The girl was knocked to the ground by a single swing of the man's arm.
One side of her pale cheek instantly swelled red.
"You little thief! Where did you hide my wallet?! Hand it over right now!"
The man looked ready to start kicking her.
"Y-You can't...!"
Before she realized it, Tia had shaken off Grandma's hand and run between them.
Grandma had told her to stay close, but her feet moved on their own.
Looking frightened, Tia nervously stared at the man.
"You shouldn't hit people...?"
For a moment, the girl reminded her of the lady from Apartment 203 who sometimes bought her ice cream.
Whenever loud shouting came from upstairs, that lady always looked hurt the next day.
And Tia had vaguely understood why.
"Hitting people is bad!"
The man's face twisted angrily at Tia's tearful protest.
"What is this damn brat supposed to be?"
"H-Hey, knock it off!"
"Yeah! Just leave her alone! She said she didn't steal anything!"
The surrounding merchants finally stepped in.
Passersby began gathering as well.
The man's eyebrows twitched violently.
"You bastards know who I—"
At that moment, someone stepped in front of Tia.
Looking up in surprise, Tia recognized the person's back.
It was Grandma.
"Young man."
The old woman looked at him steadily and spoke in a low voice.
"Think carefully."
"Huh?"
"The alleys behind the checkpoint are full of people who have nothing left to lose."
"..."
"It doesn't matter whether you're a noble or rich. Not here."
The man's expression stiffened.
"Aren't you afraid of dark streets? Empty alleys at night?"
Something about her voice sent a chill down his spine.
Only then did he glance around.
The merchants.
The passersby.
Everyone was staring at him coldly.
"C-Cough!"
After an awkward cough, the man finally backed away.
Then he disappeared into the crowd as if fleeing.
Grandma slowly turned around and addressed the girl still sitting on the ground.
"The room at the end of the second floor. That's yours, right?"
Tia's eyes widened.
"You haven't been coming back much these days. What exactly have you been doing out here?"
Apparently, the girl was also a guest at the inn, just like Tia and Basto.
But the girl replied coldly.
"Mind your own business, old lady."
"What awful manners. Do you even know what your face looks like right now?"
The girl froze.
Then she walked over to a nearby general store.
Looking into a mirror, she saw her swollen cheek.
"Hah... damn it."
Tia swallowed nervously.
Beside her, Grandma let out a sigh.
Clicking her tongue, she looked at the girl and said:
"Just come with me for now."
Tick.
Tock.
The sound of a clock filled the inn's first floor.
Tia sat in a chair, fidgeting with her fingers.
She tried not to stare, but her attention kept drifting toward the girl sitting beside her.
I think that big sister doesn't like talking.
The girl had remained silent for quite a while.
She hadn't even greeted Grandpa when he left to shop in Grandma's place.
And that wasn't all.
She glared at Mister Basto too.
Earlier, when Basto left the inn, the girl had looked at him with open disdain.
She had even muttered:
"Why does that guy look so much like an animal?"
"Room-at-the-end! Put this on your face."
At that moment Grandma emerged from the kitchen.
In her hand was a clean cloth covered with some kind of green paste.
The girl's face immediately twisted.
"No thanks. Who would put that stuff—"
"Do you want me to slap it onto your face myself?!"
Even the girl fell silent after Grandma's roar.
Grumbling under her breath, she pressed the cloth against her swollen cheek.
Then Grandma turned toward Tia.
"Little one, let's get you something to eat first. If I let you go hungry, Basto will never let me hear the end of it."
Basto had gone back to the checkpoint to look for a way to restore his identification number.
"Wait a little and I'll make some wonderful carrot soup—"
"N-No!"
The answer escaped Tia before she could stop herself.
Her eyes widened.
"I ate lots of carrot soup... in the forest..."
Grandma blinked.
Then, as if granting a special favor, she nodded.
"Fine. Then let's make spinach soup instead."
"Spinachhh...!"
Tia cried out in despair.
Unfortunately, Grandma had already vanished into the kitchen before hearing the rest.
"Pfft."
A very obvious snicker came from beside her.
Turning around, Tia saw the girl watching her.
The girl rested her head lazily against one hand while holding a pocket in the other.
"Serves you right, idiot. Stop being picky and eat whatever you're given. You're tiny enough already."
Tia looked utterly shocked.
She had been thinking it for a while now, but this girl was really, really...
"M-Mean."
The girl's eyebrow twitched.
But Tia clenched her fists and continued bravely.
"Mean people get eaten by tigers!"
A laugh escaped the girl's swollen lips.
"What?"
"A tiger's gonna eat you tonight!"
"Who are you calling 'big sister'?!"
Suddenly, the girl pulled down the hood she'd been wearing.
Above a pair of red eyes appeared thick, strong eyebrows that looked unusual on a girl.
"That fat guy earlier too. Why does everyone think I'm a girl?"
Tia blinked rapidly.
"I'm a guy. A guy! You little shrimp!"
The "girl" pretended to bonk Tia on the head.
Tia shrank her neck like a turtle.
But she couldn't stop staring.
His skin was pale and his eyelashes were long.
Yet now that he said he was a boy...
He really did look like one.
"T-Tia's never seen someone like you before."
"What are you talking about?"
"A brother who looks like a sister."
"Hah!"
The boy lowered the cloth and leaned toward her.
"Hey, kid. Do you even know who I am?"
Tia tilted her head.
"A boy who looks like a girl...?"
"You little—!"
The boy lowered his voice and lightly poked her forehead.
"I'm an assassin, got it? Do you even know what an assassin is?"
Tia's expression became serious.
An assassin?
For some reason, her brain interpreted it as lioness.
Back where she used to live, there had been an uncle who believed he was a mouse.
Whenever he saw a cat, he would run away in panic.
Once Tia had tried following him because she was worried.
But Grandma from Apartment 107 stopped her.
She explained that the uncle needed some time alone because his heart hurt.
Which meant...
Maybe this big brother was the same.
"Well? Scared now? Feeling like maybe you shouldn't mess with me?"
"Mm..."
The boy lifted his chin proudly.
"Now that's a look I like. Remember this—earlier, I let that man hit me on purpose."
As he spoke, he pulled something from inside his clothes.
"Because no matter what happened, I needed to get my hands on this."
It was a wallet.
The very wallet the fat man had been screaming about.
"O-Oppa, you really stole it?!"
"Yeah, I stole it. Actually, does it count as stealing if I'm just taking back money that belonged to me in the first place?"
Tia's eyes widened.
"They promised to help me find two people to start a mercenary company with. Then they took my money and disappeared."
"A mercenary company...?"
"Yeah! If you want to kill monsters and make money, becoming a mercenary is the only option. It's not like a commoner like me can become a knight."
Tia's mouth slowly fell open.
Something flashed through her mind.
"Oppa, if you become a mercenary, do you get an identification number?"
"Well, yeah. First you have to pass the mercenary exam, though."
"Then let's do it together!"
The boy froze.
"What?"
"With Tia and Mister Basto! Mister Basto has a hammer, and Tia has..."
Tia wasn't as strong as Mister Basto.
But she did have something important.
A trustworthy, legendary Puppetmon.
Kkamangi.