Chapter 11: As the saying goes: A girl chasing a boy

　"..." x2

　　The two of them were walking on the street, like good friends who had just finished shopping at the night market and were about to go home... Ah, considering their gender, maybe they were a boyfriend and girlfriend~ But the girl's expression was a little stiff, maybe because she encountered something embarrassing during the date just now? - Many people subconsciously judged this way.

　　However, other people probably would not have thought that the two people who were leisurely taking a walk here had just killed someone. After all, they did not look like murderers or assassins, but more like foreign tourists who came here to travel.

　　As for why the girl's expression was so stiff, it was naturally because she was struggling with how to start the conversation next... To be honest, it was okay for such an honest girl like her to kill someone, but she really didn't know how to find a topic...

　　"Pah—"

　　Just when the girl was still worrying about what to talk about, she heard a slight sound again. She moved her eyes slightly and saw him eating candy again.

　　She then opened her mouth and said

　　"Eating candy again?"

　　"...Um."

　　"You've eaten too much. The sweet smell on your body can no longer be covered. This is not a good habit...and be careful of tooth decay."

　　"...Um."

　　She was making small talk - he could sense it clearly, he could even notice from the corner of his eye that the girl's stiff expression turned a little red after she said that... It seemed that she also thought what she had just said was strange.

　　She had never been like this before - he was a little confused. Although they had always cared about each other after a mission or when they were resting, they would never say such "weird" words.

　　"Pah—"

　　While thinking, he subconsciously opened the candy box and fed himself another candy.

　　"Can I try it?"

　　As the girl spoke, she reached out towards the candy box in his hand.

　　"To be honest, I like sweets, so I want to try it."

　　It was as if she was explaining to him why she was doing this.

　　"If it tastes good, I'll buy one for RIN too. She likes it too."

　　As if she was worried, she added one more sentence at the end.

　　"Crack!"

　　However, whether it was because of the girl's behavior or some words that violated the taboo, he slammed the lid of the candy box and put it in the inner pocket of his clothes. He even stepped back half a step cautiously, looking very "protective of his food".

　　"..."

　　This made the girl's movements freeze, and even her already stiff expression was about to break.

　　Another mistake - the girl realized this and felt anxious and frustrated... She really doesn't know how to do this!

　　"Sorry" x2

　　The two spoke almost at the same time and then were stunned at the same time.

　　She was sorry for her sudden strange behavior, and he was apologetic for his overreaction.

　　"Pfft...haha..." x2

　　Soon, both of them laughed softly, obviously understanding why the other was apologizing, and the atmosphere relaxed from the previous weird awkwardness.

　　If you think about it carefully, the two are not only colleagues, comrades-in-arms, and partners, but also friends.

　　Getting along with friends doesn't need to be so troublesome.

　　Well... although there are still some unique emotions in certain things, such as... shyness?

　　"..."

　　She shook her head, seeming a little helpless, her long pink hair fluttering, bringing with it a faint floral scent. She sighed slightly in her heart and pressed the invitation that was difficult to say deep in her heart.

　　"…This is for you."

　　He hesitated for a moment as if he had figured something out, then he took out a bag of candy from another inner pocket of his clothes and put it in her hand.

　　"And...I'm sorry."

　　He apologized for his overreaction just now, and this bag of candy was both a gift to her and an apology.

　　"...Thanks?"

　　She didn't know what to say for a moment and responded in a confused manner.

　　After receiving the answer, he seemed to be slightly relieved and his body relaxed.

　　'What... So you are the same' the girl thought so in her heart when she saw him like this, with the corners of her mouth slightly raised.

　　As he moved his fingers lightly, the small bag of sugar gave him a slightly delicate touch. It didn't seem like the kind of sugar that someone like him would carry or buy. The light pink color also seemed to indicate that this bag was special.

　　Pull the string at the end of the candy bar, take out a candy wrapped in candy paper, twist the two sides of the candy paper with your fingers, gently pull it outwards, and then open it, you can see a white star lying quietly inside.

　　When you hold it in your mouth, you can feel the sweetness gradually spreading in your mouth.

　　To be honest, it's quite ordinary, with no special taste, just a simple "sweet" taste, similar to the feeling of holding a piece of rock candy in your mouth.

　　But she unexpectedly thought it tasted pretty good.

　　"It's delicious."

　　She smiled slightly and responded to him.

　　A faint floral scent came with her words, but now it had a faint sweetness.

　　"As long as you like it."

　　"I think RIN will like it too. I'll buy some for her when I go back."

