Gael.

A couple of days after the spar with Miko, the trio of Hina, Ace, and Sora were in the living room of their apartment, doing their own thing.

“I’m finished!”

Hina stood up grinning.

“Finished what?”

Ace was playing a game as usual.

“The manuscript of my new comic.”

Hina proudly puffed out her chest.

“I’m certain that this is my best work yet.”

“Another one? Don’t you have like three ongoing comic series already?”

Sora was reading a pop culture magazine.

“Yeah, but this one will be Bi-Monthly unlikely the others, which are monthly. So I’ll have a lot of time to work on it.”

“I still think it’s too much. Don’t forget about your novels. You’re so booked already, I’m surprised that you have so much free time.”

“What’s the big deal, Sora? Hina only needs a month to write a book, so I’m sure she can handle a few comics.”

“It’s because you’re always spoiling her why she ended up doing so many projects. She’ll burn out eventually, you know.”

“Hina, how many volumes of your novel do you have stored up?”

Ace asked.

“I have about three in queue. So I’m good for the year and the first quarter of next year.”

“See? Hina is a genius. She’s doing fine.”

“……..”

Sora couldn’t argue any longer and had to just bear with it.

“By the way, Sora. Are you on break now, since you just came off a tour?”

Hina asked.

“Yea, but they’re telling me to start composing my debut album even though it shouldn’t be until late next year. So I’m here to see if I could find any inspiration from this magazine.”

He spoke while flipping the page.

“Hm?”

That’s when something caught his eye. It was a stylish silver bass guitar with a bird design.

“This is nice.”

He got up and passed the magazine to Hina.

“Hey, could you do me a favor and get this for me?”

“Let’s see.”

Hina took the magazine and looked at the guitar.

“I think it’s fine.”

She laid the magazine out on the table in front of her. She then took her hand and placed it on the page with the guitar.

“Manifest.”

The moment she chanted, Hina’s hand started to sink inside the page, which now had ripples on the surface like it was water. The further her hand went into the page, the more it looked like she was sticking her hand into a bucket of water. After less than a minute, Hina lifted her hand out of the page, while pulling something out as well.

It was the bass guitar that Sora had shown her.

“Here.”

Hina casually threw the guitar which Sora caught.

“Thanks.”

Sora started tuning the guitar after thanking her. He played a note. Music reverberated through the room.

“The sound is perfect too.”

“Here’s the magazine.”

Hina handed him the magazine.

“Thanks again.”

Sora looked at the page. The section that had the guitar was now blank.

“Your ability is as convenient as always.”

Ace said.

“Now that I think about it, did you ever tell Miko about any of your abilities?”

Hina shook her head in response to Sora’s question.

“I only showed him my eyes, but since that’s only a part of a larger ability, I don’t think it counts.”

“I see. Well, maybe it’s for the best.”

“I think so too. Hina’s abilities aren’t something you should spread around carelessly. Klick said it himself. Just one of your abilities is enough for people to be envious. If all four came to light it would be a disaster.”

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

Ace added.

“But, I kinda do feel bad about concealing certain things from Miko.”

“If you two become close enough to point that you would risk your life for each other, you can share it with him then. For now, things are great as they currently are.”

Sora put down the guitar on the table.

“I guess you’re right.”

Hina nodded with a smile.

At the same time, the man of the moment Miko was walking through the rural areas outside of the capital.

Here he wasn’t as known, so he had an easier time clearing his head with walks.

“I suddenly got some free time. I wonder what I should do?”

He mumbled.

Momo had given him some time to recover after putting him through a hellish training routine. She also said that she had some stuff to handle, so she let him have the day.

“If I knew this would happen I would’ve scheduled a nap, now I don’t feel like sleeping for once.”

Miko sighed.

“I guess I’ll burn some time somewhere.”

*Bam!*

Suddenly, something fell in front of him. He looked down and saw that it was a person.

“Come back when you have money to pay your tab, you bastard!”

A person who looked like a bar owner shouted towards the person laying on the ground. He grumbled and headed back inside his bar.

“……..”

Miko silently looked at the person on the ground, and then-

He stepped over them and continued on his way.

“I wonder if there’s a hotel with a comfy bed I can sleep in, nearby?”

He mumbled to himself.

“I can recommend you one if help me out with my tab.”

Said the person walking beside him. Of course, it was the same person who was thrown out of the bar. They got up and talked to him like it was normal.

“Oh, it's you Darry.”

Miko recognized the man as the same one he met in the garbage dump.

“Yo, Miko. Fancy meeting you here. How about I buy you a drink to celebrate our reunion?”

“I’m surprised you can act like you weren’t just thrown out of a bar. You even have the nerve to invite me for a drink.”

“Come on, it’s your treat.”

“You’ve only convinced me to avoid you more.”

Darry burst out laughing.

“So, what is a prince like yourself doing in a small town like this?”

“I enjoy places like this. It’s quiet and there are far fewer people. Although I still prefer the wilderness the most.”

“I see. Me too actually. I even enjoy the outdoors so much that I don’t have a home.”

“Aren’t you just a homeless bum?”

