Chapter 346.


    <strong>Chapter 346. At a Motel with a Prostitute in the Room Next Door: A Chat with the Prostitute in the Morning. (6/8)</strong>


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Do you know a girl named Malory? No… actually, are you one of her group''s eyes?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“...”


    <span style="font-weight:400">When she failed to respond, I turned my head to the side and looked at her face. Her eyes were wide.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Did you… know the entire time…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No. I didn’t know. I was just on guard against anyone who would be waiting outside any ces we appeared at. You were just coincidentally there, it was a possibility I considered. That even in another gang’s turf there may still be some people from other gangs keeping tabs on each other’s movements.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“The reason you approached me and were trying to get in my good books… was it because of that?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Not at all. I thought you had a nice soul and I wanted it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You’re like a devil who tells people kind lies they want to hear.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“When we were children, did adults not do the very same thing to us?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You’re saying adults are devils?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Those are your words, not mine.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Haaaah. Oh well. But to answer your question… I’m not one of them… anymore, at least.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Anymore?


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I used to be with them in the past, in her inner circle, but now I’m just a prostitute who Malory refers some clients to every now and then. Typically it’s to entrap some guys who are already in rtionships and use it as ckmail to extort money out of them.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Though I’m no longer in her inner circle of friends, I still have ess to the group chats for the gang she’s got ties to, so I saw what was posted to itst night. Malory put a bounty out for two peoplest night in the group chat. Yuna, her ‘precious friend’. And another one for the person who allegedly kidnapped her. If anyone captured and brought them to her, they’d receive a $1000 per bounty. Yuna was wanted alive… just… alive. The person who abducted her was wanted... dead or alive.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I see. But considering your position, why didn’t you snitch on us?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I… seriously debated it. If you knocked three times on the wallst night… I would have done it. But you didn’t. I was surprised to see you this morning at my door though. If you seriously took me up on my offer I’d have taken the chance to secretly reveal your location while we were doing it.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">I was seriously sweating bricks right now. Thank god I wasn’t a horny monkey without any control. Shit though, she seriously wanted me dead or alive? This bitch was serious. I couldn’t hesitate here at all. I didn’t even have any room to breathe. There was an unseen grim reaper standing behind me with a scythe held up to my neck.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“The reason you didn’t do it with me in the end, was it just because you were suspicious of me? If you weren’t suspicious of me, would you have done it?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“No, I wouldn’t have.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Haaaah. Then I’m d I didn’t go and out you. I know Malory hates all men after all. Honestly… because of what I experienced thanks to her, I ended up disliking men quite a bit as well. Nowhere near as much as her though. Just the kinds of guys in gangs like Swastika. If it turned out that you were like them, I wouldn’t even hesitate to make an easy two grand.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“About how long have you known Malory?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“How long? Well… since my third year of high school. She was in her first year when I first met her. Even back then, she detested men. At the time, I didn’t know just how deep her hatred for men ran. I don’t think anyone in school really knew the true depths of her hatred toward men.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Why does she hate men so much exactly?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You actually want to know?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Not really.” She’s the enemy, knowing about her might make me hesitate in a critical moment. It’s probably better to not know. But at the same time…


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Then why ask?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“If you know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated.” There could be a weakness I can exploit and take advantage of if I know more.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I see. If she’s your enemy… I don’t mind telling you if you promise me something.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Promise you what?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Don’t kill her. Make her suffer the consequences of her actions for the rest of her life. If you promise me that, I don’t mind telling you what you’re looking for. The weakness you can exploit.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“That’s a pretty risky promise for me to make. Not killing her.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“So you admit killing her was on the table?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’d lead to a lot of bloodshed, but yes, it was not an optionpletely off the table.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You’d be willing to dirty your hands to keep that girl safe?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“There’s actually a lot I’ve got on my hands.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You mean… like your family?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah. I doubt they would be off-limits to a crazy bitch like her.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“You’re correct. They wouldn’t. If she finds them, she’d use them to force you out of hiding.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“It’s a good thing she doesn’t know for sure who took Yuna awayst night.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah, you’re quite lucky she doesn’t know anything about you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“The most she may have right now is a suspicion that it’s Yuna’s coworker. That’s about all for now.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I see. But unless you make that promise I won’t tell you anything.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Why do you not want her to die though?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“She’s pitiful. At the same time… I guess… I don’t want to see a decent guy bing someone who murders girls in cold blood. I… think guys who are reliable, protect girls instead of killing, and can reform misguided girls who’ve lost their way in life are cool and attractive… they’re secretly my ideal type, okay?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Pfft. Hahaha. That’s your reason?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Is there a problem with that?” She covered the left side of her face as she awkwardly scratched at the top of her head with her left hand.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I guess not. I just didn’t expect such an innocent-sounding response toe out of you.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Shut up. It was embarrassing enough to honestly go and say that. I’m a bloody prostitute of all things, what the hell am I bbering on about my ideal guy for? What’s gotten into me?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Who knows? Whatever could be wrong with you?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Ahhhh! This is too embarrassing! You jerk, I went and told you my ideal type of guy. It’s only fair if you tell me your ideal type too.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I don’t have an ideal type though.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Then if you don’t have an ideal type, name a quality you find attractive in a girl?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“A girl who’s creative I guess? A creator of some sort maybe.” Since I was an author, I naturally found girls with a creative side attractive.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Huh? Creative? A… creator?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Yeah.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Do artists count as creators?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“If by artist you mean an artist who can draw, then yeah, they fit the bill.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I see… a girl who can draw.” She had a thoughtful look in her eyes.


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Putting that aside, we got a bit sidetracked, don’t you think?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Oh, right. Malory…”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I’ll promise not to kill her so long as I’m in a situation that allows it. If I’m in a situation where I’m cornered and the only way out is to kill her to survive, I’ll do that.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Well, I suppose that’s an eptablepromise.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“So, will you tell me? What is it that made her detest men so much?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“When Malory was young, her father umted a lot of debt trying to save his failing business. It reached a level he’d never be able to pay off for as long as he lived. That debt was owed to thergest gang in this city, Swastika.”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“I see. So? What happened to him? Did he get killed off? Or did he have his wife and children taken away to be treated like toys?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“Haha… you give him too much credit. If only he was just killed off. He was more than happy to make a deal with Swastika to have his debt forgiven. The gang leader at the time had taken a liking to his wife and daughter’s looks. Without hesitation, he sold his wife and daughter to save his own ass. He put his business ahead of his family. But you know, he also had a son as well. It turned out there were a few gang members who liked little boys. You know what the father did?”


    <span style="font-weight:400">“What''d he do...”