Midas. The city that never sleeps.

Area 2, "Flare," where dazzling decorative lights and shadows interlaced.

Katze's fortress, located in the sub-basement of what appeared to be at first glance a run-down drug store.

"—Understood. No, I'll contact you myself later."

With those subdued words, Katze ended the video call.

Slight vertical creases grew between his eyebrows.

This was unusual for Katze, whose image as a shrewd and capable man—calm and collected at all times, sporting a rarely wavering countenance—was well-established.

Originally, he had intentionally put the video phone in silent mode because he had a visitor, but it was already close to midnight.

"What's the matter?"

The Blondy of sovereign beauty had no concern for Katze's private life; he seemed to be more interested in what caused Katze to make such an expression rather than the identity of the caller who had interrupted their conversation.

"It was Zico of Neal Darts."

At that, Iason's eyes narrowed faintly.

Zico's role in Neal Darts involved espionage where the Midas Security Police was at a loss in that lair of criminals. In other words, he was a special undercover operative under the direct supervision of Tanagura.

The stark gap between his outward appearance and his nature was proportional to his vast experience. In a sense, Zico was already a seasoned professional. He was even able to match Katze's iron-masked attitude.

Tanagura didn't eradicate Neal Darts solely because it was more convenient to monitor the Commonwealth spies mixed among the pests and parasites. Shapes cannot be seen from up high, but once at the bottom, you can capture the true appearance and nuances of the wriggling vermin.

"The request was to investigate the relationship between the black market and Guardian."

"Hm. Interesting." The look in his eyes was quite menacing, contrary to the tone of his voice. Even Iason couldn't ignore this information.

"Obviously, it didn't come from Kirie. Who then?" 

"From Guy."

Iason's eyes widened for a brief moment. Then he laughed deep in his throat.

"Indeed, a slum mongrel defying expectations once again."

Was the slum kind peculiar? Or was it something unique to those tied to Riki? Perhaps it was the latter. Maybe it wasn't slum mongrels that sparked unforeseen chemical reactions, but something true to Riki.

Eos pets, with Mimea being the first on a long list of names. Daryl. Perhaps even Katze. Of course, the most extreme example being Iason himself.

Raoul provokingly compared that kind of infectious voraciousness to the appetite of phagocytes. Aisha had little scruple calling it a malignant virus corrupting this perfectly scripted, controlled world.

"It's because at that time—Guy saw me by accident." 

Katze regretted it now. For him, this was an unexpected turn of events. By putting pressure on Riki to make him speak, he had ended up being overheard by Guy. 

In a sense, Katze underestimated Guy. Even if the truth was covered up with lies, it didn't make it any less important that he'd unintentionally leaked the facts.

Not everything you see is necessarily true. If it's a secret you don't need to know, it can remain a secret. Riki had more experience with this concept than anyone else, so rather than being pushy, Katze had wrapped it up and left Guy to Riki.

How naïve he'd been. He realized that fully.

Katze had never spoken to Guy in person. All he knew was his profile. He believed he understood what being pairing partners meant to slum mongrels, but he couldn't deny he had taken Guy lightly. That was what he regretted. 

"Well, no matter. Instruct Zico to feed him whatever plausible information. If there's nothing to report, it'll only be more suspicious."

"If that does not satisfy him—then what?"

"That's where Zico will have to show us his skills and win them over. If he says he failed when facing amateurs like slum mongrels, he doesn't deserve to be called Zico of Neal Darts. Isn't he aware of that?" Iason uttered the words nonchalantly.

No matter the organization—unless it is a legion of androids capable of parallel computing and whose data can be ported—as it becomes more complex, some of its ends will inevitably corrupt. By holding the amount of damage suffered to a minimum, the ideal organization can be achieved.

To tie down people's minds with fear is easy. Once all seeds of hope are nipped in the bud, people are reduced to a state of apathy. But this is not how one cultivates true loyalty.

