Sophia raised an eyebrow and gave me a look that seemed to say 'Are you serious?'
"You do realize it's raining outside, don't you?" she asked, frowning.
"I know, but I have important business that needs to be taken care of tonight, and I need you to come with me."
She rolled her eyes and walked past me without even giving it a thought.
It seemed this was her answer.
"The next time you stalk me outside the shower, there will be consequences," she warned as she walked away.
"What if I told you that this business has something to do with my parents? That it would help them out greatly. You know how bad their situation is right, having to take care of two kids?"
She immediately froze. She didn't dare take another step. She knew just how bad our financial situation was. As things stood, we were barely surviving. Her conscience wouldn't allow her to walk away if she knew there was a way she could help ease their burdens.
She sighed heavily and spun around on her heel.
"Fine, what is this business about?"
"A family friend wants to give my dad a job. I was supposed to meet up with him tonight."
She raised an eyebrow and began looking at me suspiciously.
"If that's the case, why doesn't he just speak with your dad, and why do I have to come with you?"
"My dad and this friend had a falling out. He wants my help to smooth things over with them. And the reason I wanted you to come with me is because it's dangerous to go out at night. What if there is a demon attack? It will be safer to bring you with me since you have a powerful skill."
"So you're a pervert and a coward," she sighed exhaustedly. "Fine, I'll go get dressed. Give me a minute."
After agreeing, she disappeared into her room to get dressed. A few minutes later, she returned wearing a short black dress paired with black fishnet stockings. Around her neck was a black choker collar that had silver spikes protruding from it. She also wore a pair of black boots that reached all the way up to her kneecaps.
'Damn, I didn't think she was the gothic type, or I just don't remember. Now it's too hard to miss.'
She also wore a set of black sunglasses. It was an obvious attempt to hide the dark circles underneath her eyelids. It seemed she had finished the bottle of sleeping elixir so her insomnia had returned.
When she exited the room, she wore a neutral expression, but that quickly turned into a frown.
"If you're done gawking at me, can we leave? The rain isn't letting up, so it's best to get this wrapped up before your parents return home."
"Yes, you're right."
I grabbed the umbrella leaning at the entrance, and Sophia and I left our small apartment. Stepping out onto the streets, what lay before us was the shithole of a community where we were forced to live.
It was a place known as Firefly District, known for neon signs that lit up the streets at night. It was a community for people down on their luck, so to speak. The buildings here were half torn apart, and the homeless population here was the highest in the entire city.
It was currently 9 pm. The last sky train leaves at 1 am, which means we had four hours to wrap up everything and return here. Sophia glanced around at the surroundings as if it was the first time she was seeing it.
Now that I think about it, this was the first time I was seeing her outside.
A few minutes later, we arrived at the station. I quickly waved my card in front of the machine and bought two tickets for the both of us, which cost 1 zencoin each. The currency in this world relied on a digital currency called zencoin. It was the one currency agreed to be used by all races.
The developers of this game made the value of the zencoin close to that of USD. So 1 zencoin roughly equated to 1 USD.
After flashing our ticket to a robot who scanned them, Sophia and I were allowed to enter the train.
"Welcome to Cloud-Vision express. Please find your seat or hold on tight. Levitation begins in 3… 2… 1…"
A sweet-sounding voice flowed from the speakers. Soon, a sound akin to a jet engine echoed in my ears, and I could feel us being lifted off the ground. Sophia and I sat side by side, although the train cart was mostly empty.
She sat next to the window and gazed at the city before us. The city on a whole was slightly more futuristic than the ones on Earth. It was a city named Myoto. It was one of the few cities still remaining. Of course, it was a city built mostly for humans.
Soon, the sky train began moving. Though it was called the sky train, it only levitated 10 inches above ground. Its most impressive feature was its speed, being able to move at half the speed of sound.
Sophia and I didn't speak much during the journey and in no time at all, we arrived at our destination.
"Thank you for riding the Cloud-Vision express. We have arrived at our final stop. Levitation will be deactivated in 3… 2… 1… Levitation has been deactivated. Please make sure you gather all your personal belongings before leaving. Watch your step onto the platform; thank you for traveling."
"So, where to next?" Sophia asked as we finally exited the train.
"Follow me," I said.
It was still raining heavily, so I opened the umbrella and led the way towards our next destination.
This part of the city was close to where I worked, so I knew my way around fairly well. In just a few minutes, we finally arrived at our destination.
Looking at the building in front of us, Sophia frowned.
"This is a bar. Your family friend asked you to meet him at a bar?"
At this point, Sophia was looking at me suspiciously, as if she was beginning to have second thoughts about coming here. I said nothing and only gestured for her to enter. Immediately as we entered the bar, we were doused with the scent of cheap alcohol.
The bar wasn't huge by any means, but it gave a cozy vibe as you stepped in. There were quite a few people inside, talking and drinking. The room was filled with light chatter and laughter.
At the back, there was a performer on stage singing his heart out to whoever would listen. But the main attraction of this bar was, of course, the bartender.
He was an incredibly handsome young man who didn't look a day over thirty. He had a chiseled physique, which caused all the women in the bar to flock around him.
This bartender was, of course, a demon. A low-level demon, at that, whose only means of gaining Sin points is by sleeping with married women. But there was something else that was interesting about him…
The moment Sophia saw the demon, she clutched her chest and began breathing heavily.
"No… No… No… No…"
She tried to retreat by stepping back, but I stepped behind her and blocked her path of retreat.
"Why did you bring me here?"
She began hyperventilating and her body began trembling uncontrollably. She was having a full-blown panic attack. She looked as if she could collapse at any second, but I held her up from behind then I leaned in and whispered into her ear.
"You know who that man is, don't you?"
She quickly shook her head.
"No, please, we need to leave."
"That man… is the demon who killed your parents."
The dam broke with those words and tears began streaming down her face.
"Please~"
"We aren't going anywhere until you kill him."