KON POV
Before heading out on patrol, each of us was equipped with an armband, clearly marking us as a Seika-affiliated group. However, our role, for now, was strictly observational. Jumping into the fray without a proper understanding of district patrolling could only complicate matters.
Venti, having some knowledge of patrolling, received the green light from Sera to intervene or assist if the situation required it.
Club members had a mandatory quota of taking a couple of commissions per club day, occurring on Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. The commissions varied, including patrols, item deliveries, escort missions, bodyguarding, guard duty, heavier responsibilities, and miscellaneous tasks.
Patrols and deliveries were the most common and in-demand requests. Keeping the districts safe from the riffraff, deterring troublemakers, and delivering veritable things from company to customers are the bread and butter for newbies or those seeking easy money without diving into riskier jobs.
“What about Caged fight commissions?”
“No, we seldom do that for our club activities, you are free to do it afterward though.”
According to Ms. Emma, the portion of the money obtained from the commission will go to the Seika Academy itself.
The pros?
Being a part of the SpeedGear club partially covered maintenance costs, offering access to exclusive Seika districts’ members-only commissions, which boasted a higher pay rate compared to standard commissions.
In the case of courier works, members took on more crucial deliveries like information such as information shards, chips, and devices, instead of food and other menial stuff. The guild’s fame acts as a guarantee for better security, and corporations place significant reliance on fame and branding.
Seika’s SpeedGear club operates as a branch or a subset of the main Seika Guild located in the Inaba districts. For reference, Seika’s total influence encapsulates 5 districts, surrounding Inaba’s colossal Clock Tower.
“Is Seika still expanding?”
“Possibly. With all the recent hullabaloo about area grabs, expansions become imminent whether we like it or not. I guess that makes patrol jobs even more important since there is no shortage of people looking for trouble. There, take a look at that.”
Sera pointed at a guy in an alleyway building looking around.
“What do you guys see?”
“Tall and lanky man, desuno?”
“A punch-able face that’s up to no good.”
“Nice pants.”
Everybody gave their own opinion, but when Sera didn’t continue, I looked up to see her inviting me to share my input. Meanwhile, Joan stood on the fence looking as bored as I first saw him.
“168cm tall, short messy hair, fleeting glance to the building entrance, a floating camera on the building column, twitching hands, coiled legs preparing to jump, he is not hiding his facial features, so it’s not a robbery. A prankster?”
“Uh yeah, you guessed it right. Your observation skill is good.”
“Waah, marvelous deduction desuwa.”
“Hehe, that’s our Kon!”
“Can we confiscate his pants afterward?”
Sera looks a bit surprised while Joan just gave me a thumbs up. I looked over to that miscreant again. A streamer prankster, I pondered. I thought their kind had died down as patrolling jobs became more prevalent. I guess there are always people who didn’t get the memo.
Also, to think he had to balls to prank people with SpeedGear. If a mistake happens and he crashes, he won’t just end up with bruises.
“Venti and Zack, you can follow my lead and stand behind me to look all menacing.”
“Got it.” “Roger that.”
“The rest, stay here with Joan. See if you can spot any accomplices.”
“Alright.”
Sera headed off to prepare her recording device while the others strategically positioned themselves in the prankster’s blind spot. They will attempt to catch him in action to solidify their evidence.
“I can’t believe such an uncouth person is using SpeedGear desuwa.”
“Ojou-chan, is this your first time seeing bad people with SpeedGear?”
The narrative has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.
“Unfortunately, yes. I didn’t realize SpeedGear can be used in such a way too, desune.”
So even Joan realizes that Elizabeth is an Elite from the way she speaks. Perhaps it would be beneficial if I provided Elizabeth with more insight, especially if she’s genuinely considering taking the first step as a SpeedGear user.
“When it comes down to it, everything can be simplified into personal satisfaction.”
“Personal satisfaction…. desuka?”
“Yes, regardless of how people want to spin it, in the end, SpeedGear is still a tool. A tool that lets you achieve fame, a tool that makes you a lot of money, a tool that allows you to run faster or fight better.
That prankster over there, not content with normal pranks that net him small fame, resorts to using SpeedGear for higher shock-value pranks. Higher risk, higher reward mentality. Too bad it’s not just his well-being that he risked, so he needs to be stopped. Simple as that.”
“I-I see desuno….”
“That’s one way to look at things. Nihility perspective is fine and all, but there is another reason for us, or at least me, to do this.”
I raise my eyebrows in surprise, realizing that there’s another way to derive benefits from the patrol beyond the commission money and the elevation of guild fame.
“Gear confiscation. Yeah, it still relates to money in the end, but depending on the severity of the perpetrator’s action we may be able to permanently confiscate their stuff and render it ours for the taking.”
“That’s good to know.” I replied.
