My Scumbag System-Chapter 336: Team Alpha’s First Field Trip

The word hung in the air between us. Carmen let out a low whistle and took a strategic step backward, probably preparing to dodge the inevitable explosion.

But the explosion didn’t come.

Natalia held my gaze for a long, dangerous second. I could see the wheels turning behind her eyes, could feel the cold fury radiating off her like winter frost. The white streaks in her purple hair seemed to glow faintly, a warning sign that her power was responding to her emotions.

Then she nodded.

"Fine."

I blinked. "Fine?"

"You heard me." She stepped closer, close enough that I could smell her shampoo, feel the heat of her body despite the chill her power generated. "But tonight, you’re mine. And I expect you to have recovered your stamina by then."

Her hand found my chest, fingers pressing against the fabric of my shirt right over my heart.

"Don’t keep me waiting, Satori."

She stepped past me and continued down the hallway, hips swaying with deliberate provocation. I watched her go, equal parts relieved and terrified.

Carmen let out a breath. "Kids these days. In my day we just repressed everything until we developed an ulcer. Much healthier."

"Your day was like six years ago."

"And in those six years, I’ve developed three ulcers." She patted my shoulder with exaggerated sympathy. "Good luck surviving tonight, kiddo. You’re gonna need it."

Braxton’s office looked like a bomb had gone off in a betting parlor and nobody had bothered to clean up the debris.

Stacks of racing forms covered every horizontal surface. Cold coffee cups formed a small cityscape on his desk. Weapon parts, some of them still crusted with monster gore, lay scattered across the floor like landmines waiting to claim an unwary ankle.

The man himself sat behind his desk, synth-cigarette dangling from his lips, looking like he hadn’t slept in a week and couldn’t remember why that was supposed to be a problem.

"You look like hell," he said as I walked in.

"Thanks. So do you."

"Fair." He gestured at the chair across from him. A pile of old case files occupied the seat. "Shove those on the floor. Everyone else does."

I did, dropping into the chair with a wince that I couldn’t quite suppress. Braxton’s tired eyes caught it immediately.

"Ribs still bothering you?"

"A little."

"Liar." He held out his hand. "Give me the roster."

I handed over the datapad with Team Alpha’s composition. Braxton scrolled through it, his expression shifting from boredom to interest to something that might have been concern.

"Clockwork Arboretum," he read aloud. "C-Rank Standard. Team composition: Nakano, Kuzmina, Williams, Aoyama, Amane, Von Astrom." He looked up at me. "You sure about this, kid? You and Kuzmina took a beating in the Necropolis. Healing magic fixes the flesh, but it doesn’t fix the fatigue."

"I’m good, Braz." I leaned back in my chair, projecting confidence I mostly felt. "Better than good. I leveled up."

He snorted. "Everyone says that after their first real fight. Then they walk into a D-Rank gate with too much swagger and get their head bitten off by something that looks like a giant cockroach."

"I’ve been bitten by worse."

"Have you now?" His eyes narrowed, studying me with that lazy intensity I’d come to recognize as his tell. The man saw more than he let on. Way more. "Something’s different about you, Nakano. Can’t put my finger on it."

I shrugged. "Near-death experiences do wonders for the complexion."

"Uh-huh." He didn’t believe me, but he also didn’t push it. Instead, he pulled a pen from somewhere in the chaos of his desk and scribbled his signature on the approval line. "Fine. Mission’s greenlit. But remember: Open Season means other guilds are out there. If you run into the Sentinels..."

"Play nice?"

"Or at least don’t get caught playing dirty." He tossed the datapad back to me. "Gate opens at 1400. Bus leaves from the main terminal at 1230. Don’t be late. And for god’s sake, eat something. You look like you’ve been living off spite and energy drinks."

"Those are my two primary food groups."

Braxton almost smiled. Almost. "Get out of my office, Nakano. Some of us have important work to do."

"Like what? Picking tomorrow’s winners?"

"Like picking tomorrow’s winners." He waved me toward the door. "Now scram."

The bus stop near the main terminal served as our meeting point. When I arrived at 1200, most of Team Alpha had already gathered.

Monica stood slightly apart from the others, clutching a potted plant to her chest like a shield. She’d changed into the standard Onyx combat gear, but she looked like she was wearing a costume rather than a uniform. Nervous energy radiated off her in waves. The plant she held was a small fern, and I had a sneaking suspicion she’d found a use for the Bag of Infinite Fertilizer already.

Jacob paced back and forth, datapad in hand, muttering statistics under his breath. "...optimal pathing suggests left fork at the first junction, but if we account for random spawn variance, the probability of encounter shifts by 12.7%..."

Emi sat on a bench, humming to herself while she organized a truly impressive medical kit. When she saw me approach, her entire face lit up like I’d just made her day. "Satori! I made the protein bars! They’re crunchy but nutritious!"

"Thanks, Emi." I took one of the offered bars. It was approximately the density of a brick. "I’ll... save this for the dungeon."

And then there was Skylar.

She leaned against a lamppost, a clove cigarette burning between her fingers, looking everywhere except at me. When I walked past her, close enough that our shoulders almost touched, I caught the slight hitch in her breath. The faint flush that crept up her neck.

Our eyes met for exactly half a second.

She looked away first, taking a long drag of her cigarette.

I kept walking, hiding my smirk.

Natalia materialized at my side the moment I stopped moving. She didn’t say anything. She didn’t have to. Her presence alone announced her claim to everyone with eyes.

"Everyone here?" I asked, doing a headcount.

"Present and accounted for," Emi chirped.

"S-statistically speaking, we’re all within the designated arrival parameters," Jacob added.

Monica just nodded, her knuckles white around the pot.

Skylar blew out a stream of smoke and gave me a thumbs up without looking.

The bus rumbled into view, a modified transport vehicle designed to ferry Hunter teams to Gate sites. It was painted black with the Onyx Hounds’ logo on the side, a three-headed dog with shattered collars.

The doors hissed open.

I stepped on board first, turning to face my team.

"Alright, people." I cracked my neck, feeling the anticipation coil in my gut. "Let’s go do some gardening."