O-Ouch….what happened?

For some reason, I woke up feeling pain in many different places. Since my face was pointed up to the ceiling, I assumed that I was lying down on the floor with injuries. However, there was one thing that bothered me.

The back of my head felt…comfy. Like I was laying on a pillow of sorts.

I turned my head to the side and felt a soft sensation on my cheek. Its surface was rather thick and plump, yet smooth and squishy at the same time. It also had this little bounce when I pressed my face even deeper. Now that I think about it, it had this peachy white color too….

“Ah…don’t move your head like that! It tickles!”

Wait. Is this what I think this is?

I leaned my head to see the cinnamon-haired girl giggling on top of me.

“You seem to be enjoying my thighs a little too much, you pervert.”

I tried to lean my head forward, but she pushed it back down with her hand.

“Chill out, not everybody gets the chance to lay on my glorious thighs, you know? You better savor it while you still can.”

One moment you were taking blows from her metal legs, the next you’re enjoying her fleshy thighs so casually, fufufu!

Hey, it’s not like I chose to be in this position, Gray.

“I appreciate the lap pillow, but why are you doing this?” I said.

“You don’t remember what happened?” Scarlet massaged her chin. “You tried to catch me from falling down the stairs earlier. I was able to land safely, but at the cost of you taking all the damage.”

“Ah, right. I remember now. Then I passed out.”

“You were like my Prince Charming back there, it was so cool!” her face turned a little red. “I think I might be in love with you, hehe,” she whispered.

“You shouldn’t joke about that stuff, you know,” I said.

“I’m serious! What kind of idiot would sacrifice himself to save his enemy anyway? It’s so stupid, yet so dramatically cool!”

My thoughts exactly.

Scarlet pokes my nose. “So tell me, why did you do it? It makes no sense to me.”

I looked up to the roof. “I didn’t want you to die, of course.”

Scarlet tilted her head with a confused expression. “Eh? Wasn’t that the point of our fight? We were trying to kill each other back there!”

I shook my head. “Killing…..isn’t my thing. It’s something I’ve sworn never to do ever again.”

The lap lady scratched her cinnamon hair. “I don’t get it. Everyone needs to kill to survive.”

“That may be the case for you, but it isn’t for me,” I rebutted. “Killing is only something that should be done when absolutely necessary. As much as possible, I’d like to spare my enemies from death, because everyone deserves a chance to be a better person.”

Not everyone.

“Heeh, what a weirdo,” Scarlet scoffed. “But I find you rather interesting.”

I felt a hard object touching the side of my head. It turns out that it was one of her revolvers. “If that’s the case, then what were you trying to accomplish then? Were you planning to enslave me?”

Taking a deep sigh, I looked straight in the eyes.

“Yes.”

Sooo honest.

“Give me a good reason not to kill you right now, Cat Bro.”

“I’m trying to save you from getting yourself killed. If it were any other slave hunter, they wouldn’t be as merciful.”

“Why would you want to save me?”

“I believe we have similar goals.”

“You’re a slave hunter and I’m trying to free the slaves. If anything, that sounds like the complete opposite.”

“Look at my neck,” I pointed at my collar. “It’s not like I’m willingly doing this. I’m a slave working as a slave hunter.”

“Eh? I thought that was a fake collar meant to bait gullible slaves!”

I showed her the Red Magium on the collar. “Believe me, I wish it were fake.”

If you spot this story on Amazon, know that it has been stolen. Report the violation.

Scarlet looked up and thought about it for a moment. Then she tapped my shoulder.

“Ok, your lap time is up now. Let’s talk in a more appropriate setting.”

Aw, man!

Why are you suddenly so disappointed, Gray?

No more thigh pillow.

I should be the one who’s disappointed then.

You can always ask me for a lap pillow, you know? But only on certain occasions so you don’t get used to it.

We sat on one of the tables of the library and continued our discussion there.

“So let me get this straight,” Scarlet tapped her fingers on the table. “You came here to capture me as a slave so that you could save me from getting killed.”

“Yes.”

“Pfft,” she covered her mouth. “I’d rather die than become a slave.”

“Wait, let me explain,” I sighed. “You’ll be a slave working under me.”

“And why would I work for you?”

“Like I said, we have similar goals. We both want to save the slaves,” I placed my hands on the table. “And I have a plan for that.”

