After an hour of picking and choosing along the wholesale street, Vera finally found a satisfactory price at a grocery store at the end of the street.
Although the clothes and shoes here were all second-hand, their condition was quite good, washed very clean, without the slightest smell.
After another round of careful selecting, Vera bought three sets of clothes and shoes for each person. She could finally change out of Emiya's oversized coat, putting on a fitted shirt and jeans.
With some bargaining, Vera at the moment of paying also relied on her astonishingly beautiful face to successfully persuade the shop owner to throw in three pairs of sandals and a snakeskin bag as freebies.
It was early summer now, and sandals would be indispensable later, not only for going out for walks, but also for wearing into the bathroom at home to take showers.
Finally solving a major matter, a faint smile appeared even on Vera's normally cold face. But Emiya and Acheron's faces had completely darkened.
The two of them were not only extremely good-looking, but also dressed luxuriously. Yet they had with them a girl in shabby clothes.
And seeing how the pretty girl looked so excited even when picking up cheap clothes, people would surely think she was often mistreated.
Along the way, there were sneering voices everywhere, some open, some behind their backs.
Shopkeepers even more than once suspected that Vera was a stolen child, and pulled at Emiya and Acheron, insisting they call the police and have them arrested.
When the police came and confirmed Vera was really their only daughter, just too poor to afford clothing, the voices of scorn grew even louder.
If it weren't for Emiya's tall figure and his blackened face full of killing intent, likely someone would have already run up and cursed them to their faces as unworthy parents.
"Don't mind other people's looks. We don't steal, we don't rob, we're upright and aboveboard."
Vera slung the snakeskin bag onto her shoulder, took both Emiya's and Acheron's hands, and softly said, "Let's work hard together. Step by step, let's build our own utopia."
"Mm, you're right." Emiya took the snakeskin bag off Vera's shoulder into his hand, and at the same time lifted her up onto his own shoulder.
In that moment, Emiya seemed to have found the meaning of his own existence.
"Let me carry the bag!" Acheron took the bag in her right hand, and with her left hand gripped Emiya's big hand tightly. "Let's work hard together!"
———
Unlike the smooth process of buying clothes, house-hunting could only be described as full of twists.
The prices around the city center were just too high. Even the cheapest rental was 250,000 yen a month, and required gift money, deposit money, guarantee money, as well as agent fees, lock replacement fees, and so on.
After much picking, the three finally all set their sights on a reinforced-concrete two-story house in the rural outskirts of Harima.
The house had three bedrooms and a living room on both upper and lower floors, plus a courtyard. Rent was only 100,000 yen, with one month's deposit and one month's rent upfront, no extra fees. The only requirement was a Kobe household registration.
After setting the viewing time for tomorrow morning at ten, the sky outside was already completely dark. The three were also nearly at their limit of energy.
They casually bought three pieces of bread at a convenience store and just sat down on a bench by the road to gnaw at them.
Gnawing away, the three suddenly looked up and met each other's eyes as if by telepathy, then all burst out laughing.
One of them was a peerless powerhouse who could cut down stars, one an otherworldly Heroic Spirit, one a newly born guardian.
On any planet, they could dominate at will, yet here they were, troubled over daily bread and rice.
"Let's go sleep in that park up ahead, I'm tired." Vera covered her mouth and yawned.
"The funds are still sufficient. Better to stay somewhere proper." Emiya pointed at a glowing advertisement board ahead.
"You two probably want to take a proper bath and sleep on a warm soft bed, right?"
"Don't want to." Acheron shook her head. Vera also followed, shaking her head in agreement.
They only wanted to wait until they had rented their own house tomorrow, then bathe there in their own home. Only then would they feel at ease to rest.
———
With bottled water, they finished the remaining bread in a few bites. Acheron was just about to pull Vera up, when suddenly the light was blocked by a huge shadow.
The man standing before them was over two meters tall, wearing a flower-print shirt that only made his pig-like fat body look even greasier.
Supporting his round belly, the man wiped sweat from his face with a handkerchief while flashing what he thought was a hearty, but was actually lecherous, smile.
"Heh heh, beautiful lady and young miss, my name is Tony." Tony removed his hat and gave a gentleman's bow. "May I ask how to address you two?"
"Get lost, you're blocking the way." Acheron's perception was extremely strong. She didn't even need to look to know exactly what filthy things this fat-bellied man was thinking.
Tony's face shifted slightly, but he quickly adjusted. He pulled out a thick wad of bills from his briefcase. "Lady, this is just a token of my sincerity. Once we get to the villa, I'll give you three times as much."
Acheron had never been so insulted. Her instinct was to smash a fist straight into the pig's head. But seeing the greasy sweat covering his wobbling fat, she reluctantly withdrew her hand and turned to Emiya instead.
"You handle this. Vera and I will wait ahead." Saying that, Acheron scooped Vera into her arms and fled around Tony as fast as she could.
"Tony, is it? Killing is against the law here. Don't provoke me." Emiya tidied his hair, forcibly suppressing his anger.
"You must be new here. I wonder if you've heard..."
Bang!
Before Tony could continue his drivel, Emiya yanked up the bench beneath him and smashed it down. Blow after blow rained until the man was squealing like a pig, before Emiya finally stopped.
Looking at the bench shattered into wood chips, Emiya grabbed Tony by the collar with one hand and hoisted him into the air.
Smiling kindly, he said, "Destroying public property is also against the law here. Please deliver the compensation money to the road administration yourself. Understood?"
"Ah, ow, ah! How dare you treat me like this, you, your little wife, and that girl will all..."
"Say one more word, and you die." Emiya ground the words out through his teeth. Endless killing intent spread out, so intense even the crows on the street lamps fled in terror.
The commotion had drawn a crowd of onlookers. Emiya knew he couldn't drag this out. Patiently, he asked again, "Understood?"
"Understood! Understood!" Tony collapsed limply to the ground, nodding frantically, his whole body trembling like a sieve. From his pant leg even dripped an unknown liquid.
Watching Emiya's back as he walked farther away, Tony's eyes instantly shifted from terror to sinister malice, his face twisting into a gloating smile.
Years of crawling through the underworld, Tony had seen plenty of hotheaded youths die from running their mouths.
That's why he'd honed this cowardly act. As long as he gathered people afterward to retaliate, he could return the humiliation double.
In fact, Tony rather enjoyed this sort of scene, watching ignorant youths swagger and boast, then later capturing them, slapping them down, and making them watch their loved ones getting torturd, it made him feel ecstasy beyond breath.
Ever since Tony had latched onto the big tree of Mafia boss D, neither the underworld nor the authorities dared provoke him.
Even the common folk on the streets mostly knew his background. It had been a long time since he'd had the chance to show off his acting skills.
"Boss Fred, it's me, Tony."
Tony pulled out his phone and dialed the area manager Fred. This man had certain peculiar hobbies, even handsome men weren't spared. For these three perfect specimens today, surely he would be eager.
"Well done, Tony."
On the other end, Fred, panting and thrusting away in the middle of his own "business," let out a sinister laugh.
"Tomorrow, take two men and bring them back. If they're really as good as you say, that villa you've had your eye on is yours."
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