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| Jinzhou Shopping District |
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(JEFF'S POV)
The late afternoon light washed Jinzhou's shopping district. The streets filled with chatter and music, a blend of vendors' calls and laughter of its citizens echoing.
Through the crowd walked two figures—Holding hands—drawing eyes of the onlookers.
Rover's graceful demeanor was impossible to ignore. Beside her, Jeff matching her stride effortlessly. His hair ruffled slightly with the breeze, but his gaze was locked on her not hiding the adoration in his eyes.
The citizens of Jinzhou turned to watch them pass: the mysterious guests of her magistrate. A ripple of whispers followed them, though neither seemed to notice.
Rover's fingers squeezed his briefly before she spotted something in the distance. "Yangyang."
Jeff looked up, his lips curving. "Guess the gang's all here."
They released each other's hands just as Yangyang came jogging toward them, waving with a bright grin.
"Rover! Jeff! There you are!" she said, a little breathless.
Jeff crossed his arms lightly. "How's it going?"
Rover tilted her head. "Did they take the bait?"
Yangyang puffed out her cheeks. "We walked around the streets like you said, even wore the Blake Bloom. Talked to people—but no one said anything useful…"
Jeff's brow arched, playful amusement in his eyes. "What did you talk about?"
Yangyang scratched the back of her head sheepishly. "Nothing in particular… just some small talk."
Before either could respond, a couple of passersby approached them, their faces lighting up with recognition.
"Hey! Aren't you the girl from earlier?" said a kindly middle-aged man, holding up his phone.
"Yeah!" chimed a younger woman beside him, practically bouncing in excitement. "You're so pretty! Can I take another selfie with you? The one we took earlier came out blurry…"
Yangyang's face flushed pink. "O-Oh! Uh—sure?"
Rover's lips twitched upward, eyes glinting with amusement. "Oh, I see."
Jeff caught that smirk and played along, nodding solemnly. "Understandable. I want a selfie with you too."
Yangyang froze mid-pose, her mouth falling open. "W-What—?! Jeff!"
Rover's elbow jabbed him sharply in the ribs, and a heartbeat later, her boot connected lightly with his shin.
"Ah—ow! That hurts!" he hissed, hopping half a step back with a grin that only widened under Rover's glare.
"Serves you right," Rover muttered, though her expression softened almost immediately.
Yangyang covered her red face with both hands. "P-Please stop teasing me already!"
Jeff chuckled, hands raised in surrender. "Alright, alright."
When she finally peeked between her fingers, her pout was too endearing for either of them to resist smiling.
Jeff cleared his throat, changing the topic. "How about Chixia?"
Yangyang blinked, recollecting herself. "Right—Chixia did say she found someone suspicious…" She pointed toward the end of the plaza. "Look, it's him."
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| Plaza |
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Chixia spotted them first, her face lighting up the moment she saw the familiar pair crossing the plaza. She waved, practically bouncing on her heels as she jogged toward them, her crimson hair bouncing up and down.
"Rover! Jeff! Perfect timing!" she called out, motioning them closer with her. "This guy's been sniffin' around here for a while now. Keeps trying to talk to the elderly and minors! I've been keeping an eye on him!"
Jeff blinked, following her line of sight.
Damn, he thought, suppressing a grimace. Aalto looks suspicious as hell right now. If I didn't know him from the game, I'd have pegged him for a deviant on sight.
Chixia jabbed a thumb toward the stranger. "And I saw a little girl with him earlier! She kept glancing around, all jittery but now she's gone. Totally fishy, right?"
Rover exchanged a glance with Jeff, a faint crease forming between her brows. Together, the three of them approached the man standing near the fountain at the center of the square.
When Jeff got a proper look, he nearly laughed aloud.
Holy shit. Aalto. The myth, The Legend, The first dude I ever pulled in the game.
The man in question looked exactly like his memories—lazy grin, silky silver hair tied back, and an aura that screamed 'I can talk my way out of anything'.
Chixia stopped a few paces away, squaring her shoulders. "Hey! I'm Patroller Chixia. Sir, business license, please."
