[-and for those reasons, the construction of Vanguard will proceed smoothly for the upcoming-]
"What a load of crap."
A faint crunch followed by a pop sounded from the can Ross opened with his calloused hands. As the yellow foam began to spill out, he quickly brought it to his mouth and took some gulps.
"What are you talking about?" Glenn turned to him with furrowed brows. "Isn’t this good news?"
"Idiot." Ross turned to him with disgust warping his face. "They have been at it since you were in your dad’s shriveled ballsack. You think they’ll ever get it done?"
Leaning away from him, the office worker’s frown deepened even more.
"Well, it has to be done at some point."
"They built a goddamn city on the moon in half the time!" Clicking his tongue, the maintenance worker turned back to his drink. "Give it a couple of months. They will find another excuse to pause the whole thing."
As he raised the can to his mouth, Nobara climbed on her stool and placed a plate with several types of snacks in front of them.
"Don’t listen to him." She said. "He’s just salty about losing his old job."
The remark stabbed Ross straight in the gut, causing him to choke on his drink.
"The hell...do you mean... you old... hag..."
He tried to glare at her, but his teary eyes only earned him a smug grin.
"Weren’t you the one bragging about how good working on it was, and how you won’t be out of a job for years?"
"Yeah," suppressing a cough, Ross drank some more and finally calmed down. "Then they went and paused the whole thing after only three months. They did it again a year later!"
"It’s a massive project," Glenn said. "Of course it’ll get paused from time to time."
"They should plan the goddamn thing so it doesn’t!"
Just as the maintenance worker slammed his can on the counter, the door slid open and the gentle chime sounded through the mostly empty shop.
"What’s with the ruckus?" Jonah took his cap as he came in. "Did you get fired again?"
"Hah! I would be crying if that were the case."
Nobara let out a chuckle then turned to the old officer as he took his usual seat.
"Yeah, too much work and very little help." He glanced at the seat beside him. "Did Dante come by?"
"The boy ate a bit early today." Placing a class of water in front of him, the old cook grinned. "He’s having girl problems."
All eyes turned to her simultaneously.
"Are you serious, grandma?" Ross asked.
"You should’ve seen him." Nobara let out a chuckle. "The boy hadn’t slept a wink."
"Guess he’s finally growing up." Jonah spaced out with a smile. Closing his eyes, he then rested his arms on the counter and looked up. "I think I will have some fried rice today."
"Alright, give me a minute."
The old cook jumped down and landed nimbly on the floor. As he watched her leave for the kitchen, the old office noticed Glenn hanging his head.
The office worker heaved a long sigh.
"When will I meet someone special..."
"When you stop being so cheap and go out more," Ross said bluntly.
"If you went out less, you wouldn’t be so broke." Glenn shot back right away.
Jonah ignored the bickering and turned his sight to the TV hanging in the corner. The last news segment had just ended, and a new one was starting.
[Once again, the products bearing the mark of the notorious villain known as The Alchemist are circulating through the streets of No-Vatra.] The beautiful news anchor spoke with a grave expression. An image appeared next to her showing a simplified logo of a black crow carrying a test tube in its beak. [This comes after a month of inactivity following the authorities’ successful raid on one of the villain’s production facilities, which resulted in the seizure of a wide range of equipment in addition to large amounts of restricted substances. Unfortunately, the villain has escaped justice and is now back to spreading his poison to unsuspecting victims. We urge citizens to avoid any products that bear the crow’s mark as-]
At some point, Ross and Glenn turned their attention to the news, both listening in silence. While the office worker’s expression remained neutral, the maintenance guy’s face was twisted with disgust. The can in his hand bent as he squeezed it unintentionally.
"Again with that?" Heaving a sigh, Glenn shook his head.
"Don’t tell me you’re buying it?" Ross turned to him with a glare, making the office worker snort.
"I can ask you the same question."
"He’s literally selling the exact same thing for a fraction of the price!"
"Since when were counterfeits the same as the original?" Glenn chuckled. "Do you seriously believe that the stuff some guy made in the sewers is on the same level as the products of an international corporation?"
"If some guy can make it in the sewers then it doesn’t have to be so goddamn expensive!" Ross slammed the counter. "You don’t need to be a genius to see it. They jack the prices up to three hundred times what it takes to make a single pack! The only reason they’re making a big fuss about it is because people now have a cheaper option!"
"This isn’t the same as buying a pair of shoes! You can’t make do with counterfeit drugs!"
Unlike their previous squabble, the tension continued to rise with each argument thrown. It quickly escalated to a shouting match, that was when Jonah decided to intervene.
"Ross, you aren’t giving Ellie that stuff, are you?"
Silence enveloped the shop in an instant. The officer’s expression darkened as he awaited a reply. Ross met his judgmental eyes then slowly averted his gaze, his teeth gritted.
"I... I didn’t..." He said, his voice dripping with pain and suppressed rage. "I give her the original. Always. I... I get the cheap stuff for myself."
Glenn’s eyes widened and his lips parted, but no words came out. Looking away, he lowered his head and kept his silence.
"Even if his product is exactly the same as the original, the man is still a criminal," Jonah said. "How do you think he’s financing this charity he’s running?"
"I..." Understanding what he was alluding to, Ross could only hang his head.
"I’m off duty right now so I will pretend I didn’t hear anything." Turning away, the officer picked his cup. "If you need help, just ask and we will see what we can do. I don’t want you anywhere near that stuff again, got it?"