Chapter 49: Acquainted: Part One

We walk down the stairs on the right as we head to the surface of the Floor.

“Alright Raid. Time to get you acquainted.” Says Peyton as we come down the stairs and start walking around the Lobby.

“Since you’ll be working here from now on. We’ll introduce you to some of our most notable colleagues.” Adds Melissa.

“Sounds good. Lead the way.” I say in agreement.

They take me to the fountain situated in the center of the whole space, and to the seating arrangements around it.

“Hey Gura, you busy?” Says Peyton.

~Sigh~

“Exhibit A, I am currently seated in quite the comfortable position with an earphone plugged in one of my ears. Exhibit B, even though a considerable number of seconds have passed since you’ve approached me, I haven’t looked at you once. And finally, exhibit C, instead of you, what I’ve been focusing all my attention on is my tablet as I attempt to go through all this annoyingly humongous data about Project you-know-what. You tell me if you think I’m busy or not.” Such are the words of the man who sits before us. There’s a handbag placed next to where he’s sitting as he’s holding his tablet. He’s dressed in an all-black tuxedo and looks to be in his late twenties. Much like myself, he’s black, and looks a few inches taller than me.

“You know, you could’ve just said ’’Yeah, I’m really busy Peyton, what do you need?’’. I don’t think it would’ve been that hard.”

“Haah… Yes, I’m really busy Peyton. What do you need?” He says as he finally looks up. “Oh? I’ve never seen you before.” He adds noticing me.

“Yeah. That’s what we came here to talk to you about.” Says Melissa. “This is Raid. Our newest recruit.”

“And also your new superior.” Adds Peyton as she smirks.

“Excuse me?” Gura replies, looking a tad confused.

“Oh yes.” Peyton sees fit to rub salt on the wound.

“How the hell did that happen?”

“It just did. Tell me Gura. How does this make you feel?”

“What is she, a therapist?”

“I feel…a-absolutely nothing. This doesn’t bother me at all.” Says Gura with his eyes closed and a very thin smile on his face. Looks a bit forced.

“Really? I find that a little hard to believe considering that large vein popping on your forehead.” Peyton replies condescendingly.

“Vein? What vein? I don’t see any vein.” There is a vein. But I decide not to say anything about it. The guy has enough to deal with, what with Peyton all up in his business. Sadly, my attempt to give Gura a break doesn’t really amount to much of any change. It’s only after what Peyton says next that I’m reminded of her backup.

“Well I quite clearly do. What do you think, Melly?” That backup is Melissa.

“Welp, I tried Gura, I really did.”

“Hold on, lemme see.” Melissa closes in and starts to attentively look at Gura’s forehead. “Oh yeah, that’s a legit vein, alright.” She adds while Gura just quietly sits there, his tablet on his lap as he slowly crunches his fist.

“While I don’t think he can. I’m pretty sure he would if he could.” I think as I watch him. Finding it incredibly hard not to pity him.

“… Both of you can go to hell. Together at that since you deserve each other.” He says, looking very annoyed.

“Aw… Such a nice thing to say.” Replies Peyton with a bright smile. It’s fake. We all know it’s fake. We can all tell it’s fake.

“I know, right. He really is the sweetest.” Adds Melissa with her own signature thin but genuine looking smile. Also very much fake.

“Looks like this duo does more than just giving Uncle Chadwick migraines.”

I look at Gura. He looks back at me. He then gets up from his seat after putting his tablet in his handbag and carrying it over his shoulder.

“Raid, huh?” He says. “Allow me to properly introduce myself, since these two are obviously doing a terrible job of that. The name’s Gura. Nice to meet you…” He extends his hand out to me.

I respond in kind and give him a handshake. “Gura, ey? Pretty weird name, don’t you think?”

“You really think so, Raid?”

“Heh… Touché.” We share a small laugh.

“So you’re my superior from now on, huh?”

“Seems like it. That’s gonna be a problem for you, I take it?”

“I may come to terms with it if you’re not anything like these two.” It doesn’t take a Sherlock to figure out who he’s talking about. The ’two’ in question just stare at us blankly. Attempting to look innocent I’m guessing.

