Miss Smith drove to the warehouses' areas located on the outskirts of Solace City. One of the warehouses was owned by Ami’s brand, ‘The Bride’s Suit,’ and I was also introduced to the Manager there by Miss Smith.

We brought back three silver cases. Inside each case was a suit to be traded with the troublemakers.

I wasn’t told about the meeting area yet, but we drove away from Solace City and entered another one of three cities in District 1, Lumine City.

This city was famous for its date spot and beautiful architecture. Why the trade was held in this city was still a reason I didn’t know. Maybe because this city was famous for its low crime rate, they wanted to trade here.

Speaking of which, Miss Smith told me a few things that I shouldn’t do when we met the troublemakers.

First of all, I should stay silent and let Miss Smith do all the talk. Secondly, if Miss Smith made a certain gesture, I was instructed to run as fast as possible, seeking help. As for the third, until the other party paid us, we wouldn’t hand the goods over to them.

The instructions were clear, and I understood them. The ride lasted for an hour before we stopped in front of a high-rise hotel. I didn’t know the name of this hotel, but it looked luxurious from the outside.

“It’s here. Let’s get out and let the staff do their job.” Miss Smith said as she took off the seatbelt. Without me noticing, two men dressed in similar white uniforms had already been waiting outside the car. Were they called valets? I had heard about them a bit.

“O-oh, yes.” I replied to Miss Smith and exited the car.

She gave the car key to one of the valets and talked to the other man in a white uniform while holding a silver case in her hand. Meanwhile, I held the two remaining silver cases in my hand.

The entrance of the hotel was big, and I looked around a little.

‘This is even more luxurious than Ami’s apartment.’

Miss Smith had finished her conversation as I observed the surroundings.

“I see. Thanks.” She turned to me and gestured with her chin. “Mr. Imamura. Let’s get going.”

“I am behind you.” I replied as we entered the hotel.

This woman wasn’t really friendly to me. But I knew that it was just her personality, not because I was her nemesis or something. She even acted like this with the Manager of the warehouse we visited earlier. Poor Manager had to deal with Miss Smith each time there was a trade like this.

Of course, the poor man didn’t know we had a trade with the troublemakers. He was only told we needed to bring these items to important individuals.

We entered the elevator and went to the 16th floor.

“Do you remember the instructions, Mr. Imamura?” Miss Smith implored once again. She looked at me with her sharp gaze.

While I was a country bumpkin, I wasn’t an idiot who couldn’t follow such simple instructions. Maybe she only made sure of it. I didn’t really mind. But being asked a few times in a few minutes was a bit irritating.

However, I held on. I took a deep breath, which also eased my nervousness, and replied.

“I do. Please don’t worry about it.”

“Alright then.”

The elevator rang, and the door was opened. We walked down the corridor and stopped in front of room number 166 in the middle of the hallway.

Miss Smith looked at the watch on her left wrist before knocking on the door four times.

“TM asked the bride.” She said those words, which I guessed as the password for this secret trade.

The door was opened from the inside, revealing a young man with dark blue hair with a neat appearance.

“Oh, hey. Come inside. Is he with you?” He asked as he glanced at me.

“Yes. He’s my partner. I asked him to help me carry the goods. Are you the new guy?” Miss Smith answered as she entered the room.

“Indeed, I am.” The man nodded. “Let’s talk inside.

I followed closely from behind as I observed the situation.

The man narrowed his eyes as he looked at me, but I kept an expressionless face as I looked back at him. Ultimately, he looked away as we arrived at the main room.

I didn’t want to spoil or make this trade fail because of my mouth. That would put me in a rather uncomfortable situation.

We sat on the couch inside the hotel room. I put the case beside me, but Miss Smith kept hers on her lap. The man sat across from us and smiled. It seemed like he was alone.

“As requested, I’ve come alone without anyone accompanying me. Let me introduce myself first. I am Rain Eucliwood. I think saying my name and not wearing a mask are a sign of trust between us. As you know, this is the first time I was tasked with this trade with the Bride.”

“Understandable. Call me Smith. That’s what the previous person called me during our trade. May I know what happened to Mr. Johnson?”

“He was caught.” Rain Eucliwood shrugged his shoulders while smirking. “Just the usual, you know? But that’s not important. Do you bring what we asked for?”

“It’s here.” Miss Smith patted the case on her lap. “But the money first.”

“I need to check the goods first.”

