Edmond woke up slightly annoyed, with light coming off the living room blinds at a bad angle for his face, even when they were mostly closed.

  The fact that that proved to be a bother he actively tried to ignore, as if it were possible, may have been good news for his mood in retrospect. However, a troublesome need to finally go to the restroom made his attempts futile.

  Please, please let me be able to just go on my own…

  If he were to need help merely relieving himself, his mood would have been shot even worse than when he pulled off the covers, saw his current state, and was reminded of a less-than-ideal state of ‘cleanliness’… on top of his crushing loss and rather embarrassing patch-up last night.

  Of course, he had been sweating quite a bit even before the incident itself, and doubly so through his body’s natural attempts to cope with the wounds he had sustained. Most of the blood had been wiped off, but a fair amount had still dried and stuck within the bandages on his arm, owing to the gash’s depth. Add to that the traces of dust, dirt and such that had clung to him, and it all made for a very uncomfortable experience.

  Considering the fact he was also staying over at someone else’s place, and right on their sofa bed, Edmond honestly would have preferred to still be in terrible pain instead.

  “Good morning.”

  Hearing a voice suddenly greet him, Edmond lifted his gaze and noticed Kloel appearing almost like a ghost. Or at least that was his impression at first.

  Seeing her dressed in a thin, sleeveless top and shorts that only reached the middle of her thighs, he could not prevent his look from lingering for one second too long. With lovely dark skin peeking out in amounts he had not seen whenever they had met before, her rich black hair that looked so effortlessly silky, and a standout face even before she applied any make-up, it was probably only Edmond’s anticipation of an event like this that allowed him to look away in a barely timely manner.

  I was right. It was a very bad idea to stay the night here!

  “… Good morning. Mind telling me what time it is?” He replied as calmly as he could manage, considering the chaos of his thoughts.

  “Noon. It’s not that late, so don’t worry. Unless you’re hungry or something…? Wait, no. You have… a different discomfort.”

  Edmond fidgeted reflexively, hoping to all he could that his cheeks had not turned that red. Briefly biting his tongue, he replied.

  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to be so obvious.”

  “You’re not. I’m just kind of squeamish too, so I notice easily. Think you can take a shower on your own?”

  Edmond finally turned back to his host, disbelief obvious in his eyes at the implications of such words. But from Kloel’s desperate attempt to contain her laughter right after, it seemed like it had only been a mean joke.

  “Pfft… L-Look, you don’t have to worry. Tanya obviously didn’t want to use the same shower as my… guests, so we just got a place with two of them. She and I normally use the one in her room, so there’s no problem if you use the one at the end of the corridor.”

  Her next head-spinning statement, however, felt undeniably honest.

  By guests she means… no, it’s none of my business.

  Still, even if he ignored that, it was not that easy to accept her proposal. Despite all that had happened, taking a shower in the apartment of these two girls both felt embarrassing, and reeked of trashy entitlement.

  But when comparing that to his current state just a step shy of ‘filthy’…

  “… Are you sure it’s fine?”

  Kloel sat down by the nearby table, running both hands through her slightly disheveled hair with eyes narrowed in annoyance.

  “Yes, it’s all good. I have no reason to trick you.”

  “I don’t really have a change of clothes, though. Everything I have here is… you know.”

  The elven girl’s gaze raised to the corner for a second, as if she had not thought of that fact yet. She sighed soon after, standing back up from her seat a mere twenty seconds or so after taking it. Heading back to her room, she walked out a short time after with a lump of clothes in her arms, promptly placing them beside Edmond.

  “They might be a tad larger than your usual, but it’s not like they’ll fall off or anything. Good enough?”

  “… Whose clothes are—”

  “Honestly, how uncomfortable you look there is really killing me. The smell is only a little bit of an issue.”

  A little bit is enough!

  Edmond’s heart might have cracked from those words alone. Being interrupted hardly registered in his mind.

  “Then thank you. A lot.”

  “Don’t worry. Just don’t go overboard with the shampoo and such.”

  Hearing nothing he did not already have in mind, Edmond picked up the clothes and stood on his feet for the first time since last night’s battle. Truth be told, he had been dreading this moment since he first woke up, expecting a joint or somethings else to crack once he did. Fortunately, the patch-up by Tatyana had prevented that outcome, if it had been possible at all.

  Not that the discomfort was not there, constantly prodding at a majority of his body like repeated, dull pinches. However, he could walk and move from one place to another, only occasionally having to lean or place his hand on a wall for support. His sideways glance noticed Kloel’s attention drifting away from him, allowing him to relax somewhat as he passed by the thin third door in the corridor, toward the shower room.

  With Edmond’s worries from last night not as forefront anymore, weird little aspects of the apartment such as that door, much like the interior design and clutter, stood out more to him. Saying the door was simply ‘thin’ did not do it justice, covering such little space that it gave off the impression of a janitorial locker. But when he compared it to the shower room’s door in his sight, as well as the apparent bedroom doors he could look back at, it was the uniquely opaque, plastic-looking knob that drew his attention the most.

  A replacement. So this room is actually in use?

  “Is there a problem?”

  Kloel’s voice interrupted his idle pondering.

  “I’m good. Don’t mind me.”

  Dispelling any unimportant thoughts, he resumed his walk and made it to the shower room.

  It was quite large despite not being the ‘main’ bathroom, per her explanation. Larger than his own, in fact, with immaculate white tiles, an equipped bidet and a large glass door for the actual shower area. Most impressive of all was the sweet, almost floral scent that greeted his nostrils.

  Well, this is new.

