Thanks for Gam-Gam and Travis Mclennon for becoming as Supporters!
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Thanks for Gam-Gam and Travis Mclennon for becoming as Supporters!
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Half an hour remained before the agreed time, and Ignis had, as always, arrived early. The air carried the salty tang of the sea breeze, and his enhanced hearing had already picked up distant seagull cries along with the low blare of ship horns.
The harbor of New Eridu,Port Elpis—this was the date location Jane Doe had sent him yesterday. Normally, a port in a major metropolis would double as a logistics and storage hub, sprawling across a vast area. Fortunately, this one also served as a tourist harbor, and the coordinates she sent pointed to a sightseeing pier.
Interestingly enough, the etymology of "Elpis" traced back to the English name of the Euphrates River, while "Eridu" itself originated from an ancient city near the Euphrates's estuary. And now, New Eridu's port was named Elpis. Did that count as some kind of cosmic irony?
Ignis mulled over these idle thoughts as he walked slowly along the coastal embankment road toward the pier.
With summer approaching, daytime temperatures rose sharply under the sun's relentless glare. In weather like this, the seaside became an ideal place to relax and cool off. Even before reaching the pier, the Space Marine's enhanced senses picked up the lively bustle ahead. Despite the fact that several Hollows were still visible in the distance—some not even that far from the sightseeing pier—the residents of New Eridu didn't seem to care. Tourist boats and sailboats still went out to sea, and men and women in swimsuits enjoyed the water inside netted beach enclosures.
She wouldn't… be wearing a swimsuit, would she…
The thought surfaced unbidden in Ignis's mind. Jane Doe had an outstanding figure—if she were in a swimsuit…
His thoughts drifted back to the era when he lived among the stars, recalling various depictions of swimsuits he had seen in different works: classic school swimsuits, all kinds of bikinis, and even more extreme designs held together by little more than a few strings. Honestly, if Jane Doe really wanted to tease him, she absolutely could show up in one of those string-only styles.
Then again, with her figure, wouldn't she draw attention no matter what she wore? Come to think of it, as an undercover operative, how did she even manage to blend in with a body that memorable?
Ignis did his best to push the image of Jane Doe in various swimsuits out of his mind. That woman had an imposing frontal… profile, and her lower body was equally striking. Given how revealing certain swimsuits—especially bikinis—were…
Wait, wasn't I trying to get rid of these thoughts?!
The Salamander looked up at the sky. A flock of seagulls flew overhead, and one dropping narrowly missed his head. Their cries sounded almost like mockery. He noticed that the offending bird had a metal ring on its leg, the serial number mostly worn away—but the last digits were clearly "383".
"Don't let me ever get my hands on you," Ignis muttered darkly.
When he lowered his gaze back toward the sightseeing pier, his superhuman vision immediately locked onto Jane Doe standing beside a small building. She had changed her look again today, clearly on a new assignment. Her usual short hair was hidden beneath a brown long wig, topped with a woven straw hat. She wore a white camisole, a light sun-protection jacket over it, and a pair of jeans. There was light makeup on her face, but her distinctive upturned eyes were unmistakable.
Ignis noticed her so quickly largely because he had memorized Jane Doe's thermal signature. In today's attire, she looked more like a freshly graduated college student than anything else.
The giant figure on the road was impossible to miss. Jane Doe turned and spotted him at once, but instead of waving, she raised her phone and sent him a message.
"Pretty early, aren't you?"
Ignis glanced at the message and quickened his pace, walking up to her.
"What should I call you today?"
"My dear big brother, have you already forgotten your sweet little sister Jennifer's name? How heartbreaking."
The Rat Thiren woman spoke with exaggerated sorrow, clinging to his sleeve.
"Nice outfit," she whispered.
Of course it was nice—it was a handcrafted, custom-made suit. Still, a tower-like giant wearing a crisp, formal suit at a sightseeing pier did feel a bit out of place. Then again, wearing his studded leather gear here would have looked even worse.
"Oh? You brought a gun?" Jane Doe's hand brushed against the item hanging at Ignis's lower back, surprise flickering across her face.
"Not just a hammer on your waist—you're even carrying a firearm." She narrowed her eyes teasingly. "What, is meeting me that dangerous? You came armed? I didn't bring anything at all."
She lifted one foot to show him, pale and bare within lace-up sandals.
"Looks like I'll be relying on you today, then. My dear big brother." She drew out the words, rubbing against his forearm.
That single big brother sent cold sweat streaming down Ignis's back. Jane Doe was not someone he feared in a straight-up fight—even if she came at him armed. But today, calling him big brother in that sweet tone while clinging to him like this…
She was definitely up to something.
"What exactly are you planning?" Ignis asked in a low voice.
"I had no choice but to hide out here. I finally found a boss willing to take me in, but he insists on notifying a family member." She pouted. "Honestly, bosses these days are so stubborn, don't you think, my dear big brother?"
"Enough games. What's the real mission?"
"We're surveilling a batch of stolen Hollow supplies. Intelligence suggests a transaction may happen here."
Her expression sharpened instantly, the coquettish young girl vanishing without a trace.
"I need an identity to lie low here and slowly infiltrate the underground trade. Cooperate with me, okay?"
Ignis let out a heavy breath, finally relaxing. At least it wasn't aimed at him personally.
