Rex and Rose stepped out of The Golden Chalice, the Annapurna Familia's upscale restaurant, the polished oak doors clicking shut behind them. Morning sunlight reflected across the cobbled streets and polished windows of Orario's shopping district, where clothing shops and cafés were already drawing in early crowds.
"What are you planning on doing now?" Rex asked as he begun walking with Rose to his right, heading to the library. "Going back to reading?"
Rose coughed, the memory of the library incident flashing back. She quickly composed herself and gave a small nod. "Yes," she replied truthfully. "You?"
"Gambling?" She said before he could reply and he nodded. "You seem addicted," Rose muttered, giving him a sideways glance. "Every time you don't go to the dungeon, you walk in with a check from a casino to cash out. Is that all you do on your day off?"
"Basically, yeah." He shrugged. "It's fast money, its interesting, and makes the day go by without feeling wasted." He glanced at the redhead beside him. "Feels productive, and hey—I can stop whenever I want."
Rose gave him a look. "That's exactly what an addict would say."
"Says the one who does nothing but read all day," Rex countered. "And if you're not reading, what do you even do with your time? Last time you said you don't have any friends—"
"I was joking," Rose cut in, exasperated. "I have friends, Rex."
"Really?" Rex raised a brow. "Please, tell me three of your friends."
"Eina, Misha, and Sophie," Rose replied without hesitation.
'...She's just like me back on Earth.' Rex saw parts of himself in Rose. Back then, he was the same—only coworkers as 'friends' and most of his free time spent playing games on his phone. 'Kind of wild she has no friends,' he thought, glancing sideways at her. 'Guess looking good doesn't automatically make you an extrovert.'
Wanting to keep the conversation going, he asked, "What about family? Don't you have anyone here you can hang out with?"
"They all live outside of Orario," she said with a small sigh, lifting a hand in greeting to a girl who looked like one of the adventurers she advised. "I've been trying to convince them to move, but they are all too attached to their homes to start over here."
"Ah." Rex gave a short nod, unsure how else to respond. The silence that followed stretched just long enough for his thoughts to drift. 'Yeah... I'm bad at this,' he admitted inwardly, already picturing the casino tables calling his name. 'Maybe I'll just—'
"What about you?" she suddenly asked as they stepped into a busier part of the market with street vendors and makeshift market. "Do you have any family around?"
"Not really," he replied, glancing at a pair of Ganesha Familia guards lounging at a corner, watching the crowd with bored eyes. "I'm an orphan."
She blinked, then looked over. "Seriously?"
"You didn't know?" He raised a brow, half-curious.
"Why would I?" She glanced ahead. "It's not like you wrote that in your guild file. And I'm not Eina—I don't look into people's personal history."
'Right... forget this world's paperwork isn't exactly comprehensive.' He nodded. "Well, I was left in an orphanage in 123 Fake Street, Daedalus District after my birth."
"You're joking." Rose raised a brow. "There's no way that's an actual address."
"Dead serious," Rex said with a straight face. "There's also 666 Crime Circle, 404 Nowhere Lane, and—my personal favorite—000 Disguise Avenue."
Rose sniffled, quickly looking away as if something caught her attention down the street. "I don't know how you can say that with a straight face," she muttered, trying—and mostly failing—not to laugh. After regaining her composure, she turned back to him. "So I guess that's why you joined a Familia? To get away from '123 Fake Street?'"
"Nah, not really. Liked it there." He gave a small shrug, earning a surprised look from her. "I was sort of pushed into adventuring."
That much was true. Prime Rex had never planned to become an adventurer, but after falling into debt with a gang, he had no choice. Joining a familia was the fastest way to earn money, and Soma's was one of the easiest large ones to enter.
"I see..." Rose murmured.
Of course, she took it the wrong way. In her mind, 'pushed into it' translated to 'forced into killing.' After all, she had bought into the nonsense Rex once fed her about being a killer before being an adventurer—it made sense, from her perspective.
"Have you ever thought of quitting?" she asked after a pause. "You're a level five now, and since you were forced into it, you must not like it."
"At first," he admitted. "But now I enjoy it more than anything else in this world. I mean, dungeon diving is fun as hell. You should try it sometime." He shot her a grin.
"I'm not in tune with risking my life for money and adventure," she replied flatly, rejecting the idea without hesitation. "So you won't be quitting until you die down there?"
"Or until the One-Eyed Black Dragon is killed," Rex added with a shrug. "After that, I'll find a wife and settle down in some seaside town and sell flowers."
"Romantic," Rose remarked dryly, her voice as flat as ever. "But are you sure you can actually get a wife?"
"I can get any girl I want, Rose," Rex declared, all confidence. "Look—see that brunette? That gray-haired girl? Even the Amazon over there. They've been watching me for a while. The only reason they're not approaching is because of you."
