Zack and Katie seemed to remember that they were not alone. Eddy chuckled as they suddenly whirled around.
Zack said loudly without looking, “Well, it seems that you’re okay. You made us all worry.”
Katie replied in the same tone, “Sorry. It was just a wound on my stomach. Nothing serious.”
Zack turned slowly. “Your stomach?” He noticed the bandages covering the wound.
Conner and Jake howled with laughter as Sora imitated Zack’s paranoid reaction on discovering Katie’s injury. Conner even started tearing. Sora grinned and said, “He then asked us where our N-2 was and carried Katie on his back there and flew off with it, leaving us there in the ruins, with no way to leave. My sky surfer was inside the N-2 as well. And I was too tired to fly. It was only an hour later that the police and Special Forces arrived to arrest them. We were given a ride back to the HQ in one of the choppers.”
Jake took a few breaths and said, “And we got back to learn that Eddy’s patching up had done most of the work and she was in no danger whatsoever. Dr. Reed only took five seconds to discharge her. Zack was so embarrassed that he locked himself in the bathroom of the infirmary.”
Another round of howling ensued.
It had been a month since Sora and Jake had moved into their new home. Conner’s two-storey bungalow had felt more like home than their old rooms in HQ ever did. Each of them had their own cozy room on the second floor, along with a common library.
The first floor consisted of the living room, where they were now, the dining room and kitchen as well as a room for their washing machine and dishwasher.
The basement was one big room. And just what they needed. Jake and Sora had practically begged Guild master Lightshield to let Conner be a part of the guild. Other contractors involved in the bombing incident backed them. Finally, he accepted, though reluctantly. Conner was made an external informant.
Roy came by the place a few weeks ago and blocked off the entrance of the basement with a dustbin.
When the flap to open the dustbin’s lid was pressed four times and a finger print scanner near the lid’s joint to the dustbin got correct identification, the wall behind the dustbin would revolve, revealing the staircase leading to the basement, which was now their control room.
Conner was provided with his very own super computer. His eyes went wide as Professor Gopi Krishna explained all the features to him. And before it could be explained fully, Conner had already hacked into the guild’s database.
Sora and Jake were given their own computers as well to access the guild database, legally. They were thrilled. A place where a guild contractor has his control room can be called his home.
Conner’s parents were nowhere to be seen. Upon questioning, Conner bluntly replied that they were away on work and that he was used to living alone. He avoided pursuing the topic further.
When the laughs were over, Sora asked, “Conner, any luck with the trace?”
Conner shook his head. “No luck. That was a completely secure account that our anonymous friend used to contact BLITZ. The security is like royal government level.”
Conner was annoyed. This was the first time he could not hack into something. Sora told him to be cautious because his methods were not entirely legal.
As the day was coming to a close, Zack visited them. Sora gaped at him and asked, “How long were you in the bathroom?”
Zack became flustered. “Don’t ask,” he said.
Jake shook his head and said; “You do realize that your actions would be considered as a confession by Katie, don’t you? You should have said it right then and there.”
Zack slumped onto the couch, and covering his face with his hands, said, “I blew it. She hates me now, I’m sure of it. She didn’t even want to look at my face and kept avoiding me.”
Sora, Jake and Conner sniggered.
“That’s because she’s embarrassed, you dolt. She doesn’t hate you at all.”
“Really?” Zack asked in surprise. Jake scowled at Sora and said, “You shouldn’t tell him that. Let him figure it out on his own.”
“Figure what out?” Zack asked.
Even Jake couldn’t hold back. “She likes you, you nut!”
There was silence. Zack just sat and blinked at them. Sora gave his a sharp slap, which brought him back.
“How can you be so sure?” Zack asked, rubbing his cheek. Conner shrugged and said, “Simple. Confess to her and if she accepts, she likes you.”
Zack, Jake and Sora stared at him. Jake said, “That’s too straight forward… I like it!”