　　"...Um."

　　"..."

　　Nothing to say again.

　　The embarrassment that had just dissipated seemed to be spreading again.

　　Ah...it turns out to be too difficult to ask her to find topics to talk about.

　　"If you have anything to say, you can just say it."

　　Seeing that they were almost back to the hotel, the girl still had that conflicted look on her face, as if she had something to say but didn't know how to say it, he whispered.

　　"Have you run into any difficulties? Or is there anything you need help with?"

　　"Ah? Ah... No, it's just... uh..."

　　The girl was stunned. She didn't feel good about being seen through. After all, it made her embarrassed. Finally, after hesitating for a while, she sighed, as if she had let go of her boring shame, and said.

　　"I just wanted to ask if you have time later..."

　　"Yes, is there anything I can help you with?"

　　When he's not on a mission, he's usually training, so in a sense he's actually very idle - she should know this.

　　"No, just...if you're free, can we go out together?"

　　After she finished speaking, she hurriedly added another sentence.

　　"That's what RIN said. After all, you helped us a lot. RIN said she wanted to thank you so she wanted me to take her to the amusement park with you."

　　She spoke quickly, as if in a hurry to explain.

　　"Isn't it RIN who wants to go?"

　　"Ah? Uh... yeah! Yes..."

　　Listening to her somewhat absent-minded response, he began to doubt whether she had heard what he said clearly.

　　So he swallowed the words that were about to come out of his mouth, "Then you two can go," and changed his words.

　　" May I know, when?"

　　"...I'll message you later."

　　"good."

　　He nodded and pushed open the door of the suite where they were to rest temporarily. The girl followed him into the room, locked the door, and fastened the chain hanging on the side.

　　"Click…"

　　Just as she was locking the door, she heard the sound of the door closing again. She turned around and found that he had walked into his own room, seemingly preparing to rest.

　　The living room seemed very quiet as if she was the only one there.

　　However, this kind of environment made her feel more comfortable. She enjoyed this peaceful atmosphere and even felt happy because she had achieved her intended goal.

　　She walked briskly but silently towards her room, ready to rest.

　　The living room fell into silence as if no one lived there.

　　...And inside the room...

　　"Mission accomplished? As expected, it's you two who are responsible for this... You're quick and efficient."

　　The person on the other end of the communication said with a smile.

　　"Should we say it is worthy of our [Golden Signboard]? Wang?"

　　"..."

　　"Alright, alright. I know you don't like to talk nonsense with me. As soon as I saw it was you who called, I knew what I should do... As for the bounty, I will process it for you as soon as the client transfers the money. It's still the same account, right?"

　　"Um."

　　"That's fine... You can also take a break after this mission. There haven't been any big targets lately, so you don't need to take action. If nothing unexpected happens, you will have a short vacation. How about it? Do you have any plans? I got a ticket for Eden's concert, so I plan to go to Mu Continent."

　　"you..."

　　"Oh, forget it... I know it must be training again, right? And I know you don't like to hear me nagging... Can't you just chat with me like Al? I thought we were friends."

　　"I..."

　　"Hmm? You're still here... You seem to be in a good mood today~ What's wrong? Is there anything happy? Like finding your old friend or something?"

　　"You talk too much."

　　Xi Wang's voice turned cold in an instant.

　　"Okay~ I'm sorry for touching your sore spot, sorry~"

　　The other party apologized casually and did not seem to be reflecting on his behavior at all.

　　"Tell me, do you need me for something? I'll talk to Al then."

　　"...Can you still get tickets for Eden's concert?"

　　"Oh? Why are you interested in this?"

　　The other party suddenly became interested and asked curiously.

　　"I'm going to hang out with people afterward."

　　"Oh...it's Sakura, right?"

　　"...Um."

　　"That's great! I originally thought you were a dead wood, gloomy all day long, but I didn't expect you to be so smart now..."

　　"?"

　　"Don't worry about that. We can get the tickets. After all, we still have some connections and can help you get a good seat."

　　"appreciate."

　　Xi Wang responded sincerely. After all, the other party was right about one thing—they were still "friends".

　　"Also... I've run out of candy, please give me some more."

　　"Huh? So soon? Eat less, and be careful of tooth decay... Is it the special one? You have to wait for a while for that one, you know?"

　　"No, just normal ones."

　　"Is that so...Okay, I got it. When the time comes, you can go to the safe house at this (encrypted coordinates) location to get it. It's not far from your home."

