NOVEL NEXT Side Chapter – 3 – Happenings
Construction was underway in one of the tall skyscraper mansions at the center of Dragoon City. Workers moved around hurriedly, with the humming of power tools and other equipment running in the background. One of the business tycoons had requested a new room be added to their mansion located from the 141st to 150th floor of Unison Spire.
“Chippy them hiring us out amidst so much more important work to make a cushy room for a kid.” said one of the workers to their senior.
He was intently looking at a duel disk, making sure the projected horizontal cranes didn’t catch any of the workers which were setting the windows in place and supported by it. “Well, they are a top priority.” He affirmed, glancing at the worker. “Can’t wage a war without funds Tony, and these bozos pay top in bonds.”
“You think that’s why we got called all the way from the walls? Can’t imagine the Zarg’s won’t see the opportunity in there.”
“You and your war Tony.” commented a coworker passing by. “If they get here, then Jules will protect us with that duel disk of his. Ain’t that right?”
“Sure, just remind me to renegotiate your contracts after, saving your asses has to count for something.”
The three men shared a haughty laugh. Jules was a known veteran of the Dragoon City uprising, his combat proficiency couldn’t be argued with.
“Now, back to work. They’ve given us a week to be done, so it shouldn’t be that difficult, it’s just a three-floor suite.”
“Yes, boss man. Copy that.” Tony stated in a stoic tone, sarcastically saluting to Jules with two fingers.
The other worker simply nodded before returning to work. Someone needed to calibrate the projectors on the full room entertainment system…
Close to another building, merely twenty kilometers away from the tower, another preparation was taking place.
“RUN! Maro! RUN! Don’t tell me your conviction stops with a little exercise!” Taunted a woman with long blond hair and piercing green eyes, she was dressed in a tight dark bodysuit like leotard with thigh-high armored boots and a tight layer of camouflage covering the upper thighs and butt.
“I’m trying Mistress Sonia! But these heels are digging into my feet!!!” moaned a short-ish girl with mid-back length black hair tied into two twin-tails. Her face was pale with makeup and she was wearing a black and white sleeveless maid uniform with a matching short frilly skirt that ran down to her mid-thighs and dark thigh-high stockings supported by a garter belt. She was also wearing a pair of jet-black high-heels, the source of her discomfort as she ran through the obstacle course her mistress was testing her with.
“Unbelievable! How did you even pass the screening check? I specified the applicant had to be physically capable, and they give me your chub fest. Better keep running or you’ll be back to that club before you can even start with the ‘Please Mistress! Don’t kick me out! I don’t want to be a prostitute!’ Now run bitch!”
“SONIA!” yelled a mature woman in a classical maid uniform who was going toward Sonia in hurried steps.
Sonia turned around, facing the head maid of the Katayama estate and crossing her arms. “What are you doing here, Nagata? I thought Master made it clear I’m the one who gets to train my replacement.”
Arriving close to Sonia, Head maid Nagata wobbled, her eye twitching. “That doesn’t mean you get to throw the dropouts at me! I’ve already had to deal with 98 girls threatening to sue the Katayama estate for assault!”
Hearing this, Sonia responded with a neutral expression. “Actually, the girl from the Pierce family just quit. She’s probably going to try the same.”
Nagata fumed, the Pierce’s where known for their resilience. A lot of the shadow's which served the Katayama’s had roots there. “Great! 99 now, and you hired how many exactly?”
Sonia furrowed her brow, trying to remember, and responded after a few seconds. “100.”
The head maid threw her hands in the air. “See!? This is why I didn’t want you doing this!” she turned to the track were the poor girl was still doing the obstacle course. “What... does this have to do with maid work? I understand you wanted to give them some martial training, but what is this? Why is she in heels? Are you out of your mind!?”
“What? I had to run after my lady many times when she was still here, and I don’t remember being able to choose my footwear.”
Facepalming, Nagata acknowledged it. “You were the special one.”
The candidate arrived next to the two, sweating profusely and panting. “M-Mistress… Please…”
“'Please' what?” Sonia demanded. “Want a break? Though shit, one more lap. Come on.”
Maro looked up at Sonia with puppy dog eyes. “B-But… You sai-”
“I said I was going to think about it and I did. Now run!”
“Y-Yes, mistress!”
Both Nagata and Sonia gazed at the girl as she faded into the distance of the mile long track.
“… Is that how you’re treating the candidates?” asked Nagata, flabbergasted.
“Yup, why?”
The head maid turned to Sonia and blinked intently before letting go of a sigh. “Just. Hire. Her. I’m not dealing with any more candidates and she somehow lasted till now.” These were Nagata’s sendoff words as she walked off.
Sonia stayed there on trackside waiting for Maro. ‘Maybe if she finishes this lap.’
A woman with long purple hair dressed in a business suit and pencil skirt sat in at an office desk with a large window into the Dragoon City skyline backdropping her. She held her head in between her hands and whined. “Why did they have to get started in the day?! I can’t work with all this noise!”
Her assistant, a shorter woman with hair styled into a side pony tail dressed in much the same way, giggled with a hand hiding her mouth. “Miss. Miranda, the construction was scheduled to start for some time now. They’re trying their best, considering the timeline.”
