One may wonder what happened before this encounter.
And it all started with me, wanting for a beef stew.
A half hour ago, I had just finished a hard and mental-rending work for the day.
It was my usual requested task of being a bodyguard for a travelling person who needs some guidance and protection.
Quite a satisfying job, I must say.
The dusk wailed after it ended and my stomach rumbled in response to my hunger-o-meters.
Wanting to taste some delicacy, I decided to come to this pub, tip-toeing all the way when nobody was watching.
As I entered the rather crowded yet dreadful place—depending on how you view the thugs and numerous suspicious customers eyeing on you, I sat, and leaned my spear against the table as I fiddled with my sheathed stiletto daggers.
Nothing should spoil a hard day's work. So I ordered the only thing that could make this day better than it was supposed to be.
The beef stew of this place, of course!
I mentioned it earlier, ain't it obvious?
Oh~ the tender meat that melted in my mouth as the stew itself warmed the depths of my heart. Who wouldn't want such a healthy dopamine?
The only plausible thing to do after hard work is to reward yourself with such a treat, no matter the cost!
And there was no better beef stew than the one made within Cassandra Tavern.
Hehehe, I'm a regular here, per say.
Many had preached that this area of District 67 is one of the tamest and prosperous thanks to the infamous group that was managing it.
Better management, better peace!
Better peace, better eating experience!
I thought that this day would all be mine and nothing could ever ruin it.
Then these two men in an overcoat decided to ruin it.
Tch, what a perfect day…
Hmm, it might be fun to see if I could resolve this without throwing a single fist, ey?
With a nonchalant smile, I humbly replied, "I'm afraid that you mistake me for someone else."
Feeling confident, I leaned back and rearranged my tie to fit my collar comfortably.
I analyzed the two sources of annoyance. Hmm, let's see what these scoundrels were capable of—
Heavy prosthetic enhancement could be seen from these hitman-wannabes. Their faces had been replaced by steel and their eyes were exchanged for multiple camera lenses, reloading their sight like a revolver of various colorful filters.
Obviously, weapons would be hidden under their overcoats, waiting to lunge like a tricky viper. There might be some bionic weapons here and there, but I couldn't care less.
Still, their equipment was probably better than mine.
Who had hired these metal heads anyway?
Of course, they wanted me to go outside, so that they could whip out their best cards.
This pub was one of the best in this District, to the point that the local 'Syndicates' and a couple of 'Patchers' gave their protection at the front door and the inside.
Despite the protection, the custom of the wild still persists. Most people were allowed, and heavily suggested to carry their weapon inside to any kind of place, regardless of the circumstances.
We need to protect our asses individually, after all.
Those groups of guards were only protecting the bar, not their customers.
"Nah, you're the right person for our job." The camera lenses revolved, protruding to get a better look at my face.
One of the bozos named Giovanni took out a parchment from his overcoat before the other spoke.
"Lanky, messy white hair, concentric golden eyes, and that annoying cheeky smug. All the exact same! You have no luck in tricking our sight, pal."
"I see." My eyes darted at the beef stew and those two individuals multiple times. "Sure! Although, before we went outside, I still needed to finish this meal of mine. So why not order a beverage and a chicken tender or two while both of you wait?"
"We're busy people." The other person grunted. "Just leave the food and get the hell out."
"Hmmm, being interrupted while eating is what I detest the most… Just order some grub, friends. It's all on me. You surely don't want to make the situation harder for yourself, right?"
"Our situation? You really don't know the situation you're in, huh!?"
Aside from my boiling blood, this was actually, annoyingly, exhilarating!
Someone really made a quite nice illustration for a normal everyday-person like me in the Lowstreet! It looked to be hand drawn too. Their client might be coming from a pretty oriental District then.
Not to mention, 100,000 Solus? That is the equivalent of three months rent within an A-class street under an infamous Syndicate! Such is the grandeur of a particular rich man, probably got butthurt and ordered off some cyborg folk while dipping a cigar!
Aaaah, but I'm in no mood to handle these two courteously. If only they arrived later…
Just like how 'light' can be considered as a particle or a wave depending on how it's observed. The people who were watching within the pub could be categorised into two groups.
The people who were new and rarely went to this place.
Basically the folks thought that someone like me, with no fancy gears and weapon, was messing with something that I wasn't supposed to.
And then the other kind of group, people that consisted of a long time customer and the patron of this place.
Those who were in charge of the place security, and someone who knew my gracious ass.
One of them was the Streetlight Talon, one of the subsidiary 'Syndicate' under a large group that owned the veins of District 67.
Did you catch my drift?
It means that I could screw these clowns up without getting kicked out.
"Is that so? In my honesty, I really don't want to deal with both of you 'chumps' right now…
"Though, if thy motherloving gentlemen insist, I shall preach the obvious once again. So listen up carefully—pal." I widened my friendly smile as I slightly leaned towards them. "If you're the guest-of-the-guest at the dining table, the absolute right thing to do would be trying to wait patiently until the other side finishes their TREAT. Isn't that a reasonable thing to do, pal?"
"Y-you think that this is a joke!?"
"Huh, is there any reason to take someone that dares to annoy a humble person having a warm meal after a harsh day of work, with seriousness?"
"It's just a goddamn beef stew!"
"Just get the hell out!"
Both stood up. They were irritated, discharging a buzzing electricity from some part of their body.