Million Dollar Bill Volume 1 Chapter 3

A chain was hanging down from the center of a gla.s.s ceiling. The light from the spiral chandelier dangling from the end of the chain filled the room.

This room, which far exceeded 40 square feet, showed a different side compared to a reception room in a luxurious residence.

A reception room is a place that's supposed to show the owner's public interest and perspective to a certain degree. Rodney Franklin's serious face was contained within this room.

Life-sized nutcracker toy soldiers were lined up against the wall and all sorts of large animal plush dolls were gathered further in the room as if they were being protected by the nutcrackers.

In the center of the large pile of dolls was a pink, circular bed. The conqueror of this ridiculous kingdom was enshrined on top of the bed.

Pink-gold pajamas with an excessive amount of frills. Due to the sudden visitation, his cheeks were a reddish pink. His heavy, wavy, blonde hair fluttered as he welcomed Bryshere Gray.

“You're late! Do you know how long I've waited?!”

The owner of the residence puffed out his cheeks as he sulked.

‘What bad taste.'

Before apologizing, Gray brooded about the house owner's taste and bizarreness as soon as he entered the room. Trying to understand the tastes of rich people and their descendants was impossible. This was the conclusion which Gray had come to.

Of course, Gray was also a part of the Million Dollar Round Table, however, his business went bankrupt because he had poured all of his savings into alchemy. Even if he still had his wealth, the client sitting before him would still be richer than when Gray was a businessman.

Even if he wasn't the child of a government official, he was still an illegitimate child from the Franklin family who owned several banks. Even though Rodney, excluding Aretha Franklin, possessed the least amount of wealth among the siblings, he was a man of wealth that could compare to Million Dollar Round Table VVIPs and the Celebrities. Anyone would probably become jealous if they knew this.

“I apologize.”

It had been a long time since he last received a job. Celebrities were reluctant to hire him since he used a Fund that was close to being taboo. Not only did Gray, who was treated like a stray bullet, become a target of fear to the other Fund Managers, but he also wasn't able to gather enough funds because of this.

As he had an immediate need for money, having his commission canceled due to his client's whim would only lead to him missing out on a rare opportunity to earn a lot of money. He had to be polite and give an answer which his client would accept.

Gray continued while rubbing the back of his head which still felt sore due to the shock transferred to him by his clone's death.

“I killed her, but she came back to life.”

A heavy German teddy bear was the only thing that came flying at him in response. With a smile on its face, the teddy bear smacked against Gray's face before falling to the floor.

‘Did I say something wrong···?'

He had protruding muscles that stuck out from even under his pajamas and his facial features looked so delicate and young that they didn't fit his physique at all. Bizarrely, his voice and behavior were like that of an infallible teenager. A bratty one at that.

“How could a person that doesn't die possibly exist? If you killed her, then she should be dead, right?! Kill her again! Kill her a bunch in front of Rodney!”

Were these the genuine feelings this older brother had towards his half-sister? Gray gazed at Rodney in silence.

A single cold sweat went down his neck. A target that comes back to life when killed.

Bryshere Gray wasn't an a.s.sa.s.sin, but he had killed every single one of his targets without exception.

He had used many different methods to kill his targets. Shooting, strangulation, crus.h.i.+ng, poisoning, and slaughtering. He used whatever means necessary. There was no enemy that could stand against an infinite number of pursuers.

There was a time he had ma.s.sacred a bunch of townsfolk who were getting in the way of a railway opening and another time where he had gotten through very heavy security in order to break into a politician's house and kill his target. He also left behind no witnesses. No one could possibly survive a human-wave strategy. He was confident in his ability.

However, it was his first time meeting a target that could come back to life after being killed.

“I understand.”

His target was a Flasko. A monster that came back to life after being shot in the heart and scattered into little pieces of meat under the fire of a Gatling gun.

That wasn't similar to regeneration. It felt like even the term resurrection wasn't enough to name the phenomena of death itself being turned back as if it had never happened.

“If you can't kill her, then lock her up. If you can't lock her up, then put some weights on her and throw her into the ocean. I don't care what you do. If it means you can stop that d.a.m.ned Indian from getting the inheritance, then you can do whatever you want.”

Gray answered saying that he would.

“I'm a pitiable b.a.s.t.a.r.d child that didn't inherit even an ounce of talent when it comes to alchemy. If strong people like you don't do your job properly despite having been paid, then I wouldn't be able to get anything done.”

Rodney sobbed.

“I'll work hard according to how much I'm paid.”

Gray recalled the strike that had destroyed his clone's brain. His clone had died the instant he realized he was. .h.i.t, so he was unable to find out who the a.s.sailant was. If the Flasko is being helped by someone, then there shouldn't be a problem with receiving an extra fee.

Never mind, let's not mention that. After thinking about it for a second, Gray quietly shook his head. If he were to mention an additional fee, then there's a chance that the timid Rodney would go through the Celebrity whom Gray works for and hire a different Fund Manager. As he was in an immediate need for cash, he wanted to avoid having his job taken away from him.

“Aretha is definitely going to aim for the will and come here to Omaha. Find her and bring her to me.”

“Isn't it fine if I kill her on my own?”

“I've changed my mind. You said you couldn't kill her anyway. I want to see for myself.”

Gray smiled bitterly.

“To a certain degree, I'm also a professional, so it's rather saddening if you say something like that.”

“Are you disobeying me?”

“Nonsense. I'm simply acting on the terms I was first contracted under.”

Rodney nervously chewed on his manicured nail, but Gray paid him no mind.

“Then I'll be leaving.”

Gray turned his back to Rodney and walked away. Rodney threw another doll. Gray didn't turn around.

“Pardon me.”

The maid standing absentmindedly at the door was startled by Gray's approach and hastily got out of his way. Gray apologetically nodded at the maid before swiftly leaving.

∗∗∗

Rodney Franklin's gaze quietly followed Gray's shadow.

Gray didn't grant an object with a solid form value but did it to his own shadow instead and turned it into a Fund.

The distortion his Fund, Fifty Shades, controlled was coexistence. It was a Fund that was capable of creating an infinite number of controllable clones. Clones that were a direct copy of the human exclusiveness that was embedded in the world's will.

Even though Gray's job was to kill people, he never worked at night. He becomes helpless whenever the sun goes down and his shadow disappears.

His specialty was a human-wave tactic, so he attracted attention regardless of whether it was morning or night, but the fact that he wasn't capable of a.s.sa.s.sination made it incredibly frustrating for Rodney, the client.

“He didn't notice, did he···?”

Rodney lowered his head and looked down at his shoes. A silver b.u.t.terfly was fixed on top of each pair of black high heels.

The Fund which his mother, who had been abandoned by his father for not giving birth to a girl, secretly gave to him, ‘Madam b.u.t.terfly (Miss Tavárez's b.u.t.terfly Shoes)‘. This was Rodney's hidden card.

It was unquestionably weaker than the powerful alchemy used by each respective Fund Manager of the Million Dollar Round Table, but Rodney used its ability to its fullest.

Before the will was delivered to Aretha and the inheritance was reported on the newspapers, all of the half-brothers gathered in order to decide who was going to try and get rid of Aretha first.

Different from the other brothers who were going to decide the order based on how violent their method was going to be, Rodney reminded them of a non-existent promise that he should be allowed to go first since he was the weakest among the brothers.

