"Thanks for the lift, guys - see you around!"

Fable said with a charming smile as she waved from the house; we waved back and saw her enter the home to a group of presumably her bandmates.

"There she goes, off to be unemploy- I mean, be a musician."

"And you wonder why you have no close friends."

"I was joking, c'mon," I said with a slightly annoyed expression.

I thought out of all the people: you should be the one to think most of what I say and what I am is a joke by now.

We continued our drive through the neighborhood at a steady speed. It was a rather open area, the houses not so homogenous and instead had a variety of aesthetics and styles from simple two-story modern homes, rustic bungalows, and even a few mansions, the place was vibrant as it was vast. I observed this as Myla slowed down the vehicle.

"Have you read up on our next client's file?"

"Hmm, yeah, a little bit - from what I gathered, this case has been on the backburner for a while. Surveyors were sent in to fix it, but a few days ago, the issue had resurfaced.

"And the clients themselves?"

"Right, give me a sec."

While our mutual antagonism towards each other had not faltered an inch, our work routine became quite efficient: be it because of my work ethic or my partner's lack of desire for unnecessary chatter.

"Our clients are male, 29, the name is Hunter Harper."

The man was slightly older than me but had a smooth, youthful face and a chill vibe to him. His long, blonde hair covered one side of his face. He had small glasses decorating his gentle expression.

He seems nice. Then again, my standards for people have dropped ever since,

I turned to face my partner with a tired look.

"What is it? Read the rest of the file."

"Yeah, yeah. The female, 28, Ilya Iefield, was the one who filed the complaint and made a request for counseling a week ago."

She was also older than me but had the same youthful visage as the man.

Maybe it's time I start investing money into my skincare routine...Or crypto. Wait, wrong investing.

I got lost in thought before continuing to observe her picture. She had short, ginger hair that gave off a boyish vibe which contrasted with her sweet, feminine smile, and a single teardrop mole could be found under her left eye.

Another nice-looking person, yay.

"According to the female, Ms. Iefield, they had been deciding on a place to go to for their anniversary as a couple, around two weeks ago, surveyors aided them in choosing a location and decided to have them go on a simple evening dinner. Ms. Iefield wrote in the request that Mr. Harper had suddenly rejected the proposed solution due to unforeseen circumstances and changed the plan to suit his preferences: In response to this, Ms. Iefield too proposed her own preferred plan, and they have been locked in an argument ever since."

This sounds like a pain in the ass. I take my compliments back.

I thought as I breathed out an exasperated sigh.

"You seem bothered by this simple problem." My partner said, focused on the road ahead.

"Well, I don't know. Guess it just feels like the problems never get harder, but I never get any better either." I said with a downed tone.

"It's only been a week. I would've given you a year to improve, so don't worry, you have ample time." She said with her sharp tongue.

She wasn't wrong, but my determination from a week ago had quickly dwindled due to earlier's meeting as she let out a sigh.

Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.

"If you are so worried about improving, it may be best to start here. A simple issue is a good start." She said, more annoyed than caring.

Aww, she can be nice, I still wanna crash the car with her in it, but it's something.

I thought as I gave her a reply.

"Guess you're righ-" I couldn't quite finish that sentence as the GPS blared to life and the breaks forced me forwards.

"You never get tired of doing that do you."

"And you never seem to pay attention." She said as she hastily exited the vehicle.

Har har, how could I pay attention when my brain has been reduced to nothing more than a car crash dummy colliding with my skull over the past week.

I thought as I caressed my head and exited the car as well. The gravel path led to a picturesque house with an open backyard. The house had a garage, that was currently agape revealing sports equipment and bicycles, as well as a pick-up parked on the driveway. I came up to the door which Myla had been waiting by and knocked.

"Hello, Ms. Iefield, Mr. Harper? We're Surveyors from aiAI industries. We're here to aid in the conflict you're currently in between your relationship."

