Location: An Apartment in L Corp’s Nest
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Oh no. This won’t do.
Nest Dweller Resident 1
But ma’am, we don’t have any cash left to offer you…
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
If you’re out of money, then you shouldn’t have asked for more protection from us, no?
Nest Dweller Resident 2
But the outside is covered in fog. We don’t know what’s out there… We’ll get killed…
Nest Dweller Resident 1
We aren’t safe here, either. Thugs could break in at any moment…
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
Oh, give me a break… Nest life must be too engraved in your heads to get where you stand right now.
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
I thought maybe we could expect better from the household with the highest income around here.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
Sayo, shall we cut one off?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Please do. These people will have to become accustomed to the rules of the Backstreets soon enough.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
Hey, consider this a free lesson for you.
Location: Outside an Apartment in L Corp’s Nest
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
We could take one arm from each.
Nest Dweller Resident 1
Please have mercy on us… You can’t be such heartless people…
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
And did you spare any mercy for us while we struggled in the Backstreets, covered in filth and blood? No, you simply spectated our suffering from the comfort of the Nest, did you not?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
It’s rather infuriating now that I think about it. Yang, let us take an eye from them as well.
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
Yes, dame~
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
Got your arms first.
Nest Dweller Resident 2
We didn’t ask for this, you people came into our house all of a sudden and threatened us to pay protection money…
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
So have we kept you safe or not? I’m pretty sure we took care of all the bad guys trying to get here.
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
And got your eyes as well~
Nest Dweller Resident 1
What do we do… How are we gonna live now…
Nest Dweller Resident 2
The Nest fell so suddenly…
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
What a bunch of crybabies. We’re being quite generous as Backstreets businesses go.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Now, now~ We’ll be going then. Please don’t forget today’s lesson:
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
If you receive something, you should return that favor accordingly. Imagine if it was the Ring protecting this area, not us…
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Dear, the thought alone is terrifying.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Oh, and please leave this house by tomorrow.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Gin, confiscate the apartment deed from these people, will you?
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
You’ll be visited by much less pleasant fellows next time, so you’d better move out as soon as possible~
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Now then, we’ve collected the protection money and got our fabric… Shall we go back and pay our due credit?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Ah, by the way, Gin. How is the current situation with L Corp’s Nest?
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
It’s fierce. This is the first time in a long while the Thumb and the Index got in a turf war over an area.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
Everyone must be thinking this is the promised estate or something.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
The same can be said for us, no?
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
On another note, the ‘Rusted Chains’ already proved to be an issue, but we’ve been colliding with ‘Blade Lineage’ more often these days.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Perhaps we should have a friendly conversation with them before the tension overheats.
Location: L Corp’s Nest - Residential Area
Kurokumo Clan Hencher 2
Run, dame…
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
What are you.
??? Tanya
Got some gains with your business?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
She has the head of a dog? A dog in black coat?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Are those kinds of surgeries hip with the kids these days?
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
Captain, that appears to be the one recently dubbed as ‘L'heure du Loup’.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Oh? So she’s a wolf, not a dog? Still appears to be a little bitch to me.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Funny, innit? Laugh while you can.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Let’s see, we have around a hundred Kurokumo punks ‘ere.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
You speak as if you can take us all on.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
That’s the plan, yeah.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Let us teach that pup a lesson.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Pah. Weaksauce.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
I coulda crushed you like bugs even before I turned into what I am now.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Alright, why don’tcha gather round and kneel.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
The dead… Welp, they can’t be helped.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
…What is it that you want?
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Ehey, I have plenty of wants, gal.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Wanna have a ton of cash in my hands.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Wanna live in a Nest for once, too.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
…But before any of that, I wanna make some music.
Kurokumo Clan Hencher 1
Fucking hell… Shut your yap already…
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Whoa~ Look at their skull go. Flew right outta the park, homerun.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
Tell us what you demand from us.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Oh, ah, what I want from you guys?
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Right, that was the point.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
First off, the piece of cloth you’re carrying? Gimme that.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
…This Nuovo Fabric is for the Thumb, though?
