Incoming Mail

Pewpewpew! Bangbang!

One enemy left, exactly one rubber bullet left. No waste, no pollution, all emergency conserved, it's great for the environment. Whaddya think?

What a persistent fella, chasing me down three blocks and whatnot. I already told you, I don't have the goods.

You bitch! What are you going on about the environment for? You tryna mess with me?!

Took you that long to figure out? What else was I to do? Taking out the lot of you would've been super boring.

Anyway, I guess that's game over. So like, would you care to say any last words? Speak now or forever hold your peace~

Stay back! Get away from me!

3... 2... 1... And, time's up——

Bang! You're dead!

Guh... Urgh...

—Bullseye!

Look at that impeccable aim. Good job, me! Heh, guess I'll treat myself to an extra slice of apple pie today!

Next up... back to work!

Hmm, today's last address, Center Street No. 12-7, Ah Choi Restaurant...

Woah, I'm sorry, did I just bump into you?

Don't worry about it.

Ah Choi Restaurant is that way. Totally opposite direction.

Ah, you're right... Thanks a bunch, mister.

Don't mention it. It's not every day I meet a fellow countryman.

...Huh?

(A Laterano? A Messenger, by the looks of things...)

(Messages, huh...)

(It'd probably be a good idea to write home before Sauin.)

We should have some stationery back at the base... Hm, guess I should pick up some souvenirs to send over with the letter.

Oh, gotta finish work first... Now where is it, Ah Choi Restaurant...

All right, here it is.

Excuse me. Anyone? Penguin Logistics home delivery—

Who is it...? Woah! What happened here? What's that on the ground... is he d-dead?!

Hehe, it's no big deal. Don't freak out over every little corpse!

Penguin Logistics is offering a special smashed, bloody street sale! Act fast within the next three days and get our deliveries half off! Anyway, these are the goods you ordered, right?

Express delivery?

Wait, I don't think this is right.

Eh?

I did order something, but it's only been a few hours since I placed the order. There's no way it could've come this fast...

And that's where you're wrong. You said it's been a few hours, so getting it now sounds just about right?

After all, speed is the lifeblood of the logistics industry!

Amplifiers, lanterns, and flower baskets. Woah, are you opening a new store?

Um, yeah...

Wow, good luck! Anyway, all your stuff's right here. What's the matter, something wrong?

I must say, this is exactly what I ordered...

Are you for real?

Real as the wings on my back. Intracity deliveries are a piece of cake. Would've gotten here even faster if not for those troublesome fellas lying over there on the road...

Huh?

All righty, don't worry about it, okay? If you're good to go, please sign right here!

Oh... Here, and here...

Very good. That's another job well done!

Bye bye then! Remember to leave me a good review!

Hey, hold on...

......

Ungh... ugh...

Good grief... Girls these days...

At least clean up the 'trash' you brought with you before you leave...

Aaaand, that finishes up the last item!

With that, another day of work comes to a close.

Yo–– Texas, Croissant, the two of you done with work yet?

No issues here. Everything got delivered.

Got mah hands on the Baws's thing over on my end!

Some fellers tried to swipe the stuff, but I took care of 'em real good. What's so interestin' about an ol' box anyway? Ain't got a clue as to what's inside...

Maybe it's something dangerous. Either way, it's our responsibility to get rid of anyone trying to drag us down, no matter what.

Anyway, that's that. Time to head home!

Stop... right there...

Hm?

Exusiai, you were in charge over here, right? Why's this guy still able to talk?

You can't use live rounds in residential areas.

These guys don't exactly look like gangsters either. If I don't follow the rules, things'll get pretty messy for us.

Besides, we're here to help rebuild the neighborhood and we were told not to cause any trouble. I made specially sure to avoid any vitals.

I suppose so.

Give them a lifeline, and the people here should be able to seize the opportunity and pull themselves out. Should be fine.

The last time Exusiai was able to use live rounds was when she was pickin' up that Rhodes Islander, right?

Them was some wild days! Baws sure does seem sweet on that thar Rhodes Island. I reckon we got a long 'n fruitful relationship ahead of us.

Sounds about right. They've got some pretty interesting folks over there, so it's no surprise the Boss has taken a liking to them.

Enough to cause trouble.

Hehe, isn't that the Boss's favorite?

You'n say that again!

But gettin' sent overseas to work sure sounds like a pain in the tail.

That's pretty much the same thing we do, isn't it? Just with some extra mileage.