On the other hand, harmony held together by emotions is all the more brittle. Governing people requires controlling the right amount of emotion and volition, only to a certain length.

A leader must be the chief, but not be obliged to his followers.

Having a brain trust is indispensable, but decisions must not be delegated to it.

The eyes that look up to the charismatic top ranked commander, must always be filled with as much fear as total trust.

Iason's presence over the black market was exactly so: absolutely unmatched.

Whenever Iason stood before him, Katze felt a faint ache in the old scar on his cheek. It was fear, permeated to the marrow of his bones; an undefinable yearning, a subconscious servility etched onto his very identity.

Unremovable, unfading; it couldn't be cut out. Katze's purpose in being Katze—his raison d'être. This became even clearer when he met Iason's cold, indifferent gaze.

"Do you understand, Katze?" The familiar voice was quiet but ruthless.

"—Yes," Katze nodded as he chewed over the words.

There were ties between them that were different from the binds between Iason and Riki. Ones that had already taken root as part of Katze...

"Then, back to the discussion prior: what do you think?"

The conversation Zico had interrupted had been about whether or not Riki could be put to work on the black market.

For a moment, Katze had been astonished. He had never expected to hear such a thing from Iason's mouth. Iason might give him orders, but he never, in its truest sense, asked for his opinion. Any such questions were usually nothing more than confirmation of intent on Iason's part.

Being commanded was easy. It was just a matter of executing orders and achieving the appropriate results. There was nothing painful about doing everything in one's power to accomplish these tasks.

Whenever the time and circumstances were right Katze was ready to express his objections without hesitation, as long as there was a clear practical purpose. But giving an opinion on a private, personal matter rather than a business one was hard.

What to say and how far to go—Katze couldn't see where the line not to cross started. Facing Iason, it was a matter of presumption.

"This is no job to relieve boredom." Katze chose his words carefully. At this point, Katze even thought about how to formulate it. Even for him, as long as he didn't know Iason's true intentions, that was all he was able to say.

"Is a four-year break too great to bridge?"

"Before discussing whether or not to do so, will Eos permit such an exception to be made?"

Katze had been Iason's furniture. He was intimately familiar with the workings of Eos. Even if Iason was the highest-ranked Blondy, what he was saying was nothing short of an impracticable theory—no, he hoped from the bottom of his heart that they were just empty words.

It was already a well-known fact that the Ice Man who reigned over the market said and did the impossible when it came to his pet, Riki.

Iason's immortal, sculpted physique, his perfect intellect, his flawless capacity for reason—of all of Tanagura, his unshakable, terrifying high pride suited the Blondy more than any elite.

Before taking Riki as a pet, Iason had been nothing but an overly competent, unapproachable, inhumane and impeccable ruler.

A Blondy, now said to have a penchant for heresy.

Moreover, Iason himself didn't think of it as a disgrace, and condoned it.

Katze had witnessed that unlikely transformation from up close. An encounter—just one—with a single person had been the wedge that caused a complete change of character. Perhaps it would be a stretch to call it destiny, but a chance meeting that should have been inconceivable couldn't be called a coincidence.

Katze had likely the most knowledge of Iason and Riki's relationship as well as its complexity, and as a result felt an uneasiness he couldn't dispel.

But Iason continued, "Then, if it were to be, what would you say?"

To talk about the "what ifs" was meaningless—it was as if Iason disregarded Katze's concerns, or he considered them insignificant at this point.

In that case, Katze had no choice but to prepare for the worst.

Katze couldn't deny that he had felt the joy of admiring and polishing a diamond in the rough for a brief moment. But that was when Riki had been just a mongrel. 

"To recover and rehabilitate his rusty instincts is up to him. Aside from considering the merits and demerits, frankly, I have to say he's an unwelcome addition—that's what I really think."

Iason slightly smirked, as though he had known the answer from the start.

