"Are you sure about what you're saying?" Jawed still carried a hint of doubt.
It wasn't like he had never seen Mecha humans before, but the girl right now didn't look any different from an ordinary human. How could this old man know?
Besides, Mecha humans normally always stayed together with their riders, almost never separating. There was no way this girl would be all alone in the middle of the night, then follow a stranger like him home.
"You still want to keep hiding it? The Sanctuary Mark is right there on her hand, what human could possibly have something like that?!"
Hearing him, Jawed finally noticed, on the girl's right wrist, imprinted on that pale skin was a bright crimson tattoo, like a sigil carved deep into the flesh.
A symbol of a serpent's head, baring its sharp fangs.
"You.... you sly brat! You could afford to buy a Mecha human, so why are you still putting off your rent?!" Old Trunks frowned, his tone full of reproach.
"Ah, no, you misunderstood. She seems to be lost. We just happened to meet, and since it was raining heavily, I only let her take shelter." Jawed briefly explained what had happened.
Having learned the full story, the old man's scowling face fell into brief contemplation. His gaze shifted toward the Mecha girl, a trace of greed flickering in the depths of his eyes. Then, all of a sudden, he spoke:
"Hey, do you want money? You're short on money, right?" His tone, usually harsh, was now strangely softened.
Hearing the abrupt change of topic, Jawed's eyes narrowed slightly, caution rising within him "You should know my situation better than anyone else. Why asking me that?"
The old man's lips curled into a wide grin, his voice ringing out again:
"Then you've hit the jackpot! A Mecha human like this could be sold for an absurd price on the black market. I know a few connections who could offer you a very tempting deal. As long as you're willing to split the profits, I can help you make a killing!"
As soon as his words fell, the atmosphere sank into silence.
Inside, upon hearing what he said, the girl's face darkened. She lowered her head, hiding her gloomy eyes beneath her disheveled hair, her hand tightened into a fist, then slowly loosened again.
She didn't know why, but hearing that old man's words made her heart sink.
She couldn't understand, she couldn't remember. When she tried to recall it, all she felt was a sharp pain in her head, a pain so intense it drove her into despair.
"Sell her?" Jawed's voice rang out, cold, emotionless.
"Yeah, that Mecha girl seems to trust you, so just tell her to come with me. We'll split it seven–three, you take three shares. Fair, right?"
Hearing every word that spilled from the old man's mouth, Jawed's insides turned icy, his pupils slightly tightening.
"....No"
"What?"
"NO!"
Trunks's smile stiffened, a flicker of irritation flashing across his eyes.
"You think I'm not splitting it fairly, right? Fine then, six–four, I won't go any lower. Remember, you don't know much about the market yourself, there's no way you'd get a good price. I'm the one bringing the connections, so I deserve the larger share." He raised his voice, his tone already stripped of patience.
Hearing the old man kept rambling about money, Jawed's expression grew even darker.
"I don't need the money, and I don't care about the market either. Stop talking about money, don't speak as if she were an object to be sold." He said, his voice sank deep low, as if he had reached the limit of his emotions.
Hearing his words, the girl behind him lifted her head. Within those eyes that had always been shrouded in darkness, a faint, shimmering glimmer of light suddenly appeared.
"Y-you.... you're saying you don't.... need money?" The old man's face suddenly twisted.
His voice caught in his throat, hoarse and strained, his breathing turning rapid, as if his throat were being crushed.
"DON'T FUCKING JOKE WITH ME!!!" All of a sudden, Trunks exploded, screaming like a madman.
He pointed his trembling finger straight at Jawed, snarling each word with seething rage:
"Shut up your damn mouth, you hypocrite! You poor, wretched trash, is there anything you people wouldn't do for money?! In this society, even saints can't stay noble without money. Don't need money? Haa, don't make me sick!"
He continued shouting hysterically, completely ignoring the razor-sharp gaze of the young man standing before him.
"You say you don't need money? Fine, then hand that Mecha human over to me. I'll sell her and keep every last bit of the money. Let's see if you can still act so high and mighty th— Gahhh!"
Old Trunks hurriedly shouted, the words he was about to say died in his throat.
In a split second, the figure before his eyes moved so fast that the human eye couldn't keep up. By the time the old man realized it, he had already been grabbed by the collar and lifted straight up, leaving the ground.
Facing him now, was a pair of sharp, emotionless eyes, with a chill at their depths that felt utterly terrifying.
That gaze seemed to pierce straight into his very soul, sending a freezing shiver down his spine.
"Y-You.... y-you.... what are you planning to do?" The old man stammered, his whole body trembling uncontrollably. He struggled desperately, but he was completely unable to break free from that iron-firm grip.
The guy before him, the one he had always looked down on, was now radiating a suffocating killing intent, grim and dangerous.
He stood there, saying nothing, yet the pressure he exuded was so overwhelming that the danger radar inside the old man's head screamed nonstop.
It felt as though he were facing a ruthless predator, ready to bite his head off in the very next moment.
"Y-you… I will call the police and have you locked up for illegally keeping a Mecha human!" The old man barked, trying to regain some authority.
But that trembling appearance made him look utterly pathetic, like a soaked dog trying to act tough before the king of beasts.
"Go ahead. Everything you've said just now, about the black market, I've recorded it all. By the time I go to prison, you'll be going in with me. We might even end up as cellmates."
Jawed leaned close to the old man's ear, his voice low and razor-sharp, like blades pressed against Trunks' throat:
"When that time comes, I'll take very good care of you, cellmate."
Hearing his words, the old man's face turned deathly pale.
Obviously, Jawed hadn't recorded anything at all, but old Trunks was now so terrified that his face had gone livid, no longer able to realize that fact.
Then, without giving him a chance to say anything more, he threw the old man to the ground, then slammed the door shut.
Trunks stood rooted outside. Only after a long while did he snap back to himself.
"Damn it! You bastard, you hypocrite, you worthless poor trash! I'll double your debt, and we'll see if you can still play the saint when you're broke! Hahahahahahaha!" He roared, bursting into maniacal laughter.
Inside, after finally driving him away, Jawed gradually calmed down. Just moments ago, hearing his words, he had almost wanted to strangle him to death.
That old man had talked about selling the girl, treated her as nothing more than an object to be traded.
It was no different from human traffickers in his previous life. Many children at the orphanage where he grew up had once been kidnapped and sold by people like that.
To him, they were animals, vile and filthy.
They were the very ones who had pushed other lives into suffering.
And yet, Jawed had once wished that he too had been kidnapped and sold before ending up at the orphanage.
That would have meant his parents had not abandoned him, that there had still been people who loved him.
Well, in any case, it had all happened long ago, he no longer cared anymore.
As for what the old man said about money? Perhaps, Jawed couldn't refute those words.
But being unable to refute them didn't mean agreeing with them.
At least, his present self wouldn't do filthy things for the sake of money.
He shifted his attention back to the girl. Seeing her standing there silently, her shimmering eyes fixed on him, Jawed felt a little awkward.
"Are you okay? Why are you staring at me like that?"
In response, the girl remained silent. Only after a long moment did her lips softly part:
"C-Co…... c-coo...."
"Huh?"
"So cool~(✧д✧)!"
Jawed: .....Haa?
....