Chapter 135

The Black Point is a secret info dealer. Not many know about this place, and if you do, you’re probably a vet in this field.

Obviously, being a vet in the info biz doesn’t make you the bad guy. The more info you have, the more leverage you hold, y’know?

I gave a long stare to the next customer who came in after me and Aru. They had a small frame, kinda like Maria’s build.

Who could it be? I suddenly got curious. Who would wear such a dark hood in broad daylight and come to the Black Point? If only I could see their face, most people I’d recognize right away.

“Hmph… nom nom… smells.”

Aru muttered while chewing on some meat.

“Smell? What smell?”

“Familiar smell. Hmph.”

“So where’s it coming from? Exactly what smell are you talking about?”

“Grrr. Him.”

Aru pointed at someone. A customer sitting in the corner staring at the wall.

Huh—?

The hood slightly trembled. Hooh, interesting reaction. Does this person know Aru or me?

I cleared my throat dramatically and spoke to Aru.

“That person smells? What kind of smell?”

“Just… a familiar one. Don’t know exactly. Can’t remember.”

“Oi, you stupid mutt! Useless as always…”

“Don’t talk! I’m eating! Grrrr!”

Clearly upset by my “stupid mutt” comment, Aru let out a screech. How dare this dumb dog bark at his master like that? I gave him a solid bonk on the head.

“Yip!”

“Augh!”

Even though Aru screamed, my fist hurt too. Is this guy getting way too strong? Even the legendary Wolf King from ancient times needed a full moon power-up just to match King Oh, but this Aru kid seems stronger than even Oh!

“Yo, you bastard. Your head feels like a rock or something… Ever thought about joining a headbutting contest? Go earn some pocket money. Cover the cost of all the meat you ate today.”

“Huh? But you said you’d treat us!”

“…Rockhead with a memory like goldfish.”

Since his skull is so hard, there’s no point giving him a knuckle sandwich. With a sigh of resignation, I patted Aru’s head and stood up. The squeaky wooden chair slid back.

Shiver again—same suspicious customer. Definitely shady.

“Hey, mister.”

I’m not the type to ignore or overlook a suspicious person. Best to solve puzzles when they present themselves.

Clearly aware that I was addressing them, the customer didn’t respond. That silence intrigued me.

Thump thump, I stomped toward the customer on the wooden floorboards. Their frail back was shaking violently.

So far, the only places Aru has been to are the Demon Forest and Eden Academy. There’s no way they could remember the scent of somewhere they visited briefly in between, meaning this customer must be from one of those two places.

Can’t be from the Demon Forest, so they’re likely from the Academy. Lately, Aru himself has become a hot topic at the Academy, so this person probably knows us. Thus, they’re pretending not to know me.

Hmm, now I’m really curious. Why are they avoiding us? And why would someone from a reputable institution like the Academy come to a shady spot like the Black Point?

“Why aren’t you answering? Could you just turn around for a sec?”

“…”

“C’mon, let me see your face! Alright?”

Clang!

I approached the customer from behind and grabbed the top of their hood. Just as I was about to pull it off—

Click!

“Eh-hei, let’s speak our language here. Why so serious? I just wanna see your face, that’s all.”

In a flash, a pistol emerged from under the hood, pointing straight at my nose.

A cold chill and metallic scent tickled my nostrils. Slowly, I released the hood and raised both hands.

Honestly, we could fight if we wanted, but since I don’t know this person’s strength and they’ve already got a gun aimed at my vital points, starting a fight would mean taking a big penalty first.

Besides…

“You can’t intimidate me with an unloaded gun. You know that, right?”

Click!

“Uh, wait a sec. Sir, you’re not gonna shoot, are you? Because the moment you pull that trigger, my doggy friend over there will rip your throat out. Sounds like a joke, huh?”

“…”

“Oh man, you don’t want to show your face, huh? At least say something. How am I supposed to react without any clue?”

Meanwhile, despite the tense situation with the gun, Aru was calmly munching on his meat, watching everything unfold from behind.

“…Go back to your seat. Don’t ask questions.”

“…”

The customer threatened in a low tone. The gun gleamed, ready to fire.

What a laugh.

“Alright, alright. If you’re this sensitive, I’ll back down. But…”

These days, do puppies bow their tails and still act tough?

“You’re speaking so quietly. Trying to hide your voice so I won’t recognize it, right? Which means… you’re someone I know.”

“!”

“The gun’s trembling. Even though it’s close range, your hands shaking won’t miss, but isn’t this fully revealing how nervous you are? You seem pretty scared of me.”

“Right now, go back to your seat…!”

“But weird. Why are you afraid of me? The main scary rumor spreading in the Academy is about Aru, so why are you trembling in front of me? Killing two people here wouldn’t get publicized anyway, so why haven’t you pulled the trigger yet?”

Shiver again—the hood quivered. A twisted smile curved my lips. It’s surprisingly fun teasing someone whose identity I don’t know. I could faintly hear a soft whimper like “haaargh…”

Tap tap.

