Northrica's Threshold
Enoch's car was still stuck outside Northrica. The same went for all the others. Rich or poor, no one could move until the investigation wrapped up.
"Soo, you okay?"
"Yeah."
Angela voiced her worry, but Soo replied in her usual lazy, carefree drawl.
"It was just a sudden lightning strike."
"Hmm..."
Angela had just finished brushing Soo's hair when she let out a soft hum. But she decided to just relax and enjoy the moment. Trying to read Soo's mind was... incredibly tough and exhausting. Even if you barely managed it, her thoughts could shift in any direction at any time.
"Got it."
So, best to just let Soo be Soo. That way, body and mind stayed at ease.
"Sis was worrying for nothing."
Angela pulled Soo into her arms. Hugging from behind was impossible with that tail. So, face-to-face it was. Soo's face ended up buried in those massive mounds.
Soo flinched. Not that this was new—dozens of times already. Still, she couldn't get used to it. Angela's violent size probably wouldn't let her adapt even after a century.
In that position, Angela sniffed at the top of Soo's head.
"Soo. Did you skip washing your hair yesterday by any chance?"
"Yeah."
"Sis said at least every other day."
"I don't smell."
"Well... true, but still, there's such a thing as feeling fresh. Keep skipping, and like last time, sis'll wash it for you?"
Soo shrank her neck to escape Angela's nose. That just buried her deeper into the cleavage, but no choice.
"...I'll wash today."
"Oh? Is Soo saying that 'cause she wants to bathe with sis? You think sis doesn't know?"
"No."
"So firm... makes sis a little sad, y'know?"
"Uh..."
While the two bantered lightly, Frey glared at Enoch with axe eyes.
"You fucking dog."
"Wh-what? Why the sudden cursing...?"
"Why, you wanna join the bath too? Huh? Think 'cause you're a guy, big ones are better?!"
"Misunderstanding."
"Th-then... you like small ones...?"
Frey, who moments ago looked ready to stab him, now asked with a shy face. Enoch sweated bullets. What the hell was he supposed to say? There was one big, two smalls. Like big? Problem. Like small? Problem.
No, liking small might be worse...
Definitely. Enoch shot a desperate look at Soo and Angela—help me, comrades.
Soo caught it. Enoch's scalp prickled. That expression. That lazy, blank look. Same as always, but somehow, he saw the smirk hidden behind it.
"I—"
"Yeah."
Before Enoch could speak, Soo cut in quick.
"Enoch likes small ones."
Angela's mouth fell open slightly. Frey's face flushed red. Soo flashed a triumphant V-sign.
And then.
"...Enoch, was it? Mind cooperating with the investigation a moment."
The ECPD investigator eyed Enoch like sub-beast trash.
"Haha."
Southpeak Enoch vs. Northrica Enoch. If word spread he was a merc, it'd be quite the spectacle. Imagining that, Enoch laughed hollowly. And he settled a nagging doubt in his head.
Soo, you damn well knew everything and did it anyway.
Abnormal weather. That's what top researchers and investigators in Northrica concluded. Every witness's testimony matched perfectly, without a single contradiction. A bolt from the blue sky. Not from Northrica's artificial climate control—pure natural lightning, they all said. Undeniable.
No time for them to coordinate lies, and their nano-computers' footage confirmed it.
But the investigators and researchers couldn't easily swallow their own conclusion. Checks outside Northrica showed unusually clear skies—rare these days. Blue enough for no rain, not even a drop. Clear enough to stargaze in the wasteland.
Lightning from that sky? Eden citizens with basic education wouldn't buy it.
Still, they couldn't drag out the on-site probe. Big shots from everywhere waited to enter Northrica. So the case closed awkwardly: abnormal weather from Eden's brutal outskirts. No deaths, no serious injuries—easy call. If any elite got scratched, ECPD would've dug deep.
Thus, everyone detained got minor compensation and entry to Northrica. Soo's group included.
Vroom-vroom-vroom—
In the beat-up but chugging car, Soo and Frey chattered away.
"Enoch, mad?"
"What's to be mad about? People's tastes vary. Enoch, as your childhood friend, I get it all. My chest is smol! But! My heart's big! I'll forgive everything!"
"Please, just stop..."
Meant as comfort, but to Enoch, it stabbed like daggers. He shot pleading eyes at Angela, but she joined in: 'Mine's big, but my heart's narrow~'.
How'd my life get this rough?
Enoch swallowed a sigh and floored the accelerator. The car didn't surge—just RPMs rose, noise louder.
At least Frey's fully recovered... silver lining.
Before, her chatter felt forced. Now, full energy, nonstop teasing. Enoch took solace in that.
The ECPD treating him like trash, others eyeing him warily... all fine. Probably.
"...So explain where we're headed. Haven't heard a word."
"Oh right. Forgot to say on the way."
Frey pulled a shard from her pocket, offered it to Angela first. Enoch drove, couldn't see. No auto-drive, no shard port—his junker had zilch. Soo... well. Anyway, to Angela.
"Angela, check first and explain?"
"Sure."
Since casual talk started, Frey used informal, Angela stuck formal. Looks-wise—body-wise—Angela seemed the big sis, but Frey was older by eight years. Solid sis. But so far, both seemed Soo's age. Outwardly, inwardly... all.
Soo: quietly rowdy girl. Frey: rowdy but prim girl. Vague, but true.
Sis was sis. Angela was polite.
"Yeah, just a spot where Eden's lost items pile up."
"No sugarcoating."
"Junkyard."
"Hey, junkyard sounds too trashy. How hard to get in there?"
"Junkyard or not, just walk in. Hard?"
"It's Northrica land. Owners, obviously!"
True. Southpeak junkyard? Vagrant central, no owners—or maybe they crowned one. But Northrica: Eden's richest district outside the central overlords' zone. Even junkyards classy here.
"Fair. With you, entry's no issue anyway."
"Duh. Trust me."
Frey puffed her small chest proudly.
"Yeah."
At least Frey didn't spout nonsense. Enoch knew her best—no doubts.
If Soo said it? He'd launch into infiltration vs. visit lecture.
"Frey."
"Yeah, Soo?"
"Can I take whatever's there?"
"Hmm... too big might be trouble?"
"Small's fine?"
"Rode back and forth five years, no issues."
"Got it."
Soo grinned and nodded. Enoch's mouth flew open in seizure.
"Nothing that'd cause social chaos. Size irrelevant. Moral... that stuff. Got it?"
"Yeah."
"'Not big' means that slab you're sitting on. Liftable by you ain't small. Understand?"
"Yeah."
"Small but heavy? No. My car... can't take it."
"Yeah."
"No ripping implants from thugs. They're not trash. Corpses worse. Clear?"
"Yeah."
"No random magic. Northrica. Someone might recognize."
"Enoch."
"And—"
"Too many, I'll forget."
One more, and I dunno what I'll do. That's how it rang in Enoch's ears.
"Good grasp."
So he nodded...
Soon after, Enoch's car rolled into Northrica's heart.