He wasn't lying. Ever since the War Game, more than a few women had approached him under the guise of wanting to be 'friends.' He had politely turned them all down. Though he was now getting the women attraction he once craved back on earth, none of them really stood out to him anyway.
To Rex, they felt like NPCs—just passing interactions. Nothing more, nothing less.
"If I wanted, I could walk up to any of them right now and ask them out. I doubt any of them would say no." He flashed a grin at the gray-haired girl, who immediately squeaked and scurried away. "See?"
Rose blinked. She had seen it—unfortunately. Her gaze drifted upward just in time to catch Rex flipping his hair with exaggerated flair, flashing a grin so cocky it practically gleamed.
She cringed, looking away as she asked. "So why don't you approach them?"
"I seek permanent fulfillment, not temporary pleasure," he said simply… 'Wait, did I just cooked?''
Rose nodded slowly. "So am I a temporary pleasure?" She asked after a pause, her head still ahead.
"Nah." He patted her shoulder. "You're one of the bros so you're a permanent fulfillment, Rosalina."
That earned him a subtle smile from Rose. 'I see…'
Just then, a young bunny girl darted up to them, grinning from ear to ear. "You two look good together!" She shouted, making both Rex and Rose pause and glance down at her.
"I've got a real eye for couples," she continued proudly. "You two? Totally getting married someday—with a whole bunch of babies too."
One of her friends hurried over and grabbed her arm, tugging with clear urgency, but the bunny girl stood her ground. Her grin never wavered as she locked eyes with Rose, completely unfazed.
"See him? Don't let him go. He looks rich, right? And isn't he handsome? Tall, strong—he's got the whole package." She leaned in with a smirk. "He probably even has a big dic—"
Another friend stepped in without hesitation, landing a clean uppercut to her stomach. The bunny girl let out a sharp gasp spit flying from her mouth, eyes rolling back as she briefly lifted off the ground, before she crashed to the cobblestones like a ragdoll.
The dwarf girl then grabbed Bunny by her long ears, and began dragging her off without a word, her limp body scraping along the ground, her eyes still blank from the hit. The last of the trio stepped forward and gave a quick, polite bow.
"I apologize, ma'am," she said to Rose, then turned to Rex and repeated, "I apologize, sir." She gave them a sheepish smile. "Please don't mind her and continue your date—um, conversation!"
She turned and bolted after her friends. Rose silently watched as the group disappeared around a corner.
There was a brief pause before she finally spoke. "I sometimes forget there are adventurers as young as them."
"Right." Rex mumbled, "A cruel sight, really."
Rose glanced at him and then he smiled, "Well, I guess this is where we part ways." he said.
She turned to him, expression as unreadable as ever. "Is this because the girl?"
Rex blinked. "No?" He pointed to the large, columned building beside them—a building that looked like it was plucked straight out of ancient Greece, with a grand set of marble stairs leading to its entrance.
"Oh..." Rose mumbled. They had arrived at Orario Public Library where they met earlier.
Rex gasped dramatically, covering his mouth. "Don't tell me—the Rose Fannett wants to spend more time with me?"
"A little company would be nice." She admitted shamelessly.
'She's just like me for real.' She really did remind him of himself back on Earth—back when all he wanted was a real friend.
He smiled at the thought, giving her shoulder a light pat. "Maybe next time." As much as he wanted to grant her that small wish, he had to be honest. "My Familia needs the money right now."
Rose gave a small nod, her expression unreadable. "Makes sense."
As he let go of her shoulder, his face shifted into something more serious. "And please," he said, meeting her gaze, "try putting yourself out there. Make more friends."
She didn't respond, just kept her gaze steady, so he pressed on. "Misha seems like a cool girl. Try asking her out sometime." He knew full well that if their roles were reversed, he wouldn't listen to advice like that either.
So, dead seriously, he added, "If you don't, I'm revoking your right to be my bro."
The sudden declaration caught Rose off guard. She blinked, her voice cracking slightly. "Wh-what?"
Without a word, Rex turned and walked away, waving behind her. She wanted to call out to him but she was too shy with everyone around, so she just watched him go.
'Let's hope that works.' Rex thought, deciding not to ask Scavenger for spoilers. 'Now,' He glanced back, watching Rose climb the steps. "I need to deal with something," he muttered under his breath.
The next moment, he vanished from sight—only to reappear inside a nearby alleyway, where three girls were peeking out the alley.
"Who we hiding from?"
"EEEK!"
One girl let out a startled scream, while another drew a concealed dagger and aimed it at his ribs, the third launching a punch toward him. In a blink, Rex caught the blade between his thumb and index finger, stopping it dead, while his other hand snatched the wrist behind the punch, freezing it inches from his body.
The three froze as they realized who had appeared behind them.
"R-Rex?" Momiji stammered.
