Harassing Thief Girl Chapter 76

“As I thought, our bath is number one in feeling good right!”
Claire was talking like a drunkard while chewing on watercakes and having her whole body float on top of the water as if she were in a pool .

The five of them had returned to Warren earlier, but because the sun was already about to set, they had a light supper at the city’s center and made it home a little after the public bath had closed . They were able to time it perfectly so that they could immediately jump in after parking the cart .

“The trip this time was pretty long wasn’t it?”
Frau was sitting in her usual spot in the half-bath, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s floating on the water’s surface .

“I know its bad timing with how tired everyone is, but I’d like to take a drawing to the Workshop Guild tomorrow nya . ”
Katie couldn’t help but be concerned about the new building she was going to give to her friends .

“Well, with the men’s street and Cross Town still being built, things are going to start being busy again tomorrow . ”
Three of the girls each nodded their heads before simultaneously sighing at the somber truth to Ellis’s words . The fifth one wasn’t paying attention and stood next to the bath fully naked . And so the opera was on .

Everyone was exhausted from the long trip, but Ellis wasn’t going to allow a small detail like that from interrupting her nightly fun . The only question was, who goes first?
“Reeve, you sang really well today in the bath . ”
“Ah Mistress, it was fun singing after such a long time . ”
“By the way, Reeve, you didn’t say anything during our talks about tomorrow’s schedule . Were you paying attention?”
“Um…………sorry . I wasn’t . ”
“Such a stupid toy is going to have to be punished . ”
“Mistress, please forgive me, forgive me, forgive…………… . Ah”
Ellis and Reeve were then able to successfully create several new types of hymnals .

“Hey Frau, you, when that Minotaur golem hit you, it must have hurt . ”
“That’s not true Ellis, it didn’t bother me at all . ”
“Hmph . I don’t believe you . You’re a perverted pig women . You got hit on purpose just you could show off to everyone how much you like getting hit . ”
“That’s not true, forgive me, I’m Ellis’s pig woman . I’ll apologize as many time as it takes, so forgive me . ”
“Hm, I won’t . Instead, I’ll do this . ”
“Ah, that’s…… . ”
Ellis and Frau were able to come up with a few variations to their games thanks to the one-on-one fight incident .

“Did your father’s heart sound like this? Claire?”
“No, it was bigger and louder, but I like Ellis’s chest more . ”
“Pretty Claire, I’ll treat you gently tonight too . ”

“My favorite Ellis, please softly bully me tonight like always . ”
“Good girl . ”
“Ahn………I love you…… . . ”
Ellis and Claire were able to come up with a few variations to their games thanks to the parent-child confrontation incident .

“Katie, you, those men called you pretty, and then you went nya on them after following them into the alley right?”
“Yes, what’s wrong with that?”
“If so, then does that mean that Katie will follow any man who calls you pretty?”
“Ellis, there is no way nya! I will always be Ellis’s pet nya!”
“Katie, then I’ll pretend to be a good pet-owner . Now, how’s right here?”
“Ellis! Eli-cruel nyan . Nyan . Ny-”
Ellis and Katie were able to come up with a few variations to their games thanks to the extortion incident .

And then once the sun rose as morning broke, all five girls woke up feeling refreshed and ready for a new day .

The girls decided to have a light breakfast that day using up some of the ingredients left over from the trip while confirming each others’ schedules .
Katie and Claire would go together towards the Workshop Guild to put in another store order, this time for the steamed food shop that Mati and Labra would be running . While they were there, they were to confirm the progress on the manju shop, boutique, and cafe that Ellis had issued loans for .
Reeve would be checking in on Hanna, Ken, Aiful, and Credia to make sure everything was still working fine at the teahouse and cake shop . Afterwards, she would be heading off to the Merchant Guild to confirm the current state of the live house and exchange information with Maria .
Meanwhile Ellis and Frau would report to the Adventurer’s Guild about the results of their trip . They would then report to the Thieves’ Guild to find out how the management of the males-only part of town was going .

“Everyone should eat out in the city for lunch today, but we will all meet back up here for dinner . ”

Everyone nodded their heads towards Ellis’s final confirmation before each heading out in separate directions .

