The Lazy Boy Is, In Fact, the Strongest and Most Brutal Assassin. - Chapter 4: The Dancer and the Rogues.

The Dancer and the Rogues.

As they looked around for the source of the voice, they spotted two women in a narrow alley leading to the entertainment district, surrounded by rough-looking men.

A woman in a skimpy outfit stood protectively in front of a timid-looking girl, shielding her from the men. It was clear that the loud voice had come from the flashy woman. Judging by her appearance and the location, she was likely a dancer or performer from one of the seedy establishments at the end of the alley.

The men, following the woman’s gaze, turned their eyes toward Il and Bodoin. Il returned their stares with a wry smile, realizing that they had unfortunately been dragged into some trouble.

“Hey, you two! This ain’t a show! Quit staring!”

One of the men, with a face resembling an ugly dog, barked at Il and Bodoin. Il immediately shrank back in fear, retreating a step, causing Bodoin to look at him with a disapproving expression, muttering, “Come on, really?”

“You guys are guards, aren’t you? There’s a delicate girl surrounded by thugs, so do something about it!” the flashy woman shouted at them. While her desperation was understandable, her tone left much to be desired for someone asking for help.

“‘Girl,’ huh?” Bodoin muttered under his breath.

“Shut up! I’m not even twenty-five yet!” she yelled back, having overheard him. According to her own personal rulebook, women under twenty-five still counted as “girls.”

While Bodoin bantered with the woman, Il, hiding behind Bodoin, took a closer look at her. Upon closer inspection, her features did seem a bit youthful. Though her heavy makeup had made her look older from a distance, she was likely around twenty years old, if that.

The woman had dark hair and brown skin, a rare combination in these parts, suggesting she might have southern, desert ancestry. Her blue eyes, similar to Il’s, were striking against her complexion. Bodoin shrugged, seemingly in exasperation—whether at the woman’s attitude or at Il hiding behind him like a shield, it was hard to tell. Probably both.

Just then, a voice broke through the tension, oddly out of place in the hostile atmosphere.

“Wait a minute… isn’t that Bodoin-san?”

Bodoin’s eyes narrowed as one of the rough-looking men stepped forward.

“Well, if it isn’t Hiluluk. Still running your shady business, I see?”

The man, Hiluluk, slinked out from among the thugs, flashing a servile grin as he approached Bodoin.

“Oh, come on, boss. Don’t say that. I’m just here to collect a little debt. All I’m doing is asking for the money I lent. But, well, this one here claims she doesn’t know anything about it… I’m just trying to have a conversation, you know?”

“You call this a ‘conversation,’ surrounded by thugs like that?” the woman behind Hiluluk shouted. In response, the men around her jutted their chins aggressively, letting out growls of “Huh?!”

“Quite the feisty one, isn’t she?”

“The one who owes us is the girl behind her,” Hiluluk said with a grin, jerking his thumb at the timid girl. “But this loudmouth over here just had to butt in, and now my boys are all riled up.”

Bodoin sighed in exasperation, while Hiluluk chuckled awkwardly.

“Hey, Hiluluk, do me a favor and let this one slide, will ya? I can’t exactly turn a blind eye to this situation, at least not officially,” Bodoin muttered, releasing a small sigh.

Hiluluk, mimicking the sigh, nodded with a resigned smile.

“Well, if you’re asking, boss, I can’t refuse, now can I? Alright then, we’ll back off for today.”

With that, Hiluluk called out to his men, “We’re leaving!” He gave Bodoin a respectful nod before turning on his heel, leading his group of rough-looking men away.

As they walked off, Il watched them go, visibly impressed. “Wow, as expected from you, boss! Even those yakuza types respect you,” he said with a grin. In response, Bodoin silently dropped his fist on Il’s head, making his disapproval known without words.