"W-W-What the hell...? Suddenly exposing your wealth like that... W-What are you trying to play at here?" Milanor asked while rubbing his eyes.
"What about my offer you can't understand?" Naya replied with an annoyed attitude. "If you got money problems with you, then I'll say you already found an answer. Well, we'll see when we get to your ship, at least," she shrugged.
He quickly raised his body, leaning against the table. "Y-You're not pulling any of my legs, right? T-That, seventy... This isn't some kind of scam popular around this part?"
"Hah? You're trying to say something with that?" Naya pulled her head back a little, incensed. "That hideout was seriously giving you some weird delusion about me in your head."
"W-Well, you know... Trust is a big deal in my line of work..."
"You want proof? I'll show you proof," she smacked the table and glared at him, the motion could be seen as a challenge.
"N-N-Nah, you don't have to..." he quickly waved his hand around. "If you say you'll pay me in advance, then that's good enough... But seriously, seventy million..." Milanor sat back down in his seat, looking at Naya with an astonished gaze.
It wasn't an amount of money a single individual on the fringe of the galaxy could amass with just hard work alone. Even Milanor never had more than 5 million at any one time, and that was when he got the best profits in his career yet.
"What's with that look? Anyway, hurry up and order something. You made them wait long enough."
"Ah, that's right... Then, uhh... Sparkly Neutrinos, please," he nodded meekly, requesting a 75-credit soda. Naya then used the console to order his drink and her own pick, a 240-credit Kakao Milk Blend.
Just who was this girl?
The more he learned about Naya, the more inexplicable she became. He remembered that she said something about looking for a ride, but she could easily buy a mighty ship of her own with that kind of bank account.
In reality, having the ability to do something didn't make it mean that you should. While she could buy even a medium-sized ship easily, she wouldn't be able to pilot it, nor would she be allowed to.
"By the way..."
"Hmm?"
Naya pointed to Milanor's wrist, "Ah, Miledi... huh," and he nodded in understanding.
"I've stayed silent while waiting for an explanation for quite a while, but it seems I've been forgotten," she said with her usual stoic sarcasm. "Captain, would you mind?"
"Um, yeah... Sorry about that." He activated the camera function so Miledi could see. "If you haven't noticed, this is the owner of that room I had intended to hide in earlier. Her name's Naya."
She gave a small nod, unsure of what to say.
"We escaped her room together since she was familiar with the way. And while we walked, I found out that she is currently looking for the service of a freelancer. A ferry job."
There was a small pause before a response could be heard. "I understand. We do currently need credits, urgently if I may declare, and we would be happy for the employment," Miledi asserted.
"Oh, so you agree too?" Milanor grinned.
"Thanks to a predicament beyond our control, we do not currently have many alternatives." Though her voice was monotone as ever, Milanor could sense an emphasis on the word beyond. He gulped.
"A-Ahaha, you're right. It was a force of nature..." Their ordered drinks arrived while Milanor smiled wryly at Miledi's tolerance capacity. He immediately took a sip of the refreshingly cold, bitter-sour taste.
"Indeed, Dear Master. Now if I may ask about the detail of the job?"
Milanor glanced at Naya. She was also sipping at her chocolate-based beverage. "Mm... I intend to see the ship first if you don't mind?"
"Indeed, I do not. Verifying our assets before committing is very understandable. We are currently anchored at Port Number 12, Terminal 7. Should I arrange for transportation?"
Naya thought for a moment. She also checked the clock displayed on her holotab.
"You don't need to. It's pretty far, but the periodic airbus should be able to bring us there before the day is over."
"Hmm," Milanor murmured, checking his own clock on the PAW. It was 14:45 GST (Galactic Standard Time), and since this colony didn't have its own local time, the GST was directly applicable.
Milanor grimaced. 'So it has been about 7 hours since I left the ship this morning. Jeez. That casino sure took a lot out of me...'
His money, time, and energy, to be precise. All of those had been totally wasted on that youthful indiscretion he started on a whim. He wouldn't be able to object to any words of wisdom he would receive from both Fianna and Miledi back on the ship later.
"I see. Then Captain, if you could be a gentleman and escort Miss Naya," Miledi said. When he thought she would cut off the transmission, she continued instead, "Thank you, Captain. You have prevented me from being a liar. I truly appreciate the sentiment."
"What are you talking about...?" he wondered, but the call had already been cut off.
"I cannot understand that maid..."
