Nomanalive

Chapter 354: It’s The Money.

Chapter 354: It’s The Money.

"Hey, Dante... are you sure we can shop here?"

"Chill, I already got this taken care of."

Finn was one massive lump of stress, hiding behind Tomato Head as they stood at the entrance of the shop. The two of them looked out of place even before entering the building, but after arriving at the higher floors and entering one of the hops there, the boy was convinced that they didn’t belong there.

The staff’s reaction only served to cement that conclusion. The assistant waiting at the entrance took one look at them and wiped the smile off his face. A moment later, he wore another one before walking over with quick steps.

"Excuse me, sir, are you lost?" Said the smartly dressed man. "We do not sell street-"

"Yeah yeah, cut the bullshit." Tomato Head held up a hand and cut him off. "We already placed the orders and paid to cut the line. We’re here for the fitting."

"O-oh, is that so?"

The shock on the assistant’s face was priceless. After a brief silence during which he checked the order, the smartly dressed man quickly switched his demeanor and bowed his head.

"My sincerest apologies, Sir, it seems I have rushed in making my judgement."

Dante just ignored him and passed through.

"While we’re here, we should get one or two more. It’s always good to have spares."

It took Finn a few seconds to realize that part was meant for him. Still hesitant, he glanced at the assistant one more time before hurrying after Dante.

~[ ]~

"You need a haircut."

That was the first thing Tomato Head said once Finn tried his first suit. Apparently, he still looked like a street rat even while wearing something fancy, so once they got their orders, they went to a nearby salon.

Same as before, they didn’t receive a warm welcome upon their arrival, and just like before, Tomato Head shut them up with a few words and got exactly what he wanted. That’s right. He got what he wanted.

Finn had always kept his hair a little long to hide his MLP, but Tomato Head had the stylist cut most of it, leaving him with a low fade. Fear was the only thing the boy felt while watching his hair fall to the floor, but by the end of it, he felt so refreshed that all the complaints he had saved vanished from his mind.

Tomato Head got himself a haircut as well. Finn noticed that the stylists were treating them much better than before, and when he mentioned it on their way out, he learned that Tomato Head had left a rather generous tip.

"It’s the money." That was the answer he gave when the boy asked him how he could just waltz into those places without having to worry about anything. "The only reason you would get treated badly is if you don’t have money, so all you have to do is show them that you’re loaded."

Turns out he had gone with the most expensive options at each store and left big tips when the option was available. He did the same when they went to the shoe store next, but that only added to Finn’s confusion.

The heist had an insane payout, so he undoubtedly had the money to spare, but that wouldn’t automatically make him so good at dealing with the aspects of life that had always been gatekept by the wealthy.

It was only after they were done with everything that the boy realized his impression of Tomato Head might have been off the mark. The impression Finn got from their first meeting was that he was just another thug, and even after learning that he was capable of a lot more, including killing a bunch of superheroes, that impression persisted.

The conversation he had with Vik added a lot more to the mysteries surrounding the red-haired youth, and the shopping trip caused Finn’s curiosity to grow. Unfortunately, he was barred from asking direct questions. One of the rules they had was that he must be careful of which questions to ask and to know which things he must keep to himself.

That left him with no choice but to come up with theories in his mind and alter them based on the new info he occasionally comes across. Right now, his leading theory is that Tomato Head was the son of some rich family who lost everything because of the world’s most powerful superhero.

~[ ]~

"Whoaaaa!!!!"

Caught by a pair of sparkling emerald-green eyes, Finn staggered back. He had just entered the Bowl of Fortune, which had a "CLOSED" sign hanging on its door, and immediately came face to face with a certain green-haired girl

Her face lit up with excitement when she caught sight of him. She rushed over with light steps and began touring around him, continuously gasping and squealing. Finally stopping, he gave him a big smile, her cheeks flushed.

"Finn! You look so handsome!"

"R-really?"

The intense reaction was a bit much, but he felt a little happy to receive such a compliment. It was his first time wearing any suit, let alone an expensive one. He was worried that his lack of build would ruin everything, but it seems the workers at the shop knew how to handle the problem, and he turned out better than he could’ve dreamed of.

His suit was charcoal gray, coupled with a white button-up shirt. The tie was on the lighter side, and though it made it a little hard to breathe, he resisted the urge to loosen it a little.

"So you can dress up if you try." The sweet voice sent a jolt down his back.

Straightening up, Finn looked to his left and was met by a magnificent sight. A young woman was walking toward him, wearing a dark blue halter dress that reached slightly above her knees, exposing her lender legs and shoulders. Her light blue hair, usually gathered in a bun while she worked, cascaded down her back.

When he saw her smile, his heart skipped a beat, and his face heated up. He had thought that the time they spent together helped him grow a tolerance for her beauty, but as it turned out, all it took was for her to dress up and put on some make up and he would be pushed back to square one.