Chapter 36. Exam Period (4)

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nYoo Yeonha opened her eyes. A patternless white ceiling filled her sight, and the sound of something being cut tickled her ears. She turned towards the direction of the sound.

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nKim Suho was cutting an apple with a fruit knife.

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n“…What are you doing here?”

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nYoo Yeonha asked dumbfoundedly. Kim Suho glanced at Yoo Yeonha before smiling bashfully.

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n“You’re awake? It doesn’t hurt anywhere, right?”

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n“…I’m fine.”

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n“The doctor said there’s nothing wrong with your body.”

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nYoo Yeonha raised her upper body. She felt slightly stiff and sore, but it wasn’t to the point she couldn’t move.

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n“What I want to know is why you’re here.”

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n“We’re taking turns nursing you. Me, Nayun, Shin Jonghak, and Kim Horak.”

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n“Why?”

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nYoo Yeonha asked genuinely curious.

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n“Well, it’s kind of our fault…”

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n“…Huh?”

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nYoo Yeonha fell in thought because of Kim Suho’s incomprehensible words. How was it their fault?

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nBut even after contemplating about what happened, she couldn’t come up with an answer.

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n‘Did they do something I didn't know?’ Yoo Yeonha glared at Kim Suho, demanding an explanation.

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n“As members of the same team, we should have been more careful. We were too absorbed in caring for Nayun that we were too negligent…”

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nYoo Yeonha became lost for words. Her brain seemed to freeze at the sheer stupidity of Kim Suho’s statement.

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nIt wasn’t like they could have known she would get attacked. Not to mention, the investigation team had only met twice, and there was even a huge argument in the second meeting.

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n“…Sorry.”

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n“Pfft.”

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nYoo Yeonha chuckled at Kim Suho’s bashful apology. If anything, she realized just how stupidly kind this man was.

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n“You don’t need to be sorry. I got what I deserved.”

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nKim Suho scratched his neck and gave Yoo Yeonha a plate of sliced apples, which were shaped like rabbits. Yoo Yeonha smiled subconsciously. Being a girl, Yoo Yeonha liked cute things.

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n“They look nice.”

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n“Thanks.”

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nKim Suho laughed innocently. His handsome face seemed to shine. Yoo Yeonha stared at his face in a daze before suddenly remembering something and asking.

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n“…Oh right, um, did that person come?”

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n“That person?”

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nKim Hajin.

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nYoo Yeonha couldn’t say his name out loud. She had a conscience. She didn't expect him to visit her after what she had done.

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n“No, nevermind.”

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nShe looked outside the window. There wasn’t a single cluster of clouds on the East Sea’s clear and blue sky. The world seemed particularly bright under the beaming sunlight.

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nSeeing this dazzling scenery, Yoo Yeonha fell in thought.

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nShe learned many things today.

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nOf course, her 17-year-old personality wouldn’t entirely change with just this one incident. Tomorrow’s Yoo Yeonha might not be too different than today’s.

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nBut there were certainly many things she felt from the bottom of her heart. She wasn’t sure whether it was self-reflection, introspection, or plain gratefulness.

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nBefore she wrote everything down on her diary and pondered over it, she first picked up her smartwatch.

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nThere was still something she needed to do.

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n**

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nI received a message.

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nThank you. I’ll repay today’s debts for sure.

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nThe sender was Yoo Yeonha. Seeing her name, the corners of my mouth curled up to a smile.

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nI wanted to say something cool, but the person sitting in front of me asked for another affirmation.

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n“Um… So I can just take this money? Really?”

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nI stared back at the man. Park Soohyuk has been like this for a while. I lost count how many times he asked if this was real.

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nHaa. I couldn’t help but sigh.

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nIt was my money I was investing, so why was he so hesitant? Just buy an HUV (hunter utility vehicle) and a proper magic pouch already!

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n“Yes, yes, yes. Please take it! Please!”

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nI stood up and bowed down at a 90-degree angle.

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n“Please take it!”

