Two hours later.
Roy and Rias stepped out of the movie theater.
"What'd you think?"
"Too much flash, subpar acting, forced tearjerker ending. Total garbage."
"Aren't you too harsh? I thought it was decent."
"Your taste's been ruined by trash films. I'll make you a good one later."
"Huh? You can make movies?" Rias blinked, surprised.
"Not yet, but I can learn."
Roy shrugged.
Rias's curiosity piqued. "How long to learn?"
"Half a month to a month."
"Wanna try?"
"What?"
"Making a movie, obviously."
Rias teased, smiling. "I can fund the venue. Ready, Director Roy?"
"You're on."
Roy accepted the challenge without hesitation.
They strolled toward the west side of town, chatting.
After a while, Roy paused, glancing ahead.
"Found the target?"
Rias's expression turned serious.
"Nope, just spotted Shoko."
Roy looked away. "She's with two holy sword wielders."
Rias froze. "Holy sword wielders? Why're they together?"
Roy: "Probably a coincidence. Shoko mentioned meeting a friend who's back in town."
"That's quite a coincidence."
Rias narrowed her eyes, planning to have Shoko checked later.
"Any place you wanna hit next?"
Rias thought, then nodded toward a music hall called Ring. "Let's grab coffee there and listen to some music to unwind."
"Good pick."
"Something wrong with the place?"
"Nah, just a friend's inside."
"Friend?"
Rias frowned, curious. Her sensing wasn't as sharp as Roy's, so she didn't know who he meant.
Seeing Roy wasn't explaining, Rias led the way into Ring's lounge area.
Before she could scan the room, a voice called out.
"Hey! Mr. Roy, Miss Rias, what brings you here?"
Aine Chihaya, seated at a table, waved at them.
"Out on a date, stopping by to rest."
Roy replied casually, glancing at the girl across from Aine. "Hanging with a friend?"
"Uh… it's a long story, but yeah, friends now."
Aine stood, introducing her. "This is Soyo Nagasaki, a member of my new band."
"Soyo, Mr. Roy is… well, super, super amazing!"
Soyo Nagasaki: "?"
What's with that weird intro?
Soyo's eye twitched, thinking this girl wasn't the sharpest.
Standing to greet them, Soyo asked formally, "Mr. Roy, what do you and Miss Rias do?"
"Think of us as a jack-of-all-trades agency. We take any job."
Roy handed her a business card. "Got trouble? Call me. Since you're Aine's friend, I'll give you a 98% discount."
"I'll take it, then."
Soyo accepted the card politely.
After some small talk, Roy and Rias settled at a corner table.
Soyo's gaze shifted back to Aine.
Before she could speak, Aine leaned in, whispering, "Soyo, unless it's super urgent, don't contact Mr. Roy."
"Why not?"
"His fees are crazy high."
Aine glanced at Roy and Rias, ensuring they weren't looking, and continued, "Unless you're loaded, hiring him will bankrupt you."
Soyo blinked. "That bad?"
Aine nodded. "Yup, that bad."
Soyo pressed, "What about his skills? Charges like that, he's gotta be good, right?"
Aine thought. "Mr. Roy can get you from Japan to London in a snap."
Soyo: "?"
What kind of description is that?
Staring at Aine's earnest face, Soyo sighed after a pause.
This tool's definitely not bright.
…
"Your rep's taking a hit," Rias teased, overhearing Aine and Soyo's chat.
"Doesn't matter. As long as I deliver, people will come."
Roy didn't care.
Sipping his coffee, he glanced out the window. "No suspicious auras in the areas we've covered."
"Target's likely hiding in the other districts."
"Bit of bad luck."
Rias sighed,
"I could use some special techniques to scan all of Kuoh Town."
"Downside is it's loud and might spook the target. Wanna try?"
Roy looked back.
"…No, not yet."
Rias shook her head after a moment. "The Church's holy sword wielders are here on a mission. We don't know the details."
"If they're chasing a fugitive, making a big move could alert their target too."
"Then we wait till tomorrow night, after negotiating with the Church's sword wielders."
Roy made the call.
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