Now, I've decided to make a purchase from him since there are only a few people in line, meaning I won't have to wait long. While waiting for my turn, boredom sets in, and I find myself lost in my daydreams. I'm engrossed in my thoughts until I suddenly realize it's my turn to buy.

I ask, “Kuya, how much for one tray of eggs?”

As I gently touch one of the eggs with my right index finger, he responds, “For a medium-sized tray, it's 155 pesos.”

I request, “Please give me two trays.” My mom instructed me to buy two.

“Alright. Anything else?” he asks.

I ask about the price of the cabbages, to which he answers, “₱80 per kilogram. Would you like to buy some?”

“I'll take 1 kilogram.”

“Okay!”

Suddenly, I sense something happening a few meters away in a corner, so I turn to look. After a few seconds, I spot a person wearing a hooded jacket and a handkerchief as a mask, sprinting toward me— or more precisely, heading for the staircase.

It appears to be a snatcher.

People around me initially seem confused, but soon they understood the situation, but the snatcher is already making their way downstairs. Some individuals rush to chase after the snatcher, while others choose to watch the unfolding scene.

“Kuya, how much for carrots?“

“!“ He wakes up from being in daze and smiles wryly at me.

“Ah, it's just—“

Oh. There's a familiar presence at the same corner the snatcher came out from.

She's a striking woman, her slender figure gracefully towering just a smidge above my height. Dressed impeccably, she exudes an air of elegance, sporting a pristine white long-sleeved shirt that seems to hug her form in all the right places. Her choice of attire doesn't stop there; it's her ice-blue, skin-tight jeans that truly catch the eye. These jeans, perfectly tailored, contour her silhouette with precision, showcasing her slender legs and adding a splash of captivating color to her ensemble.

In a more informal term, her outfit shows how ‘thicc’ she is.

This is none other than my icy Ma'am Iris.

She's jogging towards the staircase seemingly chasing the snatcher. She still appears expressionless, her face retaining a chilly demeanor. However, I can discern subtle signs of distress.She even walks past me without seeming to notice my presence at all.

Still, ma'am is kind of charming looking like this.

“...Sir? Sir!“

Oh right. I'm buying right now.

“Kuya, can you keep them for a while. I just need to do something real quick.“

“Oh?“

“No worries, I'll pay for it right now. I'll just come back for it later.“ I pull a 500 peso bill from my wallet and hand it over to him. Before he could say anything, I immediately run towards the side of the building to observe.

The snatcher has already crossed the road and is now sprinting toward an alley. A few meters ahead, a group of individuals is still in hot pursuit, chasing after them.

Several meters further away is a silver haired woman chasing after them. She's not running but not walking either. She's more or less jogging.

With my eyesight, I can somehow see her chest going boing boing— No. I didn't looked at it on purpose.

Whatever.

I turn vaulted on the wall, rapidly descending to the ground. Following that, I sprint towards the alley where the snatcher made their escape.

The guys chasing after them stopped because it's a dead end. They're looking at the right wall because there, the snatcher is climbing on the wall using the protrusions as their handholds and footholds.

They actually have skills.

Fufufu. I can also do that.

I perform a double tic-tac on the two walls of the alley and then I grab the top edge of the right wall to pull myself up. Immediately after that, I grab the bottom edge of the window of the building to climb up. Several seconds later, I'm on top of the roof. That snatcher is gasping for breath but seemingly relieved.

Once they turned and started walking away, I hoisted myself up and ceased hiding. Now that I see their figure clearly, I manage to get few information about them.

She's cloaked in a hooded attire, and her loose, lightweight pants can't conceal the graceful contours of her figure. Her strides and the gentle sway of her hips leave no doubt: she's unmistakably a woman.

Her gait not only reveals her gender but also speaks of her remarkable physical prowess. It's evident she's an athlete, or at the very least, possesses an exceptional level of fitness.

Perhaps a fighter or a dedicated runner; either way, her agility and the way she effortlessly scaled that wall earlier hint at her frequent engagement in physical activities. It's clear she's quite skilled, likely honed over many years of experience.

Feeling quite playful, I follow her discreetly. I move silently, treading softly, and keeping my breath hushed as I approach from behind.

“!!”

Several centimeters away from her, she tried to swing a kick at me but I kick her lower back disrupting her balance. I see. She experienced several dangers before. Even though I'm not putting so much effort into being hidden, she still discovered me when I was close enough to her.

Fufufufu. Too bad. I kicked her and she falls to the ground. She didn't even manage to turn around so she couldn't see my face.

I step on her neck and head to prevent her from turning around. She is struggling by trying to kick me but she can't hit me nor free herself from my grasp.

“I'm taking this bag. And you? You have to calm down in the precinct.” I'll bring her to the guys below to turn her in to the police.

“You bastard! Let go me! I'm doing this to for good reasons!”

Ohh. She have a deep voice? Well, she's just trying to speak manly and combine that with her mask, she sounds deep and rough.

