I stepped up to the two and forcefully grabbed the boy's wrist, causing him to wince in pain. I steadily strengthened my grip until he finally let go.

"Who the hell are...?!"

The instant his eyes met mine, he froze, his expression mirroring that of countless victims just before their untimely ends. Sometimes, a touch of showmanship is all it takes to halt someone in their tracks. I like to think I've perfected that art.

"She said she wouldn't be able to go, did she not?" I asked with a slight hint of anger. "So why don't you respect her choice and kindly fuck off?"

"Stay out of this, buddy. Unless you wanna get hurt."

"Ah... Hey, Sakuno."

"What's up?" he replied.

"That was a threat, wasn't it?"

"Sure was."

"So there shouldn't be an issue if I break his arm, right?"

"Nah. I say go for it. This is purely... self-defense."

With that, I slowly twisted the boy's arm up at an awkward angle. First was a pop, then an audible crack, and he began groaning in pain.

"Dude, the fuck are you doing?!" he screamed. "Agh! Let go!"

"You didn't seem to want to let go when Taiyori told you to. What reason do I have to listen to a hypocrite?"

Again, I twisted his arm, and that was when he let out the most agonizing scream, but that did not deter me. I have to make sure he understands the consequences, lest he decides to continue his ill-mannered behavior.

Suddenly, a hand reached over and gently grabbed my own. I glanced over to see Taiyori, her expression stern, yet calm, silently telling me to stop.

"That's enough."

It took a moment for her words to fully sink in. Wasn't she the one being hurt by him just a minute ago? Why would she tell me to stop?

I decided not to question it. In this case, she's my client, and that means whatever she says goes.

"Alright."

The moment I released my grip on the boy, he stumbled and fell on the ground, clutching his arm while his friends gathered around him.

"The hell is your problem?!" he chided. "You could've broken my arm!"

"That's right, I could've. Maybe keep that mind before you decide to do something stupid in front of me again."

The boy gritted his teeth at me, baring them like a wolf would to its prey. I’m used to receiving that kind of look, though most don’t have the guts to show it right to my face. In fact, he might be the first.

"Hey, now, guys," Sakuno interrupted. "Let's stop this and save it for a more... private location, hm? We wouldn't want this to escalate with so many eyes on us, now would we?

I hadn't even noticed that there was a crowd gathering around us until Sakuno mentioned it. I never had to worry about such trivial things because my face was always covered in the field.

"Tch..." the boy clicked his tongue in anger and left.

He stormed off until he disappeared beyond the spectating crowd.

"Heh. Nice one, Tsuki," Sakuno chuckled. "That was quite the show you put on there."

"You shouldn't have interfered. I'm still not satisfied with the outcome."

"What would you have done had I not interfered? Can't imagine you would outright kill him when so many people were watching."

"Who knows? Maybe I would've."

"Hah! You might be crazier than me, Tsuki."

I have to remind myself that I'm just a normal person now. Well... maybe not 'normal,' but someone pretending to be. The things I've done in the field won't fly here, especially with the higher risk of getting caught.

Every time I see something that pisses me off, I can feel the killer inside me stirring, begging for the chance to rampage. It's a simple case of cause and effect. But I have to keep it under control, or I might end up turning my bloodied hands on an undeserving innocent.

"You... Your name is Tuski?"

I turned around to see that Taiyori was still standing there. Was she here the whole time? I thought she had already run off.

"Yeah," I replied. "Taiyori, right?"

"Hah. So you know me huh? Came in to save this little damsel in distress?" she scoffed with an irritated tone. "So? What's it gonna be? You want me to go on a date with you? Maybe a nice little smooch?"

"...Oh?"

That certainly wasn't the reaction I was expecting. Her tone indicated that she did not, in fact, appreciate my help. It's not like I was expecting much, but this is just over the top.

"It seems I've misjudged the situation," I said. "Perhaps you were in no need of help."

"Oh, did you just now notice? Good on you."

"Hah... No freaking way. I'm genuinely speechless. Then, Taiyori. Pardon my intrusion. Sakuno, let's go."

"Coming, sire!" he grinned.

"Stop right there," Taiyori demanded. "I'm not done with you."

Her face twisted into a scowl, even more disdainful than before. So, this is someone who walks the normal world. How... interesting, to say the least. She might turn out to be quite the annoyance.

"What is it?" I asked.

"You didn't answer my question."

"Why did I interfere? Simple. It seemed like you couldn't handle yourself, so I stepped in. However, since you're so adamant that you could've taken them all on, then perhaps I underestimated you. For that, I apologize."

"Wha... Hey, stop!"

I didn’t bother turning back this time. Her lack of appreciation was downright irritating. I’ve dealt with ungrateful clients before, but none were as blatant about it as she was. At least the others had the decency to show some gratitude—often in the form of payment, though I wasn’t expecting that from her. A simple 'thank you' would've been fine.

"What a weird one," Sakuno whistled. "And here I was thinking that she was gonna be a kind little girl. Earlier today, I think I overheard a couple of people talking about her on my way to your room. What is it that they call her? The Belle?"

"Something like that."

"I'll admit, she's got the looks, but damn... She's an asshole for real. I mean, what the heck, right? All you did was help her out, and she blew up in your face."

"It's whatever. Just let it go. I don't want to think about it for a second longer. It's making me angry."

"Pft... What? The 'Belle' break your heart?"

"I don't have a heart, and neither do you."

"Ouch."

That was perhaps one of the strangest encounters of my life, and I’ve seen load of bad shit in the underworld. I thought this place was supposed to be normal, but it’s proven to be anything but.

Honestly, I’m not sure how much longer I can endure this. My patience is wearing incredibly thin, and the strain is becoming almost unbearable.