Naya finished her drink right after that. She pulled a card from her pocket and lined it up with the console. Beep. Came a sound indicating the payment was accepted.
She picked up her box and immediately stood up.
"Ah, wait...! Why the hurry...?" Milanor sucked his drink like a vacuum cleaner and immediately followed after her. "Can't we enjoy some local delicacies first? I'll have you know that I'm quite hungry."
He hadn't eaten anything since morning, or rather, since yesterday, so it couldn't be helped.
"Those people from before... They likely are still searching for you all around the sector," Naya eyed him skeptically from over her shoulder. "Better to get far from this area as soon as possible."
"Ugh, I know what you mean, but..." He doubted they would start any trouble even if he was found. The place was packed with people and any kind of commotion could easily cause the security forces to come out. He didn't think those underground agents would want to mess with them any more than Milanor was.
They proceeded toward the exit.
Along the way, Naya bought some portable drinks from some vending machines near the doorway. They were filled with the café's special brands.
"Is this provision for the bus ride? Then um, I'd like that black one, the Kafee Original," Milanor shamelessly pointed, fully aware that it would not come out of his pocket. Naya rolled her eyes but didn't say anything and bought his selection along with her drinks.
'It doesn't look like she has any concern for our supposed pursuers though, considering what she said,' felt Milanor as she put all the purchases inside her bag. Despite the appearance, it was surprisingly spacious.
"Thank you for your patronage. Please visit us again!" the cheerful VI doorwoman sent them off as they exited the café.
Stifling hot and humid air immediately assaulted them right outside. "Whew. I suppose even the best ventilator and climate control won't help much with this many people." It didn't help that he was wearing dark-colored clothing he wasn't familiar with on top of his usual outfit.
"...The bus stop is to the north, a 10-minute walk," Naya told him, looking at a map on her holotab which she placed on top of her box. "Better keep up," she then took off walking with a hasty pace.
"Hey...! Really, what's with her...?"
וו×
It was a dim room lit only by a fake lava waterfall that dominated one side of the wall. The interior was furnished with high-class furniture and decorated with animal parts that came from endangered species protected on Prohibited planets. The potteries also featured rare floras that most people had never seen.
All of those combined created a sense of something feral and exotic. It also spoke about the wealth of the occupant. After all, each one of those rare décors cost a mind-boggling fortune. Why? Due to the significant risk involved when hunting and collecting them, of course.
It was a room owned by a section officer of Runanthor's top criminal organization, Aratus. He was one of the Patriarch's younger sons, so he had significant authority within the organization. The man sat relaxed against his coach, watching the hologram in front of him with great concentration.
The setting of this room matched those owned by the villains of crime thrillers. Or the nemesis of those popular spy stories. Or... put simply, it looked shady as heck.
So what did this particular occupant see in his hologram projector, then? Disturbing images? Torture chamber? A drug deal in the making? No...
"LOVE! SWEETS! In my heart all these years♪♪ I'll always be loving you♪♪"
"Ooooh!! No matter how many times I hear it, Princess Yulia's voice is... LOVING IT! Again, again. Rewind to the beginning."
As Aratus commanded, the MV of the virtual idol Yulia was restarted. It was her newest song, released just under... one hour ago. He had gone to painstaking lengths to make sure he could watch it as soon as it went online.
The virtual idol Yu Lia of Xanadu. Popularly known as Yulia, she was currently the most trending v-idol riding the quantum waves. Aratus of course liked the others in her group, Stellaris, but just like the many—many others of his kind, Yulia was his favorite.
True to his fanaticism, he had already watched the preceding promotional vid dozens of times in the last few weeks. Now was the moment to reap the harvest. Or so he declared.
A soft buzz interrupted his viewing, "Sir, a message from Silver Krust's manager," came a voice from the intercom installed in the room.
"Keh!? Tch. Pause." Irritated by the interruption, Aratus nevertheless responded. "I told you I will be busy this afternoon, didn't I? Why would you do this to me?"
"Are you watching Yulia, sir?" the subordinate deduced. "I am planning to use my next break for a quick view as well. I cannot wait."
"Haha! I know you got good taste."
"A certain someone rubbed off on me, that's all. Anyway, sir, it's Silver Krust." Noticing that he succeeded in restoring Aratus' mood, the subordinate returned to the topic.
