Only a lamp was lit inside the room. Golden light swept away the entire dark room of its darkness to a corner.

  Suits of different sizes and colours, which were hung on either side of the room, swayed as a cold breeze blew in.

  Footsteps of the man walking in front of me echoed inside the room. His hips swayed in ways like a woman.

  “Hmm~mm” He hummed as he moved his long fingers in sync with the rhythm.

  ‘Woahh! His skin is so smooth!’

  It was hard not to notice his pale skin and coloured fingernails. His brown wavy hair reached up to the back of his neck.

  “Enjoying it?” He asked out of nowhere. I suddenly looked away from his swaying hips.

  First of all, I don't quite understand who this man is? Second of all, why is he walking weirdly like that?

  I don't understand. But I understood one thing…‘His gestures and voice don't seem to agree with each other…’

  Once the two of us got to the centre of the room, the weird man stopped. Turning around, he swung the keys in his finger by their ring.

  “Ah!” I almost screamed as soon as I saw his face. Smooth pale skin with brown eyebrows. Perfect, like it's drawn. His lips were painted black. And I could see the stubs of beard and moustache even though it was shaven.

  His left eyebrow arched slightly as he covered his mouth with his right arm, “~Oh dear, what seems to have shocked you~?” He asked in a weird accent.

  ‘Why is he wearing very tight pants and…why is his shirt? Or whatever that is so short?’

  I was so confused that I momentarily forgot to respond to him. But I somehow managed to nod. Like that would answer him!

  He moved away slightly and swiped the suits one by one, “This is the boss's collection. You can choose one from this.” He said.

  I blinked twice before his words registered in my brain, “Huh? Why do I need to choose?” I asked.

  He looked at me with his big blue eyes, “well, I don't yet know your preferences. So you must choose.” He said.

  “No. I mean, why do I need to take one from here? Is this a tradition for the salt rats?”

  “Hahaha~ no, this is not a tradition. You can get a suit from elsewhere but I doubt that you can go out while looking like that~” He said as he covered his mouth with his hand.

  “What's wrong with–!” That's when I noticed the state of my perfect…per…just white shirt was drenched in blood and now was dim red in colour.

  ‘Oh, I can't go out like this.’ I came to a realization. ‘Plus that half shit ripped my trench coat.’

  I exhaled as I remembered my journey to the Daesphere and…the moment I killed someone.

  “Hey, I saw your duel. You did good~” He said as he curled his hair with his fingers.

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  “Huh? Uh…thanks?” I managed to force out a smile.

  I quickly turned to my right side and inspected the suits. They were all black coats and white shirts. Some of them had longer coats which reached upto the knees. But all of them were the same. There was no single thing that distinguished one from another.

  ‘I lost my identity once. How am I going to have an identity if all of them look the same?’ I grumbled inside my mind.

  As I was about to check the other side, the suits in the front line swayed slightly. Through the gap, I saw a suit. And almost immediately I was drawn to it.

  I glanced back at the man, “Um, I found one. Can I try it out?” I asked.

  He clapped his hands in front of him with a smile, “~Hmm~ Should I help you change?” He asked as his lips widened into a wicked grin.

  I leaned back slightly, “Uhhh that is not necessary. Could you give me some privacy? I'm not comfortable changing in front of others…” I said.

  He smiled as he nodded, “Sure. ~if anything, call me. My name is Janson. But you can call me Jany~” He said as he drew a circle on my chest.

  Suddenly, a cold shiver ran down my spine.

  “O-okay, Jany…” I muttered slowly.

  “You have to put more ‘nnnyyy’ into it.” He pouted.

  ‘Why the hell are you pouting!?’

  “Jan-yyyy?” I said. My palm curled into a fist in case…something…happened.

  “Good!” He said as he clapped his hands. “I will be outside then~” But before leaving he suddenly slapped my butt and winked at me.

  I stood there frozen. My eyes twitched for a second.

  ‘Thirty-five years…and now I finally understand what it's like to be harassed…’

  After a moment, I shook my head and found that Janson…Jany had left already.

  I slowly moved through the suits and got to the one I found earlier. It was brown in colour. Almost similar to the coffee they give in the bakery.

  Unlike the other suits in here, this also had a coffee brown vest and a white shirt. And this was a perfect white. A small silver chain was stitched together with the vest’s pocket and one of the buttons.