The first stop was the Adventurer’s Guild .
Ellis and Frau kept their report on the matter at hand, informing Theseus about their meeting with the princ.i.p.al and the lack of clear answers on what type of magics were used at the end of the raid on Warren . They did however make sure to add that Ares and Izerina had stayed behind in Wisdom to continue collecting information .

“Hoh, how were Ares and Izerina doing?”
Theseus was actually friends with the couple from long before they had been sent to Wisdom .

“Uncle Ares had a magical contest with Claire, and she kicked his a.s.s . ”
Ellis made the story short and sweet making Theseus break out into a round of laughter that filled the entire guild hall .
But then as quickly as it started, the laughter came to an end, and Theseus continued the serious talks with a straight face .

“Alright, Duke Marsfield will report directly to His Majesty . Until we receive word back, we’ll do business as normal again and pray that the demons don’t jump us again . ”

“Alright, Duke Marsfield will report directly to His Majesty . Until we receive word back, we’ll do business as normal again and pray that the demons don’t jump us again . ”
“I guess so Uncle . ”
“There is really nothing else we can do huh, Father . ”
Ellis and Frau agreed .

“Well then we are going to head over to the Thieves’ Guild after this to talk about the changes being made across town . What is Uncle Theseus going to do?”

“Hmm, after doing some routine check-ups, it would be good for me to file a report . Afterwards, I’ll need to find a replacement for Shin since you took him . This is the third employee you’ve taken from me, how about messing with someone else’s business for once!”
Shin was Ken’s good friend who had joined the Adventurer’s Guild after being led away from the Demon Lord’s army . He was the man who would be taking over the manju store with Ken co-signing .

“Don’t you understand the beauty of choosing your own occupation Uncle?”

Towards Ellis’s words, Theseus made a bitter smile .
“Then I guess I have no choice but to work harder . Work harder towards a bright and cheerful workplace where everyone in the Adventurer’s Guild is happy working here and won’t be stolen away by Ellis . ”

Being accused of some shady tactics as if she were the head of a shady black company, Ellis hid the utter offense she felt with a mischievous smile and departed from the Adventurer’s Guild .

Next up was the Thieves’ Guild .
Baltis, Marilyn, and Margherita were all waiting for them when they arrived .

Marilyn and Margherita were both looking extremely intense and welcomed the girls like rusted machines . Having been forced to wait beside the Thieves’ Guild guild master for so long seemed to put them on edge .

“You explain what’s happening to these two from now on?”
“Are you sure? Is it okay if I tell them what we had agreed on from before?”
“Yes, if there is anything wrong, I’ll clamp my hand over your mouth without any hesitation . ”
“Understood . ”
The initial conversation between Ellis and Baltis wasn’t doing anything to allay Marilyn and Margherita’s fears .

Ellis recognized their tension and took some small pleasure in it as she turned to talk to them both .
“Marilyn, Margherita, we would like the two of you to become official members of the Thieves’ Guild from this day forward . ”

The two’s fears quickly turned to puzzlement .
“Milady Ellis, it’s impossible for me to be a thief,” Marilyn slowly replied .
“Milady Ellis, I as well . What do you mean?” Margherita was as dumbfounded as Marilyn .

So Ellis gave them a more in-depth explanation .
The night club being built in the men-only street would be under the jurisdiction of the Thieves’ Guild . They wanted two people to manage it .
The nightclub, Masters’ Hideaway, a very good thing: they wanted to leave the management of the new men’s bathhouse to women who knew what they were doing . Whoever ended up managing the nightclub would need knowledge in all three of these, so Ellis decided that the two of them would be the best candidates .

The night club being built in the men-only street would be under the jurisdiction of the Thieves’ Guild . They wanted two people to manage it .
The nightclub, Masters’ Hideaway, a very good thing: they wanted to leave the management of the new men’s bathhouse to women who knew what they were doing . Whoever ended up managing the nightclub would need knowledge in all three of these, so Ellis decided that the two of them would be the best candidates .

Ellis laid everything right out on the table for them, and they ended up more confused now than before she had started .

