Alex was riding down the road towards Maine's group's base, or as they called it, the "Garage." As his motorcycle picked up speed, his thoughts revolved around what kind of test Rebecca was talking about. And what kind of job did she have that required him to prove his skills before she could take him on?
"It's probably got something to do with a shootout," Alex smirked, accelerating as the traffic thinned, giving him space to speed up. He enjoyed the freedom on the road, slowly getting accustomed to this world and already forming plans about cyber-implants.
Alex intended to improve them, creating something so chaotic and dangerous that it could cause real havoc if it fell into the wrong hands.
"I should ask Becca if she's got any data on cyber-implants. If not, I'll have to ask Lucy to get me a couple of blueprints," Alex thought, already planning ahead as he made his way to the garage.
After a while, he noticed a figure standing in front of a building that resembled a house with a garage. Alex focused and saw a distinctive feature of this person, instantly realizing who it was.
"Is she really that eager?" Alex smirked, watching Rebecca with a crooked grin.
As he approached, he slowed down, not wanting to accidentally hit her if the girl suddenly decided to step onto the road. Sure, he had great reflexes, but it was better to be safe. Stopping next to Rebecca, Alex raised his hand with a cheerful smile:
"Yahoo!" he said brightly.
But Rebecca didn't even glance at him. Her eyes were fully locked on his motorcycle, the "Fenrir." Alex's eye twitched. He thought, "Can't she greet me first and then check out the bike? It's not going anywhere." She finished her inspection, circling around the motorcycle, and now looked at Alex with clear curiosity.
"Where did you get it?" Rebecca asked, staring at him as if accusing him of not sharing this crucial information.
Alex's eye twitched again. He couldn't really be mad at her — she reminded him too much of Hestia, who behaved similarly.
"No greeting, no 'how are you,' just straight to the bike questions. Becca, you're breaking my fragile heart," Alex commented, theatrically clutching his chest.
Rebecca, watching his little performance, rolled her eyes, debating whether to play along or wait for him to finish the act and tell her where he got the bike.
"Yeah, yeah, hello," she replied dryly. "Now tell me, where did you get this beauty?" she asked impatiently, giving him a light kick.
Alex sighed, looking at Rebecca. She really was like a gremlin. There was no point in being mad at her. What surprised him most was that Rebecca didn't know where he got the bike. Lucy was supposed to have already told the team about their conversation and his story.
Not really wanting to repeat himself to everyone he met, Alex decided to wait for Lucy to explain everything. But first, he needed to come up with something to distract Rebecca.
"Well, here's the thing. I was seeing Gloria off to work..." he started, pulling out a candy from his pocket.
Rebecca instantly switched her attention to the candy, and before Alex could even pop it into his mouth, she swiftly snatched it from him. Alex felt a slight breeze and just watched as Rebecca was already chewing on the stolen treat. He shook his head and pulled out another candy.
"And then what?" Rebecca asked impatiently, crunching the candy.
"And then... this old man in a white lab coat ran up to us. His hair was all white and sticking up like he'd been shocked, and he had welding goggles on his head. He said he wanted to sell me a bike on the cheap. I thought, why not, and I bought it. Then the old man ran off and jumped into some strange vehicle," Alex said, surprised at how smoothly he made up the story.
He looked at Rebecca, trying to figure out whether she believed him or not. If she didn't, he could keep making stuff up—he was great at talking nonsense.
"What kind of car?" she asked, intrigued by his story.
"Well, I can't say for sure. But when it took off, it picked up speed, and suddenly there was a bright flash, and it vanished. All that was left were burning tire tracks," Alex recounted the plot of a famous movie.
Rebecca quickly realized he was spewing nonsense to avoid telling the truth. Pouting, she kicked Alex in the leg again, clearly showing her displeasure.
"Stop lying, there's no such thing as cars that disappear from going fast," she said, giving his knee a light smack.
Alex smiled at her pouty face, and for a moment, he felt the urge to pat her on the head to calm her down. Which is exactly what he did.
"I was just joking. Didn't Lucy tell you yesterday?" Alex asked, continuing to pat her head, trying to ease her irritation.
Rebecca took Alex's gesture as if he was trying to soothe her like a spoiled child. She ignored his question about Lucy, who supposedly was supposed to explain something, and pushed his hand away, staring into his eyes.
"I'm not a kid. What was Lucy supposed to tell me?" Her gaze practically pierced through Alex.
Alex slowly got off his bike and stretched, loosening up his muscles. He realized that since he had already started lying, he might as well stick to it.
