Childhood Friend
“...This is my hometown friend, Frey Kellin.”
“Hello! Ah, I'm really sorry about what just happened. I'm so sorry—what should I do? It's such a bad habit, but I just can't seem to fix it. Ahaha! If you buy anything, I'll give you a sweet deal, okay?”
For someone who'd just declared she wanted to grope Angela's breasts every which way, it was a remarkably casual reaction. These slip-ups must happen all the time for her; she definitely came across as a seasoned pro. Most people would feel guilty just looking, but this Frey character was still staring at Angela's chest while she talked...
“Anyway, they're seriously huge. Like, the more I look, the bigger they seem?”
“...Ugh, I hear that a lot.”
Angela was used to the stares, but that didn't make them comfortable. Especially not from someone ogling her so blatantly—regardless of gender, it was bound to be embarrassing.
“Do you have a bra that fits those tits?”
Her word choice was downright catastrophic, making it impossible not to blush...
“Karuz Combine... we have it.”
“Ah! That bowl-sized one? Yeah, makes sense—you need something that big to support them properly. Damn, seriously... mind if I give 'em a quick squeeze?”
I'd figured stares couldn't do much, but Angela realized for the first time today that they could carry a weird, tangible weight.
“...That's troubling.”
“Whoa.”
Angela covered her chest with both arms. Frey's eyes went wide. She'd just realized something shocking. Normal girls would cover with their hands. But big tits required arms. Hands just couldn't cut it. What kind of boobs in the world were like that? The ones right in front of her.
“I'm not really a lesbian or anything, but for tits like yours, Angela? I'd make an exception once or twice.”
“Frey, cut the bullshit already.”
Enoch was sweating bullets. Thanks to me, he'd thought he was pretty adaptable to sudden chaos, but Frey was a different breed of maniac from me. When he came alone, she didn't go this wild. Just spouting nonsense like how handsome he was or how she'd offer her virginity for someone like him. But now? She was straight-up deranged. The embarrassment was all on Enoch, who'd brought these two here.
“Tch... fine, business time. Last look for real this time, I swear. Seriously. Angela, just one more peek? Hell, you can look at mine too. Not that there's much to see.”
There... wasn't much to see. Frey was on the short side to begin with, with a petite build. Her breasts were small, of course. Not Soo-level, but for Enoch's friend, they felt a tad undersized. If anything, just a bit bigger than Yoo Sena's.
“So, can I look?”
“Looking's... fine... yeah, okay.”
“Thankyouthankyouthankyou.”
True to her word, Frey gave Angela's chest one final, lingering stare, then reluctantly looked away with a wistful expression. Her gaze shifted next to me.
“Whoa...”
“Hi.”
“Uh, y-yeah... hi...?”
What was this now? What even was this tiny creature? How could anything be this pretty? That palm-sized face packed with such perfectly gorgeous features—how?
Frey's mind went blank on boobs. Now it was filled with the silver-gray girl.
“I'm Soo.”
“Uh-uh... I'm Frey...”
She gawked, mouth agape. The same Frey who'd spewed all sorts of wild lines while eyeing Angela's chest was utterly speechless before my face. It wasn't something you could casually judge.
“Enoch, you bastard!”
So she turned her ire on Enoch instead.
“You need to pay more taxes, you little thief.”
“Why the sudden freakout...?”
“Not knowing that's a crime in itself.”
Even as a straight woman, Frey couldn't help feeling jealous of Enoch hanging around these two. What about other guys? It was a miracle he was still alive.
“Enough nonsense—show us the goods.”
“Fine.”
The government wouldn't tax her more, so she'd have to gouge him herself. With that in mind, Frey stood up. Not that she really meant it. She wasn't vicious enough to rip off a childhood friend.
She roughly tied back her frizzy blonde hair and pulled out a handwritten catalog.
“What do you want to see?”
“We're buying trunks in bulk first—how many for a discount?”