“Ellis, if you explain everything at once like that, n.o.body would understand what you mean . ”
Frau was starting to feel a little pitiful towards the two grown women, so she decided to give them a hand .

Ellis took a long sigh before turning back .
“Alright, I’ll explain everything in order once again . First of all, we are establishing a new entertainment area under the Thieves’ Guild . You two, Marilyn and Margherita, will be put in charge of three buildings: the nightclub, Masters’ Hideaway, and a new bathhouse that only sells ‘very nice things’ . You will be responsible for the businesses and the employees, but don’t worry . Any management decisions will still be taken care of by the guild itself . ”

Margherita nodded her head in understanding, but Marilyn was back to looking uneasy .
“The girls at Masters’ Hideaway, including you two, have always been under the Thieves’ Guild until now, but we were hoping to bring the two of you on in a more official way to have a specialized unit in charge of entertainment . ”

Ellis took a second to make sure they were still following along before continuing .
“The nightclub will have two clearly distinguished employees: an attendant who offers alcohol and an a.s.sistant who manages the games . The attendants will be dressed in maid-wear and also work at the neighboring bathhouse . It’s okay for them to guide and entertain a customer over there, but the a.s.sistants will be completely separate . ”

The attendant will carry around cla.s.ses of alcohol on trays and hand them out to customers . Of course they will try to strike up a conversation and gain your attention as they do . Their end goal is obviously the new bathhouse for some ‘very nice things’ to pa.s.s the time .
The a.s.sistants would be the dealers and rollers for Warren Dice and Warren Numbers . Their goals would be the exact opposite of the attendants as they were to remain cold and distant from any guests . If it was ever even suspected that an a.s.sistant was familiar with a customer and may aid them in the game, they would be immediately removed .

“Do you understand everything up until here?”

“Lady, I enjoy working with my customers,” Marilyn softly apologized .
“Me too Ellis . I don’t intend on increasing the number of customers I take on anymore, but I would like to respond to the good people who have supported me until now . ”

“Hmm . Then let’s try this . ”

Ellis made the following proposal .
Margherita would handle the night club while Marilyn oversaw the baths . The two of them would keep in touch and control the placement of the girls while making sure all of the customers were happy .
The two of them would operate through bookings only so that any absence from the night club would be planned, and they can find a trustworthy person to be a lead a.s.sistant and take charge during those absences .
“Would that work?”

“You two, you should be convinced with that much . ”
Baltis offered the best ‘help’ that he could .

“Margherita, Marilyn, think about the offer and what type of situation it could put the other girls in . Do you understand?”
Frau spoke with a much kinder tone, and her words caused Margherita and Marilyn to share a serious look . Finally, they simultaneously turned towards Ellis and nodded their heads .

“Understood Milady . I will do my best . ”
“Okay Ellis . But really, it’s not like I could say no to you anyway . ”

“Understood Milady . I will do my best . ”
“Okay Ellis . But really, it’s not like I could say no to you anyway . ”

“Alright, then we’ll have a more detailed meeting tomorrow . Go home for now, rest, and think about suitable candidates for the lead a.s.sistant . ”
The two women nodded their heads once again before the entire meeting dissolved .

Just as planned, the five girls met back up again for dinner .

“Mistress, actually today, I had a consultation with the Muscle Brothers today at the Merchant Guild . ”
“What was wrong?”
“Apparently they have some younger brothers who were fighting performers, but it sounds like their squad was dissolved, so they are out of a job . They were asking if there were any job openings in Cross Town or the male-only street and if you could introduce them . ”
“What kind of people are they?”
“‘A masterpiece of muscles’ was what I was told . They’re definitely gachih.o.m.os . Also, while they’re strong in one-on-one fights, they are weak in the head, so they wouldn’t last long as adventurers . ”

Ellis’s head started to hurt . Their definitely wasn’t anything for them, but it was true that she had been thinking for awhile now that the city needed something more for entertainment .

