Chapter 47: Wedding Plans?

Chapter 47: Chapter 47: Wedding Plans?

Victor watched them from a distance.

Mira wore a sleek gown with a long slit down one side, looking elegant.

Tobi walked next to her in a neat blue suit, and the two of them were laughing about something.

They looked warm and good together. Like not a worry in the world could move these two.

Victor almost let it go.

Then he recalled that news before his regression.

Then again they broke up yesterday... right? He tried to convince himself.

It can’t be that...

The thought held there.

This was not his business. But Mira and her Dawnbreak team saved his life yesterday.

He was no longer a weak man, but he could not have killed all the goblins nor had the time to figure out the gate if not for their help. And then there was the cash he had been splurging around the place.

Mother always said to repay kindness. What kind of man would I be if I did not help when I could.

And so Victor followed.

They cut down a side alley, and Victor trailed a safe distance behind, staying to the shadows.

All he wanted to do was be sure Mira would be safe.

An E–Ranker trying to protect a C–Ranker. What a joke. But he did it anyway.

When he turned the corner after them, though, the alley was empty.

His Barbarian instincts spiked a half-second too late.

Her cold steel blade pressed against his throat before he even saw her move.

"Why are you following us?" Mira’s voice was flat, controlled, and nothing like the easy laughter from a moment ago. "Who are you?" She pressed further enough for a drop of blood to leak from his neck.

Then light from a nearby window caught his face.

"...Victor?"

"Hey, Mira." He raised both hands slowly, eyes flicking down toward the blade still at his neck. "You mind?"

She pulled it back instantly, looking almost sheepish. "Sorry. Thought someone dangerous was tailing us. Pickpockets are usually around here, you know how it is."

Victor laughed, a little too high-pitched, rubbing the back of his neck.

Tobi jogged up behind her a second later. "Oh, you’re Victor!" He grinned, extending a hand. "I’ve heard a lot about you. Mira told me you’re the reason she’s still alive."

"It was nothing, really," Victor said, shaking his hand, scratching the back of his head again.

"Heard you had your Ranker test today," Tobi said.

"Yeah. I came out E-Rank, apparently."

Mira’s eyes lit up slightly. "E-Rank? That’s great news." Then her brow creased, just slightly. "Though... isn’t that kind of low?"

She didn’t say what she was actually thinking, which was that nothing about what she’d watched him do inside that Gate matched the capabilities of an E-Rank. Not even close. D-Rank at the very least, probably higher. But she let it go for now. "Congratulations. I should get you something for it."

"No, really, you don’t have to..."

"Speaking of good news," Victor said, glancing between the two of them, "you two look like you’ve got some of your own tonight."

Mira’s whole face changed, bright and a little giddy in a way Victor had never seen.

Even in the gate, she carried a near stoic expression.

Is this what they call a Yandere, no. I might be wrong though.

Miralifted her left hand. A silver ring sat there, a small gem catching the alley light.

"Tobi proposed."

She giggled. Actually giggled, leaning into Tobi’s shoulder while he beamed down at her like he still couldn’t quite believe his luck.

Victor stared for a second, genuinely thrown by the contrast.

She looks really stupid in love.

"Congratulations! That’s amazing." A grin spread across Victor’s face. "Guess Hana’s getting fitted for her Maid of Honor dress."

All three of them laughed.

"We were just heading back," Mira said. "Thinking of grabbing a nightcap at Tobi’s place, celebrate a bit. Want to join?"

"Nah, I don’t want to intrude on your night."

"Yeah," Tobi agreed, smiling. "Babe, tonight’s kind of for the two of us. But..." he clapped a hand on Victor’s shoulder, "...I’ll make sure to later get you something nice. For becoming a Ranker."

Victor smiled, nodding, and the two of them turned to go.

Just as the pair past by Victor, his nose twitched.

It was a familiar scent, faint, hidden, covered by perfume, but his sharp barbarian senses caught it.

"Wait." Victor stretched a hand out without thinking. "Mira. That nightcap thing... Urh... is the offer still open?"

She turned back, surprised. "Sure, if you want."

"I could actually use something to eat too," he added quickly.

Mira smiled. "Of course."

However, Tobi’s eyes focused beneath his glasses.

—

Tobi’s apartment was small.

It was the kind of place that shouted ’bachelor’s apartment’ without trying.

There was a single couch, a narrow kitchenette, a TV mounted slightly crooked on the wall.

But it was clean. Everything was put away with a kind of careful order that suggested the owner didn’t have much but took pride in what he did.

No doubt, Tobi was a simple man. It was a wonder Mira was so smitten by him.

"Nice place," Victor said, glancing around as they stepped in.

"Thanks. It’s not much, but it’s home." Tobi gestured toward the couch. "Sit, sit. I’ll get the tea going. Got some chocolate too, if you want."

Victor nodded, already moving toward the seating. As he passed the small dining table, his eyes caught the trash bin tucked in the corner.

A crumpled stack of bills sat inside, one or two visible enough to make out red stamped text. These were past due notices by the look of it.

Those were not Victor’s business. He looked away and sat.

Mira dropped onto the cushion across from him.

The two chairs were angled toward each other in the cramped space, and from the kitchen came the sound of a kettle starting to hiss.

"So," Mira said, settling in, "what’s next for you?"

"Not totally sure yet." Victor shrugged. "I already left a message with the Ranker’s guild. I told them to keep me in mind if anything comes up for a raid."

"Ohhh, I see. Dungeons pop up around the city often enough, you shouldn’t have to wait too long." She studied him for a second. "Just... don’t go chasing anything too dangerous right out the gate. I know you’re capable. But be smart about it."

Victor never saw Mira as the talkative type. The excitement from the proposal must still be rushing through her mind.

Tobi walked in before Victor could answer, holding a small tray balanced carefully in both hands. It had three steaming cups of tea and a plate of biscuits arranged on top.

"Here we go." He set the tray down and poured the dark and fragrant tea. Steam curled up of its surface.

Victor stared at his cup a beat longer than necessary.

I can’t believe I am actually going through with this. But fuck it.

He took a polite sip, then reached for a piece of chocolate with a small smile.

Tobi settled into the last open seat, taking his own cup, blowing over the surface.

Mira sipped hers, clearly enjoying it, then turned to Tobi. "So I was thinking about the wedding."

"Oh?" Tobi’s face brightened.

"I still want it simple. You know, just close friends."

"Of course. You’ve always said that."

Victor laughed. "Mira, you’re kind of a celebrity though. Won’t people be upset a famous Ranker is having a small wedding?"

All three of them laughed at that. And then she reached for another piece of chocolate, lifting it toward her mouth.

She paused, her fingers... trembled.

She stared down at her own hand like it belonged to someone else, confused by the sudden tremor running through it.

The chocolate slipped from her fingers and hit the floor. A second later her cup followed. It shattered as tea spread dark across the floorboards.

She tried to speak but nothing came out... properly.

Her eyes found Victor across from her, and he was already slumping sideways, eyes half shut.

Panic hit her a half-second before her own legs gave out beneath her.

As she collapsed, her eyes found Tobi.

He hadn’t moved.

He hadn’t touched his tea.

He just sat there, perfectly still, light catching off the lenses of his glasses, watching them both go down without a flicker of concern crossing his face...