"We deeply apologise for our unethical behaviour, Boss!" Vicky bowed down at the perfect 90° angle as she apologised to Kurt. "You too, Bob! Quit standing there looking like an utter buffoon and lower your head while apologising to the boss right now!"
"Y-Yes ma’am. Sorry Boss." Bob straightened his back and, like Vicky, bowed at the perfect 90° angle.
"Uncle Kurt," Rupee tugged on him from the side of his pants. "Why is Ms. V. and Mr. Shiny Head doing that?"
"R-Rupee! I told you not to call him that! His na is Bob!" Tristan lightly pinched her cheek as he reprimanded her.
"I don’t mind if she calls that. As long as she knows that Vicky and I are here to protect her and that she does not see as a bad guy, then all is well."
"M-Mr. Bob..." Tristan looked at the burly bald man with eyes of respect as he admired the shine of his head.
"So can I keep calling you Mr. Shiny Head?" Rupee asked as she looked at Bob with adorable puppy eyes.
"You may."
"Yay!"
"Alright, that’s enough, you two." Kurt patted the heads of Tristan and Rupee. "Stop teasing the poor guy. Also, you both can stop bowing at now. What if you make these kids develop a weird habit? They’re very impressionable, y’know."
""Yes, Boss."" Right as the two guards stood up straight, Rupee suddenly broke free from Kurt’s hand and positioned herself in front of Bob and Vicky.
"Yes sir, Uncle Boss!" She shouted enthusiastically and bowed before Kurt.
The gesture had him slightly taken aback. He glared at the two guards as if to bla them for this situation, but their professional straight faces showed no signs of breaking under his scrutiny.
"R-Rupee, stop it! You’re making Uncle Kurt feel bad!" Tristan ran up to her and pulled her up straight, causing her to giggle at Kurt’s flustered expression.
"Hehehe! Yes sir, Uncle Boss! Yes sir, Uncle Boss!"
"W-Whoa! S-Stop moving up and down like that! Why are you so strong?!"
"Rupee, can you please stop calling that. Just Uncle Kurt is fine. And there’s no need to bow at . I’m not your boss."
"Ok!" She suddenly stopped her frantic movents, which led to Tristan letting her go out of sheer dizziness.
"By the way, I don’t see your friends with you. Don’t tell you two walk ho alone?"
"No way, Uncle Kurt! That’s dangerous! Mrs. Maggie ca to fetch us!" Rupee jumped up and raised her hand.
"Mrs. Maggie?" Kurt looked at Tristan for an answer.
"S-She’s the manager of the orphanage."
"Ohhh. Co to think of it, I never asked for her na."
"Boss." Vicky spoke up. "Mrs. Manager told us to stay here at the orphanage in case soone happened to co by even though we insisted on tagging along. After much back and forth, she revealed to us that she was once a forr B-ranked adventurer back in her heyday.
Given this new piece of information, I deed her to be capable of protecting the two kids while we watched over the orphanage. Additionally, her husband went along with her. He himself was once a forr B-ranked adventurer as well."
"You’re saying these things about ’rank’, but I don’t really know what that ans. Do you have a fra of reference I could use?"
"You don’t know what that ans–?! Gah!" Bob held the side of his stomach as Vicky elbowed him.
"Do not speak out of turn, Bob! And do not question our employer!"
"Y-Yes ma’am. I apologise, Boss."
"N-No worries." Kurt promptly closed Tristan’s and Rupee’s eyes the mont he saw what Vicky was about to do.
"Now, you asked for a fra of reference. Let’s use Bob and I for an example. Although I am not in the adventurers business, if I were to be, I say I’d be at least A-rank. And Bob here would be a B-rank."
"So the manager and her husband are as strong as Bob?"
"Much more capable too. The only reason I put him in B-rank is that his overwhelming brute strength makes up for his lack of intellect. If it wasn’t for that strength, he’d be in C-rank. Maybe even D."
"Damn, Bob..." Kurt looked at him with slight pity.
"It’s okay. I understand my faults, Boss."
"That alone makes you better than most. Just for curiosity’s sake, what would Elie Herst’s rank be?"
"S-rank no doubt." Vicky answered with no hesitation. "However, I can easily see her beco a SSS-rank in the future if she were to continue at the rate she is going."
"Hmm. What about the prefect, Dominik?"
"A-rank. However, I believe he could be S-rank if he were to cast away his self doubt and realise his full potential."
"You talk like you know him personally." Kurt tilted his head with his hand on his chin.
"Sort of. We both attended Future Academy at the sa ti. He was just a weak nobody back then whereas I was part of the ten representatives. Due to us being in the sa class he would often challenge to a fight, losing each ti.
As the years went by and we all went our separate ways, I went on to join a security firm and Dominik a prefect where I would often read about his accomplishnts in the newspapers.
