"Senior Vanda, are we going right now?!"
Seeing an excited Philip, Putato found it a bit strange and called Salvador back.
"But isn't he your apprentice? Why aren't you going along to supervise?"
"Haha, during the previous missions, I noticed the two of you share more common ground. I'm not some stubborn, unchanging old fossil. As for Yuna, she actually wants to rest."
"That's right. Who finishes a commission and immediately rushes to the next one like you do? I only got worked like that when I was a low-grade Fixer."
"Just let us know once it's done. See you back at the Office."
Yuna voiced her complaints as she followed Salvador out of the building, leaving Philip to prattle on about the details of the commission.
"The commission data will be sent shortly; I might need to print some of it out. Also, the target location this time is inside the N Nest, so I'll need to apply for a temporary Office pass for you first, Senior Vanda."
"We need to investigate a lunatic known as The Grinch. This person committed massacres in five private schools and four high-rise office buildings, with casualties exceeding ten thousand. Most importantly, they disrupted a major family's auction."
"The commission requirements are simple: find The Grinch, then kill them."
"Two Offices took this commission previously, including a Grade 4 Fixer, but everyone sent out was wiped out."
After listening to Philip's serious intelligence report, Putato frowned. He hadn't expected the Nests to be so similar to the Backstreets that such major incidents could occur.
And he wondered if the bounty for this commission was only raised to Urban Plague level because of that auction house. To think the City still had vermin like nobility: once he became the Pinnacle of The City, he'd slaughter them all eventually.
"Alright, Philip. You start by gathering some intelligence online, compile and organize it. This is a test of your abilities. I'm going to pick up some gear first; this commission sounds like it'll be dangerous."
"No problem! I'm actually quite good at the intelligence side of things!"
Seeing Philip sit down in the waiting area and start typing enthusiastically, Putato immediately left the Association building. He rushed to contact Olga for a drink; otherwise, once he started the commission, he'd likely forget all about it.
[Putato: My treat. Come quickly.]
[Olga: Wait for me!]
...
Sakura Clear Bar.
After swiping his card and entering the private room, Putato hadn't even sat down when he heard the door being kicked open. A huffing and puffing Olga nodded to him with a frown. However, instead of coming inside, she leaned against the doorframe, breathing softly.
"Why aren't you coming in? I thought you'd be eager to grab a bottle."
"Because I'm annoyed. Why do you summon me like a dog just to treat me to a drink? Wasn't I the one who set the time?"
"Sorry, Olga. I've been busy with commissions. I'm a Grade 3 Fixer now, and I just wanted to catch up with an old friend."
"Ah, so you just squeezed me in to placate me? Fine, I'm leaving."
Seeing Olga turn to leave, Putato quickly stepped forward and caught her arm. She'd looked out for him back at the Molar Office; he couldn't let a simple dinner invitation turn them into enemies.
THUD! Olga grabbed Putato's wrist and pulled, slamming him onto the floor before kicking the door shut.
"Then let me see your sincerity."
Olga grabbed a bottle, smashed the cap off, and aggressively shoved it toward Putato's mouth, drenching his face.
"You know? Back in the Backstreets, I was actually considered rich. I was very young then."
"Then my old man suddenly vanished. God knows if he died or ran away. Anyway, my mom didn't know how to do anything, so I ended up having to comfort her."
Olga downed half the bottle, then poured the rest over Putato beneath her.
"That woman was so scared she thought she wasn't good enough, and that's why my old man left. The pet dog we had was starving to death, she was washing vegetables with detergent, and she didn't even know which place to go to identify his body."
The spilled liquor made the room feel sweltering. Putato could only let the drunken Olga sit on him; she practically took a swig every other sentence, then shared the rest with him.
"She collapsed in bed like a child, pacing back and forth in the living room all day. She really didn't act like someone from the Backstreets."
Slightly tipsy, Olga leaned over him and pulled over a basket of beer.
"Anyway, she eventually snapped out of it. After all, nothing is indispensable in the City. At least she knew how to make fried eggs, though she died of illness shortly after."
The blonde hair plastered to his face with booze was making Putato uncomfortable. He reached up and brushed aside her eye wrap along with her hair.
"Vanda, the shadows created by others in the past will inevitably envelop us. If you don't move forward yourself, are you going to hope someone else shines a light? That's nothing more than a white shadow."
"I don't need that."
"I'm not one for sentimentality. If your heart isn't in this, then our relationship ends here. But I want to hear exactly why you're pushing yourself so hard. Otherwise, I'm the one losing out!"
Putato stared into Olga's eyes, sensing her genuine emotion. He finally understood why she loved alcohol like her life depended on it, and he couldn't help but be moved.
Sharing one's past so bluntly was a far more intimate act than showing someone your underwear.
"Of course, it's for the Pinnacle of The City."