“Alright, find out more about them, and if it’s a small group, invite them to Warren . I’ll think of something . ”
“I’ll do just that . Thank you, Mistress . ”

“Ellis, the manju store is finally finished . I handed off the management to Ken, and his friend has already started planning on how he’s going to decorate it . ”
This was what Claire had to report .

“Yeah, how was it?”
“The two people taking over seemed okay . They said their names were Shin and Nonna . I already talked to them about the 10% of sales and the development of new products . ”
Yosh! Ellis did a mental fist pump .

“Alright, we’re going to be really busy tomorrow too, so let’s go to bed!”

Ellis jumped off her chair excitedly, but everyone else curiously watched her go wondering what had gotten her so worked up . Without looking back, Ellis called back to them .

“Hey, we’re going to be really busy tomorrow, so let’s take a bath and work up a good sweat before bed . ”

Ah!
The four remaining girls jumped up from the table as fast Ellis had and followed after her .

A small slit formed as Pi-tan slightly opened his eyes . He saw everyone moving and wondered who would be bringing him along to enjoy that bath this night . This was the benefit of being a member of Warren’s Jewelry Box .

“As I thought, our bath is number one in feeling good right!”. Claire was talking like a drunkard while chewing on watercakes and having her whole body float on top of the water as if she were in a pool

The five of them had returned to Warren earlier, but because the sun was already about to set, they had a light supper at the city’s center and made it home a little after the public bath had closed . They were able to time it perfectly so that they could immediately jump in after parking the cart

“The trip this time was pretty long wasn’t it?”. Frau was sitting in her usual spot in the half-bath, her b.r.e.a.s.t.s floating on the water’s surface

“I know its bad timing with how tired everyone is, but I’d like to take a drawing to the Workshop Guild tomorrow nya . ”. Katie couldn’t help but be concerned about the new building she was going to give to her friends

“Well, with the men’s street and Cross Town still being built, things are going to start being busy again tomorrow . ”. Three of the girls each nodded their heads before simultaneously sighing at the somber truth to Ellis’s words . The fifth one wasn’t paying attention and stood next to the bath fully naked . And so the opera was on

 .

Everyone was exhausted from the long trip, but Ellis wasn’t going to allow a small detail like that from interrupting her nightly fun . The only question was, who goes first?. “Reeve, you sang really well today in the bath . ”. “Ah Mistress, it was fun singing after such a long time . ”. “By the way, Reeve, you didn’t say anything during our talks about tomorrow’s schedule . Were you paying attention?”. “Um…………sorry . I wasn’t . ”. “Such a stupid toy is going to have to be punished . ”. “Mistress, please forgive me, forgive me, forgive…………… . Ah”. Ellis and Reeve were then able to successfully create several new types of hymnals

“Hey Frau, you, when that Minotaur golem hit you, it must have hurt . ”. “That’s not true Ellis, it didn’t bother me at all . ”. “Hmph . I don’t believe you . You’re a perverted pig women . You got hit on purpose just you could show off to everyone how much you like getting hit . ”. “That’s not true, forgive me, I’m Ellis’s pig woman . I’ll apologize as many time as it takes, so forgive me . ”. “Hm, I won’t . Instead, I’ll do this . ”. “Ah, that’s…… . ”. Ellis and Frau were able to come up with a few variations to their games thanks to the one-on-one fight incident

“Did your father’s heart sound like this? Claire?”. “No, it was bigger and louder, but I like Ellis’s chest more . ”. “Pretty Claire, I’ll treat you gently tonight too . ”. “My favorite Ellis, please softly bully me tonight like always . ”. “Good girl . ”. “Ahn………I love you…… ”. Ellis and Claire were able to come up with a few variations to their games thanks to the parent-child confrontation incident

“Katie, you, those men called you pretty, and then you went nya on them after following them into the alley right?”. “Yes, what’s wrong with that?”. “If so, then does that mean that Katie will follow any man who calls you pretty?”. “Ellis, there is no way nya! I will always be Ellis’s pet nya!”. “Katie, then I’ll pretend to be a good pet-owner . Now, how’s right here?”. “Ellis! Eli-cruel nyan . Nyan . Ny-”. Ellis and Katie were able to come up with a few variations to their games thanks to the extortion incident

And then once the sun rose as morning broke, all five girls woke up feeling refreshed and ready for a new day

 .

