The squads and teams were decided rather quickly. The guild had already seemed to know who they wanted to send, so there was little discussion needed on that front.

We departed the next day.

"...The plane ride will last about three hours. Take some rest since there’s a good chance we might get it once we arrive."

There were a few familiar faces on the plane.

After putting my luggage away, I looked down at my ticket, my eyes settling on the seat I had been assigned to.

[17D]

"....."

But there was a problem.

Someone was sitting there.

"What?"

She seemed to notice my presence as well, which wasn’t surprising given that I was standing in the aisle, looking directly at her. Lowering her sunglasses, she met my gaze, her brows slowly furrowing.

"If it’s an autograph that you want, then—"

"That’s my seat."

"Ah...?"

The Team Leader paused before taking out her ticket and looking at it. After which, she looked at the seating and immediately understood.

"You’re right."

After that, she put her ticket away and remained in her seat.

"..."

This woman...

"Are you not going to move?"

"Move?"

Soran lowered her sunglasses again, and her expression shifted ever so slightly. For a brief moment, she almost looked hurt.

A sense of foreboding crept in, and I already knew what was coming. Sure enough, her next words confirmed it as she spoke, her voice loud enough for everyone nearby to hear.

"After what you did to me that night, you’re really going to...!"

"What about it?"

I tilted my head while staring at her.

Soran blinked.

"What do you mean, what about it? You discarded me that night! You treated me like garbage after you were done with me! You men are always them same! You—"

"You threw up on me in the middle of it, that’s why I had to leave!"

It was Soran’s turn to look shocked as she blinked several times, seemingly at a loss as she mumbled, ’I did that...? No, that’s impossible.’

"You did!"

Well, no... but since she was making things up, I figured I might as well do the same. I covered my mouth as I reached for the seat, my legs trembling slightly.

"...I still have nightmares about it."

"You do...?"

"A-ah, yeah."

I held onto my chest while pursing my lips.

"It’s the way you touched my..." I clenched my teeth while looking away.

"Eh? Eh?"

Soran removed her sunglasses, her expression finally cracking.

"I didn’t do that!"

She pressed a finger against her temple, clearly scrambling to think of something to say. In the end, she blurted, "That’s right! I’m preg—"

"I’m here for you."

I suddenly reached for her hand, my other hand rising to gently brush against her cheek.

Soran froze instantly, her eyes widening in shock. A faint tingle ran through me as I took in her expression. Honestly, this was almost as entertaining as when I did the same to Catherine, my fingers lightly tracing through Soran’s hair as I patted her head.

"...You don’t have to go through it alone."

"Y-you... knew?"

"I’ve always known."

I continued patting the back of her head. Soran’s face went completely still, as if frozen in place. Then, slowly, tears gathered at the corners of her eyes before spilling over as she started pounding against my chest.

Thump! Thump! Thump!

"It’s all your fault! I was alone! I was... I was...!! Those were the hardest moments of my life!"

Seeing her like this, even I felt teary eyed. We were both messing around, but this almost felt too real.

I took a deep breath.

"I’m here for you, s-weetie. I’m here—"

"Are you two alright?"

A voice suddenly spoke over.

When I raised my head, I caught a glimpse of the numerous eyes that were locked in our direction. Practically the entire plane was staring at us. Well, not that it was full since it was a private plane, but still...

In particular, I could clearly feel the disgust in Catherine’s gaze as she looked in our direction. Even so, she managed to mask it, forcing a strained smile as she struggled to maintain her composure.

"Haha." She even pretended to laugh. Although just her face laughed, her eyes seemed extremely cold.

"You two are really funny. For a moment, I almost believed the two of you. Maybe you should think of starting a sort of drama together."

For a moment, neither me or Soran said a thing.

But that merely lasted a moment until I pulled closer to Soran while hugging her shoulder. At the same time, my shoulders trembled.

"...S-she... touched me inappropriately."

"What?!"

Soran stood up while suddenly pointing at Catherine.

"How could you touch my man like this!? Only I can do that!"

I nodded.

"...It’s true."

She reached down.

I slapped her hand.

"Tsk."

Did she just...?

"....!!"

Catherine’s mouth opened and closed repeatedly as her gaze shifted between the two of us, leaving her at a complete loss for words. She tried to speak, but nothing came out, especially as Soran shot her a sharp glare.

"You dirty bitch!"

"Alright, stop."

A lethargic voice cut through the noise as the Section Chief appeared behind us, his gaze settling in our direction as he raised a hand to rub his forehead.

"You’re holding up the line. Keep things flowing. Soran, you’re a Team Leader. Act like one."

"Ay."

Soran sighed, muttering something under his breath that only I managed to catch. "Just when things were starting to get fun."

She then sat next to me and crossed her arms.

I thought that would end things, but she soon turned her attention back towards me.

"You know, you’ve become a lot funnier than before."

I blinked.

"As in...?"

"You weren’t like this before. I didn’t take you as someone who would go along with my stuff. What do you say? It’s fun, right? Stirring shit."

Fun?

I thought about the entire situation, alongside the face Catherine made, as well as the faces that everyone else had made while we were making a scene. In the end, I smiled while leaning back against my chair.

"Yeah."

It was really fun.

I would’ve never done something like this in the past, but I had reached a point where I didn’t care for stuff like this anymore. The messier the better.

Oh, but...

"You’re still in my chair."

"Tsk."

"Swap."

"...Tsk. Tsk. As expected of men. You’ve grown tired of me after using me, eh?"

"Yes."

"Tsk. Tsk. Tsk."

And thus, we swapped seats.

*

There were no further hiccups during the plane ride. The only ones that were truly causing any trouble were Soran and me, but after some point, Soran fell asleep, and the peace returned to the plane. Well, to some extent.

’I need a new shirt.’

Coming out of the airport, I looked at my shoulder where a massive wet spot appeared.

’Disgusting.’

I continued to wipe it as we left the security clearance and arrived at the waiting area, where we were greeted by numerous people holding up signs that said, [Severed Stars Guild.]

The Section Chief immediately waved, and we were escorted outside the airport, where numerous black SUVs were waiting for us.

Taking a look at my surroundings, I was surprised by how well-built the airport was. Tall pillars stretched in every direction, supporting a massive veil-like structure that cast a wide shadow over the area beneath. The airport itself was relatively empty, but just outside stood rows of trees swaying gently in the soft breeze.

It was neither hot nor cold, and as we entered the SUVs, we were soon escorted into what appeared to be the Western District.

The moment we arrived, I felt the difference almost immediately. The wide roads began to narrow, the smooth surface giving way to uneven, bumpy ground that made every movement more noticeable. Graffiti covered nearly every wall, while rusted, broken gates stood crookedly along the sides as if barely holding on.

Looking outside, there weren’t many people in sight.

Those who did appear seemed to belong to the streets themselves, their clothes worn and their appearance haggard, moving slowly through the area as if weighed down by the environment around them.

The SUVs continued forward until we arrived at a large compound, the gates creaking open as we approached. The moment they did, I noticed several cars already parked inside, with people moving about in every direction.

As the vehicle finally came to a stop and the doors opened, I noticed it.

The numerous stares directed my way.