Starting from the 100th floor, access was restricted to employees, VIPs, and high-ranking mercenaries who were about to head out on a mission.

To get through, Mr. Nobody presented the pass that Noir had given him. He had a few other methods, but he chose to use this one.

"Wow..." he said with genuine admiration.

The entire 100th floor was a vast formalwear production floor. Dozens of people were constantly checking the quality of the suits on display, and somewhere beyond the walls, the sound of sewing machines could be heard.

Mr. Nobody also picked up a familiar scent, similar to the one in the research room in his apartment.

"From the 100th to the 110th floor, you’ll find everything to your liking. 101—protective systems, 102—armor, 103—other gear, 104—traps, from the 105th—weapons... And lots more. Tasha works in the lab on the 123rd floor," Patrick explained.

However, Mr. Nobody didn’t even seem to hear him.

His eyes were already captivated by the glint of the suits flashing behind the glass.

He swallowed and led everyone to the nearest section.

...

"We have the classic red, light green for a more subdued look, and the new hit—pink... There is a wide range of options starting at just 990 credits!" said the sales consultant, while Mr. Nobody looked through the suits one by one.

"No, no, I’ll take care of the selection and fitting myself. Bring me those options," Patrick replied.

"T-those? But they’re only for special staff, and their price..."

"It’s fine, I have permission. And money isn’t a problem... Right, Nobody?"

"Absolutely," he replied with a smirk.

Leaving the cat with the girl, Mr. Nobody and Patrick went behind closed doors with the consultant.

For a while, Kuronuma was left alone with the cat.

"So it turns out you live together... Just the two of you?"

"..." She looked at her expressionlessly.

"B-but that’s... T-that’s just like..."

"..."

The girl’s face flushed.

"M-maybe you’ve already...!"

At that moment, Patrick stepped out from behind the curtain.

"He’s trying it on," he replied, standing next to the girl.

"Oh..." She nodded in understanding. "A-ah, have you known Señor for a long time?"

"About a year."

"Oh, how did you..."

"The same way as you. He saved our lives."

"..." Kuronuma looked at him in surprise.

Patrick adjusted his glasses, glancing at the old scar on his wrist.

"Tasha and I are among the few who decided to flee the Commonwealth of Bond. As you can imagine, it’s incredibly difficult to break the blood bond, so we had to flee far away. Concord was one of our only options."

"That sounds very far... and very dangerous."

"Yes, the journey was long and unknown. By some miracle, we almost managed to make it all the way, and we were already near Concord... But there’s a reason they say it stands on the ruins of the last war."

"You were attacked?"

"Yes. Twilight... That’s what Nobody called those mechanical creatures. We were spending the night in a forest when three of those mechanical creatures appeared as if out of nowhere and attacked us."

"And then what happened?"

"Then, out of nowhere, Mr. Nobody himself showed up, killed them with three shots, and called them old tin cans. He saved our lives, brought us to the city, helped us settle in, and—thanks to our abilities—got us a good position in the tower."

"Almost like what happened to me..." she whispered. "B-but then why does Tasha hate him so much?"

"Because Nobody is just... who he is." Patrick sighed and looked at the girl. "Like you said, almost like you, only much worse, I suppose."

"..." The cat blinked in surprise, turning her head at the sound.

At that moment, the consultant stepped out from behind the doors and cleared his throat awkwardly.

"Ahem. Ladies and gentlemen, meet... T-the Darkest Star!"

Amid surprised glances and the consultant’s forced applause, Mr. Nobody finally appeared.

"Ha-ha, thank you, thank you, really, no need." He bowed slightly and waved.

"B-but you paid me to..." the consultant began, but he cut him off.

"What do you think?" He turned around in his new jacket in front of the three of them. "Ultra-modern waterproof, stain-resistant material that doesn’t reflect sunlight! The darkest shade of all! Stretchy fibers that don’t tear even with sharp punctures, and also... protected against resistant to lint."

"..."

"Well, what do you think?" he asked with a smile.

"I-it’s... Black." Kuronuma replied awkwardly.

Mr. Nobody laughed and added,

"Absolutely black."

...

With the discount, the jacket cost him 4,990 Concord credits, which was more than a month’s rent for his neighbor Harry’s rent.

But a nice bonus was that a pocket square was included as a gift.

"What color would you like?" The sales consultant presented him with dozens of different pocket squares.

"Take the gray one," Patrick replied.

"Hmm..." He paused, glancing back.

"..." The cat met his gaze with a bored look.

He smiled again.

"The same color as the lady’s eyes, please."

And so they went with a dark blue pocket square.

...

After visiting the 101st floor, followed by the 102nd, a strange sense of unease came over him.

Before him were dozens of futuristic military-style suits designed to protect against bullets, explosions... and bites.

He was struck by a strange dilemma, and he suddenly said goodbye to Patrick and Kuronuma and, together with the cat, headed back down the tower.

’If I’m going to take this job, I need to choose my gear and weapons only after planning and clarifying all the details...’ He looked out the windows at the car dealership located on the first two floors of the tower.

’This job is incredibly important. With it, I’ll be able to legally visit Neocorp’s advanced laboratories, learn the most crucial details about the transition to the First Step, receive an incredible reward... And find out even more about the suspicious Noir. But...’

"The Village of Fool Baals... Phew." He exhaled smoke from his cigarette. "Am I... actually worried?"

"Meow..." The cat meowed softly, sniffing at the smoke.

He looked at her and sighed.

’Is it because of this job? Or is it me... Why am I even afraid of a dangerous job? If so, then... Then why am I even...’

His thoughts were interrupted by the sudden voice of a reporter.

It seemed to be one of those regular street interviews, and its main topic was the question...

"Why are you alive?"