Meanwhile, on Roxy's end—she'd walked off after asking her brother for a shoulder massage, and after Jody had tried to spark up a conversation with her.
Whatever anyone thought, whatever opinions people held… she didn't care.
All she knew was she'd rather keep her distance from Jody Johansson.
Because she really didn't like that girl.
The only reason she tolerated Jody's presence was because the woman could be an asset in combat—plain and simple. Anything beyond that? Not her business.
Roxy didn't believe someone who once delighted in bullying and tormenting others could just turn a new leaf.
And she was sure Jody could sense it. That quiet, subtle rejection—Jody knew.
A memory flickered in Roxy's mind—of the times she herself had been bullied as a kid...
But then, as she passed by the kitchen, she heard someone noisily devouring food from within.
"?"
She stepped inside… and found the lights on, revealing—
Sera, wearing a black robe, hunched over like she hadn't eaten in three days, absolutely demolishing a pile of snacks.
"...Oh."
"..."
"...."
Sera wiped some donut filling off her mouth with one finger, her cheeks still puffed full.
"..."
"You're... quite the eater."
"...Uh—yeah..."
It was obvious she was embarrassed. She knew Roxy probably didn't picture her as the gluttonous type, but… well, that image was pretty much shattered now.
"...."
Still, Sera was oddly relieved. She could tell Roxy wasn't like those people—so she eased up, munching a little more politely.
"Ughhh… So hot in here..."
She mumbled through her donut and took off her robe, revealing a black spaghetti-strap top underneath. Her bare shoulder was now visible, along with a small beauty mark on her left one.
Roxy hesitated for a moment. If it weren't just the two of them here, there's no way Sera would dress like this.
Sure, westerners dressed more freely, but still... this was a lot.
She considered saying something—but imagined the retort: "My outfit, my choice." Yeah, no thanks.
So she changed the subject.
"You came straight here after waking up? How're you feeling?"
"Mmmf—nom nom... Still got that damp smell in my nose... nom but I'm feeling better."
"...I see..."
Roxy sat in the chair across from her, giving her a silent look that said please chew slowly.
"And Candy? All dealt with, right?"
"Yeah…"
Roxy went on to fill her in on the situation.
Sera didn't exactly care about the details. She just listened, let it pass. The human trafficking part caught her off guard, but other than that, she mostly felt numb. A little heavy.
"I heard what Mickey said. I'm really impressed, Sera."
The whole team knew her story by now. Roxy genuinely admired the English girl's guts.
"Of course."
Sera casually tore another donut in half and popped it into her mouth. That arrogant edge still lingered—but Roxy let it slide.
"By the way, did you ever talk to those cavemen?"
"Talk...? Oh, you mean asking them to go easy on you?"
"Yeah."
"...Not yet."
"What the hell?! That explains it! Why the hell did you let that creep Mannix eye-harass me in the bedroom like that?!"
"...Eye-harass?"
"With his eyes."
"...Oh…"
Roxy brought her index fingers together 👉👈 with a sheepish look.
"...I haven't really found the right moment..."
"How hard can it be?! You're the gang leader's little sister!"
"I'll talk to him tonight. Promise."
"You better."
Sera picked up another donut and started nibbling again.
"What about Mickey? What's he up to?"
Sera didn't answer. Instead, she handed Roxy the A4 sketch Mickey had drawn of her.
"...Oh… He drew you."
Roxy examined the artwork.
"...This is depressing. If this kind of drawing ever sells for a pound, I'll eat my shoes."
"..."
Roxy set the sketch aside.
"You like donuts that much?"
"They're good."
"You've got a sweet tooth, huh? I noticed back in the car…"
She did solo a king-sized chocolate bar by herself... easily 500 calories right there.
"Who doesn't like sweets? What kinda question is that?"
"English people love tea... Wanna try Thai tea sometime?"
"Huh?"
If she were a cat, her ears would've perked up. Sera's eyes lit up with curiosity.
"...Thai tea?"
"Yeah. Thai tea."
"I'm in. I wanna learn about your culture."
"...Judging by that tone, sounds more like you just wanna put something in your stomach."
"Exactly."
Roxxy stood up and opened the overhead cupboard. She pulled out an orange tea packet.
Every move she made was being watched closely by Sera.
"What're you doing?"
"I'm letting you try something. Brought it back from the plane."
Roxxy grabbed a mug, opened the packet, poured in the powder, and added hot water from the kettle. She stirred it thoroughly.
"Whoa, whoa—wait. Just hot water?!"
"It's got powdered milk mixed in."
"Really?"
"Yep. Over here in Asia, we don't brew it with hot milk. Just hot water does the trick."
"Whoa… wow..."
