Banjou

She was a stunning beauty in a kimono, wearing very high shoes. Her long pink hair was styled into adorable bunny ears atop her head, and her graceful figure inspired endless fantasies even from behind as she walked.

Two strange-looking people followed beside her.

One was huge and muscular, but had the head of an eagle.

The other had skin paler than chicken feet soaked in chemicals, black eyelids and black lips, long hair, and, like Gray, wore no clothes. He was a pure, unadulterated freak.

When a beautiful woman appeared, taking a glance was instinctive. Staring endlessly would be rude.

Ifrit turned around to photograph other things.

After a while.

He found somewhere to have dinner.

He ran into those three again at a restaurant.

Their tables happened to be right next to each other.

The pale-skinned freak said, "Captain Banjou, you can't keep taking ordinary jobs. All the well-paying regular jobs get taken by legitimate guilds, and the commissions left for us pay far less!"

The pink-haired woman was named Banjou. She took a sip of sake and spoke in a magnetic, pleasant mature voice, with a lovely Kansai accent. "What jobs I take is my freedom."

The pale-skinned freak continued to persuade her. "But aren't you short on money? If we took assassination jobs, the payment from one job would equal dozens of ordinary ones! Besides, the new Guild Master has been dissatisfied lately. If it weren't for us being old guild members, and for the former captain's remaining prestige..."

"If you're unwilling, then join another team." Banjou glanced at him. "Senior Jack and I are not on the same path."

"No, that's not what I meant. Forget it. These are matters for you, Captain, to decide." The pale-skinned freak forced a smile.

"Ho, ho, ho! I think Captain Jack is justice!" Owl Strongman made a ridiculous sound.

"I don't care about justice." Banjou said, "Enough. Don't discuss these things. You'll scare the others. Once we're done eating, we'll disband. I'll notify you when there's another job."

"Yes."

"Ho, ho, ho."

The three stopped talking and ate quietly.

Ifrit checked the photographs he had taken.

The woman named Banjou happened to look up. Her pink lips lifted slightly when she saw the camera by Ifrit's hand, but she immediately pressed them tightly together again.

After dinner.

Ifrit intended to find an inn.

As he walked, the surroundings became increasingly desolate.

"Huh? Am I about to reach East Town?"

Ifrit prepared to turn back.

Suddenly, a child bumped into his thigh.

"Sorry, big brother." The child apologized with his head lowered, then slipped away.

Ifrit touched his pocket and chuckled softly without chasing after him.

It was only some loose change.

And the other party was just a child.

If he was a good child, then stealing money must have taken a great deal of resolve, and the money would surely help him.

If he was a bad child, Ifrit did not have a silver tongue. How could lecturing possibly reform a child rotten to the core? It would waste time and feelings, and might even cost him more money. It was not worth it.

Of course, if it had been a healthy adult.

Then Ifrit would definitely have taught him a lesson.

Ifrit turned around to look for an inn.

But then the town's night market caught his attention.

Compared to daytime, the night market was much more uninhibited.

Tourists brought children during the day, but at night, the children were asleep, and the exciting shows began.

Groups performing acrobatics, singing and dancing, and magic all took the stage.

Never mind the singing and dancing—even the female assistants in the magic acts wore so little that they were one step short of displaying the abyss.

"I'm a magician too." Ifrit felt slightly envious. "But I don't have a female assistant."

He recalled what Bob, the Guild Master of Blue Pegasus, had said, and goosebumps rose all over him. He hurriedly shook his head.

He could not handle the girls of Blue Pegasus!

He was only eighteen. They would play him to ruin unless he reached Gildarts's age.

After walking some distance, the child looked back. When he saw no one pursuing him, he sighed in relief.

He opened his hand, revealing a handful of wet, crumpled loose change clenched within it.

"I'm sorry."

He muttered to himself, then straightened out the coins and went to a stall.

"Please sell me a roast duck. Thank you."

"This money..." The vendor looked somewhat disgusted upon receiving the wet, wrinkled coins.

"I'm sorry." The child quickly apologized.

"Forget it." The vendor gave him a glance and wrapped up the ugliest-looking roast duck.

Seeing that, the child pressed his lips together but said nothing.

"Take it."

The child wrapped up the warm roast duck, held it tightly against his chest, and ran toward East Town.

East Town was extremely rundown.

It was filled with danger.

The child lived there, and he knew well what places to avoid and where to go around.

After twisting and turning through many alleys, he reached a narrow lane and saw a tall figure in a kimono from behind, carrying several large and small bags.

"Big Sister Banjou!" he cried out in delighted surprise.

"Oh my, Raid." Banjou turned around and looked at the boy in surprise.

But then she noticed his bulging chest, as though he were hiding something there.

Her expression changed as she sternly demanded, "Raid, did you steal something?!"

"I'm sorry, Big Sister Banjou, but Emily isn't going to make it. She loves roast duck the most, so I..." Raid said, holding back tears.

"Emily isn't going to make it?!" Banjou was horrified. "When I left before, hadn't her condition stabilized?!"

"Let's hurry home. Tell me while we walk!" Banjou led Raid quickly toward home.

Raid explained Emily's situation.

"Emily's condition worsened once on the fourth day after you left. The doctor said she needed very expensive medicine, so we had to pay. We gave all our money to the doctor, and only then did Emily's condition stabilize. But afterward, we had no way to keep paying for Emily's high-class hospital room, and we couldn't use the best medicine either, so Emily's condition kept getting worse."

"We couldn't contact you, and I wanted to... keep doing that kind of thing..."

"But Emily refused no matter what, so after we spent all our savings, we could only bring her home and watch helplessly as her condition worsened."

"It already..."

"It's already too late."

"Emily said she wanted roast duck, so that's why I..."

"How could this happen..." Banjou's beautiful eyes filled with tears. When she blinked, they rolled down her cheeks.

"Welcome home, Big Sister Banjou." Even through his tears, Raid had to complete the ritual.

They had arrived outside a small courtyard.

Many children in old but unbroken and clean clothes waited in the courtyard.

"Big Sister Banjou!" When they saw Banjou, they hurriedly gathered around her.

"These are the things I bought for you. I'm going to see Emily."

Banjou set down the bags and hurried into the house.

But very soon.

Banjou came back out.

Her gorgeous makeup had been ruined by tears, but she quickly touched it up and said, "Raid, come on. We're going to return the money to its owner!"

"Big Sister Banjou." Raid froze. "Now isn't the time to deal with that. We should give the roast duck to..."

"Shut up!" Banjou said harshly. "Emily cannot eat something stolen by her big brother. If she does, she won't be able to go to heaven!"

Raid's whole body trembled.