After resolving the matter peacefully, Rodney was given the authority to hunt Aretha before his brothers.

After this, Rodney went to meet one of the Celebrities of the Million Dollar Round Table. Due to their immense strength, the Celebrity had been indulging in a cheesecake with no guards accompanying them. Within less than a minute, the Celebrity recalled a non-existent memory of a 10-year-old friends.h.i.+p and became childhood friends with Rodney.

The Celebrity promised to send the perfect subordinate to slaughter Aretha.

Getting rid of the inheritor and slaughtering a Flasko. The two came to a mutual understanding under the same goal.

Madam b.u.t.terfly had the power to remove doubt. It was an ability that was capable of making the opposition believe in everything said to them. Rodney's brothers let him go first and the Celebrity believed Rodney was their childhood friend because of these shoes' powers.

“The weak have their own way of doing things.”

If he himself lacked in strength, then he had to fight by borrowing the strength of the strong. He had to twist his enemies around his fingers through wisdom and intrigue.

An illegitimate child that didn't inherit the Franklin family's alchemy. Rodney lived his entire life in disgrace.

It didn't require that much talent to create a powerful fund. Anyone could make a powerful Fund as long as they had enough money. However, you must have a being that's big enough for the Fund in order to control it freely. The principle of New World alchemy may be simple, but money wasn't enough to utilize a power that could stand a chance against Old World alchemy.

His being was much too small to control a powerful Fund. The only thing he could use was Madam b.u.t.terfly, which he had a high affinity with since his biological mother had bequeathed it to him, but he had naturally kept this fact a secret from everyone. Borrowing his father's words, Rodney was a ‘defective product'.

That wasn't the end to Rodney's misery.

Rodney's father loved his daughter to an absurd degree.

He never even glanced at his sons. Rodney's mother, who became his father's mistress due to the sole reason that a Flasko had been born in her bloodline before, was abandoned once she couldn't give birth to a daughter.

This past of his made Rodney envy females. Even after he found out that his father only wanted a daughter because females were the only ones that could become Flaskos, Rodney's envy and yearning towards females didn't stop.

‘I have to become pretty. I have to become girlish.'

These were the thoughts that supported Rodney's life. For the sole reason of not wanting to be abandoned, Rodney's mother dressed Rodney up as a girl and presented him to her husband as one, but that resulted in her being kicked out once he saw through her lie; however, her aspiration was still alive and breathing within Rodney's heart.

The desire to be loved by his father and the guilt he felt towards his mother for having been born a boy which, as a result, caused her to be tossed out. Rodney expressed these emotions in his life through cross-dressing and his girly tastes.

To be exact, cross-dressing and having girly tastes were all there was to it until Aretha Franklin appeared.

“I can't forgive that woman.”

The woman who had appeared out of the blue and s.n.a.t.c.hed up all of his father's inheritance. To his other siblings, she was probably just an obstacle standing in the path between them and the inheritance, but to Rodney, she was a figure of hatred.

Despite also being the child of a mistress like Rodney, she had stolen all of the love that his father had stored up throughout his entire life.

This was what Rodney's half-sister meant to him.

“I'll definitely kill her.”

Rodney's face was filled with resolve as he stood in front of a mirror. In order to beat Aretha, he had to become more beautiful and more ruthless. Rodney had decided to use everything at his disposal in order to take on this fight.

‘It would be great if at least you were able to receive your father's love.'

Those were the final words his mother left behind before she was forced to leave. Ever since the day his mother was banished, Rodney's life goal was to receive his father's love.

He didn't want much. She had simply basked in something that normal people enjoy on a day-to-day basis, but to Rodney, Aretha Franklin had taken everything from him.

“I'll steal it from her. I won't let a girl like you have it.”

The bit of masculinity which he could still see in his own reflection felt like an eyesore to Rodney.

Nevertheless, Rodney didn't doubt for even a second that he was one day going to become loveable like the silver b.u.t.terflies on the shoes which his mother had pa.s.sed down to him.

As Rodney believed that the only obstacle in his path was going to disappear soon and that the day he truly proves to everyone that he's the perfect ‘daughter' to receive his father's love wasn't far off, these thoughts made his body faintly tremble.

“Come to me, Aretha.”

Rodney glared at the street at the bottom of the hill where the festival was in full swing.

∗∗∗

Before a certain two railroad companies merged and gave birth to a transcontinental railroad company, a true transcontinental railroad that connected the east coast with the west didn't exist. Both the people traveling from the west coast to the east coast and the people traveling from the east coast to the west coast all had to transfer trains in Omaha once in order to reach their destination.

However, once the two companies merged, this inconvenience was removed. Traveling from coast to coast became possible and you only had to buy a single ticket each time.

After the Union Army won the Civil War, the north and south combined politically. Politicians referred to this as the first integration.

In addition, the two railways connecting in Omaha. This second integration was seen as the west and the east coming together as one, economically and culturally.

The east and west, north and south, became one.

The government of the state of Nebraska turned this day into a holiday in celebration of this historical moment of the two railroads coming together.

This was the festival that's carried out during the last week of August every year in the city of Omaha, Nebraska, in order to celebrate the United States of America becoming one, ‘Unification Festival'. The entire city was in a festive mood.
(TL note: Changed ‘Connection Festival' to ‘Unification Festival')

There was a man wearing shorts and suspenders and a woman wearing a white, shoulderless blouse and a skirt. People wearing these festive traditional German outfits walked past Gray while humming folk songs.

“This is why I wanted to take care of this before she got to Omaha.”

The sound of accordions echoed throughout the street. Gray absentmindedly made his way through the crowds of people who were spectating the festival.

Gray predicted that in order to collect the wills, Aretha would start by, out of the 5 cities, coming to this city first since it was the closest to Sacramento.

However, Gray knew that there would be too many witnesses if he killed her here in Omaha during the Unification Festival.

He had placed a clone in every train leaving Sacramento so that he could find Aretha and, afterward, a.s.saulted the train she was in as it was headed to Omaha in order to carry out his job as secretly and quickly as possible.

Nevertheless, Gray thought it was a good thing that the first time he a.s.saulted Aretha wasn't here in Omaha. He could have accidentally revealed the existence of a Flasko to the whole world. If he did, then that would go against the order he was given by the Celebrity.

“I need information on Flaskos.”

Ray continued to think after having left the mansion. Even within the Million Dollar Round Table, there's no one who knows that much about Flaskos. That's because, excluding a certain missing, old Fund Manager, no one had ever researched them.

Gray tried to recall the person's name, but he couldn't. It was an incredibly familiar name to him, but nothing came to mind.

Gray shook the thought away. Trying to remember a name wasn't what was important right now.

He remembered seeing some papers about them in the reference room of the Million Dollar Round Table, but his rating wasn't high enough to even approach that section of the library. He wanted to ask a Fund Manager with a higher rating in order to learn about what was on those sheets of paper, but after recalling that the Celebrities instructed everyone to never talk about Flaskos, Gray pushed that idea aside.

The order given by the Celebrity who had sent Gray to Rodney was, ‘Slaughter Aretha Franklin'. A premise like, ‘If you can't kill her' never existed in the first place. There was no other way to interpret a Celebrity's order.

If he couldn't kill Aretha Franklin, then he had to think of some other way to erase her from the world. Not some simple method like imprisoning her or making her sink to the bottom of the sea like what Rodney had suggested, but a method that could erase her existence with certainty.