  I ran my fingers through the fine fibers of the suit. Soft, yet somewhat stiff. Warm, yet breathable.

  “Cotton.” I muttered as my lips curled up.

  I quickly undressed myself and put on the white shirt, then brown pants, then the chained vest and finally the coffee brown suit.

  I posed in front of the mirror. Turning sideways, I saw the suit was a very good contrast to my rough skin and black hair which was parted in two ways.

  “Heh. Not bad.” I complimented myself.

  ‘I look much better in this mirror than my own.’ I remembered how scrawny I looked in it.

  ‘Haa! I always knew that beggar suit was a waste.’

  I smiled brightly before turning to walk away. But I suddenly stopped dead in my tracks. I forgot a trench coat and a hat!

  “Where is it? Where is it?” I asked myself and other suits as I searched for it. Without a trench coat and a hat, my identity won't be complete.

  I searched every suit for almost half an hour before I finally noticed the rack of neatly folded coats at the far end of the room. And beside it were a bunch of hats.

  After some minutes…

  I opened the door and walked out. Jany was waiting outside.

  His eyes went wide the moment he saw me, “Wow…This suits you. Brown suit and hat, black trench coat. Hmm~ your shoes–” He couldn't finish before I interrupted.

  “Jany, I suggest we leave this matter for next time. Rat must be expecting me.” I said with a smile.

  “Oh dear, I forgot about that. ~Let’s go~” He said as he walked in front of me, swaying his hips as he climbed up the stairs. And I followed behind him.

  The floor right above us, is where I just finished fighting and the floor above us…I don't know…Pehugian told me to go there after I'm treated.

  Well…there was nothing for them to treat anyway. So they just gave me a piece of cake and a direction.

  Now here I am. Following a man who walks like this.

  Before I knew it, Jany and I climbed up two floors. We stood before a door as Jany knocked twice.

  “Come in.” A thunderous voice said from inside.

  Inside there were only six people. Eight including me and Jany. I removed my hat and handed it over to Jany, who took it without questions.

  Jug?r, Margaret and Lali were present. They looked at me with a dumbfounded expression. I smiled at them in turn. Margaret apparently got herself a nice yellow gown adorned with cotton.

  “You look lovely.” I said as I bowed slightly.

  “You too.” She said as her eyebrows furrowed.

  I turned my head and nodded at Pehugian and the dancer girl behind him.

  “You found a nice costume. My old right hand man used to wear that.” Pehugian said as he looked up and down…up and straight at me.

  “What happened to him?” Margaret asked.

  Pehugian glanced at Margaret before sighing deeply, “In a particular situation, I had to put him to sleep under the sea.” He said.

  My eyes twitched as I smiled wryly before narrowing my eyes at Margaret.

  ‘Can’t you stay silent. You're spreading bad luck!’

  I shook my head, “Why are we here?” I asked.

  “Oh! I was asking my nephew for more details of his father's plot.” Pehugian said.

  I turned my head to look at Jug?r who was sweating profusely.

  “I-I already told you, I only know that father is selling some people to the navy. A-And this girl's mother was among them.” He stammered.

  “Why?” Margaret pressed.

  “I don't know.” Jug?r said.

  I noticed Lali’s eyes shedding tears slowly. Yet she did not make a voice.

  I shook my head again, "At least we know where she is, why not think about how to rescue her?” I asked.

  Lali’s ears perked up as she looked at me.

  “Well, the Scarlet-thew probably won't know that we are coming.” Margaret said, “So it will be an easy job.”

  “Uhh…some lackeys escaped when I broke into the inn earlier.” I said, “They think I'm one of the rats.”

  For a while, everyone was silent. Deep in thought.

  After some time, Pehugian cleared his throat, “Ahem. If they had escaped, Kadel would know about it.” He continued, “and that means, he would be prepared.”

  Jany nodded his head, “Yes. he, unlike the other Scarlet-thew members, is smart.” He said, “If we go there without a plan, we will be ambushed.”

  “Yeah.” Margaret agreed, “Salt Rats numbers low against Scarlet-thews.”

  Pehugian pinched his forehead before he raised his head, “There's a closed tunnel connected to the naval base and a few metres away from saltend port.” He said.

  He glanced at the girl behind him and said, “Get the blueprints.”