"Well, the bike was returned to me by an old organization. That's all," he said with a shrug.
Rebecca looked at him with clear suspicion, trying to figure out if he was telling the truth or not. Hearing about an "old organization," she hesitated, thinking maybe it was true. But something still felt off.
"They just gave it back to you?" she squinted at him.
"Yep, just like that," Alex lit a cigarette, trying to remain unfazed.
Rebecca, though still doubtful, decided to partially believe him. But it was clear she didn't fully trust his words. Alex noticed this but didn't want to explain everything again.
"Look, how about this: I'll explain everything later. Right now's not the time or place. After your test, we'll take a ride and clear our heads," Alex suggested, trying to change the subject.
Hearing about "taking a ride," Rebecca narrowed her eyes slightly, and her smile grew wider.
"Are you trying to ask me out on a date?" she asked, looking at him with a sly grin.
"Should I aim lower?" Alex raised an eyebrow with a teasing smirk.
A loud laugh erupted from the garage. Alex turned and spotted Falco sticking out from under a car. Apparently, he had been listening to their conversation and couldn't help but laugh when he heard Alex's joke. Climbing out from under the car, Falco was still trying to suppress his laughter.
His dirty appearance indicated that he had been working on repairs for a while. Rebecca, hearing the joke, just smiled even wider, but now her smile had a sinister touch. She clenched her fist and punched Alex in the stomach.
"Careful, choomba. A few more jokes, and I'll aim lower," she warned, showing him her fist.
Alex only smirked. Her "threatening" look seemed cute to him, reminding him of a more dangerous version of Hestia. He had experience dealing with this type of girl.
"Don't be mad. You're cute just the way you are," he said, giving her a thumbs up.
A faint blush appeared on Rebecca's face. Normally, no one called her "cute," especially after seeing her in action—when she was shooting, she would lose herself and completely go wild.
She just huffed and headed toward the shooting range behind the garage. Smiling at her reaction, Alex glanced at Falco, who nodded at him approvingly. Waving at Falco, Alex followed Rebecca, trying not to fall behind.
When Alex caught up with her at the range, he started looking around. There was a wide variety of weapons on the rack—from pistols to sniper rifles, and nearby were boxes full of ammunition. Rebecca stood by the table, arms crossed, watching Alex.
"If you do well, I'll invite you on one of my personal missions," she said, drawing his attention.
Alex, distracted from studying the weapons, turned his attention back to Rebecca. He'd always been interested in weapons and was now intrigued by the futuristic technology of this world.
Maybe he should try modifying or creating something of his own, he noted mentally. Ideas for creating insanely powerful guns—just for fun—were already starting to form.
"What kind of mission?" he asked, stopping next to her while continuing to examine the weapons on the table.
Rebecca smiled, noticing his interest.
"Nothing special. Just kill a couple of idiots and put some extra holes in them," she said with a satisfied grin.
Alex nodded, not opposed to such a task. He had his own moral code, only killing those he believed truly deserved it. In the world of Danmachi, he tried to avoid killing unless it involved outright scum, like that fat toad from the Ishtar Familia who tortured children for fun.
Alex believed that death was a release from suffering. It was far more effective to leave a villain crippled so they could spend the rest of their life in agony.
"Well, sounds like good practice. A little shooting training never hurts," he said, shrugging, and picked up one of the pistols, inspecting it carefully.
Rebecca looked at him in surprise.
"Didn't you do stuff like this in your old organization?" she asked curiously.
Alex set down a shotgun whose name he didn't recognize and looked at Rebecca.
"No, I didn't. I'd just show up, grab the idiot, extract the info—everything was done quietly and neatly," he said with a smile, giving her a thumbs-up.
Rebecca was stunned by his calmness. Infiltrating someone's home undetected and extracting them was an art mastered by few, and Alex clearly belonged to that elite group.
She was impressed by his abilities, but it was too early for compliments. Right now, she wanted to see how well he handled weapons.
"If you're that good, then show me how accurate you are. Come on, impress me," Rebecca said, her eyes lighting up with anticipation.
Alex met her gaze, filled with excitement, and considered showing off a little. Without taking his eyes off Rebecca, he drew a white pistol from its holster and fired three consecutive shots at the targets.
Three distinct clangs echoed through the range. Rebecca's eyes gleamed even brighter—all the shots were dead-on, and Alex hadn't once looked away from her.
"Heh, this is just the beginning," Alex thought, watching her excitement grow.
He smoothly drew a second, black pistol, and without breaking eye contact with Rebecca, fired three more shots in another direction. His focus remained solely on her while the bullets continued to hit their mark.