  Edmond locked the door behind him… and took probably a full two minutes of thinking things over, unconsciously enjoying the smell before starting to undress. There was nothing difficult to think about, with towels, shampoo, soap and, of course, clothes all ready and available. The mat right outside the shower was also quite large, so there would be no discomfort or slipping problems once he removed his socks.

  Even after acknowledging all of that, it was still so difficult to just use one of these girls’ bathrooms like nothing. Edmond ended up handling anything else he could possibly think of, starting with his nearly unbearable need to use the facilities, before finally hopping into the shower proper.

  Even so, the relief that came with it managed to overcome most of his stress, as well as the expected sting of the warm water pouring down on his aching wounds. Beyond just getting rid of all the nastiness that bothered him before, the overall experience felt therapeutic, allowing him to forget so many of his worries for at least a few minutes.

  Speaking of which, the plan was to make this shower a quick one, around three minutes at most. His failure was severe.

  By the time he dried himself and began to peel off the now wet bandages on his arm, Edmond noticed himself briefly smiling on the mirror despite the steam. But the sight, alongside his smile, did not last for long, as it was not particularly pleasant to look at the burns, bruises, lacerations… traces of last night’s struggle across his naked body.

  Instead, his focus wandered over to the bandage roll left near the sink alongside a pair of scissors, both seemingly the same that Tatyana had used last night. Finally feeling as relaxed as he probably could be in his current state, it was only mildly difficult to replace the wet, bloodied bandages he had removed for new ones. His attention then turned to the clothes Kloel let him borrow; a dark blue t-shirt with a faction emblem belonging to a trading card game he had some knowledge of, black sweatpants that felt just a tad too long for him, as well as boxer briefs and socks.

  Boyfriend’s? But she lent them so freely... Mm, whatever.

  Deliberating for a moment, Edmond put them on with some inconvenience. For the moment, he left his dirty clothes atop the toilet lid and stepped out of the bathroom. Making his way down the hallway as inklings of his shame returned, he spoke up in an attempt to keep them in check.

  “What do I do with my clothes?”

  “Hmm… Just leave them wherever you put them for now. Dunno if it’s worth washing those anymore.”

  Kloel said while looking up from her recovered seat, enjoying cookies and soda despite the early hour.

  Elves had quite a different physiology from humans, so such habits were unlikely to be as unhealthy for them. Still, Edmond thought it was rather unfortunate to resort to such things before, or even as a replacement for breakfast.

  But there was something else that drew his attention to a similar extent.

  “Is… Tatyana busy or something?” He wondered casually, not seeing her around even after his longer-than-expected shower.

  He quickly came to regret his inquiry after seeing Kloel’s expression twist with an amused, playful grin.

  “Nah, she’s just sleeping. May still be for an extra hour, or more. She really did her best this last couple of days, and straight up powered through that night after she… you know what. That unlucky incident you two had.”

  “… Ah…”

  Edmond felt at a loss for words. Despite Tatyana keeping her explanations dry and succinct, he knew far more had to have happened for her to find him that quickly. But he had no idea she had gone as far as to neglect a full night of sleep, not with how strong and confident she looked over their whole exchange the previous night.

  Coupled with the image of her torn back that had yet to leave his mind, Edmond felt a regret that almost cut his breathing short.

  Whether it was due to that or any other reason, Kloel’s smile soon gave way to a more serious expression.

  “Look, she’s just that kind of person, okay? She acts, and then thinks. Don’t beat yourself up over her being an idiot.”

  Edmond frowned, even more regretful over making his feelings on the matter so obvious. But Kloel was right on one matter. It was futile, and even detrimental to ‘beat himself over’ it.

  Especially when there were things he could actually do about it, which he had been thinking of for a while now.

  “Mind lending me the kitchen for a while?”

  “Mm?” His request seemed to catch Kloel by surprise, her purple eyes blinking in a conspicuously quick manner. She pondered, then appeared to remember something before replying. “It’s cool with me, but we barely have anything in the fridge.”

  Edmond had already smiled widely the moment he heard her first words, approaching the kitchen with barely any regard for the latter.

  “Don’t worry, I’ll still make this worth your while.”

  “Do you have any more?”

  “I can make some m—”

  “Then get on with it!” Kloel insisted with a desperate, aggressive look. The contrast was violent with the previous, and subsequent eyes of pure joy she showed as she delighted herself in the plate.

  Edmond found it flattering, but also troubling. He had mostly improvised with what he found, whipping up a surprisingly balanced assortment of breakfast food, but not knowing how well they would exactly turn out had led to a modest first batch.

  Looking as elegant as always when she gratefully accepted the meal, Kloel had abandoned all of that the moment she took the first bite. Poached eggs atop a pan-fried, shredded mix of potatoes and onions, sautéed spinach with garlic, as well as ‘remixed’ sausage patties were devoured without regard for anything else, matched by repeated, almost indecent groans.

  She was fast too, almost being done with her plate and asking for more by the time Edmond had just served his own.

  “Man, I really need to go to Concert at night someday. You should be on Aeon Chef or something!”

  “Okay, now that’s going too far. The people on that show are like, actual prodigies. They also have formal training and…”

  The sound of a door opening and closing, alongside the footsteps that followed, drew Edmond away from the conversation. His gaze was already near the corridor on the other side of the apartment, so it was only natural that he would notice the girl walking in.

  Or rather than ‘walking’, it may have been more accurate to say Tatyana was dragging her feet across the carpet. Brown hair loose unlike her usual style, with some rather noticeable traces of bedhead, she brushed some bangs aside in tired frustration. The turquoise eyes underneath were droopy, not relaxed but also lacking her characteristic frown.

