Dirty Tricks

"Pitter-patter~~~"

The faintly warm July rain, mixed with a slightly fishy wind, slanted down from the sky. The black umbrella gave off a steady series of muffled thuds, like a mournful elegy, or perhaps a heartbreaking final song.

"Fate?"

"Or gods?"

"They were always full of sick humor, carelessly toying with the 'foolish' people in their eyes. Like how they set the mood at funerals, squeezing out every last tear with all that melodrama. They must be pretty pleased with themselves, right?"

"I suppose I'm one of those 'foolish' people they toyed with carelessly. Otherwise, I wouldn't have ended up in this damned world."

"Should I shout some cringey line right now? Something like, 'My fate is mine to decide,' to prove that I once rebelled against destiny? And then? Then I'd still have to face this bullshit reality. S... forget it."

Bred's thoughts wandered aimlessly, but his inner monologue was unusually lively.

"...Dust returns to dust. May the Lord's love remain with you forever. In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, a-men!"

With the priest's warm voice, the coffins were lowered into the earth.

The crosses were raised, and those lives came to a complete end.

They were no different from the other graves in the cemetery—rows upon rows, some new, some old.

"My condolences."

"Take care, Bred."

"Remember to come to us if you run into any difficulties."

"..."

The people attending Bred's parents' funeral gradually dispersed in twos and threes. Most had been his parents' colleagues, while a small number were Xue Fazi's neighbors and friends.

Their private emotions might have varied wildly, but when they looked at the boy who had just turned six—golden-haired, golden-eyed, with delicate features like the son of God—they all showed the same pity. Even though Bred was expressionless, they naturally assumed he was a child who had lost both parents in the same tragedy, so grief-stricken and numb that he could not even shed a tear.

Bred bowed mechanically, politely thanking everyone.

Until...

"Do not worry about tomorrow, child, for tomorrow will worry about itself." The priest closed his Bible, walked over, crouched down, and gently comforted Bred.

Bred lowered his head. "Thank you, Father."

He had a powerful, bear-like frame, a rugged face covered in stubble, and a terrifying scar carved from his lower left jaw to beneath his left eye. Round nearsighted glasses concealed his narrowed eyes. That was what the priest looked like, giving him an exceptionally peculiar air that constantly swayed between a kindly uncle next door, a deranged murderer, and a beast ready to pounce at any moment beneath a disguise.

His name was Alexander Anderson.

"Thank you, Anderson." Raschi had barely rested properly these past several days. Between comforting his wife and arranging the funeral, exhaustion was inevitable, but he still forced himself to stay alert as he exchanged looks with Anderson and Bred.

Then—

Anderson rose to his feet. "We should get going. There's another mission from above, and they're urging us to hurry."

"Xue Fazi, stay strong. Take good care of Bred." Raschi gave his instructions crisply, then left even more crisply.

Xue Fazi habitually watched her husband leave. After a long while, she said, "Shall we go home, Bred?"

Meeting Xue Fazi's red, swollen eyes, Bred shook his head without speaking.

"I... I'll wait for you outside the cemetery." Xue Fazi had intended to continue persuading him, but suddenly understood. She thought Bred, who had not shed a single tear, did not want anyone to see him cry, and intended to wait until no one was around before venting his grievance and sorrow. Thoughtfully, she left him some time alone.

After Xue Fazi had gone far away, Bred raised his head.

Mosquito Girl, who had been holding the umbrella over him, also lowered her head with interest.

Their gazes met.

"Why do you listen to me? You're not the obedient type. I can see the greed hidden deep in your eyes." Bred bluntly voiced the doubt in his heart, while also trying to bluff her. Mosquito Girl had been far too well-behaved. Ever since he had claimed her, she had obeyed him like a pet dog. Something was definitely wrong—Bred knew very well that Mosquito Girl was bloodthirsty.

Mosquito Girl licked her lips and teased, "Oh my~ Was it that obvious?"

"A firefly in the night. You know the kind?" Bred said by way of comparison.