"Fast..." Kaede mumbled, eyes wide. He had been walking a second ago, and now—without them even noticing he had vanished—he was just behind them. 'Amazing...'
Rex tilted his head. "Yo," he greeted casually, giving the two a nod before turning to the shorter girl. "Hey, Coco."
She blinked, then smiled. "Hi, Rex."
Rex glanced down at the fist still locked in his grip. "Damn." He grinned. "That's cold."
The trio followed his gaze and realized Coco's fist had been aimed directly at his crotch. Her face flushed bright red as she yanked her arm back. "Mistake," she muttered, turning her head away in embarrassment.
Rex let out a soft chuckle as he released the dagger and turned to the last girl. "And you?"
"What?" Kaede said as she slid her concealed dagger back into place. "I was helping a bro out."
"I don't see her that way," Rex said flatly.
"What's not to like about Rose?" Kaede shot back. "She's beautiful, smart, stacked—and did I mention beautiful? You two look good together. I wasn't lying."
"Yeah, I noticed how good she is." Rex gave a half-shrug. "But," He locked eyes with her, "I only see her as a friend, Kaede. So that was a bit uncalled for."
Kaede clicked her tongue and spat to the side. "I just don't want you turning into some lonely bum." She shifted her weight, folding her arms. "You barely talk to anyone in the familia, hardly hang out, and spend all your time in the dungeon. Keep that up, and you'll end up alone without a wife someday."
"Aww~" Momiji said, covering her mouth with one hand, her eyes sparkling with exaggerated emotion. "You care about Rex so much~" her other hand wiped a droplet of tears.
"Course I do," Kaede scoffed, tossing her head with Coco quietly smiling.
Rex slowly raised a hand and rested his large palm on her head, causing one of her ears to droop to the side of her face. She slowly looked up at him, so see the larger man smiling—genuinely, eyes closed, calm and kind. The morning sun hit just right, lighting his face in a way that made him look almost saintlike. In that moment, it felt like he truly understood where she was coming from.
But when he opened his eyes, his face shifted, his entire demeanor turning cold, a dark aura seeping off him like pressure. "Do that again," he said, voice low and even, his amber eyes glowing faintly, "and I'll hook you up with one of your guy friends in the Familia."
A chill ran down Kaede's spine, her ears twitching as her hair stood on end. Coco and Momiji quickly turned away, both trying not to laugh.
Noticing their reaction, Kaede quickly pointed. "W-What about Coco!" she blurted, clearly trying to deflect. "That bitch knocked me out and dragged me across the ground." The dwarf tilted her head slightly, unbothered.
"Yeah, that was a bit much, Coco," Rex said as he gently removed his hand from Kaede's head. "You could have carried her at least."
Coco lowered her gaze. "Sorry, Rex."
He shook his head. "Don't apologize to me."
Kaede stood beside him, arms crossed and a smug grin tugging at her lips as the dwarf turned and bowed toward her. "Sorry, Kaede."
Rex nodded. "So what were you guys up to?"
"We just came out to eat breakfast," Momiji said. "Later, we're going into the dungeon with Miss Daphne, Miss Cassandra, and Mister Lissos."
"We're heading to the middle floors for the first time." Kaede grinned proudly.
Rex clapped exaggeratedly. "Oooo~ congrats."
Kaede lifted her chin, one fist planted proudly on her waist. "We're gonna catch up to you in no time."
"Maybe in five years," Rex replied with a kind smile, the sort you give to overconfident kids—which, to him, they were. "After all, my deepest solo dive is the lower floor—Water City, Floor 27. For reference, our familia's lowest expedition floor is only Floor 19."
The three froze at his word as Kaede's mouth dropped open.
"S-S-Solo?" Momiji stuttered, fox tail stiff.
"That's right~" Rex said smugly, grinning with glinting teeth. "But don't worry. You're still young. You might reach that level when you turn twenty-one."
"R-Right!" Kaede nodded sharply. "I'll beat that floor younger than you did!" Her eyes were blazing with determination.
Momiji laughed softly. "Looks like she's fired up again."
"No time to waste!" Kaede grabbed Coco and Momiji by the wrists. "Time to train!"
She dashed off, dragging the two behind her. Coco waved with her free hand as she was pulled away.
"Bye, Rex!"
"Bye, Coco," he called back with a smile, watching them disappear into the crowd.
He let out a long sigh, looking up at the clear blue sky. "Let's go gambling."
[Author's Note: While writing this chapter, I realized how hard it is to write interpersonal conversations and dialogue. It took me so long to figure out how Rose and Rex's talk and walk should go—I probably deleted over 8,000 words just trying to get it right. I hope it didn't turn out trash, because this was honestly the best I could come up with.
Anyway, another slow chapter—same with the next one. But after that, things will pick up again with a new canon event coming, so don't worry.
Thanks for reading—and have a sweet dream. About me, of course. (￣З￣) ♡]