Chapter 2: "Death Got Her"
Aiko Tachibana was not having a good day.
First, she'd been conned into cleaning Ryo's dorm room (which smelled like old ramen and despair). Second, Yumi the cat-girl kept mocking her new "emo phase" because of the skull pendant she'd found. Third, her horns kept getting stuck in doorframes.
"This is your fault," Aiko hissed, yanking her horn free from a tapestry in the academy library.
Ryo sat nearby, flipping through a ledger titled 101 Ways to Tax Necromancy. He didn't look up. "Debt repayment clause 7b: Client assumes all risk of… horn-related incidents."
"That's not even a real clause!"
"It is now."
Yumi leaned against a bookshelf, tail flicking. "You two sound like a married couple. Hey, Ryo—how much to officiate the wedding?"
Ryo: "50 gold."
Aiko: "NO ONE'S GETTING MARRIED!"
---
The skull pendant glowed faintly in Aiko's palm. "It's connected to the Skulls clan. They've been kidnapping students… and *experimenting* on them."
Yumi snorted. "Cool story. Why's it our problem?"
"Because!" Aiko slammed a map on the table. "They're based in the Blackmarket District. And *someone*—" she glared at Ryo, "—won't investigate unless we pay him."
Ryo turned a page. "Correct. My 'heroic savior' rate is 500 gold per hour. Overtime is double."
"WE'RE BROKE!"
"Not my problem."
Yumi smirked. "Let's just go ourselves. Demon girl's got fire, I've got arrows. What's the worst that could happen?"
Ryo finally looked up. "Death. Dismemberment. Unpaid medical bills."
"You're *such* a buzzkill."
---
Blackmarket District: Where Shadows Have Trust Issues
The girls crept through alleyways reeking of rotten fish and poor life choices. Yumi nocked an arrow, ears twitching. "I hear voices. Four guys. Two swords, one axe… and someone chewing *really* loudly."
Aiko's flames flickered nervously. "What's the plan?"
"Step one: Kick their asses. Step two: Steal their loot. Step three: Blame Ryo if we die."
"That's a terrible plan!"
"You got a better one?"
Aiko paused. "…No."
"Great. Let's go!"
---
The thugs were playing poker atop a crate labeled *HUMAN ORGANS (USED)*. Their leader—a scarred brute with a toothpick—grinned. "Lookie here! Academy brats slummin' it. You lost, sweethearts?"
Yumi shot the toothpick out of his mouth. "Nope. Just here to ruin your day."
Chaos erupted.
Aiko torched a thug's sword, melting it into a sad metal puddle. Yumi's phantom arrows pinned another to the wall by his shirt.
"Not bad, demon girl!" Yumi winked.
"Shut up and fight!"
Then the brute pulled out a gun.
"The hell is that?!" Aiko yelped.
"New model," he sneered. "Stolen from the dwarves. Say goodbye, idiots—"
C̸̦̔R̶̤͌A̵̘͝Š̷̙H̵̹͠.
A glitch tore through the air.
Ryo materialized behind the brute, his sword phased halfway through the man's torso. Black static crackled—his eyes burned like fractured neon.
"Guns are cheating," he said flatly. "Also, bullets are expensive. Pay me back."
The brute collapsed, unharmed but soiling his pants.
Yumi whistled. "Took you long enough, Moneybags."
Ryo sheathed his sword. "You owe me 1,200 gold. 600 for saving your lives. 600 for emotional distress."
"EMOTIONAL DISTRESS?!"
"I had to leave a very profitable dice game."
---
Later, Back at the Academy
Aiko tossed the Skulls pendant onto Ryo's desk. "They're trafficking glitch magic artifacts. That gun wasn't dwarven—it had the same symbol!"
Ryo examined it, his expression blank. "…Interesting."
"That's it?!"
"I'll investigate. For 10,000 gold."
"WE DON'T HAVE 10,000 GOLD!"
"Then get richer."
Yumi kicked open the door, holding a ledger. "Hey, lovebirds! Found this in the thugs' hideout. Looks like Skulls has a mole in the academy. Someone named… Professor Locke?"
Aiko gasped. "The alchemy teacher? But he's so… nice!"
Ryo stood. "I'll handle it."
"Wait—why?!"
"Professor owes me 200 gold for last month's potions."
"THAT'S YOUR REASON?!"
He paused at the door, his glitch aura fading. "…Deadbeat clients are bad for business."
---
The ledger's last entry: "Shipment 13: Delivered to Academy Vault. Await 'Death Money's' arrival."
Next Chapter: "Death Takes a Cut"