With the woman on my back, I stepped out of the warehouse. Before leaving, I tried to make a makeshift barricade in the place of the broken front door and then made my way through the seventh block, passing through the main roads with some people instead of the alleyways. People looked over at us in curiosity, a child carrying a young woman on his back? It definitely was a curious scene, but as people do, they all ignored us, keeping their curiosity only to themselves.

"Miss."

"Yes?" the woman weakly replied.

"I'll be taking you to the police station. That would be fine, right?" It was necessary to go there. Kidnapping and a whole wiped-out gang in an abandoned warehouse? Avoiding the cops in this scenario was in no way possible.

Moreover, since I didn't end any of them right then and there, by reporting them to the cops they'll be arrested at the very least. They were repeat offenders back in my hometown after all. That would be enough to keep them away from me for good.

"I'd like that too..." the woman answered back.

I thought she would be scared and would want to go back home and calm down, but it seemed she was bolder than I imagined.

***

We didn't talk much after that as I carried her to the Ternet Police Department of the 22nd Residential District. The same district where all this happened and where I lived. We entered the station with her still on my back, thankfully the people working there were quick on the uptake as they took both of us inside to a witness room.

A few female officers came around and took that person away with them after wrapping her in a blanket. I was asked to wait for a while as the detectives and the officers ran around, sending some people to the warehouse I had already told them about.

Soon, an old man in his late forties came up to me. A cigarette stuck out of his mouth as he scratched his stubble that looked as messy as his hair. "I'm detective Go, nice to meet ya."

"Yes, you too."

"So, kiddie. I'll take your statement, ok?" the detective said as he pulled back a chair and sat down.

"Yes, certainly."

"Huh, right," the man raised his eyebrows at my reply. "Well so, what's your name?"

"It's Ralph Rubinstein."

"Sounds familiar..." the officer narrowed his eyes at my name. Then, his eyes widened as if he remembered exactly what he was looking for. "You're the kid from the troll gate incident! Have a knack for trouble, don't we?"

Argh. These guys knew about it too.

"And you're bringing in a victim, did you help another person kid? What were you doing all the way in the abandoned bits of the seventh block?"

The man's tone was annoying as if he was mocking me. That was likely what was happening. Being involved in two incidents back to back was definitely suspicious, but the first one was just a coincidence, it had nothing to do with me.

"I was on my home when I saw an injured person in an alleyway..."

Of course.

I had already planned out exactly what I was going to say.

I mean, to admit I went there thinking they kidnapped my mom and beat the ever-loving crap out of thirty dangerous members of a gang from a different city sounds as stupid as can be, right? So the only way out of these predicaments was to feign ignorance.

I told the cops that I found an injured person with a bleeding face hiding behind an alleyway in the busy streets of the first block. I tried to help that man, and he told me that there was someone in an abandoned factory in the seventh alleyway who needed help right now, and he also told me not to involve the cops before disappearing into the streets.

I then said that I suspected it all to be a prank of some kind by some kids or a trap of some kind, but seeing the person's serious injuries I couldn't help but be worried and decided to go there anyway. I didn't ask anyone to call the cops on the off-chance it would be a prank, but when I came near the warehouse my uneasiness grew and at that point, it was already too late to call anyone since I didn't have any devices myself.

"What kind of kid walks around without a watch or a holo-pen?" the detective interrupted me with suspicion.

"The poor kind, detective. Mine got destroyed by that Troll, I'll have to save up now, unlike people who can just ask the government to give them one."

"No need for the sass, continue."

Asshole.

I continued on with my story. Telling him I tried to help the people on the ground, but they all looked heavily injured and frankly quite scary. When I found the person at the far end of the warehouse, I put two and two together and figured these guys were kidnappers or gang members. I then took the lady and ran over to this place, but not before desperately trying to trap them.

"Huh. Sounds like you ended up in quite the situation, kid."

"I just want to go home..." I acted weak and scared.

The detective put a hand on my shoulders and stood up. "I've got everything down. Don't worry, just a few more formalities and you can go back home, alright?"

"Yes... thank you."

With those words, the detective nodded and walked away. I let out a sigh of relief when he was gone. It looked like bought in on my lie.

