Scum of the Brave (勇者のクズ)

Partway through the 21st century,

the mafiosi who ruled the underworld became "Dark Lords."

And the bounty hunters who would slay these Dark Lords?

They are known as...

the heroic Braves!

Broke again.

Dammit, if only they hadn't found me at that last hotel...

If I can't find a gig before the end of the month,

I won't be able to afford this room.

Should I try and sell off the extra E3 I have?

No!

Illegal

Or I could take a hit job from a random Dark Lord...

Absolutely not!

Illegal

Yashiro-san

You coming today?

Well, no sense sulking around here.

Guess I'll head to Ed's and see what's available.

Scum of the Brave

A Brave's Errands

Master!

Jogamine Aki

Brave in Training

Why are you here?

Oh, that's so mean.

Not you, her!

HER

I told you not to come back again!

I invited her.

You wanna die?!

Ishino the Musician

Hobby: Recording Death Cries

Don't worry, Master!

Your assorted harsh words from the other day—

Go home. Leave!

Flunk out already!

We have accepted them all as trials!

I, Jogamine, am prepared to come call upon you

until you accept me as your apprentice!

Ignore her.

I actually have a job for Jogamine-san,

related to her encounter with the Count of Amber Thorns.

You're actually looking into that?

And I accepted, in order to pay my monthly tuition!

Considering she can read people's minds...

She might be able to find something about that weird regeneration power.

Interested?

Hell no, leave me out of it.

Hey, Yashiro-san, you've been off your game lately.

Are you losing your edge with Malta-san being gone?

That's rich, coming from a joke of a swordsman like you.

Excuse me, who is Malta-san? A woman?

You wanna hit up the dojo so I can kick your ass?

Unfortunately, I have a job that needs attending to.

Could you please answer me, Master?!

Shut up! Go home!

I will not!

Hey, Ed!

Throw this noisy kid out!

You're noisier.

And if you're not gonna order, go home.

Fine then.

Now, wait a second, Yashiro-san.

Can you serve as Jogamine-san's bodyguard during her investigation?

Why in the hell would I?

For 115,000 yen.

The exact amount you owe me after losing at cards.

Since I need to do some shopping for this job,

I really need you to pay it back right now...

Then again, if you help me out with this,

I suppose I could call us even...

Sorry. Don't have the cash on me.

Then how about some of your cards as collateral?

Four copies of "Assault of the Mountain Infantry" should cover it.

This blows.

Master?

What do you think of my disguise?!

Sara picked it out for me!

Oh, the delinquent princess?

It's less that she's a delinquent...

Oh, never mind.

But seriously, what do you think of the disguise?

I guess it works?

Not that I care.

Thank you!

Your disguise is great too!

You give off the exact impression of a hoodlum with no prospects!

Are you trying to start something?

Well, whatever.

Let's get in there and take care of this, quick.

Right! Leave it to me!

I hate working.

Today at 9PM at a club in Shinjuku,

Matsugi—the peeping tom—will provide you with some E3.

When that happens, Jogamine-san will ask a certain question.

What question?

That is something for you to look forward to.

Hey, you okay with using E3 for an errand like this?

Yes!

If it's to further our mission of public order,

we are allowed to utilize it at our discretion.

I see.

And that leads to more junkies.

It's fine, it's fine!

Everybody's doing it.

Master, those people...

Yeah, they're using, too.

The feeling of excitement that comes from using E3 can become addictive.

It costs an arm and a leg,

but there are still people who use it recreationally.

Hey, c'mon, don't stick your neck into unnecessary trouble.

They might even be in the same business as us.

Granted, I mostly just wanna get home unaccosted...

Wait, she can hear me, right?

What's your problem?

You drunk off of ginger ale?

No. My ether perception...

I'm able to sense other people's thoughts as they surface in their minds.

But in a crowd like this...

It's hard to tune into a specific channel.

Not to worry! I'll be fine after a bit of rest!

Me, worry?

You oughta read my mind.

I think you deserve it.

You really do...

You're a sadist. How perverted.

Huh?

It's Yashiro!

I heard I was meeting with a girl.

So, who is she? Your girlfriend?

Absolutely not.

No, although I don't mind the misunderstanding!

It's nice to meet you. My name is Jogamine!

I'm Master's first—

This is Ishino's gofer.

She's real stupid, so I have to babysit her.

That's cute.

Want some candy?

Candy?

Come on, we're in a rush.

I'd rather we settle this smooth and quick.

Sure, sure.

Here you go. Nine doses.

Indeed, it is!

Oh, also...

I'm not sure why,

but Ishino-san asked me to ask you a question.

Yeah?

Sure.

Do you happen to have any E4 for sale?

E4? What's that?

Some kind of codeword?

I dunno. Don't ask me.

In that case, it's quite all right!

Well, I'm off.

Sure.

Oh... Jogamine was your name, right?

Yes!

You really should stop working for that four-eyes.

Did you read his mind just now?

Yes, perfectly.

The second I posed the question, his animosity—

no, more like suspicion?

His suspicion of us became very strong.

It's hard to explain, but I think...

Nah, don't bother.

I'm just here as an escort.

You can give Ishino all the details.

Right!

I guess that's this job taken care of.

I see...

Then, I'll be on my way!

I'm a bit curious about that group we saw before, so if you'll excuse me!

Hey!