The salary and overtime pay there are pretty darn good too. Throw on whatever the Boss gives us over here, and it's like having twice the moolah!

No foolin'? double?! Looks like this li'l lady's about to be laughin all the way to the bank!

I wanna go, too! Exusiai, bring me along next time!

Haha, I knew that's what you'd say.

Ah, crap, how'd it get this late already?

C'mon, Texas, pick up the pace. We gotta hurry back to base before it's too late!

......

Get in the car. Hang on tight.

Waaaaait, hold on a sec! Okay, I'm ready! Step on it!

Where's the fire, anyway? Hey, Texas, ain't you gonna ask why she's in such a hurry?

There's no way it's anything that matters.

Huh, good point.

Hey, don't talk about me like I'm not here! And I'll have you know, it's super important!

If we don't get back soon, the apple pie I put in the oven's gonna burn!

How in tarnation is that important? Woooooooahh! Texas, how fast you cornerin'——?

Too slow!

I had time to enjoy three LPs, both sides. Is it your legs, or your brain? How'd a couple of simple deliveries take that long?

Phew, thank goodness, the apple pie is safe!

Mmmmh, that's the aroma I could die for! The heat's just right too, absolutely perfect!

Yo! Listen to me when I'm talkin' to you!

Baws, we was floorin' it to get back here.

Lucky fer us, we didn't bump into any cops. Last thing you want's a ticket poppin' up on the doormat. That'd be a month of Texas's take-home down the drain.

In other words! Texas put her own salary on the line to rush back over here, so don't blame her, Boss.

......

Texas, what'cha got?

You gonna let the girls leave you their messes to clean up like that?

Sigh...

It's whatever.

Ugh. Lame.

Because I'm so magnanimous, I won't make a fuss over y'all being slower than a bad dump. Now, where's my stuff?

Right here.

Now we're talkin'! Yo Exu, I need my chair and those fancy electric specs!

Coming right up, Boss!

What'd you get this time? Huh... This box is pretty heavy. Some kind of machinery?

Oh! I think that logo and the controller shape's givin' me a clue...

That's gotta be the thingy majigger what's all sold outta the markets... some last-generation vidja games console? I heard some rich folks have been buyin' 'em up, top dollar.

Heh, games. Who's to say that life ain't just one big game?

Texas, hook it up.

This line here?

Woah, we got a picture!

Hrmm, oh? Looks like a side-scrolling racing game... direction keys, accelerator...

And then, what's this button here? Is this supposed to be a bomb?

T'ain't no bomb. Looks a bit more like...

An Originium rocket launcher.

I knew it!

Wait a minute, ain't this one of them games, the kind where you dodge obstacles and whatnot 'til you get to the end? Why'd they put in a Originium rocket launcher...?

You damned fool! Like hiding and dodging is the only way to reach the end?

I get it now, you can just charge forward in a straight line and send anything in your way packing! Now that's the kind of game I like, nice and simple rules.

Looks like the controls are working just fine. And I think it's even got a two-player mode!

Say, Boss, wanna give it a shot?

You challengin' me to a match? What's the fun in playin' a game you know you'll win?

Texas, you're up.

Sigh...

I know.

Great, I got full ammo. Watch this!

You went and blew up all them buildings in yer way. Sounds about right fer you, actually...

Hahaha! What's wrong with taking down a building or two? I'm gonna win this round for sure!

......

...You're wide open!

(Fires an explosive at the opposite lane)

Whoa!

They let'cha shoot at the other player's lane?!

Nobody said you can't.

......

Indeed, nobody said you can't. But if you're gonna pull that trick on me, don't blame me for what happens next...

As they say, an eye for an eye! What goes around, comes around! Dodge this if you can, I'm gonna blow you away!

...!

Wh-What the heck, you'n just go and shoot the other car too?!

Nobody said you can't, right? Hehe, I'm going for the gold, baby!

Hm? Somebody at the door.

Good afternoon, everyone.

What are you playing? All the yelling and screaming spooked me at the door.

Well, if it ain't Sora! C'mon in, take a seat. Exusiai and Texas're playin' vidja games. Baws got his flippers on an old game console, and he's lettin' us have first go at it.

Wanna play?

Video games? I think I'll pass, I'm no good at those.

Oh, by the way, I grabbed the mail on my way in. Are you sure you can keep this up? There's a whole mountain of bills this month...

And one more thing... here, there's something for you, Exusiai.

