No silhouette. No sound. Not even the change of air around him.

Simply sneaked behind him. Imminent shock coming in waves.

Being ambushed, Zack impulsively turned his body and grabbed her clothes. Slamming her body forward. Aiming to drill her head onto the ground and send her unconscious.

However, he’s in deeper shock than before.

“Good morning. How pervert of you to go straight for my clothes on the first time we met~”

Both of his eyes widened upon seeing it.

The woman reflexed accordingly to Zack’s swift movement. Firmly planted her bent feet on the ground. Supporting her entire body upon the momentum. Clutching onto his grey jacket. Their eyes are apart in deadly proximity. Staring upside down right above the ground at each other.

“How-“

“Aww… that cute face of yours… I wonder what’s inside your mind right now…?”

Bam!

“Ack!”

She abruptly turned the table, returning the favour by slamming him forward, onto the hard ground.

She instantaneously pins both his arms and body down with her own strength. Zack couldn’t react in time and now can only see her dominating on top. Her auburn hair is dangling freely on her face, making it quite hard for him to see her face clearly. But one thing that he knows at that point.

An unnerving grin is carved on her face afterwards.

…Who the hell is this crazy b*tch?

Why is she so f*cking strong??

Something ain’t right here.

Zack struggles his way out from getting pinned by her. But no matter what he does, she can easily reposition her grip and press him down again, making sure that he can’t wriggle anymore.

“Cut me some slack, would you? I just found you after all this time…” She brings her face closer to his. He can feel it, her breathing slowly greeting his fragile ear. “Such a waste to let go of a cutie like you. Besides, your scent is quite different. I like it. Teehee~”

“Did I know you? Other than a crazy b*tch.”

“Really? Then, remember this face well…” She tosses her hair behind, clearly showing Zack the overwhelming joy in her expression. “Make sure you don’t forget it, you cheeky boy~”

Upon seeing her face, Zack can’t even blink his eyes. He can’t wrap it out in his head nor understand a single bit of it. It feels like he is already on the edge.

“Hold on, seriously. Who are you…? Ain’t you just some sl*t who wandering around these slums?”

Zack puts on his signature poker face after failing to recall his memory. The woman falls silent, sitting on top of his stomach, giving a gentle smile with a hint of irritation hiding behind it.

“Come again…?”

“Ain’t got no idea who the hell you are. Or what do you want from me, huh?”

 “It can’t be helped then…” Zack jolted when the woman slumps heavily on his chest. Sighing. “You should’ve known, that I’m Luca Kruger. At least everyone that lives here ever heard the name, doesn’t it?”

“Nope, not at all…” Zack replied easily. “And why should I care?”

“Because… I can give you things way better than you have right now, you know… Even everything that you want. And that’s why…

…shall I make you my boyfriend…?”

“Huh?”

For a second, Zack’s brain short-circuited the moment those words spouted out of her mouth. Desperately extracting every last bit of his brain juice to decode the meaning. He doesn’t get it at all, especially when Luca suddenly puts her head on his beating chest.

“What?” Zack still asked in confusion.

“Sigh… You’re my first love, I hope we’ll be able to get along, and that way we’d know each other well, yeah? So, wanna be my boyfriend?”

“Nah, I’m good…”

A shot straight to the point rejected blatantly along with his uninterested poker face. Luca is gawking from his straightforwardness, or perhaps his quick blunt response, and couldn’t find a single word to recover herself.

“Hey! But you can’t just decide to end like this! I’ve spent all these years to find someone that might set my eyes on, and when I’ve finally found it, did you think I’ll just let it go away like that??”

 “Not my problem.” Zack throws his gaze away.

“Why are you keep rejecting?? Is it because of those two? That black-haired b*tch and blonde scrawny dude??”

He could feel a nerve twitching after those words. Gnashing his teeth, holding back his emotion, and keeping himself together the moment she brought it up. Luca gives a sharp stare right at his eyes from zero proximity. Judging.

“This ain’t about them. You better shut your crap, b*tch!”

“Why would I? What right do they have so they deserve you? I can’t get closer to you as long as they’re still with you, no? I can’t keep bothering you as a mere stranger, but maybe… if I kill those filthy-“

“Get the f*ck off me, you b*tch!”

Zack harshly pulls his wrist out of her hold with all his might. Immediately pushes her body to the side. Luca quickly reacts, pivoting her hand on the ground to make a firm stand afterwards. Thanks to her agility, she managed to get back on her feet right before stumbled on her back.

The lustful intent spreads in the air as Luca glares intensely at him. Almost forcing Zack to lose his footing from those sharp eyes.

I just wanna go home and sleep, yet why did someone as wild as she appeared…?

What a joke…

“Ah, I get it! Looks like you want to play a little game, right…?”

Luca clapped her hand happily along with an eerie bright smile. Zack hisses in disgust, turns away from her, and takes a step. “Ain’t gonna waste my time on your b*tchy ga-“

He froze abruptly as Luca appeared suddenly in front of him.

In a blink of an eye, his face was grabbed and thrown back to the ground before he even realized it. Swiftly Zack twists his body and moves his arm, supporting his whole body before landing awkwardly on his nape. Getting his senses back to face the terrifying speed that Luca has.

