Early in the morning, Darina scaled the walls of her house—jumping down from a four-story wall—to sneak out.
Though her father had sternly warned her against associating with dubious men from outside, a Vouivre girl like her wasn't going to obediently listen to her dad.
Maybe if she were ten years younger, but not now.
What was this nonsense about Vouivre people not mingling with Adakrys folks? Darina couldn't care less. Her mom wasn't Vouivre either!
What really mattered was… well, that he looked good!
Tall and broad, with rippling muscles—a man who could surely hold his own in a fight.
And most importantly…
One inch, two inches, three inches... Darina measured the width of her own belly with her fingers, her cheeks flushing bright red.
No way, no way!
She patted her face to snap herself out of it.
Darina, he doesn't even know you. What if he doesn't like you? Or worse, what if he's a bad guy?
The thought made her uneasy, especially when she imagined the crocodile man man alone in a room with her best friend, Razer.
Before confronting them, Darina decided to stop by a tailor to see if she could find suitable clothes for Garde. But even the largest sizes seemed too small for his frame.
In the end, she settled on a pair of baggy jeans. As for underwear? Darina slapped the counter confidently.
"Boss, give me the stretchiest, biggest men's underwear you've got. Two pairs!"
Humming a cheerful tune, Darina headed for the apartment building where Razer lived.
"Razer! I bought the stuff. Open the door! If you don't, I'm coming in!"
With a casual twist, she broke the doorknob and peeked inside.
Clatter!
The items in her hands dropped to the floor.
The tiny seed she'd just planted in her heart—her budding crush—was mercilessly snuffed out.
"S-sorry for disturbing you! I'll leave right away!"
Inside, Razer, wearing glasses, was intently studying a foreign language with Garde. The two were practically glued together.
Of course, that wasn't the worst part.
The worst part was that Garde wasn't wearing anything except a curtain.
Bang!
The door slammed shut. Razer, still asking Garde about grammar rules, looked up in confusion. It took her a while to realize what had just happened.
"W-wait, Darina! It's not what you think!"
Razer chased after her, managing to catch up eventually.
"You're saying you were studying a foreign language with that Adakrys guy?"
Darina gave Razer a look that said, Do you think I'm a child?
"Sigh, even if you two really got together, I wouldn't blame you. It's my dad's fault for being so strict with me. Every boyfriend I've ever had flew the coop because of him."
She stuck out her tongue, clearly annoyed.
"But… how far have you two gotten? It's definitely more than just holding hands by now, right? Don't tell me you've already kissed? No, no, it's only been one night. You couldn't have already— mmph! Razer! Don't cover my mouth!"
"We didn't do anything!"
Razer said seriously. She admitted their proximity had been a bit too close, but they were only studying Columbian together.
"Really?"
"Really!"
Who would entrust their life to someone they'd just met? She wasn't that kind of girl!
"So you're saying I still have a chance?"
Darina's big eyes sparkled as she stared at Razer.
Suddenly, Razer didn't feel like dealing with her anymore.
"Heehee, just kidding! There's an old Yan proverb that says, 'A gentleman does not take what others cherish.' I wouldn't compete with you for him, Razer!"
"Where did you even learn Yan proverbs?"
Razer gave her a serious look as Darina clung to her.
"Besides, I told you—there's nothing going on between me and him."
"Sure, sure," Darina said with a nod.
Although younger than Razer, Darina was half a head taller than her.
Vouivre girls were usually tall, and Razer was the exception rather than the rule.
Pushing open the door and spotting Garde, Darina immediately greeted him.
"Hello, Mr. Crocodile man! My name is Darina. I'm Razer's good friend!"
"Hello, I'm Garde."
Razer added, "The person who saved you, that's her."
"Ah, it's no big deal! No need to bring it up," Darina replied with an embarrassed smile.
"Thank you for saving me," Garde wrote on a piece of paper.
At this, Darina turned to Razer for an explanation.
"He can't talk," Razer clarified.
"What?"
Darina looked at Garde in shock. He was so handsome—how could someone like him not be able to speak? What a pity!
