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Hey, Orchid, the dorms are the other way.

I'm going to check out the training room.

Oh. Popukar, why don't you come to my room tonight? I'll tell you a story.

Okay~

Training Room

Did you skip dinner, Midnight? Kinda weak.

My swordsmanship is about agility and cunning.

Keep talking. Music to my ears.

Ah hah!

Slow. But not bad. I can tell you did eat enough after all.

Wow, Midnight and Spot are fighting.

Can I...?

Let's wait for them to finish.

Oh——

Pfft. *Pant*... water, please.

Here.

........Phew. Thanks.

Your military lineage shows, Spot. You're usually so lethargic, but you're clearly much better than me at this.

You've got something to be proud of. If you didn't have the basics, I'd have my comics in one hand while I fought you with the other.

Am I so weak?

How can I get my point across without hurting your feelings?

No need.

But I'm actually curious, you were an escort before, right?

You've got the fundamentals. I can tell. A couple years of practice.

That's not up to military standard. But for a civilian, you can fight.

Can I take that as a compliment?

I'm mostly trying to convince myself that the most useless guy on our team actually has something to offer.

Haha... Actually...

Midnight! Spot!

Huh?

Orchid's here. You're boned.

Why's that?

I don't know, but she looks like my mom did whenever things were about to get real bad for me.

Oh, you're wrong about that. And it's my turn to teach you some tricks for dealing with women.

*Snort*.

Good evening, Miss Popukar, Miss Orchid.

What are you doing here?

As you can see, I'm doing my daily exercise.

And why don't I know about this routine?

I never thought you'd be interested, Miss Orchid. And it's all on my own time.

...Fair enough.

But we're normal people. And Instructor Dobermann made it clear that civilian teams like us won't ever end up on dangerous missions. So what's the point?

Oh, good question. Mm, a truly fantastic question, Orchid.

Let's take a break for now, shall we, Spot?

Yeah, whatever. I'm just here to help out. I'll go get a comic book to read.

Orchid, do you know what the secret to success is in my line of work?

What are you talking about?

That's a rhetorical question, to start things off. I can continue without an answer.

I'd guess the trick is to be handsome, first and foremost. And then be a decent talker?

No, no, and no. Although I consider myself quite beautiful, and I do know how to pay a compliment...

Bleh.

What's wrong with Spot?

Nothing, just looking at a clown in a whole new light.

Heh heh. Confidence is very important. But by far the most important is to treat all your clients equally.

That is——When you step into my realm, my presence, then, whoever you are, the only thing you are, is my client.

........What's the point of all this? Are you trying to say that everyone's the same to you?

Not at all, my dear sweet captain. Clever as you are, you've never thought this through.

It's not that everyone's the same to me. It's that, simply, everyone's the same.

The iron-fisted career woman, tyrant of her office section, could actually just be wearing a mask for the sake of her work. If she wears it long enough, she may forget how to take it back off.

The outwardly homely housewife, whose husband likely cheated on her long ago, she stays at home telling no one of her troubles, with no choice but to come to drink with me.

An ill-tempered fashion designer with her strong woman facade may just fear the gossip of others, and the resulting loss of trust.

Do you have a death wish?

Ha ha, did you think I was talking about you? People like this abound.

Everyone in the city, after unloading their identities and responsibilities, is exactly the same. Each and every one.

So why, at Rhodes Island, would things be any different?

Do the elite operators who go diving headlong into a warzone, come back and unplug themselves like so much machinery?

No, they drink and chat in the bar. They care for their freshly potted plants in the greenhouse. They listen to music, they read.

They complain when a mission is too hard, or chuckle at how hilariously easy it was. They cry, they laugh, they mope, they hurt, and they die.

They're no different from us, are they?

...You're a boy who knows how to give a speech.

Thank you for the compliment.

...*Sigh*. That all makes sense. But I still feel like it's not completely true.

And I can't blame you for that. My industry, as it is, always had a bit of an underbelly to it. I have that advantage.

But not you, Orchid. You grew up entirely in the light of day.

The greatest hardships for you were lower pay than you'd like, insufficiently clear skin, traffic on your commute. Those sorts of things.

This world of violence and bloodshed is indeed a brave new world for you.

But you're here. You made your choice. Shouldn't you at least try to understand it instead of shackling yourself to the common sense of your past?

The common sense of my past...

I'm not trying to be preachy. I'm definitely not qualified to preach. But wouldn't the 'fashion guru' of Rhodes Island understand that?

Even you know about that, huh?

I've talked to quite a few senior operators. I've heard a lot of interesting stories.

And you're getting in good with them?

I get in good with anyone, as long as they understand my language. This is my special power as the Devil of the Eastern Night.

Right.

So you know perfectly well that the people who ask you to design their outfits and give fashion tips are ordinary people like us, don't you?

By the way, Spot. You asked me why I knew how to fight when I was just an 'escort.'

Huh? Ah, oh yeah, I forgot.

You wound me. This is a bit of a story, so let's take it to the cafeteria. My treat.

Sounds like a pain in the ass. Can I pass? I don't really care.

Heh heh. I'm afraid not.

Damn. I blew it. I should've slipped out halfway through.

I said it was my treat, but you could still show a little decorum...

Do we have to?

Mmmmm..... It's so good! Why aren't you eating, Orchid?

I never eat after dinner.

That's the mark of a modern woman.

Ahem, right, back to business then.

First of all, if I may be so bold as to ask, Orchid, how did you contract Oripathy? If that's too personal a question, you don't have to answer.

........It's not a great story. Just one day I suddenly noticed a little crystalline growth on my body.

The doctors said I must have been exposed to some Originium without even knowing. I still don't know exactly how I got it.