L’heure du Loup Tanya
My boss showed interest in that thing. Heard that’s a pretty nice cut o’ cloth.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Guess he wants us to suit up before the performance.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
You must know the consequences of making an enemy of the Thumb.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
The Thumb? Pft, tell ‘em to bring it on. I’mma smash ‘em all.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Oh, and take your goons to the Library, will ya?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
The Library…? The building that is rumored to be at the center of this Nest?
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Yep, that thing.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
So you are after the wealth this land can bring, after all.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
I told ya that’s not it.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
I do wanna earn some bucks, but music comes first.
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
But for what reason…
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Beats me. My boss…
L’heure du Loup Tanya
No, I mean the orchestrator of our ensemble wants us to get rid of all those noisy Syndicates like the Thumb or the Index so that we can make some music.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
In fancy suits, too.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
And help out the Library while we’re at it.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Help out the Library?
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Shush, gal. Keep your eyes low if you don’t wanna get dead.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Anyways, you guys can take this and head to the Library like I said.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Go on ahead.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
C’mon, get going already.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
If you don’t use that invitation right now, I’ll kindly remove all the bones from your flesh.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
…Let us prepare to go, everyone.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
Your hands are shaking, galie. You sure you’re alright? Are ya mad at me by any chance?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
…No, it’s nothing.
L’heure du Loup Tanya
And one more thing: If you run off without the books in your hands, you’re also dead to me.
Location: Inside the Library
Library Director Angela
That was quite intense.
Servant Roland
Looks like the Fingers are fiercely wrestling for the ownership of the Nest that L Corp. once had reign over.
Library Director Angela
Why would they, though?
Servant Roland
Ever heard of holdouts? When a Wing is broken, its Nest collapses and gradually turns into a slum akin to the Backstreets.
Servant Roland
It becomes a lawless land without an owner to uphold anything.
Servant Roland
Then a bunch of Syndicates come rushing in to occupy the land in advance.
Library Director Angela
What happens next?
Servant Roland
The vacancy in the Wings won’t stay open forever; when a new Wing rises and gets assigned a Nest, the Syndicate resells that land to the Wing.
Servant Roland
Of course, the Wing can choose to hire Fixers or other Syndicates to kick out that Syndicate with force instead, but that’s another story.
Library Director Angela
What will happen to the feathers living in the Nest?
Servant Roland
Those folks? Well, they’re all on their own.
Servant Roland
Hire a Fixer, or get evicted to the Backstreets, or try and join another Wing, or anything. A Nest without its Wing is no longer a safe haven for its residents.
Library Director Angela
That’s typical of the City.
Servant Roland
If you can’t grasp whatever opportunities you find with your own hands, you’re bound to fall behind.
Servant Roland
I wonder what’s up with that puppy, anyway.
Library Director Angela
…That looked like a case of the Distortion.
Servant Roland
Distortion? That’s not exactly what I imagined.
Library Director Angela
Indeed. She appears to be highly rational.
Servant Roland
You call that rational?
Library Director Angela
She seems much more rational than you are, at the very least.
Location: Library Entrance
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
Sigh… This was not meant to be.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Where the hell did that bitchhead come from?!
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
How dare an impudent whelp like her bite at us superior beings!
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
Calm down, Captain. Let’s report this to the Thumb right after we take care of this.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Huu… Yes, let us do that.
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
It’s ridiculous that someone could treat us Kurokumo Clan, a Thumb subsidiary, with such disrespect.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Hear, hear.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Although we’re in a bad situation… The books listed on this invitation are tempting offers for sure.
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
It seems that The Carnival have ended up turning into books.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
And this book… is related to the Nest of L Corp, too.
Library Director Angela
Greetings, dear guests.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
How did you manage to collect the books we need the most?
Library Director Angela
Such is the role of the Library.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
This place exudes the smell of blood.
Library Director Angela
And you reek of blood as well, dear guests.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Oh my, do we?
Kurokumo Henchman Yang
Let’s hit up a bathhouse for a warm one once we finish this.
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
Good idea. There’s nothing like a good bath to blow off some steam on a bad day.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
Drinks are on me.
Kurokumo Henchman Gin
Are there even any bathhouses or pubs left in L Corp’s Nest, anyway?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
That’s a fair point. We have so much to report and take care of, so much to think about…
Library Director Angela
Are you done with your chitchats now?
Kurokumo Captain Sayo
How pushy… Now then, shall we head inside?
Library Director Angela
May you find your book in this place.
