Chapter 65
Chapter 65
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 65
Chapter Title: Defending Big Brother
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During the conversation, when one of the kids spotted Lianus's loose-fitting shoes and suggested they swap, Lianus panicked and broke out in a cold sweat. And who could blame him? Those shabby-looking shoes were actually high-end luxury items lined entirely with soft fur inside, and Nihil had even stuffed them full of cotton to make the slightly oversized fit more comfortable.
Lianus ducked his head low, afraid his trembling pupils might give him away, and politely refused by saying his brother had gone to great lengths to get them, so he couldn't swap. Fortunately, the kid didn't push it.
The children's chatter continued for quite a while after that.
"...And while it might look like the guards grabbed us at random, they actually pick us pretty carefully. If the numbers get too high, even the guard uncles get in trouble. So we can't cause a ruckus here. There was a fight once, and we almost all got kicked out after some big shot found out—the guards barely managed to cover for us."
Kane said this while glancing at a group of kids standing a little ways off, then lowered his voice to a whisper.
"Those guys are a gang led by this kid named Kelvin. They're super greedy and fight among themselves all the time. They boss around and bully the little kids, so stay away from them. Our group had this guy named Pan who couldn't keep his temper in check and ended up in a huge brawl with them. Pan can hold his own in a fight, but they had more people and older kids, so he got beat to a pulp. Anyway, you absolutely can't join those guys. Got it?"
"Uh-huh..."
Lianus had zero intention of joining the wandering urchins' gang, but he nodded awkwardly anyway. Pan was the very kid who'd tripped over Nihil's foot earlier that day and gotten a nosebleed. That boy had even taken a beating from his own father. Lianus had thought he seemed a bit hot-tempered, but apparently he couldn't rein it in and got thrashed everywhere he went.
At that moment, one boy from Kelvin's gang—a freckle-faced kid with shaggy brown hair—shot to his feet, pointed straight at Lianus, and bellowed.
"Don't give me that crap! We ain't takin' no whore's brother!"
"...What?"
Lianus was so stunned he could barely process it.
Whore? Out of nowhere? Was that really how he came across? Hell, he'd never even heard of kids as young as him selling their bodies.
The boy from Kelvin's gang spat it out again, chewing on the words like he wanted Lianus to feel the sting.
"We ain't takin' no filthy body-seller!"
"Hey! What the hell kinda talk is that?"
Kane jumped in front of Lianus in alarm, blocking his view.
But Lianus was still utterly baffled and turned to Kane.
"...Selling his body? Who? Do I look like the type who sells himself?"
"No, no. Ner, you don't look like that at all."
"Then...?"
Kane started to open his mouth to explain it wasn't like that, but the boy beat him to it with a shout.
"You moron! A pretty little thing like you who can't steal or pickpocket—how else you gonna get food? Your brother's sellin' himself to feed you! Right now he's probably pinned under some gruntin' filthy pig bastard, cryin' his eyes out!"
"Hey! Watch your damn mouth!!"
Mraaaaaaooooowww—
The cat twisted its whole body and let out a piercing yowl.
The atmosphere turned deadly tense, like a fight could break out any second, and the kids started eyeing each other warily.
Kane glared daggers at the freckled boy but held back from charging—he knew a brawl would get them all booted. Instead, he kept flicking worried glances at Lianus to check if he was okay.
Lianus finally pieced it together and realized Nihil was getting branded a whore because of him. His face flushed hot. And knowing Nihil, he was probably hidden somewhere nearby, hearing every word.
Lianus started to worry that his own slip-up had blown this misunderstanding wide open and hurt Nihil.
Then a faint tok rang in his ear. He froze at the tiny sound, and as if to confirm, it came again: tok.
Do whatever you want.
That was what it felt like. Like Nihil would handle all the fallout, no matter what.
Even if Lianus lost it right there, punched the obnoxious jerk in front of him—Nihil would gladly clean up the mess. Nihil had this uncanny knack for making any problem vanish like it never happened.
Hell, he might even step in and do the punching himself.
But knowing that helped Lianus regain his senses. If he couldn't hold his temper here, all these kids would pay the price too.
He took a deep breath and spoke clearly, loud enough for the rude punk to hear every syllable.
"You're the moron. Don't spout crap when you don't know jack. My brother doesn't sell his body."
"You don't know jack! If he ain't whorin', how's he feedin' you?"
"Th-that's..."
Lianus was stumped again. How could a street kid survive without begging or stealing?
But Nihil wouldn't beg or steal food. No... he'd...
