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Part 2

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“It’s so hard to find you. I thought you already ignored us!” Miranda came to me at full speed. As she stood in front of me, I gave her a cold blank stare.

“What do you want?” I hissed a little at her. Elly too took the same stance as I did and repeated my words. Guessed she hated to be interrupted too.

“I-I…”

I did not let her finish her words. I did not want to do anything with her, and most likely, them too. “Come, Elly. Let’s go somewhere else.” I immediately turned my back but Miranda’s held the sleeves of my robe.

“P-Please, Ghost. Please listen…” I turned my face and looked sternly at her. She shrieked a little and let go of me immediately. But she wouldn’t be back down just yet.

“W-We need your help.” And I guessed right, after all.

“Not interested! Find someone else.” I snorted in disgust. I am not their lackeys. Who did they think I was? Finding me when it only suited their needs and whatnots.

“B-But it must be you!” I just shrugged my shoulder and left her. Taking Elly’s hand with me, I took my leave.

“T-this is about Sophia.” When Miranda mentioned that name, I instinctively froze on my track.

“What about her?” I asked with a cold voice.

“I don’t know… b-but she… is… quitting the game.” Miranda told me amidst her tears falling from her cheeks. Did I just see a PC cry? Man, that was new. But I was still adamant about my position. I immediately told Miranda off.

“Not my problem. She is your party and guild member, so she’s your problem. Not mine.”

“Ghost… please help us. Help her…”

“Look. I don’t need all the dramas. If she wants to quit, who am I to tell her otherwise. Players come and go.”

“I-I never thought you were so heartless. Sophia was wrong about you!” Miranda’s high-pitched voice attracted some other players around. And with it, came the complimentary murmurs from the passersby. People, no matter where they were would always be nosy about other’s business; voices that called me a jerk, arsehole and many more came my way. To them, this must be one of those lover quarrels. Seeing Elly at my side, I must have jilted my other lover, called ‘Sophia’. And to make the matter more interesting, some even suggested that Miranda too loved me. Heh, if they were going to role-play that nonsense, I might as well lap it up a few more notches.

“So? I had always been looked at wrongly by others. Nothing new.” Crossing my arm, I looked at Miranda with a poker face.

“So, you would leave a girl all by herself knowing that you could at least try to ease her a little? You are such a jerk!!”

And her words got the onlookers moving and now they were booing at me.

“Oi, arsehole?! Whatcha doin’ to cuties like her?”

“He is a jerk alright! How could he do such a thing?!”

“If you have too many women on your side, pass us folks a few. We are buddies, right?”

Whatever insult, taunt, name-calling and goading came my way, I ignored all of them. They were nobodies. Those ‘peanut gallery’ people ain’t worth my trouble. But Miranda was different. Focusing my ire, I walked to her.

“What did you say, bitch?” I stopped short of grabbing her face. I could have just ignored her and went on about my other activities but I could somehow not let this go just yet. Using Sophia’s name – the most likeable of the trios to me – and then calling me a jerk was unneeded. I was supposed to have a choice of not doing anything for them.

“S-Sophia has always looked up upon you. Saying that you are the nicest guy around and she always feels safe with you. And now… y-you are leaving her… like this?”

Was Sophia drunk or something? Me, being the nicest guy around? Whatever grass that Sophia smoked, I might want some of it too. I could not help but not laugh out loud at the stupid notion.

I was not a nice person. Never known as one either. And I told Miranda exactly just that. “I don’t like you guys, that’s all. Sure, we partied together but I was mistaken to expect anything from random players.”

“Ghost. I don’t mind you hated us, but please not Sophia. S-She really… please…”

Suddenly, Elly grabbed my shoulder and nodded at me. And from her looks, she seemed like she too wanted me to help Sophia. How could an NPC behaved like this anyway?

Sigh…

Everyone was looking at us and now I looked like the proper bad guy here. They thought it was a love triangle of sorts and there was no way for them to think otherwise. Though I did not mind much, if I just leave Miranda here, I got the feeling that she would pester me nonstop until she got what she wanted. And to use the crowd to her advantage too. Besides, among those three, Sophia was still likeable. Shaking my head a couple of time, I let out yet another deep and long sigh. So much of trying to be emotionless prick and having a poker face at that too.

“Alright, alright. If this could get you people off my back once and for all, then fine. Show me the way and let’s get it done with.”

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