I stood in front of the bathroom mirror, staring at my reflection with a tired expression.
I ran a hand through my hair, pushing the strands away from my forehead.
My hair was way too long, messy, and falling almost to my shoulders. It had been a while since I last cut it.
I sighed and leaned my hands against the cold sink.
A decent hotel, hot food, and money in my pocket… I was finally managing to breathe a little. And now it feels like everything is about to fall apart and I DON'T EVEN KNOW WHY!
Okay, that's a lie. I actually kinda know.
At first, I thought Spider had come after me just because of that bandit I stole from.
Which, in my defense, I was annoyed and he withheld important information. Totally justified.
But the real problem was something else.
It seems they know who I really am.
That faunus called me "rich kid" with so much confidence… How does Spider know about me? Did they just assume I have money… or do they already know I'm a Schnee?
If they really know, the situation is a lot more serious than I thought.
"Maybe it's better to leave Mistral as soon as possible…"
The idea genuinely irritated me. I still had plans here. I wanted to take part in the great Mistral Shooting Competition happening in twenty-five days. I had trained a lot with my new rifle.
And there was also the annual Heaven Academy tournament. They say the event always starts with a huge festival famous across all of Remnant, with fireworks shows and demonstrations by renowned Huntsmen. I really wanted to see that.
"What an inconvenience…" I muttered.
I left the bathroom and entered the hotel room.
Sitting in the middle of the room, tightly tied to a chair with duct tape, was a Spider guy I had found earlier. He was still unconscious, his head hanging to the side.
Everything had happened about ten minutes ago. When I arrived, I came through the window just in case someone was waiting for me. And there he was. A precise strike to the back of the head with the rifle butt knocked him out. Then I just had to tie him up.
When I got closer, I noticed a dark fur cap on the man's head. I pulled it off and tried it on. It fit perfectly. I adjusted it with both hands, feeling its weight and warmth.
I turned toward the small mirror on the table.
It suited me really well. It gave me a more serious, more discreet look. The only problem was still my hair, way too long and messy.
"It should be a crime for someone to be this handsome," I muttered, incredulous at my own beauty.
That's when I heard a low groan behind me and turned around.
The tied-up man was waking up.
"My head…" the man muttered, still groggy.
He blinked a few times, trying to focus his vision. As soon as he realized the situation—tied to a chair and me wearing my new cap—he let out a low laugh.
"Hey, that's mine."
I ignored him and said:
"Hello, sir! Enjoyed your nap?"
He shook his wrists, testing the bindings, and made an exaggerated face.
"Honestly? No. The chair is uncomfortable, the tape itches, and you stole my hat." He clicked his tongue. "Wouldn't recommend your services to anyone."
"Noted," I replied calmly. "I'll remember that next time someone breaks into my room."
"I don't see any paper or pen."
I ignored him and said:
"Let's be serious. I know you're from Spider. How did you find out where I was? How do you know about me?"
The man suddenly looked scared, turning his head frantically side to side, scanning the floor and corners of the room.
"Spider?! Where?!" he exclaimed, eyes wide. "Dude, you have to get me out of here! I'm terrified of spiders! If there's one here I swear I'll have a panic attack!"
He kept turning his head like he was panicking.
"Done?" I asked flatly.
He stopped the act, tilted his head, and smiled calmly.
"No, I was going to keep going, but I don't think you're in the mood for jokes."
He chuckled softly, clearly enjoying annoying me.
I took a deep breath, trying to stay calm.
"Too bad. Because I really need answers. And the more you stall, the less patient I get."
The man looked me up and down with a lazy smile.
"Kid, you're taking this way too seriously. Try acting more your age. How old are you? 8?"
I answered dryly:
"I'm 15."
The man exaggeratedly widened his eyes and laughed loudly.
"Wow! Your height is really misleading!" He laughed again, clearly amused. "I swear I thought you were like 12 max. You're pretty tiny, huh?"
I felt my face heat up.
"Listen here, puberty just hasn't hit me properly yet, that's all. Men can still grow until 21, I saw it on the internet and—"
Shit.
This guy managed to piss me off.
My height is a sensitive topic, okay?
"Not going to continue?" he asked. "That was getting good."
I took a deep breath, trying to regain composure. Straightened my shoulders and spoke colder:
"You talk too much for someone without Aura."
"No Aura? Wow… now you're trying to insult me. How cute." He tilted his head, still smiling.
"You're just a spoiled kid who hasn't even left the crib properly. You really think I'm going to be scared of you and start talking? I bet you don't even have hair on your balls yet."
He let out a low chuckle before adding:
"Also… that cap looks ridiculous on you."
"Please! You know that's a lie," I replied.
I stepped back a few paces, visibly irritated, turning my back for a moment.
Damn it! This guy is annoying.
I need to get out of here soon. Maybe others are coming. But this might be my only chance to get information.
My eyes then landed on the corner of the table, where I had placed his belongings: a revolver, a wallet, a small radio, and some bullets.
An idea popped into my head.
With his revolver in hand, I walked back to him.
The bandit raised an eyebrow and chuckled.
"Wow… now you grabbed my revolver. Scary. Do you even know how that works, kid?"
