Harris stood in front of a pond at the office backyard, staring at its bluish green floor. The day after he escorted Brissia to Gabriel's office as he found her bag, Harris intended to visit Brissia. However, when he got there, Gabriel accused him of hiding Brissia. The reason was that no one had found Brissia anywhere.
While Brissia was missing, he ran into a cyclist they saved the other day. It was a well-dressed man who wanted to thank Brissia directly. But since Harris hadn't found Brissia, he didn't say anything regarding his request, making the cyclist follow him everywhere. It was only when he reached the forest which was a secret passage to SURVIVE that the cyclist stopped following him.
"She indeed is a job changer," Harris grumbled to himself.
"Hey! How long are you going to stay still?" asked a man in front of him. Harris had ignored him for the five minutes they had been standing in the practice arena. However, his words didn't bring Harris even an inch closer to him.
A man standing on the edge of the yellow line on the floor of the square-shaped room seemed confused to see Harris stood with a complicated look. So did the people in dark blue uniforms who were behind the yellow line, sitting around the arena.
His opponent gritted his teeth, moved toward Harris swiftly. Despite the tension on everyone's faces, Harris still looked pensive, even though his opponent's fist was a meter from his face.
Suddenly, Harris knocked him down in an instant. Everyone widened their eyes as Harris let go of his opponent before walking toward the door. When he passed the coach, he said casually, "I have to leave immediately, sir. There's a debt I must pay off this very afternoon."
His opponent had scrambled to his feet, yelling at Harris while glaring at him. "The hell you think you're going...?! The match isn't over yet! Come back here, Reister!"
Harris ignored his opponent who was being held back by the coach and his colleagues. He grabbed his casual clothes and headed for the locker room.
***
"It's rare to see you around at this time. Are you finally willing to help me, hm?"
Harris frowned in annoyance, stopped, and glanced at the black-haired man walking beside him. "Why don't you just give up and stop following me, aristocratic boy?"
However, his attention was then diverted to two district border officers walking toward them. Harris froze, squinting in frustration.
"Your ID card," said one of the officers in a dark blue uniform, holding out his right palm to Harris. Harris flinched. He remembered how angry his colleague had been during their practice, making him reluctant to return to base.
Then, the black-haired man next to Harris walked toward the officer standing in front of Harris, said, "He's coming with me."
The officers looked intently at Harris, who stared at both of them indifferently. One officer stretched out his hand, then turned to his partner with a quick nod. The two then stepped aside, letting the black-haired man and Harris walk past them.
"See? Just think of me as your free pass to anywhere. After all, why are you going out in broad daylight and nearly got into trouble with a border officials if you're not sure that she'll be across there?" said the black-haired man with a faint smile.
Harris glanced at the black-haired man. His posture and face were not much different from men his age, although his clothes were a bit tidier than him. However, the man already knew the reason behind his unusual behavior. So, he let the neatly dressed man come with him to the Algor District.
Once they arrived at the editorial office, Harris told the black-haired man to wait outside. He made his way through the crowd, toward the typing room door. But just as he reached the door, anxious voices halted him so he immediately took out the handgun in his pocket.
Clack!
The assumptions that haunted his mind vanished the moment he opened the door. Five people who were crouching seemed to be crowding around an unconscious person he didn't know who until one of them called out her name.
"Brissia!"
It brought him a surprise. Disarmed, he stepped closer to examine her. However, the girl quickly sat down, which froze him in place. Especially, when their gazes met.
Bewitched by her gaze, he didn't realize that the girl was approaching him soon after. It was too late for him to avoid it because the girl quickly grabbed his arm and stroked his cheek. Her relieved face accelerated his heartbeat. The warmth of her palm increased his body temperature. It also gave him the urge to hold the hand that was smaller than his until he heard someone's sigh.
"So… you guys gonna kiss or something?"
Brissia was taken aback, making Harris glance angrily at whoever said it to them. Brissia took her hand away from Harris, turning quickly toward her desk, much to Harris's surprise. But instantly, his astonishment vanished as he remembered his goal of meeting Brissia that day.
"Hey, Brissie! Are you playing with me?" asked Harris a little loudly, approaching Brissia who had just sat behind her desk. Lucia, Neya, and other Brissia co-workers stare in surprise at Harris.
"There you go, back on patrol! Brissia has woken up so don't disturb the employees!" Gabriel admonished, restraining Harris from getting closer to Brissia.
However, seeing Harris's sharp gaze fixed on him, Gabriel couldn't help but to let him go. He also had no idea about why Harris was angry with him.
Harris pounded Brissia's desk, startled Brissia. Gabriel and the others gasped at Harris's action, but he didn't seem to care.
"I almost thought I would lose you, you know?!" Harris said right in front of Brissia, making her stare at Harris without blinking.
"So... what?" asked Brissia carefully.
"There's a person who's been following me since you're not around, urging me to bring him to you 'cause he knows we knew each other," Harris explained. "So come with me right now."
When Harris pulled Brissia's hand, Lucia and Neya immediately blocked Harris.
"Where are you going? Brissia had just woken up!"
Harris glanced at Neya who said it out loud. Then, his stern gaze shifted to Gabriel as he said, "Personal matters. Please allow us to excuse ourselves for a moment, Old Man."
