Gah—
Ouch!
Perhaps because it was her first time biting and his first time being bitten, neither Ellen nor Phaga was remotely prepared.
The little shark bit down far too hard. Her razor-sharp teeth tore through flesh, and before she could stop herself, they slammed into Phaga's bone. The impact rattled her jaw, making her own teeth ache.
Phaga hadn't expected Ellen to bite at all—much less with such force. His entire arm screamed in pain, bones groaning audibly under the pressure!
"Let go! Who even bites like that?!"
Phaga shoved at Ellen's head, forcing her off. When he saw the faint trace of red lingering at the corner of her lips, his own mouth twitched before he sighed helplessly.
"Did I ever bite you like that? Reckless!"
"I... it was my first time, I don't have experience! I'll do better next time!"
Ellen's face flushed crimson. She bit her lip, turning away, sulking with puffed cheeks—completely forgetting to wipe the blood still staining her mouth.
Her words made Phaga's pupils narrow. He shook his head, resigned, and guided his blood flow to accelerate the healing in his shoulder.
Soon, he pulled his hand away and muttered, "You're already thinking about a next time? I thought sharks bite once out of instinct, then lose interest and never bother again."
"First off, that's sharks—not Shark-Thirens! And second, who said I'm not interested in your blood... it's actually pretty sweet."
Ellen quietly slid back into the driver's seat, her voice trailing off. When she licked her lips, her tongue brushed the blood clinging there. To her surprise, it tasted... sweet.
Her eyes lit up. Slowly turning her head, she pursed her lips, then ran her tongue across them.
Phaga stiffened, a bad feeling crawling up his spine. "What are you planning?"
Ellen licked her mouth again. For some reason, after tasting vampire blood, she felt a strange craving.
"Phaga," she whispered, "it didn't really hurt that much, right?"
"Not hurt...? Yeah right! Of course it hurt!"
Phaga groaned, covering his face with one hand and peeking at her warily with the other. This little shark had clearly developed a taste for it—but with no sense of restraint.
"You know how hard you bite?" Phaga shot her a sidelong look. "It's like stubbing your toe on a crate in the dark—now double that pain. That's what you did!"
"No way!"
Ellen turned her face aside. She knew he was right—her own teeth still throbbed—but she clung to her pride.
"And anyway, your bites hurt more!"
"Vampire bites... hurt?"
Phaga chuckled helplessly. It seemed impossible, but Ellen was clearly just being difficult now.
"They do hurt!" Ellen said firmly, eyes wide. "I say it hurts, so it hurts! You're not me—how would you know?!"
Because I can see your expression...
Phaga thought back to the times he'd bitten her neck. Her reactions then were... hardly those of someone in pain. But that wasn't something he'd say aloud.
"My lunch. Hand it over. I'm starving."
"Oh, sure. Oh, and your monocle?"
"Keep it for now. Give it back after I eat."
"Alright. Then pass me the laptop—I'm gonna game."
"I don't have any games installed. Unless you want Minesweeper."
"What's wrong with Minesweeper? I'll play Minesweeper!"
...
After their meal, Phaga retrieved his monocle, carefully cleaned it with lens solution and a cloth, then put it back on.
The midday sun blazed overhead, scorching the ground. Stray cats prowled the site, hunting scraps. Even hungry, the cats still pranced atop the iron plate at the cafeteria entrance, meowing in rhythm as if to entertain the workers inside—earning themselves a fried fish.
One cat carried its prize away, hesitated at the door, then leapt again to perform another lively dance.
What a clever little cat.
Phaga watched with mild amusement, then reclined his seat to rest. His gaze instinctively shifted sideways.
Ellen had given up on Minesweeper after a few tries, grumbling that her luck was terrible. She'd fallen asleep before him, curled up with her hand as a pillow, her face peaceful.
Huu... huu...
The weather was hot, and it would be a while before they entered the Hollow again. Might as well rest. Phaga adjusted the AC, then slipped off his jacket to drape it over Ellen.
He himself wasn't sleepy. Instead, he pulled out his phone and opened the Inter-Knot.
Official channels hid what they didn't want revealed. But the Inter-Knot had no such restrictions. With a keen eye, one might even uncover business opportunities.
"Hmm... a message from Mr. Lycaon?"
A window popped up—it was from Lycaon. Phaga tapped it open.
"Phaga, how are things on your end?"
"Going smoothly. We might finish tonight," Phaga replied.
Lycaon answered quickly. "Good. We just accepted another commission—scheduled for about a week from now."
"Uh, what about that fourteen-million job?"
"Rina negotiated with the client. It'll be a long-term task, not urgent."
"Oh, that's good. So what's this new commission?"
"Cleaning out a whole building. It'll require the full Victoria Housekeeping team. Actually, it'll be the first full-team job since you joined."
"That's great. See you, Mr. Lycaon."
"Mhm. See you, Phaga."
Phaga put his phone away, leaned back with his hands behind his head, and muttered, "The next commission's in a week... which means I actually have to attend school for a week straight."
"Ugh. What a pain."
Knock knock knock!
A sudden tapping came from the car window.
Phaga sat up and glanced out. Grace was there, smiling brightly. He rolled the window down.
"Let's get to work!" she said cheerfully, elbow resting on the rearview mirror.
...
"Haaah... I could really use another nap..."
Ellen rubbed her eyes, dragging her giant scissors as she trailed after Phaga through the Hollow.
"Ellen, mind your manners in front of the master and guest."
Walking ahead, Phaga reminded her quietly.
"Ugh, fine!"
Ellen huffed, then swung her scissors onto her shoulder, walking lazily.
It wasn't her speed that slowed the group—it was someone else's.
She glanced sideways at a Bear-Thiren in a white jacket with a thick gold chain around his neck.
His name was Ben Bigger. Grace called him Big Ben. She'd explained earlier that while Anton and she usually handled mornings, come afternoon, Belobog Heavy Industries' strategist ought to step forward and show his worth.
But Ben scratched at his cheek with a troubled expression, looking anything but eager.
Despite his intimidating size and the scar covering one eye, his voice carried a certain clumsy sincerity.
"Sigh... Grace could've handled this herself. Why'd she drag me out here... Sorry, Miss Proxy, I'm slowing you all down."
"It's fine. We're almost there anyway!"
Eous, perched comfortably in Phaga's arms, waved with a smile before resting his chin on his hands in thought. "But why would a machine like that wander so far on its own? It doesn't add up."
"We'll only know once we bring it back and check."
Ben was explaining when his ears twitched. He suddenly spun around, pointing at a distant silhouette.
"There!"
Phaga and Ellen looked up. Sure enough, a pile driver stood beneath the setting sun, a tattered flag fluttering in the warm breeze—like the restless heart of youth.
"...Heh. You really did catch up."
The pile driver shifted on its four massive legs. With a heavy rumble, it turned just enough to reveal half its display screen, casting a disdainful glance at the group.
"I'm [Enlightened Sinner], sent by the Mentor to guard the seal. You rebels, fated to defy, dare obstruct my noble mission? Such heresy offends the heavens themselves!"
"Now I shall borrow the Mentor's strength! O thunder that smites evil, O earth that upholds the righteous—grant me your power!"