"Oh, alright. I'm heading down. Give me a sec."

A young man's voice ringed out from within the home. After a minute or so, the door unlocked revealing the older than me, but more youthful-looking man, Hunter Harper, wearing black pants and a heavy jacket.

"Ah, hello, please come in." He said with a cordial smile as he motioned us to enter. I and my partner both nodded as we entered the house. The house was spacious, and entering it, immediately greeted you with doorways leading to the living room, kitchen and stairs to the second floor. Each house had its quirks, and while I was usually oblivious to it, Myla could sometimes pick up on something, however, this time, I had the chance to catch a glimpse of a "quirk" within the dwelling atop one of the shelves near the staircase.

Is, is that an anime figurine?

I thought as the young man had pointed to the living room asking us to have a seat, but that wasn't why I was observing him. At the time, his arm was outstretched, revealing the inside of his jacket.

Was that what I thought it was?

I pondered as I tried to make out the design on his innerwear, from what I could make out from my brief viewing, it was an anime girl doing a peace sign.

Oh God, no.

We entered the relatively normal-looking living room with the suspiciously covered-up shelves housing presumably movies and sat down. I swallowed a nervous gulp as my partner took notice and nudged me.

"What is it? I thought you'd calmed down earlier."

"No, I think this is gonna get a lot worse."

I said vaguely as the young man began walking back to the hallway.

"I'm just gonna go get Ilya, be back in a bit." He said with a kind tone, and I responded with my one in return.

"Alright, take your time," I said with a cheerful expression, and as he vacated the area, I turned to Myla with a worried look.

"Listen, I think I might have an idea why this whole thing became a mess," I said with an urgency in my voice uncommon to either of us.

"And that is?" She said with a concerned tone.

"That man, he's a wee-" I got cut off by a female voice entering the room.

"Sheesh, you should've called me first, y'know?" The girl, Ilya Iefield, entered the room with Hunter Harper in tow.

"Sorry about that." He said, scratching the back of his head. She walked in, her height surprising me as it wasn't noticeable in her photo. She stood taller than me and could easily be at least 6' foot in height, and emanated a mature vibe.

Oh god, he's not only a weeb; he might be a sub.

I observed as my dear partner nudged me with her gaze elsewhere.

Yes, good, scan my dear robot.

"Good morning, Ms. Iefield. We're here to respond to your request for assistance from last week."

"Ah yes, thank you for coming." She said with a kind smile as she turned to her partner and made a clicking noise while jutting her head towards the kitchen.

"Alright, alright." He said with a small smile.

Oh God, he is a sub.

I thought as the girl had sat down in front of us.

"You see, we had the whole thing planned out after the other pair of surveyors came in a few weeks ago, but then; Hunter decided to change plans out of nowhere." She stated with an exasperated tone.

"What could've prompted him to do so?" I asked, but my question was soon to be answered as the man in question sat down and placed a tray of refreshments on the table.

"You see... It is for no ordinary matter." He said with his eyes hidden from view with a small grin plastered on his face.

Uh oh, here it comes.

I thought as I and his partner took a gulp simultaneously, and Myla stood up from the sofa to go up to the covered-up shelves.

"It is as if fate bound it, but on our anniversary this coming week, a convention is taking place at the heart of our city!" He said as his jacket flew open and revealed his innerwear of degeneracy. At the same time, Myla removed the cloth covering the shelves to reveal dozens of DVDs of different animes and movies, along with stacks of manga. She then faced me with a concerned look as the couple began to argue.

"Call it whatever you want, but if you're getting to go to your con, I want to go on the shoreline cycling path I've been telling you about." She said with an annoyed pout towards her partner.

"But this is the opportunity of a lifetime! think of all the merch we (I) can get!" He rebutted with vigor in his voice absent when we first saw him. I returned my gaze to my partner, who had resigned to squeezing her forehead in frustration.

Easy job my ass, woman.