This Feels Like Something I've Felt Before
The Hummer finally reached the gas station base, and the steel barriers groaned open on either side.
The vehicle, caked in dirt, dust, and Walker blood, rolled to a stop in the middle of the clearing.
Once the engine cut off, Jin came trudging out from inside the station.
"Mission go smoothly?"
Ban flung open the Hummer door and stepped out in response to the gruff bear's greeting.
Jin's gaze landed on Ban's left shoulder, and his usually indifferent eyes widened slightly.
Through the torn tactical vest, dried blood and a hastily wrapped bandage were visible.
"Even a monster like you gets hurt sometimes. Must've been rough."
That single remark flipped Ban's dramatics switch on instantly.
"You're damn right! It hurts like hell, you big oaf! I got shot in the shoulder! Can't you see the blood pouring out? And these heartless teammates of mine didn't even comfort me—they just kept nagging!"
"We did no such thing."
Haze, stepping out of the driver's seat, cut him off with her usual icy bluntness.
Yui hopped down from the passenger side and immediately ran over to smack Ban on the head.
"Proof you're human. Nice to see you can bleed too."
"Ow—patient abuse! Just you wait until after treatment. I'm giving you a hundred head-flicks!"
While Ban grumbled, Eve came sprinting out with a tearful expression.
"Master! We need to prep for surgery right now! It's a gunshot wound, but I can heal you super fast! Just trust me!"
Amid the noisy commotion, the Hummer's cargo door opened.
Cecil stepped out first with graceful poise, followed by Hana, and then Richard the golden bundle of fur leaped down with a cheerful bounce.
Silence.
Every Blackhead member who had been patrolling or resting in the clearing turned to stare in unison.
Even though it was nighttime, the new faces stood out vividly under their gazes.
"Whoa... insane."
"Are those even real people?"
Stunned exclamations erupted from all around. It was understandable.
The Solution Group members were already somewhat familiar, but now two stunning new arrivals had appeared—an Olympus noblewoman and her sharp secretary.
Ban snorted and glanced around, then froze.
Huh? That stoic bear Jin's face had turned bright red, his mouth slightly agape in a completely lovestruck expression.
Jin strode toward Cecil and Hana as if entranced.
"May I touch them?"
...What the hell? That sounded way too perverted coming from him.
Cecil and Hana's expressions hardened. Both women stared coldly up at the towering 190cm man, their displeasure plain.
But Jin, who had the situational awareness of a brick, took another step forward.
"Would you allow me... to touch?"
Thud—!
In that instant, Yui came charging at full speed and kicked Jin square in the rear.
"What the hell do you think you're touching, you perverted bear?! I thought you were a clueless virgin who had zero interest in women, but you're just as horny as Ban?!"
Nice kick. And she even dragged Ban into it. Solid damage output from the little gremlin.
Jin, now clutching his backside, flailed his hands in panic.
"N-no, that's not... I meant the dog. May I touch the dog...?"
Jin's thick finger pointed toward Richard, who was happily panting and wagging his tail.
Oh. So the giant had been staring at the fluffball like that?
After one second of silence, the entire clearing erupted in laughter.
"Puhahaha! Look at this adorable old man!"
Ban doubled over, clutching his stomach as he roasted Jin.
"Dude! A mountain-sized guy going 'Oh my gosh, you're so cute!' at a puppy?! It doesn't suit you at all! Total maiden soul! Hello there, Miss Bear Girl!"
The surrounding Blackhead members also snickered, unable to hold back.
But Jin paid no attention to the mockery. He simply stared earnestly at Cecil's slightly flustered face.
"May I touch?"
He asked again. That was the fourth time now.
Cecil, who had been bewildered, finally let out a small laugh and nodded with a gentle, saintly smile.
"Of course! He's very gentle. And incredibly soft!"
Wow. An angel. Drool could practically be heard hitting the ground from the watching Blackhead members.
With Cecil's permission, Jin carefully knelt and began petting Richard's head with trembling hands.