"My brother knows how to hunt."
"Mraaaw?"
The cat shot him a weird meow, like it was calling bullshit on that excuse.
It might sound like a tall tale to the kids, but whatever. They had no way to verify it, and if they pushed, Lianus wouldn't have to deal with the aftermath anyway. Nihil had given the green light to do whatever.
And there it was: tok.
A dark smile crept across Lianus's lips.
With that ready permission, Lianus puffed out his chest proudly and declared with full confidence.
"My brother's strong, fast, and an awesome hunter! That's why I get meat every single day."
"Meow!"
"And I had packed breakfast this morning, packed lunch too."
"Mraaow!"
"I eat so much meat it actually gets a little boring sometimes."
"Mraaaow!"
"And cookies!"
"Mraaaaooow!"
Before he knew it, Bella had leaped into his arms and was meowing excitedly in agreement. Buoyed by his own brazen bluff, Lianus went even further, saying he'd ask his brother to catch fresh fish by the river once the weather warmed up.
The boy scowled at the half-true lie, jabbing a finger accusingly.
"What a total liar!"
"You're the liar! You ain't never even seen my brother!"
"Meowff!"
"Ow! What the hell's with this cat?"
The boy glared at the cat in irritation as it kept yapping back.
But the cat played innocent, like it was just a dumb animal that couldn't talk, and went right on meowing.
Fuming, the boy turned beet red, stomped over to Lianus, grabbed his collar, and loomed threateningly.
"You...!"
"What!"
"Mrow!"
"Wanna get smacked?"
"Hit me and my brother's gonna mess you up!"
"Meow meowff!"
The cat pawed at the boy's hand repeatedly like it wouldn't stand by either—adorable little jellybean paws thwacking away without claws, but the thwap-thwap-thwap sounded pretty rough.
The freckled boy glared like he wanted to hurl the cat across the room, his fist trembling, but he had no intention of swinging. He roughly released the collar, spun on his heel, and stomped back to his seat. He clearly hated getting lip from a tiny brat and his cat, but starting a fistfight here meant getting the boot for sure.
Lianus soothed Bella, who was still throwing air punches, and settled back into his corner.
As time passed, the tension mercifully eased even further. Separately, curiosity about "Ner's brother—the strong, fast hunter who feeds him three square meals and has a pretty face"—began bubbling up among the kids like smoke from a campfire.
Nihil's image had warped wildly in their imaginations: no longer just a "poor pretty brother who secretly sells himself to feed his little brother," but now a "strong, agile hunter who does three meals a day and has a pretty face."
In the brief silence that followed in the break room, Kane spoke up cautiously.
"Ner."
"Yeah?"
"When's your brother comin'?"
"...Soon, I guess? Why?"
"Just... he really that good at huntin'?"
"Why?"
"Well, if he is, maybe we could learn from him or somethin'."
"Doubt it'd help much..."
Lianus had no real clue if Nihil was actually good at hunting. He'd just bluffed it because it seemed plausible. He didn't think Nihil couldn't hunt... if anything, he probably excelled at it, but in some way that wasn't normal.
"I dunno much about it, but I'll ask him when he shows up."
Lianus tossed the buck straight to Nihil without overthinking. By now, he'd handle it. And sure enough, the familiar tok sounded—like he'd take care of everything.
Suddenly realizing he'd forgotten the most important thing, Lianus spoke up.
"Hey, I heard rumors about kids goin' missing around here. That true?"
"Oh, yeah. Been goin' around lately. Hasn't hit our group, though... you guys know anything?"
Kane asked the other kids on behalf of everyone, but they only knew the rumors too—no specifics on who or where.
"If kids really are vanishin', it's probably the loners or ones with no ties to any group. Maybe targetin' new arrivals to the streets. Could be bullshit, but Sharton Street's got all kinda trouble beyond kidnappings, so don't wander at night. Stick with your brother, no exceptions."
"Got it."
"But... you got a place to crash?"
"Sleepin'... not sure."
"Man, your brother really does everything for you, huh..."
Kane shook his head, staring at Ner like a delicate flower grown in a greenhouse—nothing like a street kid. He figured this brother must be a total softie who doted on his kid brother, and pictured a sturdy, rugged guy... then remembered "pretty" and tweaked the face a bit.
The manly build and delicate features didn't mesh well in his imagination. Then the door creaked open, scattering the image.
A guard poked his head in, scanning the room like he was looking for someone. For some reason, he looked a little uneasy.
"Who's Ner? Your brother's here lookin' for you..."