"Waaah--I'm so sorry, I'm really sorry..."
"You damn slut! Let go of my hand!"
"What exactly happened? Was the previous compensation insufficient?"
Vera tried to push Closure found that she was hugging too tightly, so she could only comfort Wis'adel was standing to the side first.
Unfortunately, the person involved wouldn't listen.
"Can't you just say what's on your mind?! And how long are you going to keep hugging me?!"
Wis'adel grabbed her leg and started pulling her away; she hadn't even hugged her!
"So why did you pull my leg...?"
With a dark expression, Vera punched both heads and glared at the Elite Operator beside her.
"Explain?"
After a brief silence, Whitesmith stepped forward with a heavy expression, carrying a lump of something.
"I'm sorry... Babel Tower will take responsibility for Closure's mistake."
Vera lowered her head, looked at the limp Lucky in Whitesmith's hand, and picked it up with disgust.
"What trouble has this guy gotten himself into?"
The Elite Operator lowered their heads even further, while Logos offered a wistful explanation.
"Lucky's body is very special, which triggered Closure's blood-sucking urge."
"It seems that due to the subsequent excessive actions, Lucky has remained unconscious. Everyone in the Medical Department is doing their best... What are you doing?"
"Yeah, of course we should make this guy come back!"
Vera casually rubbed Lucky's body, and under the subtle gazes of the Elite Operator, the spherical bat-like body rose up as if from the dead.
"Huh? Why did you call me over?"
Lucky glanced around, Closure stood frozen in place, tears still glistening in her eyes.
"You... you're not dead?"
"You seem disappointed that I'm still alive?"
Closure was not disappointed. The heavy burden in her heart finally lifted, and she collapsed to the ground.
"Very good..."
"Looks like it was a misunderstanding?" Mechanist scratched his head.
"It seems so."
The serious diplomatic incident turned into a farce, and the Elite Operator breathed a sigh of relief.
"That being said, Closure, you still need to take responsibility for the trouble you've caused."
The usually gentle and kind-hearted Banshee displayed her authority, Closure honestly admitted her mistake.
"I know... You all go ahead and get busy, I'll do my best to make it up to you."
Supporting her limp body, Closure stood up and bowed deeply to Lucky.
"I'm so sorry! I've caused you so much trouble!"
"Don't you know you have to show your belly when you apologize?"
Closure: "???"
State--!
Vera stopped Closure from unzipping her zipper and tore the Lucky off the wall.
"Don't pay attention to what this guy said, it was just a farce. Just be more careful next time. As for you..." Vera looked at Lucky.
"Tell me honestly, was that bloodsucking urge your doing?"
"Innocent! Your Honor!"
Flattening its own body, it squeezed out of Vera's hand and Lucky down onto Wis'adel's head.
"Who knows what kind of attraction my blood has? Even if I did have some thoughts, it shouldn't be the desire to eat that I'm adding."
"So what exactly is this little thing? Does the Vampire's Beast Kin even have such a thing?"
Wis'adel reached up to grab his head in frustration, but Lucky easily dodged it.
"And that blood-sucking urge, how can we ensure it won't recur?"
"Don't worry about that!"
Closure patted her chest and looked at Lucky with determination.
"I've already asked Logos to use magic to block my sense of smell, so I'll never let it happen again!"
Seeing the gradually trembling eyes and the throat constantly swallowing saliva, everyone's expressions were subtle.
Is everything really okay?
"Ahem! Oh, right, and there's also the compensation this time."
Turning around in a panic, Closure gestured for the others to follow.
"Go to the purchasing department, they have my latest stock. Take your pick, don't be shy."
"Need not..."
"Let's go! Let's go on a big shopping spree!"
Seeing that Lucky was driving the Wis'adel and following behind, Vera swallowed her refusal and reluctantly followed.
Vane is one thing, but why did Wis'adel follow along...? Is there something he wants to buy?
As Vera was considering whether she should give the mercenaries more entertainment funds, the two people in front of her were quietly calculating.
"So why did I have to come along?"
Wis'adel shook his head in annoyance as his grab was dodged once again.
"Hmph, putting aside the fact that the purchasing department does indeed have quite a few good things, could it be...?"
Riding on two tufts of hair as reins, Lucky grinned wickedly:
"Don't you want to see her crying and making a scene?"
Closure in front of him shivered inexplicably, and Wis'adel's eyes lit up instantly.
Beautiful! She had long been annoyed with this Vampire who liked to use his hands and feet!
"We've arrived. Pick whatever you like."
Just as Closure was about to push open the door to the purchasing department, Lucky flapped his wings to stop her.
"Wait, this isn't your convenience store, is it...?"
"Hey! Everything the convenience store has, we have here too. Of course I'll choose the one with the more complete selection."
Without batting an eye, Closure on the light and gestured for it to be turned on.
The shelves were stacked high with boxes, like blind boxes waiting to be opened.
Wis'adel walked unceremoniously toward the largest shelf, Closure breathed a sigh of relief, moving along the wall toward the corner.
"Huh? Why is there so much junk?"