“Well, whatever. I respect others’ privacy, so I guess I’ll step back.”

I patted the hooded head. The trigger was halfway pulled—a warning to stop touching. No killing intent.

“Pfft.”

I returned to my seat beside Aru. Only then did the customer put the gun away, and the tense atmosphere in the bar dissolved.

A black-haired woman in a dark dress walked over to our table carrying two cups of tea. She greeted the mysterious customer sitting opposite us warmly.

“Goodness! When did you arrive? Still wearing that gloomy hood?”

“…”

“What’s wrong? You were quiet before, but now you won’t even answer? That’s disappointing. We’ve known each other for years.”

“…”

“No response, huh. Anyway, never mind that. Let’s drink tea while chatting, first customers.”

The dark-dressed woman sat at the table with Aru and me, offering two steaming cups of tea.

“Huh? Drink? Gulp gulp… hack! Cough! Choke! Ack!”

Not knowing how to sip tea properly, Aru tried to chug it all at once and ended up choking badly from the heat. Meanwhile, I skillfully inhaled the aroma before sipping slowly, savoring the flavor. My heart calmed.

“Ha ha, looks like our canine guest isn’t used to tea. You seem quite experienced though.”

“Indeed, the tea tastes great. You weren’t kidding.”

“I take pride in it. Nice compliment.”

The hostess was relaxed. By the way, what did she say earlier? Regular customer? Is there anyone from the Academy who regularly visits a shady spot like the Black Point?

“How about serving our friend over there a cup of tea too?”

“Forget about that customer. They’re very cautious; they wouldn’t drink tea even if offered.”

Very cautious. In other words, they don’t trust others.

Man, whoever else may be, information dealers should at least be trusted, right? Isn’t that why you came here for information? She called them a regular, but maybe they lack experience in dealing with this side of things.

“Alright, let’s talk business.”

“Tell me what you need.”

“I want to inquire about a person. Might be an investigation request. Do you know Eden Academy?”

“Huh? Eden Academy?”

Startle!

Bad at hiding emotions. This corner customer, who’s twitched three times already, is starting to look kinda cute.

Definitely someone from the Academy, though I mentioned it for another reason.

“Yes, Eden Academy. There’s a teacher there who seems suspicious.”

“Teacher? The most frequent info requests are about the Iron-blooded Teacher, but are you asking about them?”

“No, a different teacher.”

What, you think I’d be interested in that Iron-blooded Teacher just because I happen to have their wallet right now? I grinned and pulled out a photo from my chest pocket.

“This is Isaac. He’s a history teacher at Eden Academy. His traits include being gentlemanly and having squinty eyes.”

“Ah, squinty eyes? That’s intriguing. As the old saying goes, beware of squinty eyes and smiling faces.”

“Exactly, those squinty eyes. But it seems like you don’t have much info on him, judging by your question?”

“We don’t know everything about the world. We can’t possibly know details about every ordinary teacher at an academy. But don’t worry, we’ll dig into it now.”

“I want quick information.”

“Didn’t you know this is the Black Point? Trust us. We’ll filter through accurate information and deliver it swiftly.”

The hostess spoke with confidence. Clearly, she trusts her own abilities entirely.

Well, that’s not wrong. The Black Point isn’t capable of knowing what color underwear Maria wore yesterday—that’s something only me and Maria would know.

“Alright. I expected as much. I’ll pay generously, so please investigate this teacher Isaac thoroughly.”

“To what extent?”

“Down to the color of the underwear he wore yesterday. Background, origin, life story, relationships, habits, daily routines—everything.”

“That’ll cost quite a bit, you sure?”

Snap.

She pulled out a stack of bills from her wallet and placed them on the table. The hostess’s eyes sparkled.

“Here’s the advance. The rest later. Sound good?”

The hostess counted each bill carefully with her fingers. Back in the day, a hundred years ago, transactions were done with coins. Times have changed, all thanks to the Kingdom.

“Rare to meet a straightforward customer like you who skips haggling. Maybe I should offer you free tea more often?”

“A discount would quickly turn me into a regular.”

“Ha ha, we’ll discuss that later. For now, the job’s accepted. You can leave whenever.”

Squeak.

The hostess shifted her weight and stood up from the chair. She gave us a light nod and approached the table where the other customer was seated.

But I didn’t stand up. Instead, I sipped the tea as slowly as possible. Aru, eager to leave, wagged her tail against my waist, but I gently petted her to suppress her minor rebellion.

“So, our regular customer. What brings you here today?”

“…”

“Oh my, what’s wrong? You’re sweating like you’ve been caught in the rain? Are you sick?”

Did they notice me? The customer struggled to speak, coughing as if biting their tongue.

From behind the hostess’s table, I stared intently at them.

“…”

Speak up already. Let me hear that precious voice you’re hiding.

“!”

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