"Yo, back from shopping?" The owner of the Cunning Hares, Nicole Demara, was sprawled across the couch in an ungraceful position.
"I was gone for one day, and you've already gotten yourself into new trouble." The pink-haired woman sat up, grabbed a canned drink from the table, and took a long gulp.
"Yeah, I made a new friend." Ignis nodded. "As for trouble, I wouldn't really call it that."
"Sure, sure—our super soldier, the one who can smash an Ethereal with a single punch and yell loud enough to deafen people." Nicole scowled and slapped her can down on the table. "I thought you were the calm type. Why go out of your way to pick fights with those stubborn parasites?"
"Even if I didn't, this place has been under watch for a while." Ignis sat cross-legged. "What's the difference?"
"You're not worried they might launch an attack here?" Nicole's brows furrowed, her expression clouded with irritation.
"Nicole, you talk like ignoring them will make them ignore us." Ignis shrugged. "You know as well as I do—they'll come eventually. It's just a matter of time."
"Better to hit them before they're fully prepared." Ignis lowered his voice. "If we can provoke them into attacking in anger, it'll be impulsive, sloppy. Their blood can serve as a warning to the rest."
"Uh…" Nicole blinked. "I always thought you were the nice one…"
"Of course! I'm the nicest guy in the galaxy!" Ignis thumped his chest, the impact echoing through the room. "But that doesn't mean I'm forgiving to everyone. Being kind means I have the power to do bad things—but I choose not to."
"Compassion should hide a blade. And if one refuses to understand reason…" Ignis raised a fist the size of a cooking pot. "Then this monk happens to understand a bit of fist-based philosophy."
"Where do you even come up with this nonsense…" Nicole Demara began to regret ever taking this guy in.
Then again, no one working at the Cunning Hares was exactly ordinary.
"Oh, you're back!" Billy emerged from his room. "Amillion said you went shopping. How's the view around New Eridu?"
"Not bad." Ignis waved to the iron-bodied man. "Still can't read half the signs, though. Luckily, I had a little guide."
"Already made a friend, huh?" Billy grabbed the back of the couch, flipped over it, and landed sitting. "Tell me about this new friend of yours."
"Billy…" Nicole eyed the robot, wondering if he was getting too excited today. "Don't wreck the couch. Also, weren't you supposed to be watching the monitors?"
"I switched shifts with Anby." Billy pointed at his nose. "That gas-exchange module I installed last time was cheap junk. Plus, the oil I've been using's too cold—I think I caught a cold."
"Robots can catch colds?" Ignis blinked, startled.
"It's a metaphor. But my performance is down—my sensory module keeps throwing errors." Billy leaned forward again. "Anyway, tell me more about your new friend. I'm curious."
"Emile Volt," Ignis said. "Student at a nearby public high school. He's taking entrance exams next year. Has some talent for painting."
"A public high school around here…" Nicole sighed. "Then his life's probably already set in stone."
"Why?" Ignis frowned. "The kid's good—tough, brave, passionate about art, and honestly pretty skilled."
"This area's near the old city." Nicole took another sip of her drink. "It's the shadow of New Eridu—the darkest part of it. Schools here don't really educate kids; they just try to keep them alive until adulthood."
"Even if they take the exams, their chances of getting into a good school are nearly zero. Unless he's some one-in-ten-thousand genius, art's a luxury here." Nicole's manicured finger traced the rim of her can. "This district breeds the flesh and blood that feed New Eridu's so-called 'prosperity.'"
"You sound just like Emile." Ignis sighed. "His father's a factory worker—a drunk who spends his nights at bars. His mother works as a stock clerk downtown. Barely enough to survive, let alone nurture a kid's artistic dream."
"But he showed me his paintings." Ignis continued. "The technique's rough, sure, but you can feel the passion in every stroke. He just needs time—and someone to guide him."
"That's gonna be expensive…" Nicole already guessed what he was planning.
"He…" Ignis's lips curved into a faint smile. "He shouldn't be buried here. He deserves a better future. At the very least, I can give him some hope—enough to chase his dream."
"Hope…" Nicole exhaled, sinking into the couch. Her eyes followed the crystal chandelier overhead, its light refracting into scattered petals of color. "In New Eridu, hope is the most expensive thing there is. It takes a lot of money to buy."
"What are you planning to do?" Billy asked. "If you just give him money, a kid that age's got pride."
"He's an artist, right?" Ignis smiled. "My Flamestorm Gauntlet's armor plating got scratched up. I'll ask him to design a new pattern—or maybe paint the Cunning Hares' emblem on it."