Sora nodded in approval and said, “Best idea I’ve heard on the matter.”
Zack looked at them as though they were insane. He shook his head. “No way! Confess? Hell, no!”
He got up to leave.
Sora pulled him by his collar and threw him back on his seat. He seemed irked.
“Listen Zack Titania. You have come too far to give up now. You laid down your pride as a noble to accept your feelings. You plucked up the will to talk to her. You underwent so many hardships, which were, in reality, unnecessarily brought on by your indecisiveness and air-headedness. And after all this, if you are planning on running away, Katie is better off without you.”
Zack stared at Sora, who went on. “Do you want to spend the rest of your life in regret? Do you want to spend the rest of your life wondering what would’ve happened if you had actually confessed?”
“N…No.”
“Then stop running away and step up to speak your heart out, Zack Titania.”
Zack jumped to his feet and said with renewed spirit, “You’re right. I will not run away. I am Zack Titania, the heir of the Titania family. I am not a coward. I will confess my feelings for Katie the very next time I meet her.”
Sora smiled proudly at Zack. Jake bent close to him and muttered, “The same source as before for those lines?”
“The very same,” was Sora’s reply.
Zack was in a better mood after that. Sora asked, “How is your mom? I remembered she used to fall sick quite often.”
Zack nodded and said, “Mother had just gone to the hospital for a checkup earlier today. She needs to stay there for a week or so. Nothing very serious.” When the others looked concerned, he added, “The doctor was just doing it as a precaution.”
“So there’s nothing wrong if we go and meet her there?” Sora asked.
Zack said, “Of course not. I was about to head there myself. You guys could come along too. You can come as well, Conner. My mother has been wanting to meet you.”
Jake smiled and said, “Why am I not surprised.”
Within a few minutes, they entered the city hospital holding a bunch of assorted Peony flowers. The hospital was a huge white building with three blocks and was crowded as always. But they did not have to worry about waiting to get through as the clerks noticed Zack and sent a pretty nurse to escort them to Mrs. Titania’s room.
They noticed that Mrs. Titania was sharing a room with another lady by the nameplate on the door. Zack said, “Mother prefers not to be treated differently despite being a noble. She says that in a busy hospital, it would be rude if she was given more importance than those who really need it.”
As Sora knocked on the door, Jake glanced at the nameplate, which bore the names:
LAURA TITANIA
JANE SMITH
He did a double take as he read the second name again. But before he could say anything, Sora opened the door and suddenly stopped dead.
Zack asked, “Sora, what’s wrong?” Sora looked at the nameplate again. Zack pushed him aside, saying, “Don’t just stand there.”
He went inside and stopped dead as well, going red. Inside the room, sitting near the bed next to his mother was Katie Smith.
Katie realized who had walked in and jumped to her feet, blushing. Mrs. Titania called out, “Zack, what in the world is the matter? Come on in.”
Sora and Jake nudged Zack forward and they all walk
ed into the room. Mrs. Titania broke into a wide smile when she saw Jake and Sora. “Both of you, what a pleasant surprise!” She gave a bone-crushing hug. Then she turned to Conner, who took a step back. She said, “And might you be Conner Wake? I’ve heard so much about you from these three. It’s nice to finally meet you.”
Conner was a little tongue-tied from having a noble talk to him so easily. He did a clumsy bow and said, “The pleasure is all mine, Mrs. Titania.”
Sora and Jake turned to Katie. “What a surprise,” Sora said. “Imagine the odds of running into you here.”
“And you must be Katie’s mother,” Jake said to the lady in the bed behind Katie. She was slender and had a kind expression. Though she seemed a bit weary now, they could make out the similarities between her and Katie.
Mrs. Jane Smith said, “Why yes. And are you two the same Jake and Sora from the guild Katie has told me about?”
As Sora and Jake nodded, Mrs. Titania exclaimed, “Jane, is Katie a guild contractor as well? You never mentioned it. Katie, you must know my son, Zack.”
