Rogue's Remaining Value

"Boss?"

Galina Dubois froze for a moment and turned her head... but where was anyone?

It wasn't just her. Helen and Ken also looked completely bewildered.

"Mm... our boss... well, you can understand it as him being 'invisible.' He was squatting behind you just now, admiring... no, feeling up your ass."

Rogue was far too mischievous. She dealt Kino a vicious critical hit.

She was very upset. Yesterday, he had stirred up her "desire," yet stubbornly refused to help her "stay young forever."

So she was angry.

"Ah?"

Galina Dubois jumped in fright and hurriedly covered her own backside. She knew perfectly well where her appeal lay. Unfortunately, there was no way to hide such a round, perky peach of an ass.

Summer was almost here, so she wasn't wearing much to begin with. Not to mention, she was wearing jeans, the kind of clothing that best showed off a woman's figure.

Super S-class. That waist, that ass—the curves were astonishing!

"Invisible? Hah..."

Helen had just been about to sneer when a drifting voice appeared beside her, scaring the wits out of her.

"Hey—Anna, is that any way for a subordinate to talk about her boss? Careful, or I'll dock your pay!"

Helen dropped onto the floor with a thud. What had she just seen?

A pair of hands appeared in midair, starting from the fingers and gradually... until the entire palms were revealed. Then, as though tearing open the air itself, the hands pulled apart to either side, and the air before them was like a canvas... ripped open.

Inside stood a young man with a wicked grin on his face.

He stepped out with his right foot first, slowly emerging, while the torn "air canvas" gradually vanished as well.

It wasn't invisibility.

It was merely something similar to a mage's Mirror Dimension!

Though he was supposedly "feeling" her up, and his hand appeared to be pressed against the curve of her ass, he couldn't actually touch her.

"Hic—"

After letting out a long breath, Helen rolled her eyes back and collapsed unconscious on the floor.

"Oh, that makes things easier." Kino flicked his hand and stamped a sigil onto Helen's head. "Mm, being unconscious is good. Saves me from having to babble on and on. What a hassle!"

Her memories were completely erased.

"What about you? Erasing memories while you're awake is very painful, you know. Are you sure you want to stay conscious for it?!" Kino turned to look at the muscular man still standing.

Ken might have been huge, but he wasn't stupid. After his brief shock, he stammered, "N-No need!"

After saying that, he rammed his head into the tabletop and passed out without suspense.

Though he knocked a chunk off the table.

"This guy's head is really hard!"

After stamping a sigil on him just as he had on Helen, Kino took Ken's wallet from his pants pocket and removed one hundred dollars.

"Consider it compensation."

Galina Dubois paid no attention to her agent and driver fainting. The look she gave Kino only grew hotter.

When Kino had called her yesterday, he had used a tiny bit of Language Magic, something akin to Ebony Maw's Language Control, lightly persuading and beguiling Galina Dubois.

Otherwise, why would she have come over so willingly, without the slightest suspicion?

With an ordinary person, if you told her you could let her stay young forever, what kind of answer did you think you'd get?

—Fuck off, you scammer!

Kino didn't want to waste his breath!

Still, the influence had only been slight. It merely made Galina Dubois believe from the bottom of her heart that Kino could let her "stay young forever."

"Let's talk on the third floor."

"Mm." Galina Dubois obediently followed Kino's footsteps. After climbing the stairs, she looked back again. "My agent and the others..."

"I only erased their memories concerning 'staying young forever.' They'll wake up shortly. Just tell them I'm your friend."

"All right."

Third floor?

Maria Hill shook her head. It seemed this "fuck buddy" wasn't getting away.

Still, this guy really did have good taste.

Even she felt a little jealous. If she were a man, or a lesbian, she definitely would have been attracted to Galina Dubois.

But she wasn't.

Shaking her head, she walked over, pulled Helen and Ken up, and tossed them onto the sofa.

That was her job.

Watching that shameless pair head upstairs, Rogue said indignantly, "Hmph, obviously I should be the first one to 'stay young forever.'"

Maria Hill rolled her eyes. Over this period, she had increasingly come to see what kind of person Kino was: a typical profit-first believer in "equivalent exchange." For beautiful women, the thing to exchange was simple—"their bodies." However, his standards were high; ordinary beauties didn't catch his eye.

As for Rogue?

An 80, 70, 80 figure—how could he possibly be interested in that?

Since he wasn't interested, why would he help her stay young forever first? There wasn't even any zero-distance relationship between them!

For the past few days, she had kept wondering why he had brought Rogue here.

She couldn't understand it!

He had specifically named her his "personal Watcher." It was obvious that Kino was interested in her. That bastard made no effort to hide what he was thinking.

His purpose in calling her here was to make a move on her.

But Rogue?

Her figure wasn't good, and her face wasn't much to look at either. With that bastard's picky standards, there was no way he could like Rogue.

Then what purpose did Kino have in taking in Rogue, a complete stranger?

He didn't care for her face, nor did he care for her body, so there was only one possibility: her value.

Don't tell her Kino was simply eager to help others.

He wasn't that kind of person.

There could only be some use for her.

So what was Rogue's use?

These past few days, she had finally figured it out. Kino wanted to use Rogue to lure Magneto over! The Book of Kino had collected Rogue's ability. Could Kino be after Magneto's ability?

Maria Hill finally understood—this bastard wanted to plunder Magneto's ability.

But soon, she became puzzled again. Kino was incredibly powerful; Magneto definitely wouldn't be a match for him. If he truly wanted that ability, he could just go straight to Magneto and take it.

But... he hadn't!

Thinking back on what Kino had said these past few days, she understood. Kino had the personality of a "salted fish."

What was a "salted fish"?

A salted fish was someone who did nothing in ordinary circumstances, and refused to do things even when he could!

Put simply, he was lazy.

He was too lazy to go looking for Magneto and had no interest in it. But if Magneto came knocking, he wouldn't let him go.

He didn't desperately crave Magneto's ability, but if it was delivered to his doorstep, he wouldn't pass it up.

After figuring it out, Maria Hill looked at Rogue with a trace of pity. This silly girl was being sold off and would still help count the money.

Fortunately, Kino wasn't completely heartless. At least he was paying her fifty dollars a day.

"Didn't she say that once you think your figure is perfect, she'll help you?"

Maria Hill couldn't bear to look at it either. An 80, 70, 80 figure—if she did it now, she'd never be able to change her figure again.

She practically had no waist at all.

Wouldn't doing it now be a waste?

"That's true. I'm going to work out and lose weight!" Looking at her own figure, Rogue felt that now really wasn't the best time.

"..." Maria Hill rolled her eyes, then went upstairs to openly eavesdrop.