Her outfit left the curve of her chest and her slim waist completely exposed to the open air.
Her skin was pale as snow, carrying a faintly unhealthy look.
Paired with that alluring face and the small teardrop mole at the corner of her eye, she was the kind of woman anyone would call a knockout at first glance.
And yet, facing her, Satoru Gojo's eyes showed no reaction at all.
He merely adjusted his sunglasses, gave her a casual once-over, and smiled lightly.
"Are you Felt's guest?"
The woman tilted her head slightly, her lips curling into a faint smile. Her gaze slipped past Gojo and into the warehouse behind him.
"What an unexpected combination."
Without answering Gojo, she turned and walked inside, heading straight for Felt.
"I thought this would be a transaction built on mutual trust. Looks like I was mistaken."
Hearing that, Felt, who was sitting by the counter, turned her head and smiled helplessly.
"It's not like that. This doesn't have anything to do with trust."
The client had always been generous. Even though the job failed this time, Felt did not want to offend her outright.
If she explained things properly and made her situation clear, there might still be high-paying work in the future.
"Oh?"
"So you're saying this wasn't prepared for me?"
The woman's high heels clicked crisply against the floor as she spoke, her tone carrying a hint of amusement.
"Of course not."
"They're just my subordinates."
To make herself seem more important and useful, Felt lied through her teeth without blinking.
Subaru Natsuki, who was still unsatisfied after a single cup of instant noodles and lost in the aftertaste, looked at Felt in confusion when he heard that. She immediately shot him a vicious glare, forcing him to swallow the words on the tip of his tongue.
"And also…"
Felt studied the woman's expression. Seeing no sign of displeasure, she spoke a bit awkwardly.
"This job… failed."
"Failed."
The woman's expression did not change. She simply repeated the word.
Seeing that reaction, Felt quickly explained, "The target was a Spirit Arts User. Way too strong. I already stole the insignia, but that person snatched it back in the end."
Standing to the side, Gojo watched Felt's earnest effort and suddenly felt like he was watching a nervous applicant facing an interviewer.
For a kid her age to try this hard really did stir something in him.
But still…
Gojo's gaze shifted back to the woman not far away.
She was interesting.
From the moment she approached from outside, Gojo had clearly sensed a powerful presence drawing closer.
It was not on the level of the knight he met yesterday or the blue little cat from earlier today, but it was impressive nonetheless.
At the very least, over these two days in the royal capital, he had seen plenty of people, and only two could really compare to her.
That was exactly why Gojo had taken the initiative to open the door earlier.
He was genuinely curious about the strong in this world.
More than that, under the scrutiny of his Six Eyes just now, the woman appeared even more peculiar.
Beyond the faint blood-soaked aura about her, like someone who had lived on battlefields for years, something most people would never notice…
Inside her body, Gojo could clearly see countless black, chain-like forms tangled within her.
They had no physical substance, existing purely as some kind of energy.
They spread throughout her entire body, through every inch of skin and muscle, sinking deep into her bones.
At first glance, it almost felt similar to a curse spirit brimming with negative energy.
And yet, she was unmistakably alive.
Such an unusual existence genuinely intrigued Gojo.
This was the first time he had ever seen a human so similar to a curse spirit.
In some ways, she seemed even closer than a jujutsu sorcerer.
In his own world, an ordinary person exposed to this kind of power would have died countless times over.
And yet here she was, alive and well, and strong.
While the two women were talking, Gojo walked over, leaned an elbow against the counter, and chuckled.
"A beautiful lady like you wouldn't want to see something like this happen either, right?"
"And Felt worked really hard today too."
As he spoke, Gojo ruffled Felt's head, earning a flurry of annoyed punches from the girl.
She was fuming.
She had just claimed they were her subordinates, and he immediately went and did this.
"By the way, may I have the honor of knowing your name?"
Gojo's tone carried a hint of flirtation, like a seasoned playboy.
If anyone else said something like that, it would probably come off as shallow and irritating.
But coming from Gojo, it somehow felt perfectly fine.
At least, that was how it looked to anyone watching.
After all, when it came to looks, Gojo was flawless, easily top-tier.
Combined with his unique presence, saying something like that posed no problem at all.
Facing Gojo at such close range, the woman, whose gentle features carried a subtle allure, covered her mouth and laughed softly.
"Probing a client's information isn't exactly proper, you know."
"Oh my, was I rejected? That really hurts."
Gojo clutched his chest, putting on a deeply wounded expression.
"It's my first time ever striking up a conversation with a girl, and this is how it ends."
"That outcome isn't surprising at all."
Felt snorted disdainfully.
First time, my ass.
Didn't robbery count as striking up a conversation?
"You two really get along well."
The woman smiled with narrowed eyes. "But since the job has already failed, there's no reason for me to stay here any longer."
As she spoke, she stepped away from the counter, clearly preparing to leave.
"Um… if you have any requests in the future, could you give us another chance?"
"We'll definitely work hard. We won't fail again."
Seeing her about to leave, Felt quickly spoke up.
She had no intention of letting this opportunity slip away.
She had to seize every chance to make money.
Only then could she save up enough to fulfill her dream, leave the slums, and live freely somewhere else, without having to worry about survival every single day.