act7d5

That's it.

Ah, I see. No wonder you're having this little crisis.

So, let me tell you my experience.

There was a younger man working in my club.

He was my polar opposite: bright, sunny disposition, straightforward. Instantly likeable.

Of course, no one who works in my industry could be called naive. But if I'm the type to make malicious assumptions about people, he's the type to trust them.

Sounds like the type I would hate.

Is that your way of saying you like me, Spot?

Orchid, is there really no cure for narcissism?

I'll ask Medical later. Maybe there's hope.

Heh heh. As I said before, I treat all my clients equally. Meaning I don't change my approach based on one's status or identity.

I make an active effort towards that goal. But for him, it was second nature.

From my position atop the industry, I could see that he would be the one to surpass me.

So that person surpassed Midnight?

........It can't be that simple.

Huh?

........Yeah, it would be nice if that was the whole story.

Now that I think about it, I actually did him a disservice. He didn't come from a good family. He needed the money. To him, I must've looked like the king of the world.

If I was out of his way, he would have been able to make it in that world.

I should have taught him much earlier how to situate himself, how to handle money, and how to be what people needed him to be.

Had I done that, maybe we wouldn't have ended up at each other's throats.

He was jealous of you? And you didn't notice?

........He hid it well. Or rather, he didn't even notice it himself.

It wasn't until he almost killed me the first time that I realized this flaw in my understanding of human nature.

I think it's got nothing to do with human nature. You're just too nice.

Right? I never thought of you as the type to mentor a newbie.

But Midnight is a really good man! I always knew!

Thank you, Popukar.

But you said 'first time,' which means there was a second time.

Right.

He did almost kill me the first time. Almost. I'm confident, had that been his second attempt to kill a man, I wouldn't be sitting here.

But I am.

I bet five Lungmen dollars you bitched out.

No. I didn't. It's just... I couldn't have expected what happened next.

At the time, I saw the world as Orchid does. I never thought of it as a place of malice and bloodshed.

I muscled him out of the industry and learned how to handle a sword. I thought that would be enough. I really did.

Until one day, I discovered a health problem.

Your Oripathy....

He paid my agent to infect me somehow.

The second time he came looking for me, he was Infected himself. And he brought his 'friends' with him.

I had seen a lot of hate in my work. I thought I understood it. But when it was actually directed at me, I felt it burning in a way I hadn't ever before imagined.

But you won.

I did. Even if I can't go toe to toe with you, I can fight off a dozen thugs and walk away with my life.

It was then, with my own hands, I took his...

Waaaaaaahhhhhh!

What's wrong, Popukar?

Poor Midniiiiiiight! Waaaaahhh...

Don't cry, Popukar.

Honestly, I should thank him for showing me how immature I was.

After that, I learned about a place called Rhodes Island and made up my mind to leave the industry and come all the way here after registering with the office in Higashi.

Along the way, I saw a lot, and thought a lot more. I came to Rhodes Island with a deep understanding of this one thing.

What are you looking at?

Let me share my thoughts with you, Orchid.

I'm not trying to say that because we've seen the cruel reality of the world here, we need to accept it.

From our point of view, it's only natural to think that most of Rhodes Island's operators have been through unnecessary pain.

We shouldn't feel inferior for having grown up in our relative safety, but it isn't an excuse for us to fight it either.

Life is the same everywhere.

Where we used to live, the only way to get what we wanted was to work hard and earn money. It's actually the same here.

We could have chosen to join the logistics department and put in the same effort there. But I chose the path of war.

........Aren't you afraid to die?

I think we're all afraid to die.

But as you've learned in your time here, Orchid, sooner or later you have to fight to defend something.

This would be a fine time to say 'I'm training hard so I can be strong to defend you, Orchid,' but I'd like you to think about something instead——

What kind of life do you want to lead at Rhodes Island?

........I understand.

Um... but I don't...

Good. This is something you'll never have to worry about. Why not eat up instead? Here, you can have mine.

Wow, thanks Spot!

Hehe. He's right. You don't have to worry about this stuff, Popukar.

And forgive me for dumping all this on you, Orchid, but the question you asked me is one I've been asking myself a lot since I came to Rhodes Island. So I had a lot to say about it.

.......Well, thanks for that.

Oh, wonder of wonders, miracle of miracles! The blessed savior Orchid has finally shown me gratitude! Brother Spot, Sister Popukar, such luck you have brought me!

You're a dead man. Popukar, we need to get to bed. We have a big day tomorrow.

Oh, we're done?

We're done.

Okay.... Good night, Spot. Good night, Midnight.

Good night.

Sweet dreams to the two beautiful ladies.

So you're not worried we'll turn out like the guy from your club?

Heh heh. Not to toot my own horn, but I have a lot more confidence as a judge of character these days.

*Snort*.

Besides, we're on the same team. It's good to get to know each other better, no?

Sure. But I never imagined you'd be hung up on all that garbage.

Now that I've thought it through, I don't need to trouble myself anymore.

I guess so. Say, did you use any of those tricks for dealing with women just now?

I did indeed. The most important trick of all——telling the truth.

Sounds pretty easy to me.

It's important because it's simple.

Orchid, when we get back, can Catapult tell me a story?

Not tonight. Midnight kept us out too late.

Oh....

Okay. I'm just glad to see you happy, Orchid.

Oh? Have I been unhappy lately?

Um, I don't know how to say this. But you seemed very upset after we left the logistics department. Not now though. Now you look happy.

Did I...? I guess I did.

Thank you, Popukar.

Did I do something?

Hehe. You just don't know it yet.

Excuse me, are you Orchid?

Oh? You are...?