“I see. I don't care but I need to take what you snatched away— hmm?”

Because she's doing her best to turn around and break free, her hood lowered and now I see her head. Her neck is filled with tattoos and even though I can't see her face, I can tell she also have tattoos on it.

If not because of the light of the day, I wouldn't have seen the mark ‘S’ amidst her tattoos. I initially wanted to bring her to the police but I'll let her go. I'll just take the bag from her and leave silently.

That aside, why ruin such beautiful skin? What a waste.

“Loosen your grip on the bag and I'll set you free.”

“FUCK YOU! I'LL KILL YOU AFTER THIS!”

She's grabbing the bag tightly and I can't pull it out from her hand.

“Saying that you'll kill me just makes me reluctant to free you. Should I break your neck..?”

“!” she flinches.

Fufufufu.

“Fuck you!”

Oh hell. She doesn't really want to let the bag go. And she sure have a sharp tongue. My heart is wounded fufufufu.

“Shh... If my girlfriend hears of this, she might get jealous again...”

“Grrrr..” She didn't respond but just let out angry groans. She's also gritting her teeth judging from the noises I hear.

I shut up.

“I... I'll be giving the money I'll get to the kids on the street!” Hearing the noises from the people below, she broke the silence, “That woman is rich anyway! She doesn't need that much money! So let me go! I'm doing something good.”

Sounds like you have a deep hatred for wealthy people.. but.. Bloody hell. Please let the bag go. I'm getting sweaty here to be honest. It's so hot today you know.

“I respect your perspective but I don't care. I only care about this bag so please let it go.”

Beside, this is ma'am Iris'. She didn't listen but instead tightens her hold on it.

“Over my dead body!”

Why are you so stubborn? I see that you found yourself a mission but temporarily giving up a battle is a more appropriate move in order to have a better chance of succeeding the war.

What should I do?

“I can't have that. That will just trouble me. So let's go with this...”

Well I can't keep playing around anymore. Time's up! The guys below are approaching. They still haven't given up.

So...

“What..?”

*CRACK~*

“!! AaaaAaAAAHHHhh!” She's screaming loudly. Because of that, her true voice is revealed. Mm-hm. She have a high pitch. Her screaming voice is such a music for my ears.

Anyway, I take the bag easily from her. She no longer has the strength to grip on it given that I broke her arm.

After taking the bag, I raise my feet from her injured arm and neck. Without delay, I turn around since she might attempt to glimpse at my face while writhing in agony. I need to prevent her from identifying me to minimize the likelihood of encountering her again. However, considering her affiliation with that group, I doubt our chances of avoiding another encounter are very slim.

“I'll probably see you again. But goodbye for now.” I advise her, “Hurry up and run.” Your scream should have alarmed the others already.

“Aaaahh..! Hiss!.. I'll.. I'll find you you bastard. Then I Will KILL YOU!!”

I see.

Please queue then. But you should focus more on yourself.

I climb down the least conspicuous place. Then I meet up with ma'am Iris who's still looking around anxiously.

“Mister.. Mister Reverren?” she looks the same but for some reason, I can tell that she's surprised by my sudden appearance.

Fufu. You didn't expect to see me here, right?

I give ma'am Iris her bag and smile at her. It's not noticeable though. My default expression is a smiley face after all. She takes it while looking at me with a daze expression.

“Thank you,” she says monotonously. Then she turns around preparing to leave. From the looks of it, she seems in a hurry.

“.......”

If I haven't had a glimpse of her personality, I will really find this attitude as cold and unfriendly.

“Wait ma'am!”

“What is it?” she turns around.

“I helped you so can you please help me as well? We're friends aren't we?”

Is it just me or did she look agitated just now? She walks back to me.

“I'm sorry. I didn't mean to be rude.”

You don't sound nor look like you're sorry though. In fact, you look like you're uncomfortable being with me.

“It's fine. We're just starting our relationship anyway. You don't need to force yourself. And I understand why.”

I actually don't know why you look like your trying to run away. Wasn't she kind of excited when I said we're friends last time?

Is it just my imagination? But she agreed to it. Wait. Did she?

Hell. I can't remember properly. I didn't pay attention...

“Mm...”

She nods softly.

“Thank you then. What should I do mister Reverren?”

She still calls me with that ‘mister’. I'll make her drop that next time when I have the opportunity.

“My mom told me to buy groceries. But I'm unfamiliar with things like this.”

“Ohh. You don't even know this?”

She spoke with the same monotonous tone but I feel like she just looked down on me with those words she chose.

“Well it's my sister who does the work.”

“.......”

Please don't stare at me like that. It's not my fault she wanted to do all the housework herself.

“Learn how then.”

She turns around coldly and didn't even wait for me to reply.

“Alright po ma'am. Let's go back to the market.”

I still need to get the eggs and cabbages from kuya. So I chase after her.