Regret flickered across her face.
When she had found Garde, she thought that cleaning him up would make him quite striking, and now she was proven right. His defined features and muscular build would make most Vouivre people green with envy.
But still, he was mute.
Darina didn't dwell on it for long, though. Curiosity got the better of her.
"Mr. Garde, where are you from? Why were you unconscious? Were you attacked?"
The brown-haired Vouivre girl was full of questions, bombarding Garde like an eager child. Feeling overwhelmed, Garde glanced at Razer for help. He had already shared his story with her.
"You're an Adakrys from the rainforest?!"
Darina's disbelief was written all over her face. She had met Adakrys people from the rainforest before. While they were often good-looking, their intelligence seemed questionable.
But Garde was entirely different—calm and composed.
Was this what Laterano folks meant by, "When one door closes, another opens"?
Though she came from a small town, Darina's knowledge was surprisingly extensive.
"Oh, by the way! I bought you some pants. Let's see if they fit," she said casually, pulling the clothes from her bag and looking expectantly at Garde.
"Huh? Why aren't you changing?"
Garde looked to Razer for help. Without hesitation, Razer grabbed Darina and dragged her out of the room.
"What's the big deal? It's not like I haven't seen him before!" Darina protested loudly, struggling to resist.
The younger girl's strength was surprising. Razer used all her might to keep hold of her.
"If you stay, I'll tell Uncle Antoine."
"Argh!" Darina gritted her teeth, let go of Razer, and stomped out angrily.
Once the two women left, Garde let out a sigh of relief.
Honestly, the situation was pretty awkward.
Since evolving from a crocodile into a crocodile man, Adakrys people's tails were positioned just above their hips, so wearing pants wasn't an issue. However, shirts needed back slits for comfort—something Darina hadn't considered.
She had only bought him two pairs of underwear and a pair of shorts. He would have to make do.
Finding clothes that fit someone of Garde's stature was nearly impossible without tailoring. For now, the shorts were tight, and the front of the underwear bulged uncomfortably.
But he didn't have much choice—going without wasn't an option.
When Razer and Darina re-entered, they were shocked to see Garde standing up. His towering height nearly reached the ceiling.
"Unbelievable! Unbelievable!"
Darina glared enviously at Razer.
If she had known this crocodile man was this handsome, she would've dragged him home, even if her dad broke her legs. Now, Razer had all the luck.
Even Razer, seeing Garde fully upright for the first time, was startled. Her petite frame didn't even reach his chest.
Feeling Garde's gaze, she lowered her head shyly, unable to meet his eyes.
Darina noticed the awkward atmosphere and quickly interjected, "Um, Garde, Razer, how about we go shopping? You're new here, so you'll probably need a lot of things, right?"
She gave Razer a sharp pinch for emphasis.
Garde didn't notice Darina's little gesture. He nodded and wrote:
"Do you have a Sargon Imperial Bank here? I once deposited some orundum there. If I can prove my identity, I should be able to withdraw some funds."
Reading his note, Darina was stunned.
"Mr. Garde, are you really the son of a big tribal chieftain? How much orundum did you deposit in the Sargon Bank?"
Scratching his head, Garde admitted he didn't remember the exact amount. He had asked Inam to deposit some of the orundum he had collected over the years before leaving the rainforest.
He had also asked Inam to arrange for a Sargon ID. Inam, equipped with a portable facial recognition system, was an official messenger stationed in the Acahualla region by Sargon.
If the city's data systems were shared, Garde should be able to verify his identity and reissue an ID here.
Though the Acahualla region was underdeveloped, the areas closer to Columbia were bustling and modern.
At first, Razer and Darina were wary of Garde being a potential threat. But since he was willing to go to the city's police station with them, their concerns were alleviated.
On the way to the station, however, they encountered a minor incident.
"Mr. Garde?"
Garde was approached by an official from Rhine Lab.
Though most of Rhine Lab's personnel had withdrawn after entering the hotlands, a few had remained to handle logistics. Some were conducting business in this very town.
<+>
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