Rebecca, watching his flawless performance, began breathing heavily. Her admiration only grew—Alex wasn't just shooting; he was doing it with incredible ease, without even glancing at the targets.
"And now, the final touch," Alex thought with a smirk, noticing how Rebecca was captivated by his every move.
Slowly holstering both pistols under her intense gaze, Alex suddenly drew a revolver and, without looking at the target, fired at a distant mark. The faint clang of the bullet hitting metal echoed through the room.
Rebecca shuddered with excitement—she was practically trembling from witnessing such masterful display. When she realized he'd hit the distant target without looking, her mind was consumed with one thought: What else is he capable of?
"Now try this," Rebecca eagerly handed Alex an assault rifle, her breathing becoming even more irregular.
Taking the rifle, Alex decided to familiarize himself with the new weapon by firing single shots. Each bullet hit the target right in the head.
"Short bursts," Rebecca whispered, barely able to breathe from the excitement.
Alex nodded and began firing in controlled bursts, each shot landing with precision. Without breaking form, he reloaded the rifle quickly, showing the level of a true professional.
Rebecca couldn't take her eyes off him, her mind completely captivated by how sexy he looked with a weapon in his hands. She didn't even notice the drool beginning to form at the corner of her mouth. When Alex finished firing, she quickly wiped her lips.
"Now the sniper rifle. And take a prone position," her voice was full of impatience.
Alex obeyed, taking the rifle and lying on the ground. As he focused on the farthest target, an idea of creating a railgun based on this rifle flashed through his mind. A smile of madness flickered across his face.
Noticing this, Rebecca also smiled madly. Alex aimed and fired. When the bullet hit the distant target, Rebecca couldn't hold back her thoughts:
"He's perfect. It has to be him. He has everything I've ever dreamed of," she thought, already imagining their future weapon designs together.
Lost in her fantasies, Rebecca didn't realize she was giggling and drooling again. Alex, after firing a few more rounds, stood up and noticed her state. He patted her on the shoulder, trying to snap her out of it.
"Rebecca, are you…" Alex began, but was interrupted.
Rebecca turned sharply, her eyes burning with a strange madness and passion. Before he could finish his words, she leapt at him, wrapping her legs around his waist and her arms around his neck. Her desires completely overtook her, and she pressed her lips aggressively to his, not giving him a chance to respond.
As Alex felt her kiss, he realized his feelings for Rebecca had also grown stronger. Despite their short acquaintance, her actions confirmed what he had started to feel for her.
When Rebecca, panting heavily, pulled back for a moment, Alex wanted to say something, but again, he was given no chance.
Her tongue immediately invaded his mouth, and they engaged in a silent battle for dominance. The kiss seemed endless, as if time had slowed down to allow them to savor the moment. Finally, they parted, and a thin thread of saliva hung between them.
Her eyes held even more desire, but Alex knew it wasn't time to take things further just yet.
"Did you turn into a Dementor? Trying to suck out my soul?" Alex joked lightly, pressing his forehead to hers, attempting to bring the situation back to a more relaxed tone.
Rebecca didn't understand the reference to Dementors, but it didn't matter now. All she wanted was to continue kissing him.
When he pressed his forehead to hers, her heart began to race, but this time not from excitement, but from something warmer and more pleasant. She felt a new, strange sensation stirring inside her.
"Now I understand why princesses fall for princes," Rebecca said quietly, looking directly into Alex's eyes.
Hearing her words, Alex couldn't help but smile. He had once called Lucy a princess, and now Rebecca was declaring herself one too.
He wanted to joke about it, but something inside him told him there was truth in her words. After all, why not?
"So that's who you really are," he responded softly, "I was wondering why you seemed so familiar."
His gentle, almost tender voice made Rebecca blush deeply. In that moment, she was too embarrassed to meet his gaze. The only thing she could do in this situation was act on her instincts.
She suddenly threw her head back and bumped Alex in the chest with her forehead. Then, as if startled by her own outburst, she quickly stepped back, her face flushed bright red.
"I'll be waiting for you by the bike," she said quickly, grabbing her bag and hurrying away.
Alex couldn't help but smile as he watched her go. Her reaction reminded him of a little gremlin—impulsive and embarrassed, as if she didn't know how to handle sudden compliments. He had seen her aggressive side, but now he saw her cute, vulnerable side as well.
"She's so amusing," Alex thought with a warm smile. But then his thoughts took a different turn: "What if Rebecca and Loki meet? I can't even imagine the trouble they might cause…"
When Alex caught up with Rebecca by the bike, she was already searching around it. He raised an eyebrow, not understanding what she was trying to find.