Ignoring her subtle movements, Wis'adel disdainfully weighed the object in his hand.
Seeing that the other party didn't recognize the value of the item, Closure argued her case forcefully:
"How can you call it junk? Although the whole thing is unusable, all the parts inside are top-quality!"
She wasn't lying; the "junk" here is a treasure in the hands of someone who knows what they're doing.
"Tsk, if it's unusable, it's still just junk in the end."
Despite his obvious disdain, Wis'adel continued rummaging through the shelves.
Seeing that she didn't seem inclined to investigate further, Closure a sigh of relief, her heart finally settling down.
"Speaking of which... why are those boxes piled up so high in that corner?"
Lucky's tone was low and gloomy, Closure froze.
Oh no, oh no!
"Ha... haha, it's nothing, those are just useless junk items, no need to look at them!"
Who would believe such nonsense?
Wis'adel bypassed the stiff Vampire Demoness and casually pushed aside the empty boxes blocking her way.
It's over... It's all over...
Closure instantly deflated; inside were the military drones she had acquired from Columbia at a high price.
Although all parts were damaged, with many parts of the fuselage melted by high temperatures, most of the internal core components remained intact.
Those were her private treasures that she planned to secretly renovate and refurbish later, and also the items she least wanted to be discovered!
"Waaaaah... My drone swarm... cost so much money..."
"What? In the end, it's just a pile of junk."
"Ah?"
Wis'adel walked back listlessly and picked up a few books from a nearby shelf.
She remembered that Hedley enjoyed reading.
Why did you give up so easily?
Lucky tugged at his ahoge (cowlick) and asked with great interest:
"The parts for these drones are indeed good; I can help you repair them."
"Forget it, I don't have a penchant for stealing what others love."
Feeling Vera's approving gaze, Wis'adel tightened his lips.
Disappointed at not seeing anything interesting, Lucky randomly picked up a box of instant noodles and a kettle from the corner.
While wondering who had put these things in, Closure looked at Vera, who was still hesitant to make a choice.
"... I want this one."
"That won't do!"
Vera looked at the candy box in her hand with a puzzled expression, Closure quickly explained.
"That's not ordinary candy; it contains painkillers."
Why put it inside a candy?
That's because...
"Sister Closure! And Sister Vera is here too?"
Outside the open gate, several children whom we had seen before ran towards us in a group.
"Huh? Is it already time?"
Closure took the candy jar from Vera and distributed the candy to the children.
"Please cooperate with the doctors' treatment, and remember to brush your teeth after eating candy!"
"Okay~~" xN
"What are you doing...?"
"It's treatment."
After seeing the children off, Closure explained helplessly.
"Every year around this time, the children have to go to the Medical Department for checkups. Their Oripathy flare-ups are very painful, but they don't want to take medication..."
Realizing her words were somewhat ambiguous, Closure quickly added something.
"Of course! They are all very well-behaved children, it's just... they are too sensible. Because they don't want to waste their medication on them, they refuse to take it."
"... So that's why you put the medicine in the candy?"
Okay, okay, stop looking at me like that.
Feeling embarrassed by Vera's gaze, Closure complained:
"I've already spoken to the Medical Department. The other candies are too bland; only these candies can mask the taste of the medicine."
"It's good for kids to be a little willful. I was like that back then, and that's why I'm so mentally healthy now!"
Closure clasped her hands together, looking at the group with a pitiful expression.
"Please, please, it's not a bad thing, at least keep it a secret from the children."
A silence fell over the room. Vera said softly:
"So that's why you like money so much?"
"Huh? Can't I just like it?"
Seeing the strange looks from the group, Closure asked in bewilderment:
"What's so strange about it? There's no conflict. Who would hate money?"
"Yes, you're right."
Vera patted the girl on the shoulder and left with the girl and the bat.
"Hey? Aren't you going to pick another one?"
There was no response; Vera simply waved goodbye as she walked away.
Although it's a bit confusing, it's good that we managed to save our belongings!
Back at the warehouse, Closure immediately busied herself moving several drones to her office.
When the girl finished carrying the load, panting heavily, she suddenly remembered that she had forgotten to open the shop that day.
"Oh no! Oh no!"
Closure frantically opened her small shop, heartbroken that she had missed the prime sales window.
As if in confirmation, the already sparse crowd became even thinner, leaving Miss Vampire Demon slumped helplessly on the table.
"Dear Sister Closure, we have detected that you are feeling down. Would you like some motivational support?"
"... Forget it, only colorful banknotes can heal Miss Closure's broken heart now. Pour me a cup of coffee."
Weakly declined the drone offer, and as she took the coffee, Closure prepared to sniff the aroma, only to sadly remember that her sense of smell had been shut down.
"This is terrible..."
Miss Vampire Demon buried her face in her arms, feeling extremely depressed.
The so-called business setbacks were just an excuse; what truly saddened the girl was her own sense of inadequacy.
As a self-proclaimed member of Kazdel's top 100 youths, Closure has always considered herself different from those conservative Old Stubborn One.
