Lirzod pressed his lips harder and cocked his head forward. Wait, how do they know my name?
“Hehe,” Younger Darling snickered. “The cashews were good, so we’ll treat you good as well. You can come out.” The brothers exchanged glances and smiles, and it was too plain to see they didn’t mean what they said.
“I gave you a lot more valuable food than what I took from you two, did I not?” Lirzod's voice was loud enough to reach their ears.
“Huh? What are you talking about? You hurt our men and expect us to let you go for just giving a small packet of cashews?” Younger Darling waved his hand.
“Well, those cashews were damn good than the regular cashews, but still,” Elder Darling said, “they are simply not enough.”
Lirzod didn’t know what to say.
“Maybe, if you give a hundred of those,” Younger Darling glanced at his brother before he continued, “we might consider forgiving you after you also deeply apologize that is.”
Lirzod frowned. Deeply apologize for what? For not serving you pricks when I’m not at all obligated to?
“Your time is over,” Elder Darling stepped ahead with a frosty look.
A line etched between Lirzod's brows before he shook his head and stepped to the side, revealing himself. “Hundred is out of the option.”
The Darling Twins both froze in their places—their postures humped, and necks bent forward. He is! A tingling sensation spread throughout their chests.
“I can give another one if you want. That’s the best I can do,” While maintaining eye contact with them, Lirzod bent to the side and pulled out an almond packet from the shelf and walked out of the room.
Their hearts drummed, and worry gnawed their visages as he stepped closer, making them step back reflexively.
“However,” oblivious to what the Darling Twins were experiencing, Lirzod continued his speech, “you both must also promise me to show the way to… what’s that, test hall? Is the deal okay?”
The brothers exchanged glances before hesitantly nodding, only just a little.
Lirzod was elated but in a controlled manner. It worked! Hehe, I thought I was bad, but these guys are even worse at bargaining. He tossed the packet to them, then locked the room without wasting another minute.
The brothers murmured to themselves. “Is he Lirzod?” Younger Darling frowned.
“I don’t know! Let’s just ask him,” Elder Darling approached Lirzod, “Ahem, are you—”
As he was about to ask, Lirzod went to Sariyu’s room and knocked on the door twice. “Hey, I’m heading to the test hall. Want to tag along?”
Two seconds later, the reply came, “No, but when you come back, tell me about it.”
The brothers exchanged glances in astonishment.
Lirzod glanced over his shoulder at the two. “Shall we go?”
“Ye-yes, sure.” Younger Darling was quick to respond as he hurriedly got to Lirzod's behind. Seeing that, his brother’s mouth snapped shut, and he cut the distance between them at his own pace.
“How far is the Test Hall?” Lirzod casually asked.
“It’s just eight blocks away.”
“Oh. It takes some time then,” Lirzod took out some nuts from his pockets and tossed them into his mouth one by one.
“Uh…” Younger Darling plastered on a smile and asked tentatively, “Do you know the girl next door?”
Lirzod paused a moment. “You mean Madam Mustache?”
“Madam Mustache?” Younger Brother’s face warped into an ugly mess. “You were talking about the girl you just interacted with, right?”
“Yeah,” Lirzod replied as he did his best to suppress himself from laughing.
“Madame Mustache…” Younger Darling blinked three times. “But she didn’t seem to have any mustache.”
“Because she shaved it away,” Lirzod said and paused a moment, “or should I say scissored it away?”
Younger Darling’s nose crinkled, and throat burned. What? With all speed, he took a few steps back and stopped beside his brother. “I’ve changed my mind, brother.”
“About what?”
“About that girl… you can propose to her first.”
“Oh, why the sudden change?”
“Just felt like doing it,” Younger Darling’s gaze laid on the cashew packet in his brother’s hand. “In return, I’ll be taking this!” He tried to snatch it but miserably failed.
“Once the toss is done, the result must be respected,” Elder Darling let out a playful grin.
Younger Darling’s eyes bulged, and he hid his face at breakneck speed. So he heard us.
“You are a hundred years too young to fool me,” Elder Darling let out a booming laugh.
“Ten is already far enough, but a hundred now?” Younger Darling couldn’t come up with a reply.
Meanwhile, Lirzod looked around and found literally nobody on the street. “We are going in the correct path, right?”
“Yes,” the brothers replied in unison and reduced the distance between them and him.
"Why isn't there a single soul roaming outside?”
