They had returned home. Inside Akito's room, the other Guardians were already waiting.
"So? How did it go?" Elian asked first, looking up from his notebook.
"It was fine… but we lost," Akito replied calmly, walking past and dropping onto the couch.
"If I were there, we would've won for sure," Kenshi snorted, resting his chin on his hand.
"Jarl, next time I'll go with you," Targus said, dropping down beside him with a heavy thud.
"It's fine," Akito waved him off. "Right now, I have some things to take care of."
He pulled out his phone, scrolled through a few screens, and then stared at the ceiling.
"If everything goes well tomorrow…" he muttered. "…it'll be perfect."
With that, he tossed the phone aside and closed his eyes. The others started settling in — some on the bed, some on the floor, others by the couch. A few didn't even plan to sleep.
—
The next morning, under the bright city sun, Akito and Targus walked down the street.
"Jarl, are we going to do… the photo thing again?" Targus asked, scratching his head.
"Yeah," Akito nodded. "But first, we're picking up the money."
Targus let out a satisfied hum and grinned.
"And we'll buy chips with it."
"I think," Akito replied, looking straight ahead, "we could probably buy a small chip factory with that money."
Targus laughed, and the two of them disappeared around a corner, blending into the crowd.
Minutes later, they stood in front of the VIRIA building — tall, modern, with mirrored glass panels gleaming under the morning light.
They stepped inside and were immediately greeted by Arimoto Shinji, still in his crisp suit and wearing his confident smile.
"Good morning," Akito said calmly.
"Great to see you both. Right this way — I'll take you to Miss Miyuki," Shinji replied, motioning them to follow.
As they walked down the hallway, nearly every agency employee turned to look. Especially those seeing Targus for the first time.
"He's huge…"
"I bet he could lift a car…"
"Is that the Giant?"
Whispers and wide eyes followed them like a trail.
Finally, they reached the door. Shinji knocked, and they entered. Miyuki was already seated at her desk, the atmosphere light but professional.
"Good morning."
"Good morning," Akito and Targus replied, taking seats across from her.
Arimoto got straight to the point.
"In the past few days, we've sold over 50,000 units of clothing featuring Targus' image. All our stocks are up. Honestly, even I didn't expect results like this. So…"
(He looked directly at both of them.)
"I'd like to officially make Targus the face of VIRIA."
"Sounds good. We'll think it over," Akito nodded calmly, keeping his cool despite the numbers.
But Shinji continued:
"You'll receive 10% of every purchase. And keep in mind — those 50,000 units were sold only in this district. We're preparing a nationwide launch, and if things go well — a global one."
He snapped his fingers, and two assistants appeared from the next room. A minute later, they returned with a sleek black case in hand.
"And now — let's talk money."
He set the case on the table, unlocked it, and opened the lid. Inside — neat stacks of cash.
"50 million yen — your cut from the first wave of sales. Congratulations," Shinji said with a smile.
Akito stared at the case in light shock.
"Fifty million… that's fcking insane…"* flashed through his mind.
"Looks like you're speechless," Arimoto chuckled, snapping the case shut. "Here, it's all yours."
He handed it over to Targus, who just shrugged and took it like it was nothing special.
"There'll be no photoshoot today. Let's postpone it by two days."
"That works," Akito nodded, still processing the fact they just earned a fortune.
"Well, I've got a ton to do — I'll be off," Arimoto said and left the room.
As the door shut behind him, Miyuki stood up and gave a slight bow.
"I'm very glad to see you, Master Akito."
"You've done well, Miyuki. Keep up the good work," Akito replied, standing.
"I'll do my best, sir," she said with a soft smile and a respectful nod.
Akito and Targus left the office, once again drawing every eye in the hallway. Some people were stunned, others in awe, some whispering like they were watching comic book characters in real life.
"He looks like he's from a movie…"
"His shoulders are wider than the door…"
"That's not a model — that's a myth."
When they stepped outside, the sun was already hiding behind the buildings. Akito turned to Targus.
"You're going home alone. I need to meet with Rei."
"Jarl, is Rei the detective who came to our place?" Targus asked, holding the money case in one hand and a bag of free goodies from the agency in the other.
"Yeah, that's her," Akito nodded. "Now get in. The car's here. I already paid. Just… don't cause any trouble, please."
Akito smiled and playfully patted his back.
"You can count on me, Jarl," Targus replied with a serious face before stepping into the black sedan.
As the car pulled away, Akito turned around…
And saw Rei approaching with confident strides. Her expression was focused, serious — maybe even cold. The wind played with her hair, but her eyes were locked solely on him.
[Noxveil]
Hey there, reader!
If you've made it this far, thank you so much. I'm writing this story in Russian and translating it into English — so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Even one small comment gives me huge motivation 💬💙
Let me know who your favorite character is so far!