Chapter 58
“Once the Office Relocation is done, I’d like you to send the address to Usagi.”
“…Pardon?”
Meredith turned around from the passenger seat to look at Usagi.
When she gave her a questioning look, Usagi reacted by avoiding her gaze, seemingly flustered. She kept silent, neither refuting nor denying Max’s words.
‘Wait, what’s with these two?’
Meredith felt an intense cognitive dissonance.
Even in the Mercenary industry, a face was a skill and a weapon.
When one thought of a Mercenary, a fierce, scar-filled, rough mug might seem best, but once martial prowess crossed a certain threshold, being handsome or pretty was the best, just like in any other field.
And among the mercenaries who came to mind when talking about looks, Usagi was exceptionally beautiful.
She was the Mercenary with the highest number of information requests submitted to the Association by fellow mercenaries she met on requests or by Personal Request clients, and she was also an iron-willed woman who had rejected every single request without a second thought.
“But what is this situation…”
Since Meredith didn’t know the inside story, she couldn’t make a hasty judgment.
However, it seemed certain that the relationship between Max and Usagi was not ordinary.
“This is worth keeping an eye on.”
Regardless of how it was on Max’s end, it was definitely the first time Usagi had shown such a demeanor.
Meredith quickly grabbed hold of her senses and gave her answer.
“As Max-nim requested… once the Office Relocation is finished, I will deliver the address to Usagi-nim.”
Meredith gave her answer and checked the rearview mirror.
She caught sight of Usagi fidgeting restlessly.
Before long, the city’s dawn receded, and sunlight peeked through the buildings.
It was the morning of the third day since Max had set out on the request.
The car, which had been running down the road without rest, finally came to a stop.
“This is the place.”
The Association’s Safe House, located in the District 40s, was a two-story Commercial Building.
The first floor had a shabby sign hanging that read [Custom Commercial Aquariums]. A faded phone number and haphazardly stacked materials gave it a plausible exterior.
However, with the lights off, it gave off a strong impression that it was not open for business.
Right next door, a closed android Strip Bar flaunted its presence like an eyesore, catching their attention.
He didn’t know how anyone could have thought to do business in such a doomed location, but the one thing he liked was that the Commercial Building itself came with an underground parking lot where they could hide the vehicle.
“Let’s head up.”
Meredith, having stepped out of the car, guided Max and Usagi to the second floor, then raised her finger to unlock the door with her fingerprint.
Beep-beep!
The interior of the second floor was an ordinary home that felt lived-in.
The Doctor and employees sent by the Association were waiting. The Employee who had helped dye Max and Usagi’s hair could also be seen.
“You’ve arrived. I will take a look at your injuries first.”
A man wearing a white coat approached while fiddling with pitch-black goggles, and Max immediately unwrapped his bandages to show the wound.
“I did receive first aid. But please take a look just in case.”
As the Doctor put on the black goggles, lines of red code scrolled past.
It seemed to be a medical device for diagnosis.
He raised his left prosthetic arm and created a light at his fingertips to observe the wound in detail.
“Did you receive any injections or take any medication during the first aid?”
“No.”
“Any medications you regularly administer or take?”
“None of those either.”
At Max’s answer, the code in the Doctor’s goggles flowed in reverse.
The mechanical fingers hid the light.
“I don’t know which Doctor did this, but their skill isn’t bad. However, the sutures, medicine, bandages, and even the powder-type hemostatic agent are all cheap products.”
“It’s probably because I got it done in a hurry in the District 60s.”
“Aha, then that must have been the best they could do over there. It does show that they paid some attention to hygiene.”
Saying he would redo the parts that could be touched up, the Doctor hurried his preparations with the assistance of an Association Employee.
Meredith set up her tablet on the dining table and immediately got to work. She couldn’t discuss the request during the treatment, after all.
The remaining Association Employee carefully approached the spacing-out Usagi.
“Usagi-nim? I will help you with your dye first.”
“Ah, before that, I need to make a quick call…”
“Then I will be waiting.”
Usagi grabbed her Smartphone and headed to an empty room. She closed the door and called Emmaus Medical Center to check on her Younger Sibling’s condition.
Through the nurse, she meticulously checked for any unusual occurrences - whether there had been any seizures while she couldn’t answer the phone, what his condition was, and whether there had been any intruders at the Hospital - before transferring the call to her Younger Sibling’s Hospital Room.
─ huh? Older Sister!
At Ryuji’s voice, a smile spread across Usagi’s lips.
After continuing the small talk by asking if he had slept well and hadn’t been a picky eater at breakfast, Usagi threw out the most important question.
“Did any strange people come looking for you again?”
Based on Ryuji’s answer, it seemed the Psychokinetic hadn’t visited.
That was a relief.
“Older Sister should be able to go there by this afternoon at the earliest, or tomorrow at the latest… Yeah. Is there anything you want to eat or need?”
Even if she wanted to drag out the call, she knew the Association employees were waiting outside.
“Older Sister will call again. If you’re sleepy, get some more rest.”
When Usagi finished the call with Ryuji with minimal communication and came out of the room, Max was also putting on his clothes, having just finished his additional treatment.