Gabriel remained silent, inviting disbelieving looks from his colleagues until the two people had left their room.
"Why did you let him get away?" Lucia stared disapprovingly at Gabriel. "You're the one who forbade him to come as he pleased, but instead you let him ask out one of our colleagues in working hours?"
Gabriel turned around, leaving Lucia, Neya and the rest dumbfounded.
"It's just..."
The words that came from his lips raised everyone's eyebrows.
"...I think they can deal with their problems without my interference."
Gabriel smiled faintly at them before leaving the room. One thing he would never tell his co-workers was that Harris's earnest look reminded him of the old days. He also had to believe that they would be better off solving their problems without his help so he didn't have to repeat his past mistakes.
Meanwhile, Brissia let go of Harris's hand when the two of them were outside. Harris didn't speak a word despite the girl's uncomfortable stare.
"What do you want to say?" she asked, slightly disturbed, until someone's steps turned her head to the right.
Among the crowd of pedestrians, a black-haired man in fine clothes walked toward her. His gentle smile matched the calming look in his turquoise eyes, which reminded Brissia of the tropical ocean.
"Isn't he the cyclist who almost hit you on the bridge?"
Harris averted his gaze and replied, "And who made you fall on me too."
The two of them fell silent as their memories of being on the Flower Bridge flashed before their eyes. Brissia pretended to cough as she walked ahead of Harris, while Harris rubbed his nape of his neck which didn't even itch.
"I didn't fall for you."
"Why are you even saying that?"
"Just saying."
Harris smiled, holding back his laughter as the girl quickened her pace. But when the girl stopped in front of the well-dressed man who was constantly following him, his smile faded.
"It's an honor to finally be able to meet you in person," said the well-dressed man as he reached out his hand to Brissia. "My name is Benjamin Stuart. Without your help and the man beside you, I wouldn't have recovered quickly and be here to thank you, my lady."
A faint smile graced Brissia's lips as she shook Benjamin's hand.
"I'm Brissia. It's not a big deal. I did it because people didn't seem to care about you, while you were seriously injured."
Brissia's response prompted Harris to snort and stifle his laughter, which instantly shifted Benjamin's gaze to him. Without fading his smile, he asked Harris in a friendly manner, "Is there anything I can do to express my gratitude to you, Harris Reister?"
Harris wiped his smile away, nodded, then spoke nonchalantly, "Yes. Stay away from me. Forever."
"Are you sure?" said Benjamin with a soft laugh. "If so, how are you going across districts? More precisely, for you to return to headquarters."
Harris glanced at Brissia. Not that he thought Brissia was the answer and the solution to his problem, but rather because of his thought of how to beat Benjamin without making himself look cruel in her eyes.
Eventually, he looked at Benjamin firmly and said, "Fine. What you can do depends on how accurate your guess is on what I need right now."
Brissia gave Harris a strange look, but Harris winked at her, signaling Brissia to trust him. She rolled her eyes and waited for Benjamin to answer.
"Hm... could it be some informants and an access to go outside the island?"
Harris flinched.
"What the... how do you know?"
"Given your fit physique, it seems money isn't your biggest problem right now. However, your eyes seem to be looking for someone in the crowd even though you're in the middle of a conversation with me," Benjamin said casually, leaning against the river's fence wall while looking calmly at Harris and Brissia.
"Miss Brissia, what's your specialty?"
The moment Benjamin asked her, her eyes widened slightly. She was so caught up in the battle of nerves of him and Harris that she forgot that she was standing among them.
"Hey, hey, don't involve her. She will not take any part in—"
"Self-defense, basic medical, and I'm pretty confident with my instincts."
Harris stared in disbelief at Brissia who answered Benjamin's question. "Brissie...," he muttered, looking at the girl worriedly. Nevertheless, Brissia simply looked back at him as if to say she would be fine.
Benjamin smiled knowingly. "As you know, Harris, I can help you escape the border check. And believe me, you wouldn't get trust so easily if I were someone else. One person has a goal, another person has connections, and one last person has physical skills. Don't you need a team like that to find the person you're looking for?"
"No, you're mistaken. When it comes to connections and physical skills, I have both. I'm just not using it so you don't know. Therefore, let's bring this nonsense to a halt and don't ever meet again," Harris said before walking in another direction, leaving Brissia and Benjamin there.
Brissia turned to Benjamin, asked him probingly, "You're an aristocrat, aren't you?"
Benjamin smiled graciously at her. "I love how quickly you become aware of your surroundings. However, whether I'm an aristocrat is a less significant thing to fuss about."
His gaze then landed on Harris's back in the middle of the crowd.
"What you need to pay attention to from now on is that man will sooner or later change his mind. You'll see."
Brissa's nonchalant nod elicited a soft chuckle from Benjamin. "The weather's fine. Will you accept my treat for the rescue you've done?"
Brissia snorted as she looked at Benjamin casually.
"I still have work to finish, my lord. Although it's nice to meet you, I hope you can impress me in a different way next time."
Brissia walked back to the editorial office, while Benjamin was still leaning against the river wall.
With a faint smile on his face, he muttered, "I will gladly consider it, Miss Brissia."