Kenny was lounging in his small, cluttered apartment when an abrupt knock at the door broke the silence. He frowned, glancing toward the entrance.

  Who the hell could that be?

  With a sigh, he got up and swung the door open. Standing there was his landlord, a scowl already set deep into his face, and beside her, a stranger—an old, one-armed tall man with sharp eyes and a composed stance—Edward.

  Kenny immediately tensed. His instincts kicked in, and with exaggerated flair, he shifted into a sloppy fighting stance. "Oh, you wanna go? And you even brought back-up?" he smirked.

  A vein popped in the landlord’s forehead. "Knock it off, idiot! This man would like to have a word with you."

  The stranger, Edward, watched the exchange carefully. Just as he had suspected, Kenny’s memories of Skyland had been completely wiped.

  The landlord, clearly done with the situation, turned on his heel. "I’ll leave you to it. I’ve got things to do."

  Kenny shrugged and stepped back, gesturing lazily. "If you want coffee, tea, or juice, help yourself."

  "It’s alright. Thank you," Edward replied as he took a seat.

  Kenny sprawled onto a chair, looking at Edward with mild curiosity. "So, what’s this about?"

  Edward didn’t hesitate. "My boss wishes to recruit you."

  Kenny raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And who’s your boss?" He never imagined anyone would go out of their way to recruit someone as lazy as him, nor did he want that to happen.

  Edward hesitated slightly, then exhaled. "Her name is Naine. She’s the new boss of Scrapville."

  Kenny’s relaxed expression didn’t change, but his words were blunt. "You want me to join the Blood Baroness? That seems like a pain. No, thank you."

  Edward had expected that. "I take it you’ve heard the stories about her."

  "Who hasn’t?" Kenny leaned back, resting his hands behind his head.

  Edward’s gaze hardened. "But they don’t tell the full truth. She’s not the monster people make her out to be. She’s a good person who lost her way because of pain. Unlike the others, it’s not too late to bring her back to the right path."

  Kenny gave a lazy wave of his hand. "Sounds like a lot of work. I’m living the good life. I’ll pass."

  Edward sighed. "I’m leaving tomorrow. Why don’t you come with me for a month? Consider it a trial period. If you don’t see any hope, we’ll let you leave."

  Kenny groaned, already annoyed. "Like I said—"

  Edward cut him off, raising a hand. "Just think about it!"

  He then stood up, his expression more serious than before. "And one more thing… Helping her will help everyone in the region. Staying idle would be quite slothful… even for you."

  Kenny’s lazy smirk faltered slightly as he frowned.

  Edward walked toward the door. "I’ll be leaving at one in the afternoon tomorrow."

  The door shut behind him, leaving Kenny alone in the silence. He stared at the ceiling, expression unreadable.

  I don’t work for cold-hearted people… Not anymore.

  The memories came rushing back.

  It was fall, two years ago. Kenny woke up in an obscur alley. The alley was scattered with trash, grime, and broken steps, but his mind was a clean, blank slate. The only thing he knew was his name, his first name. No past, no identity, nothing but confusion.

  "Where am I? Who am I?" he had muttered to himself, wandering aimlessly through unfamiliar streets.

  Desperation drove him to eat discarded food from a restaurant’s trash, barely able to function in a world he couldn’t remember. That didn't last long. The restaurant owner had him thrown out, and before he knew it, guards were dragging him away.

  "Take this loafer away! He’s bad for business!" the owner had shouted.

  Kenny was taken to a workhouse, a place where they claimed hard work would turn him into a proper member of society.

  His task? Breaking stones. Endless, back-breaking labor.

  The quotas were brutal. If he didn’t meet them, he went without food. If he complained, he was whipped. He spent countless sleepless nights trying to keep up, but it was never enough.

  Two months of hell, and then he was free. But freedom was fragile. No job meant no roof, no food, and a one-way ticket back to the workhouse. Kenny couldn’t let that happen.

  So he took a job in the mines. Same grind, same aching muscles. No beatings this time, but the labor still wore him down to the bone.

  "I can’t believe I’m working with stones again!" Kenny had groaned, exhaustion already setting in. "I’m so sick of this job!"

  Taking a break when he wasn’t supposed to, he had drawn the attention of a short older man with a long beard, a miner called Tortoise.

  "I heard you’re fresh out of the workhouse. I thought you’d be more diligent."

  Kenny scoffed. "You’re old. You should take it easy. I’m not really the hard-working type, especially when the reward’s barely enough to pay my rent. Break my back for crumbs? Yeah, no thanks. I’ll pass on the character-building experience."