"Maybe you've already suspected it, but this Fixer identity, Vanda, is just a cover I'm using. I was actually Putato, the one from the Syndicate. Changing identities helps avoid a lot of trouble."
"Huh?! I thought you guys were twins! And I heard Putato killed one of the Ring's Maestros, so why did you take a commission from the Ring before? Whatever, I'm too lazy to ask."
"Olga, don't you think my goal is ridiculous?"
"It is ridiculous. But how can other people's shadows envelop you? Just take a step forward and leave them behind."
Suddenly, Olga rolled off him and lay flat on her back beside Putato.
"But why do I feel like this goal is your shadow too? You don't seem like a naive dreamer, but rather a fugitive being hunted by vultures."
"No! There is no doubt about this!"
Putato pressed against his dizzy head, struggling to stand. He shook his head, wanting only to reach the bathroom and splash some water on his face to sober up, the sound of his footsteps splashing against the liquid on the floor.
Gripping the sink, Putato frowned in discomfort. He flicked the tap and rubbed his face vigorously, finally feeling a bit better.
His reflection in the mirror was the same as ever, except for the burn on the lower half of his face. It smiled and opened its mouth.
[Go up.]
Putato watched in confusion, easily reading the lip movements in the mirror. Suddenly, he felt something was off.
[Hurry up.]
"Go where?"
The moment he spoke, Putato snapped fully awake. The horrifying scene before him made his eyes widen in an instant.
[Up, now.]
Putato backed away in terror, watching his reflection grow more urgent. It felt impossible to believe.
From outside the bathroom, Olga's voice drifted in.
"Putato? You alright in there?"
"What the hell are you?!"
Straining to keep his voice low, Putato wondered if he was hallucinating. But the reflection sighed, spread its arms, and spoke.
[It is the fated demand of life.]
[It is the tremor of all creation's birth.]
[It is the sole great feat since you and he first trod the earth and gazed upon the heavens.]
The only thing Putato could think of was his other half. No matter what it had become, shouldn't it be in space right now? How could it enter the City?!
He tried to turn his gaze away, only to see, to his shock, his real self outside the mirror, stumbling as he leaned against the sink. Olga was approaching with a confused look, supporting his shoulder and seemingly asking him something.
Was he actually inside the mirror world?!
"Come. Come with me to The City Above!"
The reflection leaned closer, reaching out to grab him. Putato turned his head back and let out a cold sneer.
To hell with The City Above. He was going to work with Khaji to become the Pinnacle of The City!
BANG!
Putato kicked forward with all his might without hesitation, only to feel as if he had struck a pane of invisible glass. The surrounding space shattered instantly, and a sudden, blinding glare of sunlight from above forced Putato to instinctively narrow his eyes.
"Only this path leads to the destined goal!"
Amidst a vast and boundless stormy sea, the mirror self stood firmly on the violently swaying deck. With a sneer, he exerted his full strength to launch a massive, lethal whaling harpoon.
CLANG!
The Gladiator Exoskeleton surfaced on Putato's body along with the Brand of Fire. With a single swing of his Crusher, he swatted the harpoon aside. His terrifying sawteeth swung down toward the mirror self's head, but the opponent dodged with extreme agility, ducking low.
The surging wind instantly blew the opponent's captain's hat away.
The sea breeze vanished abruptly, and the ocean trembled as it transformed into a forest of towering skyscrapers.
The great ship was replaced by a narrow alley. Putato watched in disbelief as the mirror self's attire shifted in an instant, and a rapier characteristic of the Cinq Association suddenly lunged forward.
"You can fucking shapeshift too?!"
Whoosh!
The moment the blade tip pierced his white armor, the mirror self's entire body was covered in orange-colored brands. Blazing flames immediately engulfed him, causing his movements to falter.
Burning alive!
Finally seizing the opportunity, Putato, filled with wrath, slammed both hands together. The sharp, massive sawteeth shredded the mirror self in an instant, reducing nearly half of his body into a mess of minced meat and tattered rags.
In the brief moment Putato looked up, the surroundings had transformed into a laboratory filled with green light. The solution flowing from a nearby shattered cultivation glass covered the mirror self's mangled remains, allowing it to stand up once more.
"Is there no fucking end to you?!"
Massive clouds of softened-mist spread in all directions, filling the entire research lab in the blink of an eye.
The constantly shattering world caused the mirror self's appearance and weapons to shift wildly. As Putato fought fiercely, he felt as if both the enemy and the environment were nothing more than fragile, pasted paper. The chaotic dislocations made his brain reel with vertigo.
[You've already hammered two of our iron nails into the City, and yet you ask my purpose!]
[There is only unification.]
With his right arm bristling with various serum vials, the mirror self walked through a steel corridor flooded with alarm blares, leisurely tightening his right glove. Only now did he realize that no matter how much the mirror world changed, the impenetrable pure-white mist had never vanished, it had only grown thicker and more suffocating.