There was a moment of awkward silence. Katie nodded nervously. Mrs. Titania turned to Zack and said, “Dear, you never mentioned that there was someone this pretty in the guild.”
Conner felt the temperature inside the room going up. Zack and Katie were blushing so profusely that Mrs. Titania and Mrs. Smith looked at each other in amazement and then turned to Jake and Sora, who nodded, unable to hide their grins.
The ladies started giggling. Katie tried to act indifferent and attempted to start a conversation. Zack was about to do the same when he remembered the oath he had taken just a while back.
He answered in monosyllables throughout the conversation. Jake handed the assorted Peony flower to Mrs. Titania, who said, “Why, these are beautiful, Jake!”
Mrs. Smith said, “Ah, Peony flowers. A good selection to bring to a patient.”
Jake smiled and nodded. “Peony flowers stand for healing, don’t they? It was Zack, who suggested them.”
Katie was startled but Mrs. Smith was impressed. “I’m a florist and I can appreciate any man who knows the meaning of the flowers they buy.” It was as though she was giving her approval of Zack.
The sky outside was getting dark. The visitors decided to leave as the doctor came in to check on his patients. They walked out of the hospital together. Katie said after a while, “Well, I guess we should go our own ways now. Nice meeting you guys. And thanks for saving me today.”
She started to walk away. Sora stamped Zack’s foot, and signaled him to go after her.
What he meant was to make him escort her home. But Zack misunderstood his signal. He nodded grimly.
“KATIE!”
Katie jumped and turned back. Zack ran up to her and said, “I have been a coward all this time, but I’ve decided not to run away any more. The truth is, there’s something I’ve been wanting to tell you for a long time.”
Katie’s eyes were becoming wider. Sora, Jake and Conner looked at each other, startled. Zack took a deep breath. “Katie Smith. I have had this feeling ever since I met you. You were unlike any girl I had ever met in my life. You were self-dependent, strong, determined and by far the most wonderful girl I have ever known. And I found myself thinking about you more and more. And after all this time, I was able to finally accept my own feelings, something I had shunned because of my stupid pride.”
He paused at the perfect time, giving a second for his words to sink in. The place was almost deserted. Even the birds and insects seemed silent, as if waiting in anticipation.
And under the night sky where the full moon shone in all its glory with a billion stars shining behind it, Zack clasped Katie’s hand for the first time intentionally and said with all his will and determination, “Katie Smith, I LOVE YOU. PLEASE GO OUT WITH ME!”
Jake, Sora and Conner gasped, despite knowing that it would happen. The silence seemed deafening.
Katie stared in disbelief. Her hands, which Zack was gripping so tightly, were shivering. She looked down and started sobbing.
All held their breaths. Zack was still earnestly gazing at Katie’s face hidden in the shadows, hoping that he had not blown his best chance.
Katie finally looked up. Tears were streaming down her eyes. But Zack’s heart skipped a beat when he noticed that she was smiling. She had never looked more beautiful to him. And though it was a short and small voice, everyone clearly heard it. Her answer, a whisper.
“Yes.”
By the next morning, everyone in the guild had heard about it. In the cafeteria, Zack and Katie were forced to sit together. People crowded around them and congratulated them.
Sora and Jake were doing some kind of tribal dance and singing, “He did it! He did it! He did it! He…”
Many girls had initially been very annoyed on hearing it, but eventually, they too congratulated Katie. Sora could see that the new couple was still embarrassed, but on the bright side, they were still holding hands.
It was a while before they were left in peace. Sam Lorenzo’s walking in saved them from further ribbing, but Sam himself whistled uncharacteristically as they left the cafeteria, arousing more cheers.
Sora and Jake left as well to do their jobs for the day. Sora was given a personal mission of being the guide for some elementary school students in a school trip to Gildartz forest. He seemed to have been chosen because one of the ladies, who had hired him as a baby-sitter when he was a D ranker, had recommended him to one of her friends, who was a teacher, for his great work while handling her child.
