Although Klyne had just discovered a shortcut to unimaginable wealth, he still needed to deliver the pizzas. The two classmates, who had rarely talked in school, are now so thrilled that Marco even accompanied Klyne on the delivery. With Marco on the back of the motorcycle, they zoomed down the street, tires screeching in every sharp turn as they hurried. On their way, they had debated which guild to share this billion-dollar intel. After all, that bounty is nothing if they can't catch the elusive Cat.
Marco initially suggested the Twilight guild since that guild practically runs over the Haven Academy, and also has a roster of strong DHs capable of taking down Cat. However, Klyne had a different guild in mind. A guild owned by his aunt. Though it's less renowned than Twilight, it still ranked 4th among the top guilds locally.
With the last pizza delivered, Klyne hurried to the neighboring town where the guild was located, a 40-minute drive from the capital city. He didn't bother returning to the pizza shop, intending to negotiate with the guild and then return the motorcycle. Along the way, it dawned on him—they had inadvertently killed two birds with one stone. Pou and Hayden were always inseparable, and it was highly likely they were both Headhunters. They were confident about Cat, but uncertain which animal Hayden is.
They finally arrived at their destination, gazing up at the breathtaking sight of a towering spiral building before them. It was the majestic headquarters of the Moonlit Siren guild, its architecture echoing the allure of their seductive guildmaster.
They proceeded through the front entrance, and were let in easily as Klyne was known in that establishment. They head straight to the highest floor via the elevator, and barge into the guildmaster's office with Klyne's brazen demeanor.
Klyne swung the door open with a bang, catching sight of her aunt seated elegantly at her desk. Empty bottles of sweet wine were scattered on the desk, and her aunt held an almost-empty wine glass in a grand manner. The crimson hue of her inch-long fingernails contrasted strikingly with the wine she sipped.
"My, my, showing up with such a bold entrance."
The lady gently laid the wine glass on the table, acknowledging her nephew's unannounced visit.
Rain, an S-ranked DH , also the female guildmaster of the Moonlit Sirens, sits with crossed legs on a chair adorned with the finest cushions and a golden frame. Her blonde, wavy hair cascades to chin level, highlighting her luscious shoulder and succulent cleavage peeking out from her strapless velvet-red dress. What makes her truly bewitching are her seemingly-sculpted collarbone, her hourglass waist, and her siren eyes that every boy gets lost in. She is the epitome of elegance.
"That attire is unseemly," Rain pursed her lips at the sight of Klyne's delivery boy outfit.
"My Queen, this is very unbecoming for your eyes to behold," said the person in a black suit standing next to Rain's desk. "If you wish, I will banish these men from your presence."
Calvin Bryce, an A-ranked DH and Rain's personal attendant, exudes sophistication with his slick back hair. A loyal and trustworthy member of the guild, Bryce holds the prestigious position of the Queen's attendant. His calm yet assertive demeanor contradicts with his unwavering obedience to his Queen. The accessories adorning his body enhance his commanding presence: a necklace of bulky, rusted chains, and matching earrings, bracelets, and anklets, each varying in size but made of the same rugged metal-as if the chains has sentimental value in him. These distinctive touches contribute to his authoritative appearance.
"Oh, that would be unnecessary, Darling," Rain let out a gentle, humorous laugh. Gesturing her hand, she said to Klyne, "Have a seat, Klyne."
Closing the door behind, the two settled on the couch in the middle of the room. Marco, fidgeting on his seat, sat timidly with tensed shoulders as Rain's presence was overwhelming for him. In fact, Rain's seductive scent alone gets Marco weak in the knees.
"Who might the gentleman accompanying you be? A friend, perhaps?" she asked.
"A classmate," Klyne briefly clarified.
Marco hastily stood up, bowing his head as he stuttered to introduce himself. "Mm… My name is Marco, madam. Uh… It's an honor to meet you!"
"These gentlemen went a long way, serve them edibles, Darling," Rain commanded her attendant.
"As you wish, my Queen."
Almost instantly, Klyne turned down the courteousness of her aunt in the most brusque way possible. He pulled out his vape, puffing a smoke right in there as he spread his arms like he owns the place. "We don't eat plastics. C'mon, we're here for business, not to get pampered."
A grin spreads on Rain's blood-red lips. "Interesting…" she mused, piqued by the peculiar change of perspective of her arrogant nephew. "...I'm interested to hear more regarding that."
Marco sat back down, and they began discussing the matter at hand. Klyne revealed both the location and identity of Cat, while Marco verified the accuracy of the information. Following this, Klyne proposed a 50/50 split on the bounty. However, through clever negotiation, Rain managed to secure a 60/40 split in her favor.
"I'll mobilize half my forces to capture Cat," Rain declared, rubbing her hands together as she leaned forward on her desk. "Darling, draft a formal letter to the Hunters Association regarding our operation."
"The letter is necessary to mitigate any repercussions the guild might face from the casualties in Haven Academy. Nodding, Bryce replied, "As you wish, my Queen." A long pause set in, then he added, "If I may, my Queen, I'd like to volunteer for this operation." Standing firm and resolute, he continued, "I shall not let him escape twice."
