c5 (1/2)

“— aww yeah! Casca-sama, Res! Tored!!”

That roar was the first thing that came out of her mouth once she’d revived.

Using the spring bed’s reaction, Casca went from laying down straight up with a jump.

Her moves were lithe and casual, reminiscent of one of the members of the big cat family, the panther.

She deftly avoided the drink bottles scattered about the floor and landed with a light step.

“Thanks s.h.i.+zu, you saved me there. I thought I’d fetch a shot after work but once I had a drink I just couldn’t stop! Seriously, I thought I was going to die there! Nyahahahahaha!”

With a laugh, Casca picked up the tailored jacket by her foot and put it on without bothering to b.u.t.ton it up.

She then wore leather boots over her bare feet, stretching as she tapped the floor with her toes, and lightly combing her hair up.

She stood just about as tall as s.h.i.+zuru at 178 centimeters.

“Seriously, I’m going to swear off of alcohol. I’m never gonna drink again, I can’t go on drinking if I’m going to have it this hard every time”

“You said the same thing yesterday Casca. The day before that, and the day before that, too”

“Ah? Did I now? I don’t remember at all”

She gazed at the ceiling, scraching her cheek and tilting her head.

This conversation was also an everyday occurence from s.h.i.+zuru’s point of view.

In fact, it’s mostly part of her hangover package.

She’ll end up not learning anything and coming back drunk again today anyway.

Seeing the almost certain future float in his mind, s.h.i.+zuru made a quiet sigh.

The Commanding Officer of the Third Squad of Black Maria, Casca.

She had been one of the earliest members of the a.s.sa.s.sin’s group that was founded ten years ago.

And then seven years back, when s.h.i.+zuru joined the organization by force, she was the next person he met after Richelieu.

In other words, she was for good or ill his second longest acquaintance in this world.

“I’m famished–”

After heartily gulping down the water s.h.i.+zuru brought, she flung the wooden mug away and said as much.

It was the height of shamelessness, after drinking the whole night, getting drunk, falling out cold, and getting a hangover.

Since this was an everyday occurence, s.h.i.+zuru paid it no mind.

“Lady’s going out to the market right now. We’ll have breakfast once she’s back”

“And when is she going to be back? I hate waiting you know”

She questioned him in protest, Casca kicked a random liquor bottle flying and walked up to s.h.i.+zuru.

“I’m hungry, I’m famished, I want to eat something. right. now!”

“Mmm … I have an apple if you want, it should fill you up until breakfast —”

She s.n.a.t.c.hed it off of him before he finished talking.

After hearing the sound of her chewing the apple in satisfaction, s.h.i.+zuru finally noticed the red fruit that should’ve been in his hand was gone.

As an a.s.sa.s.sin who should be more attentive and wary than the normal person, the fact that, it being merely an apple notwithstanding, it was easily taken away from him without him noticing, proves that Casca was also not your average person.

By having lived in the slums amid thievery and violence for as long as she could remember, she was many times better at this than s.h.i.+zuru was.

“It’s still not enough”

Not even ten seconds afterwards, she threw the core behind her while licking her fingertips and complained.

Looks like it didn’t even work as a fill-in.

“We’ve got nothing else. Even if we did keep spare food you’d have eaten them all anyway”

“It’s the law in the slums that you have to eat when you can. Waiting is for the dumb and the rich”

Casca puffed her chest, sticking out her b.r.e.a.s.t.s that were so large that s.h.i.+zuru wasn’t sure he could grab them even with both hands somewhat proudly.

But then she seemed to remember something and let leak an “ah,”

“Ah, I completely forgot. s.h.i.+zu, lend me some cash”

“What’s this all of a sudden …”

“Well, I just remembered when the word rich came out”

Just like how she looked and how she carried herself, Casca could not manage her money at all.

Having lived in the slums without decent education, she couldn’t read nor write nor do arithmetic beyond three digits.

And on top of that, she spends money recklessly.

She probably borrowed money from a moneylender without asking about the interest rate or having a plan again, thought s.h.i.+zuru.

He was completely correct.

“And what about your share of the rewards from the job yesterday?”

“I already spent that on booze last night, like, poof. Come on s.h.i.+zu, just two gold this time—”