back to comfort me, but with a sidelong gnce, I can tell she is having fun at my expense. But a moment of being made fun of is much better than becoming a rug.

  However, my self-deprecating thoughts come to a halt when I feel gentle rubs on my ears, causing my head to instinctively lower for easier access. So I just sigh and let it happen, besides it feels soothing.

  Something I need right now.

  “Up up, our drive is waiting outside. Time to leave.” I jolt awake from my bliss by Roman’s cpping hands and his demanding tone.

  Neo pouts and looks rather annoyed at the thief, who quickly calms her down with a pyful head pat and she repeats the same action with me.

  “Do I get paid for overtime? This is ter than my usual hours, you know?” I reply with a cheeky smile.

  But sleeping te won’t affect me since tomorrow is Sunday and I don’t work that day.

  Roman smirks and uses his cane to carefully lift my chin to meet his dark green eyes. “How could I forget my always reliable and hardworking kitten? But I know you are such a dedicated member of our dysfunctional family that you can easily pull extra hours out of the kindness of your heart, can’t you?”

  I roll my eyes at his clear mockery, but don’t retort. I merely stand up from my seat and stretch my neck.

  Neo doesn’t stay very long and leaves along with Roman.

  However, he stops and turns around.

  “Before I forget…” He reaches under his jacket and pulls out a rather thick package, which casually throws it in my direction.

  I’m quick to catch it with one hand and watch it disappear the second I touch it.

  [9000 lien added to your inventory.]?No overtime pay, but sure as hell, this makes up for it.

  I should give in to a small temptation or upgrade my arsenal.

  Decisions, decisions.

  ***I'm not really one of putting music/soundtrack in my stories, (especially this one with this universe where they don't speak portuguese) but I've put this song in particur but it was what inspired me to write that scene with Neo and the wild nature of dancing without any care. Which this very old song actually about, letting go and having fun. Also very popur back in the day, pyed everywhere, from kids parties to full on nightclubs. Probably readers from SA will remember it fondly like I do.