The forest was just outside the city. The children and their teacher arrived by bus at the edge of the dense forest, where Sora met them. Having come here often while training under Steve, he knew his way around pretty well.
They entered the forest brimming with life. Gildartz forest didn’t have any beast class contracts above D grade level. Thanks to that, with a proper guide, anyone could go to the forest to camp, explore, or study the habitat and the way of life of these contracts.
The day went on without any untoward incidents. Because of Sora’s experience in handling beast class contracts, he was able to capture a few of the weak ones like the wild boar and let the children touch them.
The teacher was amazed at how easily Sora was able to gain the children’s trust. They were beginning to get attached to him. Some children even started crying when Sora said his goodbyes at the end of the day.
“How did you do that?” the astounded teacher asked.
Sora just smiled and said, “Let’s just say I’m used to taking care of little kids, shall we?”
Sora took his time walking back to the guild after he convinced the children that he would see them again. The job might’ve been more demanding if Sora did not have experience of taking care of kids younger than him. But the sudden change of pace from his usual jobs was refreshing.
He entered the guild headquarters and was heading to the cafeteria when someone called out.
Sora turned around and noticed a familiar boy walking towards him, grinning broadly, surprising Sora. Since when did he grin like that?
Kira approached him. “Hey Sora, what’s up?”
There was something strange about him.
Sora said, “Sorry, but what was your name again?”
He frowned and said, “It’s me, Kira. We took the guild entrance test together. We even chatted for a while before.”
Sora was certain there was something strange now. He said, “Oh, sorry Kira. It’s been a while since I’ve seen you.”
Kira shrugged and said, “I have something to show you. It’s important. Can you come with me?”
Sora said, “Sure.”
They entered the elevator and Kira pressed the button for the basement.
“We’re going to the arena?” Sora asked.
“Yeah,” Kira said. “It’s important.”
The elevator opened to the big underground arena where the entrance test had taken place. Kira jump
ed into the ring and Sora followed.
In the ring, there was a small black bag near the wall. Kira said, “I found something suspicious. I was just training here when I noticed that bag there. The contents are really strange. Could you take a look?”
“Sure,” Sora said.
He walked to the bag and started unzipping it. But slowly behind him, a knife was drawn. Soundlessly, Kira approached Sora’s back and raised the knife to stab Sora right through the heart.
“Nice try.”
A roundhouse kick at the unsuspecting Kira’s temple saw him fly and smash onto the wall of the arena. Sora smirked, tossing the contents of the bag into the air.
“Stones? Yes, really intriguing and suspicious.”
Kira got to his feet, still dazed from the attack.
Sora said, “But I think you should have studied the person you are impersonating better if you want it to be authentic.”
The impersonator’s face was blank. “You… since when did you know?”
“From the very beginning.” Sora leaned against the wall. “For starters, the guy you are impersonating has a rather solemn attitude. His way of talking isn’t so carefree. And, well, his scent is different.”
The impersonator stared and asked, “Scent?”
“I’ve got an annoyingly good sense of smell. And yours was completely different.”
The fake slapped his forehead and groaned. Sora asked, “Who are you? Why did you try this?”
The impersonator shouted, “He passed.”
There was a sound of applause above Sora’s head. Sora looked up and said, “What is all this about, Kai? And why are all the S ranks and the guild masters here as well?”
The elites of the guild jumped into the arena. Kai approached Sora and said, “A final test before you get the thing you always wanted.”
Kai took out a silver plated badge from his pocket and handed it. Sora gaped at his promotion to a B rank contractor. He then fumbled for his bronze plated badge and exchanged it with Kai.
Guild Master Lightshield said, “Congratulations, Sora. You are now a B rank contractor. The jobs you will be given will be tougher, physically demanding and mentally draining. The dangers you will have to endure will rise. Will you step forward and do your duties as a guild contractor despite all this?”
Contractor: The Legendary Contract of Vento Page 24