"What are you looking for?" he asked as he approached.
Rebecca, still slightly embarrassed, looked at him and pointed to her bag.
"I don't know where to put all this weaponry," she replied, slightly pouting.
Alex smirked, walked over to the bike, and opened the side compartments designed for storing weapons. However, these compartments were more suited for cold weapons than firearms.
"You can put them here. Just don't take too much," he said, pointing to the open compartments.
Rebecca's eyes widened when she saw the hidden compartments in the bike. She examined them closely and quickly realized they were specifically designed for weapon storage. Her guess was confirmed when she spotted a katana with the "Tiger Claws" gang symbol. Rebecca picked up the katana, examined it with interest, and, overcoming her embarrassment, turned to Alex with a question:
"Where did you get this?" she asked, showing him the katana.
Alex smirked, remembering how he had come by the katana. Rebecca noticed his amused smile and quickly figured out that something funny must have happened when he was with Lucy yesterday.
"Do you remember those three idiots we encountered when we were delivering the package?" Alex asked, looking at her.
Rebecca nodded, and her mind started to piece together what she might have missed.
"Well, I ran into them again yesterday while Lucy and I were delivering the package. And they were up to the same old stuff that got them beaten last time," Alex said with a grin.
Rebecca realized he had run into those three again and dealt with them once more. The katana was likely a trophy from that encounter. This realization made her laugh.
"Damn, how could I have missed that!" she puffed, finally stopping her laughter.
"Don't worry, maybe today will be fun too," Alex winked, smiling.
Rebecca understood that they still had work to do, and since Alex would be going with her, something interesting might happen. With a broad smile, she returned the katana to its place and began organizing her weapons in the bike's compartments, carefully placing the ammo in the empty slots.
Alex shook his head as he looked at the amount of weaponry she was planning to take. It seemed like she was preparing for a war rather than a mission. But he didn't try to dissuade her—maybe something really would come in handy.
"All set," Rebecca declared as she stuffed the last piece of weaponry into the compartment.
Alex nodded, closed the compartments, and mounted the bike, waiting for her to get on.
"Will you sit in the front or the back?" he asked, looking at her.
Rebecca pondered for a moment. If she sat in the back, she wouldn't be able to see the road, so the front was the only option.
"Front," she said confidently and hopped onto the bike.
Sitting in front of Alex, she arranged herself as if she were in a comfortable chair. His legs served as the armrests, and his body as a sturdy backrest. Rebecca smiled contentedly and pressed closer to him, enjoying the comfort. Alex smirked and pressed his thighs more firmly against the bike to hold her securely. He started the engine and looked at her.
"So, where are we headed, my armory princess?" Alex asked, placing his phone on the dashboard.
Rebecca blushed slightly at his words but quickly sent him the address. Alex entered it into the GPS and raised an eyebrow—the destination turned out to be a diner. He guessed Rebecca wanted to have a little date before the mission and was not opposed to it at all.
"We're off, Falco!" Alex shouted, waving towards the garage.
Falco, watching them with a smile, waved goodbye and watched them leave. As Alex drove the bike, he decided to ask:
"Are you hungry?" he inquired, drawing Rebecca's attention.
She turned to him, leaning in so she could lift her head to see his face more comfortably.
"Mmm, I wouldn't say no to a tasty burger. This diner has the best ones," she replied with a smile, clearly hoping Alex would enjoy them with her.
"Well then, I'll try to get us there quickly," Alex grinned.
"Go on, show me what you've got," Rebecca goaded, her wide smile showing her excitement.
Alex nodded and accelerated. He was also a bit hungry, having skipped breakfast due to his conversation with Gloria. He decided to give Rebecca a fun ride with sharp turns, pressing her with his legs to keep her from falling off, and asked her to hold on tight. The bike raced through the streets, and after ten minutes, Alex made a sharp turn and stopped in front of the diner.
"That was awesome! Do that again next time!" Rebecca exclaimed joyfully, clearly having enjoyed the ride.
Alex simply smiled at her childlike excitement. She jumped off the bike and quickly headed into the diner, showing her impatience. Alex, still smiling, turned off the engine and followed her inside. When he walked in, Rebecca was already seated at one of the tables, waving at him. He sat down across from her, looking around.
When the burgers arrived, Rebecca started eating with such appetite that Alex couldn't help but smile. Looking at his burger, he wondered how it might differ from those in his previous life.
To be continued…