  Her unkempt looks completed by a baggy purple t-shirt almost slipping down one shoulder and plaid pajama trousers, Edmond had already forgotten what he was talking about.

  “Still looking terrible there. You sure you don’t want to take an hour more or so?” It was rather fortunate that Kloel’s attention had switched over to the new arrival as well.

  Tatyana delayed her response, first pulling a chair out with her foot until she could sit on it, elbows on the table and hands trying to rub some of the exhaustion out of her face.

  “Food smells good. I’m more hungry than sleepy.”

  Edmond almost let out a joyful expletive upon hearing Tatyana’s casual compliment, though it was doubtful whether him not doing so was due to self-control, or the shock of seeing the girl reach for his plate as if her own.

  “Hey that’s—”

  Likely from due to her very drowsy state, his words seemed to go right past Tatyana as she tore off a piece of sausage with her fork and ate it without concern.

  He stood frozen in place for a few seconds, then sighed, more in resignation than disappointment. Honestly, it did not matter much, as he had already decided to cook some more on Kloel’s demand and would have also cooked for Tatyana soon enough. His own hunger was annoying, but eating last was the least he could do to answer the girls’ hospitality.

  “Mm, it’s really good…”

  “It better be, because you straight up snatched his plate.”

  Such a thought did not seem to even cross Kloel’s mind as she addressed the issue very directly, if not downright aggressively with a tone like a reprimand.

  Tatyana looked at her with barely focused eyes, and after several seconds, realization hit her in a way that was even amusing to watch. Face reddened, mouth slightly agape before closing shut, darting pupils.

  “Oh shit. I just, like, it’s usually just the two of us so I was going through the motions and—”

  “It’s okay, really. I’m making more anyway, so it’s better if you take that one.”

  Considerate as he made his words sound, in all honesty, Edmond had spoken up to distract himself from a growing urge to chuckle. Seeing Tatyana in such an innocuous panic was certainly something else.

  Looking far less satisfied, she pursed her lips while gazing from Kloel to Edmond, and then to what was now her plate. She gripped her fork and pressed it down, tearing another, somewhat bigger piece of the sausage patty which she then pierced, and brought up.

  “Here you go.”

  Not to her mouth, though.

  “Hm?”

  In disbelief, Edmond stayed still as he pondered for a few seconds. Not only him, but even Kloel opened her eyes wide in shock at what was now happening, without any warning.

  “It’s still not fair to have nothing at all. And if I don’t make up for it in some way it’ll piss me off.” Astonishingly, it was only Tatyana herself who seemed unaware, or completely uncaring about what her action looked like.

  Honestly, if she was like that, there was no way he could keep hesitating and be the one to make things awkward. Worrying over his attempt to act casual making him look even weirder, Edmond quickly leaned forward and ate the morsel of meat off Tatyana’s fork.

  “Thanks…” Feeling his cheeks warming up, he turned back to the kitchen as soon as he could.

  “No need. Anyway, when did we buy patties like this, Klo? We should get them more often.”

  Kloel’s expression shifted away from surprise, over to something closer to her habitual playfulness.

  “Oh, these are just the normal sausages we got last time. Edmond over there made these wonders by opening them up and mixing them with a bunch of good stuff~!”

  “It’s just scallions and some sauce. They’re already seasoned with a lot, so not much is needed to help out the flavor that’s already there.” Edmond said matter-of-factly, aptly placing some more patties on the oiled pan to a satisfying sizzle.

  “Is it the same for this? Shredding the potatoes and onions is already some work, but to even poach eggs…” Tatyana added quickly, inspecting said dishes oddly attentively.

  Edmond’s expression tensed up, and the giggling he heard right after did not make it any better.

  “… I was trying to make a one pan dish. In the proper order to make use of residual flavors, the potatoes, onions and spinach made sense after I decided on the patties. But then I thought of how little cohesion the combination had with just those, and the egg needed just one extra pot so—”

  “Why are you justifying yourself?” Tatyana asked in confusion so genuine that it immediately shut Edmond up, and caused him to turn back to her. “I was just surprised. It’s… well, very good.”

  Kloel scoffed shamelessly, rolling her eyes and causing Tatyana to glare at her quite scarily before the next bite of her breakfast made her frown slacken.

  “It’s not ‘good,’ it’s delicious. It’s even pretty, with how the yolk just drips when you cut it. Don’t worry about Tanya, she’s probably just annoyed about getting competition.”

  The stream of compliments made Edmond more nervous than elated, worrying him about some embarrassing blush or idiotic, involuntary smile spreading on his face. But it was the latter point that he was more interested in.

  Looking at Tatyana, seemingly trying to ignore Kloel by focusing on her food, he spoke up with a curious voice.

  “You like to cook?”

  “I hate cooking.”

  “Ah.”

  Edmond’s hopes shattered with the same violence and ease as a rock would the thinnest window one could possibly build.

  Luckily appearing to not notice his massive disappointment, Kloel followed up on Tatyana’s statement.

  “She really does, but her skill is for real. She can make stuff as good as this or the pricier Concert dishes, but you’d be very lucky to ever catch her in both the mood and with the ingredients she needs.”

  “What’s this about ingredients? If I want to, I can make great stuff with whatever we have!”

  “Yeah, yeah. That’s not what you keep saying whenever I ask you to prep something as a favor.”

  “Because you ask when I’m just going to bed or when I just woke up! You’re the one picking the worst times and…”

  The discussion taking place may have been escalating a little too much, but Edmond could not help but find it entertaining. He was also thankful for it allowing his chuckles to go by unnoticed as his focus returned to the food in the pan.

