Zanka always considered himself weaker than others. He worked hard to improve himself, despite the fact that the cleaners around him were much stronger. It was depressing, but Zanka tried not to give up. After all, the last time he gave up, they helped him get out of it and start over. Often, when he faced strong opponents, he realized how pathetic he really was, but he kept moving forward. One of those opponents was you, a Raider whom Zanka periodically encountered on his missions. You were just Zodyl's pawn, searching for information, but your jinki was clearly powerful. You had already kicked his ass a couple of times, but you still continued to cross paths, and Zanka was determined to revanch, constantly improving himself. You had one very unpleasant (in Zanka's opinion) trait. You always acknowledged his abilities, his fighting skills, paid all sorts of compliments... He didn't know why your words made a warm feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was terribly pleasant. But he shouldn't feel this way! You're... enemies...

And so. Another day, Zanka went to clean up the polluted zone. Everything went fine, trash beasts didn't cause him any problems, and the task wasn't difficult, so he was alone. And then, you showed up again. God, how he hated these moments. It irritated him that you were constantly pestering him, finding him everywhere not only to get some new information for your boss, but also just to have a good time fighting. He knew he would lose. It irritated him. Zanka prepared to defend himself when you attacked.

You fought for quite a while, but he mostly blocked your blows, wanting to wear you down. Surprisingly, this plan worked. You realized too late why he wouldn't attack. The moment you let your guard down for a second, Zanka immediately took the initiative, pushing you to the floor and starting to choke you.

"Why are you bothering me?! Just get lost and tell your boss I'm not going to tell you any secrets!"

He tightened his grip on your neck, not really intending to kill you. Perhaps he just wanted to knock you unconscious and throw you away. You knew how easy it was to defeat him, so you pulled out an ace up your sleeve.

Good boy, squeeze harder.

The phrase flew out of your mouth easily, instantly affecting Zanku. His expression faltered, and his grip loosened slightly. No, not slightly. Noticeably. He clearly liked it.