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n“Ah, um, I—”

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n“What, do I need to kowtow? I’ll do it!”

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n“No, no! I’ll take it! Thank you so much for investing in SH Agency!”

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nHe finally put the signed documents in his suitcase.

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nHow did such an easygoing person end up becoming the agent world’s greatest giant? I was the owner who created this setting, but I just couldn’t understand it.

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nAfter staring at him for a moment, I asked casually.

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n“By the way, how old are you?”

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n“I’m 29.”

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n“Ah, you’re more than a decade older than me. You don’t have to talk so formally.”

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nTalking casually would be better for our relationship.

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n“How can I do such a thing to an investor…”

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n“Don’t think of me as an investor, think of me as a business partner. You know, like we’re building SH Agency together.”

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n“But still…”

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n“Don’t worry, I’m fine with it.”

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n“But…”

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nA back and forth argument went around on the topic of talking formally or casually. Eventually, I defeated Park Soohyuk and he submitted.

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n“Okay… I won’t talk so formally then.”

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n“Good.”

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nI got up.

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n“Then let’s go hunt. We’ll stop at just two for today.”

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n“Alright, then this hyung1 will support you from the back.”

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nPark Soohyuk laughed bashfully.

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nWe left the coffee shop. Right when we were about to head to the Field, I saw a convenience store.

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n“Um, Soohyuk hyung?”

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nI was the one who suggested talking casually, but I felt shy now that I needed to do it.

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n“Hm? What’s up?”

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n“We should buy a lottery ticket.”

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nI pointed at the poster that said lottery ticket on sale. In truth, this was the first method I thought up to make money since I had an absurd level of luck. But because of my status as a ‘minor without a guardian’, I haven’t been able to do it until now.

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n“Come on, lottery tickets are a waste of money. You might be too young to understand these things, but the lottery is a scam.”

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n“It’s not a scam. I have good luck, so I’ll probably win something. I’ll invest what I get on SH Agency, so give it a try.”

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n“No, I’m telling you it’s a scam…”

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n“Just follow me.”

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nI dragged Park Soohyuk to the convenience store. I grabbed ten instant lottery tickets on the counter, and with Park Soohyuk’s clearly aged face, the clerk didn’t even ask for his identification. After buying the ten tickets, I brought them over to a nearby table.

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n“I need something to scratch them with.”

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n“Oh, here’s a coin.”

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nEven though he just said lottery tickets were a scam, he gave me a coin with anticipating eyes.

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n“I’ll start then.”

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nShashak. I started scratching on the silver foils on the ticket. The first one was a fail. I immediately moved on to the second. Another fail. I scratched the third ticket. Another fail.

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n“Haam.”

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nPark Soohyuk had already lost interest and yawned. Unperturbed, I continued scratching. Fourth, fifth, sixth…

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nWhile Park Soohyuk walked around the cup ramen aisle, I scratched the tenth lottery ticket.

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n“Oh, finally.”

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n“You won? How much?”

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nPark Soohyuk asked casually after picking up a cup ramen.

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n“20 million won.”

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n“Oh, nice.”

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nPark Soohyuk then started walking towards the counter before suddenly stopping and tilting his head. ‘Did I hear that wrong…?’ murmuring so, he turned towards me.

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n“…Can you repeat that?”

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n“20 million won. Looks like getting the first place jackpot is asking for too much.”

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nFirst place was 100 million won.

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nI showed Park Soohyuk the lottery ticket. His jaws instantly dropped.

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n“W-What, is, is this real?”

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n“It’s real, so take it.”

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nI handed him the ticket.

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n“W-Why are you giving this to me?”

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n“Oh, didn’t I tell you? I’m still a minor, so I can’t claim the money. You can take it. It’s an additional investment, so send me a modified contract.”

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nPark Soohyuk stared at me in a daze. His gaping mouth didn’t think to close. The cup ramen he was holding could probably fit in his mouth. It sure was big.

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n“Take it.”

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n“Oh, yeah.”