“Do I have to use ‘that'? But···.”

Gray knew of a method that could erase a person's existence even without killing them. If getting rid of someone was the definition of murder, then this was the most certain murder method.

However, in order to use ‘that', Gray's life would also be in grave danger.

Gray shook away the last method that came to his head. He had to avoid anything that had an excessive amount of risk. He had to survive for the sake of his little sister, Sasha, who was suffering from a chronic illness.

For now, he had to give a report. Gray entered an empty alleyway after he came to that decision. He decided to ask the Celebrity if there was another method after he finishes giving his report.

Gray took out a canteen filled with water and got down on one knee. With his right hand, he pulled out a handful of seeds from his pocket. The water from his canteen soaked into the ground. Gray poked a hole in the now softened dirt, dropped the seeds in the hole, and covered the hole with dirt. A few seconds later, a vine started to grow from where the seeds were planted.

Gray picked up a long stick that was nearby and stabbed it into the ground. The vine climbed up the stick in an instant and bloomed into a flower.

It was a morning glory. The number '01' and the seven letters which read ‘NO SOUND' were written in white on the edge of the purple flower petals.

Chinese Lover (Dead Painter's Secret Affair). This was a Common Fund that was created by granting value to a bunch of flower seeds and was used for communication purposes.

[You're late. This isn't like you.]

Like the horn of a gramophone, a voice came out from inside of the flower. The voice sounded ambiguous, so it was hard to discern their gender. A Celebrity was talking to Gray through the morning glory from someplace else in the United States of America.

“It's true that I am having a difficult time with this job.”

While still on one knee, Gray talked into the flower.

[It's fine. There's no issue with your ability. If anything, the fact that you weren't able to kill her is the biggest proof of the youngest child of the Franklin family being truly a Flasko.]

“Then the reason you sent me here was to simply confirm that···.”

Gray smiled bitterly. He couldn't fathom whether this Celebrity trusted him or not.

[Mm, that's one way to look at it. This is an important job, after all.]

Gray took a deep breath and settled his nerves. He had no other choice but to accept the fact that this was all the value he had to this Celebrity and to the Million Dollar Round Table.

[But I have high expectations for you. Your Fund, Fifty Shades, is one of the very few Funds that can ‘get rid of a Flasko' even if it can't kill them.]

Gray realized that this Celebrity had sent him here knowing that he couldn't kill Aretha. In addition, it was also for the sake of imposing a choice on him.

Gray bit his lips strongly. A different method never existed in the first place.

He had messed up. He ended up being used. Nevertheless, he couldn't avoid this job. Gray needed the money. He had no other choice but to make the choice.

“···Please allow me to use Extreme Bounds of Nature Alchemy.”

Gray uttered those words as if he were squeezing them out of his throat.

[Oh, can you handle it?]

Gray barely managed to suppress the swear words that were about to come out of his mouth. He thought this Celebrity, who knew this was going to happen from the very beginning and was trying to deceive him by acting worried, was despicable.

[If a Hedge Fund breaks away from the bounds of nature, then you won't be able to ignore the recoil, you know? There's a chance you'll turn into a ‘Default'.]

The risk wasn't high enough to make Gray abandon the large reward money. Gray made his resolve.

“It's all right. I can do it.”

The Celebrity chuckled quietly beyond the morning glory.

[You made the right choice. You're different from that cross-dressing idiot in Omaha. Seriously, you're a great older brother.]

The cross-dressing idiot in Omaha. He was probably referring to Rodney Franklin who he had met a little earlier. The Celebrity had addressed Gray's weakness once more.

“After this job is over, I wish to see my little sister.”

[Of course. If you carry out this job well.]

Gray fell silent for a moment. He didn't think the Celebrity would accept his request this easily. He recalled the face of his little sister who was currently admitted in a hospital. The last time he had seen her was last winter.

Gray and his little sister were from a royal family in England. Old World alchemy was a narrow door that didn't open for people who didn't have an innate ability. As Gray didn't meet the expectations of the people around him since he was a part of a lineage that produced talented alchemists most of the time, he was kicked out of the house and his little sister followed Gray over to the United States of America.

Having given up on alchemy, Gray started a business and ran down the road to success while using the money he had stolen from his family as capital. Gray didn't hold anything back and utilized his aggressive, strategic mind which eventually led him into becoming a millionaire.

However, temptation approached him at that moment. He ended up making contact with New World alchemy through an acquaintance of his in the Million Dollar Round Table. It had principles that were incomparably simpler than Old World alchemy. As long as you had enough money, you could acquire an immense power.

The few elite Old World alchemists disregarded New World alchemy as a materialistic power that relied on money. Gray had done so as well in the past.

However, to a person like Gray who had lived his entire life with an inferiority complex, he couldn't miss out on an opportunity to achieve his dream.

Gray withdrew the million dollars which he had earned through his company. He then extracted the value from that money and granted it to his own shadow.

As a result, he obtained an alchemic power that was unfathomably close to the boundaries of being considered taboo. The power to meddle in the exclusiveness of man. A good number of restrictions were placed on him and his relations.h.i.+ps with his business partners became estranged since he had devoted everything to alchemy, so by the time he had come back to his senses, he was already penniless. To make things worse, his little sister, Sasha, had a relapse and wound up having to receive treatment in a hospital that belonged to a Million Dollar Round Table Celebrity.

Gray had no other choice but to take dirty jobs in order to earn enough money to pay for her treatment.

‘It would be great if something like alchemy never existed in the first place.'

Once a value has been granted to a Fund, it cannot be returned. If Gray didn't have a lingering attachment to alchemy, then he could have paid for Sasha's hospital bills. Gray regretted his choice immensely.

[Then let's begin. You have the Weed, right?]

The Celebrity's question pulled Gray away from his thoughts and back to reality.

“Yes. Of course.”

Gray pulled out a silver container with fancy engravings on it from his bag. The cylindrical container was nearly the same size as a finger. It was a storage container called ‘Tubo'.

Gray turned the head of the tube and opened it, revealing a crude, brown object. It was a cigarette holder. Gray grabbed the holder and pulled out a cigar from the Tubo. The band around the cigarette holder had a symbol that represented the Million Dollar Round Table and the number ‘420' printed on it.

A long time ago, when the ancestors of mankind were kicked out of Eden, they grafted the branch from the tree of life, which they had brought with them, and took the leaves from it to create cigars. The cigar that was currently in Gray's hand was a cigar made from those very leaves.

It's only temporary, but this cigar had the power to give the person who smoked it Extreme Bounds of Nature Alchemy abilities which allowed the users to distort the laws of nature immensely.

[Have you never felt like taking a puff of that in secret?]

Gray shook his head. Just absorbing the power of the leaves wasn't enough. Using Extreme Bounds of Nature Alchemy without permission meant the user would cease to exist.

“No matter how low my rating may be compared to yours, I know very well that doing something like that without a Deserter's Stigma would be suicidal.”

[Naturally, there's no way that a Gold Member wouldn't know something as fundamental as that.]

The Celebrity sounded sarcastic, but Gray ignored it and brought the cigar close to the morning glory. A red aura reached out from the morning glory like a bunch of threads and wrapped around the cigar before tracing the shape of the Million Dollar Round Table symbol printed on the cigar band and creating a circle.

