Owen was in the middle of his workout at the gym, sweat pouring down his face as he did a set of twenty bench presses. The clanking of weights was all he could hear until he was complete. He wiped his brow with a towel and took a sip of water, catching his breath.
That was when he noticed a familiar figure walking in. A sigh and, "You have got to be shitting me," escaped his lips.
His buddy with the moon earrings sauntered over, looking like a lost deer at the gym. Once his gaze settled on Owen, he ran over like a puppy.
"Owen!" Masafumi called out, waving. "What's got you hitting the weights so hard?" Owen didn't respond and wiped the sweat off his forehead. Masafumi raised an eyebrow and leaned on a nearby machine. "Come on, spill the beans. You're not trying to be a superhero on the side, are you?"
Owen snorted. "Nah, nothing like that. Any updates on the investigation?"
Masafumi's expression shifted slightly, frustration showing. "Still nothing solid. Spiritually speaking, there's nothing to track. I went back to the mansion and the footsteps that I saw before start and end there." Like a detective, he went into a thinking pose. "I mean, I'm thinking it has to be one of the residents there. So the magic circle wasn't an outside person but someone that was there for a while. Thus, there's no tracks leading out. It's all contained but recent."
"I have some new information. Specifically on the five daughters and the new wife." Owen lifted his hand and began counting down with his fingers. "There's Senora Big, the second wife of the Big Boss. After her are the daughters: Vittoria and Valentina the Insta models, Federica the Olympic swimmer, and Luna the actress. They all have some online presence. The issue is the last daughter. There's nothing on her."
"Better than nothing," Masafumi said. "Why not suspect the Big Boss himself though?"
"From my understanding, even though the mansion is owned by him, it's exclusively used by his wife. The two of them are super rich and that mansion was a birthday gift."
"A birthday gift? Seriously? I wish someone would gift me a house."
"Me too."
Thinking about homes, he was reminded of Mr. Schmidt. Owen didn't regret what he did. Because of that, if he was evicted, then he could only accept. Money was growing increasingly tighter. Just last night, Mary was bitching about the amount of money necessary to bribe some judge. Owen wished he could help her. He wished he didn't have to worry about a potential eviction in the future.
All of this happened because of him—because of his choices. He was going to fix everything with his own choices too.
"Masafumi," Owen called. "Can I trust you?"
Masafumi's grin returned, and he clapped Owen on the shoulder. "You're my best friend, of course you can trust me. Whatever you've got in mind, I'm in. Just tell me what you need."
"It's a pretty big favour—"
"Which isn't an issue between best buddies!"
"So here's the thing—"
"Best buddies for life!"
"Okay, now you're pushing it."
"Sorry, sorry. You just don't ask favours a lot so I'm happy, that's all."
Well, that was why it was a favour. It wasn't going to be easy.
***
The air was thick with the smell of sweat and the faint tang of blood. Men cheered and jeered around them, creating a cacophony of excitement and tension. The fighters inside the cage were brutal, each blow landing with a sickening thud.
"Err...seriously?" Masafumi muttered, glancing sideways at Owen, who was standing beside him, arms crossed and eyes focused on the fight ahead.
It didn't matter what happened, everything was punctuated by the roaring approval of spectators who had gathered for tonight's matches.
This was one of the two main buildings for cage matches sponsored by the Royal Lions. A large warehouse that should have been used to keep shipment. Arms crossed, the two stood amongst the crowd at the back and watched. Watched till blood spilled and the violence was encouraged further.
"Seriously," Owen affirmed.
Masafumi pointed a hand at, well, everything. "You want me to join this?"
"Yep," Owen replied. "But don't worry, I'll handle the fighting. I just need you to be there as my partner."
That was all Owen needed from Masafumi: to help him in a fighting tournament set up by the Royal Lions. The fights were two versus two, and Owen figured this would be the quickest way to earn the money he needed. To keep their identities hidden, both Owen and Masafumi wore masks—simple black masks that covered the upper half of their faces. They could breathe and fight as they saw fight without compromising their identities.
Masafumi tilted his head, moon earrings tilting along with it. Owen tapped his shoulder with a backhand. "You don't need to fight. I'll take care of everything."
Masafumi hummed and pulled out his phone. "Alright then. I guess I'll be your moral support. Besides, I've got a gacha game I need to grind."
"A gacha? Don't tell me you're addicted."
"I'm the type that doesn't drop a single buck, so don't worry, I'm only addicted to actually pulling."
"Is that any better?"
"Probably not."
With that settled, the two circled over to the side entrances of the cage arena. There was no sign-up sheet, it was first-come, first-serve. Only one rule was in place: win until no one else can challenge you.
"The entry fee is a hundred bucks," said the average-looking man at the side entrance of the cage arena. A device was hooked up to his ear, connected to the mic close to his mouth, and he wore the classic orange jacket of the Royal Lions.
"And the prize pool?" Owen asked.
"So far, two grand."
Considering the size of the Royal Lions, they probably took sixty percent of the entry fees.
"Twenties team then," Owen muttered. "How many teams are there currently?"
"Only four now. Sign-ups stop at eight."
Convenient timing together. They were just an hour off from that. Owens glanced back and noticed that teams were lining-up. Everyone wanted to join now that they were at the last stretch.