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nPark Soohyuk quickly put the lottery ticket in his pocket. Next, he quickly looked around himself and began to sweat as though he had just committed a crime.

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n“You can put down your guard. No one is going to steal it. “

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n“No, you don’t understand how scary the world can be…”

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n**

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nMoonlight shone through a broken window, but it only lit up dusty ruins and absolute silence. Vines and moss were the only living things in this desolate place abandoned by humans.

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nA factory in Suwon abandoned after Outcall, this was Chameleon Troupe’s temporary hiding place.

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n—Boss.

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nA voice rang out in the empty space. The call awoke an existence sleeping in the darkness.

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n—You’re awake?

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nThe existence slowly opened its eyes. The revealed pupils glistened like jewels yet carried a threatening aura.

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n—Those bastards started moving. The Packhorse Master. They just listed themselves on the stock market.

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nThe ownerless voice notified the existence of this information.

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nThe existence replied briefly. Not even a hint of emotion could be felt in the dull voice.

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n“Understood.”

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n—What should we do next?

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nThe existence put off answering the question and slowly raised its body. Meanwhile, a full moon revealed itself from behind the clouds. A brighter moonlight infiltrated the window and lit up the existence’s body. The enshrouding darkness instantly melted down.

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n—That aside, Boss is beautiful as always.

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nLong black hair seemingly weaved out of shadows, full pink lips, and a smooth white skin adorning a graceful figure… A woman, who seemed to be the manifestation of modern beauty, spoke without the slightest change in her expression.

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n“Do you have a death wish?”

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nA dark blue magic power crackled from her hands.

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n—I’m kidding, but it’s not like I can say Boss is ugly. Forgive me.

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nThe threatening magic power akin to an erupting lava calmed down.

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n—Anyways, what are we going to do? The Packhorse Master is making its move.

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n“We will only steal. We won’t care about anything else.”

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nIt was an apathetic answer, but her command was clear.

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n—Oh, by the way, there’s someone buying Packhorse Master’s stocks en masse.

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n“Stocks?”

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n—Yep. At first, I thought it was just a small investor, investing 3 million won first and 10 million won second. But suddenly, he threw in 250 million won on top of that. A small investor randomly investing wouldn’t do something like that.

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n“Coincidence?”

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n—Mm… 95%, I’d say. But Boss, the other 5% is what I’m concerned with. There’s no reason to buy this stock. Packhorse Master doesn’t even have a guild page yet.

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nThe guild stock market was riskier than the normal stock market. Thus, without a proper source of information, few small investors invested in new guilds. And there was no way that there was a source of information on Packhorse Master.

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n“Don’t mind it. We only have one job.”

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n—Mmm… If you say so. I’ll tell the troupe members that.

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n“Un.”

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nWith that, the voice disappeared. Then, it quickly came back.

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n—Oh right, a few interesting pages appeared on Violet Banquet.

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nThe woman tilted her head.

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n—Artifact Search Corp, Jonggak's Dog Meat Soup, and Truth Agency.

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n“Are they of any use?”

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n—The first two are slowly building their reputation, but I don’t know about Truth Agency. I just included it because of how confident it introduced itself. Since it’s boasting in Violet Banquet, I’m sure it has some skill.

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n“Take it out.”

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n—Come on~ You know how things are. It wasn’t just once or twice that seemingly ordinary pages were the jackpot. I’ll give you the page number later, so take a look. It says it’ll answer any question. Who knows? Maybe it can help us find that son of a bitch.

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nHowever, the woman remained uninterested.

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n“That doesn’t happen often.”

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n—Still. Alright, I’m going. See you later, Boss~

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nThat seemed to be the end of the conversation.

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nBut the voice came back once again.

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n—Oh, one more thing, Boss.

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n“…”

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nVeins popped up on the woman's white forehead.

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n“What now?”

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n—Cube’s exams start next week. You’ll go watch, right?

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nHuu.

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nThe woman sighed before replying.

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n“Yeah, I will.”

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n1. Term used for male to refer to older males, usually in a friendly family-like manner.

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