  Doesn’t like doing it, but is still good, huh? Well, I’ll just test my luck. Maybe I can learn something?

  Pondering what kind of dish Tatyana may end up making made his earlier curiosity return in full force, further motivating him as he planned a dessert.

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  Before he knew it, Tatyana and Kloel had exhausted their argument, and turned back to him with faces that practically begged for any other topic to talk about.

  “So, what got you into cooking?”

  The question was more direct and significant than he expected. Caught off guard, Edmond waited until the shredded mix of potatoes and onions settled enough to be flipped before answering.

  “Well, I have two younger siblings. Back in the day my… mom had to work a lot, enough so that even prepping stuff the night before was an issue, and delivery was a bit awkward around our area. No one at our house really liked frozen meals, so I just convinced myself I could do better than that, and everyone would be happier.”

  Tatyana and Kloel briefly exchanged complicated looks, with Edmond only noticing by chance. From his obvious omissions, he had a good idea of what they were thinking about. But rather than uncomfortable or upset, he could only feel grateful that they held back any questions on the matter.

  Relaxing from how quickly that issue was solved, he went on.

  “Then a good friend moved in with us. She… didn’t have the chance to eat much good food, so I started to get pretty passionate and did actual research for the first time. From then on, it just turned out to be really fun too. Even now, I think it’s cool to just imagine and talk about food, then trying things out.”

  Practically tasting the caramel toast with orange zest in his head as he spoke…

  “… Hmm. Alright, now I’m a bit mad. You have this whole novel about it, and then there’s me who thinks of the whole thing as a chore, and just learned to eat tasty stuff.”

  … the illusion was broken by a reaction from Tatyana he probably should have expected.

  “There’s nothing wrong with that! Look, eating good food is definitely the best part by far. It wouldn’t be half as fun without that and—”

  Edmond’s regret over his rambling was almost immediate. It was not the first time people took his explanation this way, and it was just as frustrating each time. Embarrassing others about enjoying delicious food? There were few ways in which he could fail further, and he always fell in that trap.

  But when he turned his eyes to Tatyana, he only saw a smirk of enjoyment and a delighted glint in her big turquoise eyes.

  Edmond began to worry again. He wanted to look away before messing up in any or several of the ways he could easily think of, but this time he could not. Instead, with his actions so natural as to feel like auto pilot, he simply smiled back.

  Only a drop of hot oil splashing on his arm managed to bring his attention back to the pan.

  It took only a few minutes more before he served his own plate, as well as more of what Kloel and now Tatyana asked for. He sat down alongside them, and finally brought the first… second bite to his mouth. He had gotten some from Tatyana before, and tasted things as he cooked, but it would have been a lie to say he was not plenty hungry still.

  For that same reason, it was only after getting halfway through his plate that his mind had significantly cleared up, and things of importance began to assert themselves among his thoughts. Feeling his expression growing more severe against his best wishes, Edmond spoke up.

  “I’d… just rather address this earlier, rather than later. I think we need to talk about last night, and what might happen from now on.”

  Kloel and Tatyana looked less surprised than he expected. Less disappointed too. The former just put down her utensils and placed a plastic lid over her plate, while the latter continued to eat without issue, only switching the focus of her gaze over to him.

  They knew this was coming. Or maybe they already discussed it themselves?

  With one less hurdle in the way, Edmond tried to follow up, only to be cut off by Tatyana.

  “If you’re worried about being attacked again, that’s very unlikely.”

  “… That’s something I wanted to talk about, yes, but also...”

  This time, Kloel and Tatyana did show somewhat puzzled eyes. Edmond continued.

  “… aside from you two, there’s someone else who knows of my ‘activities’.”

  Despite the obvious shame washing over his face, he still knew it was wrong to leave him out of the loop.

  “Can he come over too?”

  Edmond nearly jumped on his seat at the couch when he heard the door opening. Looking up, he saw Kloel, now changed into a magenta turtleneck, a thin knee-length dress and stockings, as well as the person he had been dreading to see again.

  Claude Baudelaire only stopped briefly to take off his shoes, all the while his gaze settled on Edmond’s own. A glare so profound that it made Edmond’s chest ache.

  “Want some water?” Kloel asked with a friendly, yet clearly performative tone.

  “I’m good.” Claude replied dryly.

  Green hoodie over a black t-shirt and dark gray sweatpants on him, he stepped up and dropped two backpacks at Edmond’s feet.

  “From last night.”

  “Right…”

  He honestly would have preferred to just avoid this whole confrontation, or at least look away, but meeting his look directly was the least he should do. Edmond was fully in the wrong here.

  Claude’s amber-like eyes shifted away slightly, some confusion present in them as they settled on the seat right next to Edmond. Likely due to the fact it was currently occupied.

  Now aware of an awkward problem that had somehow slipped his mind, Edmond quickly turned to the girl beside him. Changed into a light blue crewneck sweater over a violet shirt just barely sticking out of the bottom and black leggings, Tatyana just briefly looked up at Claude in acknowledgement to his presence, before leaning her head back without much interest. As far as Edmond could notice, she had no intention to move over as she crossed her long legs and lightly played with her just-done shoulder ponytail.

  He almost spoke up, but the brief time he needed to choose his words was enough for Claude to give up and sit down on one of the chairs near the dining table. Kloel promptly took a seat near him, four glasses of water placed on the table despite his earlier refusal.

  “You better not leave any details out, especially on the part where a truck filled with porcupines ran you over.”

  “Right…” Unable to retort in any meaningful way, Edmond began recounting last night’s events.

  Having a specific goal did help with enduring his friend’s unrestrained anger and disappointment, and though he did not ask for it, having Tatyana pitch in with her side of the events whenever possible was also useful.