One ti our company had a joint training session with a bunch of trainee prefects. Dominik was in charge of his trainees, and I was in charge of mine. Spurred on by the cheers of said trainees, we had a spar which surprisingly resulted in a draw. I won again, but only barely. Despite the dirt and sweat that covered him, and despite what he said, in that he told he was going all out, I knew it was a lie."
"So basically he’s a late bloor?"
"Yes, Boss." Vicky nodded.
’Hmm. I can’t help but wonder if there’s more to it than that... Wait–’
"Say, if you attended the academy the sa ti as Dominik and were part of the ten representatives, that ans you must know Diana Valentine. How would you rank her?"
"I do not know how her strength fairs these days but back then I’d rate her as SS-rank. She was so much in a league of her own that the whole world beca interested in her for all sorts of reasons.
I keep mostly to myself but I did hear that she is now the principal of Future Academy. That alone leads to believe that she is one of the few SSS-ranked individuals that walks this Earth."
"Woow. The whole world huh? Guess I gotta keep my wits about ."
"... Hm?" Vicky was about to ask him what he ant by that but opted for professionalism and kept her mouth shut.
anwhile Rupee, being long bored of this conversation, was playing on the broken swings with Tristan scolding her to get off before she hurts herself.
"So, Ms. V., Mr. Shiny Head. How would rank based on our fight?" Kurt asked with a smirk.
"I dunno. But you are strong, Boss." Bob gave him a simple yet vague answer.
"I’d say your A-rank teetering on the edge of S-rank." Vicky smiled. "That mana coating move you did towards the end is sothing not even I could do. I have witnessed only a few use it. That includes Diana Valentine."
"Mana coating? I just used body enhancent magic."
"... What? Forgive my presumption but, do you not know what mana coating is?"
"No? But judging from the na and what I saw, it sounds like a technique that my favourite blonde-haired ninja uses. Or maybe it’s similar to a technique that a certain monkey pirate uses to enhance his abilities. If that’s the case, then holy shit, am I stoked to see what this mana coating can do." Kurt clenched his fist at the thought of it.
"... R-Right. It seems that you already have an idea..."
"Mr. Kurt!" The manager of the orphanage ca running but imdiately stopped at the entrance of the playground. "Oh my goodness! What happened here?!"
"Maggie!" Rupee jumped down from the broken swings and ran to her with Tristan following from behind.
"Good afternoon, Mrs. Manager. I was just... having fun with our new security friends here. However, you don’t need to worry. They said that they’ll clean up any ss that was caused. Right guys?"
"Yes, Boss."
"Did we– Gah! I an– Yes, Boss."
"Oh my, it seems that you two are not only capable guards, but also skilled handyn."
"Thank you for you kind words, Mrs. Manager."
"Oh please, Vicky. I told you to call Maggie. You too, Mr. Kurt. ’Mrs. Manager’ makes sound old."
"Sure thing, Maggie."
"Great! Would you like to stay over for lunch? The other kids should be back with my husband soon. I’m sure they’ll all be happy to see you. Rupee has been talking about you and Mr. Dominik so much that the children have started to idolise you two."
"Haha, is that right? I’d love to stay. Thank you for having ."
"Uncle Kurt! Where is Mr. Prefecky? I want to see him too."
"He couldn’t make it because he had very important work to do. But I’ll be sure to tell him that you miss him."
"Okay! Oh! Co with ! I want to show you my room!" Rupee pulled on Kurt’s jacket as she ran towards the orphanage.
"Alright! Alright! I’m right behind you, haha!"
"W-Wait for !" Tristan ran with them.
"Hehe. I better make sure that the table is set." Maggie followed them last, leaving the two guards alone in the park.
"Well, what are you doing just standing around?! for Let’s clean this playground back to its pristine condition and go back to our posts!"
".... Yes ma’am." Bob dropped his shoulders in sorrow and rolled up his sleeves as he got ready to work.
.
..
...
"That’s all. Now leave."
"... *sob*..."
"Austin. Stop standing there, crying like a baby, and leave. I’m busy with work and would like to leave early." Diana shooed him away with her hand without looking up at him.
"U...U-Uwaaaah! I hate you, Dia– P-Principal Valentine!" Austin stord out of the principal’s office after receiving his additional punishnt.
"Austin?!" Gary, who was standing outside, watched as Austin ran out the office with tears in his eyes and ran after him.
"Wait, Austin! What’s wrong?" He caught up to him and grabbed his wrist.
"G-Garan..."
"It’s Gary."
"Gary."
"Yes?"
"I need to fuck soone."
"... W-What?" Gary’s eyes widened as he slowly let go of Austin’s wrist and a barely noticeable blush crept up his face.
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