  "I have a family to take care of," Tortoise had replied without hesitation. "Hard work will lead to success eventually."

  Kenny had shrugged. "I hope so… I better get back to work before I get in trouble."

  One day, as the sun set and the other miners left, Kenny noticed Tortoise was still swinging his pickaxe.

  "You’re the only one left," Kenny pointed out. "What are you doing?"

  Tortoise didn’t stop. "I haven’t met my quota yet. I need the full pay for my family."

  His bucket of gems was barely filled.

  Kenny let out a long sigh. Without thinking, he dropped some of his own gems into Tortoise’s bucket.

  Tortoise looked at him, stunned. "What are you—?"

  "Go home, old man. Take care of your family."

  For the first time in a long while, Kenny felt something stir inside him.

  What is wrong with me…? Why would I do something so stupid?

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  But the next day, when Tortoise invited him to his home for a meal, Kenny found himself saying yes.

  And when he sat at the dinner table with Tortoise’s family, listening to their laughter, hearing the kids call his name with excitement… for the first time since waking up in that alley, he felt something close to belonging.

  "Thank you," Gamera had said with sincerity, her green hair catching the light, freckles dotting her cheeks. "For helping my father. He’s been working too hard, pushing himself too much… and you gave him a chance to rest."

  Kenny had rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly. "Don’t mention it."

  "Please," she asked, leaning in a bit too close, her sense of personal space clearly a work in progress. Kenny leaned back, his face flushing. "Watch over him at work?"

  And even though he couldn’t explain why, even though everything in him wanted to say no, Kenny had sighed. He placed his hands on Gamera’s shoulders, gently guiding her back to a more comfortable distance, and muttered, "Sure."

  Kenny stretched his arms and let out a yawn. "It’s getting late. I think I should go."

  The next day, the mining site was already bustling with activity when Kenny found Tortoise swinging his pickaxe at a gemstone vein.

  "I have an idea to get more gems while saving energy!" Kenny said.

  Tortoise paused. "Oh? What is it?"

  "We work together. If we pry the same gems at the same time, they’ll break faster, and we won’t waste as much energy."

  Tortoise's eyes widened. "Oh! I see! It’s worth a try!"

  They put the plan into action, and by the end of the day, it had worked like a charm.

  They left work earlier than usual, their pockets heavier with pay. Kenny couldn't help but smirk.

  That new method worked wonders! We were the first ones to finish and hit our full quotas!

  That evening, Kenny found himself at Tortoise’s home, watching as the man laughed and played with his family. Kenny, on the other hand, sat awkwardly to the side, trying to dodge an eager matchmaker.

  "You should totally marry Gamera!" Tortoise said with a big grin.

  Kenny groaned. "You…!"

  Gamera blushed, clearly embarrassed, but there was something in her expression that suggested she didn’t entirely mind the idea. Kenny, however, was too oblivious to notice.

  Still, despite the teasing, Kenny felt a sense of satisfaction. For once, things were going well.

  But he should’ve known better than to think it would last.

  The manager called them in the next day.

  "You two have done great work. You’ve become valuable assets to the company."

  Kenny and Tortoise exchanged a glance. "Thank you, sir."

  "That’s why we’re promoting you both to site leaders. You’ll be responsible for guiding the other miners. Your new quota is double the gems for 1.5 times the pay. Congratulations!"

  Kenny’s eye twitched. "You’re joking, right? Don’t tell me you expect us to be happy about this."

  The manager’s face darkened. "What did you just say?"

  Kenny scoffed. "I said fuc—"

  Before he could finish, Tortoise clamped an arm around him and let out a nervous laugh. "Ahaha! He just has a sharp tongue! But he’s as delighted as I am!"

  Kenny struggled, but Tortoise’s grip was like iron. Damn it… He’s strong!

  The manager relaxed. "That’s great! Keep him in check, or next time he’ll be sanctioned."

  Kenny was fuming. "You’re delighted?! They’re running us into the ground!"

  Tortoise sighed. "I know… but what choice do we have? Let’s keep doing our best."

  And so, they kept at it. Weeks passed, and their shifts stretched to 18 hours a day.

  One night, Gamera told Kenny that she sometimes found her father asleep outside their front door.

  Kenny himself started falling asleep at the mining site just to squeeze in a few more moments of rest.

  "Hey, old man," he said one day between swings of his pickaxe. "I really think we should leave this place… Even if it means going to the workhouse."

  Tortoise didn’t respond. His swings were slowing, his pickaxe missing its mark.

  Kenny smirked. "What’s wrong, old man? You keep miss—"

  He froze.