The fog caused visibility to shrink rapidly to about three meters, combined with the brand fires blazing across the floor. Anyone entering would be virtually blind, unable to take a single step.
Retracting his weapons, Putato sneered. If this was all the skill the opponent had, they were unworthy of spouting such nonsense in front of him. They didn't even feel as capable as Khaji.
Even if he truly had to reclaim his other half, he would be the one in control!
"Haha, unification is fine, but I will be the one dominating you!"
BOOM!!!
The massive explosion of mist and brands, which enveloped even himself, turned everything white before Putato's eyes. The supersonic blast and detonation rendered all his senses completely useless.
By the time he opened his eyes with a lingering sense of dread, he was leaning against the sink, gasping for breath. The world finally felt solid and clear again.
Looking up, the mirror he had shattered with a punch reflected his lingering panicked face like a kaleidoscope, alongside a worried Olga watching him.
"Putato, what are you doing? You didn't seem this drunk before. Were you faking it last time?!"
"You're asking me what I'm doing?!"
Putato was overjoyed to have finally escaped the danger. Looking back, his other half had no way to force anything upon him inside the City; it had merely been trying to break him down psychologically.
He'd knock that thing down eventually!
He excitedly gripped Olga's shoulders, squeezing hard enough to make her cry out in pain.
"I was dumped by you, can't I blow off some steam?! I almost didn't make it back just now, damn it. Good thing I pushed through!"
Seeing Olga frozen in place with shock, Putato excitedly snatched the beer bottle from her arms and downed half of it in one go, only to be hit by the stinging flavor and cough violently.
"Hahaha, let me teach you how it's done."
Putato, his face flushed from coughing, was immediately silenced by Olga. The warm liquor was once again pressed into his mouth. For a split second, he was reminded of Yixin's snakes and her tongue.
The booze mixed with saliva turned viscous, forming shimmering silver threads between their lips.
Olga sat on the sink with a smug look, her shirt completely soaked and clinging to her skin. She crossed her arms and watched Putato as he gradually caught his breath.
"I'm not heartless. If you're willing to take the day off and stay with me today..."
"Can't. I have to do a commission in the Nest."
"Then get the hell out!"
Olga pulled off her shoes and angrily kicked Putato out of the bathroom. Her expression darkened again, watching Putato stumble back while rolling his eyes.
Putato looked at Olga sitting on the sink, wiggling her bare toes. After a moment of thought, he spoke.
"I'll buy you a drink next time."
"Scram!"
...
Outside the Hana Association station building.
Putato looked with annoyance at his clothes, which hadn't dried yet. He kept rubbing the back of his head, trying to ease his hangover. Opening his eyes after a deep breath, he saw a bewildered Philip.
"Senior Vanda? Weren't you going to get weapons? Why do you reek of alcohol?"
Faced with Philip's curious triple-question, Putato didn't know how to answer for a moment. He really had intended to just placate Olga briefly, but he didn't expect that woman to play so far outside the rules.
He couldn't exactly tell Philip that while he was busy working, Putato had gone out for beers. That would be too heartless.
"Ahem, I went to Giant Workshop to get my weapons serviced. You know how it is, powerful weapons always come with massive repair bills."
"The prick at the Workshop wouldn't touch my gear unless I grabbed a drink with him first. You know how it is, it's hard to say no to an old buddy."
"Besides, to ensure your safety, I went out of my way to pick up some new equipment. To get it ahead of schedule, I literally had to drink the guy under the table."
Philip scratched his head, looking a bit sheepish, but still tentatively suggested, "Then, Senior Vanda, maybe we should rest here and head out tomorrow? Will you be okay to move like this?"
"Don't worry, I'm fine now. Let's get a car and move out."
"Alright. We need to take a train to the N Nest. I've already bought the tickets."
"Good job! You're already halfway to becoming a Fixer who can handle things on your own."
"Really?!"
After hearing his master Salvador recount Putato's exploits in detail, Philip now utterly idolized a genuine genius like Putato. Hearing such high praise made him beam with joy.
He immediately and spiritedly helped Putato into the car. He enthusiastically tried to hand the printed documents to Putato, but unfortunately, Putato, having just experienced a struggle in the mirror world on top of the drinking, leaned against the car window and fell fast asleep.
"As expected of Senior Vanda. He's probably been pulling high-intensity commissions non-stop. He uses every spare second of downtime just to get some rest."
"Though, as for drinking... I'm not very good at it."
Philip pulled a clean handkerchief from his briefcase to wipe Putato's face and clothes, only then considering whether he should try drinking sometime.
...
Entrance to the K Nest.
The sleeping Putato was nudged awake. He rubbed his eyes, feeling his head was much clearer.
"Let's go, Senior Vanda. We need to catch this Warp Train."
"The what?!"