Scarlet leaned her head closer to me. “And what is this plan of yours?”

“I’m working on a device that can defuse the slave collars. I call it the Defuser. If I can make it work, I can use it to defuse the slave collars and stop the Midas Hogs slave mine once and for all.”

“What’s my role?”

“You’ll work with me to defeat everyone, of course.”

“That’s cool and all, but how do I know you aren’t lying to me right now? There isn’t any proof of this Defuser. Not to mention, you’re the Iron Cat, the most feared slave hunter working for the Midas Hogs. Why should I believe you?”

“You don’t have a choice.”

Scarlet tilted her head. “What do you mean?”

“Do you have a better plan to free the slaves? You’ve been saving them without taking off their collars, haven’t you?”

“Well uh….” Scarlet looked away with a flush on her cheeks. “Hehehe…nope.”

“Exactly. I’m the only hope you have.”

“Aw jeez, fine! You seem like a trustworthy guy to me. I already owe you one anyway, so I’ll help you out,” Scarlet jumped out of her seat and grabbed my hand.

“It’s a deal!” She shook my hand.

“Why do you look so happy?” I asked.

Scarlet giggled excitedly. “Scarlet Hood, the Cutest Genius Gunslinger working with the Iron Cat, the Pacifist Swordmaster……”

“Together….” Scarlet spins her pistols and does a dramatic action pose. “We’re the Kickass Duo!”

Fufufu…You look cute together.

I planted my hand on my forehead. “For starters, you should work on your naming skills….”

“Whatever, they sound cool to me,” she smirked at me.

You’re forgetting something, Lars. If someone like her is going to work with you, then…

Of course.

“Scarlet. Can I ask you a favor?”

“What is it, Cat Bro?”

“Can you tell me your real name?”

Scarlet stared at me with her ruby red eye, her mouth expressionless. Something about that eye of hers had this bright sparkle, yet it seemed so lonely somehow. I wonder what happened to the eye underneath that black patch. Eventually, her lips morphed to a smug grin.

“Just call me Scarlet. Or Cutie. Or Milady. Or Miss. Or Honey. Or-”

“I’ll just call you Scarlet,” I cut her off. “And you can call me Lars.”

“Can I call you Cutie instead?”

“No.”

“Aw, fine.”

I was considering asking her to stop killing, but I can’t force my ideals on everyone. This is only something I decided to do more myself. The Enforcers and Heroes weren’t too fond of killing either. They only really killed in extreme cases. I intend to continue on that path so I can have some sense of heroism, even if it's delusional.

“By the way,” Scarlet twirled her braid. “I’ll try not to kill as much as possible.”

“Huh, why? You don’t have to.”

The cinnamon-haired girl walked closer to me and leaned her head to whisper to my ear. “There’s something about your ideals that I find….cool. You remind me of the stereotypical Hero of the Over Sectors.” Her words, along with her warm breath made me feel goosebumps on my skin.

Scarlet moved away and smiled at me. “I’m doing it for style points!”

Style points..?

She’s a rather eccentric girl, I must admit. I find it difficult to read her mind.

“I’m not promising anything though. Not a fan of being constrained by boundaries. I want to be free to do whatever I want in this world!” Scarlet raised her hands. “Except being evil, of course.”

What a carefree girl. Saving her was definitely worth it.

“That’s good. Now let’s proceed to the first part of the plan,” I said.

“Ah, can’t we have a little moment for a while? Why are you transitioning so fast?”

“I can’t afford to waste time, sorry. I need to figure out how to complete the Defuser.”

“Fine, go tell me what you want me to do.”

“Give me 6 days to finish the Defuser and promise me to keep yourself out of trouble. Then we’ll meet again in the library so I can take you to the Midas Mines.”

That way, I’ll be able to take advantage of the free time Hector gave me to capture the Scarlet Hood.

“Aw, what? But that’s boring! I want to fight more slave hunters! You can’t keep a girl waiting like that!”

“You seemed to be having a fun time reading books earlier,” I said. “Just go binge read or something.”

“I guess that works too, promise me you’ll be back.”

“Of course, I'll come back to check on you everyday. I need you after all.”

I'm also worried she's going to spiral out of control….

“Aw, how sweet, I need you too,” Scarlet made a heart-shape with her fingers.

I squinted my eyes on her and turned away.

“Ciao, Lars!”

I waved my hand up and left the library.