"Woof!"
Richard flopped onto his back in delight, belly exposed.
Jin's fierce face melted into pure happiness. He was clearly smitten.
Ban watched the scene with a smirk.
The big guy had a surprisingly cute side.
"This is getting out of hand. You two should just get married. Bear plus dog would be..."
"Please stop at the first verse."
Urk. The fox-like secretary had cut him off.
"Fine, fine. Let's leave the puppy and the bear to play. Our noble young ladies? Shall we head inside and talk?"
Ban turned away from Richard and Jin rolling on the ground and headed toward the lounge the Blackhead members had converted from a container.
Cecil, Hana, and the rest of the Solution Group followed.
The moment they entered the lounge, Eve blocked Ban's path with a first-aid kit, panicking.
"Master! Forget all that—your treatment comes first!"
Ban flicked her forehead.
"Ow!"
"I'm the one who was being dramatic, so why are you making a bigger fuss? Stitches can wait. First, we need to figure out what to do with these illegal immigrants."
Ban flopped onto a crudely made bench and pulled out a cigarette.
Then he looked down at Yui with dead-fish eyes.
"Mission's done, so contact the client and have them pick up the ladies. We're not playing taxi."
"Got it, then I'll just..."
As Yui reached for her terminal, Hana strode forward and grabbed her hand.
"Wait a moment. Isn't this different from what we discussed underground?"
Huh? Ban stared at her with a "What are you talking about?" expression.
Yui's eyes also widened in confusion.
At that moment, Haze approached with a terrifying expression and seized Hana's wrist.
"Let's talk after you let go."
Haze's cross-shaped pupils narrowed sharply.
She was clearly displeased that Hana had snatched her little sister's hand.
"Ah, my apologies."
Hana released Yui's hand without argument.
"The rescue request you received was likely issued by our family's head—the senator. However, we have no intention of returning."
"Not returning?"
Ban exhaled cigarette smoke, frowning.
"You saw it yourself underground. We've already made a deal with Agrippa's strike team. We'll be listed as dead in the explosion. If we go back now, everything will..."
"Ha? And why is that our problem?"
Haze shot back coldly.
"We accepted the request, found you, and rescued you as instructed. Returning you completes our job cleanly. Your circumstances are none of our concern."
Classic Haze. Zero flexibility, but she draws a perfect line between work and personal matters.
As the atmosphere grew tense, Cecil stepped forward from behind.
"I'm sorry. But we truly cannot return. We weren't kidnapped. We ran away of our own accord."
"...What?"
Ban flicked his cigarette into the ashtray and pinched the bridge of his nose.
"What kind of nonsense is that? Weren't you two reported as missing after being abducted? My head's already killing me, my shoulder hurts, and now you're trying to give me an aneurysm? Skip the speculation and give me facts."
At Ban's irritation, Hana sighed quietly.
"We grew disillusioned with Olympus's rotten political games. So we planned our escape ourselves."
"Yourselves? Escape? Look at these spoiled nobles complaining about full bellies. Then why did all your escorts die?"
"Because the family would never have allowed just the two of us to leave."
Hana answered flatly.
"So we used the excuse of taking Richard for a checkup at the nearby 317 Research Lab sub-base and slipped out with the escort unit."
"Hold on, hold on."
Yui tapped her terminal and cut in.
"But why did Agrippa's guardians target you? Agrippa is one of the top senators in Olympus."
"Agrippa... that old man is famous?"
Ban asked, breaking the mood.
"Agrippa, you idiot... Ugh, just keep listening."
Yui's axe-eyes. Terrifying.
"It's a long story, but... let's just say the families don't get along. He saw Lady Cecil, who has high public popularity within Olympus, as a thorn in his side. He's been waiting for an opportunity."
Hana gave a bitter smile.
"We used that against him. We secretly made a backroom deal with his strike team. We'd hand over all information about when, where, and how we'd move..."
"Aha."