~~~~~~~~~~
"Where's Hayden?"
Euna looked at the visor mirror, noticing only Kayne (Bear) and Pou in the backseat of her car. Normally, all four of them carpooled to school together, but today, Hayden was conspicuously absent.
Kayne, looking out the window, left her hanging. Pou, on the other hand, addressed her question with another question.
"He's not here?" Pou roamed his eyes, confirming, "He is." He went hysterical, screaming in panic, "Oh no! We're so careless we left him in the headquarters. We're such horrible people… How could we call him our friend!"
"For crying out loud, he's not in the HQ. I will for sure crush his neck if he skips school."
"Don't be so harsh on Hayden, Euna—he's the most diligent person I've met."
"Diligent?" Euna scoffed. "I never thought you could speak with satire statements, dimwit."
Euna gives a cold shoulder to everyone in the Headhunter, often ignoring them as she turns away. However, Cat is an exception. Cat's intellectual impairment is just irresistible to ignore.
"Ohh! I know." Pou raised his feet up the seat and crossed his legs as a new idea came to his air-filled mind. "He probably went to the academy with Vash and his broom-broom (bigbike). Ya know… sometimes those two are always inseparable—like conjoined twins."
"Fix your poor English, dimwit. Also, Vash texted me earlier, and he mentioned he hasn't seen Hayden since the Rank assessment test."
"Really?! No way he's ditching me. I can't teach the students alone!" Pou dreaded, lashing out only to calm down instantly as another thought entered his head. "I know! He must be at the hospital taking care of her granny… He's a good guy, ya know?"
Exhausted of Cat's way to cope with the situation, Euna focused on the road ahead and simply nodded, replying, "He might."
Euna was certain Hayden wouldn't visit his grandmother, who was hospitalized in another city. They had spoken just the night before, and the round trip to the hospital would eat up eight hours of travel time. But despite knowing that, she just agreed with Pou since he's getting on her nerves.
"Right…?!" Pou confidently said. "He's not abandoning me, he's just gonna be late."
Euna didn't bother responding, letting their lethargic conversation fade into silence. However, Cat then mentioned something that crossed a line.
"By the way…" A mischievous grin brimmed in Pou's face, even his eyes were smiling. "...you said you were exchanging messages with Vash?" His gaze teasingly poking Euna as he cheerfully swings in his seat. "That's exactly how the romcom novel I read wen- wohh!!!"
Suddenly, Euna jerked the wheel to the right, causing the car to swerve off the road momentarily before steering it back into the lane. The sudden jolt sent Cat tumbling inside the car, causing him to swallow his words.
The erupting commotion never bothered Kayne, sitting dispirited by the window. He was unbothered until they reached the academy.
The three of them went their separate ways to follow their schedules. Euna headed to her department, while Kayne met up with Vash for their first class. Pou, meanwhile, stopped by the faculty office to collect the IDs for class 1A, now labeled with the students' initial ranks as the results from rank assessment have been computed.
On his way to Building 4 at Block 1, Pou was scrambling through the ID of his favorite students. As he walked down the hallway, he was mumbling to himself, proud of the exceptional result of the students.
The twins were placed on C-rank, a surprisingly outstanding rank for a first year, perhaps a little biased since they're basically the daughter of the Dean. Jea falls on rank D, Marco on E, and Klyne on F.
Pou was giggling openly at the splendid result, not aware of the students staring at him like a crazy guy.
Eventually, he reached Room 1 and met the students eagerly waiting for him, also the results of the rank assessment.
As Pou entered the room and approached the podium with a stack of IDs in his hand, he greeted the class, "Wonderful morning, everyone!"
Most of the students reciprocated Pou's energy with a warm reply, "Good morning, instructor!" The room buzzed with excitement as Pou's presence brought a wave of joy.
However, before Pou could reach the podium, he froze in astonishment as several men in cloaks appeared, their concealing spell dissolving.
They emerged from thin air, gradually becoming visible from head to toe. There were eight of them, strategically surrounding Pou as if they had planned it all along.
Confused, Pou looked around, trying to make sense of the situation. Suddenly, four rusted chains protruded from the floor, seizing his wrists and ankles. The chains tightened, causing him to drop the stack of IDs, which scattered across the floor.
Pou tried to shove his arms upwards, but the chains only tightened further, dragging him back down. He felt his strength abnormally shrinking, unable to resist the weight pulling him down. He collapsed to his knees, his palms pressed against the floor, and his cheeks twitched, grimacing at the pain.
Despite his immobilized state, Pou mustered to look up, assessing the situation as his teeth gritted.
His eyes moved from one cloaked figure to another, noting their outstretched arms maintaining the spell casted upon him. They were all dressed identically, hinting Pou that they belonged to the same guild, probably on the hunt for his head.
As his gaze continued, it landed on a figure in a distinct suit with slicked-back hair, accessorized with the same rusted chains restraining Pou. This person stood right in front of the student seats, holding the other end of the chain, which seemed to sink into the floor as if through a connected portal.
"You're out of leverage now, Cat," Bryce remarked.