Once Gray pulled the cigar away from the flower, the red lines that were forming a circle began to create a complicated shape within the circle.

By the time the red aura had finished moving, a completely different symbol had replaced the original emblem. Despite staring at that glowing, red symbol, Gray couldn't figure out what the detailed shape was supposed to be.

“This is···.”

[Yup. That's a Deserter's Stigma. This is your first time seeing it, right?]

This stigma was the mercy given by G.o.d to the first murderer. This symbol, which was engraved onto Cain's forehead, relieved him from harm and was pa.s.sed down onto the foreheads of his descendants. A mysterious symbol which humans couldn't possibly conceive or draw was engraved into the cigar.

[Not only is it a copy, but I'm only lending it to you temporarily, so you won't be able to use it for a long time. Still, it was carved onto the skin of a fellow who had a lot of Cain's blood flowing through them, so you should be able to use it for at least 15 minutes.]

Breaking away from the bounds of nature causes an equally large counterreaction. However, the Deserter's Stigma was capable of partially protecting the user from the counterreaction of the world's will.

“That's enough.”

Gray put the cigar back into the container. With this, he was now fully prepared to use Extreme Bounds of Nature Alchemy. A complicated emotion was cast over Gray's face.

He should have noticed from the beginning. Who knew this job would contain this much risk.

[Then I'll be looking forward to seeing the result. Is there anything more you want to know? I'm in a really good mood right now, so I feel like I could answer any questions you might have.]

Gray hesitated for a moment. His little sister, Sasha's face hung in front of him.

“Sasha··· Is Sasha doing well?”

[Naturally. The treatment is going well. She should be waking up soon. I'll visit her tomorrow and tell her that she'll be able to see her brother soon.]

Gray smiled. There was nothing to be afraid of. He just has to do what he usually does and get rid of his target. The thought that he was going to be able to see Sasha soon lifted his spirits.

[You have to kill a little sister who wasn't loved for the sake of your own sister whom you love. The world is full of tragedies.]

The Celebrity spoke mockingly.

Gray nodded. He had no other way to earn the immense sum required to pay for the treatment to return Sasha back to normal. If it were for Sasha's sake, Gray was confident that he could kill anyone while whistling. Of course, he wouldn't be killing his target this time. To be exact, he was simply going to ‘erase' her.

[Remember. Even if Rodney decides to spare Aretha's life on a whim, you have to kill her anyway. Don't forget that the erasure of a Flasko is more important than that guy's emotional ups and downs.]

The morning glory continued.

[The only reason we're taking action this time is in order to quietly take care of the Flas...o...b..fore the Old World alchemists notice that she exists. Refrain from taking actions that attract a lot of attention. A pitiful girl who had died after getting caught up in the Franklin family's battle for inheritance. That's the appropriate setting for the protagonist of this story. Not ‘a Flasko who was a.s.sa.s.sinated'.]

The morning glory closed itself before Gray could even respond. The flower and vine completely withered away in a matter of a few seconds.

Gray stood up and brushed the dirt off his knees.

It was amusing. To tell the person known as One Man Band to refrain from taking actions that ‘attract a lot of attention'.

“Of course, it isn't impossible.”

If you considered how the clones created by Fifty Shades moved according to Gray's will, they were the perfect subordinates.

Although Gray enjoyed overwhelming his opponents with sheer numbers, he was also capable of carrying out his job quietly if necessary.

He put the cigar back into the Tubo and closed the cap. Once he put the container back in his pocket, it felt heavier than before.

Even though there should only be one cigar. Gray smiled bitterly.

“Find Aretha Franklin.”

After receiving Gray's order, the big and small clones that were born from his shadow scattered in every direction. His face went back to looking like that of a cold murderer as he searched for his prey through the eyes of his clones.

∗∗∗

“Is this really a good idea?”

I did my best to push aside my anxiety as I questioned Ray.

“Are you saying that my idea isn't trustworthy?”

A blunt voice came from beyond a layer of leather.

“No, that's not what···.”

“Then be quiet. I don't want to seem like an insane person who talks to their bag.”

After hearing Ray's annoyed voice, I turned my head, which had been rolling around inside of the bag, back into a pile of money. It was rather comforting to know that I just had to endure a little longer before I could get out of this bag.

So what am I doing right now?

Obviously, we're in the middle of trying to infiltrate a bank.

What's the easiest way into a vault?

By turning myself into money.

∗∗∗

⎯Several hours ago⎯

The streets of Omaha were bustling with life. The last day of August. The finale of the Unification Festival was approaching. The street vendors had thriving businesses during the afternoon and the people who had slept in started to gather on the streets in order to either enjoy the snacks or watch the parade.

As one might expect, the music flowing through the streets was mostly German folk songs. I could see several people wearing festal costumes here and there with mugs of beer in their hands. I felt parched, but I didn't intend to drink alcohol today.

“Ueh, what's that?”

The sign Aretha pointed at in bewilderment belonged to a street vendor selling fried bull t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es. That's a specialty from Wisconsin which is on the northeastern side of the country, so why is it being sold here in Omaha which is in the middle of the United States of America?

“Bull t.e.s.t.i.c.l.es. How about trying some if you're curious?”

“Everyone! This person is s.e.xually hara.s.sing me! This man is infringing upon the human rights of a weak minority!”

“What, no. All I did was say that you should try some since it's a unique type of food.”

“I won't accept it! If you don't show me your sincerity, then I'll go in front of a bunch of people and tell them you're a shameless man who hara.s.ses women and young children!”

Aretha folded her arms and stood in front of me. What kind of sincerity is she expecting from me?

“I'll overlook this incident if you get me a baked potato with gravy and a lollipop.”

Aretha let out a small snort. What a tiresome girl. She could have just asked for them.

I obediently accepted Aretha's demands. We reached a peaceful agreement.

“Are you all enjoying yourselves?”

Once Aretha started eating away at her potato, Ray slipped through the crowd and returned to us. He had some chocolate-covered marshmallows on a stick and an apple tart in both of his hands. It seems his sweet tooth had gotten the best of him again.

“You're eating again when you're always eating that marshmallow of yours?

“It's even better when you eat it together with chocolate.”

“Where'd you get that?”

Aretha asked with a lollipop in her mouth. Ray pointed at a shop on the corner of a building that was a block away. It wasn't long before Aretha was coming back to us from across the block with both of her cheeks stuffed like that of a chipmunk's.

“Back when she was trying to hire me by using her inheritance as bait, the way she pretended to be drunk and tried to charm me reminded me of a fox, but she's acting like some teenage girl today. Seriously, I can't get a handle on her.”

After hearing my comment, Ray chuckled with his back turned towards Aretha who was walking to us from a fair distance away.

“That's a good thing. It's proof that, contrary to you, she still has her innocence. She might be like that because she grew up in a Native American village. You also like that side of hers, don't you? She has something you don't, after all.”

My face turned red instantly. What is he talking about?

“Well, that's what I dislike the most, though. I hate irrational things, after all.”

With a bitter look on his face, Ray commented as he adjusted his colored gla.s.ses.

“What do you mean by ‘that'? What are you saying all of a sudden?”

“I'll tell you why you're attracted to Aretha. You back away whenever despair approaches you and you cope with it by talking as if it's the problem of someone far away, but, on the other hand, Aretha grew up in a simple and optimistic environment, so she manages to overcome her despairs. She's much braver than you are.”