Before long, a steaming cup of orange Thai tea was placed in front of Lady Seraphina Gilmore.
"...What is this?"
"Thai milk tea."
"Milk tea?"
"Yeah. Usually it's served cold, but hot's not bad either."
Sera didn't hesitate. She blew on it and took a sip.
"Mmm—hoo!!"
"You like it?"
"I love it!"
She picked up the packet and examined it.
"They don't sell this in England! How much if I buy more?"
Looked like she really meant it.
"You can have it. I've got plenty more at home."
Sera's eyes lit up with joy.
"Wow~ I knew it! You're actually a good person!"
The English girl threw her arms around Roxxy in a tight hug. The half-Thai girl froze up awkwardly, her cheeks tinting pink as Sera's perfume filled her senses.
"Uh... I-it's fine..."
"Roxxy... you're the only one I can rely on now... At least in this jungle full of savages, there's still you... Oh, thank God..."
"You're exaggerating..."
Sera let her go.
"Seriously though, you're a lot nicer than I expected. First day I saw you, I thought you were pissed at someone—your face looked so grumpy, I was too scared to even say hi."
"...Yeah, I get that a lot. You're not the first."
"But I was surprised to learn you're into fashion and stuff."
"Why's that?"
"Well... you're always hanging with those guys. And your brother's basically a caveman... So I just assumed you were kind of a tomboy or something."
"...Oh. Nah."
"You like fashion?"
"...N-not exactly..."
Roxxy looked a bit shy.
"I'm... studying it, kinda..."
"I always imagined spies lived super high-stress lives... but meeting you made me realize—spies are just regular people."
"I am a regular person. You could be one too."
"Hard pass, thanks. I'm happy living a normal life. Don't go recruiting me."
"You're already in it."
"Whose fault is that? Your brother's."
"But your powers have been really helpful to us... It'd be a shame to waste them."
"I'm not gonna throw myself into the same ring as that four-eyed freak, okay?"
Roxxy had no comeback. This was her weakness—she was terrible at persuasion.
Sera finished her tea and picked up another caramel-glazed donut.
"Can I have another cup?"
"...You sure?"
"Mhm."
"...Alright."
Roxxy blinked. Two packs? She was impressed—but headed off to make another cup anyway.
"If you're into makeup... do you like bags too?"
Sera asked.
"...They're alright..."
"What brands do you follow?"
"None... Just looking for now."
"Not even one bag?"
"Not yet..."
Roxxy returned with another steaming mug. Sera took a sip.
"Mmm. Great! This is decent!"
She grabbed the last donut from the box.
"You eat a lot. Just like Syd."
"...Please, don't lump me in with them... slurp."
"I'm serious."
"You are?" Roxxy asked, thinking it over... and yeah, come to think of it—every time Sera glanced at Syd, he did have a snack or candy in his hand.
"No wonder Jody took over the fridge. How pathetic."
"Huh?"
Roxxy froze.
"What did you say?"
"What?"
Sera paused mid-chew and met her gaze.
"What did Jody do?"
The mood shifted. Roxxy's tone grew more serious.
"..."
Shit. Forgot she doesn't like Jody…
She'd let that slip.
"...It's nothing. Jody said she's helping... reform your brother's diet. Get him to eat more vegetables. I said, go ahead—but leave me out of it."
"...."
Roxxy kept going.
"And he just... let her?"
"Looks like it, yeah..."
"Really..."
"Is something wrong...?"
"...No."
"Hey, I'm not stupid, you know... slurp."
Since when has Syd ever taken orders from anyone?
"Really... it's nothing."
"Hmm... slurp."
Sera clearly didn't buy it. But what could Roxxy do? She hadn't fully opened up to her yet. That kind of trust would take time.
7:30 PM – Central living room table.
Everyone gathered to go over the plan for tomorrow.
"Leaving the country?"
Sera was the first to raise a hand for clarity.
"Yeah. We're going after the girl. Last sighting was in Paris—near the Eiffel Tower," Syd said.
"We're flying to France?"
"Yup."
"And how exactly are we getting there?"
"Plane. But low-profile. Under the radar. Risky."
"...Hmm..."
"Problem, Sera?"
Mickey asked, noticing her thoughtful expression.
"You can say it. If it's not completely stupid, we'll listen," Toshi added.
"This is why I don't speak up. You jerks."
"So, what's up?" Syd raised a brow.
"I was just thinking... instead of sneaking in like fugitives under Macron's nose... why not use my private jet?"
That made every single spy freeze mid-thought and turn to her.
"..."
"A private jet? Like a real private jet? Like… rich-girl-flying-to-Paris kind of jet?"
Toshi asked.