At least in terms of Xu Vampire's habits, she broke free from the shackles of bloodlust.
But now it seems she's no different from those detestable members of her own clan...
"Closure, have you seen the instant noodles I put in the warehouse?"
"Oh? Doctor, you're here to buy something?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Closure looked up in a panic.
No, not for now.
Having politely declined Closure's sales pitch, the Doctor had come to replenish his energy, glanced around.
Have you seen the instant noodles I put in the warehouse?
"Doctor... Kal'tsit said you can't eat instant noodles."
"So you see it? It's placed next to the kettle."
Kettle?
Lucky had taken, Closure away guiltily.
"Uh, no..."
"Stare..."
The Doctor stood silently in place, his unwavering gaze only increasing the pressure on Closure.
"Alright! I'll get you another case!"
Muttering to herself as she walked toward the back shelf, Closure pondered whether she should switch to healthier foods.
"Closure."
"We're looking, we're looking, Doctor, please don't rush us."
You have guests.
"It's so late, there wouldn't be any other customers..."
"Oh! So that's the convenience store the boss was talking about?"
Closure turned her head in surprise. Around the corner of the passage, a large crowd was walking towards them.
"Speaking of which, why did the boss suddenly decide to give out money?"
"Why worry so much? It's a pity the bar isn't open yet, but at least there's a convenience store."
"Hey boss, do you have any alcohol here?"
"Huh? Huh!?"
The mercenaries surrounded the convenience store, and some of the more familiar members greeted the Doctor warmly.
"W-why are there so many people!?"
Closure hurriedly pointed out the items the mercenaries wanted, while Lucky with Wis'adel, waved the kettle in his hand.
"We're here as a group, are there any discounts?"
"That kettle looks like mine..."
"Put that aside for now, how long are you going to stay above me?"
"That..."
"What? Don't you think having a bat on your head is a cute design?"
The Doctor was trying to get his water bottle back, was escorted away by the Sarkaz burly men. Wis'adel, unable to bear it any longer, finally caught Lucky.
"Is that cruel? Doesn't it hurt your head if I pluck your ahoge?"
"Huh? You weren't pulling my hair."
Lucky: "..."
Ancestral Bug hidden in the hair: (°ー°)
"Eek--!!!"
"[Sarkaz swear!] What are you yelling about?"
"Seriously! Can you guys be quiet for a second?!"
As the bustling crowd prepared to leave along with the goods in the shop, Closure finally calmed down.
"They're all sold out."
The girl looked around at the empty shelves with a sense of bewilderment. The mercenaries had not only bought up all the goods in the store, but they had even taken all the stock in the warehouse at the back.
"Um, why did you buy so much stuff?"
"I don't know. The boss said we have to spend all the money we get today. By the way, do you have any left?"
"..."
Seeing Closure there dumbfounded, the mercenary, having received no answer, followed the main group toward the bar.
"So, what exactly do you want to ask me?"
While Closure was asking around to find Vera, the person in question was sharing snacks with the children.
"Want one? Wis'adel and the others insisted on giving it to me. Did you buy it from your shop?"
Despite having many questions she wanted to ask, when they actually met, Closure simply frantically pulled out a card.
"I... I brought this for you!"
"What's this?"
"Membership card!"
"... So you rushed here just to give me this?"
"This is a special edition! The kind where there's only one!"
Vera raised an eyebrow and put it away.
"That sounds good. Is there anything else?"
"N-It's alright now..."
Closure had rushed over on a whim, couldn't think of anything to ask and turned away dejectedly.
"What's wrong with Closure? She doesn't seem to be feeling well."
"I don't know, is it because we didn't call her when we were eating?"
Vera sighed as she listened to the children's discussion.
"Closure."
"Huh? What... um!"
Closure had turned her head, was unable to finish speaking before a round object was stuffed into her.
"Have you ever thought about trying the candies in your shop before?"
"Those are all goods! How could I... um!"
Vera took out another candy and put it into Closure's mouth.
"It's good for kids to be a little willful, isn't that what you said?"
"Um... I'm not a porn star."
"That's not important. By the way, how does it taste?"
"... Too sweet."
"Is there?"
Vera tasted one with a puzzled look; it was much less sweet than the sugar Outcast had given her.
"A little sweetness isn't a bad thing; it helps you forget bad moods, doesn't it?"
Vera slipped the remaining candy into Closure's hand and then excused herself, saying she had something to do.
"Sister Closure, would you like to try something different?"
"Don't want."
"Ugh, Sister Closure is such a cheapskate."
Rolling her eyes at the brats in front of her, Closure took out another candy and put it in her mouth.
Actually, she originally wanted to ask Vera if she would like to Babel Tower.
It's a pity His Highness isn't here, otherwise she could have asked them how they became friends.
There's nothing strange about that, is there? You'd be hard-pressed to find a friend that rich!
Miss Vampire nodded, convincing herself in this way.
By the way, should we replace coffee with candy from now on?
Savoring the taste in her mouth, Closure squinted her eyes.
Well, it's still too sweet...