If she were rational, then she wouldn't be that optimistic. Additionally, you're also irrational for getting ensnared by her.

Ray added.

I felt more and more embarra.s.sed as his words continued to hit the mark and I wound up biting my tongue.

“Don't get the wrong idea! Aretha and I have a strictly employer-employee⎯”

“Oh, your face is red. Good luck with that country b.u.mpkin girl, you poor has-been.”

Ray was definitely looking at me as he spoke; however, I discovered that Aretha's face was redder than usual as she stood right behind Ray.

“Who are you calling a hick, you grease head!”

Aretha shouted from behind Ray.

Aah, did she hear everything? How much did she hear? Isn't this the perfect situation for a misunderstanding to happen? I won't do something amateurish like bear secret emotions towards my own employer.

“What's wrong with my hair?! If you don't choose your next words carefully, then I could buy out the rural area you grew up in, you know?! I'll turn it into a vacation spot for white people!”

Ray got upset as he was really sensitive about his hair.

“Wow! I'm actually half white, so that means I can vacation there for half the price, right?! Right?!”

Aretha got worked up and rattled on. Just how boring of a neighborhood did she live in to make her want it to be redeveloped this badly?

“Except everything you receive will also be halved. If you order a lime Mojito, then we'll only give you the lime. If you order some roasted herb chicken, then we'll only roast the herb and give that to you.”

“How do you expect me to live off of only herbs?!”

“If you have any complaints, then pay the full price for the members.h.i.+p. Do you have enough money?”

“I'm the heiress of the Franklin family!”

“But you don't have any money right now.”

“Mm, it can't be helped, then. How much are you going to pay me for the 6.4 square meters of land I own in the village? Additionally, it's the chieftain's backyard which is in the very center of the village!”

“You're going to hold out on me?!”

“Fufu, don't underestimate us civilized natives!”

“I heard that you guys have substantial and circular views on life, so you live your lives with no possessions! How about living like an actual native for a change?!”

“Huh? I'm an uncivilized native, so I don't know hard words like that.”

“You just said you were civilized! How poorly were you raised? My G.o.d. The Democratic-Republican Party! The ‘destiny' which you had advocated gave birth to this terrible mixed-blood!”

Their conversation became heated. Pieces of food covered in saliva flew through the air. Ray was so worked up that he was seriously debating whether he should purchase the land or not. It seems he had forgotten that Aretha's hometown is an autonomous region which even the government couldn't touch.

Haa. Is it really fine for us to be messing around like this when we're in the middle of enemy territory? Even now, Rodney could be looking down at us from the mansion on top of the hill located in the center of downtown.

How do I know Rodney's exact address? I didn't have to do something like gathering information since the name “Rodney” was written in huge, cute letters on a large rainbow structure built next to the mansion that was visible from even here.

Using the knowledge I had gathered back during the days I used to spend time and money in high society, I was certain that Rodney Franklin was a jumbled oddball who was a self-absorbed show-off with childish tastes and had a strange, morbid s.e.xual perversion towards children.

Nevertheless, what are we doing here when we know that we're in a dangerous spot? Well, to put it simply, it's because we have nothing else to do, so we have no other choice. We have to spend our time doing something. It may be safe to just wait for the sun to set, but that would be boring.

“Look! The parade has started!”

Aretha raised her voice and cheered.

The sound of drums and tubas shook the street. I could see a marching band advancing forward through the gap the people had stepped aside in order for to make. The skewed sash hanging off of the conductor's shoulder at the front of the band bounced around rhythmically.

A choir followed behind the conductor, but I couldn't make out the lyrics of the song they were singing. Circus performers were mixed into the parade here and there and were enthusiastically performing acrobatics. The clowns, dancers, and even the citizens that were spectating, everyone was excited.

Oh right, I have to explain why we're waiting until the evening.

The reason is really simple. It's because Bryshere Gray, who is the biggest threat to both Aretha and us, loses his powers at night. There's no reason for us to go out of our way to try and retrieve the will at a potentially dangerous time.

⎯be it an heiress or a Flasko, neither are allowed to exist. That was their order. Please do not resent me for this⎯

Gray clearly mentioned the word ‘heiress'; therefore, there was a high chance that one of Aretha's half-siblings was behind this, and, by extension, there was a chance that Gray also knows we're aiming for the will. We're pa.s.sing the time far away from the bank because we figured that Gray would have set up his clones around the bank.

While hiding among the ma.s.ses, we planned to wait like this until the bank was 10 minutes away from closing. It was the time of the year where the days were shorter. The bank was still open even after the sun had set. We were going to move once it did. There were 3 votes in favor of my idea to pa.s.s the time by acting like normal, parade-enjoying citizens and revel in the festival naturally.

“Oh right, what am I thinking? There's that ‘thing' I've been keeping an eye on since a while ago. I'm going to go check on it for a bit. Don't worry, I'll be back before our promised time.”

“What?”

However, that was under the premise that we would always act as a group and not separately since that would make us perfect targets for an ambush.

Before I could even stop him, Ray left me and Aretha behind as he slipped through the crowd of people and disappeared! What is he thinking?! d.a.m.n it, I should have predicted something like this would happen when he said that he had business here in Omaha.

“Then it's going to just be the two of us, huh?”

Aretha's pink eyes looked up at me. Where did the sandwich in her hand come from?

The situation that I feared the most wound up happening. An unfamiliar city, a festival, and the two of us alone.

For it to just be the two of us. What an easily misunderstood line.

“Don't go wandering around somewhere. Stay quiet and stick next to me. We can't lower our guards while the sun is still up.”

Once Aretha sulked, her soft lips moved dynamically. I don't know why, but I suddenly had a craving for something soft and sweet after looking at her lips. I s.n.a.t.c.hed one of the marshmallows on a stick from Aretha and shoved the marshmallow in my mouth.

“Eeh? I bought that with my money!”

“So what? You have seven, so what's the harm in losing one?”

“I don't recall our relations.h.i.+p ever becoming close enough to the point that I would simply let you steal my food!”

What a brazen-faced lady. Does she not remember how much that alcohol was yesterday? No, if I say that, then it would seem like I'm some stingy man who bought that alcohol expecting something in return!

“Grr! Sharing food is something that happens once you become more acquainted! Have you never made any friends before? Do you not know what shoulder s.p.a.ce is?!”

Aretha fumed as she jumped up and down.

“You're the one who should stop making it so obvious that you never had any friends before. Do you think you can create relations.h.i.+ps if you worry about each one of those tiny things? Also, everyone's sense of distance is different!”

“That's so rude! How could you say something so severe?!”

“You said it first!”

Come to think of it, my sociality was as desolate as the dry Mojave desert, so I didn't have any friends other than Ray. Of course, if you include the friends I made through money while I was in high society, then that's definitely not the case.

“They say that men who only know how to talk like that to women will grow old and die alone. I'll pray to the Great Spirit and put a curse on you. Once you grow old, stay single your entire life, get hemorrhoids, and die alone, the words ‘a loner fool with a rash mouth' will be written on your tombstone.”

“Shut up! Don't say something so messed up! I know a lot of girls who said I was decent!”

Also, why does it have to be hemorrhoids?

“Who? Give me the names of 3 right now.”