　　"appreciate"

　　"It's okay, it's okay. After all, this is what I do in logistics... Oh, by the way, there will be two of you going there, right? Do you need me to arrange the hotel, transportation, and travel guide? I have some good recommendations. You can pay with your card directly, and I will reimburse you for the expenses! By the way, remember to buy some gifts for each other..."

　　Without paying any more attention to the other party's nonsense, Xiwang simply hung up the phone.

　　"..."

　　He remained silent, staring blankly in the direction of the other room for a while, then looked down at the small notebook on the table - this was the hotel's notebook, and there were some scattered things written on it, and judging from the format, it was a bit like a diary.

　　[■■ month 2, 36 stars, mission completed (a long summary of the mission process and some fragmentary descriptions of the scenery and buildings), finally invited to play together, have to make time to wait for Sakura's invitation...]

　　At this point, Xiwang paused, opened the terminal, searched for Eden's latest concert time, and then continued to write at the end.

　　[There is a concert on the evening of the 15th, remember to tell RIN in advance. ]

　　Xi Wang stopped writing here, glanced at it casually, and then tore off the paper along with the page with the words on the back, and then lit it with a lighter.

　　"..."

　　He stared blankly at the burning flames, as if he was thinking about something, or as if he was thinking about nothing, and looked dazed.

　　When the flames burned out, Xi Wang seemed to come to his senses. He swept the ashes into the palm of his hand, took out the candy box, poured out candy, and then poured the candy and the ashes into his mouth.

　　Today it is 37.

　　Xi Wang slightly corrected the recorded number in his mind, then slowly walked to the bed and slowly lay down on the ground next to the bed - there was a place for rest that he had newly made.

　　As if he was still not used to it, he turned sideways again, curled up slightly, and stared at the candy box and the short blade wrapped in cloth placed beside him, which were shrouded by the shadow of the bed, in a daze.

　　Both things are very close to me and I can reach them by just moving my arms slightly, so there is no need to worry about any accidents.

　　I eat more and more...

　　Xi Wang thought so while feeling the sweetness mixed with a strange taste in his mouth.

　　But he didn't care.

　　He just felt the sweetness carefully, closed his eyes, and slowly fell asleep.

　　...In another room...

　　"Well... yes, mission accomplished."

　　The girl named Sakura said to the other end of the line.

　　"Well done, as fast as usual, you are worthy of it."

　　A familiar voice, familiar compliments, this is how every call starts.

　　"So...what's the status of our [Swords]?"

　　"very good."

　　"Oh? Nothing unusual? Still as stable as before?"

　　"Um."

　　"Really? That's a pity."

　　The other party seemed a little disappointed but didn't seem to care much and quickly returned to the original topic.

　　"The bounty will be processed and transferred to you after the customer calls. Is it still the same account? As for the next period of time, you can have a good rest. Of course, if you are short of money, I can also give you a few more tasks. After all, you still have a family to take care of~"

　　"...No."

　　"Go back to see your sister? That's fine, after all, you haven't been back for a while..."

　　"You talk too much."

　　"But you have to listen to me. I am your boss."

　　The other party said something that deserved a beating.

　　"And you don't have to be so vigilant. After all, we promised to protect your sister as long as you join us, and your information will be kept confidential... We keep our word, so as long as you don't defect, you and your sister will be fine."

　　It's called protection, but in fact, it's just surveillance, right?

　　Sakura knew this very well, but she had no choice... RIN was her only family and her only weakness.

　　"So... do I need to give you a mission? [Forget-me-not]?"

　　The other party said faintly.

　　"...No, please invite me to go out and play later."

　　"Oh? You didn't tell me about this in advance?"

　　"I should have rested for the rest of the time."

　　"Haha...it seems like I'm being too nosy. Have fun. Come to me if you need help~"

　　The other party quickly hung up the call.

　"...well."

　　Sakura looked at the hung-up call, then stared blankly in the direction of the other room for a while, and finally could only sigh.

　　Buzz——

　　There was a slight prompt tone coming from the terminal. It was the special prompt tone that Sakura set for her sister. When she opened the terminal, she found the message that RIN had sent her.

　　■■Month 3rd 0:04

　　RIN: Is your sister asleep?

　　SAKURA: Not yet. I'm getting ready to go to bed. But RIN, why are you still awake so late?

　　RIN: Hehe, of course, I miss my sister~

　　SAKURA: Really? Don't worry, I'll be back in a few days.

　　RIN: Is the business trip with Brother Wang over?

　　SAKURA: Yeah.

　　RIN: So... how's the progress? I saw that my sister always went on business trips with my brother Wang, so how come you guys haven't made any progress at all?

