Shadow Slave

Luckily for Sunny, Kai was finished with his business soon, and they were able to leave the theater for a more private space.

…Otherwise, there might have been civilian casualties at the premier of the Song of Light of Darkness. After that damn writer had announced Sunny's identity to everyone in the restaurant, the amount of people asking him to say "Are you crazy?!" to their faces almost pushed him to the brink.

In any case, soon he found himself in a sophisticated lounge in the company of Effie, Kai, and Aiko. The petite girl looked very sharp in a fashionable business suit and radiated a sense of cold professionalism that made people think twice before approaching laidback and friendly Kai… which, Sunny supposed, was a big part of being an idol's manager.

When they were seated, the idol in question gave them a guilty look.

"Well… uh… it wasn't that bad, was it?"

Effie smiled at him, and said sweetly:

"Sure, sure! But also, the only reason you're still alive is that it would be a chore to clean the blood of my wheelchair."

Kai chuckled nervously and glanced at Sunny:

"What about you?"

Sunny shrugged.

"I don't mind. Actually, I am happy to be portrayed as a bumbling fool."

The charming archer blinked.

"Really?"

Sunny gave him a serious nod.

"Of course! It's easier to fool people who think that you're the fool. So… I don't mind."

Kai looked away in embarrassment.

"Anyway… you don't have to worry too much, really. These types of films are usually made to boost public morale. No one is really going to take them seriously. Even mundane people understand the difference between reality and fiction when it comes to the Awakened."

Sunny laughed.

"Sure. When they want to."

He was a mundane person for most of his life too, after all. And even though he grew up in the outskirts, he used to consume cheap entertainment just like everyone else in the waking world. Yes, he knew how to recognize propaganda and what to not take seriously, but at the same time, many things that had nothing to do with the truth found their way into his mind and silently became beliefs.

That was how well-engineered falsehoods worked.

They spent some time chatting and joking about especially ridiculous moments in the movie, and at the right moment, Sunny said:

"By the way… I talked to Cassie. She's in. But we'll need to do it before winter, so minus one month for preparations."

Effie smiled.

"Good news! I'll start packing, then. I am south of Bastion right now, so it will take me… two, three months to get to the Chained Isles? Unless one of you knows a friendly local Saint."

Sunny thought about Saint Tyris, and remind silent.

No, that woman frightened him too much to ask for a favor. He wondered how Master Jet had managed to convince her, in the first place.

Kai nodded.

"We can meet in Bastion and travel north together. It will be safer."

Aiko, meanwhile, was looking at them with a confused expression on her delicate face.

"Travel north? Do it before winter? What are you talking about?"

A guilty expression suddenly appeared on the charming archer's face.

"That… uh… I haven't mentioned it before. But, basically, I am going to join Sunny, Effie, and Cassie to… to challenge the Second Nightmare."

Aiko stared at him with a shocked expression.

"Not to steal from Sunny, but… are you crazy?! Have you told the agency?"

Kai smiled weakly.

"...No? I was hoping that you will tell them, actually. They'll listen to you! Isn't it a good thing, really? For public relations. Plus, as a Master, I won't have to visit the Dream Realm every day."

The petite girl scoffed.

"If you survive!"

Then, she glanced at Sunny and Effie, and shook her head.

"Ah, who am I kidding… I guess I'll be jobless again, soon. You guys have fun for a bit, I'll go get a drink."

With that, she rose and went toward the bar.

Sunny thought for a bit, then rose, too.

"I'll go keep her company."

Kai gave him a thankful smile.

"I appreciate it."

'What does he think I am going to do?'

Sunny gave his friend a confused look, then followed Aiko.

Of course, he wasn't doing it out of consideration. In fact, he wanted to talk to her about something in private.

When he approached the bar and stood near the petite girl, she gave him a dirty look.

"Whatever it is, no. Hell no..."

Sunny blinked.

"What do you mean?"

Aiko smiled crookedly.

"I know that look of yours. The last time you looked at me like that, Stev and I almost ended up as the Blood Lord bait. What, do you want me to join your suicide crusade?"

He shook his head.

"No, no. Nothing of the sort. In fact, it's about your job…"

The petite girl raised an eyebrow.

"Oh?"

Sunny nodded.

"Well, since there's a possibility of you losing a part of your income, and Kai tells me that you are really good at managing stuff... how would you like to help me manage a blossoming new business?"

Aiko looked at him with a dubious expression.

"Are you opening an assassination agency?"

He almost choked.

"What? What made you think that? No, I just found a way to move items between the real world and the Dream Realm. My dream, if you need to know, is to become the proprietor of an elite Memory store…."

The petite girl stared at him with wide eyes.

"...Really?"

Sunny frowned.

"Yes, really! Why, can't I have a dream? Just imagine, sitting safely in a fashionably decorated store without having to risk my skin in the Dream Realm, and have tons of money simply flow into my hands. That's the stuff dreams are made of, is it not?"

Aiko shook her head with a bewildered expression on her face.

"I guess?"

Sunny smiled.

"You understand! The others might think that it's silly, but I know you wouldn't, as a former business owner yourself. Anyway, I won't have a large enough arsenal of Memories for a while, but I can start creating a reputation for the store already. A brand name, or whatever it's called. So I just sold four Fallen soul shards on the network, from a devil I killed… and ate. But for some reason, that bastard's shards did not fetch a really good price…"

Aiko looked at him with a frown.

"Well… what category of the vendor license did you apply for? Who's your appraiser? What's your feature strategy? SEO approach? Pool of endorsements?"

He remained silent for a bit, then said:

"...You see, you said a lot of words, and most of them even sound familiar, but I have no idea what you mean."

'What the hell was she talking about? What's a SEO? Are there different licenses? Wait, do I even need a license? Don't tell me that I need to pay taxes, too...'

The petite girl closed her eyes for a moment.

"None? You did none of these things?"

Sunny nodded.

"It's a miracle that you even managed to sell those shards!"

He smiled.

"That's why I need someone smart and resourceful like you to help me! For te… five percent commission of every sale. Just think about it. How many Awakened out there can bring soul shards to the real world, and bring spices to the Dream Realm? We'll be rich in no time!"

Aiko sighed and remained silent for a bit.

Then, she said:

"That is a high-risk business venture that wholly depends on two unpredictable factors — you staying alive and you continuously hunting down Nightmare Creatures, which are usually in contradiction to each other. So in normal circumstances, I would have said no. But… it is you, I guess. Plus, you have a good relationship with all three of the newest Named Awakened, as well as a lot of prestige as a member of Changing Star's cohort. And now even some pop culture fame…"

Aiko shrugged, thought for a long while, and then said categorically:

"Ten percent."

Sunny grinned and offered her his hand for a handshake.

"Perfect! Welcome aboard Sunny's Brilliant Emporium!"

The petite girl stared at him in shock.

"Wait… you actually named the store Brilliant Emporium?! Can the naming be changed?!"

He shook his head.

"No. It's non-negotiable. But what's wrong with that name? It's a great name! I think that it's… you know... brilliant…"