“Uhm······”

“Times up! You've lost! Loner! I hope you enjoy your lonely years as an old man!”

“Stop annoying me and buzz off!”

However, instead of doing what I asked, Aretha latched on to my arm instead. Why?!

I turned away in order to not let my unrest show.

“W-What are you doing?!”

No, your unrest becomes as clear as day if you react with those words at this timing, Bill Withers.

“Fufu, who's the one that said I should stick next to them?”

Don't snort. You're making this difficult for me.

“This obviously isn't what I meant!”

She was clearly upset that I said she didn't have any friends, so she was messing with me by taking advantage of my low tolerance to women.

“A fully-grown man and woman walking around a festival not holding hands or linking arms would undoubtedly seem suspicious, wouldn't it? If a b.u.m like you isn't holding the hand of a lively and pretty woman like me, then people will either think you're kidnapping me or you're my escort.”

If we went by her logic, then wouldn't a b.u.m and a lively pretty girl linking arms be a rather bizarre sight?!

Aretha abruptly lowered her head and mumbled in a barely audible tone.

“Also, you're the one who said we should do this···. That we should act like normal civilians who had come here to see the festival and enjoy ourselves.”

I felt my face heat up the instant those words reached my ears. Why are you lowering your head and getting shy all of a sudden when you've been pretty enthusiastic up to this point?!

“T-That's, not the that I'm talking about, it's, that···.”

“Nihihi···. I have no idea what you just said.”

I could hear snickering. Don't tell me.

“You!”

Once I leaned down to look at Aretha's lowered face, I saw that she was snickering quietly. I knew it, this girl was messing with me!

“Huhaha, don't be embarra.s.sed! Bill Withers turned out to be a simpleton! It doesn't suit you! It doesn't suit you at all! Hahaha!”

Aretha patted my back intrepidly. I seriously can't get a handle on this girl. I'm not sure why, but I didn't really mind this behavior of hers that much either.

“Let go of my arm, Miss Franklin.”

“You like it, though.”

No, it's troubling if you stick this close to me.

“······Then, how about this.”

“What?”

If it's going to be like this, then it's time for some negotiation.

“If you release my arm, then I'll buy you a skewer from that Mexican barbecue shop over there.”

“You expect me to give up on this excellent teasing material for a single skewer?”

Aretha squeezed my arm and grinned. That tickles, you know?

“Two skewers. I'll also include some cactus juice.”

“I'm full, you dummy. No, more importantly, wouldn't guys normally be happy about being in a situation like this? Don't tell me, you're···.”

“You're what?”

What is she trying to say now?

“A eunuch?”

Is she taunting me?

“No! Ever since I was little, my nickname has been ‘Icicle'! I've always been proud of this nickname, you know?!”

“Dear Lord! Just how small and narrow is it for you to be this proud of it···?”

“It's not like the icicles you're thinking of! The icicles back in my hometown were as big as your arm!”

Slight exaggeration.

“Hm, that's weird. The chieftain used to tell me that the things of the men in other areas weren't that impressive.”

“That's a weird bias to have! No, before that, that comment just now was rude to everyone around the world, so apologize, you frontier savage!”

“Calling a native person a ‘frontier savage' is a hundred times ruder, kiddy icicle!”

“Who are you calling a kiddy icicle?! I'm an adult icicle!”

“Shut up, you dancing kiddy icicle!”

“Why is it gradually becoming like a Native American name?!”

“Then I'll call you angry adult icicle.”

“That doesn't change anything!”

“Huh? I was wondering why you didn't want to link arms with me that much, but your icicle must actually be angry, huh?!”

Aretha became surprised and looked between my legs.

I covered my lower region in a panic.

“Hm?”

My icicle, no, my Jonhson was completely unscathed and in perfect health. In other words, it was modestly lowering its head like usual.

“Ahaha! I'm joking, I'm joking!”

Who taught her how to make such crude jokes? That chieftain guy must have really neglected this girl's education. Seriously! Good job!

“Haa···.”

“This isn't enough! You shredded my corpse into tiny pieces, so you owe me big time!”

Shock! How did she know about the thing I've been trying to keep a secret? I knew she would constantly hang this over my head if she knew about it, so I purposely didn't say anything about it!

“Who told you that?!”

“Ray.”

That guy's tongue is too loose···. I'll have a word with him once he returns. I gave up trying to release my arm from Aretha's embrace. It couldn't be helped since she knew now.

“Sorry. I'll do my best not to harm your corpse next time.”

It was an unavoidable situation, but that doesn't change the fact that I felt bad for what I did.

“Idiot, you're supposed to tell me that you're going to protect me so that I won't die!”

What a fastidious girl. Or maybe she has a loose screw. She always points out abnormal things.

“I hate tactless men!”

Of course, I would normally be more considerate about the way I responded to these sort of things; however, I didn't really feel like bringing my relations.h.i.+p with this girl any closer.

“Ah, yeah. I'm not interested in you either.”

“The fact that you think you're in a position where you can be picky is especially arrogant!”

Shut it. Is being pretty all that matters?

No, she's more than that.

She's pretty, fun, and a mystery, but I can't get any closer to her than this.

We have a contractual relations.h.i.+p. If I cross the line, then I might end up making an emotional decision during a dire situation. Like I once did in the past, I didn't want to make a huge mistake again.

“Be eternally grateful that you're able to link arms with a girl who's as intelligent, beautiful, and courageous as I am!”

“······.”

“Say something! How shameless!”

Aretha smacked my shoulder with her palm. She had flexible wrist snaps. This girl's hand actually stings a fair bit.

More importantly, I'm more concerned about the soft sensation pressing against my arm and the jealous gazes of the men around me. It seems this girl was having so much fun messing with me that she wasn't paying attention to her surroundings.

“Uhm···. Rather than linking arms, wouldn't it be better to hold hands instead?”

How pathetic, Bill Withers.  It would have been better if you kept your mouth shut. What's the difference between linking arms and holding hands?

“Hmm, I'm not sure.”

Aretha released my arm. She then picked up my hand and started pressing on it here and there. What is she doing?

“Your hand is too rough.”

Aretha commented.

“It's coa.r.s.e like a field of rocks, rough like sandpaper, and it feels like my hand will be ground to dust if I hold on to yours.”

“······Thank you for the needlessly elaborate review.”

I have no idea what was going through Aretha's head, but she gave me a mysterious smile again.

“Your face is red.”

“That's because you suddenly grabbed⎯”

I succeeded in urgently biting my tongue in order to stop myself from speaking any more. The end of my tongue stung.

“What are you doing, haha. You look like an idiot.”

Aretha smirked. All right, then let's keep this up and suppress all of my embarra.s.sment by making her laugh.

“Tabah (Tadah!) Pohet hull of uuney (Pocket full of money!)”

I started to spit out a bunch of bills like a performer's card trick. The waterfall of bills was absorbed back into my body once it landed on my hands and went back around to my mouth. An infinite loop.

“What's up with that?! Ah, that's embarra.s.sing! Stop, stop it!”

Aretha gripped her stomach as she laughed.

“Ah! My eyes!”

I groaned in pain as I reached out to Aretha and closed my eyes.

“What?! What's wrong?!”

Aretha started to panic because of the urgency in my voice.

“The world is completely gold!”

Once I opened my eyes, a pair of gold coins had replaced my eyes.