I calmly emptied the cylinder, letting the bullets fall one by one to the floor with a metallic sound.
Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack. Clack.
Only one bullet remained inside.
The cylinder was spun forcefully, then the weapon was closed with a sharp motion.
The barrel was then pointed directly at his crotch.
"You're going to answer my questions or… I'm going to shoot your dick."
"Seriously? You don't even have the guts—"
CLICK!
His eyes widened.
"You're insane! You fucking psycho! You're completely sick!" he shouted, struggling in the chair. "I'm going to kill you! When I get free I swear I'll kill you slowly!"
CLICK!
"NO! S-STOP! I'LL TALK! I'LL TALK!"
"Why did Spider come after me? How did you find me? Is there anyone else in this hotel? What's the pancake syrup recipe?!"
The man spoke fast, sweating.
"It was a last-minute job…" he said, almost tripping over his words. "They told us to look for a young guy with refined looks, light skin, Atlas accent, and a rich vibe. Said it was a priority target… whoever found you first got a big bonus. That's all I know, I swear!"
Do I have an accent?
"Three days ago you started going to one of our diners almost every day. One of ours said you matched the description. We just confirmed it and followed you here."
He was getting paler and paler while staring at the gun.
"OH! And there are two guys here with me in this hotel. They're at the main entrance," he added quickly. "We're communicating by radio. If I don't respond soon, they'll come up!"
"Okay… and the syrup?"
The man blinked, confused.
"…What?"
"The pancake syrup from the diner," I explained. "That citrus-flavored one. What's the recipe?"
"I-I don't know, I swear! I don't even go there much!"
I sighed, shaking my head in disappointment.
"You're making this harder than it needs to be…"
"No, I'm not. You psycho!"
CLICK!
Oops… I clicked it by accident…
Okay, not really.
The man jerked violently in the chair, letting out a muffled scream of pure terror.
That's when a low static came from the radio on the table.
A rough male voice came through:
"Hey Boston? You there?"
The tied-up man froze, eyes wide with fear. He looked at the radio, then at me, desperate.
The radio crackled again:
"Boston, answer the damn phone. Everything okay there?"
"Shhh…" I gestured for silence.
"Answer," I whispered. "Be natural. If you say anything wrong…"
I tilted the revolver slightly and made a fake gunshot sound:
"Bang…"
He swallowed hard, trembling, then nodded frantically.
I picked up the radio and brought it close to his mouth.
He took a deep breath and tried to sound normal:
"Hey… I'm here, man. Everything's fine. The target hasn't come back to the room yet."
A second of silence.
"Alright. Let us know if anything happens," the rough voice said before the radio went silent.
I pulled the radio away and said:
"Boston? That name doesn't sound like it's from Mistral. Is it from Vacuo?"
During the entire interrogation, I kept the revolver angled slightly downward. If the trigger actually went off, the bullet would pass between his legs and hit the floor. Not that he needed to know that.
.---.---.---.
It's been a few hours since I grabbed my things and left the hotel.
The shattered moon was now clearly visible.
To leave Mistral or not.
That is the question.
Well, it might not seem that hard to choose between those options. I mean, from what it looks like, there's an entire criminal organization hunting me, probably on White Fang's orders.
That guy, Boston, didn't mention it. He might not even have known. But it wasn't hard to connect the dots.
The only ones who could really know that Whitley Schnee was alive were Raven Branwen and some of the White Fang.
But even they should be unsure if I'm alive. I myself thought I was going to die in that fall.
I even used one of my great last lines before jumping.
The White Fang is the most likely to have hired Spider. Raven didn't seem like the type to hire someone to do her dirty work. And that Sienna… she seemed pretty enthusiastic about having a Schnee as an "example."
A chill ran down my spine. I adjusted the cap lower as I kept walking through the busy streets, trying to blend into the crowd. Every person who got too close made my body tense.
"If I was meant to live in fear all the time, I should've stayed in the mansion."
I sighed, rubbing my face.
I stopped for a second in front of a shop window, pretending to look at the merchandise while watching the reflections behind me.
"I'll stay," I muttered to myself. "Just until the competition is over. After that, I'm gone for real."
I wouldn't be stupid enough to stay until the Heaven Academy tournament. If I was going to make a dumb decision, it might as well be one that keeps me alive at the end.
I need a place to sleep that isn't a disgusting dump. Maybe one of the higher districts in the capital. The closer to the noble areas, the higher the security.
"How much does a hotel up there even cost?" I thought, scratching the back of my head under the cap.
I turned my head slightly, just enough to look at the reflection again.
Two men were walking toward me from an alley across the street. They seemed to be trying to move slowly so I wouldn't notice.
My eyes quickly shifted right. A third man was coming down the sidewalk, keeping distance but
clearly heading the same way. And behind him, a fourth.
Maybe they're just kind gentlemen who want to share the word of the Two Brothers.
That hope died the moment I saw the symbol on their jacket.
Shit...
Here we go again.
Before any of them could take another step, I was already running.
"YOU'LL NEVER TAKE ME ALIVE!"
------------
NOTE: Hey, it's been a while since the last chapter. I started playing silksong and got completely distracted.