Chapter 38

Owen rolled his wrist lightly. The pain ached and he pulled on the cuffs to hide the black marks. Senora Big sat across from him, her demeanor still tense with frustration. Her sunglasses masked her eyes, leaving Owen to wonder what thoughts were hidden behind the dark lenses.

The ride to her mansion was smooth and swift, the limousine gliding effortlessly through the city streets. The interior was adorned with rich wood paneling, soft ambient lighting, and luxurious upholstery. To compare, Owen rode a hundred dollar bicycle where he ate wind and flies. Here, there was air-conditioning and the thick scent of vanilla perfume. 

The gated entrance to Senora Big's mansion opened and Owen's jaw almost dropped. The grandiose estate was huge and isolated, surrounded by meticulously landscaped gardens and towering palm trees. 

The limousine came to a stop in front of the mansion's doorstep.

"Woah…" Stepping out, the mansion was legitimately the stuff of dreams. He had only been to one other place as exquisite as this. The lady of the house sauntered forward, heels clicking. The construction worker followed behind her.

Everything about the mansion was supersized. The door was twice the size of a normal unit door and even the front patio had a long stretch of stairs. Not high, long. As in, each step was a couple feet apart.

Once inside, Owen's eyes were drawn to the exquisite marble flooring and the ornate chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. But his admiration was short-lived as Senora Big wasted no time in issuing her orders.

"I don't care what you have to do—fix that damn leak or else," Senora Big commanded. "There's a puddle in the foyer somewhere and I expect you to fix it. Once you do, see yourself out."

Owen nodded, quickly scanning the area for the nearest servant to assist him. Clearly, Senora Big didn't know it.

"Our maintenance men are on vacation. Do what you have to do without making a mess." With that said, Senora Big went up the stairs to do whatever she did. A female butler promptly appeared by his side to give him a tool box.

"Thank you," Owen said, smiling. 

'Time to get to work,' he thought to himself. 

Once the ladder was fetched for him and he was shown the leakage area, he made his way outside, the cool breeze of the mansion's expansive grounds ruffling his hair as he headed towards the side where the leak was. He opened up the tool box on the ground and donned a belt of tools around his waist and in his pockets. As soon as they were secured, he climbed a ladder and reached the rooftop, his eyes scanning the area the moment his two feet gained ground. 

While searching, a strange sensation prickled at the back of his neck, causing him to instinctively glance over his shoulder. To his astonishment, he spotted a figure perched precariously atop a nearby palm tree, balancing clumsily.

But who—

But why—

How—?

"Oh, Owen! Didn't expect to see you in a place like this."

Oh my fucking god, it was Masafumi.

"Masafumi, what in the world are you doing here?" Owen hissed.

"Ghost busting. Duh!" Masafumi replied, flashing a grin.

"Do you have any idea where you are?"

"Nope! I just followed my instincts."

"So you snuck inside someone else's property?"

"Come on, Owen buddy. When do we ever actually get permission?"

Oh my days…

Fair point though—

"Get down from there before you fall and break something," Owen warned, arms crossed. "I've got work to do. If I mess up, I'm going to be fired."

"Nah. I'mma do my own thing."

"You are not Spider-Man!"

"But I could be!"

The distance between the tree and the rooftop was roughly seven feet. The height of the tree directly matched the rooftop too. Without thinking twice about it, Masafumi hopped over.

And nearly slipped.

"Woah!"

If Owen wasn't there, he might have died right then and there. Luckily, he dashed in time, grabbed his arm and reeled him in.

"Dude, nice catch!" Masafumi exclaimed, his trademark grin never leaving his face.

"I knew you'd say that." Owen sighed and stared at the sky.

'Lord, I am not your strongest soldier. Why are you doing this to me?'

"How did you even get in?" Owen asked. "Actually wait, I don't want to know."

"There's a hole in the perimeter. Like in Assassin's Creed, I hid in the bushes and climbed my way up. Call me Ezio because I climbed that tree fast." Masafumi looked very proud. "Speaking of Assassin's Creed, they should really make a game taking place in Japan."

On instinct, as if they were on a rooftop, Owen replied, "They are."

"Really? Nice! Can't wait for it!"

So many potential sighs. So much irritation. Owen decided to forgo it all. The less stressed a person got over Masafumi's antics, the better their life. "Alright, I'll bite. What's the ghost issue this time?"

Masafumi grinned. "I knew you'd come around. But, uh, to be serious…it's actually serious." He glanced over and scanned the rooftop. His grin faded the longer he looked. "Yeah, this is really bad news. I think the blue moon might have awakened something foul here. I see traces of negative energy everywhere."

Owen was one of the rare few capable of fully seeing ghosts. However, even he couldn't see what Masafumi was seeing. "Of what?"

Masafumi was silent. Suddenly, his pupils became razor-sharp and he looked straight at him. "Of a demon from hell."