[109]
“I don’t earn my living with my face.”
Chris responded with a dry answer.
“But it would sell well.”
The other person smiled slyly. Being this prickly wasn’t even an issue.
After all, friendly types were rare in this place, and the fact that he didn’t spit or curse at a first meeting already made him quite polite by comparison.
‘Doesn’t seem to be on drugs. Drinks a little, it seems… but doesn’t appear drunk. Maybe he is the real deal.’
He was unusually ascetic for this line of work.
Those who crawl into this dogfight pit and act so detached usually have an ulterior motive.
And the moment that motive is frustrated, they break down three times faster than others, contrary to their previous appearance.
“Don’t you want to take off your leash?”
The man with connections to “those involved” had various information about the new rookie.
“I don’t know what you mean.”
Chris furrowed his brow.
It was true that he was living under ‘that setting.’ However, it was unpleasant that someone who approached him behind Yuri’s back was acting like they knew him inside out.
“I hear the wolf who appeared like a comet in the arena has an owner.”
The man with the lecherous gaze whispered.
“And I heard that owner deliberately excludes you from important negotiation meetings.”
“…That’s none of your business.”
“How does it feel to simply watch the moment your fate is decided?”
The question carried a hint of subtle interest.
“While crawling on all fours like a dog.”
Chris maintained an expressionless face.
He knew the man’s intentions—talking about dogs when he clearly knew Chris transformed into a wolf.
But people with such base character were hardly rare.
“Well… whatever happens to me, I just need to pay back the money.”
The rookie’s reaction was unexpectedly lukewarm, disappointing the provocateur.
As the man rolled his eyes looking for something else to provoke with, he suddenly felt someone grab his neck and he tumbled to the ground.
“Kuk, kuuk…”
His suddenly constricted throat let out a dry cough.
“What a mess.”
Yuri was standing there.
Chris tried not to look pleased as he averted his gaze.
“So it seems approaching another’s fighter is allowed in the Colosseum.”
Yuri casually pushed the man who had been making some proposal to Chris into a corner of the bar.
It was a square formed by the wall and furniture. Anyone passing by without paying attention wouldn’t even notice someone was there.
Chris subtly shifted his body to properly block the two from view. Yuri continued his intimidation.
“Go ahead and talk. I’ll listen.”
“That’s…”
The man tried to start but fell silent.
Chris found this situation quite strange.
Usually people became intimidated in front of an Esper. Yet this man had approached him quite boldly despite knowing Chris was an Esper. But now that Yuri appeared, he was cowering?
What’s more, here Yuri was just playing the role of a loan shark, not the boss of Baekyah.
‘Interesting.’
“Let me guess.”
Yuri’s question sparked Chris’s curiosity.
A secretive smile brushed his lips.
“Were you that upset about losing money?”
“You cheated!”
The man’s face turned bright red.
“You cheated first!”
“Me?”
Yuri asked back as if incredulous.
But malice twinkled like stars in his purple eyes.
‘He did cheat.’
Chris felt his heart sink as he faced what felt like Yuri’s true expression behind the illusion.
That sensation, somewhat similar to pain, was Chris’s long-time companion.
Helpless excitement, or an indescribable fascination.
“I think you’re just stomping your feet after losing a lot… what do you think?”
Chris realized the man’s face was flushed beyond simple shame or anger.
He took a step closer to the corner.
Someone cornered could make an unexpected move at any moment.
“I…!”
After huffing and puffing for a while, the man finally blurted out.
“I was wrong! I won’t approach your fighter again.”
“Good thinking.”
Yuri took a step back. The man staggered badly, as if he had been pushed.
Just before tumbling to the floor, he barely regained his balance and immediately turned and fled.
Chris noticed the bottom of the fleeing man’s clothes fluttering, torn as if cut by something sharp.
He spotted something gleaming in Yuri’s hand.
‘If the light hadn’t reflected off it, I wouldn’t have known he was holding anything.’
Yuri skillfully tucked the blade into his sleeve and looked at Chris.
“Attracting bugs when you’re not even a flower.”
Chris made a slightly embarrassed face.
“I’m sorry.”
Yuri paused.
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
He quickly turned his face away as if caught off guard. After a moment, Yuri rolled his eyes to look at Chris.
“Anyway, it doesn’t matter. I chased him away, so it’s fine.”
“Certainly. Having someone like that hanging around would be troublesome.”
Chris slowly nodded in agreement.
Yuri looked like he wanted to return to the waiting room, but Chris still had questions.
“Who was that man just now?”
“A gambler.”
Yuri answered as if it were nothing special.