“And if I told you I’m worse than them?” I reply while smirking.

“Then I may have to consider my resignation.”

I find it excruciatingly difficult to hold myself from laughing after he says that. But I succeed and manage to bust out only on the inside.

A certain someone then replies in protest. “Hey now, don’t say that. You know we’d miss you if you left.” It’s Peyton. “Not to mention, there aren’t that many A-Ranks out there who can analyze information as good as you do.”

“Oh, is that his job?” I ask.

“Yeah.” Answers Melissa. “He’s our Chief Information Analyst. Analyst is also his Class and he’s one of the best there is among the A-Ranks.”

“Nice.” I say in admiration.

“There’s a worldwide shortage of Warriors of the Analyst Class. People neglect it almost as much as they did the Blacksmith Class. There’s more Classes like it out there too. Classes that seem like they won’t bring about many benefits if chosen. Seeing an Analyst of such a high level is really refreshing to say the least. It’s good to know there’s at least one person who values the importance of information to that extent.”

“Well! Now that that’s outta the way. We should get going.” Says Peyton. “There’s other more important people Raid needs to meet you se-”

“Say no more.” Gura interrupts, ignoring Peyton’s attempted jab at him. A small part of me admires that. “I’m just happy to get rid of you.” He then adds, waving us off while smiling. It doesn’t look fake. He must be really happy to get rid of us.

“Or at least, just these two.”

“We’ll miss you too Gura.” Says Melissa, not even trying to hide the sarcasm as we leave.

“Please don’t.” Gura replies.

Both the girls giggle as we walk off. We stroll around the lobby for a bit. I’m introduced to a few more Warriors B-Rank and below, and even a few more A-Ranks.

After some time, we end up leaving the lobby as we take one of its elevators and head back to the 14th Floor. As we walk around the halls, I feel that a significant amount of time has passed so I ask Melissa to show me what time it is. She checks her watch and shows me.

“Looks like it’s getting late.” I say in observation. “I oughta get going then.”

“Uhm ’get going’ where, exactly?”

“Where else? Home obviously. Y’know, the place where I live.” I answer Peyton’s question. Rather perplexedly if I may add as we all stop walking and continue talking instead.

“Yeah, not gonna happen buddy.” She says.

“Excuse me?”

“You have a target on your head, remember?” Melissa joins. “As such, we can’t let you go outside of this building alone.”

“You seem to be forgetting that I’m ’a tad’ extremely capable of handling myself.”

“And you seem to be forgetting that out there is no simple sparring match with rules or whatever. It’s life or death. And you won’t just be fighting one A-Rank but at least eleven or more of them.”

“Don’t even get us started on the Family Head Andrew Reinhardt himself who’s S-Rank.” Adds Melissa to Peyton’s statement.

“Or his first son and only daughter who are also S-Rank.” Says Peyton.

“Or his Vassal Families’ Heads who are all A-Rank.” Says Melissa.

“Holy smokes, they’re teaming up!”

They really are.

“Look…” Peyton grabs on to my shoulder. “You’re strong Raid. You really are. That’s no secret. But you’re nowhere near a level where we can afford to not worry about you right now.”

“The Twelve Guardian Shadows of the Reinhardt Family have no names, so the Warriors Association assigned them codenames to tell them apart. The one Pey killed was codenamed ’Adder’, and he’s by far the weakest out of all of them.”

I’m a tad bewildered by what Melissa tells me. Regardless of how easily Peyton dealt with him, that Warrior was incredibly skilled.

“If he was the weakest link out of all twelve, then the Shadows must be bigger monsters than I initially thought.”

“Even I would have a hard time taking on their nine strongest all at once, any more than that would be overkill and…no offence Raid…but as it stands, you’re nowhere near my level yet.” Peyton’s eyes glow a black light as she says that. The serious tone in her voice running shivers down my spine. Her right hand which was placed on my shoulder before, now removed, forming a clenching fist. Her body radiating an intense and overwhelming aura. She’s not kidding.