Ban clapped his hands.
"So they wipe out the escort unit, spare just the two of you, and fake your deaths. Everyone benefits. That was the disgusting plan?"
"Yes."
Hana answered briefly.
"Wow... they were complete lunatics. They sold out their own family's guards to the opposition just to save themselves?"
"You... that's too much... Even if they look pretty..."
Eve covered her mouth slightly.
Cecil lowered her head in guilt, but Hana continued without faltering.
"But they got greedy and overreached. Since we were going to be listed as dead in the explosion anyway, they figured they might as well have some fun first."
"Ha. Now we're on the same page. So when I arrived, they were in the middle of trying to have their way with you?"
"Yes. But we're not fools either. We had preparations ready. We were in a standoff with the dead man's switch in hand."
"Dead man's switch?"
Haze raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"If our hearts stopped, an alarm would go off to our family's secret supporters who knew the full story. That's why they couldn't touch us easily. Until you all stormed in."
Hana finished and crossed her arms.
The puzzle pieces clicked into place. Why Agrippa's strike team had kept them alive, why these women refused to return.
"Haa... Fuck."
Ban rubbed his face and sank deep into the chair.
What he'd thought was a simple missing-persons rescue had turned out to be a cesspit of political intrigue, self-orchestrated incidents, and betrayal among Olympus's upper echelons.
Goddamn it. He'd stepped in real shit.
"So what exactly are you asking?"
Ban lit another cigarette.
"Your goal in taking requests is money, isn't it?"
Hana asked matter-of-factly.
"And? Do you have anything valuable? From the looks of it earlier, you two are broke."
"That's right. Since we're now considered dead in an explosion, our old digital coin accounts are probably frozen. Even this terminal is a brand-new burner we brought to avoid tracking."
Hana openly admitted they had nothing.
"Are you an idiot? Why bring up money when you have none? Just go quietly collect scrap."
"We do have something useful instead of money. My jewelry."
Cecil quietly reached into Hana's pocket and pulled out necklaces, earrings, and other accessories, placing them on the crude metal table.
Hana also removed her wristwatch and earrings without hesitation, sliding them across the table.
The gems sparkled brilliantly. Even at a glance, they were clearly top-tier Olympus craftsmanship.
Life returned to Ban's dead-fish eyes in an instant.
"How much was the original reward?"
Hana asked, arms crossed.
"Twenty thousand coins."
Ban lied without blinking.
Eve, sitting beside him, stared at Ban in surprise and shouted.
"Master! You shouldn't lie! It was two thousand coins!"
Ah. This clueless, kind-hearted cow.
Ban imagined firing a cannon at Eve's forehead while clearing his throat.
"Ahem. Hahaha! I must've added an extra zero by mistake. Right, two thousand coins."
Smooth.
Hana shook her head in disbelief.
"Combined, our jewelry should be worth at least twenty thousand coins. Isn't that enough? It could cover rent for a while."
"Twenty thousand?? Twenty thouuusand??? Deal! Ban, take it right now!"
At the mention of twenty thousand coins, Yui's ears perked up and she started bouncing excitedly.
The kid went crazy the moment money was mentioned.
"Ah, twenty thousand is definitely acceptable. Worth swallowing. But... rent? What are you talking about?"
Ban stopped his hand just before reaching for the jewelry on the table.
Hana answered with shameless confidence.
"We don't really have anywhere else to go. We were considering another hideout, but staying near someone like you seems much safer."
Huh? What the hell was this sudden development? Another batch of women with nowhere to go latching on...
This felt exactly like after escaping the Lilac Ward. Déjà vu?
"Wait, hold on. Are you saying you want to freeload off the Solution Group..."
"Not freeloaders—paying tenants. And you don't even know our abilities yet, do you? People with our skills wouldn't be a loss."
Hana cut Ban off and drove the point home. Cecil nodded beside her with her signature smile.
Ah...
Was this really happening?
Why did women with nowhere else to go always end up rolling in?