After briefly washing himself up in a cheap hotel, Auren meets up with Vanessa and Neffi. He spends the day with them, shopping for fresh clothes and visiting a nice restaurant, just having fun for once.
Both of them tell him about their exploits, mainly Vanessa training and messing with her brother, who is taking care of their family's businesses, and Neffi talks about her studies and even a few new products. She also mentions research about the new materials she's transported to Yorknew.
As Auren prepares to visit the auction, with Battle Olympia scheduled just a few days after it, he realizes his schedule is suddenly quite packed.
Continuing his training for a while longer, he has to temporarily pause it, as his phone starts vibrating.
Better pick it up....
Dreading the call, he reluctantly walks toward his bag and picks it up, his change instantly changing back to 'serious mode'.
"Auren speaking," he replies confidently.
"Auren, we haven't talked in quite a while," a cold voice speaks through the phone.
This isn't Pariston, it's... Illumi.
"Hello, Illumi," Auren replies, hiding his surprise.
"You know, I've heard some interesting news about you. I heard you improved at an unexpectedly fast rate. I've been told that you are more than just impressive by now."
I met Milluki and his mother at the Trade Fair...!
"From your mother?" Auren asks politely.
"Indeed," Illumi confirms. "My dear mother was quite impressed by you."
"Really? She was rather... stoic," Auren comments, not even recalling speaking with her all that much.
"Though I am slightly inconvenienced by that fact, Auren. I fear this is partly your fault. You see, my mother loves to talk to my father. In summary, I was told to quickly father a female child to allow you to join the family."
"What?" Auren asks, not understanding. "What do you mean?"
"I mean exactly what I said," Illumi states politely.
"..."
This family....
"No offense, Illumi..." Auren mutters, trying to hide his shock and disgust. "But that wouldn't be something I'd be particularly interested in, no offense to you personally. I am not interested in such a ... deal. It has nothing to do with your family but with the... process you envision."
"I see, what a shame. You can still think it over, should it happen later down the road. In any case, I want to offer you a deal," Illumi offers, and immediately switches over to business mode, his tone becoming slightly colder.
"What deal? Assassination? I can't imagine why you would ever need my help," Auren asks, before immediately shifting his attitude. "My schedule is rather... full, so if it's a large operation, I'm afraid I am not interested."
Unbothered, Illumi does not hesitate to continue his negotiation. "It might be a great fit for your schedule. You are a floor master, are you not? I want you to assassinate a fellow Floor Master. He's a candidate to win the upcoming Battle Olympia. If you are competing, you can do it without wasting time... just make sure when you win that your opponent does not lose by points. It would be quite the hassle for us to do it on our own. We also do not want to draw too much attention to the Zoldyck Family."
I see. That is indeed suitable for my schedule.
"I need details and terms. If you are fearing the consequences, I'm not sure I want to get dragged into a scandal. In any case, if you hide information, I'll reject the deal immediately," Auren immediately states, not intimidated at all.
"Grandpa will send you a dossier, and I promise nothing will be left out. Think it over for a few days, and give me a reply, text is fine. We don't accept any negotiation, so if you don't like the terms, just decline. You'll receive your fee when you succeed, should you decide to accept our offer," Illumi explains, seemingly unbothered by Auren's strict conditions.
"Understood," Auren replies, a little taken aback by the sudden offer.
"Thank you for doing business with us," Illumi replies in a calm, casual voice, before ending the call.
"..."
Weird family.
As soon as Auren intends to put back his phone and resume training, it rings again. This time, displaying the name 'rat' on its display.
So Lightning does strike twice.
"Pariston," Auren answers forcefully.
"My dear Auren, might I inquire where you currently are?" Pariston asks, sounding amused.
"Yorknew... I have a little interest in the auction, expanding the collection, you know? After that, I'll be heading to Heaven's Arena to participate in Battle Olympia," Auren replies honestly.
"Good," Pariston states. "These are suitable goals. Thank you for honestly telling me. I need to place a bet myself if that's the case. You should have reminded me earlier."
He then playfully laughs, even pouting a little, before finally getting serious. "You might need to skip a day or two of the auction. I have held my own little auction. I have clients lined up and deals made. As promised, despite our recent... amendment to our relationship, I'm still willing to hand over half of the income. I'll personally promise you anonymity, and all clients will be sedated. I just need you to... heal them. Everything will be perfectly handled by me, you have my word."
