The Upper City Folk Are Different
The phrase carried many meanings in the Hood. It could be a mocking jab at the pampered, delicate ways of those from Sentinel. Or it could be the sticky, self-deprecating mix of inferiority and envy that only Hood natives truly understood. Sometimes, it was even spoken with pure, unfiltered awe. Whatever emotion a Hood resident felt when looking at someone from up top, it all boiled down to one simple truth: those people are nothing like us.
“Do people in the Hood always exchange opinions in such barbaric fashion before an important deal? If you continue to disappoint me like this, I may have no choice but to agree with my father’s assessment.”
In a situation where bullets and blades could start flying at any second, the girl stepped in with perfect composure, speaking in the refined imperial tongue you’d only hear on propaganda radio. Facing her, I felt like I was staring at a creature from an entirely different world.
Her glossy, deep magenta hair and skin as pale and flawless as fresh milk were nothing like the sickly, ashen complexions of Hood folk who never saw real sunlight. Her features were delicately arranged in a way that made her look both cute and well-fed, and her body showed the healthy curves of a woman in her prime. She looked only a year or two older than my sister Sara, yet the difference between them was night and day. If Sara was a starving child from some documentary, this girl looked like a princess straight out of a fairy tale. They were both girls around the same age, but could living in different places really create such a massive gap?
“Hah.”
A strange, hollow feeling drained the strength from my body. Without a word, I lowered my gun. The girl raised an eyebrow, seemingly surprised.
“This gentleman here seems to possess at least some degree of intellect. When words fail, one might as well be dealing with beasts.”
I didn’t bother replying. Her tone was just as infuriating as Edge’s, the kind that made you want to put a hole in her skull. Looking at her expression, it was clear she wasn’t disappointed that a conversation had broken down—she was just upset she wouldn’t get to watch the animals tear each other apart. The way she acted all high and mighty was exactly what you’d expect from an upper-city bitch.
Edge, unable to stand the girl’s arrogant rambling any longer, slid her sunglasses down and openly displayed her displeasure.
“Upper-city princess. Didn’t your fancy parents teach you not to butt into grown-up conversations?”
“Well. It seems your own level is far too low to comment on the Eastwood family’s upbringing.”
Even while facing the full force of Edge’s rage—the rage of someone who ruled half the Hood—the girl didn’t so much as flinch. On the other hand, Edge, who should have been controlling the situation, scowled deeply at having her authority stolen by this third party.
“Hah, fuck. This is exactly why I hate upper-city bastards.”
But that was all she did—scowl and mutter curses under her breath. The queen of the Hood had just been treated like an annoying neighborhood auntie. After only revealing her presence and speaking a few words, the girl had completely taken control of the scene. She turned gracefully, pinched the hem of her skirt with both hands, and gave me a small bow.
“Now that I think about it, this is our first meeting, sir. I am Katarina, eldest daughter of the Eastwood family.”
Even though Katarina bowed to me, I knew it wasn’t out of any real respect. Unlike Hood culture, where strangers immediately bared their teeth and claws to test each other, this was simply basic etiquette in Sentinel. It had nothing to do with the other person’s status. They just did it because that was how things were done. In the Hood, face was everything. In Sentinel, dignity and manners were the same as pride. And among those who valued dignity and manners so highly that they even spoke politely to worthless dogs—
They were called nobles.
Katarina Eastwood was a noble.
The moment I heard her name, a palace of memories opened in my mind on its own, flooding me with information—including the fact that she was a captureable heroine. But I ignored everything except the few details that might be useful right now. My situation was far too desperate to get excited about meeting a heroine from the original story I never thought I’d encounter in my lifetime.
The noblewoman standing before me, Katarina Eastwood, might very well be the key to my success. That was the only thing that mattered.
I looked her straight in the eyes and said, “Name’s Kain. You’re the client for this job?”
“To be precise, it is not me but my family. Still, for the purpose of your question, you may consider that correct.”
Fuck. It’s either yes or no. What the hell does “you may consider that correct” even mean? I was used to the direct, fist-first style of communication in the Hood, so her roundabout way of talking made irritation bubble up inside me. But I held it in. This was probably normal up top. And honestly, she hadn’t even been that indirect.
“I heard the client disliked working through gangs. The fact that you came all the way down here yourself suggests a change of heart?”
“Preference is nothing more than preference. For the sake of greater efficiency, one can adjust their course of action as needed. In my personal judgment, it is better to meet the person I will be entrusting with the task and decide for myself.”
I swallowed the urge to break out in hives and continued the probing conversation, even though it didn’t suit my tastes.
“You said it was a family matter. Is it really okay for personal judgment to get involved?”
“That is not for you to judge, sir.”
At least my patience paid off. From just a few exchanges, I had a rough idea of what was going on. It was obvious that Katarina had stuck her spoon into her family’s business on her own. Her goal was probably to expand her influence within the family or secure some personal gain. According to the original setting, she had a very ambitious personality and never missed an opportunity that could bring her significant benefit. Thanks to my knowledge of the story, I now had solid grounds for what would have otherwise been a shaky guess.
“Right. I overstepped.”
“My, how surprising. To receive an apology from a gentleman of the Hood. You seem far more cultured than I expected.”