The girls decided to have a light breakfast that day using up some of the ingredients left over from the trip while confirming each others’ schedules Katie and Claire would go together towards the Workshop Guild to put in another store order, this time for the steamed food shop that Mati and Labra would be running . While they were there, they were to confirm the progress on the manju shop, boutique, and cafe that Ellis had issued loans for Reeve would be checking in on Hanna, Ken, Aiful, and Credia to make sure everything was still working fine at the teahouse and cake shop . Afterwards, she would be heading off to the Merchant Guild to confirm the current state of the live house and exchange information with Maria Meanwhile Ellis and Frau would report to the Adventurer’s Guild about the results of their trip . They would then report to the Thieves’ Guild to find out how the management of the males-only part of town was going

“Everyone should eat out in the city for lunch today, but we will all meet back up here for dinner . ”.

Everyone nodded their heads towards Ellis’s final confirmation before each heading out in separate directions

 .

The first stop was the Adventurer’s Guild Ellis and Frau kept their report on the matter at hand, informing Theseus about their meeting with the princ.i.p.al and the lack of clear answers on what type of magics were used at the end of the raid on Warren . They did however make sure to add that Ares and Izerina had stayed behind in Wisdom to continue collecting information

“Hoh, how were Ares and Izerina doing?”. Theseus was actually friends with the couple from long before they had been sent to Wisdom

“Uncle Ares had a magical contest with Claire, and she kicked his a.s.s . ”. Ellis made the story short and sweet making Theseus break out into a round of laughter that filled the entire guild hall But then as quickly as it started, the laughter came to an end, and Theseus continued the serious talks with a straight face

“Alright, Duke Marsfield will report directly to His Majesty . Until we receive word back, we’ll do business as normal again and pray that the demons don’t jump us again . ”. “I guess so Uncle . ”. “There is really nothing else we can do huh, Father . ”. Ellis and Frau agreed

“Well then we are going to head over to the Thieves’ Guild after this to talk about the changes being made across town . What is Uncle Theseus going to do?”.

“Hmm, after doing some routine check-ups, it would be good for me to file a report . Afterwards, I’ll need to find a replacement for Shin since you took him . This is the third employee you’ve taken from me, how about messing with someone else’s business for once!”. Shin was Ken’s good friend who had joined the Adventurer’s Guild after being led away from the Demon Lord’s army . He was the man who would be taking over the manju store with Ken co-signing

“Don’t you understand the beauty of choosing your own occupation Uncle?”.

Towards Ellis’s words, Theseus made a bitter smile “Then I guess I have no choice but to work harder . Work harder towards a bright and cheerful workplace where everyone in the Adventurer’s Guild is happy working here and won’t be stolen away by Ellis . ”.

Being accused of some shady tactics as if she were the head of a shady black company, Ellis hid the utter offense she felt with a mischievous smile and departed from the Adventurer’s Guild

 .

Next up was the Thieves’ Guild Baltis, Marilyn, and Margherita were all waiting for them when they arrived

Marilyn and Margherita were both looking extremely intense and welcomed the girls like rusted machines . Having been forced to wait beside the Thieves’ Guild guild master for so long seemed to put them on edge

“You explain what’s happening to these two from now on?”. “Are you sure? Is it okay if I tell them what we had agreed on from before?”. “Yes, if there is anything wrong, I’ll clamp my hand over your mouth without any hesitation . ”. “Understood . ”. The initial conversation between Ellis and Baltis wasn’t doing anything to allay Marilyn and Margherita’s fears

Ellis recognized their tension and took some small pleasure in it as she turned to talk to them both “Marilyn, Margherita, we would like the two of you to become official members of the Thieves’ Guild from this day forward . ”.