“Heh heh, let me tell you some secrets. One time, I sneaked on a streamer prankster and I scared him to jump high enough that it’s classified as vertical maneuvering. Now the rules stated that you are not allowed to do it without AB License, so when my camera caught him with his pants down and no license to boot, we get to keep the little shit’s gear after the sentencing.”
“That’s a bit devilish. I’m guessing the guy never managed to pay the fine?”
“Yep, and I’m still using his parts to this day.”
This is the first time I have seen Joan look so happy. I thought patrols were solely for security reasons, but it seems there are people like him who liken the activity to fishing huh?
Elizabeth appears a bit flabbergasted by our exchange. Hang in there Elizabeth, there are plenty of worse things yet to come. Buckle your seatbelt, because with great power comes even greater irresponsibility.
From a distance, I observe the group resolving the situation by catching the prankster red-handed attempting to “steal” a passerby’s handbag Venti tackles him to the ground, treating the prankster as if he were a real thief, and subdues him.
The guy starts rambling about it being a joke, but Sera ignores him, returns the handbag to the lady, and removes his SpeedGear while Zack climbs up the column to retrieve the floating camera.
Sera then delivers a lengthy speech, presumably a cautionary statement, while confiscating the guy’s items. After she finishes, Venti releases the guy, who promptly runs away on his socks while spewing vulgarities.
I guess the job is done.
“Phew, that’s one idiot down. Gimme a second, I still need to alert the authorities and upload the footage to them.”
“The guy looks like a spoilt brat. Shouldn’t we rough him up a bit more before he tells his daddy?”
The heck Venti, I thought you wanted to steer clear of the old mobster mentality?
“No, it’s fine. As long as you abide by the rules while wearing that affiliation armband, even high-ranking corpo will think twice before they flaunt their wealth in front of you. There are ways for guilds to get even with them.”
“Affiliation is fine and all, but what if we want to make our own team instead of joining Seika?”
Zack got straight to the point. Yet, I’m also interested in Seika’s stance on a newcomer who simply wants to tag along for a while with Seika before branching off to form their own group.
“W-wait, are you not going to join Seika group desuka?”
“Nah, Me, Kon, and Venti will make our own team.”
“That’s fine. We are not very restrictive. That’s why the club was formed, to give newcomers options. However, if you still wish to join the club after making your own team, you will need to wear a Seika Affiliation badge next to your team badge.”
“And if we don’t?”
“That means no partial maintenance cost covers and no members-only commission access. We can still hang out on the training ground together as a schoolmate though.”
“Alright, good to know.”
As Sera mentioned, there aren’t many downsides to joining the club after forming a team. However, I still harbor some caution about what affiliation with Seika entails.
Do we also have to contend with the feuds Seika has with another guild? What responsibilities do we bear when the other group comes looking for trouble?
“Does Seika has any archnemesis or rivals that they always butt head against?”
Joan raised an eyebrow at that. You can label me as paranoid all you want, but I prefer knowing every possible scenario before making a decision. It’s better to be aware now than be ambushed later by the sudden drama between guilds.
“Well, you got us there, but just because you are affiliated, doesn’t mean you have to deal with our bad blood. We tend to leave that to the main guild. But! There are a couple of bad neighbors you need to be wary of regardless. The Bulls, Chariot & Gladius, and BOA. Those three are the main ones.”
Me and Zack immediately looked at Venti. He had the decency to rub his head while cracking a laugh.
“What’s wrong with Venti desuno?”
“Eh, funny story that. I was the guild leader of BOA once.”
Well, there goes the bomb. This marks the third time Elizabeth has sported a shocked expression on her face. We must have turned her world upside down a good number of times in less than an hour.
At least the ongoing patrol proceeded without any more incidents, allowing Venti to address their questions without interruption. If nothing else, it made for a good topic to stave off boredom during the patrol.
Towards the end of our run, we explored the boundaries of the Seika district map, familiarizing ourselves with the area.
This precaution ensured that we didn’t accidentally enter other guilds’ areas of influence and engage in activities that could be construed as taunting. The moment we engaged in vertical maneuvering in their territory, right in their members’ plain sight, they could and would interpret it as an acceptance of a challenge.
“So, this is BOA’s current border. They have been pestering us for trouble. Seika has always rebuffed them, but goodness me. Sometimes I just want to go there and smack their heads around myself.”
“What. Don’t look at me. I quit the guild years ago. I have nothing to do with them.”
“I know, just kidding. Make yourself a great team with your friends, yeah? Team building is not cheap and as a newbie, it’s hella difficult to gain traction, but I’m rooting for you.”
“Heh, we will shoot for the stars. Ain’t that right, Kon!”
“Yes, I heard you, Zack. Stars woooo.”
“Shoot for the stars,” he says. Such a bright and refreshing outlook. Meanwhile, here I am worrying about how to gain said traction and grow the team effectively.
I felt the hand on my shoulder tightened a little bit.
Elizabeth, good luck on your part too.
I hope you will find what you were looking for.