"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 told you at least a million times that my name isn't Rex…"
Ren leans against the railing of Tsugumi High School's terrace, enjoying the cool morning breeze and his ever-present cigarette.
Almost everyone in his family attends that school.
He's in his third year, Yuzu is in her first, and Mika is in her third year of middle school. Iris, on the other hand, works as a waitress at a maid café in downtown Ashiya.
Ren even insisted on dropping out to help with the 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 each day, just a normal eighteen-year-old boy.
"Anyway, Leon… that mask you wore last night was really awful."
Leon shrugs.
"It was the cheapest one. My supervisor told me not to show my face, so I did. Still, you didn't have to go that hard on me! You almost killed me — I'm serious!"
"You didn't exactly hold back either. My leg and arm still hurt, even after the treatment."
"Well, my supervisor was watching, so I had to make it look real, right? And honestly, you should be grateful I didn't use that power I told you about. There's no way you would've 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 are the worst hitman alive…"
Leon flashes a wide 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 after knowing you for five seconds. Anyway, has the wound healed yet?"
"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 nasty surprise!"
"That reminds me…" Ren's voice turns serious. "How do you know Raelor Valraen? And how do you know he 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 — more like a warning not to underestimate you."
Ren takes one last drag from his cigarette and flicks 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. 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 trade 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."
"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 by the boss to keep an eye on my work. Apparently, I'm not very efficient at my job. What a joke!"
"I wonder why they think that…"
"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, and then I won't even be able to afford discounted Halloween masks anymore!"
"Yeah, you really are the worst hitman ever…"