"Cooperating with the Public Security is a citizen's duty," the giant said, nodding.
Jane Doe pulled a baseball cap from her small bag, replaced the straw hat, and winked at him before leading the way into the small building nearby. Only then did Ignis notice the shipping company sign hanging outside. Judging by the office space, it was a small studio.
Just as Jane Doe said, the company needed a warehouse manager. Her qualifications were a perfect fit, but the boss hesitated—she looked too young. He insisted on meeting an elder relative. Though Ignis looked nothing like her, he was successfully talked into the role under Jane Doe's relentless persuasion.
She spun a tale about fleeing the city to escape an arranged marriage, hoping to hide here and survive on her own labor. Even Ignis found the story absurd, but he played along, introducing himself as her half-brother, deeply opposed to the forced marriage and willing to vouch for "Jennifer." He even produced his Blacksmith Guild membership and added a story about a young noble abandoning his family to pursue the art of fire and steel, carving out a modest success on his own.
The boss, already on in years, was visibly moved. He declared that people deserved freedom and that he was willing to provide a temporary harbor for this little bird chasing it—so long as she could do the job.
"Didn't expect you to be so good at spinning nonsense," Jane Doe muttered as they waved goodbye outside.
"I once dreamed of becoming a novelist," Ignis replied, gazing up at the sky. The seagull with the "383" tag was still circling above.
"So, you failed at that and became a blacksmith instead?" She tugged at his arm, leading him toward the pier. "You should've brought your fishing gear. Not sure if you've been practicing."
Everyone knew that where there was water, there were anglers—and docks like this were always packed with them. Even though the water temperature was high and the fish weren't biting much, it didn't stop people from casting line after line. Of course, the "No Fishing" signs went completely ignored. For anglers, even crossing the bridge of the afterlife would warrant a couple of casts.
"Every job is like fishing," Jane Doe said, watching the anglers. "Set the bait, wait for the bite, struggle back and forth, then reel in the big one. There's so much crime lurking in New Eridu's shadows… I really hope one day I won't have to cast bait anymore."
"If you need help, contact me anytime," Ignis said, unsure how else to respond.
"Wow, how reliable," she murmured, then laughed softly.
"Come on, let's try the local specialty."
Jane Doe tugged at his sleeve again. Ignis followed her gaze to a food cart parked near the lighthouse. Judging by the smell, it sold fried food.
Freshly fried snacks were certainly fitting for a harbor full of sailors and tourists—but could this really count as a local specialty? Did New Eridu's standards for cuisine run that low?
"Welcome! What kind of fries would you like? Our latest hit is fish sauce shaker fries—super popular. Want to try some?" The attendant inside the bright orange cart enthusiastically pitched the seasonal item.
Fish sauce… with fries? Even ignoring the smell, wouldn't the fries go soggy almost immediately? Would there even be any texture left?
"Sounds interesting. I'll take one," Jane Doe said with curious enthusiasm, paying and waiting expectantly.
The attendant filled a bag nearly the size of half Ignis's hand, packing it full before drizzling fish sauce over the top.
"Extra-large fish sauce shaker fries. Here you go."
Jane Doe accepted the bag, visibly surprised by the portion.
Suddenly, something plunged from the sky at high speed. Ignis snapped his head up—seagulls. A whole flock dove downward, just like… like Midway.
Enemy aircraft diving straight down!
The thought flashed through his mind.
Fortunately, these weren't bombers—they were seagulls. And their target wasn't a payload, but Jane Doe's fries.
Damn it, carrier aces are going for the fries!
Ignis instinctively reached for his gun, but reason stopped him. He raised his hands to shoo them away—then spotted the leader.
The metal ring.
"Tail number 383. It's you!"
This was true hatred meeting face to face. For the bird that had tried to drop something on his head earlier, Ignis had no intention of showing mercy.
This wasn't just one seagull—it called for heavy measures.
The seagull saw nothing but fries. Snatching food at the dock was its life's creed, and it had never known failure. Today's fries even carried a fishy scent—it was exhilarating.
Wings tucked, speed increased. A few flaps would scare off most humans. Even the brave ones couldn't catch it.
Then fate's hand closed around its throat.
"Pfft—hahahahaha!" Jane Doe laughed so hard she could barely stand, staring at Ignis covered in seagull feathers.
"Come on, I rented a place nearby. There's a bathroom—want to clean up those feathers?" she offered after they finished sharing the fries by the shore.
"That… might not be appropriate," Ignis tried to refuse.
He looked up—and saw Jane Doe pull out the last fry. It was unusually long.
The Rat Thiren woman narrowed her eyes mischievously, bit one end, and tilted her chin, signaling him to take the other.
This…
She nodded insistently, urging him on.
The tall giant bent down and bit the other end. Jane Doe smiled, swallowed the fry, and planted a kiss on his lips in the same motion.
"Come on, follow me," she said casually, turning to lead the way.
Ignis followed stiffly, like a wooden puppet.
Her rented place was only a few hundred meters away—a simple one-bedroom, one-bath unit. As soon as Ignis stepped inside, she turned and locked the door.
"There's only a bed and a bathroom here…" Jane Doe turned, slipping off her sun jacket. The deep cleavage revealed by her camisole made Ignis's vision swim. "You know what that means, right?"
By the Emperor above… this time it's really happening.
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