  Claude’s response came very quickly, not waiting even a full second once they had finished speaking.

  “These people, with hardly any information to begin with, spent less than a full day preparing and mounting their attack. How are you so sure they won’t strike again?”

  Huh? He’s already done with my fuck-up?

  Shocked by what Claude chose to address first, Edmond could not match the speed of Tatyana reply.

  “I never said I was sure, but it would be pretty stupid if they did. With the scare I gave them, they’ll be thinking it’s a death sentence to come after us before they heal up.”

  “And that’s enough for you?”

  Claude’s insistent inquiry piqued Edmond’s attention greatly, enough for him to also turn toward Tatyana. For some reason, maybe just the calm from the mostly pleasant morning, he had managed to ignore that worry despite it pricking at him since last night.

  The frustrated expression she showed made him wonder if she had been thinking similarly on the matter.

  “… It’s not a guarantee. There’s four Unmasked, and while three of them are certainly dangerous, I’m confident my surprise attack could have taken one or two down for good. The fourth one’s presence, though, made that impossible.”

  Strangely, without any further details given, a clear image manifested in Edmond’s mind.

  That of a monstrously large beast of a man. The beautiful moon behind him like a twisted painting, as he broke through any obstacle he decided to target.

  Before he knew it, Edmond was already shivering.

  “He’s quite the brute on his own, and if that wasn’t enough, I’m pretty sure he’s the host of a demon.”

  “… He goes by Hellbound. Reports tend to agree with you, since several years ago.” Edmond added, barely having to think about it.

  With Kloel’s and Tatyana’s attention now on him, he rubbed his hands together nervously as he spoke again.

  “I’ve done research on the people I might end up meeting during my patrols, including all of those guys. Wouldn’t be smart go out blindly.”

  A very audible scoff from Claude caused Edmond to turn around, his own eyes now the ones to frown. The brown-haired boy did not seem to care much, however, and continued the discussion without addressing him further.

  “Fine then. If the biggest problem is this ‘Hellbound’, then just describe him the best you can, and Edmond can give me any relevant files he has copied. I’ll get rid of him.”

  Almost before Claude even finished his sentence, a shameless cackle beside Edmond caused him to briefly shrink away. Even after she stopped laughing, Tatyana’s eyes and grin conveyed the same sense of mockery.

  “Look, even I would struggle to win against that juggernaut if we fought again. He’s stronger than me, and you want to take him on your own?”

  “Well, you said he’s still injured. I’m not. And who else is going to do it? Even if Edmond was in top shape, just surviving against the guy would be an achievement. As for you, you’re quite hurt yourself… and have done enough. Let’s not forget you’re the reason for this whole mess.”

  The venom with which Claude spat those words, as well as the hateful cold in his eyes, were such that not only Edmond found himself at an absolute loss for words, but even Kloel in his peripheral vision opened her eyes wide in shock.

  As for Tatyana herself, Edmond saw the girl frozen in place, astonished beyond the ability to reply at first. But when she did, what came out was a voice like a roar, with a face twisted in insult.

  “What’s your problem!? I know I screwed up, but I’m doing my best to make up for it!”

  “Looking for a medal? You can help all you want now, but you still stabbed my friend because you didn’t feel like thinking anything for more than a second. What you did still happened, and you can just look at him for the proof.” Claude, however, did not miss a beat and continued his merciless tirade without hesitation.

  “… You fucking asshole. You want to go that badly? Fine by me. I’ll show you just how out of your league you are, and then I will handle the Thorns problem!”

  Tatyana stood up so violently the couch shivered, with Claude not falling a single second behind despite his relative calm.

  There were no bluffs involved. Things would definitely escalate if the two of them were left to their own devices. Knowing even the slightest delay was dangerous at this point, Edmond raised his voice as quickly as he could.

  “Claude, you’re just being cruel now! She literally saved my life and still wants to help more! You’re really going to keep giving her grief now of all times!?”

  “Tanya, you need to fucking relax! If you really feel as remorseful as you say, then just suck it up if someone calls you out! You should know what you did hurt more people than just Edmond!”

  Claude turned to Edmond with frustrated eyes, as Tatyana likely did at Kloel. But that frustration soon became obvious surprise, one that even Edmond shared, at the odd match of their attempts to defuse the conflict.

  Tatyana began to grumble and Claude glared one time more, but from the simultaneous reproach, and perhaps some perceived sense of strange fairness, both ended up back on their seats after a few seconds.

  Silently and gently, Kloel pushed the glass of water nearest to Claude further toward him. This time, he took it with a hesitant, but mostly relaxed grasp.

  Edmond himself looked at Tatyana, who could only meet his glance for a moment before turning away. The pressure she endured, the same rubbish from her guilt-ridden words last night, was obvious enough to annoy Edmond. Even more frustrating was his inability to think of a way to solve that, to make her properly acknowledge all she had done for him.

  Failing to come up with any satisfactory answers, Edmond simply swallowed up his self-consciousness and shifted on his seat, settling close enough to Tatyana for their legs to briefly brush up together. Maybe that could show his appreciation, his comfort with her even in a small, innocuous way.

  “Anyway… If it’s not impossible that the Thorns will attack again, and you don’t think I can take care of the Hellbound problem, then what’s supposed to happen now?” Claude inquired with a noticeably softer voice, though Edmond did not know if it was from a lighter mood or just the water he drank.

  “Well, having you aware of the problem makes things more convenient. At first, we considered having Edmond stay over until we both healed up completely.”

  Say what!?

  Either unaware or just uncaring for Edmond’s panicked expression, Kloel followed Tatyana’s words.