“Uh, sometimes they all go to work.”
“Work? I was expecting to find a beauty or two, but…” Lirzod kind of got a bit impatient, “At this rate, I might not be able to peacefully sleep anytime soon.”
At that moment, he saw the entrance to a large room, which grabbed his attention. Since the door was open, he stopped right at it and looked inside. He could see many males sharing it. “Why are so many people sharing this room?”
“These dorms are for hollows who work for the ship,” Younger Darling said. “You can find booth owners, wipers, offsiders, and many more kinds inside. If you are looking for a good companion, you can find them here.”
“Companion? Let’s have a look then,” Lirzod entered the room at double-quick speed.
Unlike the single rooms that were given to the entries, this dorm was almost a hundred times bigger, and there were hundreds of layered beds, each of which could be used by multiple hollows. Seeing Lirzod being backed by two hulking men, the hollows got their full attention on him.
Whenever Lirzod's gaze met with someone else’s gaze, they showered a fake smile, and Lirzod was forced to smile in return. He averted his eyes from the stares and avoided eye contact. I’m looking for beauties, but what’s with these mustaches and beards? There aren’t even any babyfaces. What should I do? I’m looking for ones my age, but I also fear the lack of these big men would ruin this whole journey. Without them, there’s no competition, but there seems to be only men in here. This strange feeling is haunting me on this ship as well? He took a deep breath and attempted to look at some others. Every person his eyes laid upon happened to be males with either beards or mustaches. Some of them were shirtless, whereas some others were just on innerwear. Given how carefreely those men were living, it was kind of obvious to Lirzod that there would be no girls anywhere around.
"Are you looking for someone?" one of the hollows dared to approach him.
"Yes, where are the girl’s dorms?" Lirzod hurriedly asked in anticipation.
That guy paused a moment and tried to best to not laugh. "Only decks above number hundred have nonempty female dorms where you could go and pick an offsider."
"Which deck are we on now?" Lirzod asked.
The guy knitted his brows. "Tenth deck."
Lirzod smiled faintly. “I thought so, too, but was just confirming, that’s all.”
“Oh, it’s alright,” the guy controlled his anger because of the two men standing behind the boy.
"What do you think about the hundredth deck?" Lirzod asked, “how can I go there?”
"Definitely not by a staircase," the guy laughed, and a second later, he immediately shut his mouth and subtly stared at the two hulking men that stood behind Lirzod.
The cold stares of the brothers didn’t just give him chills but almost made him wet his pants.
“I’m so sorry! Please forgive me,” he tried to touch Lirzod's feet, but Lirzod moved back a couple of steps. “I really didn’t mean it. I was just…” he began to slap himself many times over. “I’m a fool. Yes, I deserve this.”
“What the heck are you doing?” Lirzod walked past him, and so did the brothers.
Seeing them ignore him, the kneeling man felt relieved, but just then, he realized that something was wrong, and when he looked down at his pants, he realized what had happened.
“If there are no girls dorms on this deck, it’s a waste to roam here,” Lirzod told himself before looking at the brothers. “Shall we head to the test hall?”
“Y-Yeah, sure,” they replied simultaneously, but then glanced at each other. Weren’t we already doing that?
As he walked out, Lirzod kept daydreaming. I will finish these decks quickly, so I can get to know the girls in the hundredth deck and above. I can't wait to pinch or plant a kiss or two on their cheeks. Just by imagining things, he began to laugh to himself in elation, which puzzled the brothers.
“What’s he thinking about?” they could only have a guess among themselves.
After finding enough strength, Elder Darling approached Lirzod and asked, “Can you tell me how you know that Stussy?”
“Oh, Snow White?” Lirzod took no time to reply. “She’s my future wife candidate.” Saying that he rubbed his nose.
The brothers, however, had their hearts sink into their stomachs and watched him with an incredulous stare.
Elder Darling turned to his brother and murmured, “It’s great that we didn’t fight with him. Otherwise, our bodies would have ended up floating on the sea.”
Younger Darling controlled his heartbeat. Neither of the brothers would dare to look in Stussy’s eyes. Even many bigwigs on the ship wouldn’t try their luck doing that either; however, this boy with yellowish copper had a decent conversation with her, and she let him go even after he burned the haystack. “Just who’s this boy?” Bafflement appeared on the Younger Darling’s face. “He only recently boarded the ship, so how does he even know her? Is he a Shambalese? No, that’s not possible either. His dressing style isn’t too luxurious either, so he’s not some rich kid. Just what attracted her to him?”