Mosquito Girl froze for a moment, then flicked the mosquito antennae atop her head, which resembled pheasant plumes. She lowered herself and lightly embraced Bred, sniffing beside his ear as she murmured, "You don't seem like a child at all. You're far too mature! Should I praise you for truly being their child? Hehe~ It makes me want to drain every drop of your blood. Mmm~~~ It smells so good~ Aren't you afraid? Those two people who could protect you..."

"If there weren't something you feared, I believe you would have drained my blood long ago. There has to be something you're afraid of! Otherwise, the scientist who raised you alongside my parents wouldn't have casually sent you to my side, no matter how crazy that scientist was." Bred remained calm as he cut Mosquito Girl off with certainty.

"Smack~"

Her pearly teeth gently bit into Bred's soft cheek, and Mosquito Girl took a light suck, unable to get enough.

"Your father is dead. Only your blood can sustain my life. If I kill you, I won't live long either..." Mosquito Girl gritted her teeth as a violent aura radiated from her. "Damn it! They actually dared to label me a failed product!!! Damn them! Especially your parents! After that, they planned to turn me into something like a cat or dog, to take care of a damned thing like you!!!"

Suddenly—

Bred turned, reached out, and held Mosquito Girl's face as he studied her. Then he broke into a sunny smile. "In that case, let's get along well from now on. Please take care of me! Do you have a name?"

"Huh~ Huh?!" An inexplicable flutter suddenly stirred in Mosquito Girl's heart. She went blank, and her ferocious killing intent vanished. Sparkling tears unknowingly rolled down from the corners of her eyes. Since her birth, this was the first time she had felt kindness and warmth—not those indifferent faces, not those cold hands operating scientific instruments. "A name? My name..."

"Since they raised you, they also brought you up, right? In a sense, you're their child too. That makes you my big sister." Seizing the opportunity, Bred sweet-talked her. "Your surname should be Hyman, the same as mine. As for your name... Joanna? It means God's gift. I think it must have taken a special kind of luck for you to be born into this world."

Mosquito Girl let her tears drip down as she hugged Bred even tighter.

Bred raised an eyebrow and secretly flashed a V-sign—scheme successful.

These past few days, Bred had done nothing else. Aside from interacting with and learning about Mosquito Girl, he had constantly observed, analyzed, and speculated about everything related to her. He had to eliminate the potential time bomb at his side.

Bred judged that Mosquito Girl was not particularly intelligent, no more mature mentally than a girl of ten, even if her appearance was sufficiently developed. She possessed abundant human emotions, and there was a side of her personality that yearned for beauty, which could suppress her wild instincts well. Moreover, she was desperately starved for affection and longed not to be alone or lonely. She merely dressed herself in ferocity because she did not want to be hurt.

After thinking it through and drafting several plans, Bred ultimately chose the simplest one: appealing to their favorable first impression of each other through emotion. So far, the results had been outstanding.

If Bred's approach had failed, he had backup plans.

In truth, Raschi and Father Anderson had never left. The claim that they were carrying out a mission was a lie. Together with Bred, they had deceived Xue Fazi and Mosquito Girl, then remained hidden in the cemetery to keep watch. If Mosquito Girl tried to harm Bred, they would step in and eliminate her.

Bred had spoken with Raschi beforehand, so Raschi asked Father Anderson, his colleague in the Cipher Pol organization, to preside over Bred's parents' funeral. Otherwise, he would never have wanted a butcher known for slaughter, the "Beheading Detective," "Dustmaker," and "Gunblade Priest" to officiate a loved one's funeral—even if Anderson truly was a church-certified priest with extensive experience conducting funerals.

"Hey, Joanna," Bred said. "Let's go home."

"Whoosh, whoosh~~~"

"O-Okay, Bred."

"..."

Her wings flashed as Mosquito Girl carried Bred into the sky.

In a blind spot hidden behind layers of gravestones.

"What a formidable little devil!" Father Anderson clicked his tongue. After some consideration, he added, "His aptitude is exceptional. He'd be perfect as an agent."

Raschi ran a hand through his hair and fell silent for a moment. "He really isn't an ordinary child. He already has his own mind. I can't even describe how I felt when he suggested this earlier."