Aalto flinched. "B-Business license? Uh… Oh! I'm Aalto, just a humble information broker. I've been traveling around, helping people out in my own small way…"
Jeff folded his arms, smirking internally.
Information broker, huh? That's just another word for 'spy.' He's gotta do better than that.
Chixia raised an unimpressed eyebrow. "I see. So, no license. I bet you don't have a fixed business location either, huh?"
"...Business location?" Aalto tilted his head, feigning confusion. "Why would I need that?"
"Hmph." Chixia's tone sharpened. "Then show me your Organizational Accreditation, please."
Beside Jeff, Rover leaned closer, her breath brushing the side of his ear as she whispered, "She's really grilling him, huh? I haven't seen Chixia this serious before."
Jeff smiled faintly, his gaze softening as he looked at her. "She's on fire today, I feel sorry for the dude." he murmured back, voice low enough for only her to hear.
Meanwhile, Aalto was putting on his best salesman smile. "Well… I am an honest broker of information, always open to negotiations at the right price! I'm the all-time intel champ—with more Best Seller certificates than I can count!"
Chixia crossed her arms, unimpressed. "No license, no clear business plan… You're running an illegal business, then."
Jeff deadpanned, "Busted."
Aalto froze. "…."
Chixia tilted her head, narrowing her eyes. "Who's your supervisor, then? You should at least have their ID number."
Jeff couldn't help but grin.
Oh, I wonder what Chixia'll do when the Shorekeeper actually shows up. She's probably watching us right now through those blue butterflies.
Aalto brightened suddenly, snapping his fingers. "My s-supervisor? Oh, right! She's, like, a super big deal!"
He threw his arms wide, adopting a dramatic tone. "She's an ancient being, born with the planet itself! The will of the star, the reverberation of everything in this world…"
Jeff nearly snorted. Not one lie has been told, but gods, it sounds completely made up when he says it like that.
Rover blinked at him, her face unreadable. "…Are you for real?"
Jeff raised a brow. "Dude, no one's buying that."
Chixia crossed her arms again, her patience clearly running thin. "So do you even have a supervisor or not?"
"What? C'mon, I already told you about her! Why won't you believe me?"
Chixia sighed through her nose, her tone suddenly bright and deceptively friendly. "Yeah, yeah, I believe you! I totally know what's going on!"
Jeff knew that look. Uh-oh.
"Now, sir," Chixia declared, taking a step forward and gripping his arm, "you're coming with me to the Patroller Station!"
Aalto flinched, eyes going wide. "H-Hey, wait! I didn't do anything illegal! I was just looking for someone!"
"Yeah, right," Chixia said, unconvinced.
"A little girl," Aalto pressed. "About this tall—kinda stands out in any crowd!" He gestured frantically with his hands.
"You really think I'm gonna buy that?"
Aalto groaned. "Ugh, you know her! You saw her earlier—it's that girl!"
Rover frowned. "A short girl?"
"Yeah! Exactly!" Aalto exclaimed, relief flooding his voice—until his expression faltered. "Wait… how do you know?"
The tension in the plaza hadn't yet broken when two young girls came running up from the alleyway, one face full of worry, the other bouncing with unfiltered joy.
"Please, watch out—!" the first one called, voice light but cautious. "It's dangerous to run like that…"
Her golden hair fluttered as she slowed to a halt. Verina, gentle and serene, looked every bit like a spring morning soft-spoken, and composed, her hands clasped nervously against her chest.
"Here you are!" the smaller girl cheered, nearly tripping over her own feet.
"Hurray!"
Jeff blinked. Oh, shit. It's Encore. That's the most adorable thing I've ever seen in this world.
Aalto's face lit up like a man who'd just been handed a pardon. "Encore! I looked everywhere for you!"
"Back off!" Chixia barked, stepping between them. "Leave that girl alone!"
Aalto raised both hands, looking genuinely panicked. "Miss Patroller, she's the girl I've been looking for!"