“Thirty.”
“Delivery?”
“Hmm, forty minimum for that. Fifty gets free shipping.”
“Alright, fifty wheeled trunks. How soon can you deliver?”
Frey blinked at Enoch's decisive spending.
“What? You strike it rich or something?”
“Heh.”
Enoch's lips twitched upward.
“I'll explain while we browse.”
“Why you acting all smug? You land a big gig? That's why you ghosted for a while?”
“Big enough, yeah. But that's not why I stayed away. Just, uh...”
Enoch's eyes flicked to me and Angela. Can I tell her our story?
We both nodded. If Enoch trusted her, so did we. No need to overthink it.
“Couldn't come back to Southpeak—too many corps chasing me.”
“Knew you'd fuck up eventually. What'd you do to get hunted like that?”
“Too much to pick one. But if I had to... kidnapping that exec, I guess.”
For a loser like Enoch, that was huge. Frey swallowed hard, glancing at his two companions.
“Not Angela—me and him.”
“Oh... r-really? Ma'am?”
“Yeah.”
Ah, talking to Soo was tough. People shouldn't be this pretty. Frey stuck out her tongue and eyed Enoch.
“So you're safe now?”
“Wasn't super dangerous even then—we stayed hidden. Same deal now. Risky, but manageable if we're careful.”
“Hidden enough they couldn't spot you? Must've been some small-fry corp. Which one?”
“Luthien.”
“Ahaha! Figures a flat-chest like you picks easy targets...”
Frey froze mid-motion.
“...Huh?”
“Kidnapped a Luthien Biotech exec.”
Frey slowly raised her head.
“Did I hear wrong? Luthien? That Luthien Biotech? One of the big three?”
“Yeah, you probably saw it on the news. Viktor Kral. We nabbed him.”
Sensing some fun drama unfolding, I synced my Noise with Enoch's words. Tzzzt—a faint static hum, and his body blurred under the camouflage.
Frey's eyes reddened. Not just her eyes—cheeks and neck flushed too. Shoulders twitching, lips pressed tight.
“Hic... sniff... Y-you, Enoch... so you're being chased by Luthien, right? Eep...”
Enoch, busy browsing, turned at her weird breathing.
His indifferent gaze met her tear-filled eyes.
“...Frey?”
“E-Enoooh...”
“No.”
“I-I came to say... hngh... g-goodbye... d-didn't I...? Right...?”
“What're you on about.”
“Waaa...”
Frey's head drooped. Her shoulders shook harder. The sharp exhales turned to pathetic little hiccups.
Enoch looked at us, bewildered. No help there—we were just watching with rapt fascination.
“E-Enooooh...”
“Why're you suddenly crying?”
“T-take me too... t-to the W-Wasteland...”
“What the hell are you saying?”
“I-I'm no good... hngh, sniff...!”
Frey clamped her hands over her mouth, fighting back sobs. Why act so tough? Simple: Enoch pushed away any woman who approached. Trauma from some gold-digging snake in the past, which Frey knew all about as his childhood friend. So she'd tried showing a different side—not a clingy seductress, but a chill, bro-like buddy!
Why bother? Because Frey liked Enoch!
“Oh...”
“Oh my.”
We'd pieced it together. Me and Angela watched with utter delight. The tough, tomboy childhood friend was actually the softest, squishiest girl around? Couldn't get more entertaining.
A little prodding, and she'd confess? We'd even scoped a Wasteland trip recently. One word from me, and it'd be pure chaos—in the best way.
While I debated, Enoch just sweated profusely. She'd never cried like this before. What happened while I was gone? Or was she scared of losing her last hometown friend...?
Anyway, he slowly reached out and patted her head—like old times, something she always loved.
Bad move this time.
“Waaaaaah!”
Memories of their past flooded her, and with a wail, she threw herself into his arms.
“Whoa.”
“No way!”
Me and Angela couldn't hold back our awe.