“Yeah… I already know that. You don’t need to tell me. Even back then, I sensed it. When I was fighting Melissa. Sure I may have held my own, but I could tell, what she showed me was far from what she is truly capable of. Her full power. She was holding back. Probably for my sake. Of course Peyton noticed. What with those eyes of hers. As it stands, I’d say I’m a tad stronger than the average A-Rank. But these two. These two I’d wager are quite easily two of the strongest A-Ranks in the world. Still though…”

“That may be true…”

“If I wanna have even a snowball’s chance in hell at reaching their level…”

“But…”

“Then it’s times like this…”

“I can’t…”

“That I should stand my ground!”

“Back down!” I declare. “Not now…not ever.”

My statement echoes throughout the hallway, slightly surprising both Peyton and Melissa.

~Sigh~

Peyton sighs.

“So stubborn.” She says with both her hands placed on her hips.

“Oh my. I wonder who that reminds me of.” Melissa says with her right hand placed on her jaw while turning her head sideways.

“Shut up, you.” Peyton fires back.

“Okay, how about, this, Raid…” Says Melissa. “Why don’t you at least wait until the boss comes back with your official Dungeon Exploration Permit before you go?”

“Why does part of me feel like you just wanna get the old man in on this so that all three of you can team up against me?”

“Probably because that’s exactly what I’m trying to do.”

“The heck!? She’s not even trying to deny it, she’s just straight up admitted it! How ironically ballsy of her… Still… It’s not like this back and forth I’ve been having with Peyton is gonna get me anywhere so, might as well play along for now. If I see a chance to escape the clutches of these people, I’m definitely taking it.”

“Okay.” I say begrudgingly. “Guess I don’t have much of a choice on this one.”

“Great-”

“No, not great at all-“

“In the meantime. Pey, what do you say we take Raid to meet a very interesting person?”

“Hm?”

“Who did you have in mind?” Peyton asks Melissa.

“Why Sakura of course.”

“She’s here? Since when?”

“She arrived just today actually, around the same time you came back from the Dungeon. ’Bout thirty minutes before if I’m not mistaken. Come on. If I know Sakura and trust me I do, she’s probably in her favorite Training Room, Training Room 19. Let’s go see her.”

“Yeah we’re not doing that.” Says Peyton nonchalantly.

“Huh?” Melissa says with a confused tone. “Why not?”

“Just…” Peyton pauses and looks up for some reason. “… No.”

“Hmm… Could it be because…you feel threatened by her?” Queries Melissa.

“Huh?” I’m quite obviously bewildered by that idea. “Someone who can make Peyton feel threatened? I can’t think of anyone other than an S-Rank or above. Just who is this walking tyranny they call Sakura?!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Peyton replies to Melissa, folding her arms.

“Hey don’t worry. I’m sure Raid is not that kind of guy.”

“Uhh what?”

“Right Raid?”

“Uh… Yeah. Right. Sure thing.”

I answer Melissa’s question amidst my confusion without even thinking.

“Hold on. Just what the heck do I have to do with this?”

“Okay so what exactly is wrong with this Sakura person?” I ask.

“Oh nothing really.” Melissa answers. “She’s just this S-Rank Warrior…”

“Called it.”

“But that’s not what’s bothering Pey right now.”

“Huh? It’s not?”

“You see… Sakura has a…biiiiig personality.” She says as she waves her arms outwards. “If you know what I mean.”

“I…I don’t…think that I do, but…but I…oddly feel like I should…”

“Well, you’ll see once we get there. See it’s because of this big personality that Pey is so against going to see her. Because you’re here and all. Because she likes yo-”

Before Melissa could finish speaking, a figure appears. From absolutely nowhere. So fast that both me and Melissa couldn’t see her coming. It’s Peyton. Her right hand on Melissa’s mouth preventing her from talking. And her left around Melissa’s neck, scarily seemingly capable of snapping said-neck in an instant. She then smiles as she looks at me.

“Yoghurt.” She says. “She was about to say I like yoghurt…”

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