Mail, for me? Wonder if it's a bill, or a challenge.

Ehh, I'm sure it's not the diploma that the school was supposed to reissue, right...?

Whassat? You never got yer graduation diploma?

Of course I got it!

It's just, uh, the last time I got in a fight with the gang, I accidentally burnt it all along with the fake bank notes and the fake diploma the Boss made us.

I even reminded you.

Did you now? Sorry, I don't seem to remember that at all!

That does sound like something you'd do.

But this letter looks like a pretty ordinary, personal letter. It probably isn't any of the things you just listed off...

Hard to say.

Hey, Croissant, here's the controller. Take my spot for a bit.

Can do!

Hmm, let's take a look.

...Huh, it's from my sister..

Now that I think about it, I did run into a Laterano Messenger earlier today.

Woah, if she wrote this whole thick stack of stuff, she must really be worried sick...

Exusiai's sister?

Wait, hold on a second, why do I seem to recall that your sister was in some kind of accident...? Isn't that why you came all the way to Lungmen looking for Mostima?

Hm? That sounds right to me.

My sister was in an accident a number of years back, and ended up in a deep coma, in the hospital for a long time...

Then...

But, she had already woken up by the time I left Laterano!

......

Huh? What's wrong, Sora? Why do you look like you just saw the Boss gyrating while singing some sappy love song?

Huh?!

Where'd you get that overly specific example from anyway? My eyes already hurt just thinking about it!

Uhh... nothing, don't mind me. It's just, I sometimes feel stupid for genuinely worrying about you...

Ah, lemme guess... You didn't happen to misunderstand something before, did you?

Uh...

Huh, really? You serious?

Though my sister did have some pretty severe injuries, she's been gradually recovering. Otherwise, how could I just ditch her and run around the world?!

You do have a point.

Right?

Well, I can't blame you for misunderstanding. After all, things did look pretty dicey back then.

And I thought someone like her never could've gotten hurt like that. But there she was, her bloodied, unconscious body...

B-Bloody?!

Yeah, things got way crazier that time than what we normally get into.

I always thought I was a pretty brave girl, but I clearly remember being scared into a cold sweat. Just thinking about it now still makes my hands shake.

Not even kidding. At the time, I hadn't sorted things through in my head, and I nearly jumped into a fight with the one who brought my sister back.

I can imagine...

But, that person you just mentioned... was that Mostima?

Bingo, the very same. After bringing my sister back, she immediately disappeared to Lord-knows-where.

Even after my sister regained consciousness, she wouldn't tell me what happened...

......

How could I go on without knowing the whole story?

So basically, I just wanted to find out what happened. I chased Mostima all the way from Laterano to Lungmen, and that's when I met the Boss.

Um, how do I put it... So it's like...

That whole thing with you joining up, plus the fact that you always try to cut the conversation short every time Mostima's name comes up, I just assumed you had some bad blood with her.

If we're talking about how Mostima always dragged my sister into working overtime, and how many times that ended with me getting stood up, then yeah, we do have some bad blood.

Huh? You knew each other as kids?

Hmm... Darn it, I can't paint a mental picture of your sister at all.

Just the thought of there being another person like you is already giving me a headache.

Haha, don't you worry about that. She and I are very different.

Really?

Yeah. After all, we don't share any blood.

Hwuh?!

No foolin'?!

Of course... Wait, Croissant, how come you're listening in?

You ain't never talked about yer past. I'm so curious I just can't help mahself...

I don't talk about my past?

Oh, let's save the story for later! Don't get distracted. Just keep gaming!

—Too late.

I win.

Ahhhh! Texas! That's darn underhanded to pass me up like that!!

Ugh... Total defeat.

......

(Everyone sure is curious.)

(But, did I really never bring up the thing with my sister before?)

(Well, I guess it's not altogether surprising, since nobody bothered asking...)

(Speaking of Mostima, I've been waiting for eons now and she still hasn't shown up. Is the Boss trying to pull a fast one on me?)

(Whatever, I'll just have to go with the flow! First, gotta write a response though...)

Hm, wonder if we have any snacks that won't go bad or break...

Oh, Exusiai, where are you going? Not going to play anymore?

Right, you guys have fun. I'm going to go shopping for some nice gifts. Be right back~

We'll have a rematch later tonight, Texas! That round just now didn't count, so let's have a redo!

Hehe, just you wait! I'm gonna win for sure!