"He said the idea of growing old doing nothing but eating, sleeping, and having sex gives him the creeps."

Katze reflexively held his breath. It wasn't because he was surprised to hear of a pet speaking rashly to its master, but because Katze felt he just glimpsed a part of Iason he had never seen, either in or outside of Eos.

Katze was at a loss for words as he saw before his eyes the unthinkable change in Iason's character... something Iason would never have tolerated.

"With a striking look in the eyes, he said he would rather slave away on the black market than suffocate in Eos. The very same Riki, who until now has been nothing but full of stubbornness and never fawned at anyone, said that to me."

As Iason's furniture, Katze remembered his views on pets to be something along the lines of: "I don't especially care about them. As long as they don't bother me, they can stay at the edge of my sight."

Iason had zero interest in pets. That was why Katze couldn't help but being truly surprised and feeling a kind of unease at Iason's strange obsession towards Riki.

But now, having come this far, even that was falling apart.

"I do not mind letting him off the leash within the market. On the condition of him being under your supervision of course."

Katze was speechless. 

This was impossible.

This had to be some waking dream.

There was no way Iason would bring personal feelings into work; it was inconceivable.

Was the man in front of him really Iason Mink?

Katze's pulse went into overdrive; his train of thought short-circuited.

Impossible, shocking things were happening. Why? There had to be a reason for this. What in the world was it? It couldn't be on impulse, it had to be a necessity.

Suddenly, Katze thought of something.

"Did something... happen in Eos?" The words came out spontaneously.

"Due to circumstances, Riki will leave Eos."

The enigmatic wording made Katze's lips twitch all the more. Iason had taken Riki back into Eos barely four months ago. So—why?

"Are you going to be keeping Riki as a pet... outside of Eos?"

This was an impossible reality.

"Correct," Iason answered, tone unmoved. "—Where?" Katze's voice was high-pitched and hoarse as he struggled to ask.

"Apathia."

Katze's eyes wordlessly widened at the mention of the only place in Midas where high-class apartments were allowed to be privately owned.

Two weeks later.

The shock of Iason's astonishing confession refused to leave Katze's mind.

Katze was focused on processing data in his main office at the black market, as always, when he received a video call from Iason.

"Sorry to have kept you waiting," Katze faced the screen, his tone the same as usual. But for some reason he had a hunch something would happen.

"Riki is to be released from Eos." Without preamble, Iason stated it as fact. Even as his premonition came true, Katze was no longer dismayed.

"To Apathia?"

"Yes. The preparations will be over soon."

"Then what we've discussed is to be put into effect?"

"To rehabilitate his rusty instincts takes precedence for the time being."

"Has Riki been informed of this?"

"Not yet."

Improbable things were happening, beyond common sense. It had gotten to the point Katze felt like anything was possible, that he was no longer astounded by any of this.

"Are you sure of this?" Katze needed to confirm the decision again, only for his peace of mind.

It wasn't a habit of Katze to do so, but rather meant to serve as a guarantee. He wanted to make no mistake when it came to Riki.

"What do you mean?"

"Riki outside of Eos might start improper rumors."

"As long as he's not known as my pet, it's fine to me. The rest is up to him."

The way Iason spoke suggested that if Riki couldn't be of any use, then keeping him on the market wasn't worth it. That such an act was carried out not only out of obsession but knowingly—was frightening.

"I won't interfere too much once you have taken over. As long as he doesn't break loose."

"Even if Riki's very existence puts your neck on the line?"

"It's better than letting him suffocate in Eos."

It should have been that nothing he heard surprised Katze anymore, but the soft dulcet tones of Iason's every word made him doubt his own ears for a second.

"Then, I'll leave it to you, Katze."

Without waiting for Katze's reply, the connection cut off.

Turning off the video phone, Katze leaned back in his chair with a weary thud.

What are you going to do, Riki? You've completely dragged a Tanagura Blondy to the level of a low-class human... What are you going to do from here?