A second later, Luca has already closed their gap and landed a back fist against his face. Despite it looking like a weak blow, it’s enough to make Zack lose his balance and sway his body to the right.

Is that all he got?

The disappointment in her eyes as she saw Zack’s body fall to the ground. However, realizing it even for a split second, Zack quickly plants his left hand on the ground and rotates his hip as he extends his right leg, launching a counterattack.

Sending a fast hook kick straight to her face. Following it up with a swift knee strike with his left leg at her head. Like an open book, Luca read through every movement he made.

She takes a quick deep breath after those sudden fast-paced attacks.

With two missing hits, he is getting into a kick chamber with his left leg, keeping his body in balance, and launching a powerful sidekick at her core. Catching her off guard in those rapid attack sequences.

Luca skids a few meters behind. Crossed her arms in her face to guard Zack’s hasty movement at the right moment. Zack slowly stands back on both of his feet, glaring at her. Reorganizing.

For a time being, Zack decides to assess his surroundings. Not making the slightest move. With Luca blocking the path in front of him, impossible is the only thing that remains for him if he rushes his way out. Back to where he left Aura and Reuben.

Meanwhile, if he tries to go along the way around, highly possible that Luca chase him down again. Like what she did earlier the moment he turned his back away from her.

It’s no use. There’s no other way than to go forward.

What a bother…

“Hey, darling, It’s my turn, now. Just take a good look, and don’t even falter when I show it to you~”

Her smile slowly faded away along with the brightness in her eyes. Bearing its fangs behind her tenacious stare. The distance between them is quite far. Despite that fact, that dreadful feeling of his is still unwavering inside.

At this moment, he knew, that impending bloodshed is bound to happen.

Luca makes her move. One glimpse, she was standing there. Another glimpse, a small cloud of dust is what’s left of her vanishing from his sight. And what had caught his eyes…

Is a fist, that already heading rapidly straight to his jaw.

Zack swerve to the left in the spur of the moment. His body moved out of reflex, leaving a graze on his right cheek even though it was just a bare fist of hers. Not even letting him recover, Luca sends a right hook at his body, hard enough to make him stumble from the force even though he blocked it with his arm. Then, another uppercut flies to his head to top it off.

This time Zack managed to take a step back and dodge it. Still with both eyes widened from the shock. Even so, Luca is already to dash toward him again.

“Captain Luca!”

Suddenly a voice called out her name. Upon hearing it, even for a mere fraction of a second, it’s enough for Zack to lose his focus.

Realizing that he gets distracted, Luca immediately takes the chance. Skidding on the ground to stop herself, while tackling both of Zack’s feet. Causing him to fall. But Luca quickly grabs his jacket right before he falls flat on his face.

At the moment, all that he can feel is the rapid heartbeat reverbing in his ear, and the heavy breathing every time he withdraws it.

Everything becomes hazy, his vision is blurry, and his head is spinning as if it is about to come off anytime.

All of a sudden, Luca released her grip on him. He just helplessly accepts his fate hitting the ground. Staying still for a while. Luca averts her gaze to the person who was calling out to her.

It’s her subordinate, a woman with blonde hair and a proper black suit from top to the bottom.

“We’ve looked for you everywhere around the district, captain. Some important guests are waiting for you back in the-”

“Yeah, yeah, I got it. You don’t need to lecture me and ruin the mood, you know that?”

Luca slowly steps toward her subordinate at the end of the alley. Seeing her boss walking as Luca takes her time to give more pressure, is more than enough to make her frightened and almost trembled from receiving an intense stare from Luca. She gulped her saliva in nervousness.

Yet Luca just walked past her and headed straight for their car.

After quite some time, Zack finally raises his head. A sigh of relief escaped his mouth. The same thing with that blonde lady when Luca casually walked to their car parked next to that very alley.

“Sir, apologize for what happened earlier.”

Zack flinched the moment he heard it. Abruptly looked upward then tried to get back on his feet. “…it’s kinda annoying getting pounced on like that…”

“Yes, we’re truly sorry for this incident. If you may, please take this as a token of our apologies.”

The blonde lady politely handed out an envelope to Zack. With an eyebrow raised, he accepted it and then took a good look at it. Nothing seemed strange nor out of ordinary from it.

“Wait, what’s the catch here?” Zack judgmentally tilted his head.

The blonde lady shakes her head. “This is purely a form of compensation for your time and physical injuries caused by our captain’s behaviour towards an unfortunate citizen such as you.”

“Ain’t you trying to buy me off?”

“What happens here, stays here. Then, if you excuse us…”

Ignorantly replied, the blonde lady walked back to the car. Meanwhile, Zack just standing there, looking from afar with his half-opened eyes. When the car is about to drive away, the window from the back seat suddenly opens up.

“Looking forward to our next meeting, darling~”

Luca gives him a big grin from her seat. On the other hand, Zack has no idea how to respond and ends up scowling at the car in disgust.

Aside from his encounter with Luca, what the blonde lady said previously is for some reason still lingering behind his head, despite his best to forget it now. Something is bugging him, somewhere between those words of sincere.

Wait, yesterday…  I’d taken the sergeant and the lieutenant all by myself… And now…

…Did she had called her out as captain…??

At that time, a moment of realization struck right on the spot.