  Tortoise’s eyes were lifeless, yet his body kept moving, kept swinging as if sheer determination alone kept him standing. Kenny’s stomach twisted.

  He’s gone.

  Kenny’s voice wavered. "Tortoise…"

  With shaking hands, he paused his pickaxe, gently lowering the man to the ground. "It’s okay, old man. You can rest now."

  A sharp voice cut through the moment. "No sleeping on the job!"

  Kenny’s eyes snapped up, burning with fury. "No… sleeping…?" The rage coursing through him was unlike anything he’d ever felt. Not even the brutal treatment in the workhouse had sparked this kind of fire.

  Before he knew it, his pickaxe was in his hands, swinging straight for the manager.

  When Kenny woke up, he was in a cold cell.

  I was locked up for 48 hours…

  A kind woman guard let him out without a sanction. But when he returned to Tortoise’s home, it was empty.

  They were gone. A neighbor told me they were sent to the workhouse…

  Kenny clenched his fists. After that hellish experience, I vowed to never work for a bad company.

  Days later, Kenny found himself talking to an elderly landlord.

  "How much is the rent?" he asked.

  The old woman shook her head. "Forget it. At this rate, I might go bankrupt."

  Kenny raised a brow. "How so?"

  "I own a seamstress business alongside this building. I used rent money to pay my seamstresses, but my tenants couldn’t pay, so I had to expel many of them. Now I can’t afford to keep my seamstresses either."

  Kenny tilted his head. "You pay them, what… five silver bills each?"

  The old woman scoffed. "Who do you take me for?! I pay them twelve silver bills each!"

  Kenny blinked. "That’s above average!"

  The woman smiled. "Most people think business is all about money. But I believe it’s about people. I want the people who wear our clothes to be happy, just as I want my seamstresses to be happy making them."

  Kenny stared at her, a thought flashing through his mind. If only Tortoise had you as his boss…

  His lips curled into a smirk. "Old lady, let’s make a deal. If I help you fix this situation, I get an apartment for 80% less."

  The woman chuckled. "If you actually pull it off, I’ll give you an apartment for free for three months!"

  Kenny shook her hand. "I won’t say no to that."

  After that, I started doing odd jobs to help people, especially people like her…

  The next afternoon, Kenny sauntered down the stairs with his bags, the landlord watching him with amusement.

  "So, you’re actually leaving, huh?" she said, raising an eyebrow.

  Kenny gave her a lopsided smirk. "Yeah. Figured I can’t really judge someone without meeting them—especially if helping them means helping other people too." He paused, then added with a shrug, "Also, getting my ass handed to me by an old lady? Kinda hurts the ego after a while."

  She barked out a laugh. "Just don’t get yourself killed before you pay your rent."

  Kenny hesitated. His smirk faded, and he glanced away, voice softer. "…Thanks. For everything."

  The landlord smiled. "No problem, kid. I’m just glad you didn’t pick this one to slack on."

  Kenny didn’t respond. He just nodded once and kept walking, not looking back. His expression was calm, focused—more serious than usual.

  The door creaked shut behind him with a final, echoing thud. Outside, a breeze swept through the narrow street, rustling the edges of his coat as he stepped forward, each stride more certain than the last.

  I mean, yeah—I’d love to slack off. Who wouldn’t? But how am I supposed to enjoy it when everyone around me’s breaking their backs just to survive? Slacking only feels good in a world that actually makes sense… one where people aren’t stuck suffering just for trying to live.

  Edward stood beside Nadia, glancing at the time. "I should get going soon."

  Nadia frowned. "Maybe he won’t come."

  Edward chuckled. "He will."

  As if on cue, Kenny strolled up. "Alright, you win. Let’s go."

  Edward smiled. "Let’s get moving. I’ll tell you everything you need to know about the boss and her situation on the way."

  Kenny grinned. "Do I get any benefits? Gold-trimmed office? Or maybe a loyal manservant? "

  "You’ll have free housing."

  Kenny smirked. "Pfft. That’s practically royalty. Guess I really am the boss’s advisor now."

  The train ride was quiet. Kenny dozed off, the rhythmic clatter of the train lulling him to sleep while Edward stared out the window, lost in thought.

  When they arrived, Edward led Kenny to a rundown building that looked like it had been forgotten by time. It was their hideout and home.

  Kenny frowned. "Shouldn’t I drop my stuff off at my place first?"

  Edward gestured at the building. "This is your place."

  Kenny’s eye twitched. "This? This is where I’m supposed to live? Looks like a haunted ruin in the making."