A knock echoed through the apartment. Akito approached the door, but his mind was a mess.
"Is it Rei and Ren again? Is the story going to repeat itself…?"
He stopped right in front of the door, hand hovering over the handle. The cold metal sent a shiver down his spine. He took a deep breath and, despite the unease, opened it.
Standing outside was a tall, white-haired man in an expensive blue suit, the faint scent of cologne lingering in the air. His tie was perfectly straight, and in his hands was a black leather folder.
"Good morning. My name is Shinji Arimoto. I'm an executive agent from Iron Nomad. This may come as a surprise, but we're here to offer your friend—" he glanced past Akito, toward the living room where Targus sat on the couch, "—an exclusive contract."
Akito blinked. Twice. Then finally managed to say:
"Wait… what?"
"A modeling contract," Shinji said calmly. "Your friend wore one of our brand's outfits at a shopping center. Security cameras caught him on video, and the clip blew up on social media. People loved it. Quotes included: 'A mountain god in streetwear,' 'If Iron Nomad can handle that body—I'm buying two shirts,' and 'New life goal: be like that guy.'"
Akito rubbed his face with a sigh.
"So… you want him to be a model?"
"The face of our brand. At least for the upcoming season. Ideally, he becomes the symbol of urban strength and masculinity. We're offering a starting fee of seven million yen for the first campaign. That's the base rate, of course. Bonuses come with print runs, online impressions, and collabs."
"What about documents?" Akito asked cautiously. "Passport, ID, insurance—he's… a little unusual."
Shinji gave a knowing smile, clearly prepared.
"We've arranged simplified registration through a private partner—similar to what's done with sports contracts. As long as he consents, all we need is a biometric scan, a name, and a signature. The rest is filed under 'non-public origin citizen.' We've done this before—with a Brazilian model we found in the jungle. Literally."
"Uh… okay then."
He turned to Targus, who had been staring at a cartoon panda in a kimono on TV this whole time.
"Targus… wanna promote clothing?"
"Will I be fighting someone?" he asked sternly, without turning.
"No. They'll take photos of you. In shorts."
"Hm… Will the shorts be comfortable?"
"Yes," Shinji chimed in. "We'll tailor a line to your exact size. Every measurement will be custom."
Targus stood, looming over the agent.
"If my Jarl agrees… then I agree too."
Shinji swallowed, then opened the folder with the gravity of a royal decree. He pulled out three glossy copies of the contract, stamped with the Iron Nomad logo.
On the right, there was a blank spot: "Model Name."
Targus held the pen, not sure what to do with it. Akito gently took it and scribbled:
"Targus. Just Targus."
With that, the contract was signed. Iron Nomad had a new face.
Once Akito added his signature at the bottom, Shinji carefully collected the papers into his folder and looked up.
"We'll begin the first shoot tomorrow. There will be a full team—stylists, makeup artists… and engineers," he added with a glance at Targus's absurdly wide frame. "Some outfits may need to be… restructured."
Targus thumped his chest proudly.
"Make sure they don't tear."
Akito sighed and closed the door behind him.
"Well… that happened. We officially have a model in the house now."
Back in the living room, Akito collapsed onto the couch with a groan, holding the thin folder. He turned it over in his hands without reading a word—his brain was still scrambled from everything that happened.
Elian approached calmly, arms folded behind his back.
"May I see what those papers contain?"
"Huh? Sure." Akito handed him the documents.
Elian sat down at the table and started reading through them with an expression of absolute focus. A few seconds passed.
"This is a good offer," he said with confidence, eyes still glued to the text.
"…Wait, what?" Akito squinted. "You can read Japanese?"
"Not sure how, but it's all clear to me." Elian shrugged. "Perhaps the system's connection is helping."
He kept reading, like a lawyer reviewing a million-yen contract. Akito was about to reply when a translucent system window popped up before his eyes.
[SYSTEM UPDATED]
[NEW PASSIVE QUEST UNLOCKED]
[NEXT ATTACK WILL OCCUR IN: 11 DAYS 06:52:09]
Akito exhaled slowly, fists clenched.
"Zalgrum… He's coming back. But this time will be different. I'll be stronger. I won't let them suffer again."
He looked to his Guardians—calm, loyal, prepared.
"We'll be ready," he whispered to himself. A vow.
[Noxveil]
Hey there, reader!
If you've made it this far, thank you so much. I'm writing this story in Russian and translating it into English — so I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Even one small comment gives me huge motivation 💬💙
Let me know who your favorite character is so far!