Enough, Ellen. I've heard of her—she's not really a bad person. Step back."
Phaga pressed down on Ellen's hand, shaking his head slightly.
Seeing this, Ellen narrowed her eyes in thought for a moment before abruptly turning to glare at Nicole. Her gaze radiated pure menace, once again intimidating her.
She then bowed respectfully, retreating expressionlessly behind Phaga. Her demeanor was frighteningly professional, as if she would follow his lead in everything.
But Nicole wasn't one to be cowed. She immediately sprang up from the ground.
Though she didn't know Phaga at all, that didn't stop her from grabbing his hand tightly.
Ellen frowned, about to act—
—but Phaga turned his head slightly, his gaze stopping her in her tracks.
"Hero, you're such a good person! You really understand!"
Nicole shook Phaga's hand vigorously, face flushed with excitement. "I was too hasty this time, a bit reckless. Next time, I'll definitely give you a discount coupon for a ramen shop!"
"Oh, right. You actually know me? Could it be you've heard of our Cunning Hares?"
Nicole's eyes widened in anticipation as she looked at him.
"Well... sort of..."
Phaga's gaze drifted away. As a handyman shop, Cunning Hares was known all across Sixth Street for "taking any job."
But its reputation...
He gave an awkward smile and smoothly pulled his hand free from Nicole's grip. Truth be told, he wasn't close with her and didn't feel like talking much.
Nicole understood the hint, and her mood sank a little.
Still, she had more important things to do. After a quick farewell, she dashed off toward a certain shop on Sixth Street.
Phaga glanced back. It was a video rental shop. Judging from her frantic expression, she really did seem to be in a hurry.
"Let's go."
The little interruption didn't affect his plans. He quietly reminded Ellen and continued toward the residential building.
On the way, Ellen couldn't hold back her curiosity. "Phaga, you know her?"
"The boss of Cunning Hares. They'll take on any job. Pretty well-known on Sixth Street, but her reputation isn't great—she owes a lot of people money."
Phaga answered honestly, then suddenly turned back to look at Ellen with interest, teasing, "By the way, you actually stepped in front of me first. I could've dodged on my own."
"Whether the [Master] can dodge isn't my concern!"
Ellen puffed out her cheeks, sounding almost pouty. "Victoria Housekeeping's motto is [to clear all obstacles for the Master]. No matter how big or small, making the Master deal with it himself is our shame!"
"Oh, I see." Phaga chuckled softly.
"What are you laughing at? You'll have to do the same from now on!"
"Mm, sure. By the way, I'm still your [Master], right? How dare you talk to your [Master] like that?"
"Hmph! You—!"
"Ha ha!"
Phaga laughed heartily, lighter than he'd felt in a long while.
Young kids might admire the image of a lonely hero—one who walks alone through the dark. That much was understandable. They revered the grandeur of heroes, dazzled by the feats of a solitary figure.
But that was a shallow understanding, born of youth and inexperience. They mistook the essence of a hero for nothing more than a black cloak.
They imagined that just by holding a sword in the lonely wind, waiting for it to billow his coat into a long train, they could capture that shadow of greatness.
But the truth was, most people couldn't stand being truly alone, nor could they escape the whirlpool of schemes and conspiracies.
Loneliness cannot uphold a person's greatness.
But love and faith can.
Phaga stifled his smile, noticing Ellen was getting genuinely irritated.
...
Before long, they rounded a staircase and arrived at the apartment where Phaga was staying.
Click!
He pocketed his keys and pushed open the door.
Ellen followed him in, looking curiously around at his old place.
It was small—just one bedroom and a living room—but spotless.
Ellen took the chance to inspect it. There didn't seem to be any leaks, which was rare.
"Don't be fooled. This place used to leak. Complaining to the landlord didn't help, so I had to fix it myself."
Phaga didn't even turn around as he began gathering his things.
There wasn't much. It was a rental, so the furniture had already been there when he moved in. All he needed to take were his clothes, computer, books, duvet cover, sheets, and a few other belongings.
Ellen joined in, grabbing a large cardboard box and neatly packing away his books.
As she worked, she asked, "Did the landlord at least lower your rent after you fixed it?"
"Nope! That stingy old bastard's the type who thinks he's losing money if he doesn't find some on the street."
The thought of working for free made Phaga grit his teeth in frustration.
Damn it! To fix those pipes, he'd bought a manual and spent three whole days learning online.
Three days of lost wages!
Ellen perked up, teasing, "You're such a nice guy, working for free? That's not like you at all."
"Who says that! You're slandering my character!"
Phaga zipped up his suitcase, then sat on the bare wooden bedframe, leaning back on his hands.
"That's why I plan to knock the pipes loose when I leave. Don't worry, those three days of plumbing study weren't wasted."
"If I could fix them flawlessly before, I can break them just as cleanly now. The old man won't notice a thing. Everything will work fine for a while—then a month later... Boom!"
"Uh..."
Ellen's eyelids drooped halfway as she muttered, "You're actually kind of mean."
"Not at all! I'm just making sure the landlord pays what he owes."
As he said this, Phaga pulled out his phone. It had been buzzing nonstop, practically blowing up.
What the hell was going on?
Could someone have gotten his number from the news? But he'd registered with an old, unused number tied to his ID...
What was happening?
Oh—it was just the class group chat.
What now? It had been going off like crazy. Did the sky fall? Or did the principal ascend to heaven?
"Holy shit!"
Phaga's eyes went wide, shock written all over his face.
Even Ellen was startled—he had never shown such a dramatic reaction before.
She leaned in close, squeezing beside him to peek at the messages.
Class Teacher: [Notice: The school sympathizes deeply with students who have endured the hardship of being unable to study. Therefore, the principal has used all of his connections to reopen the old campus. It is expected to be cleaned within three days, and the new semester will begin four days from now.]
After reading the message, Phaga muttered, "The principal really pulled it off?"
Ellen blinked rapidly, hardly believing it. She turned to him and whispered, "So... we're actually going back to school in four days?"
Phaga looked back at her and nodded slightly. "Looks that way."