  “He said you two live in the same apartment building, though. The main priority is to have someone nearby to help and serve as back-up until he and Tanya recover, so while we should have an easy way to communicate, you can watch him at your place and I’ll handle her at ours.”

  “I don’t need anyone to protect—”

  “In the meantime, we’ll gather what we already know on the Thorns and research beyond that. However we look at it, it’s only a matter of time before they also heal up and try to mess with Edmond again, as well as Tanya now. But that’s only if they don’t have something more difficult to deal with.”

  Claude’s eyes widened slightly at Kloel’s words. Edmond also understood something from them, and promptly raised an anxious voice.

  “Look, if you mean we should tell the police what we know, hoping they will increase pressure on them, that’s—”

  “I know you’re worried about your ‘secret identity’ stuff. Even if you’ve been helpful overall, I doubt the cops have taken kindly to a vigilante. But we have some time to build a narrative that can keep you safe, while letting us feed the police all the info they need to make the Thorns’ lives hell. Worst case scenario…”

  “… We’ll go all out. Strike them down by surprise.”

  Tatyana cut in assuredly, her gaze almost red-hot. Kloel sighed and continued.

  “Right. Tanya doesn’t think they’ll heal any slower than her and Edmond, but we still have one advantage. Unless they’ve added someone else very recently, we know everyone in their Unmasked group. Meanwhile, they don’t know about Claude and me.”

  “You’d help with the attack?” Claude wondered audibly, surprised to a degree that was rather unusual.

  It only made Kloel glare at him in a way Edmond had never seen before, though.

  “Please stop trying to prove Tanya right about you. Sure, I’m not really close to Edmond, but my friend is part of this too. I have a stake here.”

  Claude replied quickly and naturally, as if not noticing, or caring about the severe change in Kloel’s mood.

  “If Nesterova on her own did that much damage, then I guess the four of us blitzing them by surprise might just do it. But as you mentioned, they could have more dangerous people the police don’t know of yet. Even your first plan is still dependent on getting more information than what we have now. It’s easy to just say we can gather it in a few days, but doing it is a whole different matter. Overall, you’ve been talking about a whole lot of things and just assuming they’re all feasible.”

  His assessment was strict, unkind and even cold, but even Edmond could not protest it. Claude was just being logical, his concerns and criticism sound. Listing what they needed to do without knowing the ‘how’ was hardly useful.

  Kloel’s angry eyes relaxed, as she seemed to focus on something else. Now bringing two fingers to her neck, Edmond felt Tatyana tense up beside him, though she tried to calm down after a brief, yet soft glance from Kloel.

  A minuscule magic circle appeared and dissipated into particles of indigo light, fast enough that Edmond might have missed them if he were looking from a few extra meters away. What was revealed at the side of Kloel’s neck was not nearly as inconspicuous, though.

  A pattern raised in scab-like texture, of a color akin to lacquer. The ugly scarring was garbled, but the imitation of a crowned pine tree in simple line drawing was still very noticeable to anyone who recognized the symbol.

  “Shadow Spot. A former associate, I assume?” Claude asked, emphasizing the most important concern.

  “Dead on, but not for the reasons you might think. They weren’t the ones to mangle it up, and it just happened when I tried to remove it, no matter how hard or carefully I tried. Nasty bunch, they really like to make you regret denying them.”

  As if talking about an old, irrelevant bullying incident, Kloel smiled and brought her hand back down. Prana gathered into the shape of the previously seen magic circle and vanished gradually, leaving her neck spotless once more.

  Shadow Spot. Almost too large and widespread to still be considered a ‘gang’, the dangerous group of elves and any allies they deemed worthy lived outside the law across several countries. Such was their way of taking revenge on the system they hated.

  From what Edmond had heard, different branches were essentially independent, but the one in Seyfelt alone was still powerful enough to rank among the top local gangs.

  Uncomfortable with his instinctive guessing on what might have led Kloel to run and part with them, he was extremely relieved when she continued talking.

  “I’m no gangster, but I still know my fair share of the business. With the time we have, I’m pretty sure it’ll be enough to get the cops on the Thorns’ heels. When that happens, they’ll have no choice but to forget about Tanya and Edmond.”

  “Mm. Alright.”

  In an uncommon display of nearly full satisfaction, Claude simply nodded and expressed his approval. Tatyana held a complicated expression in her eyes, like doubting whether her friend needed to reveal that part of her past, but she did not argue.

  Edmond may have been the only one still very concerned about something else.

  “I think that covers everything relevant. I don’t mind if you two stay just to hang out, but you can also go if—”

  “Wait a sec!”

  The cut off Kloel was not the only one to turn with confusion in her eyes. Normally, being the sudden center of everyone’s attention would have been slightly uncomfortable for Edmond, but this time he could not have thought less of it.

  “We haven’t talked about the stolen weapons.”

  “…! Yeah, you mentioned that befo—"

  “I saw that too. The night I was arrested, they also took in a masked Thorn who had an Alpha-class javelin.”

  Tatyana added quickly, without even allowing Claude to finish.

  “That’s… quite concerning.”

  Contrasting them, Kloel spoke in an off-handed, if still worried manner.

  “But is it so surprising? Gangs loot, they take what new members bring with them, and sometimes even make tools of their own. Is this something new?”

  “Yes.” Edmond replied. “Even if just at street level, I’ve been dealing with Thorns for months now, and they’ve never used such advanced equipment until now. If that’s not enough, a clerk at the armory told me there was missing gear that might have been stolen, something serious enough for instructor Van Svelten to have to check things out.”

