The bazaar district of Solaria City was a chaotic whirlwind of color, noise, and questionable pickpocketing techniques. The cobbled streets pulsed with the rhythm of clinking coins, shouting merchants, and a background hum of magical contraptions hawked as "revolutionary tools" that probably exploded on use.
MC was trying to buy socks.
Not enchanted socks, not flame-resistant socks, just socks. His current pair had holes the size of existential crises, and he was tired of hearing Kaela say, "You walk like a cursed duck."
That's when the scream happened. Not a normal "I've been overcharged for an apple" scream, but the kind that made everyone stop, crane their necks, and start edging toward the sound just in case it led to a good story.
MC, still holding a bundle of socks, turned just in time to see a flash of silver—then a blur of motion as someone crashed into him at full speed.
They tumbled into a nearby cabbage cart. Cabbages exploded into the air like green fireworks. Vendors shouted. One old man wept. And tangled in the mess of vegetables and limbs was a girl with short, messy black hair, two daggers strapped to her thighs, and eyes sharp enough to slice bread.
"Get off me, cabbage boy!" she barked, elbowing him in the ribs.
"I'm not even touching you!" he wheezed. "Okay, now I am. But not on purpose!"
She scrambled to her feet, scowled, and dusted herself off. The instant she stood, she twisted around and flung a throwing knife behind her without even looking. It lodged itself perfectly between the eyes of a nearby street lamp post… directly above a cloaked figure who'd been creeping toward her.
The figure froze, hissed, and vanished in a puff of smoke.
The girl smirked. "Coward."
MC blinked. "That was awesome. Also, who—"
She turned to him, slicing through his sentence with a glare. "You talk too much."
"I—what? I haven't even—"
"I said, too much."
He stared at her, dazed. She was shorter than Lina, skinnier than Iris, and gave off an aura like a dagger dipped in sarcasm and set on fire. Her clothes were mismatched—leather tunic, black boots, a crimson scarf that looked like it had been stolen from a noble's laundry line—and yet she somehow made it all look deliberate. Dangerous.
"What's your name?" he asked, because apparently his survival instinct was still on lunch break.
She rolled her eyes. "Kira."
"Nice to meet you, Kira. I'm—"
"I don't care."
"…Okay."
Lina arrived seconds later, dragging Iris behind her and looking mildly impressed. "What did you do this time?"
"Saved a rogue from being assassinated in a cabbage cart."
"…Huh."
Kaela showed up chewing a kebab. "You smell like vegetables and regret."
Kira scoffed and turned to leave. "I work alone."
"Cool," said MC. "Same. Except, you know, with my guild."
"Not interested," she snapped. "Men are the worst. Loud, cocky, backstabbing egomaniacs."
"Okay but I'm only like… one of those things."
She kept walking. He followed. "You could at least let us help you with whoever that was. Shadowy assassin types don't usually work alone."
"I said I don't need—" she began, but her sentence was cut short by the twang of a trap springing.
A wire snaked from under a barrel, catching her ankle and yanking her upward. In one fluid motion, Kira flipped, slashed the wire, and landed in a crouch—but too late. Another trap triggered, and three smoke bombs went off at once, filling the alley with choking fog.
A figure rushed from the mist, dagger gleaming.
MC didn't think. He threw the sock bundle like a missile. It hit the attacker square in the face. The man staggered. MC tackled him, yelling something about toe comfort and heroism. A brief scuffle later, the attacker was unconscious under a pile of socks, cabbage leaves, and regret.
When the smoke cleared, Kira stood staring at him with an unreadable expression. "You… saved me."
He grinned. "Technically, I saved you with socks. Which might be a first."
She stared. "Don't read into it."
"Too late."
"I'm still not joining your stupid harem guild."
"It's not a—actually, it kind of is—but we also fight monsters?"
She rubbed her temple like this was giving her a headache. "You're a dork."
"I get that a lot."
There was a pause.
"Fine," she said at last, crossing her arms. "I'll tag along. Temporarily. I need to figure out who sent those assassins. Once I do, I'm out."
MC blinked. "Wait, seriously?"
"Don't make me change my mind."
Lina leaned over to whisper, "She likes you."
"I do not," snapped Kira.
Kaela snorted. "This is gonna be fun."
Iris didn't say anything. But she did glance at Kira. Then at MC. Then back at Kira.
MC gulped.
And just like that, the rogue with too much pride, too many knives, and a total mistrust of men became the newest member of "Linked Hearts."
Whether she liked it or not.
END OF CHAPTER 37