Love for the Grotesque, Perfume, and Friends

(WELL, IN THIS CASE, THE ONLY ONE WHO'S UNUSUAL IS SHAHZAD. JUST A STREAMER BEING SPOKEN OF IN THE SAME BREATH AS A TOP UD MEMBER...) 

That's precisely why he never ceases to fascinate me. 

"So? What now, Amanda?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I'm talking about Shahzad. Have you figured out the next move?" 

"Not at all. Sorry, Riya." 

"Huh?" 

"My plans got a little messed up. It might be a while before we meet him." 

"I see. Well, I don't really mind..." 

Even as she said that, it was obvious she was disappointed. 

"Oh, right. You were streaming just now, weren't you? The archive should be up by now. Maybe watching it will give us some clues." 

I picked up the remote and turned on the monitor. 

It must've been in sleep mode, because the screen immediately displayed Shahzad... half-naked, filling the entire frame. 

"..." 

"..." 

"..." 

I mashed the back button, but since the system had just booted up, it lagged. 

For a whole three seconds, we were forced to admire Shahzad's half-naked form. 

Then, I pulled up his streaming account... 

"...The archive isn't up yet." 

I turned off the monitor and tossed the remote onto the sofa. 

"..." 

"Sorry about that, Riya." 

"Don't apologize! That's the worst thing you could do right now! And you totally knew that when you said it, didn't you?!" 

"Of course." 

"...!" 

Her face turned red as she glared at me. 

"Come on, Riya, it's nothing to dwell on." 

"But, Boss... he just..." 

"You know Cass has a penchant for the grotesque, don't you? Besides, it's worse to just ignore it. This is his way of showing kindness." 

"...Thanks, Cassper." 

"Hmph." 

I looked away. 

Amanda chuckled. 

"Looks like it's Cass's turn to blush now." 

"I'M NOT BLUSHING!" 

I couldn't see it myself, but I wanted to believe that. 

(These guys always throw me off balance...) 

But strangely enough, it didn't feel unpleasant. 

"Besides, only true warriors can appreciate Shahzad's physique. It's not just about liking muscles. His form, which could be called a masterpiece of functional beauty, is almost artistic." 

"Exactly! Exactly!" 

"His muscles aren't just sculpted like a bodybuilder's, nor are they specialized like an athlete's. They're simply... complete as a human. That's what makes them beautiful." 

"Yes! Yes!" 

Riya was unusually excited. 

Finding a fellow enthusiast must have made her happy. 

Especially since it was someone she respected. 

(I don't really get it... I just think muscles are rizz elements. But they seem to be talking about something on a whole different level.) 

Maybe it's because I'm not strong. 

"...Hmph." 

A small sense of alienation crept in. 

(Like a damn teenager...) 

I laughed at myself internally. 

They were infuriating, but I'd never had people in my life I could talk to so openly. 

That just made me hate myself more. 

"What's wrong, Cass?" 

"...What?" 

"You seem kinda down." 

"It's your imagination." 

"Is that so? Well, if you ever have any worries, don't hesitate to talk to us. We're comrades, after all." 

"I said it's your imagination. And aren't you younger than me? Quit acting like my big sister." 

"Ahaha. You're adorable, Cass." 

"Shut up!" 

Amanda turned her attention back to Riya. 

"By the way, did you bond with that new friend of yours over a muscle discussion too?" 

"...Yeah." 

Riya looked a little embarrassed. 

"Sounds like a good friend. I'd love to meet them too." 

"Definitely." 

"What are they like?" 

"There are two of them..." 

At that moment, Riya suddenly seemed to remember something. 

"Oh, Boss. I have a favor to ask." 

"That's rare, coming from you. Go ahead." 

"Thank you. So... apparently, there's a Shahzad perfume." 

"A Shahzad perfume?" 

"Those two smelled like Shahzad. When I asked about it, they told me there's a perfume of his scent. But it's not for sale..." 

"..." 

Amanda looked at me. 

(I've never heard of a Shahzad perfume...) 

I nodded slightly. 

(In Bangladesh, they call this 'A ripe mango from the tree falling straight into the mouth,' don't they? …Man, now I wanna try some mango.) 

I could feel my lips curl into a grin. 

"I did try looking it up myself, but I couldn't find anything... So I thought maybe you might know, Boss." 

"There's no way a perfume like that exists." 

"...Huh? But Nadia said—" 

"Your friend's name is Nadia? And the other one?" 

"…Keya." 

"Nadia and Keya, huh." 

"More importantly, what do you mean the perfume doesn't exist?" 

"Exactly what it sounds like. Why the hell would you believe something like that?" 

"But—" 

"I agree with Cass. I highly doubt such a perfume exists." 

"Even you, Boss..." 

"Maybe if it were an idol or something. But even then, they just mix a scent based on the person's image. It's not actually their smell." 

"You think a person would swim in a pool of perfume to leave his scent behind so they can make a perfume, really Riya?!" Cassper chuckled. 

Riya looked shocked. 

"Don't take it too hard. This is a huge win for you, Riya. I figured you'd just rushed off to Bangladesh on impulse, but you actually managed to grab onto Shahzad's trail. Even if you weren't aware of it. And since they're your friends, you exchanged contact info, right?" 

"...Yeah, I did." 

"So, Amanda, what do we do? Should we just kidnap them and torture them for info? We don't know how they're connected to Shahzad, but this is a huge advantage." Cassper said indifferently.

"Don't be ridiculous! They're my friends!" 

"They tricked you, though."

"...That's..." 

"Besides, I'm not the one deciding here. Amanda is." 

Cassper smirked. 

"You wouldn't go against Amanda's orders, would you?" 

Amanda was deeply loyal to her comrades but utterly ruthless to her enemies. 

That's how she'd reached her current position. 

Riya turned to Amanda with an uneasy look. 

"Boss..." 

"First impressions are everything. If we let them look down on us, it'll affect future negotiations. Making a strong impact from the start is one strategy." 

So,

What would Amanda decide?