The Doctor left with one Association Employee, and the remaining employees moved busily.
“I will guide you.”
Following the employees' guidance, Max and Usagi entered the room and sat on the chairs.
The hair dye was quickly prepared.
It was time for Max, who had silver hair, and Usagi, who had become a pink rabbit, to return to black hair.
“Please make yourselves comfortable.”
They slathered the dye on.
As the pleasant touch continued, Max began to doze off in his chair, perhaps still fatigued from his injuries and Mana Exhaustion.
“We will wait like this for 30 minutes.”
Meredith walked into the room the employees had exited, holding her tablet.
But perhaps she hadn’t expected Max to be dozing off. She stood still and blinked her eyes.
“It seems this isn’t the right situation to talk.”
“Do not wake him. If there is information you need, I will answer.”
Meredith’s eyes turned to Usagi.
Under the gaze filled with various assessments, Usagi flinched and trembled, but this time she didn’t avoid it.
“Usagi-nim.”
“Mhm.”
Meredith hesitated for a long time before swallowing her words and shaking her head.
The sentence that had just risen to the tip of her tongue was nothing more than personal curiosity. It wasn’t an area where she could interfere and dictate things under the name of the Bohemian Mercenary Association.
She had almost made the mistake of crossing the line, intoxicated by her own interest.
“…It’s nothing. I will see you later when the dyeing is finished.”
Meredith left the room just like that, and Usagi quietly observed the dozing Max.
* * *
Minerva Academy’s lunch break was from 11 aM to 2 PM.
Because there was quite a bit of free time, it wasn’t just for eating lunch, but was also recognized as a time for the heirs of corporations or families to build friendships.
It was about building relationships that were better described as connections rather than friendships.
Of course, there were also people who had absolutely no interest in that sort of thing.
A prime example was Ellen Clements.
She was sitting alone in a high-end restaurant, wearing headphones and focusing on her Smartphone.
“Hm?”
A message from Max arrived for Ellen, who was replenishing her protein with a massive steak while watching anime.
[Candy Addict: Everything’s done now, heading to the office.]
[Candy Addict: Thinking of resting a bit and then going to see the office we’re moving to this afternoon. Come along if you’re interested.]
There had been no news since the message saying it ended safely, but a reply had finally come.
Ellen typed away with the corners of her mouth raised.
“Hah! Is he saying he wants to bring the Signboard Beauty along to bewitch the Broker? This Oppa is a master of haggling, huh.”
When she sent the message just like that, a dry reply came back.
[Candy Addict: If you’re busy or tired, you don’t have to come in.]
“Tch.”
At the boring reply, Ellen chewed up her meat in one bite and stood up from her seat.
The moment Ellen clicked her tongue sullenly, the chefs and employees tensed up immensely, but fortunately, it wasn’t an issue with the food.
Having finished paying, Ellen waved lightly at the lined-up employees.
“Thanks for the meal~”
“““Thank you!”””
Leaving the employees' booming greetings behind, Ellen walked toward the Academy.
If she bought a coffee and headed back like this, it would be perfect.
“Eh?”
Familiar red hair caught the eye of Ellen, who had been walking straight ahead. Even with a ton of Academy students around, it was an exceptionally striking appearance.
Their eyes met.
Before Ellen could even make a gesture to ignore her, Flora whipped her head away. Ellen had meant to turn away first, but she was too late.
“Look at the attitude on that Girl.”
She thought about just ignoring her and walking past, but Flora’s expression was so stiffly frozen compared to usual that it was quite a sight, sparking her curiosity.
She approached and spoke up while ordering coffee from the machine.
“Is someone chasing you with a knife? Why’s your face like that?”
“Father said he wants to see Oppa once.”
At Ellen’s curiosity, Flora meekly revealed the reason.
A subtle boastfulness was mixed in with her worry, leaving Ellen dumbfounded. Thanks to that, a good response came to mind.
“My mom said she wants to see Oppa once too, though.”
“…What?”
“Just kidding.”
As Ellen giggled, anger surfaced on Flora’s face.
The cadets waiting for their drinks read the room and hurriedly backed away in droves.
“Someone is seriously worried here… Are you really crazy?”
“Crazy my foot, if I tell my mom how Oppa has changed, she’ll probably say she wants to see him, won’t she?”
“…Oppa is a busy Person. Don’t bother him.”
Flora and Ellen’s gazes clashed fiercely. Flora knew there actually was a high possibility of that happening, which made her care even more.
She didn’t even care about the cadets whispering around her.
[Your iced Americano is ready.]
Taking the coffee handed over by the robot, Ellen smirked and cut through the cadets who were making way for her.
“Hey! Answer me!”
Flora followed Ellen to get a definite answer.
The Academy cadets began to raise their volume gradually once the two had gone far away.
─ did you hear that? My ears aren’t broken, right?
─ meeting the families? Could this be…
─ if the reporters hear this, it’s a scoop they’d foam at the mouth over! The landscape of Haze will──.
And that day came.
The keyword “marriage meeting” was added to the rumors about Flora Crimsonhowl and Ellen Clements.