"Haah~"
Xiaohan set down the now-empty bottle of strawberry milk, wiping his lips with the back of his hand. Before dispersing, the crowd that had gathered around him had asked him dozens of questions, ranging from everything about his skills to whether or not Fortuna was recruiting new members. When things were finally said and done, he had chugged half the bottle in a single go.
"Thanks again, Mei."
"No problem, Mister…"
Mei nodded, barely heeding his words. She was completely engrossed in the game, rifling through her list of owned property to make sure that every last item was present. She was also messaging kerobero – though Fortuna was known for many things, it was a banking guild at its core. And having seen just how dangerous it could be to carry everything she owned in a single ship, she must have decided it was time to start thinking about banking some of her things.
Xiaohan smiled. She'd learned her lesson in a rather rough way, but it was still a lesson learned in the end. Now as for his other "students…"
He leaned to the side, gazing past his screen at the boys.
After realizing that their rage was taking them nowhere, and under the jeering derision of the crowd, the boys had given up and sulked back to their computers. The leader had buried his face in his arms, and he was crying. His three friends were unmoving in their seats, staring dejectedly at their screens. It was a pitiful sight.
———————
(Whisper) kerobero: "Should I send their stuff back to them yet?"
(Whisper) Chateau: "Yeah, no point in waiting any longer."
(Whisper) kerobero: "Alright."
(Whisper) kerobero: "And the 50 bil too, though? You sure about that?"
(Whisper) Chateau: "Why? Do you want to keep your 5 bil fee?..."
(Whisper) kerobero: "Hahaha, no no. I'll take care of it right away then."
———————
"Hey, Mei. Are you in a guild?"
She looked at him, curious as to why he asked.
"No, but I'm in a clan. Does that count, Mister?"
Xiaohan chuckled. He had never really liked how there were both "guilds" and "clans" in Black Sun. The distinction was there, of course. Clans were little more than friend groups and were only capable of purchasing social spaces, while guilds were the whole package – guilds could own territory, build stations, declare war, and so much more. The problem was that, in most games, the two terms were basically interchangeable. The way Black Sun used them often led to some confusion among newer or more inexperienced players.
"No, not quite."
He gestured at Mei's screen, where her avatar was currently standing in one of Fortuna's starbases.
"Want do you think about joining Fortuna?"
Mei pursed her lips, unsure.
"Wouldn't that be dangerous? I know about you guys, and you're always fighting…"
Xiaohan hummed. Last he checked, Fortuna was on poor terms with at least a dozen major guilds. They were also in open war with one of them, Touying Erchu.
"That's true. But I saw some potential in you during our skirmish. If you joined, we could help you develop your combat skills. Your stuff will be safe, for sure."
She didn't look convinced.
"You don't have to give me an answer right away. You're already talking to kerobero, so add him as a friend if you haven't already. Just ping him if you ever decide to join."
"Okay."
Fortuna could always use more people. The guild was filthy rich, but they were somewhat lacking in manpower. When the number of ships a guild could field at any given moment was directly tied to the guild's member count, having more players offered a significant advantage when it came to fighting large-scale battles.
Sighing as he thought about how their conflict with Touying Erchu had devolved into a grueling war of attrition, Xiaohan glanced down at his watch, a gold piece left to him by his grandfather. It was already 8 PM. Knowing his sister, she probably hadn't eaten yet. He got up, picking his jacket off the back of his seat and tossing it over his shoulders.
"Hey, Mei. I'm heading out. Will you be able to make it home safely? It's getting rather late."
She looked up, grinning.
"Yup! I actually live upstairs."
The internet cafe was on the ground floor of a large building complex – the lower floors were all commercial, but the rest of the building was entirely residential. If Mei lived here, that certainly allayed his worries.
"By the way, Mister… Are you going to leave them like that?"
She was looking at the boys with pity in her eyes.
"I… kind of feel bad for them."
Xiaohan laughed as he logged out of his computer.
"No, I wouldn't do something like that. They'll be getting a nice surprise soon enough."
"Oh. Okay."
Reassured, she said her goodbyes. After giving her a wave in return, Xiaohan checked out at the front counter, swiping his phone past a scanner to verify his identity.
"Three and a half hours, rounded up to four. That'll be 44 HKD."
Another scan of his phone, and the sum was paid.
"Thank you! We hope to see you again."
As he walked towards the door, Xiaohan heard a loud commotion erupt in the back of the room. It was the boys, and they must've just received their notification from kerobero. The exclamations of shock quickly turned to joy, and they were soon shouting about "Chateau" and whether or not he was still around. Without bothering to look behind him, Xiaohan left the cafe and immediately turned the corner. It was drizzling ever so slightly, and he lowered his head as he ducked into the evening crowd. Around this time on a Friday, many workers were just finishing their overtime and were finally getting ready to enjoy the coming weekend.
The restaurants and bars lining the streets were filled with people, and the sounds of the city – usually little more than traffic horns and the bustling of emotionless crowds – were now accented with the bright din of carousing and laughter.
When he had reached the next block over, Xiaohan's eyes fell on a small group of people standing together under the awning of a bar.
The group consisted of three men and one woman. They were all dressed for business, and they looked like a bunch of young professionals, sharing a few beers after a long week of work. Xiaohan knew better, however. When he had approached within earshot, they lowered their heads, and the woman addressed him.
"Good evening, Young Master."
Though she spoke quietly, several passersby overheard her and did a double take at her words. A few of them even began to walk faster.
Xiaohan slightly raised his hand in greeting but showed no other sign of acknowledgment. As he passed, the group of four threw away their bottles and moved into place behind him. They made sure to stay a few meters back, just enough so that it didn't look like they were together, but so that they could still keep him in their sights.
He pretended not to mind them, but it was difficult. He had stated time and time again that he didn't want bodyguards. His father's wishes, however, always trumped his own.
The five of them continued on like that for the next few blocks, walking steadily closer to the shore, until Xiaohan finally stopped in front of a skyscraper along the waterfront. It almost looked like it was entirely made of glass, and the door would have been hard to find if not for the steps leading up to it.
As Xiaohan entered the building, his entourage split off and went their separate ways. He let out a sigh. The four of them were definitely hiding weapons within their suits. Though they were there to ensure his safety, their presence always put him on edge.
"Welcome home, Mr. Fang."
The main lobby of the building was mostly empty, save for a few people who were waiting to meet their friends for a night out, and the lady at the front desk greeted Xiaohan with a wide smile.
"Thank you, Lily."
"Going up?"
"Yup."
She called an elevator for him, and he was soon making his way up, the glass sides of the elevator offering him an amazing view of the ocean. When he was high enough that the cars below looked no bigger than ants, there was a ding – "25th floor. Ershiwu Lou."
By the time Xiaohan reached his apartment, one of two suites on this floor, it was already half past eight. And as soon as he stuck his key into the door, he heard a stream of hurried footsteps approaching on the other side. When he pushed it open, he was greeted by his little sister's expectant face. She pounced on him.
"Brooooooooo!"
He sighed.
"Sis?"
"Have you eaten dinner yet?"
"No."
He rolled his eyes, knowing the answer to his next question before he even asked it.
"I trust you haven't either?"
"Nope."
She grinned, and for perhaps the hundredth time, Xiaohan was unsure if he found his little sister cute or downright annoying.
"Make me food!"