"...Yeah."
"You have one?"
"Yes."
Sera continued before they could interrupt.
"Instead of looking suspicious, sneaking in through illegal channels, we just fly in under my name. No radar. No flight logs. Everyone just assumes we're rich kids on a shopping trip to Paris. Simple."
"..."
The silence stretched awkwardly—until Roxxy spoke first.
"That's... actually a solid plan."
Then Toshi nodded.
"Yeah, makes sense. Sera's record is squeaky clean. No one would suspect her. Might be even more discreet."
"Where's the plane?" Mickey asked.
"Still in storage at the airport, I think. I can call and check."
"...."
"How long till takeoff?" Syd asked, now very interested.
"Let me check the time... If it doesn't rain tonight, we could probably go tonight."
Sera dialed the airport as she talked.
"I've got staff stationed there. I usually travel with friends during summer— Oh—Hello? Yeah, can we fly out tonight? I'm thinking of a quick trip with friends. Yes… Yes… Paris. Uh-huh. How long till we're ready?"
"...."
"Well?"
Roxxy asked.
"...One hour."
She turned back to them.
"In a rush?"
One hour. That was ridiculously fast.
"Nice... let's do it. Go big or go home," Syd grinned.
"One hour. Have the jet ready—we're on our way."
Sera hung up and turned back toward the group.
Clap... clap-clap... clap... clappity-clap...
The four spies broke into chaotic, mismatched applause, making it hard to tell if they were impressed or just being sarcastic.
"At last... at last our emo princess is finally useful."
"HEY!"
Sera bared her fangs at Syd.
"But the Eiffel Tower's a tourist magnet. How are we supposed to find this kid?"
Jody asked, a valid concern. Paris was flooded with tourists. The odds were slim.
"I heard she survives by pickpocketing. Might not be hard to lure her out... if we use the right kind of bait."
As Syd finished that sentence, everyone slowly turned toward Seraphina Gilmore.
The English girl froze.
"Wh-whoa, whoa—wait, what?!"
No one said anything. Not even Jody—another civilian—stood by her side. Sera knew exactly what they meant.
Five pairs of eyes stared her down like foxes eyeing a baby lamb.
"Wait! You can't! I gave you my jet already! What more do you want?! Stop! You scumbags!"
"Just one more thing."
"NO!!!!"
"We need proper bait—something that really catches a thief's eye..."
And Syd pulled out her white-and-gold Chanel handbag from behind his back.
"That's mine!!!"
Sera's eyes went wide with horror.
"What's the big deal? A bag's a bag."
"It is NOT!!! Syd!!! You thief! When did you even grab that?! Bastard!!! You disgusting little—GET YOUR FILTHY HANDS OFF MY BAG!"
Sera charged at Syd. He tossed the bag to Toshi.
"....."
She switched targets instantly, lunging after Toshi. But he lobbed it across the room into Mickey's waiting hands. The bag landed perfectly.
"Nice."
Syd laughed with satisfaction.
"You—!!!"
Fuming, Sera let go of Toshi and pivoted toward Mickey.
"MANNIX!!!"
"...Huh?"
Mickey played dumb.
"Give it BACK! And get your filthy, greasy hands off it! You're ALL disgusting! I'm gonna KILL you!!!"
Sera sprinted and leapt at Mickey, throwing her entire weight at him—anticipating another hand-off.
But it didn't happen. Mickey was actually giving it back.
Her momentum slammed right into him. He stumbled but stayed on his feet—his training held.
"Give it!!! That bag costs thousands! You creeps have no right to TOUCH it! I'm suing every last one of you!!!"
Sera snatched the bag, while Mickey stretched his arm away to keep it just out of reach.
Sadly, she had short arms. She flailed like a cat chasing a laser dot… not realizing Mickey's other arm was already around her waist.
Roxxy's cheeks turned faintly pink at the sight.
Finally, Sera regained control of her beloved Chanel... only to realize her face was now mere inches from Mickey's. Barely 10 centimeters apart.
His breath brushed her face—minty.
"...."
"...."
Realizing what was happening—
...She didn't want to admit it, but Mickey Mannix, this close up... was dangerously good-looking. Or was it beautiful? She wasn't even sure.
Sera was completely frozen under his gaze.
Mickey let her go once she calmed down. He raised his thumb and index finger from the hand still near her waist—measuring a gap.
"....."
He was clearly gauging the width of something.
"...You're... kinda thick."
"...What?!"
"Your waist is this wide."
BEEP—flatline.
Sera's face turned tomato red.
Now she knew why Mickey let her get the bag. Just to measure her waist and make fun of her.
"MANNIIIIIIIIX!!!"
SMACK!