"It'll grow back... Quit acting like a vampire and call yourself a gecko instead!"
Ellen rolled her eyes, reaching out again, wanting to touch but hesitating. Finally, she sighed.
"How long will it take to heal?"
"About a week... Come here."
Phaga tilted his head back, thought for a moment, then patted the tile beneath him, signaling Ellen to come closer.
Not understanding, Ellen rested a hand on her hip and walked around to stand in front of him.
"You're going to... Ugh! You! Forget it..."
Before she could finish, Phaga suddenly pulled her in, tugging her collar aside to bare her shoulder. In the next instant, his arms wrapped around her from behind. His warm breath pressed against her skin as his teeth lightly grazed her shoulder.
Chhk!
Phaga bit down.
Ellen let out a sharp gasp, her toes curling inside her shoes. Her arms dangled helplessly, her hands nervously twisting at her stomach. Her flushed face turned aside, lips pursed, until she finally forced herself to speak.
"So... so how long this time?"
"Three days."
Phaga closed his eyes and continued drinking, speaking faintly.
"Hurry up..."
"Any faster and your veins will burst."
"You keep clinging to my shoulder like this, and I'm the one about to burst!"
After about five minutes, Phaga released his bite, adjusted Ellen's clothes back into place, and lay down again.
Ellen felt dizzy, her legs weak, her face crimson as she slumped against the nearby wall. Clenching her teeth, she snapped:
"How much blood did you take?!"
"About a hundred thousand."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
Ellen frowned, confused.
"Nothing."
Phaga shook his head, glancing toward Belobog Heavy Industries. From the looks of it, the Officers would be here soon.
He suddenly asked, "By the way, why are you alone? Where are Lycaon and Rina?"
"They went to storm Vision Industry."
Ellen pinched her cheeks, trying to cool the flush.
"I followed the plan and sent Corin home to rest, then met with Rina and the others. Both Lycaon and Rina agreed this was the best time to break into Vision Industry for intel. So they went, and I was told to anonymously contact Belobog Heavy Industries and Public Security."
"...Heh."
Phaga chuckled softly, shaking his head.
"So Belobog Heavy Industries brought giant machinery just to watch Vision Industry's downfall, while Public Security showed up with a few rifles and still couldn't keep up."
"Competitors really are the worst enemies!"
With that, Phaga jumped down, turning back to Ellen.
"It's done. We should go."
"And the Officers are almost here."
Ellen looked up. Sure enough, just as he said, over a hundred Officers were rushing toward them.
Two led the charge—one was huge, towering, with peach-dyed bangs over his forehead. The other Ellen recognized as the Qingyi Officer who'd taken their statements earlier.
"Yeah, time to go. Oh, right, Phaga, here are Belobog Heavy Industries' chat logs. You'll want to see this."
She nodded, walking beside him as they left. On the way, she handed him her phone.
Phaga took it, brows furrowed as he scrolled through her messages with Belobog Heavy Industries.
"Oh, I see. Got it."
His expression cleared, and he handed the phone back with a teasing grin.
"Your nickname's pretty funny. A shark calling itself 'Little Fish Snack'?"
"Ruby made that up!"
Ellen protested, quickly chasing after him as he sped up, desperate to clear her name.
"Alright, alright, I get it. Ellen just has goldfish memory! Sharks are still fish, right? She saw a nickname she didn't like, decided to change it... then seven seconds later, completely forgot. Totally understandable!"
Phaga held up two fingers thoughtfully, nodding as he spoke, and finished with a wink.
Ellen was fuming, butShe just wasn't the type for insults. After racking her brain, all she managed was:
"You... you lizard! A chameleon that turns white in the sun!"
"Not bad. Better than 'Bat-Shit Crazy Thiren.'"
Phaga glanced at her, more amused than angry.
"You're just not cut out for trash talk... Hm?"
Seeing Ellen's face darken, on the verge of lashing out, Phaga quickly turned away, unwilling to push her any further. But when he looked around, he realized the streets of Canvas Alley were packed with people.
Suddenly, a little girl pushed through the crowd, running up to him with a basket of eggs.
"Big brother, these are for you!"
Phaga froze, staring blankly.
At that moment, escape was no longer an option.
The villagers swarmed them, crowding Phaga and Ellen in the center, showering them with thanks and pushing forward local specialties.
"Child, this is our cured pork for the New Year, have a look!"
"Here, premium ham—aged three years, no worms!"
"And durian! From our orchard!"
"..."
"Alright, alright, thank you, everyone."
Phaga had never faced anything like this. Sweat beaded down his face as he bowed again and again, feeling more pressure than in both of his fights against the Dead End Butcher.
Ellen wasn't faring much better. Reserved by nature, she usually spoke as little as possible with strangers, offering clients only the most minimal expressions. But now, with so many smiling faces, she buckled under the weight of their kindness, nodding and thanking awkwardly.
Until someone tossed a durian.
Ellen turned her head just in time for it to smack Phaga squarely on the back of his head.
He yelped, "Who threw that durian?!"
At once, a group rushed forward to check if he was hurt, tugging on his arm, inviting him to their homes to try more specialties.
Phaga quickly declined, cupping his hands.
"Everyone, thank you for your kindness. Belobog Heavy Industries only did what we should. Just keep supporting them in the future—that's enough. Thank you!"
With that, he grabbed Ellen and ran.
Three minutes later, Phaga collapsed into the passenger seat, utterly drained.
"I swear... even killing the Dead End Butcher didn't wear me out this much."
"But on the bright side, we won't need groceries for a week."
He twisted to look back. The backseat was piled high with fruits and vegetables, even covering the seats.
At the wheel, Ellen shifted gears toward Victoria Headquarters.
"Still, your speech was way too stiff. What if Belobog Heavy Industries complains?"
"The commission was five million, and we delivered five million worth of work. Selling our reputation to them was worth way more than that. What did you expect, a flowery speech on the spot?"
Phaga cracked open a bottle of water, downed it, then handed another to Ellen.
She took it and sipped.
In her chat with Belobog Heavy Industries, Ellen had not only arranged for them to move against Vision Industry but also discussed the reputation deal.
Five million dennies—Belobog's purchase of Victoria Housekeeping's accomplishment. They would share the glory of defeating the Dead End Butcher, crushing Vision Industry's evil plans, and saving Canvas Alley, alongside Cunning Hares.
"At the end of the day—we're just a housekeeping company."
Ellen finished her water and handed the bottle back. Phaga capped it.
"Right. At least in Public Security's files, we're nothing more than a housekeeping company."
Phaga completed her thought.
Victoria Housekeeping was only a housekeeping company. Publicly, it could only ever be that.
It could remain obscure, hang client-gifted banners, or even accept accolades as one of New Eridu's Outstanding Housekeeping Companies.
But it never had side businesses. It was spotless.