Staring at the notification on her communicator, Sakura's eyes flew wide open. It was like a drowning person grabbing hold of driftwood. Hope reignited in her chest.
She immediately opened Poison Cocoon's official app, a task distribution platform called Kill It Yet.
A new listing had just gone live.
Task Type: Tracking
Location: Far East, Nagazora City
Reward: One Million
"A search job… with a reward in the seven figures?"
Sakura was genuinely surprised. This payout was even higher than some assassination contracts.
But her hands did not slow down for even a second. She accepted the mission immediately.
If she could complete this, her current dead end would be resolved.
The moment she confirmed the task, the app chimed again. Another mission popped up, pushed directly to her screen.
Task Type: Kidnapping
Location: Far East, Nagazora City
Reward: Ten Million
Sakura froze, staring at the numbers.
She counted them again. And again.
Ten million. Not one.
Her heart clenched, her breathing quickening on its own.
Years of assassin instinct kicked in. She accepted the mission at maximum speed.
If she could pull this off, she would not only escape her current crisis, but also secure her sister's medical expenses for a long, long time.
"Gods… do you really exist after all?"
She murmured under her breath. The emotional whiplash was so violent that she almost believed some higher power was watching over her.
After taking the missions, Sakura rushed to Nagazora City as fast as she could.
It did not take long for her to understand why a kidnapping job carried a reward in the tens of millions.
Because the target's name was Ryoma.
Even as an assassin, Sakura had heard that name repeatedly in Far East news lately.
The rapidly rising industrial giant ME Corp. Its president. The man who had proposed the Second New Nagazora plan just days ago, a name known across the entire region.
Sakura guessed this kidnapping likely involved political or corporate power struggles. But that was none of her concern.
Her job was simple.
Find Ryoma. Kidnap him.
Still, that raised a problem.
"As the president of ME Corp, he must have serious security around him."
Ordinary security was not an issue for her, but preparation took time.
And time was exactly what Sakura did not have.
She needed the money before next month's medical bill was due.
"If you really exist, unknown god… could you just make Ryoma appear in front of me?"
She muttered to herself, then laughed bitterly.
"What am I thinking? That's ridiculous. I should focus on how to grab him…"
Just then, a wail rose from nearby.
"Waaah! No! Nooo!"
"My money! My money!"
Sakura turned toward the noise.
A man was kneeling on the ground, tearing at his own hair and screaming toward the sky. Beside him lay a thin document envelope. Behind him stood a lavishly decorated pachinko parlor.
"Just a gambler who lost everything," Sakura thought, already turning away.
Then she stiffened.
She snapped her head back, eyes locking onto the kneeling man.
"That face…"
A short while earlier.
After leaving the African plantation, Ryoma discovered a stack of cash and a direct plane ticket to Nagazora City inside the envelope.
So, two months later, he returned to the city.
With the bulging envelope tucked under his arm, Ryoma planned to go straight home.
But the moment he thought of home, he thought of his daughter Mei. And with that came a surge of guilt and unease.
He did not know how to face her.
"Maybe… I should buy Mei some gifts."
Once the thought formed, his feet unconsciously carried him toward the shopping district.
And then he stopped.
In front of a pachinko parlor.
Staring at its flashy exterior, Ryoma felt as though a feather was brushing against his heart. After two months, his gambling addiction stirred again.
Smack.
Ryoma slapped himself hard across the face.
Holding his swelling cheek, he gritted his teeth.
"Ryoma, how can you be this pathetic?"
"Don't let gambling control your brain. You promised to be a proper father. To be Mei's role model!"
He spat toward the entrance.
"Disgusting."
Straightening his back, he turned and walked away.
From this day on, Ryoma and gambling were mortal enemies.
Then he heard it.
The clattering, addictive chime from inside the parlor.
Ryoma stopped.
Turned around.
And walked straight in.
"They say it's better to vent than suppress. After what I went through in Africa, my willpower is rock solid. I won't get carried away."
"I'll just play a little. Just a little."
"And if I win big, I can buy Mei even better gifts. Change how she sees me."
With that flawless logic, Ryoma strode inside.
Some time later…
He stumbled out of the pachinko parlor and collapsed to the ground, screaming at the sky.
"Nooo! Nooo!"
Tears of regret slid helplessly down his face.
"My money! My money!"
The envelope lay empty beside him.
Regret and despair crushed his chest, his pride grinding into dust.
And at that lowest moment, a gentle voice spoke beside him.
"Excuse me… are you Ryoma?"
He looked up.
A pink-haired woman wearing a mask stood before him, holding a photo and studying him carefully.
A strange sense of familiarity surfaced. Memories stirred. He recalled trading his entire life to that Faded Fairy for money.
A bold thought struck him.
He straightened his kneeling posture, eyes blazing.
"I'm Ryoma! I'm Ryoma!"
"Are you another Faded Fairy? Can you give me money? I… I can trade my life for it!"
He looked at Sakura with desperate hope.
What he received instead was a sharp chop to the neck.
Thud.
Ryoma collapsed instantly.
"I don't even have money myself. And you want to ask me for it?"
Dragging the unconscious Ryoma away, Sakura's eyes gleamed with unrestrained joy.
Because she knew.
She was about to get paid.
…
2 Chapters per day, for more chapters/fics, support ErbiumTL on Patreon.