The next morning, Mark woke up to a chorus of vibrations on his watch.
You have 5 notifications
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From: Tony Russo
You're a free man kid. Charges were dropped. If the school messes with you again, hit my line.
And don't tell anyone about that Mother Disciple story. If I see it in the media one morning, you'll regret it.
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'Didn't intend to share that at all. But I appreciate your help, big man.'
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From: Valeria Sarr
Get fucked LOL.
Also, I know you saw us shopping undercover at the mall. You think you can just ignore three top-five-ranked Kolzig-Bondra students? Who the fuck do you think you are? Hot shit? Just cause you're in the newspaper for beating some bottom feeder? You're pathetic.
Also, I heard from a little birdy that I managed to hook you up with Raymond VIP. I'd like some appreciation for that.
Also, Ronald Montour hates your guts. Just thought I should tell you.
See you later :P
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'What the hell did I do? She's just starting shit…'
She wasn't exactly lying. Mark did see the superstar trio—though they concealed their identity with hats, glasses, and masks, they weren't the most covert bunch.
But that allowed him to show without being impeded by any shenanigans, which would likely have occurred had he interacted with them.
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From: Kolzig-Bondra Administration
Your 10 Gold fine has been paid and finalized. In the future, please ensure you maintain and uphold Academy principles.
→ Academy Rules and Fine Invoice Attached
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'I'm not reading the attached, but it's nice to have that all off my back.'
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From: Peter Slafkovsky
I hope this finds you well. My name is Peter Slafkovsky and I am a journalist with the Union Times. You've made many waves in the Guild world with your amazing showing at Kolzig-Bondra. I, along with many Guilds, are impressed by your talent.
With your rising stardom, an interview would surely boost your fame two, maybe threefold. I'd love to feature you in an interview to discuss recent events and give you the spotlight. Many rookies come through the Union Times and come out with massive signing bonuses with the top Guilds, especially those of your caliber.
Please let me know if this is something you'd be interested in, and I'm happy to work around your schedule to make this as easy as possible.
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'Seems like others don't know that I'm part of the Luikots Guild yet. Raising my fame might bring some extra Gold my way, but it would ruin my greatest advantage against William.'
Mark was quite sure that even despite his current levels of popularity and exposure, William had no idea Mark was coming after him—otherwise, he'd probably be dead already.
Mostly that was attributed to their difference in power—but without any concrete information given to him by End, he struggled to pin down William's whereabouts.
William did exist, without a doubt, but he was completely off the grid. Mark would need a private investigator to confirm that hunch, but so far it held.
With all that said, Mark declined the interview. Any more buzz could lead to him being found out by William—even though Mark had zero clue about his enemy's level of information, he had to minimize risks as much as possible.
'Fuck. End forces me to kill this guy while giving me nothing to go off of. Looks like it's gonna be an end-game showdown, no pun intended. Next.'
Tap.
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From: Ranni Luikots
Make sure you read your Guild manual. You're supposed to fill out a report after each Excursion. Good work though. Hope Squad Five weren't too much of a handful, but they've said good things about you.
I know you said you wouldn't—or couldn't—make any lists, but I'd really appreciate it if you could give me everything you know about the Mutant Alchemist and Acute Mutation Disease. You'll be properly compensated, of course.
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Mark rubbed his chin as he stared at the message.
Either he earned the enmity of his boss, or her eternal gratitude and all the benefits that came with it. The choice seemed quite simple.
'With my Intelligence upped, I think I could probably cook something up for her…'
Buttering up to Ranni seemed to be one of his safest and most productive bets.
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From: Mark di Abbott
To: Ranni Luikots
Sure. Where do you want to meet?
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***
Kolzig-Bondra Club, Glass Tower District.
A high-class society of Academy current students, alumni, and staff. A social meetup for the most powerful and wealthy top percentile.
As it was quite early in the day, the club was dead aside from two.
At one table sat a regal, elegantly dressed young woman. She had platinum hair that flowed with her wavy yet tight-fitting white slit dress, perfectly supporting her lean figure; robust in the right areas.
Ranni's expression tinged with drowsiness and anxiety, her high posture slowly sinking as she patiently awaited someone's arrival.
Mark arrived equally tired. He wore a snug-fitting, tailored light-grey linen suit. His blazer was unbuttoned, a few on the top of the dress shirt below. It gave a more casual and comfortable look to an otherwise strict formal code.
Upon his arrival at the table, Ranni straightened her posture.
Yet her demeanor didn't harden; her vulnerable expression remained.
"Finally got some proper clothes?" Ranni looked up at Mark, her jade eyes lingering on his figure as he sat down.
"Courtesy of the Luikots Guild," Mark said with a curt nod.
As he met her beckoning eyes, his own wandered elsewhere, landing on a figure in the distance.
"What's she doing here?" Mark asked with a weak point.
Slumped over the bar was Professor Everett, who wore a black blazer over her usual professional attire.
"She's here as my plus-one, but not really. She just came here to drink."
"It's not even noon?"
Ranni rolled her eyes, hearing a very familiar, aggravatingly futile conversation.
"So," Mark changed the subject. "How come we're doing this here? Would probably be more convenient to converse at the Luikots Guild. I'm on the clock, aren't I?"
"Hah… I wanted to get away from work," Ranni sighed.
"Too stuffy in your penthouse?"
…
Ranni quietly snickered as she pushed her head into her arms, resting her head on the tablecloth.
"Heh, I suppose so. As ridiculous as it sounds," she smiled with a hint of self-deprecation.
'First smile I've gotten out of her.'
They sat silently as she rested, long hair pooling over her, lightly covering her pale shoulders and arms.
After some time, Ranni rose back up with a readying inhale, adjusting her hair as she snapped into form.
"So, you have what I asked for?"
"Yup."
Mark pulled out a set of folded papers, handing it across the table.
As Ranni unfolded the papers and began reading, her eyes gradually widened.
"Wow. This… this is a lot."