BAM!
Meryui slammed both Tony, the one who contracted Hayui, and Ergo, the green-haired young man, into the wall.
"What the fuck did you two just do to my Hayui?!"
Her grip became stronger each second, suffocating Tony, making him unable to speak. The only one who can explain the situation is Ergo.
"W-wait, I saved him! You should blame this guy instead! He left him alone!"
Meryui's sharp eyes glanced toward Tony. She threw Ergo to the side, choked Tony, and lifted him.
"What the hell did you tell my Hayui to do?!"
"Ukh!"
Meryui, realizing that Tony can't breathe and speak, eased her hold on Tony's neck.
"I-I asked him to help me go mining!"
"Then how did he become like this?"
Meryui pointed at Hayui, who was lying on a hospital bed with a blood bag being transfused into his body.
Ergo raised his hand.
"Uh... actually, that's my fault. I'm really sorry."
In an instant, Meryui grabbed Ergo's collar and-
SHATTER!
threw him outside the hospital.
"Guh!"
"You'll pay for hurting my sweet little brother!"
Meryui clenched her fist.
"Reinforce!"
Meryui's gloves turn blue before returning to their original color. Afterwards, she punched Ergo, who is still airborne in his gut with her reinforced glove.
BAM!
Meryui and Ergo landed on the street. The impact of Ergo's crashing created a large crater on the ground, causing dust to blind both of their vision.
"Damn, that sister got some weight in her punch."
As the dust dissipated, Ergo could be seen crossing his arm; his sleeves had a small burn hole on it.
HONK! HONK!
The cars surrounding Ergo honked furiously.
"Sigh... just my luck."
Ergo recovered and backflipped. Once again, he crossed his forearms.
"HAH!"
BANG!
The collision between Meryui's fist and Ergo's forearms created a large shockwave. Then, the two skillfully exchanged punches and kicks, Meryui using her reinforced gloves and Ergo using only his bare hand. Meanwhile, at the sideroad, a citizen was holding their phone and calling the police.
"Hello, police? There's a fight between high-level fighters in Road Hajiko! You gotta stop them before they destroy the roads, man!"
"Understood. Yanke, go handle those."
As the fight between Meryui and Ergo continues....
"I'm telling you, it was an accident! I'm really sorry, okay!?"
"Then you should've been careful!"
Ergo blocked another one of Meryui's punches and managed to grab her collar.
"?!"
Feeling her body being lifted so quickly, Meryui prepared herself to kiss the ground.
"Alright, stop it, you two."
A man with pompadour hair and very standout sunglasses stopped Ergo from continuing to throw Meryui to the ground. Ergo released his hold on Meryui's collar, dropping her to the ground.
"Yeah, I prefer that way."
Ergo backed off.
Although still wanting to beat Ergo's ass, Meryui holds back since she's in public.
"You two-"
The pompadour guy put a handcuff on both Meryui and Ergo.
"are going with me."
Meryui seems to expect this, while Ergo....
"???"
"Wait... yeah. I should have expected this coming."
---
Hayui opened his eyes and saw the white ceiling, the smell of disinfectant, and the cold, but at the same time, the warmth of the blanket. He checked his torso, only to find them attached.
"Was that all a dream?"
"Nope, it's not a dream, Hayui. Everything is real."
"Indeed."
Hayui looked around and saw two people.
One is Tony, and the other is a woman whose name he doesn't know.
"Holy shit! Who the fuck are you?!"
The woman closed her book and introduced herself.
"My name is Sera, I'm the subordinate of the green-haired person you met a few minutes ago."
"Nice to meet you, Ms. Sera."
Hayui smiled and waved his hand at Sera. Sera only replied using her emotionless tone.
"Nice to meet you, Hayui."
"Uh... should I introduce myself as well?"
"The reader already knows your name, Tony."
Tony doesn't know how to respond to Sera's blunt, straightforward response.
"Who?"
Hayui, still bedridden, raised his hand to ask a question.
