«Yo, Rex, you got out of PE too, huh?»
The one asking is Leon Thazreel, one of his classmates. A lanky guy with carrot-colored hair and a goofy smile that never leaves his face.
«I've already told you at least a million times that my name isn't Rex…»
Ren is leaning on the railing of Tsugumi High School's terrace, enjoying the cool morning breeze and his ever-present cigarette.
In his family, almost everyone attends that school.
He's in his fifth year, Yuzu is in her first, and Mika is in her second. Iris, on the other hand, works as a waitress at a maid café in downtown Ashiya.
Their parents' savings are running out, so Iris decided to start working full-time.
Ren even insisted on dropping out and helping with household expenses, but Iris wouldn't let him.
According to her, he's already doing more than enough, and she doesn't want him to give up the only thing that still feels normal in his life — being, for a few hours a day, just a normal nineteen-year-old boy.
«Anyway, Leon… that mask you were wearing last night was really awful.»
Leon shrugs.
«It was the cheapest one. My supervisor told me not to show my face, so I obeyed. Still, you didn't have to go that hard on me, you know! You almost killed me, I'm serious!»
«You didn't exactly hold back either. My leg and my arm still hurt even after treatment.»
«Well, my supervisor was watching me, so I had to make it believable, right? And honestly, you should be grateful I didn't use that power I told you about. There's no way you'd have beaten me that easily if I had!»
«Tell me the truth — you didn't use it because if your boss found out you're stronger than you look, he'd make you work harder, right? You might be the worst hitman alive…»
Leon flashes a wide, toothy grin.
«Geez, Rex, you scare me when you do that — you know me better than my own mother!»
«Oh, please. Anyone would see you're the king of slackers if they knew you for five seconds. Anyway, has the wound healed already?»
«If it hadn't, I wouldn't be here, alive and well, chatting with you, would I? But it took more than four hours! Damn it, I didn't think you could use that fucking power to paralyze other people's magical energy too! That was a really nasty surprise!»
«That reminds me…» Ren's voice becomes much more serious. «How do you know Raelor Valraen? And how do you know he was the one who trained me?»
«Come on, who doesn't know Raelor Valraen? He's one of the most powerful beings in all of Elyndra! Anyway, my superior told me everything — kind of a warning not to underestimate you.»
Ren takes one last drag from his cigarette and tosses it off the terrace, hitting a trash can three floors below with near-surgical precision.
«I'm still waiting for you to tell me who's behind all this and why he targeted me. You'd better talk, or next time we clash, I won't be as lenient as I was last night.»
Leon shakes his head.
«I'd like to help you, I really would… but I honestly don't know.»
«I'm getting tired of this whole situation. Tell me his name. At least then I can end this for good.»
«I'm not messing with you, I swear! I have no idea who's behind it. I just follow my supervisor's orders — he's the one in contact with the boss!»
«Then tell me who your supervisor is.»
«Rex, don't do anything stupid. I like you, and I don't want you getting yourself killed. As far as I can tell, the boss is interested in you, sure, but not that much — otherwise he would've sent someone way more dangerous than me. Trust me, you'd only make things worse. Let's keep doing what we've always done — I act threatening, you refuse, we exchange a few blows, and it ends there.»
But Ren doesn't even listen.
«Leon, tell me who your supervisor is. I just want to talk to him,» he insists.
«Ugh… fine. Just don't get mad at me if things go south, okay?! His name is Jace Lance, and he's a vampire sent here personally by the boss to keep an eye on my work. Apparently, according to someone, I'm not very efficient at my job. What a joke!»
«I wonder why they think that too…»
«I wonder that too! And don't ask me anything else, because I really don't know anything more. I've already said too much! If he finds out I told you about him, they'll cut my pay in half at least, and then I won't even be able to afford discounted Halloween masks anymore!»
«Yeah, you really are the worst hitman ever…»