“Nope. I’m free!”

Darry struck a heroic pose.

“And broke too.”

Miko mercilessly shut him down.

“Who needs possessions when you have freedom?”

“The answer would be you. Especially, since you have debt collectors hot on your tail.”

“Where?!”

Darry started to look around frantically with a sharp gaze.

“I was just joking.”

“Really? Whew~. Don’t joke like that man. Those debt collectors are serious business.”

“I see.”

(What a weird person.)

Miko thought.

“By the way, I’m not buying you anything, so why are you following me?”

“No reason. I have nothing better to do, so why not?”

“You don’t have a job?”

“I refuse to be held down by societal expectations.”

“So broke and jobless. You’re surely an overachiever.”

“Hahaha! You love hitting me where it hurts, huh? You’re a sadist, aren’t you?”

Darry spoke while laughing.

“I guess you’re right.”

Because he didn’t have a particular aim in mind, Miko started to walk around randomly, with Darry following behind him. After a while, he stumbled upon a particular scene.

“Hehehe.”

He saw a group of men tailing a pair of beautiful girls. The girls didn’t seem to notice they were being followed and giggled as they talked. Miko could see with a glance that the men were up to no good.

“What do you think they’re planning to do?”

Darry stood at his side smiling.

“Possibly going to kidnap them and sell them in the slave markets.”

“Oh? You seem confident about that. Why? There are countless crimes they can commit with the women.”

“I’ve heard rumors there was an underground slave market in the empire that supplies the rich with slaves in secret, despite it being illegal in the empire. I figured the best place to find people to turn into slaves were the slums or rural areas like this.”

“That’s a pretty solid explanation.”

Darry nodded.

“So do you wanna save them?”

“Not my business.”

Miko turned and walked in a different direction.

“I see.”

Darry walked in the direction of the girls. Miko continued to walk for a while, before stopping. He turned and looked towards where Darry went.

Meanwhile, the unaware girls found themselves in a tight spot. They were currently being cornered in an alley, while the group of men approached them with smiles on their faces.

“Hey, ladies. Are you perhaps interested in a job offer?”

One of the men asked.

“N-No thank you! We already have jobs!”

One of the frightened girls answered.

“Don’t worry. This job is a lot better. Although there won’t be any pay, you’ll get to become the playthings of the rich.”

All the men started to laugh.

“We’re fine!”

The girls started to back away, only further trapping themselves in the alley. They backed up until they hit something.

“Huh?”

Although what they bumped into was hard, it was also warm. They turned around only to see Darry smiling at them.

“Hello.”

“?!”

The girls became even more frightened after realizing they bumped into such a big man.

“Ah, I’m not one of them. So there’s no need to be afraid.”

Darry walked forward while pushing the girls behind him. He approached the men.

“Hey, fucker! Who the hell are you?!”

Shouted one of the men.

“Me?”

Darry smiled and struck a heroic pose.

“I’m Darry, a man of freedom!”

“Huh? Is this guy retarded?”

The men only ridicule him in response. However, the smile never left his face.

“Now that I’ve answered you, tell me. Who’s your boss?”

“Boss? Why do you want to know that?”

The men all pulled weapons and looked ready to fight.

“I’m a man of freedom. I live freely and promote others to do the same. So to me, heinous acts like slavery, which robs one's freedom, is what anger me the most.”

Darry showed a friendly smile and then said-

“After I kill all of you, I want to put your boss six feet under for his sins.”

“Hahahaha!”

The men burst out laughing

“First of all, you’re dying today, so there’s no need to talk bullshit. Second, our boss is the most dangerous person in this Empire! There’s no way you can even touch his tail much less kill him!”

All the men rushed towards him at the same time. Darry didn’t move and watched them all come at him simultaneously.

“Is that so? Then I know who your boss is.”

He slowly lifted his palm in front of him.

“As such, I no longer need you.”

A bright light engulfed the men. When the light faded, there was no one there. All the men had disappeared. Darry slowly turned back to the girls still smiling.

“I sent them away, so it’s safer now.”

The girls sighed in relief and their bodies relaxed.

“Thank you! Thank you very much!”

The girls thanked him and even started to hug him.

“No problem. You just need to be safer out there.”

He suddenly looked like he thought of something.

“How about I bring you home? That way, if someone targets you again, I’ll be there to help. I’ll even give you my contact information so that you can contact me when there’s trouble.”

The girls looked at each other before nodding. Darry left the alley with the girls, while they held onto him. Before he left, he looked towards the roof and winked.

“……..”

Miko was standing on the roof overlooking the alley. He had a perplexed look on his face.

“He just left with them like that? Either those girls are easy, or he has a special kind of charisma…..I can’t rule out the second possibility no matter how much I think about it.”

He mumbled.

“But, what was that earlier? That light he fired literally vaporized those thugs in an instant. He didn’t send them anywhere. He killed them”

He thought about it and quickly concluded that he had no confidence in being able to block Darry’s attack. He didn’t even know what it was to begin with.

He suddenly developed an interest in Darry.

“I guess there’s more to this man of freedom than meets the eye.”