Chapter 11

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Around twenty minutes later, I tidied up the black SUV as Engie assisted me at the garage. Originally, the car's interior had been left with random stuff strewn all over from the previous week's trip. But right now, everything was set and ready to go. As the Texan called his team to head into the vehicle, I realized something that I immediately signaled them not to hop in just yet.

"Guys, there is something I forgot to warn you all." I looked at all of them with worry.

"What is it, sweet cheeks? Something wrong?" Scout asked.

"Remember how I mentioned to you all that you guys are from a popular video game?" Each of the mercenaries nodded in response. "Well," I continued, "if people including gamers see you in person, they might think that you guys are cosplayers."

"Cosplayers?" Spy raised an eyebrow. "What are zhey?"

"People who dress up in costumes to represent characters." I answered.

"Zhat exists?" The Frenchman's eyes widened.

"In this world, yes." I looked at the rest of the men. "The thing is, I'm going to drive you guys to a nearby mall for some new clothes, so that you all don't need to be in your uniforms whenever we go out or something. If you guys will go to public places with those clothes on, people might give you weird looks. If I were any of you, I would remove any hats or eye-catching stuff that may draw plenty of attention. Also, do not carry any weapons with you. Some places have very tight security with metal detectors. And for you two," I pointed at both Spy and Pyro, "you might as well take off your masks. We don't want to distract or scare people along the way."

Both the Frenchman and the mysterious masked mercenary seemed hesitant since they were so used to having their identities concealed; but considering what I just said, they agreed to do it anyway.

As the entire team was removing parts of their uniforms, Pyro started to remove his gas mask. Once his identity got revealed, everyone turned their heads and finally got to see his face. Pyro was actually a fair skin toned man who looked like in his twenties, and had short red hair partially covering his olive eyes. He also had lightly freckled cheeks along with a scar that ran across his right eye, and a burn mark was exposed on the side of his neck. Despite those imperfections on his face, I frankly thought that Pyro looked cute. I mean who could resist an adorable guy with a huge love for animal plushies?

Then there was Spy's turn. The Frenchman carefully pulled off his balaclava in front of me and his team. When it was completely off, my cheeks started to heat up. I couldn't help but think how handsome Spy actually looked while being unmasked. His well-combed black hair with streaks of white on the side, his stubble cleanly shaven, and his dark eyes so alluring. All of that made him look absolutely charming. No wonder why numerous ladies fell for him.

I proceeded to check on the other mercenaries who seemed to be ready as well. Scout was wearing his baseball cap without the headphone set. Soldier had his grenade bandolier taken off, and was now exposing his short blond hair without his helmet. Demoman still had his skull-cap and eyepatch on, but he already got rid of his grenade vest. Heavy looked the same, except that he didn't wear his bullet bandolier this time. Engie only had his welding goggles, hardhat, knee pads, and tool belt removed. Medic was now in his white dress shirt and cream vest since he removed his lab coat. And Sniper chose to keep his entire uniform on except for his brown vest that held his rifle bullets.

"Hmm, it looks like we're ready to go. Hop in, everyone!"

All of the mercenaries entered the vehicle as they try to make room for each other. It was quite challenging to fit nine men in the SUV, but we managed to get them all seated. Scout, Pyro, Heavy, and Demoman occupied the back row. Medic, Sniper, Soldier, and Spy were in the middle row. And Engie decided to sit in the front passenger seat. I climbed into the SUV and turned on the ignition. As the vehicle roared to life, I finally drove out of the garage and into the streets.

Around fifteen minutes later, we reached the downtown area of (city name). The mercenaries were looking out the car windows, observing the fascinating life before them. The bustling streets were crowded with cars as people strolled by from store to store. The little children were giggling with joy as they chased each other around the fountain in the plaza. Everything around the mercenaries was much more livelier than it was in Teufort. In contrast to (city name), the fictional setting where the men came from was nothing but a barren desert. Nothing stood there but a couple of Mann Co buildings and a small western-styled town.

Occupying a space in the parking lot, we immediately climbed out as we finally feel relieved from being cramped in the vehicle. We only experienced long minutes of heavy traffic along the way, but the drive was definitely worth it since the mercenaries got to see everything that (city name) had to offer.

"So zhis is a mall?" The Frenchman questioned as he was trying to get used to being in public without his balaclava. "We don't have anyzhing like zhis back in Teufort."

"Yep! And it's a very popular one around here!" I replied as we headed for the entrance. "Many people love to visit this place because it has everything they need. Restaurants, arcades, and most importantly, clothing shops! Trust me, you guys are going to enjoy it here!"

As the double automatic doors opened, all of the men had their jaws dropped at the sight of a tremendous three-story interior. The massive mall had a very excellent structural design that roofed over the variety of retail and high-end stores with glass windows and concave painted ceilings inspired by Baroque architecture. At some parts of the building were elegant staircases and glass windowed elevators that led up to other levels from the marble flooring.

"Heavy thinks this place is wonderful!" The Russian was astounded to find himself and the others in a huge building.

"Sweet land of Liberty!" Soldier just couldn't believe the place before his eyes.

"You're very lucky to live near a place like this, darlin'". Engie gave me a smile. "We don't have anythin' very grand in Teufort."

"How magnifique..." Spy studied every detail of the interior before looking at me. "No wonder you told me zhat a lot of people love to come here."

"Oh yes. This place is considered a must-go tourist spot for picture taking and such!" I pointed to a random couple who were taking selfies near a quaint ornate fountain. "Even a perfect spot for couples to go on dates!"

(Third Person P.O.V.)

Spy took the time to look around his surroundings as (Y/N) and the other men approached the ten-foot tall gilded structure. Watching Pyro playfully splashing a bit of water on the lady who laughed and started chasing him around the fountain, the Frenchman chuckled to himself.

"Someday, I vill take her here on a date." He thought as he still had his eyes on (Y/N). "I'm pretty sure zhat ma chérie will love it..." The Frenchman was lost in his thoughts until he heard someone calling his name.

"Spy! Come over here!" (Y/N) was waving her hand. "We're going to take a group picture!"

The suit-clad Spy snapped back to reality as he walked over to the fountain where the girl and other mercenaries were standing. They gathered up together and made various poses as (Y/N) snapped a couple of pictures using her smartphone. From there, they proceeded through the three-story hallway to find any clothing shops they might like. This was going to be a blast.

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