“Ew! Gross!”

Once Aretha pushed my face away, I decided to take it a step further and make gold coins flow down from my eyes like tears.

“Ah, ha, ha. Ah, seriously! Stop messing around!”

Tears had gathered in the corners of Aretha's eyes because she had been laughing so hard she couldn't breathe.

⎯Honk⎯

It was then that a white-gloved hand put a small, red ball on Aretha's nose. Before we knew it, there were 3 clowns gathered around us. One of them was looking at me and laughing. Seeing as to how he continued to do the magic trick where he vomited out a bunch of cards, it seems I had evoked a compet.i.tive spirit in him. The clowns started to perform childishly in order to make Aretha laugh.

“······Did I go too far?”

The people around us were now staring at me and Aretha. We were supposed to keep a low profile.

“Let's go!”

I grabbed Aretha's hand and ran.

“Huh? Wait! I have to see the puppy dance!”

“If we keep sticking out, then Gray might come to teach you a lesson!”

“Hiik! You're going to threaten me by using the name of the guy who killed me?!”

There's no reason to answer her. I hastily dragged Aretha into the many crowds of people.

“Wait a second.”

How much did we run, I wonder. Aretha must have run out of breath as she had stopped running and was now supporting herself with her other hand propped on her knee. Aretha looked back and forth between my hand and my face as she breathed heavily.

“······.”

The pulse I felt through Aretha's hand was fast and strong. I quickly let go of her. I didn't let go of her hand because I couldn't bear the sensation of her pulse, but because I was afraid she could feel my quickened pulse as well, similar to how I could feel hers.

“Don't start running all of a sudden. You scared me.”

Meaningless words that were simply uttered because she felt exasperated.

“I just wanted to make sure you didn't run into any danger.”

I spoke as calmly as I possibly could. I would have also liked it if you could continue laughing happily. These words that got caught in my throat never came out in the end.

“Being protected by someone is surprisingly stifling.”

“That might be true.”

“······.”

“······.”

I avoided Aretha's gaze.

“I wanted to properly enjoy a festival at least once in my life.”

Aretha pouted and complained. I couldn't tell if her voice sounded sad or annoyed. It seems she was upset that I had abruptly dragged her away even though she wanted to play with the clowns.

Figures. Who wouldn't get mad when they were suddenly dragged away while they were in the middle of having an enjoyable time?

······I have no other choice. These sort of things don't match my character, but.

“Arm.”

I quietly stuck my arm out. Aretha gave me a vacant look for a while before quietly wrapping her arms around my forearm.

“I'll make sure that pointless things don't cross your mind and you enjoy the festival to its fullest.”

Rather than throw one's body in the line of fire when one's client is in danger, a good bodyguard has to prevent the danger itself from happening at all.

“Huh?”

Aretha seemed alarmed by my sudden change in att.i.tude.

“We shouldn't get hung up about there being a lot of people when this is your first time having fun at a festival, after all······.”

I grabbed a mask that was being displayed on a street vendor's kiosk that was next to us and handed it to her after paying for it.

“Put this on.”

In the confusion of the moment, Aretha received the mask from me. She pulled back the strings on both sides of the mask and tried to tie them behind her head, but she appeared to be struggling. I went behind her and tied the strings into a pretty bowknot before taking two steps back.

I coughed slightly a couple of times in order to clear my throat.

d.a.m.n it, my body is already rejecting this. How thick of a mug did I have back during my heyday to allow me to say these sort of cringy lines?

I took a deep breath again. I finally spoke.

“Beautiful lady.”

Aretha turned to face me. I couldn't see her expression because of the mask, but she was tilting her head in bewilderment.

I didn't let any emotions show. I lose if she can tell that I'm nervous.

“If you wouldn't mind⎯”

I extended one foot back and reached my arm out naturally as I lowered my head slightly. I kept my gaze forward. 

This was the gesture I had practiced in front of a mirror tens of thousands of times back when I lived in Boston. The memory of the days where I desperately made an effort to blend into high society moved my body. 

The point was to do it slowly and modestly. In addition, it has to be blatantly cordial.

“, would you join me for this dance?”

I returned to being the old Bill Withers. Although I wasn't wearing the same clothes, although I didn't have an expensive watch anymore, the Bill Withers of the time where his hands were still soft, the young upstart wearing a tailcoat, extended his hand towards Aretha.

“······.”

I received no response. The marching band was pa.s.sing by us. I paid them no concern and maintained my posture. It might be because it's been a long time since I last did this, but this posture is a bit tiring.

“······Pfft.”

Aretha finally let out a small giggle. I also smiled clumsily.

With a smile on her face, she took two steps towards me.

“Yes. With pleasure.”

Aretha grabbed my hand.

We both began to dance.

∗∗∗

Aretha raised her mask as she proceeded to catch her breath. The horns on her ox mask kept stabbing my cheek each time she inhaled. d.a.m.n horns.

After dancing for some time with our masks on while mixed among the many parade dancers, we wandered back to the street vendors and collapsed on a bench. Aretha was letting out a dazed laugh as she leaned her head against my shoulder.

If I hadn't stopped her from drinking alcohol, then this would have ended really badly. I was in awe of my own foresight.

“We've visited every prominent street vendor at least once now.”

“Aah, I'm happy.”

Aretha cooed as she fiddled with the crude steam locomotive model which she had won by shooting a picture of a duck with a toy gun. The sight of her rubbing her slightly full stomach with her other hand was cute, so I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.

“Ugh. I'm so full, I can't eat anymore.”

Since both of Aretha's hands were busy, the Schweinshaxe I was holding in her stead was slowly getting cold. What a waste of money.

“It'd be a waste if you don't finish this.”

This is why you should have bought only as much as you can eat, you dunce. I stopped my right hand, which was about to pat Aretha's head, and waved the food in front of her eyes instead.

“You eat it, then.”

“I thought you were supposed to only share food with close friends?”

“That's leftovers, so it's different.”

“We were even dancing together earlier. What a disappointing reaction.”

“Yeah, sure. We're close. Let's be friends. Whatever.”

As I watched Aretha give a vague, half-hearted response, I ate the pigs' feet as gluttonously as I could.

“Guh. Stop waving the smell around.”

“You told me to eat it a second ago. I'm getting conflicting orders.”

“Uugh. The smell is making it hard for me to digest my food, so go eat it someplace I can't see.”

I had no other choice but to turn my head and finish the food.

The time was 4pm. It was the time of the year where the sun went down sooner, so we could already see the sunset.

“All that's left is the highlight.”

There were large groups of people waiting for the parade's final march in front of us. In a few moments, the Unification Festival was going to reach its climax on the central street in front of the town hall. A fancy and large steam locomotive model decorated with a bunch of lights, far surpa.s.sing the crude model in Aretha's hand, was going to pa.s.s by soon. You can't say that you've fully experienced the Unification Festival if you don't witness this event.

“Look over there!”

A little boy who was on the shoulders of a middle-aged man shouted. In the distance, we could see dozens of decorated cars pulling a life-sized train model behind them.

“With a model that size, if someone told me that that was actually just a retired train, then I wouldn't doubt them one bit.”

Unification Festival. I heard a lot about it from the rumors, but I never expected the scale of it to be this big. Aretha and I momentarily became speechless as we watched the train go towards the evening sun.

“That train is going the opposite direction of where I'm going.”