“Don’t you know of the saying that ‘Love is blind,’” Elder Darling said in a downturned mouth. “Maybe that’s what started their relationship.”
“Then why doesn’t anyone love us?” Younger Darling got frustrated to the core. “Most girls just shoot through our hearts whenever we propose to them.”
“Take it easy, or you might end up settling in Bachelor’s Street,” Elder Darling consoled him.
As they walked through many corridors, most people who saw Lirzod were alarmed.
“Who’s that one? Why are Darling Twins acting as his bodyguards?”
“He must be a major.”
“But he’s too young.”
“So what? Look at the scar on his face. He’s definitely not new to battle. Who knows, he might just be the real deal?”
Men chattered among themselves as Lirzod walked the streets.
Two men in turtle helmets were especially left in shock after seeing Lirzod.
“Hey, isn’t that the guy from before?”
“Yeah. He is. Go and inform our boss about this.”
Though it seemed like Lirzod just came out for some air, different people deduced differently about the incident thanks to the two husky men that followed him as if they were his bodyguards.
“About the test hall…” Lirzod spoke after a long time. “Can you guys tell me what kind of tests will be there?”
Younger Darling glanced at his brother, but he got pushed forward instead. "Tenth Deck is also called the Deck of Running,” Younger Darling uttered from behind. “ To get allowed entrance into the eleventh deck, one must pass the hundred-meter run in less than twelve seconds.”
“Oh, sounds simple,” Lirzod felt a lot better after knowing the test. “Will there be a space for warming up, or...”
“No, you won't be given any place to practice running in the hall. If you fail, you can again participate in the event as many times as you want until you win. If you win, you get to go to the eleventh deck. In the upper decks, you might get to practice and do many more things in their test halls itself. For this deck, however, you need to visit the mock hall if you want to practice the run.”
“Oh, sounds flexible enough.”
“Hmm. However, in case you come down from the eleventh to the tenth deck, you will have to take part in the test again.”
“What?” Lirzod stopped, and his posture stiffened. “Does that apply to all decks?”
“No, this rule applies only to decks whose number ends with zero.”
“Oh, then it’s fine,” Lirzod resumed walking. “What about the rewards for finishing the tests?”
“Finishing the test doesn't explicitly reward you with anything.”
“What? Will there at least be female referees for the test?” Lirzod's voice was hopeful, but the silence of Younger Darling made his expression gloomy. His spine bent forward a bit, and his hands dangled in the air. “Twelve-second sprint, and yet nobody to cheer... How can one get motivated?“
Before long, the three of them got close enough to the test hall.
When they reached a junction and were a few hundred meters away to the destination, Elder Darling said, “we’ll stop here.”
“Sure. That’s the test hall, right?” Lirzod pointed toward an entrance of a room and asked again to confirm.
“Yes. Then we’ll be going.”
“Yeah, thanks for your time.”
From there, Lirzod went straight while the brothers took the left turn.
“What should we do now?” Younger Darling felt a bit uneasy. “We didn’t finish our task. If we go like this, there’s no saying how they’ll respond.”
“Let’s just tell them what we saw, and then we’ll see how it goes,” Elder Darling said as he finally opened the almond packet he held for so long. Instead of giving some to his brother, he kept on eating them all by himself.
“Where’s my share?” Younger Darling fumed.
“No share this time,” a casual reply came in return.
“What? Why?” Younger Darling glared at his brother.
“This is your punishment for trying to pull a trick on me regarding that Madam Mustache.”
Younger Darling frowned. All he could do was grit his teeth and swallow all the drool oozing out of his tongue at incredible rates, but he still couldn’t take his eyes off of the almonds.
Chapter Length: 2400+ wordsDaily Dose: A child needs to be in the parent's arms to feel safe, but as the child grows up, he or she has to find another way, for they'll be a bit too heavy for any adult to lift, let alone carry around for long. However, all children will eventually realize that they were always being protected no matter whether they were in someone's arms or not, by the same people since birth, the bodyguards that work for free and even give their life if need be, their lovers, their guardians, their own flesh and blood, their parents. And when a son or a daughter grasps that there are no better bodyguards than their parents and appreciate them, that may very well be the day when they begin to cleanse their hearts and conquer their fears.
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