“I am afraid that I can’t let you do that. Or what? You don’t believe in our company?”

The two people glared at each other with intensity.

‘I thought it was a trade, but this is like two parties trying to have the upper hand against each other. Was the trade with the troublemakers always this tense?’

No party was willing to back down. Miss Smith wanted to get the money, while Rain wanted to see the items.

“Let me say this. Mr. Johnson would’ve sent the money straight to us without any hesitation in each trade. As a result, we have had a smooth trade experience until today without you giving us a Hero License needed to buy Enhanced Bodysuits like these ones. Transfer half the money for now, and I will have you take a look at the product.”

Rain narrowed his eyes. Miss Smith’s comment clearly pissed him off. I understood, man. Miss Smith really couldn’t hold herself back. But she only said common sense.

If I were in his shoes, though, I wouldn’t trust Miss Smith. That was also the case for Miss Smith. Because it seemed the person who traded with us was different from usual, she raised her guard a little more.

“Man…” Rain let out a long sigh. “We have ordered Enhanced Bodysuits because we needed them for the mission. We even took care of that old man from the troublemakers because of this, but… Why don’t you just show me the goods and finish our transaction like that? You pissed me off.”

Suddenly, blue lightning crackled around Rain’s body. Miss Smith’s eyes widened, and I was shocked. She turned to me and shouted. “Be careful!”

Rain extended his hand toward Miss Smith. Lightning danced around it, and it looked dangerous.

I remembered that girl, Miya’s superpower called Lightning Surge from yesterday. She could even make three drunkards fall unconscious with her lightning.

But this man even had a stronger superpower than what I witnessed yesterday.

‘Shit!’

“I guess I will take it by force.”

Lightning flew out of his hand as he said that, flying toward Miss Smith in front of him.

‘Activate Milking Room!’

[Milking Room activated. You have 45 minutes before the room disappears.]

I immediately activated my Milking Room and dragged Miss Smith inside. Thankfully, I managed to activate it at the perfect time.

“This?” Miss Smith was dumbfounded, but I grabbed her hand and pulled her.

“Let’s get out of here first, Miss Smith. The trade failed. Our client attacked you with his superpower, but I managed to save you with mine first. I can’t explain what I do, but trust me on this one.”

She was still a bit shocked. I meant... a fucking lightning was sent toward her face, right in front of her. No sane woman would be able to keep their calm in that situation.

Maybe Heroes could, but Miss Smith was just a driver, Ami’s employee.

“A-Alright.” She replied as she grabbed the case beside the couch. I only held one case as I used my other hand to pull Miss Smith who held two cases in her hand.

We exited the room first and went to the elevator to evacuate.

Ami wasn’t an idiot. Maybe she already knew about the danger of this trade. That was why she wanted me to tag along. No, that couldn’t be. Miss Smith was surprised when the person who greeted us wasn’t what she had expected.

So this was outside of everyone’s expectation after all.

“Miss Smith, I need to ask something now that we are in a safe place,” I said, looking at her beside me.

She nodded weakly. I assumed that was her confirming my request.

“Why did you enter the room when you clearly knew that the person who greeted us was different from the usual one?”

“That…” She tried to answer but was a bit confused. “My superpower didn’t ring. I thought he was a replacement for Mr. Johnson, who always traded with us, but it seemed like he wasn’t. I was a fool for trusting him a bit after he introduced himself.”

‘Alarm? I bet it’s her superpower.’ But that wasn’t important. The question still remains.

“Why did you trust him?”

“Rain Eucliwood. He introduced himself as such, right? I had heard that name from Mr. Johnson before. He’s indeed a member of troublemakers, but I guess not everyone in troublemakers has the same goal and principle. He’s obviously crazy.”

“I see.”

That was a bit understandable. But was Miss Smith someone who trusted the others easily like that? I didn’t know, but maybe Rain Eucliwood wasn’t alone at all in that room. I felt something strange, still, but I couldn’t place my hand on it.

“Let’s get out of here for now,” I said. “We will go straight to Ami’s apartment. Have you recovered enough yet to drive?”

“Yes.” Miss Smith nodded. She took a deep breath and regained her composure. “Thank you. You have saved me. I will pay you back someday, Mr. Imamura.” She smiled at me.

This was the first time I saw her smile. Somehow she looked beautiful while smiling.

‘Ah, I want her too.’

Somehow that thought crossed my mind, but I needed to focus on getting away first.

“As I said earlier. Let’s get away from here first.”