Chixia squinted suspiciously, but crouched slightly, softening her tone as she turned to the little one. "Hello, little one. Is your name Encore? Do you… know this man?"
Encore beamed, nodding enthusiastically. "Yes! Encore knows him!"
Jeff and Rover exchanged a quick glance.
"Uncle Aalto sells stuff without a license," Encore continued innocently, holding up a finger for each point like a tiny prosecutor, "he listens in on people for commercial secrets, and he loves pulling pranks on us kids… But he's not a bad guy, really!"
Jeff tried so hard not to laugh. His shoulders shook slightly as he bit the inside of his cheek. Oh god, kid, stop incriminating him further, he thought, half amused, half horrified. Beside him, Rover's lips twitched, eyes sparkling with suppressed laughter.
Aalto looked like he'd just been hit by lightning. "Encore! Remember our little chat?" he hissed. "What did I say about calling me 'Uncle' in public again? I am NOT that old!"
Jeff snorted before he could stop himself. "That doesn't add up with what you just said, man."
Rover elbowed him gently, trying to hide her grin.
Keep your stories straight, Jeff thought dryly. What an amateur.
Chixia's eyes narrowed. "You sound really suspicious to me."
Rover raised an eyebrow, crossing her arms. "Is that what you're gonna focus on?"
Yangyang, who'd been silently watching, turned toward Verina. "Miss Verina, where did you meet this girl?"
Verina clasped her hands tighter, a worried frown crossing her delicate face. "I ran into her near a cliff on my way home. She was… eating a poisonous mushroom."
"What?!" Chixia gasped.
Verina nodded earnestly. "I managed to make her an antidote in time. Imagine what could've happened if I wasn't there…"
Encore puffed out her cheeks, hands on her hips. "Don't worry! Encore's had plenty of that mushroom already!"
Jeff couldn't help it he let out a breathy laugh. "This kid's a menace."
Yangyang crouched slightly, trying to meet Encore's eyes. "But why did you go to such a dangerous place alone, little one?"
Chixia gave an encouraging smile, resting her hand on the girl's shoulder. "We've got your back, kiddo. Don't worry. Just tell us what you know."
Encore hesitated, looking between them all, then raised a small hand and pointed straight at Rover and Jeff.
"Because… Encore must keep an eye on them!"
She pointed at Rover and Jeff.
Everyone froze.
Aalto went pale. "Ahahaha… Kids can have such wild imaginations, right?" He scratched his cheek, grinning awkwardly. "Heh…"
Encore tilted her head, confused. "Hey, Aalto? Didn't you send Encore there? Wait—why is everyone giving you that weird look?"
Aalto's fake laugh turned into a nervous gulp. "Encore… some things are better left unspoken, you know…"
He straightened suddenly, his usual swagger snapping back into place. "Well! Since the situation has come to this, I've got no choice but to tell you the truth…"
Jeff raised an eyebrow. "Oh, this should be good."
Aalto struck a pose, hand over his chest. "Indeed! We're here for business! And it's a crucial one! You wanna know what it is?"
But before anyone could answer, the air filled with the sharp hiss of igniting powder.
PSSHHHT!
Smoke exploded around them, covering the area in thick mist.
"Let's go, Encore!" Aalto's voice echoed through the haze.
"Hey, Aalto! Wait for meeee!" Encore's tiny figure disappeared into the smog.
"See ya!" Aalto shouted, his laughter fading with every step. "We still have a world to save!"
Chixia coughed violently, waving the smoke away. "Cough—Wait! Cough—We can't let him get away!"
Verina covered her mouth, eyes watering. "I-I'll go search in the residential area!"
Jeff's throat burned from the smoke. He coughed hard, eyes narrowing in the direction Aalto vanished. "That fucker—"
Rover, brushing dust from her clothes, grabbed his wrist firmly. "Come on," she said, her voice low but determined. "Let's go after them."
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Author's note:
Hello everyone, feel free to leave your collections, powers, reviews, and comments as you see fit. I'm getting the hang of writing, this practice fic is doing me wonders. That's all; thank you for reading this fanfic, and I hope you have a good day.