"Fine," Auren states. "That was the deal in the first place. I expect you'll stick by your words."
I need to agree. This is nothing new, though.
"I'm quite glad, I have to say. My plans are picking up more and more steam... how unexpectedly delightful. I might be able to act sooner than I think," he says, sounding vague on purpose.
"Are you making me curious intentionally? What is your plan then? I don't even know what your ambition is," Auren inquires, sounding annoyed.
Pariston laughs playfully. "Hahaha, telling you would ruin all the fun, wouldn't it? Trust me, Auren, as much as I'd like to play games, especially with you, I can confidently state, neither you nor your... no, our future organisation is involved. There is no need to worry... these games are just to sate my curiosity and desire for... entertainment."
Didn't expect him to tell me. Now to strike back.
"Good... also, I'd like to remind you, Pariston. The deal was to earn Jenny. It sounds to me like you've made more deals. Sorry, but that goes against the spirit of our agreement. If you get additional benefits, I'd like half of them as well," Auren warns him.
"These benefits... are not in Jenny," Pariston says, pausing slightly. "Paying you would be quite difficult, as well as attaching a monetary value to these various agreements. Though... strictly speaking, your argument is... technically correct. I'll just deduct it from the favors you owe me. Also, you can be sure that, despite receiving additional favors, everyone will be paying generously. You might be surprised."
"Can I trust that?" Auren clarifies. "These favors sound quite valuable."
"In business, I never lie," Pariston states completely calmly. "I have simply never come across an opponent that requires me to do something that convenient. I like to challenge myself, you know."
"..."
I want to end the call already.
"Okay, so text me the address and date. I'll be ready to cure... whoever you have in mind," Auren says. "The deal stands... we can talk about the rest in person."
"I will do just that then. I'll see you very soon," Pariston states, sounding cheerful. "In fact, I can't wait for it. What fun this situation has become."
"Yeah, yeah," Auren replies, trying not to snap at him. "See you soon."
"Very... very soon... goodbye, dear Auren," Pariston says in a sickeningly sweet and playful voice, causing Auren to instantly press the end call button.
Are there people even more... sick than this guy? I can't imagine... though why does the face of a certain Jester come to mind?
The days pass, and the auction finally starts. Meanwhile, Jolt has returned, much to the disappointment of his daughters, only taking his wife and Goreinu with him.
Having bought a catalogue, which entitles entry for himself and four guests, Auren enters, accompanied by Neffi and Goreinu.
Meanwhile, Ura, Oron, and Zepile join together with Vanessa and Konrad.
Just an hour before the auction, the now large group plans to meet in one of the many lounges inside the premises of the Southern Piece Auction.
The atmosphere is bright, and everyone is wearing fancy suits and colorful dresses. Only Auren was intending to wear his usual outfit, including his Regalia's refusing to strip them off. It took him more than just a little convincing, in addition to showing off his license, for the personnel to begrudgingly let him enter under certain conditions. In the end, he had to compromise and change into a suit, putting his armored clothes and diving suit into a bag that he now carries around. However, regardless, he's still wearing his Regalias, a feat achieved by simply lying and claiming that they are part of his culture and he is forbidden from removing them.
"Auren!" Konrad yells, approaching Auren and others as they join up. "You... what did you do to my sister? She was always annoying, but... this... she is totally out of control."
"... Nice to see you again, Konrad," Auren says, unbothered, "but I believe we have an important matter to attend to, and business to discuss. Stop fooling around with your sister. I know you two love each other, but that's not of interest now."
"How could you?!" he asks, looking shocked as Vanessa appears behind him and grasps his shoulder tightly.
"My dear brother..." she whispers.
"Now, Zepile, are you ready?" Auren addresses the newest member of their group, ignoring the siblings' squabbling.
"Yes," he replies confidently. "Over the next five days, I'll do my best to bid on any item specified. I've done opposition research and come up with a strategy. I believe I'll be able to acquire the items as cheaply as possible."
"Good... then let's enjoy the show," Auren announces, as he's looking around, approaching the large auction hall.
It's a nice place... I guess I can enjoy myself for once.
Just as he enters the hall with the others, his Beatle phone vibrates again. As he grabs it from his pocket, he sees the dreaded 'rat' appear on the display.
"It could have been such a nice day..." he complains.
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