Chapter 59
After wrapping up the request and returning to the District 27 office, Max reminded himself of reality once again.
“I made it back alive!”
He had only been gone for three days, but it felt like months had passed.
Pour──.
He filled a cup to the brim with cold water from the water purifier and gulped it down.
He talked too much while explaining the request to Meredith. Since Usagi was on the taciturn side, it was inevitable that Max spent a long time rambling.
“Hah! I feel alive!”
Quenching his thirst, he slumped into his computer chair.
He put on a random animal documentary on the computer to make some noise and chase away the silence, and popped a Lollipop into his mouth.
Once again, it was the symbol of good luck, Melon Flavor.
'It’s nice, but… did Ellen only leave behind Melon Flavor?’
He thought as he rolled the candy around in his mouth. In this job, good luck had followed him in many ways, starting with his partner.
Hadn’t he finished the Association-Designated Request with only minor injuries, when it usually forced him to walk a tightrope between life and death?
If the Melon Flavor candy he ate right before leaving for the request had a hand in creating this stroke of luck, then he owed Ellen a lot.
'She’s just a total good luck charm.’
Just think of that psycho bastard Chris Garland. He had faced a 5th-Tier Bladesman whose very eyes were filled with madness, and still returned with all his limbs intact.
Could a Mercenary and a Mage ask for any greater luck than this?
“I need to enjoy this hard-earned rest to the fullest.”
Max decided to forget all about requests and everything else for a little while.
He would empty his mind and wash it out with burden-free, idle thoughts.
“…”
His schedule was completely empty until it was time to go look at the new office.
He blankly watched the documentary playing on the computer. Penguins were waddling about frivolously.
─ The emperor penguin is the largest species of penguin, and is the image that comes to mind when you think of a penguin character.
─ These guys have an incredible obsession with child-rearing, but the concept is quite different from what we would call paternal or maternal love.
“If a penguin got contaminated by some weird chemicals, would it grow as big as that crocodile in the sewer back then?”
As he zoned out and watched the penguins waddling around, the headache caused by his circuit overload seemed to subside a little.
─ Kweeeek! Kweek!
The penguin in the video gulped down a fish.
‘I’m hungry.’
Feeling a sudden pang of hunger himself, Max got up from his chair to find some food.
He acted on instinct.
He had eaten the meal provided by the Association at the Safe House, but that was breakfast.
It was now 2 PM.
His body was starting to clamor for the nutrients needed for recovery.
“Hmm, is there anything to eat in the office besides candy and Energy Jelly?”
He opened the Refrigerator to fill his stomach with jelly for the time being, only to find the space that should have been empty was completely full.
“Huh? This is?”
Taking it out, he saw it was the side dish Container Flora always brought. It wasn’t empty; it was packed with side dishes.
She must have dropped it off while he was out at the request.
“My god.”
What a Younger Sibling to be thankful for! His mouth was already watering.
But he couldn’t eat it just like this. Delicious side dishes needed rice to be perfect.
'Is there any instant rice left? I’ll probably have to go out and buy some.’
He remembered polishing off the last instant rice the day before the request.
As Max opened the shelf just in case, his eyes widened.
“!”
The shelf was packed tightly with instant rice, and not just white rice, but brown rice and mixed grain rice.
Because of the steep price difference, even though he knew they were good for his health, things Max hadn’t bought remained unbought.
Because they were so neatly organized, it seemed Flora had bought them.
“Wow, how do I repay this?”
It wasn’t a matter of price, but of heart. He felt like he might suffocate from being so moved by Flora’s sincerity.
Vrrrr──.
Watching the instant rice spin round and round inside the microwave, he came to a realization.
“The common talk floating around the internet always tells only children not to fantasize about having a younger sister.”
Everyone who actually had a younger sister said so.
Since Max’s own Family relationships were a mess, he had just assumed that was often the case and moved on, but now he knew the truth.
“More than half of it was a lie!”
Some of those who arrogantly declared the existence of a younger sister to be an abyss weren’t genuinely denying a happy, fulfilling relationship.
They were definitely just jumping on the bandwagon and joking around.
··
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Max had filled his stomach, taken a nap in his bedding that carried an unidentifiable sweet scent, and woken up.
Flora arrived at the office before Ellen.
“Oppa. I’m here.”
It was a rare occurrence for Flora to arrive faster than Ellen.
Most of the time, they either came in bumping shoulders, or Ellen was slightly faster.
“Welcome. Doesn’t it feel like it’s been a while?”
“Yeah. It’s strange. Your body is okay, right?”
“Like I said, I don’t have any major injuries. Just a few scratches. That’s it.”
As Max emphasized his problem-free physical condition, Flora let out a sigh of relief.
“Oh, right. When did you drop off the side dishes?”