  More unease washed over Kloel’s face the more she heard what Edmond had to say. Her eyes pondered briefly, then she muttered.

  “So this means that either the Thorns found a way to break into the armory, or perhaps… they got an insider to provide for them.”

  “If the amount or power of the stolen gear is enough for an instructor to investigate, then this could be very serious, especially if they get to steal more. Most police equipment is weaker than that used by knights, and whatever these guys are taking not only increases the Violet Thorn’s strength, but also weakens the facility.” With each point he brought up, even Claude began to show traces of apprehension in his stoic face.

  As for Tatyana, her expression had barely changed. Perhaps knowing some stability would help with the anxiety-ridden air, she frowned and narrowed her eyes as per usual.

  “If they get all that extra power, changing the city’s status quo so drastically… then there’s no telling what new moves they might make.”

  And yet, her actual contribution to the conversation might have been the most alarming of all.

  The discussion lasted at least an hour more, with the new, unusually dire situation leaving all their plans feeling insufficient still.

  Now changed into the clothes in one of his backpacks, those he had worn before suiting up last night, Edmond knocked on the door to Tatyana’s room. Around ten minutes ago, she had left the living room to check an unspecified something on her own.

  “What is it?”

  Edmond felt a little nervous after not hearing the ‘come in’ or ‘not now’ he expected. Nonetheless, after so many similar instances since last night, he had gotten quite used to it and entered the room regardless. The door was unlocked, after all.

  He quickly became aware of how problematic his thought process had been, but it was too late for regrets. He now stood right beside Tatyana, who sat before her computer.

  At least she’s not mad. I guess I still lucked out?

  “So?” She prodded with a sideways glance.

  “Claude and I are going home, so I wanted to say goodbye. And… thank you.”

  “Haven’t you done that enough? I swear it’s like the twelfth time.” Tatyana said with a chuckle.

  While finding nothing funny in it, Edmond still showed a childish smile at her laugh alone.

  “And? I could go over the hundreds and it still wouldn’t repay you two for what you’ve done.”

  “Did you forget I’m just making up for my big fuck-up? That friend of yours made it very clear …”

  “Ah… er, right. I’m really sorry about him. Claude’s just one of those people with ‘filter’ issues, and he’s been really worried about my activities recently so he was just venting at the worst time—”

  Another giggle interrupted Edmond, this time a little frustratingly.

  I guess she’s not that hung up about it?

  Tatyana spun on her chair, now facing him with a big grin.

  “It’s okay, I can be like that too… sometimes, so I’ll forgive him this one time. Has he known for a long time?”

  Edmond’s annoyance subsided, gray eyes softening as his smile returned, even if smaller than before.

  “Since the moment we met, so a little over two years.”

  “Huh… Unexpected. You already wore the costume back then?” Tatyana asked while glancing over at the heavier-looking backpack Edmond carried.

  He turned to it for a moment as well, with a dark sort of nostalgia welling up inside him.

  “It’s not a costume, and no. I got it some time after.”

  “Will it even do the job anymore? I chose to not go through the trouble of cutting it when treating you, but it had a pretty rough time during the fight.”

  The more they spoke about it, the more his chest tightened. The memories of his first year as a crime-fighter may have been nostalgic, but they were not exactly pleasant.

  “I don’t know. At this point, I might as well see it through to the end.”

  When he looked back at Tatyana, he saw the inklings of confusion and even panic on her face.

  Had he been too obvious? Wearing his emotions on his sleeve? A sigh of irritation at his mistake almost escaped.

  “… Right. If you’re leaving now, there’s something I should give you back.”

  Probably trying to shift the mood in any different direction she could, Tatyana stepped away from her chair and toward the corner of her room. She picked up a small, familiar bag, then placed it on his instinctively extended hand.

  “I didn’t get the chance to tell you, but those are some impressive spellwork. It’s still like patchwork, with so much redundancy packed in just to make the key parts work, but even without knowing the usual necessary techniques, you managed to meld like three schools of sorcery and—”

  “How the fuck did I forget them!?”

  Edmond could only scream in regret, dread and anger at his stupidity, realizing he had completely forgotten about his containment marbles.

  “Holy shit, you’ve got some lungs on you.”

  “You don’t get it! They’re not stable at all in the barrier or rune aspects! I need to reroute the prana flow at least once every few hours or they’ll set off on their own!”

  “I know, twerp! But Kloel and I clearly took care of it, don’t you see!?”

  “That’s not the point! If you didn’t figure out how they worked, or if I had left some at home, it would’ve been a disaster for everyone! I need to add another failsafe… no, the real problem is still just me forgetting! Maybe I can set up an alarm and…”

  Edmond completely lost track of time, assaulted by a pincer-like sense of urgency and anxiety. On one end worrying over solutions, on the other mauled by laments over his error.

  It took Tatyana stepping up even closer, showing a forced, crooked smile and eyes that seemed to question Edmond’s sanity, for him to somewhat get over himself.

  “… Well, if you’re still on about paying me back for last night, this whole freak-out is more than enough. To think big bad Nemesis was this much of a spaz…”

  Though it was a specific word that got to him, rather than her expression.

  “… Nemesis who?”

  “Mm? Nemesis you.”

  “No, but like, what do you mean?”

  The fact Tatyana genuinely looked as confused as he felt only made the situation all the more bizarre.

  “You don’t ego-search?”

  “Look, I asked first, so please give me some context and not another question.”

  Tatyana clicked her tongue, glared at Edmond as if he was the petty one, and spoke again after a few seconds in which he refused to back down.

  “‘Nemesis’ is the name a bunch of the people you’ve helped started calling you, or… well, the ‘you’ in costume.”

