Zane headed over to a vending machine, wanting to grab a drink. After choosing one, he inserted the proper amount of Dennies and waited for the machine to dispense it.
After ten or so seconds, he raised an eyebrow.
Where was it?
Just ate my money and gave me nothing, huh?
Staring at the machine, Zane suddenly remembered—wasn't this the one that had been glitching before? That drink he didn't get might just end up in the hands of someone lucky enough to pay once and get two.
"Wonder if this trick still works."
He kicked the vending machine twice, just like he remembered, and after a few seconds—clunk—a bottle dropped into the tray below.
It actually worked?
Zane's eyes narrowed. With his sharp eyesight, he caught a glimpse of a grayish-blue Bangboo hand pulling back under the machine a second too slow.
So that's what's going on.
He picked up the drink. Hmm... not the one he ordered, but it would do.
He didn't really care. Being able to witness a Bangboo handing out drinks was kind of a reward in itself.
Just as he unscrewed the cap and took a sip—impressed by how good the drinks in New Eridu were—some commotion drifted over from a nearby alley.
Zane stopped and looked deeper into the alley.
"Hey, little runt, hand over all those Dennies. I saw that lady give you a bunch."
"Let's get this straight—it's protection money. You Bangboos wanna move around Sixth Street without trouble, you pay up."
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm! (No, a kind person gave these to me. I can't give them to you.)"
A red-eyed, pale-skinned Bangboo was cornered in the alley by two guys, shaking its head as it tried to explain where its Dennies came from. It clearly didn't want to hand anything over.
But the two weren't backing down. Even if they didn't understand Bangboo speech, its refusal was obvious.
"Come on, it's just a few Dennies. Treat us to some snacks and we'll make sure you're safe around here."
"Let me spell it out. We're the bosses of Sixth Street. Don't act tough. Don't make us get violent, or else…"
They took turns threatening the Bangboo, clearly used to pulling this kind of stunt. Just a Bangboo, after all—how hard could it be?
Then one of them noticed someone approaching. He turned—and saw Zane walking over.
"Mind your own business, punk. Unless you wanna get hurt."
One of them barked a warning.
Zane didn't say anything. He just looked amused. His bright eyes glinted with laughter.
Bosses of Sixth Street?
Did these two even know who lived around here?
"What's that look? You mocking us? We warned you—don't say we didn't—"
The guy stepped forward, humiliated by Zane's grin, ready to teach him a lesson.
Whoosh!
A ball of fire flared up in Zane's hand.
He flexed his fingers, and the flames danced across his palm, flickering and twisting with his movements. He played with the fire lazily, giving the two a disinterested glance.
"Scram."
"You... you...!"
They froze, eyes wide, unable to process what just happened. Fear flickered across their faces—and they turned tail and ran.
"Annoying."
Zane waved his hand, extinguishing the flames. He looked down at the Bangboo and said softly,
"Alright. No one's gonna take your Dennies now."
"Mm-hmm! (You're a good person too!)"
Zane had never learned Bangboo-speak, but after spending some time with Panta, he could sort of get the gist. The little guy was probably thanking him.
"I've got nothing going on. Want me to help save your friend? Don't worry—I'm a good guy."
He reached out and ruffled the Bangboo's head with a smile.
That cat... if too much time passed, it might suffer lasting effects or even die.
Zane wasn't sure if his earlier butterfly effect had changed anything, but now that the moment felt right, he wasn't going to just walk away.
Cats were, after all, adorable creatures.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. (Sure! But I still don't have enough Dennies.)"
Zane saw it smiling and took that as agreement. Since it could understand him, he said,
"Lead the way."
Unexpectedly, the Bangboo raised its foot. On it was written: "One Dennies per touch."
"Haha, you little rascal. You sure know how to haggle."
Zane didn't mind. Smiling, he handed over a Dennies, but the Bangboo gave it right back.
Then it tipped over a whole pile of Dennies at Zane's feet—everything it had.
"Mm-hmm, mm-hmm. (I need Dennies to buy batteries. I don't have enough, but I'll pay you back later.)"
"Tch... what am I supposed to say to that?"
Zane looked down at the loose coins. There were seventy or eighty, maybe more. He sighed.
Out of respect for the Bangboo's sincerity, Zane accepted the Dennies. Of course, it wasn't nearly enough to pay for the medical help a wounded cat needed.
Luckily, he still had "support" from his old gang days. He wasn't exactly short on funds right now.
Just as he was about to follow the Bangboo, a familiar voice called out behind him—one of the thugs who had run off earlier.
"Officer! That's the guy! He was playing with fire—threatening a good citizen like me in broad daylight!"
Zane turned around, raising an eyebrow.
"Zhu Yuan? What are you doing in Sixth Street?"
Zhu Yuan looked surprised to see him, but her face quickly lit up with relief.
"I came to find you about updating your profile for the citizen registry. The video store was closed, and no one else really remembered you, so I went looking..."
"You didn't have to come all this way. That's a hassle. I was planning to drop by the Bureau sometime soon."
Zane could tell she was being thoughtful, and he responded sincerely.
Nearby, the two thugs overheard the conversation. Their hearts sank.
Wait—this high-ranking officer knew that guy? They were clearly acquainted?!
They had been getting ready to twist the whole story, but it turned out these two were on the same side!
Game over.
Before they could quietly slip away, Zhu Yuan's voice cut in again.
"You two. Come over here and explain what happened."
"If there's a misunderstanding, we'll clear it up right here."