Baki
"Apologize? To someone like that?!"
Retsu Kaioh furiously slammed his palm on the tea table, the terrifying force shattering it into pieces on the spot. "Why should Miss Sushang bother reasoning with him? She should just teach him a lesson with her fists!"
"Retsu, stay calm," Kaioh Kaku said faintly from the side. "We are guests in Mr. Tokugawa's residence, after all."
"…My apologies, I lost my composure."
"No need to dwell on such trifles, Retsu Kaioh," Tokugawa said, glancing at Miyamoto Musashi beside Retsu with curiosity. "Miyamoto, if it were you, would you apologize to such a despicable person?"
"Me?" Miyamoto Musashi took a sip of tea, pondered for a moment, and then spoke with conviction. "If it were me, I would definitely apologize."
"But after I apologized… I'd probably cut him down, wouldn't I?"
——
[Sushang gritted her teeth, her fists clenched so tightly they creaked, and reluctantly spoke: "…I-I'm sorry."]
[Skott spread his hands smugly: "Doesn't matter. Think of it as practice. Apologizing once isn't enough, haha!"]
[With his victorious laughter, Skott's figure gradually disappeared into Aurum Alley.]
[Meanwhile, Sushang was so furious she was practically fuming. The "sorry" felt like a red-hot coal forced out of her throat, making her tremble with rage: "Ughhh… ughhh…!!"]
[Mingxi, looking guilty, said: "I'm sorry, I didn't even get a chance to speak."]
["My mother told me that as long as I honed my skills, people would reason with me…" Sushang, still seething and a bit aggrieved, muttered, "…It seems my skills aren't enough."]
[Mingxi felt that just this wasn't enough—they needed to learn how to argue (or rather, bicker). So, they sought out Lianyan, who not only taught them some debating and negotiation techniques but also handed them some key "materials."]
[These included critical information like Afeng's financial records, though as for the source of the intel… Lianyan mysteriously said the association president had her own methods.]
[With these materials, Stelle successfully outmaneuvered the dockworker Afeng, getting him to admit he'd been bribed to cause trouble.]
[With this confession, combined with the two prior pieces of evidence, Stelle was brimming with confidence, ready to face the company in a direct confrontation.]
——
Chainsaw Man
In the dim light of the café, Makima's fingertips lightly tapped the edge of her coffee cup, the bitter aroma of black coffee lingering in the air.
"Aki-kun, don't you think Skott is quite an interesting person?" Her voice was soft, making it hard to discern her emotions. "Perhaps… Public Security could use someone like him."
"Hmph, that kind of person would only tarnish Public Security's reputation," Aki Hayakawa said, staring at the long-cold latte in front of him with clear disdain.
"Then, Aki-kun, what do you think separates a good person like Stelle from a bad person like Skott?"
One was a warm-hearted soul revitalizing Aurum Alley, while the other resorted to underhanded tricks without scruple. Aki didn't hesitate: "…Morality, obviously."
An expected answer.
Makima smiled, shaking her head lightly. "No, it's efficiency."
Outside, an ambulance roared by, its piercing siren shattering the evening's calm.
"Good people follow the rules; bad people exploit them." She gently stirred her coffee, a black vortex swirling in the cup. "And the world always rewards the most efficient."
Aki's gaze turned cold. "So, you think Skott's methods are highly efficient?"
"Hm, in my view, he's just a bit unlucky to have run into Stelle," Makima said, leaning forward slightly, her hair falling onto the table. "If it weren't for Stelle, with just that little secretary… Aurum Alley would probably already be in Skott's hands, don't you think?"
"Of course, if he were a bit smarter and polished his act a little, it'd be even better—not so blatantly villainous. After all, even devils know to disguise themselves as angels to achieve their goals more easily."
——
[Mingxi informed the company and invited Miss Xikui from the Sky-Faring Commission to act as a notary.]
[Soon, all three parties gathered at the dock.]
[Xikui stood between them: "On behalf of the Sky-Faring Commission, I am here to mediate the rent dispute between the Interastral Peace Corporation and the Aurum Alley Merchants' Guild."]
["Is there even a need for mediation?" Skott, as always, was true to form, opening with something that made people want to punch him. "The Merchants' Guild should've been kicked out of Aurum Alley long ago."]
[Sushang was speechless: "Can't the company send someone normal to negotiate?"]
[Skott played deaf again, leaning in as he had before: "Huh—? Speak up, I can't hear you."]
[But this time, Sushang wasn't having it. She took a deep breath and bellowed, her voice piercing straight to Skott's core: "I said, doesn't the company have ANYONE ELSE?!"]
——
"—Hiss!!"
A woman's voice, amplified countless times by the Celestial Screen, startled birds into flight from the treetops. Stark flinched, his axe clanging onto his foot, making him wince in pain.
It was louder than thunder… Frieren, coming to her senses, still felt her head buzzing.
"Hey, look—"
Frieren pointed ahead, where the red dragon they were set to hunt was frantically flapping its wings, fleeing in a panic.
"…Ah, our dinner was scared off by Sushang," Frieren said with a teary-eyed expression.
——
["Ugh… ow!" Skott clutched his ears, grimacing. "This girl's voice is insane—my eardrums are practically perforated. Hmph, I hope when you apologize to me publicly later, you'll be just as loud."]
["As the company's business representative, my presence at this negotiation is legal, reasonable, and justified! Who's the Merchants' Guild sending? Some random Cloud Knight passing by? The president who's nowhere to be seen?"]
["Or this random girl you dragged in, looking like someone owes her fifty credits?"]
[He pointed at Stelle.]
[Annoyed by Skott's snide remarks, Xikui interrupted sharply: "Enough, Representative Skott. Please state the company's demands."]
[Skott quickly got into the zone: "The company graciously leased the operating rights to the Aurum Alley Merchants' Guild for mutual prosperity. But the guild has refused to cooperate with the alley's shops, turning what was once a bustling dock into a ghost town."]
["I object!" Stelle pointed at Skott. "The guild has never refused to cooperate with the shops!"]
["Never refused?" Skott sneered. "Then tell me, how many shops have joined your logistics network?"]