"So, Ms. Sera. What brings you here?"
"I'm here to recruit you to our party; myself and Ergo's party."
"Are Ms. Sera and that person called Ergo also blanks like myself and Tony?"
Sera took a seat in a nearby chair and opened her book, her face impassive.
"Yes. We wanted to recruit you because you have something very valuable to us. And that is, your heart."
Staring at the white ceiling, Hayui touched his own chest.
"My heart?"
"When you were in the mines, you were severely injured by Ergo's attack, leaving you in a near-death state. But that Idiot decided to use something that is supposed to be our client's, healing your mortal injuries. Although I said it healed your mortal injuries, it doesn't regenerate your blood, hence the blood transfusion."
Sera opened a whole different book and took a basket of fruit from within it, baffling both Tony and Hayui.
"A mystician?"
"Please, accept this as a token of apology."
Sera put the basket of fruit on the top of the drawer.
"Then, I'll be leaving."
---
"So, can one of you tell me what caused this fight?"
Inside an interrogation room, three people can be seen sitting together in one table. The officer was interrogating Meryui and Ergo; she pointed the lamp at them.
Blinded by the light, Meryui slightly squinted and raised her hand.
"Hey, come on. Don't point that flashy thing at us."
"Why? You closed your eyes, so you should be fine. The one who is supposed to tell me not to point the lamp is the lady."
....
"So, back to the point. What caused you two to fight?"
"He hospitalized my little brother, so I tried to make him as well."
"I told you it was an accident! I'm really sorry! I'm even willing to pay up for his hospital fee!"
"A squabble, huh?"
The officer lifted her leg and slammed her foot on the table. She took out a pack of cigarettes and lit one up using a lighter.
"There's nothing left to interrogate, but you two are going into the community service for a month for destroying public property."
The officer opened her phone.
"Look, there's someone already here to pick you up."
Outside the building, Sera, the same woman whom Hayui and Tony met at the hospital, was already waiting, leaning against a white car and reading a book.
Sera closed her book and looked at Ergo. She tossed the car key to him.
"You drive."
Ergo catches it nonchalantly and glances at Meryui.
"I'll help you take a ride to the hospital. After that, I can pay for his hospital bills."
"I have a question, which you have to answer first."
While Ergo and Meryui are talking, Sera already entered the car.
"Is what you said previously true?"
"Which one? Oh, wait. Yeah, I'm the one who got him hospitalized. I'm really sorry."
"I still won't forgive you for that."
"I know. Can we get in already?"
Ergo opened the car door and invited Meryui to come inside, which Meryui accepted.
"Alright."
As Ergo turned on the car and hit the pedal, Sera spoke up.
"Ms. Meryui, as we traveled to the hospital, allow me to explain your brother's current situation."
"I'm hearing."
"After this, we will responsibly pay for Hayui hospital bills. But we need something from your brother, Hayui. And that is, his heart."
Meryui's eyes sharpened and looked at Sera, who was impassively looking at the car's window, observing the scenery outside the car.
"Why would you need Hayui's heart?"
"Because your brother's heart is what our client wanted."
Suddenly, a killing intent appeared from behind. Ergo couldn't help but sweat at Meryui's killing intent; however, his eyes remained closed, even though he was currently driving.
"So you're saying you want to take my brother's heart, literally?"
`"That's not what she meant! Uh... but coming from Sera, I think it really is."
"At ease, Ms. Meryui. We wished not to harm your brother. We are also trying to find another way to save Hayui."
"Another way? Did something happen to my brother before?"
"Yes."
Sera looked at Ergo, who was anxiously holding the steer.
"Don't stare at me like that...."
"This idiot saved your brother's life after he killed your brother using the object our client's after. He used that to replace your brother's already dying heart, recovering Hayui from mortality. Right now, your brother's heart will be hunted by many different factions because of his heart. That is why we will tell you this."
Sera looked at Meryui through the car mirror's reflection.
"From now on, Hayui will be joining our party. You have no other choice but to accept fate."