Miranda let out a sigh, but she agreed with her assistant’s conclusion. “Liam doesn’t do things piecemeal. He doesn’t even know if she’s accepting his proposal, and yet there's already has a room and a maid.” She raised her head and glanced at her assistant, asking. “Status update, by the way?”
“Right away, Ma’am.” echoed the assistant, turning to a tablet instantly.
Seeing this, the taller office lady stood up. She walked to a table with white foam cups stacked upside down and a coffee machine on the side. Miranda took a cup and placed it below the spout of the machine, pressing a button on it. The machine shook and whined with the noise of beans being crushed into grounds, followed by water boiling. Soon enough a stream of the sweetly bitter stimulant enjoyed throughout ages flowed.
Miranda stood there patiently while her assistant searched away on her transparent tablet with multiple windows projected on and around the device with a blue hue surrounding them.
As Miranda picked up her brimming cup of coffee, her assistant swiped up on her device. On the larger window were graphs pertaining to sales, the top spot occupied by ‘Union Military Acquisitions.’
The Katayama family ran the creatively named ‘Katayama Group’, a large holdings company with the primary focus on ‘Katayama Weaponry’, which made up almost 60% of their revenue. Katayama Weaponry specialized in R&D and manufactory of conventional ground weaponry, conventional meaning no solid vision. A dying sector in many investors’ eyes, but the lack of willing duelist recruits meant that even now, most ground forces comprised conventional mechanised infantry and tank companies.
The middle-aged woman smiled at the figures. She closed the negotiations with Union Military Acquisitions, but seeing the results of her labor displayed in magnificent holographic fashion was incredibly gratifying. Yet she still felt like something was missing. “And… The other matter?”
“Yes, Ma’am”
On the same projected window, the image changed to a video highlight of the ongoing “The Dragoon City Cross Academy Seasonal Winter Tournament” titled “DCCASW Tournament — Advanced Bracket: NWDA VS CSG Highlight.” The video showed two girls dressed in blue and white cheerleader uniforms riding on top of a metallic dragon, which was charging at a gigantic monster. One of them had short, toxic-pink hair styled in a pixie cut. The other girl with long purple hair tied into a ponytail, Miranda fixated on.
“Baby…” she whispered tenderly. “She looks… happy…”
The video continued, showing the dragon landing close to a short girl with blond hair styled into two pigtails. She had scratches and bruises all over her. One of her arms was bleeding profusely, but she had a dumb smile plastered on her face.
Miranda’s expression shifted to a meager frown. The image reminded her of that fateful day when her daughter showed up back home, barely conscious and coughing up blood. That day, she vowed she would never allow her to face danger like that again, but for Liam, this incident was just the excuse he was looking for to end that inheritance dispute.
Miranda sat back down at her desk, a terrible headache hitting her.
Her assistant noticed her expression and asked. “Ma’am, do you need a break? I can reschedule your meeting with the lawyer.”
“No need… Actually, push that up. I need to hash out some details with him.”
Furrowing her brow, the assistant asked. “Ma’am, I’m sorry, but I don’t see a reason for you to concern yourself with that matter. You’ve already seen the contract and tested the set DNA comparators on it 3 times. He’s already set as the principal lawyer acting on Yuumi’s case and his contact info is everywhere, from public archives to...”
Miranda remained silent while her assistant recited every precaution she had put in place with the lawyer in charge of the procedure. Even though she empathized with her assistant's warning against overthinking, in her mind, this had to go perfectly. There was no way she was going to let her daughter be dragged into the war with the protectorate.
As her assistant’s ramble came to a close, Miranda simply chuckled. “I know what I’m doing might sound ridiculous. But when you deal with these people, you never know what to expect.”
“You TRAITOR!!!!” screamed a naked man, being held up rope around his enlarged belly. “Ahhhh, ahhhh! You’re not getting away with this, Liam! When I get out, I’ll expose this little side hustle of yours. Yes… That’s what I’ll do! HAHAHHAHAHAH!”
Around him stood three dark figures and a very tall man wearing a dark suit and tie.
Everything about him was dark, his hair, his pants, his shoes. The only identifiable figure was his face, which turned wrinkled and tense when he heard the man’s words. “You had the gall to set a hit out on my daughter and then, when that didn’t work, you tried to send one out on my son!!” He yelled, planting his foot right on the man’s groin.
“OIIIIIIIHHH!!!!!” the naked man wailed in a manner not dissimilar to a pig.
Liam turned away from the man and ordered. “End his sorry excuse for a life. I’ll go finish up the buyout.” Saying that, he walked away, only to stop a moment later to add. “Use the drill. Make it dirty.”
Hearing this, one of the shadows moved closer to Liam and advised. “That would make your presence in this sector known, Master. I strongly advise against it.”
Liam glanced at the shadow and declared. “I know that very well, shadow. Proceed.”
“Yes, Master.” The figure bowed slightly and turned away, back to the delusional man.
As the screams started, Liam closed the maintenance door, stopping the noise. He walked into an almost empty underground parking lot where he decided to leave the carcass of one of his richest clients.
The war had launched Liam’s wealth to a status where he was unconcerned with people of his kind. Maybe he could even make a return on his latest investment…
For now, though, he had to call up the crime scene cleaning company he owned through “Katayama Holdings” and tell them to expect a call from the authorities about a special job.