“Where did you meet him?”
“On the floor where gamblers gather.”
Yuri smiled amusedly at Chris’s question.
“In a place like this, bottom-feeding scum looking for stimulation gather from all around.”
“Ah.”
“They bet on all sorts of games… they even bet on who will drink water when. The atmosphere often gets overheated… I think a couple of people were carried out yesterday too.”
Yuri spoke so casually that Chris’s response was delayed.
“Is that okay?”
Yuri stared at his half-startled dog.
The irony wasn’t lost on him—Chris seemed unbothered by whatever happened to himself, yet he would panic at the slightest hint of Yuri being in danger.
Chris would probably worry less about a three-year-old child near water than about Yuri.
“Did you forget who just removed the man who was hitting on you?”
“Still, a blind blade is dangerous. Doesn’t the Colosseum take separate measures? There would be losses if customers fight, wouldn’t there?”
At times like this, his thinking was quite logical.
Somewhat impressed, Yuri answered.
“They just let it be.”
“How come?”
“Because it makes money.”
Yuri pulled out some chips from his pocket. They were the currency used only within the Colosseum.
He flicked his finger, and the gold-plated chip spun in the air before falling.
Yuri caught it lightly.
Though crude in appearance, everything within the arena was settled with these chips.
“The more heated the atmosphere gets, the more people lose their reason and bet more money. Plus, they’re betting these chips, not real money, on all sorts of trivial bets. The owner here would be happy to see customers having their own fun.”
It was quite genius to introduce such toy-like items instead of real money.
Doesn’t it numb the sense of actually suffering financial loss?
While some might be careful at first, a week was enough for gambling to flip their sensibilities.
Yuri had witnessed people who had walked in perfectly normal soon forgetting to eat and sleep, only staring at the electronic boards.
It wasn’t a particularly pleasant feeling.
“What you just saw was a broker.”
“A broker?”
“Someone who manipulates the outcomes of bets, depending on what’s at stake.”
Yuri playfully flicked the chip with his finger.
“He bet quite a lot of money on the fact that you would lose.”
Snatching the falling chip again, Yuri twirled it between his fingers several times, then showed his completely empty hand.
“So I made his chips completely disappear.”
Chris silently reached out and found the chip hidden near the back of Yuri’s hand.
“I wish you wouldn’t do dangerous things.”
“How dangerous could someone be who runs away after just getting his clothes torn, not even his skin?”
Yuri answered indifferently.
Chris’s blue eyes darkened. Yuri’s sense of danger was broken.
Whether it was from being chased by Rosenhauser since childhood, or from jumping into all sorts of dangerous situations while building Baekyah, he couldn’t tell.
It was at least fortunate that he wasn’t the type to enjoy thrills.
“He might try to bribe others.”
Yuri stared at Chris.
“You’d probably push me away if I were with a lamb, saying I could get caught on its horns.”
“Why would Yuri be with a lamb…?”
Chris asked back. Yuri momentarily furrowed his brow.
No matter how awkward the combination, hearing it said like that was exasperating.
“Didn’t you say you had no intention of keeping other animals by your side?”
He could have countered that in a thousand ways. Yet his lips sealed tight.
It was because the gaze looking back at him was so direct.
The fact that Chris didn’t doubt for a second that those were Yuri’s words left him dumbfounded.
“Ah.”
Yuri sighed in a low voice at those words.
“Right. I did say that. Forget it, I said something stupid.”
He awkwardly ran his hand through his hair.
‘…Such ridiculous…’
While inwardly grumbling, Yuri couldn’t help thinking Chris was adorable.
Just then, there was a sound like someone trying hard not to laugh.
“Kup.”
“…Chris.”
Though he called his name in warning, it was useless.
“Huk… khup…”
When he pulled up the chin of Chris, who was bent over laughing like he was sobbing, two brightly smiling eyes came into view.
“I’m… s-sorry…”
Yuri made an openly annoyed expression.
“Either stop laughing or stop saying such things.”
The man turned his body abruptly and walked away with large strides.
But Chris wasn’t anxious.
His gaze was directed toward Yuri’s ear as he walked ahead.
As if sensing that gaze, Yuri stopped suddenly, turned his body, and snapped:
“What are you doing just standing there? Do I need to put a leash on you and drag you like a dog before you’ll follow?”
Chris wasn’t bothered at all.
That was just for show, for others to hear. The real commotion was Yuri’s ear.
It was reddish.
Like a fully bloomed spring continent flower.
“I’m sorry. I’ll come right away.”
After that, until they returned to the waiting room, Chris had a very difficult time trying not to laugh.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