Aretha's voice sounded lonely as she said that with a weird nuance. Her tone sounded as if she believed that she would never be able to see this sight again if she didn't see it now. The Unification Festival train was going west, we were going east.

The pa.s.sing train felt as if it were representing our daily lives which will never return, so I became briefly mesmerized as I watched it leave.

There's a chance that before Aretha inherits her father's will and her safety becomes guaranteed, she'll never be able to enjoy a festival like a normal girl again.

No, a day like today may never happen again.

Once my thoughts reached that far, I started to regret not having been able to let Aretha enjoy this festival a little more.

“Wouldn't it be great if every day was like today? I wish I could laugh and have fun with no worries on my mind.”

“How naive of you.”

Of course, a properly twisted man like myself wouldn't let those sort of words meekly slip out his mouth.

“Wouldn't the world be great if money and alchemy never existed? People would probably be able to live happy lives even without these two things.”

In an instant, I knew that I already fully agreed with her. Money and alchemy are the two things that ruined my life, after all. However, if I acknowledge this here, then I would be denying the life I've lived until now, so I couldn't let myself nod my head.

“Something like that isn't possible now. Money is what moves this world and it's also the driving force behind New World alchemy.”

I heard a giggle. Although my words clearly came off as a rebuke, Aretha burst into laughter. Even though I wouldn't doubt it if she were actually the person most pressured by anxiety in the world, her smile had the ability to send all of my worries away.

“That's right. But maybe that's why I love this moment so much since we were able to become this happy without having to worry about money or alchemy.”

Aretha gently touched the back of my hand. The fear of not knowing when she'll lose her being and vanish. Moreover, the girl who had to live while bearing that terrifying fear. Even though she looked feeble, she was more courageous than me by a long shot.

The reason why I found this moment endearing might be slightly different from Aretha's reason.

“If that's what you think, then enjoy this moment more.”

I responded as nonchalantly as I could.

Every one of her smiles, movements, and words that came out of her mouth, they were all like flowers and leaves that were desperately trying to hold on to a withered branch.

“You can't live every day like you did today, but it might be possible to only remember days like this.”

She was able to make me laugh this time. This girl looked more positive the more I looked at her.

“I never thought of that.”

Was the thing that was laying on the back of my hand a flower petal or Aretha's hand? I'm fine with either. I couldn't shake off that weight. Even if time goes by, I want you to stay like this, this was what Aretha's eyes were saying.

“I made this last night.”

Aretha pulled out a bizarrely-shaped handicraft from her pocket. The handicraft was made by bending a soft willow branch and tying the ends of it together into a loop. In the center was a stone with a hole in it and a netting of string around it. The branch was adorned with feathers and marbles, so it gave off a mystical vibe like some spiderwebs with wings.

There was a long loop attached to the top of the accessory. It was made so that it could be worn like a necklace.

Yeah. It looked similar to the necklace Aretha was wearing.

“It's a gift.”

“What is it?”

“I think you guys call it a dreamcatcher, right? It's a traditional handicraft of my people. If you hang it in your room at night, it'll catch your nightmares. It seemed like you were having a nightmare last night, so I made one after you left the room.”

Aretha hung the necklace around my neck.

It was a dainty size. An exquisite circle and a helical netting stretched out inside of it. A mottled stone that s.h.i.+ned brightly like a dewdrop on some spiderweb. If I were to give my honest evaluation, it was surprisingly beautiful.

“We're traveling, so it'd be a ha.s.sle to hang it in your room every night, right? That's why I made it smaller and into a necklace.”

“Ah···.”

So she was awake. I felt my face heat up in embarra.s.sment. Aretha looked straight into my eyes and handed me the present. I forgot that Aretha was a handicraft merchant.

“Thanks.”

I thanked her in a faint voice. Aretha laughed quietly. You're making this hard for me. I'll become attached to you at this rate.

“It's pretty.”

“Naturally. Who do you think made it?”

Huh, aren't guys supposed to be the ones to gift these sort of things to girls? I ended up having conflicting feelings as I examined the dreamcatcher.

“Hand.”

My train of thought stopped once she nonchalantly uttered that word explicitly and abruptly.

Why all of a sudden? What. Give me a second. All sorts of responses swam around my stomach and jumped up towards my throat like a bunch of salmons, but I didn't open my mouth.

Grabbing her hand in a situation like this would definitely have a different meaning to when we held hands earlier in order to dance.

Just hug her. My instincts whispered to me. On the other hand, my rationality was telling me to do otherwise. It was insisting that it would be wrong to take advantage of the frail heart of a girl who was constantly worried that she'll meet a fate worse than death.

Nevertheless, the thought went through my head: If I refuse her hand here, then what sort of meaning would it have to Aretha?

It's just a hand. Grab it. In the end, my instincts made me move.

A handshake after thinking for a long time. I flipped my hand.

Our palms met and 10 fingers interlocked perilously. Soft and slender fingers. I was worried that they might crumble and disappear, so I moved my hand very carefully.

“I'm back! Hm?”

Ray's voice came from behind us. A delicate emotion that was a mixture of disappointment and relief drifted between our fingers as they quickly separated.

Aretha glared at Ray.

“Who clicked their tongue just now?”

Why are you asking that when you already know?

“Oh dear. It seems I've interrupted your cozy time together. I apologize.”

Ray pretended to be courteous and bowed apologetically.

“Nothing happened, so you don't have to apologize.”

I tried to act indifferent and said that, but Aretha suddenly glared at me. I panicked.

“Is that so? I feel like something did happen on Aretha's side. Were you two perhaps playing separately?”

Jeez, this annoying b.a.s.t.a.r.d···.

“The sun is setting. Let's get started.”

Changing the subject is the best solution when troubled. Fortunately, Bryshere Gray didn't appear while the sun was up. He either couldn't find us or was searching for us somewhere completely different. As we had planned, it was time to leave Aretha somewhere safe and go with Ray to retrieve the will.

“Why are you in such a hurry? The sun hasn't set completely yet.”

“The bank closes in 20 minutes. If we're going to search for the will, then we have to act now.”

I grabbed Aretha and urgently pulled her up. Aretha was muttering something with a sulky look on her face. Am I supposed to say something in these sort of situations?

“Let's go see another festival next time.”

I whispered into Aretha's ear quietly. Ray's gaze bothered me, but I did my best to ignore it.

“Really?”

I saw Aretha's stiffened cheeks relax. Her head was lowered, but I could see that the corner of her mouth was raised.

“Promise me.”

I hesitated for a moment before answering.

“All right, I promise.”

Once more, a sharp, burning pain radiated from the brand that was on my left arm. I chuckled as I dwelled on that pain. I had a feeling that I may one day have to pay a large price in order to keep this promise, but I decided to look at Aretha's smile and enjoy this moment for now.

TL Note: Thanks for reading the chapter. I sincerely apologize for how late this release was. It's slightly shorter than the previous chapter, but I was really busy for the past 2 weeks and barely had enough time to translate consistently. My friend from the states abruptly came to Korea with their family and they wanted to hang out, so I was swamped trying to plan out a schedule. It was fun, but it felt bad knowing that I was missing out on a couple of days of translating.

In any case, my midterm exams and some presentations are coming up in the following 2 weeks so I won't be as busy as the previous 2 weeks, but I'll be somewhat busy nonetheless.