After another exhausting working day, Jawed returned to the shabby apartment building.
Another day had passed, dull and tasteless, just like always.
The days continued to flow by, as if that chance encounter a few days ago had been nothing more than a fleeting moment.
Just a small fluctuation in this calm life.
He would continue living these ordinary days, quietly and peacefully.
That was all.
Jawed walked on in silence. When he drew near his place, his expression immediately turned cold.
Standing right in front of his door was the figure of old man Trunks, about to press the doorbell.
"Old man, what are you doing here?"
Hearing the utter lack of respect in Jawed's tone, Trunks flinched slightly, his face darkening.
"You.... you dare speak to your landlord like that?!" he ground his teeth. Recalling the overwhelming killing intent that had once crushed him, he was so furious he nearly choked, yet didn't dare to vent it.
But then, as if remembering something, the corner of his mouth twitched upward, curling into a gloating grin.
"Hey, how come I haven't seen your not-for-sale Mecha girl these past few days? Don't tell me that, could it be, you've sold her already?! Really? Wow, and this is the guy who was acting all noble, saying he didn't need money. Hahahaha! In the end, a lowly poor man can't keep pretending to be a saint forever, am I right?" He rambled on, his voice full of mockery.
"If there's nothing else, then go fucking away," Jawed cut him off coldly. He was about to go inside when the old man rushed forward and blocked him.
"Wait! If you sold her, then great, hurry up and pay me the rent!" he said.
Jawed frowned slightly "Didn't you say you'd give me until the weekend? Besides, my lease isn't up until the end of this month."
"Hahahaha! The weekend? You really think after the humiliation you gave me, I'd let you live peacefully here? What a generous version of me" Trunks said, his grin growing ever more smug, "The contract? As long as you haven't paid, I can terminate it anytime I want. So hand over the money, or get out!"
Hearing this, Jawed fell silent for a moment. He took a deep breath, then spoke again:
"Fine."
"H-Haa....?"
"I'll pack up and leave as soon as possible. You can deal with cleaning it up for the next tenant," Jawed said flatly, his expression unchanged.
When he heard Jawed's decisive tone, along with his indifferent face, the smug look on Trunks' face faltered for a brief moment.
"Y-You.... what did you just say?! So you really did sell that Mecha human for a huge sum, and now you think you can afford a better place, so you're acting so calm, right? You really think you can spend that illegal money without connections? Not a chance! You'll end up in prison!!!"
"I didn't sell her!" Jawed slammed his fist against the wall, making the old man jump. His voice dropped into a snarl, all patience gone: "You want me gone? Fine. I'm sick of seeing your sour face and that bloated belly of yours every single day anyway! I'll leave. And as for her..."
Jawed paused briefly, his eyes lighting up with hope "She's at the Mecha human Association now. She'll soon find a rider to accompany her, and live a new life, a better one, a happier one. She won't have to encounter filthy people like you ever again!"
With that, sensing that he was about to lose control of his fists, Jawed shoved the old man aside, then walking straight into the apartment. Standing outside, Trunks froze for a moment, then roared in rage:
"Who are you calling filthy?! You think you're so clean yourself, you hypocrite? You think you'll find another place as cheap as mine? No chance! And that Mecha human too, you think that damn association is such a great place? Ha! That place is just a bunch of money-hungry hypocrites hiding behind the excuse of protecting Mecha humans! In this society, everyone lives for money, every last one of them!"
***
Leaving the rambling old man outside, Jawed went in.
He decided to take one last look at the rundown place, before starting to pack his belongings.
At this moment, the space had returned to its usual state of silence and stillness.
The sofa lay there motionless, no longer being slammed hard against the floor. Speaking of that, the image of the girl, terrified out of her wits, surfaced in Jawed's mind, along with the unfortunate cockroaches that had met its tragic end.
His gaze fell on the meager stack of canned food on the table, recalling her cheeks puffed out from stuffing herself with food.
The corner of Jawed's mouth unconsciously curved into a smile, so natural that even he himself failed to notice it.
Clearly, he had told himself that it was only a chance encounter, that he should forget about it.
Yet now, after the old man had mentioned her only briefly, the girl's figure kept resurfacing in his mind, over and over again.
Although the time she had spent here was very short, and there was never any deep bond formed between them.
Yet even so, Jawed found himself unable to consign her to the past. Why was she different, amid the countless people he had met before?
From the very moment he first met her, a distinct emotion had stirred within him, intense, yet strangely familiar.
As if a deep connection had existed between them, for a very long time.
Even after they had parted, that feeling showed no sign of fading.
Leaving him unable to forget.
Right now, Trunks's words about the Mecha human association kept lingering in his thoughts.
After all, from what he had personally witnessed, he still harbored doubts about that organization.
Hearing those words only made his doubts gnaw at him even more.
He tried to suppress the anxiety, but the feeling in his chest kept tightening, beyond his control.
He wanted to meet her.
He wanted to see the girl again....
***
After leaving the apartment building, Jawed walked slowly through the streets.
The words Trunks had spoken, unpleasant as they were, were something he still had to admit. He would probably have a hard time finding any place as cheap as the old man's.
After all, when first arriving in this world, he had merely wandered from place to place, until he had stumbled upon that run-down apartment by chance.
Now, Jawed found himself wandering once again, drifting aimlessly, with nowhere to call home.
But even so, his life would go on.
Maybe, he would sleep over at the construction site, or at the place of some coworker.
At worst, he could crawl under a bridge and fight rats for space, just like in the old days. That didn't sound too bad, did it?
Lost in such absent-minded thoughts, his eyes suddenly widened, his pupils dilating slightly. His steps slowed, then came to a complete stop.
Before him, in the distance, stood a familiar figure, one he had thought he would never see again. A young girl, with her jet-black, glossy hair cascading down, and skin glowing with a pure, pale whiteness, like snow on the verge of melting.
Amid the bustling crowd, Jawed could still recognize her at a single fleeting glance.
The moment he saw her, his breathing quickened, his throat trembled, as if thousands of words were pressing to be spoken. Yet, before any of them could leave his lips, Jawed suddenly fell silent.
Beside the girl, another figure had appeared, a guy.
Jawed froze for a moment, his gaze fixed on him, a vague sense of familiarity stirring within. After watching more closely, he finally realized who that guy was.
Wasn't that the man printed on the labels of soda bottles, the very same person who had appeared in a live race he once watched?
That guy was a racer, a well-known one at that.
Realizing that, Jawed seemed to understand everything. That man was likely the girl's new rider.
At that moment, the heavy stone of anxiety weighing on his heart finally fell away.
So she had found someone to accompany her after all. Then, from now on, she would no longer carry the look of despair and emptiness in her eyes like he did.
That was good, she was fine now. If that was the case, then perhaps he should leave, and stay away from her life.
Jawed told himself. He let out a soft sigh and was about to turn away.
Suddenly, just before he could do so, the girl in the distance was guided into a van. At that moment, her hair stirred slightly, revealing part of her face, along with a pair of peerless garnet-red eyes.
Those eyes, however, were tinged with darkness, and even seemed to be steeped in sorrow.
The instant he saw that gaze, the young man's heart ached sharply.
It seemed that, something was wrong.
....