I could easily explain my fingerprints, if they look for any, on the gang members' bodies by the lie of helping them. As for who told me about the warehouse? I had left a perfect person with his teeth smashed in and fingers all broken off in a trash can. They would find him soon enough and think there's more stuff to this than just ending it here. At that point, I'll just be an eye-witness in a small part of a large scheme.

Though I made it so that one bastard I left in the trash couldn't speak, the only possible problem would be the other bastards spilling everything about me.

And that would be the best thing they could do.

It is a matter of word against word between a bunch of criminals and a kid with a history of helping others was one thing.

If all of their stories were absurd and matching, it would all just point to the narrative of it being a coordinated effort of something bigger than themselves that they couldn't expose. From a petty gang war to a large-scale organized crime.

{Host... Making a bigger lie to cover up a lie. You are quite the devil yourself, huh?} The system commented.

"What do you mean, lech? How did you even know?" I whispered back.

{I can connect a few dots myself, and well you did mutter stuff while thinking about them}

Shit, it was my fault then.

I casually quipped with the system while waiting for the next officer to come and guide me through the formalities. Before I knew it, I had started to get used to the system's presence, and I myself couldn't deny that it was helpful as a friend, though it was mostly useless as a system, mostly.

Soon, the next officer came around and asked me to read some reports and verify my information and then sign some papers. The officer collected all the papers and placed them in a file.

"You're free to go now, kid. But you might be asked to cooperate further down the line. Don't worry, we'll keep you updated on most stuff since you must be worried too."

"Ah, thank you very much." I quickly thanked the officer, then I raised my eyes and nervously asked. "Before I take my leave... would it be possible to meet that person once again?" Maybe if I was still in the same state as when I was fighting, I wouldn't have cared much. But I couldn't help but feel guilty and very worried for her.

The officer thought for a few seconds before nodding. "Sure, follow me."

I was led to a room further into the precinct. The officer showed me to the gate and walked away. I slowly turned open the knob of the door and walked inside.

Sitting there with a mug of coffee in her hands was the black-haired lady. A blanket was wrapped around her shoulders. Color had returned to her face as a light blush formed on her pale skin, though her eyes still seemed weak, she looked much calmer than before.

"How are you doing?" I asked. "Do you want me to get something for you or call someone?"

"Oh, you're here..." she turned to me with a wide smile and gave me a small wave. It was a relief to see her doing better. I walked toward her while she continued. "Don't worry about it, they already called my uncle. I was on my way to visit him when..."

"I see," I said, standing next to her. "Miss, should I stay here till your uncle comes by?"

"You don't have to do that!" she waved her hands side to side. Then, she smiled at me even wider than before as she lifted her hand and patted my head. "You're such a kind and brave person, you must be very popular with the ladies."

Right. Kind and brave. Lying sure was awkward.

"I'm Ilya, what's your name?"

"I'm Ralph. It's a pleasure to meet you, Ilya."

Ilya smiled and the blush on her face grew stronger. She turned to the table in the room and tore off a piece of paper from a book. Scribbling something on it, she handed me the paper.

{OOoh! What's this, what's this? Romance?}

This bastard.

"It's my contact info. Give me a text sometime, ok?"

I took the paper from her and nodded back with a smile of my own. "Promise. Then, I'll see you later, Ilya. Take care."

"You too, Ralph. I'll see you later."

With that, I waved her goodbye and left the room after making a new friend.

Too bad, I didn't have anything to contact her with...

***

It was already evening by the time I came around to my apartment complex. The cops offered to escort me home, but I refused.

Most of the people who would usually be down during the day had already gone back home. Only the floating lights on the pavements and gardens around were out to keep me company.

So much had happened in just the last day. I just wanted to go back home and fall asleep.

When I entered the lobby of my building, a loud 'ting' sounded in the air and the lift opened up on its own. I stepped inside and went up to the eighth floor. The lift opened up and I stepped outside.

The door was locked and the doorbell turned off.

Mom wasn't home, probably still at work. I got worried about her for nothing.

With a sigh, I put my thumb on the doorknob and it unlocked the door. I went inside and closed the door behind me. As I bent down to take off my shoes, A white envelope entered my sight.

I picked it up and turned it around.

To, Ralph Rubinstein.

From, Agriche Academy.

What was—

{Yo host, completely forgot I can show you some of your status now—Ok... you've got mail}