This fucking bitch. She was seriously looking at me like I was some kind of trained monkey. The more we talked, the more nauseating it felt, but I didn’t let my displeasure show. I had to endure. If I couldn’t handle this level of humiliation, I would never make it up there. There was far too much at stake to just say “fuck it” and walk away.
Katarina looked me up and down with the same intrigued expression one might give a talking monkey. Then she turned again, addressing the Blade thugs who were still standing around stupidly while trying to read the mood between her and a clearly pissed-off Edge.
“Well then, since it seems we have finished all the necessary conversation, allow me to brief you on the details of this business.”
Despite my terrible first impression of her, her pleasant voice and refined, precise wording made the information sink in perfectly. Even the meatheads staring at her with blank faces kept nodding and going “ooh” at the right moments. She would probably make an excellent teacher.
After carefully committing all the job details to memory, the meeting seemed to be wrapping up. That was when Edge spoke in a dangerously low voice, stopping me.
“Hey, you cocky little brat. Why don’t you stick around for a chat?”
Even though she had been openly ignored by Katarina, Edge was still the boss of a major gang. She might have started the fight, but there was no way she would let me point a gun at her and walk away. Especially not right after losing face in front of her subordinates. She would want to salvage her reputation. Since an important job was on the line, she probably wouldn’t try to spill blood unnecessarily, but she definitely wouldn’t let this end peacefully either.
“What do you want?”
I replied while resting my hand on my waist, ready to throw down if necessary.
“You’ve got a real high head on your shoulders, kid. Boys, make him kneel.”
“Yes, boss!”
They were clearly planning to beat me down first and talk later. Edge made the first move. Of course, I had no intention of taking it quietly. Once you got treated like trash, that was it. No matter who the opponent was, you had to bite back like a rabid dog until they thought twice about disrespecting you.
—Bang!
Thinking that, I pulled out the metal rod and fired a shot into the shoulder of the first guy charging at me with it.
“Agh, fuck!”
I smashed the handle of the gun into the temple of the staggering, shoulder-shot thug, knocking him out cold. Then I drove a solid middle kick into the stomach of the hesitant guy beside him, sending him flying.
“You son of a bitch!”
The next one threw a predictable, rage-filled punch. I barely tilted my head to dodge it.
“What the—?!”
I slammed my fist into the jaw of the idiot who was making a dumb face in the middle of a fight, dropping him like a sack of potatoes.
When three of them went down in seconds, the rest of the gang froze, hesitating to charge. As I stood facing them—
“B-Boss…”
“Hey, what the hell is that guy? Wasn’t he just some trash picker? How’s he fighting like that?”
Taking advantage of the brief standoff, I reached into my trench coat and swapped the now-useless metal rod for a proper gun that old man Matthias had made for me. A sleek, silver-plated revolver with a killer finish. The rumor that he used to be a renowned blacksmith even outside the Hood clearly wasn’t bullshit. The crazy old man had taken a blueprint and built a working revolver in just three days. I had no idea how he managed it by hand, but it was a damn good thing for me.
—Click!
Whirr.
The sound of the cylinder turning made the guy in front flinch. He took a step back, unable to hold his ground any longer.
—Shing!
Finally, Edge drew her dual swords and stepped forward herself.
“Not bad. Seems you’ve got enough spine to keep that head held high. I’ll carve two nice scars into that disgusting face that reminds me of that bitch.”
“Fuck off.”
She said she’d scar my face, so I aimed to put a hole in hers instead and pulled the trigger.
—Bang!
“Hah!”
She really hadn’t earned her position for nothing. Edge read the movement of my hand right before I fired and crossed her blades to block. But—
—Ting!
I thought the bullet had been stopped when I heard the sound, and was about to fire again when I saw something strange. It wasn’t Edge’s blades that had blocked it. A translucent barrier had cracked with a loud snap and was scattering into the air. I immediately lowered my gun.
“One moment. I still have something to discuss with that gentleman.”
It was Katarina again. Did this girl have a hobby of interrupting fights?
* * *
“Hah… All of you, just get the hell out.”
By then, Edge must have decided she had salvaged enough of her pride, or maybe she simply didn’t want to get tangled up with Katarina any further. She clicked her tongue in annoyance and kicked us out.
As we walked down the alley in that awkward atmosphere, Katarina followed exactly three steps behind me. I wasn’t sure if that was another one of her precious etiquette rules. From behind me, her uniquely irritating way of speaking rang out in a clear, bell-like voice.
“The mood seemed quite volatile. I didn’t expect you to start fighting so soon. Is that simply how things are done in the Hood?”
“If you can read the room, why the hell do you act like that?”
“I simply intervened as the client because I feared the fight would become too excessive before an important job. Was there some problem with my actions?”
“No… Forget it. So what do you want?”
—Vrrr!
Since we weren’t exactly on small-talk terms, I cut straight to the point. In response, a translucent barrier unfolded instead of words. Was it to block out prying eyes? It was my first time seeing magic this close, so I watched with quiet fascination. Katarina took something out from within her clothes and spoke in a low voice.
“In truth, the business I explained earlier was merely a smokescreen. The real task is something else entirely.”
“What?”
In Katarina’s hand was a small jewelry box.
“Kain, all you need to do is deliver this to the location I specify.”
Just hearing it set off every alarm bell I had. The instincts I had honed while surviving in the Hood were screaming at me. It looked like I had gotten myself dragged into something far more dangerous than I thought.