Before long, they arrived at a vintage-looking gastropub. A sign hanging on the front door read:
Private Event Today.
"Let's head in!"
Oenone pushed the door open with her usual boldness. The interior was surprisingly spacious. Besides the dining area, there was an entertainment section complete with ping-pong tables, arcade machines, dartboards, and even a projector screen with a projector for movie nights.
"Captain Oenone rented out the entire place? Isn't that a bit too expensive?"
Ethel quietly asked Yinbing, genuinely surprised by how extravagant she was.
"Yeah, she's always like this. We're used to it. She says she barely spends money normally, so this monthly gathering is one of the few ways she treats herself. She always tells us not to worry about the cost."
"But this has to cost at least tens of thousands..."
"Are you worried she'll go bankrupt? A captain's salary is more like this."
Yinbing held up all ten fingers.
"Even if it's a hundred thousand—"
"Not a hundred thousand. Ten times your salary."
"Oh... right. Got it."
Ethel had only recently joined the Battle Corps, so his starting salary wasn't particularly high. Lost Ones received a higher base salary, putting him somewhere around seventy to eighty thousand a month. Oenone, on the other hand, earned ten times that amount. Renting out a restaurant for one night was practically pocket change to her.
"Everyone, eat and drink as much as you want! We'll start with the food!"
Captain Oenone beamed as she officially kicked off the evening gathering.
Once everyone had eaten their fill, they moved on to the recreational area.
Oenone challenged Abby and Lyle to simultaneous ping-pong matches, and judging by the scoreboards, she was comfortably winning both games.
Meanwhile, Ethel, who had never learned table tennis, ended up competing against Yinbing in darts.
"Why am I challenging someone who throws knives for a living to a dart match?!"
Yinbing groaned after suffering her fifth consecutive defeat.
Ethel hardly ever missed. To him, throwing a dart at a stationary target was as easy as drinking water.
"Want to take a break?"
As he spoke, he casually tossed a dart backward over his shoulder.
Thunk.
Bullseye.
"I think it's about time. They'll probably wrap things up after this match."
Ethel glanced toward the ping-pong tables. He didn't know the rules, but judging from Abby's and Lyle's expressions, things weren't going well for them.
"Already calling it a night?"
"What? No way. It's only eight. She's never let us leave before ten."
"Then where are we going?"
"Shopping spree."
Yinbing grinned.
"She wasn't joking earlier."
Ethel sat down beside her.
An awkward silence settled between them.
Most of the time they only interacted during training. Outside of work, Ethel honestly had no idea what to talk about. It wasn't as if they could spend their free time discussing combat techniques again.
Just like the night he unexpectedly ran into Tia at the bar, he desperately searched for a conversation topic. For someone who wasn't naturally good at starting conversations, it was a surprisingly difficult challenge.
Before he could think of anything, Yinbing spoke first.
"So... you've been here almost a month now. What do you think so far?"
"It's been alright."
Ethel smiled faintly.
"I think everyone's good people."
"Oh?"
Yinbing smirked mischievously.
"Even Soth?"
She had deliberately laid a trap, but Ethel stepped right over it without hesitation.
"Yeah. Him too."
"Wow. You're only the second person I've ever heard say that. Most people can't stand him."
"The second? Who was the first?"
"Yashin."
She shrugged.
"He's the only Lost One who chose to stay under Soth, so naturally he became the Second Squad's vice-captain. I once asked him why, but he brushed the question aside. So what's your reason?"
"He protected me during my first mission."
"That's it? He didn't insult you while doing it?"
"No."
Ethel shook his head.
"He was unbelievably serious. Serious enough that I almost felt like I was looking at a completely different person."
"Huh."
Yinbing leaned back.
"I've never gone on missions with him. I've always served under Captain Oenone. Still, aside from having an awful mouth, he does his job well enough, so I don't really have anything against him."
She changed the subject.
"How about everyone in the Third Squad? Getting familiar with them yet?"
"Not really."
Ethel sighed.
"There are just too many people. I can't even remember everyone's names."
Before every teamwork exercise, everyone introduced themselves.
By the time the introductions were over, Ethel usually couldn't remember a single name.
"It's fine."
Yinbing laughed.
"Take your time. Even if you don't remember, they won't know. Besides, we hardly ever see actual combat anyway. Most missions are handled by the First Squad."
"Doesn't it feel meaningless?"
"What?"
"Training so much when you rarely get deployed."
"...Some people do think that."
She nodded.
"And some have quit because of it."
"But we're the backup plan. Whenever Captain Tia gets called away to join a Joint Expedition for another city, there's always a chance we'll be the ones defending Daybreak City. We can't rely on the First Squad forever."
"Joint Expedition?"
Ethel remembered Soth mentioning expeditions before, though he had never explained them.
"It's when a powerful demon is discovered far away from any city."
Yinbing explained patiently.
"Even if it hasn't approached civilization yet, if it's judged to be a serious threat, multiple cities will organize a Joint Expedition to eliminate it before it grows any stronger."
"Wouldn't helping another city mean risking casualties of your own?"
"Not exactly."
She shook her head.
"Demons that warrant a Joint Expedition are monsters with enormous amounts of Force. That usually means they've survived for a very long time and are still growing stronger."
"Even if they aren't attacking now, they're ticking time bombs. If we wait until they're strong enough to wipe out an entire city, every other city will be in danger too."
"So the safest option is to eliminate them early."
"Would I have to join one?"
After all, he technically belonged to the First Squad now.
"I doubt it."
Yinbing answered immediately.
"Captain Tia always goes on expeditions alone. None of the rest of the First Squad participates."
"That's allowed? I thought entire squads were deployed."
"Normally, yes."
She smiled wryly.
"But Captain Tia is terrifyingly powerful. No city has ever objected to her coming alone."
"She's really that strong?"
"You've seen her fight yourself."
Yinbing laughed.
"Among all the captains of the Seven Great Cities, she's ranked second overall."
"You should be grateful she's that strong. It means you don't have to experience an expedition."
"Are they really that bad?"
"They're hell."
Her smile faded.
"I've joined several."
"And every single time..."
"...I barely made it back alive."
She quietly shook her head, unwilling to revisit those memories.
"What are you two taaalking abooout~~?"
Two arms suddenly wrapped around both of them from behind.
Before Ethel could react, his entire face was buried in something impossibly soft.
"How'd the ping-pong match go?"
"Hehehe~"
Oenone puffed out her chest proudly.
"Yinbing, my winning streak just got even longer!"
After finally escaping Oenone's embrace, Ethel looked over and saw two utterly dejected Lost Ones.
"So close..."
Lyle muttered to himself.
"Just... one... more... point..."
"Alright!"
Oenone clapped her hands excitedly.
"Next stop—the shopping mall!"
She cheered like an excited child, genuinely enjoying every moment of the evening.
48Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZxeT8EVPO
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