  “… Nemesis as in… Nemesis the Vagrant?”

  “Yes. They said it was a perfect fit.”

  Edmond felt himself growing steadily dizzy. His vision dimmed intermittently, a cold shiver quickly rippled across his body while his cheeks felt like a growing forest fire.

  “Don’t screw with me.”

  “I’m not! Look, I’ll just show you.”

  In his current state, Edmond could not resist as Tatyana roughly grabbed him by the shoulders and forced him down onto her chair. Turning it toward the computer, she browsed for only a few seconds before displaying a page from a public contribution information site.

  One that showed a picture of a shadowy silhouette, during nighttime to make matters worse. And yet, if there was one person in the whole world who could notice the key identifying traits in the figure, that person was Edmond.

  As for the title at the upper left corner of the page?

  Nemesis.

  “See?”

  Even with Tatyana right beside him, Edmond could not hold back once his mind finally started working again.

  “Aaaaaahhh! Wh-Why!? Why that name!? Why any name at all!? Couldn’t I just be, like, Seyfelt Vigilante Case #14 or something!?”

  Edmond brought both hands to his face, pressing his cheeks and covering his eyes to forget the sheer embarrassment and get rid of the mocking mirage before him. Neither happened.

  “Dude, relax. It’s not that big of a deal.”

  “It is! Now anyone who checks this out will think of me as some cartoon psycho! That or a lame, ugly, incompetent LARPer of a children tales character!”

  “… Honestly, you’re just making me think you actually like Nemesis the Vagrant, and that’s why you don’t want to be compared to them.”

  The dry, monotone and matter-of-factly way in which Tatyana brought up her guess all but confirmed she was not trying to mock him. A cruel honesty that just made Edmond blush even more.

  “Besides, the least you can do before throwing a tantrum is check what these people are actually saying.”

  “Why would I—”

  “Shh. Twenty seconds of silence, and just read this.”

  Instead of Tatyana’s shushing, it was her tight, pinch-like grasp on his nape that both forced Edmond to stay silent and to look at the new page on display. A community message board, with a comment thread discussing ‘Nemesis.’

  Forcing himself to look at the screen, knowing it to be the quickest way to get out of the situation, Edmond’s gaze stopped for a moment. Frozen on a specific post, a vivid memory resurfaced as he read it. His awkward trembling stopped.

  His eyes moved further down, and he recalled another from the next post, then three more. Only unassuming usernames tagged the messages, but Edmond somehow recalled faces and voices from them in increasing number. The warmth in his face receded, and instead spread across his body in a pleasant manner.

  Before long, he was not only scrolling down on his own, but could hardly even remember what had bothered him in the first place. Not all comments were positive, but they only intensified what he felt once he saw others jump to his defense.

  “Now that’s a face. Looks like a little ego-surfing doesn’t hurt, huh~?”

  “They’re… so grateful. I really… I really helped them out, didn’t I?”

  The corners of Edmond’s mouth began aching slightly, but he could not have cared less. He saw Tatyana’s teasing expression abruptly falter once he turned to her, but she did not seem to be all that bothered as in its stead, she showed a smile of surrender.

  “You really need to ask?”

  Edmond chuckled in response, his eyes darting back to the screen in slight embarrassment. One that for once, he did not mind all that much.

  Nemesis… it would be a lie to say it did not sound a little childish, even pretentious. But it would have been an even bigger lie to say it was not an honor, a sign that several people, even if less than ten, thought he had saved them. An honor that he was determined to cherish.

  When he reached the end of the thread, however, Edmond’s mood that had not been better in so long was tainted by confusion. The last comment, posted only a few hours ago, had him completely perplexed.

  “… What’s the matter?”

  Enough so for Tatyana to notice almost immediately.

  “You tell me. What even is this?”

  Edmond stole a glance at Tatyana’s face that had snuck up right beside his, and saw no more understanding in it.

  The post could not be read, or at least it was not similar to any language Edmond knew of. The letters themselves were distorted, with no patterns he could fully discern, and only reminded him of text designs used for stylistic reasons in novels, or more commonly for humorous online posts. Still, the more he looked at it, the more he seemed to notice certain traits that made him think of—

  “Could it be a runic code?”

  Tatyana spoke what had just come to his mind with a timing that was almost funny.

  “What’s taking so long?”

  “Just let them be, there’s no hurry.”

  Claude entered the room with a seemingly annoyed Kloel following right behind. Edmond wasted no time as he turned and addressed his friend.

  “Do you know anything about these letters?”

  “Letters?”

  Claude expressed confusion at first, but took a look of his own at the screen without much delay. Not waiting for someone to ask the same of her, Kloel quickly scooted over as well. Edmond noticed quite soon that four people huddled together to look at the same, small-ish computer screen was a little suffocating.

  “… They're code for sure. There’s enough obvious traits to figure that much out, but I don’t think I can even begin to decrypt it.” Claude’s voice revealed obvious annoyance.

  “If it’s a runic language, it’s archaic. It definitely doesn’t belong to any of the commonly used ones.” In contrast, Kloel seemed interested more than anything else.

  Either way, no one knew anything, much to Edmond’s own frustration. Perhaps noticing that, Claude spoke up again.

  “It’s still very suspicious. I’ll try to check with obscure sources I know of, but I don’t think I would be drawing such a blank if something of use was there.”

  “Nah, don’t worry. There’s still someone else I can ask.”

  Three people turned to Edmond as he said so, but no one seemed aware of what he meant. Surprised he had to explain further, Edmond spoke clearly.

  “Instructor Van Svelten, the prodigy in runes.”