Charlotte sprinted down the crowded street, weaving through people, knocking over crates.

"Knock it off !" she yelled over her shoulder.

Ahrie and Min didn't answer—they were too busy laughing their asses off while chasing her.

She cut through an open space, grabbed whatever she could—baskets, cups, random street junk—and hurled them behind her to slow them down.

None of it worked.

"Come on! That's all you got!?" Ahrie taunted.

Charlotte gritted her teeth and dashed into a narrow alley. The walls pressed tight, her breathing ragged. She reached into her pouch, grabbed a small glass bottle, and flung it at them.

It shattered at Min's feet.

He didn't flinch. "Weak throw."

Then—BAM.

A deafening wave exploded outward.

Ahrie and Min instantly clutched their ears, wincing as the sound rattled through the narrow walls.

"ARGHH—stupid f*cking skill!" Ahrie shouted.

Charlotte smirked and took off again.

Thirty seconds later, the ringing faded. Ahrie and Min straightened, cracked their necks, and exchanged a glance.

"Round two," Ahrie muttered.

They bolted after her—faster this time.

Charlotte looked back, horrified to see them already closing the gap.

"Annoying Shits!" she screamed. "Stop it already!"

They were closing in—step by step, breath by breath.

Charlotte glanced back, panic sparking in her eyes. She grabbed another bottle from her pouch and flung it behind her.

But Min dashed forward in a burst of speed, snatching the bottle midair before it hit the ground.

"Gotcha!" he grinned.

At the same moment, Ahrie lunged for her—arms outstretched.

Charlotte twisted aside, slipping past his grasp with reflexes far quicker than he expected.

Ahrie blinked, momentarily stunned.

Well, in a world where everything can kill you, even cute faces needed survival instincts.

He smirked. "Alright, fine—let's play."

He charged again.

Charlotte juked left.

Ahrie slid, planting his heel and hooking his leg to sweep her off balance—

—but she countered, twisting her body mid-motion, her hooked foot brushing his just enough to let it slide harmlessly past.

Ahrie stopped, boots scraping the cobblestone. "Tch. Not bad."

Charlotte was already reaching for another bottle.

She flung it… reflexively, wildly, straight at Ahrie.

He reacted on instinct.

A spin kick.

The bottle deflected… cleanly—

—and flew straight toward Min.

"Wait wha—"

CRASH!

The glass shattered at Min's feet, releasing a distorted, muffled scream.

Min staggered, clutching his ear. "Arghhh! That sounds familiar—"

A moment passed. Recognition hit.

It was his voice, screaming in pain and exhaustion—back then, when they were pushing the carriage.

Charlotte bit her lip, trying not to laugh.

Min's face turned red.

"YOU—YOU DAMN BITCH, TURN IT OFF… RIGHT NOW!"

Charlotte bolted again, darting through the crowded street.

Ahrie and Min followed right after, boots thudding, people shouting as they crashed past.

Then suddenly—

"OHHH! Wait, wait, wait!" Min shouted mid-run, eyes lighting up.

He grinned wide, pointing ahead. "I know this road! Shortcut time, baby!"

Before Ahrie could even reply, Min winked, peeled off to the side, and disappeared down an alley.

He darted left—then right—then vaulted over a fence.

"Ha! I'll cut her off right at the corner!"

He sprinted up a slope, jumped a low wall—

BAM!

He landed on the other side… to absolutely no one.

Empty street. Silent air.

"...Eh?" Min blinked, head tilting. "Where the hell—?"

He looked left. Then right.

Not a trace of Charlotte. Not even Ahrie.

"Don't tell me they—"

He sighed.

He turned around, tried to climb back over the wall—

—and immediately slipped halfway up.

"Fff—shit, hold on—ow—"

He grunted and dragged himself back up the wall.

Ahrie and Charlotte burst through the outskirts of Glimmerfen, the sound of their boots kicking up dirt echoing in the quiet fields.

Charlotte's breaths came out ragged, panic written all over her face.

"W-wait! Don't take me!" she pleaded, voice trembling. "What do you want? Money? I'll pay you! Even if it takes my whole life, I swear—"

Ahrie slowed his pace, his grin widening.

"Yeah," he said, drawing his rapier with a satisfying shhhk. "I don't accept credit."

Charlotte's eyes widened. "Oi, oi, oi—put that pointy thing away!"

Ahrie tilted his head, that same unhinged grin plastered across his face.

Then—

WHAM!

Charlotte ran headfirst into a low tree branch and dropped to the ground.

"Ouch!" she groaned, clutching her head.

Ahrie just walked up, grabbed her by the collar, and started dragging her across the dirt.

"W-wait, wait, WAIT—just a sec!" Charlotte squirmed, trying to pry his hand off. "Let me explain!"

She started rambling—anything to buy time, anything to pull some sympathy out of him.

"H-have you ever heard of addiction?" Charlotte's voice trembled, her breaths uneven between words. She gripped her chest as if her heart might claw its way out. "My skill—my damn curse—it makes me crave sounds, okay?"

Her hands were shaking, dirt clinging to her palms. "Every sound I hear—every scream, every whisper, every cry—I need it." She pressed her fingers to her temples, as if trying to hold something inside. "It doesn't stop… it never stops. It's like an itch under my skin, crawling, gnawing, begging me to collect it."

Her tone cracked.

"I can't sleep unless I've bottled something new. I can't breathe without hearing something worth keeping."

She looked up at Ahrie, eyes glassy, desperate. "You think I do this for fun? That I enjoy it?... It's not a choice—it's a fix. Every time I trap a sound, it's the only time I feel quiet inside."

Ahrie stopped walking. He looked down at her, expression unreadable.

Then, slowly, his lip curled.

"…Are you sure you're even human?" Charlotte muttered, glaring up at him.

Ahrie straightened his back, sheathed his rapier, and struck a ridiculous pose—arms crossed, chin high, eyes closed in fake grandeur.

"I'm a capitalist," he said proudly.

Charlotte blinked, deadpan.

"Uh… what the hell does that even mean?"

"Oiii! Oii! Fudgee—I finally found you!" Min came running down the dirt road, panting and waving his arms like an idiot.

He skidded to a stop beside them, grinning ear to ear.

"Ohhh, you got her! Niceee! Time to get some nobleshit money!"

Ahrie froze mid-laugh.

"Wait…" he said slowly.

"Eh? What now?" Min tilted his head.

Ahrie leaned close, voice dropping into a whisper.

"What if instead of turning her in, we… use her skill?"

Min blinked. "Use her skill how?"

Ahrie smirked, that dangerous kind of grin that usually meant trouble.

"Record nobles doing their shady crap. Then—blackmail them. Easy money. If they don't pay up, we release the recordings."

Min's eyes widened, lighting up.

"Genius," he whispered, already rubbing his hands together.

Charlotte just stared at them both, horrified. "You two are actual demons."

"Entrepreneurs," Ahrie corrected with a smug look.

"Yeah," Min added.

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