Raven returned home.
The initial test had been a spar between him in Reinhard, ending in his overwhelming victory.
Well, not really.
"Haak...."
Raven bit his lip, feeling the scorch marks left on his skin. It would take a while to heal, hopefully, it wouldn't leave a scar.
Noticing that the lights were out in the living room, Raven sneakily entered, trying not to wake Reina up if she were asleep.
However.
Flick—
The lights suddenly turned on. Raven flinched.
"So—"
"...!"
A voice resounded. Raven reluctantly turned around. There, Reina was standing with her arms crossed.
"—What were you up to this late at night?"
"Uh...."
Cold sweat beaded from his forehead.
He didn't want to tell Reina. Not because of what the job entailed. But because he knew Reina would try to stop him.
Truth be told, they were currently facing some financial issues.
Raven, being the way he is, wanted to help Reina out to lighten the burden on their finances.
It was the least he could do. After all, he was practically leeching off her.
He was truly grateful for her.
"So?"
"Yes...?"
"Care to explain yourself?"
"Uhm...."
Raven's eyes darted around, eventually landing on the clock.
"Oh, look at the time. I better head to bed—"
"Hold it."
Before he could walk away, Reina grabbed the cuff of his shirt.
"I found this lying in the bathroom."
"Ah...."
Reina held out a small bottle. It was the anxiety pills he had bought recently.
'Shit....'
Because of the episode he had earlier, he had to rush taking a shower so he wouldn't be late for his meeting with Lianna. For that reason, he forgot to stow the pills away.
"I—"
"Listen."
Reina cut him off. Her expressions were soft, laced with a tinge of concern.
"You can talk to me, you know? I'm your guardian."
"...."
There was no way he could do that. He could barely remember the things he had seen.
They were all akin to a fever dream, yet at the same time, so vivid.
Just that....
Scratch. Scratch.
His neck felt itchy.
Looking at Reina's eyes, he had a hard time avoiding her gaze. She looked like a puppy.
Raven sighed and shook his head.
While he couldn't tell her about something he couldn't even explain for himself, he could at least tell her about the job to ease her worries.
"....Where do I begin?"
***
After removing the stuffy clothing, Lianna plopped down on the sofa.
It had been a busy day. She wanted to oversee Raven and Reinhard's match, but she couldn't due to other matters she needed to attend to.
Sitting up, Lianna fixed her bra strap and stared at the documents strewn on the glass table in front of her.
They were all related to showbiz—contracts, financial reports, schedules for upcoming releases.
Lianna frowned at the thought.
"I need some sleep."
Ziiip—
But not before she....
Squench. Squench~
Hands inside....
"Mmh~!"
***
"So you're going to be bodyguarding idols?"
"Yes.... that's basically the job."
Raven replied, leaning back in his chair, trying to seem casual about it.
Reina blinked, staring at him for a moment before folding her arms.
"But why? You should prepare for the second semester. Why are you looking for a job this early?"
Raven sighed, shifting in his seat.
"I know, but we need the money, Reina. I'm just trying to help out. And it's not like I'm slacking off. This job is good experience, and it'll help me in the long run. It's not just about the paycheck."
Reina's frown deepened.
"You didn't even tell me. I had no idea you were looking for work."
"I didn't want to worry you. But when the opportunity came up, I figured I should go for it. It's good on-hand experience, and having a work reference like this will help me in the future."
She stared at him, still not convinced.
"Bodyguarding idols...."
Reina pondered. The job sounded complicated.
Her mind wandered back to two years ago. When they had caught Francis Osborn, she regretted bringing Raven along.
Raven had insisted on being part of the mission to save his friend, Amy Ashfield.
He was determined and eager to prove himself. She couldn't say no. She had given him a chance to fight.
But that day, Raven almost died.
She didn't want to remember.
"It's not as dangerous as it sounds. Most of the time, it's just being there, making sure things don't get out of hand. Besides, it's a legitimate gig. It's not forever, just something to help us out."
He paused before adding,
"Just something to help us out."
Reina bit her lip, still uneasy, but she knew Raven wasn't the kid from two years ago. He had grown stronger since then.
Well, he had a point.
And money was a bit short right now.
It wasn't her fault to begin with. There was a lack of high–paying jobs for rankers these days.
There had been reports of a mysterious individual taking down Wraith cults, immediately after they were reported.
The only description they had was that the man wore a hood and a mask.
But there was one key factor that wouldn't leave Reina's mind.
The man used a sword, and had mastery over the [Ice] affinity.
But from the mana signature, it wasn't exactly the [Ice] affinity itself, but rather, an advanced version that derived from [Ice].
A sword and expertise over ice....
It almost sounded like Lucian Frost.
"So, Reina?"
"Hm?"
She was snapped out of her thoughts.
"Can I accept the job?"
Reina sighed and nodded her head.
"Fine, but be careful. The internet goes crazy around these idols. Almost everything that happens becomes controversial."
"Of course, I'm aware of that. Like I said, it's just a bodyguarding job. I probably won't even interact with these idols."
"Yeah, sure. A seventeen year–old, almost eighteen, around beautiful women his age."
Plus, Raven was definitely good–looking. If anything, it might be the women causing him trouble.
"...?"
Raven blinked his eyes, clearly oblivious of what she was trying to say.
Reina sighed.
"Just.... don't do anything crazy."