"Brat!" came through the other end of the line, almost tearing my eardrum apart.

I needed to get away from the crowd, just far enough to talk with Logan while also remaining in a relatively safe position. I should be careful not to isolate myself, though. I'd hate to invite some thieves to steal from me because I drove myself into a corner.

"I can hear you..."

I checked the phone's volume, but there was nothing unusual about it. Logan was the only one I could blame for suffering like this. His current demeanor was simply too much for me to bear.

"Stop yelling like that...!" grumbled a woman, agreeing with my unspoken sentiment. "I'm trying to fall asleep."

"Oh, yeah. Sorry, Ava..."

"Get out of here," she ordered, sending shivers down my spine even though I wasn't there. I wondered how Logan, who was present in the same room as her, felt. "Return when you're done talking on the phone."

"But—"

"Do I have to say it again, Logan?" the pissed Ava asked. "Get out already."

Apparently, it wasn't just a figment of my imagination. Logan was truly speaking loud enough to irritate his wife as well.

"What an inconsiderate husband you are..." I muttered, more jokingly that anything else.

"Wait!" he exclaimed, slamming the door shut—I assumed because of the noise it made. "Did you hear everything, Gray?"

"Logan!" yelled Ava again, this time more muffled. "If you can't keep your trap shut, you're sleeping on the couch!"

"Honey, I was speaking with—" Logan grumbled, acting like a puppy whose owner had kicked outside. I found the relationship between them odd, yet adorable in some way.

"No," I interrupted, deadpan. "Don't you dare throw me under the bus!"

I had no intention of getting involved too deeply in his personal matters. Whatever happened in their home didn't interest me. It definitely wasn't because I was afraid of Ava, not at all...

But I had to admit that picturing Ava raising her tone at a man twice her size without much of a care was quite amusing.

After a few steps, Logan whispered, "You brat!"

Even though he couldn't see me, I shrugged. It's your fault for yelling like that, not mine. I mean, maybe it was to some extent, but you still took most of the blame.

"Just where are you?"

"The television's on," I told him, trying to hide hiding my astonishment as he realized the noise in the background. After all, the Underworld was a busy place. "Did you get in touch with the others?"

Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on the original website.

And, based on his tone, the answer should be—

"Yeah, let's pretend I'm not sleeping on the couch tonight because of you," he whined. "As for the others, they—"

"She was serious?" I cut it, unable to contain my curiosity. There weren't many chances to mock him, so I would've loved to take the chance. "No, forget about it. You've slept all day, haven't you? How are you going to sleep now?"

Logan worked the night shift as a security guard at some club and slept throughout the day. I was puzzled as to how he could fall asleep again after just waking up in the evening.

"What am I supposed to do then, huh? Should I stare at the ceiling while Ava snores beside me? I'll try lying down in bed and see if I fall asleep or not."

That made sense, but Logan shouldn't be the one complaining about others snoring. He is literally sleeping like a truck. That's something I cannot emphasize enough. He was a catastrophe for anyone who had the misfortune of sleeping in his immediate vicinity.

"You really deserve sleeping on the couch, don't you?"

"C'mon, that's a bit too much! Don't you think so?"

"Perhaps."

He sighed, having had enough of me. "So, the reason I called you. Come over to the grocery store and fill that gigantic backpack with everything we need, because the others agreed. We're scouting the 4th District."

"Scouting?" I repeated, baffled by Logan's wording. "If by that you mean scavenging, then I'm available whenever you want."

"Good, but—"

"But?"

"I hate to bring it up, but you know the hospital isn't an option for us, Gray," Logan said hesitantly, the polar opposite of his usual outgoing demeanor.

The treatment was simply too expensive. Especially when it came to treating a monster-inflicted injury. It would take some to reach one, and by then, the mutation would have rampaged throughout our bodies. Going in without clarinadryl was out of the question. But that was something I was aware of, thankfully.

"Maybe we should split the bill and—"

Now it was my chance to tell hit the truth, and yet...

"Don't worry," I muttered, my gaze fixed on the artificial sun above, which was barely illuminating the swarming people of the Underworld. "That matter's been taken care of already."

Well, it was an ongoing process, but there was no need to bring it up as long as I got the medicine before we went to the 4th District, right? After all, it was just within my grasp. All I had to do was reach out and grab it.

"Wait, really? How? I thought we ran out of medicine the last time we've been in that hellhole."

I had to provide some sort of explanation, or he might be able to sense something's off.

"That's because I divided the rations into different compartments, including the clarinadryl," I said, feeling something throbbing in my chest. I ignored it, then continued: "With the amount we have left now, we shouldn't have any problems if we're careful."

"Are you serious?"

I've been given another chance to confess everything. I chose to disregard it as I said, "Yeah."

"Couldn't you have said we still had clarina-whatever back then?!"

"It's clarinadryl," I pointed out. "And it just never occurred to me. After we sold the jewels, I threw the backpack on the floor as soon as I reached and prepared for Artemis' admission. It's not as if any of you bothered to check if there was any medicine left after you took out your belongings either, so don't blame it all on me."

At the time, I was relieved that I had saved enough money to cover the participation fee. As for the others, the taste of success must've... clouded their judgment.

He sighed. "So you're saying there's still medicine we can use?"

"Uh-huh."

"That's good! The biggest problem's out of the way now," Logan declared in relief. "Well, that's all I wanted to talk about, you brat. Rest well these days, because you won't be able to rest properly while we're in that wasteland."

"I'll do just that, then. Have a good night, if you can fall asleep, that is."

"Oi, you—" but I closed the call just as he was about to spew out a curse.

I clenched the phone tighter and let my arm drop by my side. Lying was more difficult than I anticipated.

But I fully intended to make up for it.