134 – Knockout
I still knew very little about the phantom thief followers.
Especially because no one knew about the members except for Drake and Blanca.
Today’s visit to the basement in broad daylight turned out to be a good choice. I immediately came into contact with key members of the organization.
“This is Robert. You are the most trustworthy friend.”
“Please take good care of me in the future. Doyle.”
A big bald man who holds out a hand the size of a pot lid to me. It was the man who came down with Blanca earlier and glared at me with a bloody expression.
“And this is Alfred. He is a friend you can trust more than anyone.”
“I heard about it from Drake. Was it great?”
On the other hand, this was a slim man who reminded me of a scarecrow. Thanks to his bright smile, he gave off a cheerful and friendly image.
“I don’t think I need to introduce Blanca.”
“That’s too much. Are you discriminating against people?”
The two of them, exchanging light jokes, seemed quite friendly. Is it natural that you said that you were the original member who had been with the group since the beginning?
And then a new face appeared. She was a woman with a strong impression, with tanned skin and a fairly revealing outfit.
Blanca said the same thing, so why are all the women here so unconventional?
“Oh. Raina. You came just fine.”
“Who is that stupid kid over there?”
“Blanca’s boyfriend.”
“Hey. Okay?”
A brown-skinned woman strides over here without giving me time to refute the big joke and stares at her face.
“Blanca. Did you like this type?”
“Oops. What does that mean?”
“I thought I wasn’t interested in men at all because all sorts of men would go overboard with me. Doesn’t that seem like it again?”
Is it too different from the first impression in my memory? Of course, as I had done to me, I imagined suddenly approaching someone first and smiling at them, but it must have been my misunderstanding.
Wait a minute. Then why did you come to me first?
She glanced at me and responded with a smirk and a characteristic eye smile.
“Yes. I like a cute guy I hate these nasty men.”
“Hey. Who are you talking about now?”
“Well? Why? Are you stabbed?”
Actually, all three men except for me were far from cute.
Not to mention his bald size, Drake had a macho vibe to him, and the Scarecrow was just filthy tall and didn’t look cute at all.
That said, it was a bit strange that I was cute.
Since Doyle, who is currently in disguise, has a vague impression that is close to depersonalization as much as he values ordinariness.
It’s just that Blanca used her words to make fun of me, or maybe it’s just that her taste is very unique.
Anyway, the atmosphere looked pretty good.
It wasn’t too stiff, but it didn’t feel like the hierarchy was broken either.
At least from what we’ve seen so far, it’s enough to shake our heads at how well organized around the leader, Drake.
“It looks like everyone has gathered, so let’s get to the main topic.”
An underground space where only six people, including myself, were seated. After sitting around a table, Drake naturally led the conversation.
“I was going to call it sooner rather than later, but it went well. Our new friend Do you know how the gathering here works?”
“Uh, well?”
“Thanks to the sacrifices of the workers who are willing to volunteer behind the scenes.”
Since I was blinking at the unexpected topic, the explanation continued.
“Robert is in charge of security and security. With such a reliable friend protecting you, everyone can feel at ease.”
“hahahaha. It was nothing.”
It definitely suits you. But wasn’t the guard in front of the entrance the other day bald?
There’s no way I wouldn’t be able to remember that unique hairstyle.
“Alfred manages the entire stage, including the performance. There is no other guy as reliable as this guy with wide feet.”
“Newbie. If there is a singer you want, feel free to tell me anytime.”
So, when the two of you were talking earlier, the topic of casting for the stage must have come up. Seeing that he approached me casually and pretended to be close to me with a sad impression, I thought he would do well.
“Raina is in charge of food and alcohol. If she’s ever tried cooking, she doesn’t even need to explain how good she is.”
“Because there is nothing to come out even if you take a plane like that?”
Reina replied in a cool way and crossed her arms. To be honest, this was a bit surprising. She gave the impression that she would prefer something more active than cooking.
“Finally, Blanca is in charge of external public relations. If you’ve heard of a meeting somewhere underground, it’s because of her efforts.”
“Actually, the other kids take care of my work, so I don’t really have anything to do.”
Outside publicity. If so, does that mean that the first rumor I heard about the phantom thief follower also started with Blanca if I traced back to the source?
Maybe the reason why they welcomed me when I first came was because my job was like that.
I waited until the end for Drake to speak, but when it didn’t continue, I spoke first.
“Then what about Mr. Drake?”
“I don’t care about what I do. Just having fun with friends and raising funds.”
“You idiot. Is that the most important thing?”
In the end, as Reina scolds, the current meeting has no choice but to stop immediately if the money is cut off.
She might be kicked out because she couldn’t pay for food, alcohol, or rent for the building, let alone hire a singer.
“Of course, it is difficult to handle all such heavy tasks alone. So, most of the time, I gather like-minded friends and form a team. Like the security team or the cooking team.”
Aha. The guard in front of the entrance I saw earlier must be a member of the security team under the bald head.
Summarizing, it was described as workers, but in the end, it was an explanation of the closest executives who lead this meeting. In other words, as expected, the core members of the phantom thief followers are the five people sitting here.
And telling me this story.
“Doyle. Do you have any intention of becoming a worker for this underground?”
As expected, it was me. Drake is now scouting me as an executive.
It’s exactly the flow I was hoping for, but to be honest, the progress was too fast.
At the moment, the other guys around me also looked quite flustered. In other words, this is not something agreed upon by the five of us, but purely a matter decided by Drake alone.
Was the story I spilled yesterday so enchanting? Are you suggesting a fight to get me into this organization somehow?
“Wait. Isn’t that too hasty? We still have no idea what this guy is like.”
Raina was the first to vote against it. She crossed her arms as she frowned. She was outwardly showing her displeasure. Of course, such a reaction was understandable. To be honest, this seemed like a hasty decision to me.
Unexpectedly, it was Alfred the Scarecrow who expressed his support. He shrugged his shoulders and gave his opinion.
“When did we take that seriously? In the first place, we are not a systematic organization, but just a social gathering where we like each other. Did you forget that there is only one condition for being friends?”
I guessed it without even hearing what it was. Just thinking about the name of the organization, it must have been something like a person who likes phantom thieves.
Drake did not bother to speak first, but rather asked what the rest of them thought.
“Robert. What do you think?”
“If you made that decision, there must be a reason. Still, I can understand Rayna’s thoughts. You know the atmosphere is getting more and more extreme these days.”
“···Yes. It doesn’t.”
The atmosphere is changing dramatically?
It seems to be an important clue that is difficult to pass over, but it was difficult to know exactly what it meant.
“I won’t bother listening to Blanca’s thoughts. Do you understand why?”
“Oops. If anyone hears it, they will think that me and our cutie are dating.”
“Okay. I know your thoughts well. You can’t ignore a friend’s opinion. Maybe I was too hasty.”
I thought so too, but it felt regretful to lose the opportunity right in front of my eyes.
If I had become an executive right away, the plan I was aiming for would have been able to succeed right away.
“Then, since we are new recruits, let’s have an apprenticeship period. Blanca.”
“Huh?”
“Teach Doyle how this underground works while working with you on public relations.”
Blanca responded sullenly as she trimmed her fingernails.
“Don’t you know that I originally promoted alone?”
“Since you are a cutie, you should take responsibility. Don’t you like it?”
“I didn’t say I didn’t like it. Hmm···. Good. It doesn’t look bad for the two of you to hang out together.”
“Then it’s decided.”
Hey, are you making a one-sided decision like that without asking for my consent?