"Good idea." Billy clapped Ignis on the shoulder. "Maybe I'll chip in. Wonder if he's into Starlight Knights—could give me a new paint job too."
"Billy…" Nicole winced, imagining the chaos that'd cause. "You're not thinking of having him paint those guns, are you?"
"No, no, nothing like that. But maybe…" The robot rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Maybe he could draw a few full-body portraits of Big Sis Monica… hehehe…"
"Don't corrupt the kid." Ignis shoved the grinning robot back onto the couch.
"Truth is, those kids are rougher than you think," Nicole said. "Plenty of them have already killed someone. It's just a matter of how many."
"You sound like you know this area too well." Ignis's red eyes fixed on her. From the heat radiation, he could tell her mood was off.
Nicole didn't answer. She just sighed, staring up at the chandelier again. Light scattered across the room like blooming crystals.
No one spoke. The silence grew thick and heavy.
Billy kept glancing at Ignis, urging him to say something to break the tension.
Thankfully, Anby arrived before things could get any more awkward.
"Nicole." Anby stepped in, still in her combat gear, sword sheathed at her side. "The monitors picked up a large group of armed men approaching the front gate."
"What?" Nicole snapped upright in an instant.
"Billy, grab your guns." Her face darkened. "Ignis, suit up."
"No need to go that far, boss," Billy said, glancing at Ignis. "Pretty sure he doesn't need armor."
"Shut up!" Nicole slammed the table, making the cans jump. "Ow—damn, that hurt."
You knew it'd hurt, and you still hit it that hard? Ignis thought, a black line crossing his face.
"Same orders as before." Nicole shook her stinging hand, then drew her thumb across her neck. "[No survivors]."
"Motherf—! I've never even heard of this Cunning Hares crap!" A gruff man's voice roared from outside. "You think you can mess with my boys and walk away? I'm Ironclaw, and that name ain't for show!"
"Boys! Level this damn place! I hear there're a couple of fine chicks in there—let's have some fun before we sell 'em to Red Romance!"
"Call Amillion. Set up the machine gun." Nicole's voice was calm but cold.
"Boss, maybe that's a bit much," Billy muttered as he loaded his revolver.
"Ignis was right—they need a lesson." Nicole's professional smile didn't reach her twitching lips. "Make it one they'll never forget."
Billy sighed. Ironclaw, what the hell made you pick a fight with Nicole Demara…
The fight didn't even last three minutes.
Every gang member who came to watch was petrified.
After blasting open the gate with explosives, Ironclaw's crew was immediately mowed down—seven or eight dropped in the first volley.
The survivors tried climbing the wall instead, only to be met with gunfire, Starlight Knight quotes, and flashes of blue lightning.
Ironclaw considered retreating—but with so many rival gangs watching, running would ruin his reputation, and his turf would be gone by morning.
So, he charged.
He grabbed a few Molotovs from his men, planning to hurl them inside and burn the Cunning Hares' machine-gun nest.
But after he threw them, he heard no glass breaking.
Instead, a massive shadow lunged out, grabbed his head, and lifted him clean off the ground.
"No throwing flammables," Ignis said evenly, holding the burning bottles in his other hand. "If you ruin the lawn, I'll have to replant it."
"Let me go! If you kill me, my boss will make you pay!" Ironclaw shouted. "Ever heard of Reza of the Mountain Lions? He'll cut your balls off and drink with them!"
"Never heard of Reza the Lion, but I've heard of Reza the Smelter." Ignis looked down at him with pure disdain.
To make sure everyone could see, he took a few steps forward. Ironclaw's underlings froze in terror.
Ignis raised one bottle to his mouth, bit off the flaming cloth, tilted his head back, and drank the burning fuel.
"Disgusting." He spat a mouthful of corrosive venom onto Ironclaw's face. Smoke hissed as the acid ate into flesh, and the man screamed in agony.
"Quit screaming." Ignis smashed the remaining bottles against him. Flames roared to life, consuming the bear-man's hairy body.
Ironclaw clawed wildly, his famous talons scraping against Ignis's arm to no effect.
The towering giant held him there, letting him burn—listening to his screams fade until the fire reduced him to ash and bone.
The scene terrified everyone. They'd all seen violence, they'd all killed before—but never like this, never burned someone alive like a candle.
Ignis tossed the charred skull at one of the trembling survivors.
"Tomorrow," he said, crouching to meet the man's eyes, "bring money and pay for the damage to the door. Otherwise, each of you can die the same way."
With that, the giant turned and walked back into the courtyard.
"Nicole Demara keeps her word." His voice drifted back as he disappeared into the darkness.