Chapter 10: I am the first generation Void Hunter (Patreon)

The next day, as Musachi stood in the doorway stretching lazily, Remielle's door opened beside him.

Still half-asleep, Remielle stepped out and stood in the doorway too.

"Morning, boss~"

She greeted him, though maybe it was leftover drowsiness to blame - Remielle hadn't noticed that her nightclothes had slipped off one shoulder, baring a generous stretch of skin. Musachi got a clear eyeful of her soft flesh, and that fleeting glimpse of skin.

"Morning."

Musachi returned the greeting, then headed to the bathroom to wash up.

By the time he finished, Remielle was already on the couch, waiting to be fed.

While she took her turn washing up, Musachi got breakfast ready.

Breakfast was simple: two bacon sandwiches each, plus a glass of milk.

After breakfast, Musachi and Remielle went downstairs to the bookstore.

What came next was easy enough - open the doors, start the day.

But half the morning passed without a single customer walking in.

Still, Musachi had expected as much.

As far as he was concerned, he'd keep propping up the legitimate trade with the illegal one for a while yet.

"By the way, how did you used to manage your quills? You can't have handled that all by yourself, could you?"

Musachi asked, curious, from his seat in the boss's chair, watching Remielle stand on tiptoe to straighten the bookshelves.

"Back then... there was always someone else to help."

A trace of wistful sorrow crossed her face as she spoke.

Since her back was turned, Musachi didn't catch the look.

"What happened to that person, then?"

Musachi asked, curious.

"She's... gone. She left me for good."

Remielle pressed her lips together and said it flatly.

"Sorry."

Musachi said it, then slapped himself, expression blank.

Damn it, I really screwed that up!

For a moment, he looked at Remielle with a pang of guilt.

"Oh, it was so long ago. I got over it ages back."

Remielle said with a light laugh.

After a moment of silence, Musachi looked at her earnestly.

"Remielle, from now on, I'll take care of your quills."

"Boss, that's a real hassle, you know."

Remielle looked at him, a helpless little look on her face.

"I don't care how much of a hassle it is. Besides, I'll be by your side from now on."

He looked at Remielle, his tone sincere, having caught precisely the flicker of loneliness that had just crossed her face.

Musachi didn't much want to press into Remielle's past, and she clearly didn't want to talk about it either.

None of that mattered, though - some things were already behind them, and what counted now was the present.

"Boss, did you know? For one of the winged Thiren, offering to tend someone's quills for a lifetime is basically a marriage proposal. Tending quills is already a pretty intimate act on its own."

She said with a light laugh, watching him.

"So, will you accept?"

Musachi arched an eyebrow, smiling at her.

"Mm... the quill thing, I accept."

Remielle propped her chin lightly on her slender fingers, thought it over for a moment, then laughed softly.

"I can't promise I'll be this restrained again next time, though."

"Well... I guess there's nothing to be done about that. I'm just a poor, delicate little employee, after all. If the boss wants to pull some casting-couch business, I suppose I'll have to go along with it just to keep my paycheck... Nothing to be done about that."

She looked at him with a wronged little pout, as if she really were some frail, helpless girl - conveniently forgetting that she'd been the one calling the shots this whole time, a thoroughly wicked woman through and through.

Seeing this, Musachi rolled his eyes and didn't bother responding.

Just then, the shop door swung open.

Just as Musachi thought it might be a customer, he saw who it was and let out a disappointed sigh.

"What's this? Don't want to see your big sister? Fine, I'll just leave, then?"

Venus blinked, then said with a smile.

"And here I thought my shop was finally getting its first customer of the day..."

Musachi said, a little dejected.

"Hehe, well, I suppose I could play customer for once."

Venus said, then shot an admiring glance at Remielle standing nearby.

It was the first time she'd seen someone so beautiful in real life. Venus wasn't exactly plain herself, but next to Remielle, she still felt a little outshone.

Remielle looked like nothing so much as an elegant white swan.

"Don't worry, Remielle's one of us. What brings you by?"

Musachi asked, curious.

"Listen to you - can't I drop by just to see you, even without a reason? Alright, fine, truth is I came to congratulate you. My god, I never expected you'd get such a glowing review on your very first job. The Cunning Hares actually thanked me specially yesterday, said I'd found them an excellent Proxy... Hehe, first job out, and already getting praised by Agents as sharp as the Cunning Hares. You're something else..."

Venus said, marveling at him.

"Nothing special. Just about average, really."

"So you really did go off and work as a Proxy..."

Remielle sighed, looking at Musachi with a hint of disappointment.

"You're not going to let this go, are you? Keep it up and I really will turn into a beast tonight!"

Musachi glared at her. He swore that if she kept being this cheeky, he'd pinch her hard, just like a quill.

"Wow, what a gorgeous lady. Come to think of it - your name is Remielle? Same name as that legendary first-generation Void Hunter..."

Venus said, looking at Remielle beside him, more than a little astonished.

"Maybe I am her~"

Remielle arched an eyebrow, then stepped up close to Venus and took her hand.

"You're pretty too, you know."

"Pff, you sure know how to joke around. But the first-generation Void Hunter lived over a hundred years ago."

Watching the two of them so cozy together, Musachi felt a twinge of envy.

This world was just too unkind to guys.

Look at that - two girls meeting for the first time could hold hands, and nobody batted an eye.

But if two guys held hands, they'd be branded *!

And if a guy grabbed a girl's hand on their first meeting, he'd be labeled a pervert on the spot...

"Speaking of which, I never expected you to have a bookstore of all things."

After the small talk, Venus looked around the shop with some curiosity.

"Shame there's no business to speak of. If I actually had customers, I wouldn't need to moonlight as a Proxy..."

Musachi said with a sigh.

"That is a shame, hmm... well, since I'm already here, let your big sister throw some business your way!"

Venus looked at Musachi's pitiful expression, laughed, and decided to support his business after all.

"Mm... this novel, then! Looks pretty decent."

Venus browsed the shelves for a bit and finally settled on a novel.

Musachi glanced at it.

My Rookie Turned Out to Be a Legendary Proxy!

The story followed a rookie middleman whose very first job paired him with a Proxy who turned out to be a legendary Proxy operating under a secret alias - one who wasn't just a skilled Proxy, but a powerful Agent as well. In the end, the two became a couple and lived happily ever after.

Looking at the book, Musachi's expression twisted a little.

After all, this story felt... a little too close to their own situation?

"Alright, good news delivered, I should get going. Don't worry, next time there's a good commission I'll contact you right away. Just remember - once you're a big shot, don't forget your big sister, okay~"

Venus stood in the doorway, clutching the novel to her chest, waved with a smile, and left the shop.

It was only then that Musachi suddenly remembered - hadn't the scene of him helping Remielle with her quills yesterday shown up in that very novel too?

Except the version in the book was a lot more clichéd than reality. In the novel, after the male lead finished tending his winged tenant's quills, he'd gone ahead and taken things a lot further...

Damn it, I'm only human too - I want that kind of plot development as well!