"The casino?" he remembered the place. It was one of the higher-class (at least recently) gambling dens that were placed in his jurisdiction. "What does he want from me?" He couldn't be bothered to see and reply to all messages sent to him, so he ordered his underlings to filter them.
"Around 5 months ago some of our soldiers went to them as hired muscles. It seemed that they let a runaway debtor give them the slip, so he is now lodging a complaint."
"Hoh," Aratus felt intrigued. "They must not be a regular idiot then. Our men are not amateurs."
"Indeed. The report they gave mentioned that they successfully followed him by infiltrating the surveillance cameras. That runaway escaped into Sector 3 Lower Level Utility Tunnel System."
Aratus tried to remember. That part of the city was built to make it easier for workers to move around during the early days of the city's growth. Although in recent years, due to low traffic and a sense of seclusion, the tunnel was frequented by squatters or people who wanted to stay away from the public eye.
He knew that people had used the workers' habitats that were built at numerous points along the tunnel as a sort of refuge.
"A job well done, then. How did they fail?"
There was a short silence before the man replied, "They cornered him in a dead-end. Since he was so belligerent, they planned to subdue him by force." The voice paused, making Aratus impatient.
"In the ensuing melee, all four of them were defeated and knocked unconscious. They were all armed, I had to note."
"Heh," Aratus grinned. By all rights, he should be furious at this failure. Yet he understood that the men did all the correct things. It was just their prey that was too much for them.
His long history in this line of business taught him that there were sometimes people that never should be crossed with.
"What should we do about Sliver Krust's complaint, sir?"
"How much did they lose?"
"Since it was just a breach of contract, they didn't actually lose much," the underling stated. "But it's the fact that they lost around a few million credits in apparent profits."
"Tch, only that much and they immediately want to nag, huh? Damn that money badger, he just can't get enough of anything."
"I assume it's more about the matter of reputation. After all, he just let a prey throw mud onto their faces."
"Hah, as if anyone cares. He just got smooth business in recent years and got a big head of it," Aratus spat the words. "Not like I care that much, but I heard there's some shady fixing going on in that place?"
"It's not obvious, but there was a tendency for regulars who are... close, to the manager to have an easier time earning winning streaks and the likes. At least, that's what the regular report from our patrols said about the place."
"Well, what do we know, eh?" shrugged Aratus, seemingly losing interest. Financial matters and scandals related to a formerly small-time casino bore him.
"Forget about the geezer, what about that runaway debtor? Handling four of our agents single-handedly is quite interesting—nah, intriguing," he leaned forward on his seat.
"Unfortunately, they only have limited recordings of the man. For surveillance footage, the only clear image is from when he entered the casino."
"Hmm... What about the confrontation?"
"Not recorded, as it had happened in a previously private worker's quarter. The surveillance only caught him running around the tunnel. Although..."
"What?"
"We're not sure how, but he managed to avoid being seen by any cameras after he defeated our men. The fight with him was the last time we saw him."
"Heh, this has become even more interesting the more I heard. What do you think he did back there?"
"As I said, we don't know," the underling said, sounding ruffled. His tone became more relaxed as they went on, but Aratus didn't mind. He depended a lot on this one subordinate of his, so they were most often together. They became very frank when it was only the two of them.
"The only clue is that our men said they saw another person in the room when they rushed in. But, only that," he explained. "They were too busy being manhandled by their target."
"I see. Another person, eh? A helping hand? A friend? A stranger who just happened by? The possibilities are numerous."
"I highly doubt it was a stranger. Remember, it was a semi-abandoned tunnel. The only people who bother going there right now are probably just squatters," the man retorted. "And squatters having the capability to help a wanted man would be too absurd of speculation. They better be helping themselves instead."
"You got a point there," Aratus chuckled.
They couldn't rule out the possibility that this other person's presence was nothing more than a coincidence, but it was more likely that the two of them knew each other.
It was reasonable to assume that they were working together.
"Well, at least show me what this amusing target looked like. You said something about the surveillance in the casino?" Aratus asked.
"Yes, I'll send it to you if you want."
An image file was sent to Aratus' personal computer, which was integrated into his room. He gestured with his hand and a projection showed up on one of his walls.
It was a projection of Milanor. Of when he wandered into the Silver Krust looking to score some big bucks.
"Haha, so this is our guy, huh? He's quite young... Hmm?"
Aratus noticed something about Milanor's figure, something like familiarity.
"Haven't I seen someone like this before?" he said while looking intently at the projection, particularly toward Milanor's hair.