　　RIN: What about the method I gave to my sister? Did it work? The book says it is very useful! But my sister is stupid, and she became even stupider after meeting Brother Wang. I don't know if she will use it.

　　RIN: But you are so beautiful, I think Wang Ge (TL: 'Ge' is like a brother in Chinese)must have been fascinated by you for a long time, right? He is just too shy to speak up. If you give him a little push, Wang Ge will confess his love to you!

　　RIN: It's said in the book that girls become stupid after falling in love, will my sister become stupid by then? But don't worry, let me and brother Wang take care of my sister together!

　　RIN: ...Sister? Are you asleep?

　　However, in reality, Sakura's face was completely red at the moment, and it was unclear whether it was because she was shy or because she was angry with her sister.

　　■■Month 3rd 0:12

　　Sakura: Shut up! Go to sleep!

　　Sakura: Also, don't read those weird books anymore! They made me so embarrassed that I almost died!

　　RIN: Eh? Sister, did you do it? What about Brother Wang? How did you respond? Did you agree?

　　SAKURA:...

　　Sakura: I told him you wanted to go to the amusement park with him, and he agreed.

　　RIN:...

　　RIN: My sister is so timid...so lame.

　　Sakura: Go to sleep! Otherwise, I will sell all those weird books of yours when I get back!

　　After sending this sentence with some embarrassment, Sakura closed the terminal, put the long sword wrapped in cloth under the pillow, and then lay on the bed, staring at the pure white ceiling in a daze.

　　"Amusement park...?"

　　Placing her hand on her chest, Sakura murmured to herself, feeling her breathing and heartbeat gradually steadying.

　　"Maybe... it's an opportunity..."

　　Gradually, I fell asleep.

　　...Communication from somewhere unknown...

　　"Hello? Al, it's me. [Knife] is still the same today, but he's going to go out and play with [Sheath] during his break later."

　　"Well, I also learned about this from [Sheath]. Let them go. It would be best if we could give them some help during the journey so that they can live more comfortably."

　　"Al, I don't quite understand why you want to put restrictions on [Knife]. Is it because he is not loyal enough?"

　　"Of course, it's not enough. There is something that has been staying in his heart. We have to find a way to erase it. At the very least, we have to replace it with our people or people we can control. Otherwise, a [knife] that cannot be fully controlled is too dangerous, especially when this [knife] is so sharp... Don't you see that even though the amount of [drugs] taken by the [knife] has been increasing, many of our related methods do not affect him?"

　　"Is that why you want to add the [Scabbard]... But can it replace it?"

　　"Of course. Time will wash away everything, and the feelings generated by long-term companionship will slowly settle. With the addition of a prepared environment and a little push, the budding feelings we expect will eventually grow. This outing of [Knife] and [Scabbard] is the best proof of this."

　　"I see. I hope this method will work... By the way, Al, I have some clues about the matter you asked me to investigate. There was indeed a major incident in North America, an incident that caused huge casualties. It should not be a natural disaster as those old liar politicians said, but some more unreasonable danger."

　　"Normal. Those idiots love to lie to their people. I look forward to the day when they deceive themselves."

　　"Also, they seem to have formed a separate organization to deal with the dangers mentioned earlier. Perhaps we should also get involved. I have a feeling that this organization will be key in the future."

　　"Okay, I still trust your vision. After cleaning up another group of [those guys] this time, we can become stronger and it's time to gain some say... Hey, why don't we just let [Dao] go over there? I think some of [those guys] should be in there. When [Dao] gets to know them, interesting things will definitely happen."

　　"Don't be too greedy, Al. Although the salami tactic is useful, the [Knife] may know about the [Island]. It must not be exposed to the outside world, and it is not a place we can get involved in. Otherwise, we will only suffer crazy revenge from [those guys], and we can't withstand it... at least not now."

　　"I will. At the very least, you'll be there to remind me, right?"

　　"I won't save you every time... Oh, and there's one more thing."

　　"Um?"

　　"[Blade] needs two tickets for Eden's concert. Go get them for him. He and [Sheath] need them for their date. The concert is on the evening of the 15th of this month."

　　"Huh? That Eden concert? On the 15th of this month? It's already the 2nd... no, the 3rd! All the tickets have been booked. Where are you going to get them?!"

　　"I don't care about that. After all, you said you wanted to make them live more comfortably."

　　"I remember you have one there. Give it to him first, and I'll find a way to get another one."

　　"No, because I want to go too."

　　"I (expletive)..."