“Ah, I had some business nearby, so I stopped by briefly yesterday. Since Oppa registered my fingerprint and all…”
Flora’s eyes brushed past Max’s Personal Space and returned.
“And the instant rice? Did you put that in yesterday too?”
“Yeah. I was resting in the office for a bit and thought of it… I got a few different kinds. Is that okay?”
“Of course. I’m trying to figure out how to repay you for this.”
“R-Repayment isn’t necessary…”
Max was expressing his gratitude to Flora and enjoying the peacefulness.
Ellen burst into the office as if accompanied by an electric current, huffing and puffing as she vented her anger.
“Oppa, listen to this! This crazy Girl threw one of my shoes onto the top of the subway train!”
“When did I do that? Do you have proof?”
As Flora coyly feigned ignorance, Ellen jumped up and down in place, radiating frustration.
Her horns, charged with electric current, flashed brightly.
“Wow! Seriously, you should quit being a Mage and take up acting. Feigning ignorance at that level is practically an art form.”
“You’re the one who ran off with my sunglasses in the first place. Did you not think you’d get paid back after pulling a stunt like that?”
The sight of the two of them growling at each other gave Max the realization that he had regained his daily life.
After Bickering for a good while, they finished by swiftly turning their heads away from each other, just like always.
Ellen shot a brief glare at Flora before welcoming Max.
The order seemed a bit backward, but it was something that had to be done anyway.
“Oppa. You came back with all your limbs intact from this request too. You’re healthy, right?”
“Of course. I’m healthy.”
“Then that’s good! By the way…”
Ellen dragged out the end of her sentence and strode right up to Max.
She brought her face close enough to exchange breaths, locking eyes with him.
Just as a startled Flora was about to yank on Ellen’s horns, Ellen reacted questioningly and backed away from Max.
“Hmm, I guess not this time?”
“…Guess what’s not?”
“I was wondering if Oppa would go up to the 6th-Tier after coming back from this request.”
Ellen’s guess wasn’t without a basis.
Whenever Max went on a request, he always came back having gone up a tier.
But there was a reason for this. From the 5th-Tier onward, you couldn’t just go up like that.
“Even so, that’s impossible.”
“Oh please, as if what you’ve shown us so far wasn’t impossible?”
“Let’s just get ready to go look at the office.”
Max vaguely brushed off the situation and grabbed his coat.
Ellen tossed her bag onto the sofa and headed for the restroom, saying she just needed to fix her messy hair.
Flora didn’t miss the perfectly timed opening.
“Oppa. Do you have a second?”
“Yeah?”
“Um…”
“Is something wrong?”
Seeing his Younger Sibling biting her lip and hesitating, Max showed his concern.
Flora took a deep Breath, made her decision, and delivered the news.
“Grandfather said he wanted to meet you once.”
“Grandfather? If it’s Flora’s grandfather…”
“He is currently serving as the Temporary Clan Head of Crimsonhowl.”
Max knew this too. The Current Family Head of the Magic Noble Family Crimson Howl was Eisen Crimsonhowl.
To begin with, there were very few people in Haze who didn’t know the name “Eisen Crimsonhowl”.
They just hadn’t seen him in Person.
Snapping back to his senses, Max immediately nodded.
“I’ll get ready. What’s the date?”
Refusal wasn’t an option here. This was basically a notification.
Would a lowly 5th-Tier Mercenary refuse when the Family Head of a Magic Noble Family calls for him? That is synonymous with asking to be killed. It is just a death wish.
Flora’s expression was grim because she knew the coercive nature of this situation.
“He told me to just ask first if you have an intention to meet. He said he needs to look at his schedule to decide.”
“Since he’s such a busy Person, I’d like to say that it would be my utmost honor if he just called me.”
“Got it! I’ll pass it on…!”
Honestly, he had a guess as to why he wanted to see him, but no certainty.
So while there was a terrifying aspect to it, deep in Max’s heart, there was also a curiosity to meet a powerhouse classified as a Sky of Haze.
As Max let out a long Breath of tension, Flora urgently added more words.
“I’m sure it won’t be anything bad!”
“Thanks. Was my tension that obvious?”
“…A l-little?”
Finding Flora’s reaction cute, Max felt his tension melting away.
Right after a brief silence.
A soundless laugh passed between Max and Flora.
Ellen, having finished fixing her bangs, came out of the restroom.
“Let’s go look at the office!”
Click!
Max locked the office and walked down the stairs.
The conversation between the three didn’t stop even as they headed to catch the subway.
“Oh, right. Oppa.”
“What is it?”
Ellen poked Max’s side with her elbow, a sly smirk on her lips.
“How was this request? Was the Person who played your wife pretty?”
What kind of answer would Max give to Ellen’s curiosity?
Flora, too, subtly leaned in to listen.