The two’s fears quickly turned to puzzlement “Milady Ellis, it’s impossible for me to be a thief,” Marilyn slowly replied “Milady Ellis, I as well . What do you mean?” Margherita was as dumbfounded as Marilyn

So Ellis gave them a more in-depth explanation The night club being built in the men-only street would be under the jurisdiction of the Thieves’ Guild . They wanted two people to manage it The nightclub, Masters’ Hideaway, a very good thing: they wanted to leave the management of the new men’s bathhouse to women who knew what they were doing . Whoever ended up managing the nightclub would need knowledge in all three of these, so Ellis decided that the two of them would be the best candidates

Ellis laid everything right out on the table for them, and they ended up more confused now than before she had started

“Ellis, if you explain everything at once like that, n.o.body would understand what you mean . ”. Frau was starting to feel a little pitiful towards the two grown women, so she decided to give them a hand

Ellis took a long sigh before turning back “Alright, I’ll explain everything in order once again . First of all, we are establishing a new entertainment area under the Thieves’ Guild . You two, Marilyn and Margherita, will be put in charge of three buildings: the nightclub, Masters’ Hideaway, and a new bathhouse that only sells ‘very nice things’ . You will be responsible for the businesses and the employees, but don’t worry . Any management decisions will still be taken care of by the guild itself . ”.

Margherita nodded her head in understanding, but Marilyn was back to looking uneasy “The girls at Masters’ Hideaway, including you two, have always been under the Thieves’ Guild until now, but we were hoping to bring the two of you on in a more official way to have a specialized unit in charge of entertainment . ”.

Ellis took a second to make sure they were still following along before continuing “The nightclub will have two clearly distinguished employees: an attendant who offers alcohol and an a.s.sistant who manages the games . The attendants will be dressed in maid-wear and also work at the neighboring bathhouse . It’s okay for them to guide and entertain a customer over there, but the a.s.sistants will be completely separate . ”.

The attendant will carry around cla.s.ses of alcohol on trays and hand them out to customers . Of course they will try to strike up a conversation and gain your attention as they do . Their end goal is obviously the new bathhouse for some ‘very nice things’ to pa.s.s the time The a.s.sistants would be the dealers and rollers for Warren Dice and Warren Numbers . Their goals would be the exact opposite of the attendants as they were to remain cold and distant from any guests . If it was ever even suspected that an a.s.sistant was familiar with a customer and may aid them in the game, they would be immediately removed

“Do you understand everything up until here?”.

“Lady, I enjoy working with my customers,” Marilyn softly apologized “Me too Ellis . I don’t intend on increasing the number of customers I take on anymore, but I would like to respond to the good people who have supported me until now . ”.

“Hmm . Then let’s try this . ”.

Ellis made the following proposal Margherita would handle the night club while Marilyn oversaw the baths . The two of them would keep in touch and control the placement of the girls while making sure all of the customers were happy The two of them would operate through bookings only so that any absence from the night club would be planned, and they can find a trustworthy person to be a lead a.s.sistant and take charge during those absences “Would that work?”.

“You two, you should be convinced with that much . ”. Baltis offered the best ‘help’ that he could

“Margherita, Marilyn, think about the offer and what type of situation it could put the other girls in . Do you understand?”. Frau spoke with a much kinder tone, and her words caused Margherita and Marilyn to share a serious look . Finally, they simultaneously turned towards Ellis and nodded their heads

“Understood Milady . I will do my best . ”. “Okay Ellis . But really, it’s not like I could say no to you anyway . ”.

“Alright, then we’ll have a more detailed meeting tomorrow . Go home for now, rest, and think about suitable candidates for the lead a.s.sistant . ”. The two women nodded their heads once again before the entire meeting dissolved

 .

Just as planned, the five girls met back up again for dinner

“Mistress, actually today, I had a consultation with the Muscle Brothers today at the Merchant Guild . ”. “What was wrong?”. “Apparently they have some younger brothers who were fighting performers, but it sounds like their squad was dissolved, so they are out of a job . They were asking if there were any job openings in Cross Town or the male-only street and if you could introduce them . ”. “What kind of people are they?”. “‘A masterpiece of muscles’ was what I was told . They’re definitely gachih.o.m.os . Also, while they’re strong in one-on-one fights, they are weak in the head, so they wouldn’t last long as adventurers . ”.

Ellis’s head started to hurt . Their definitely wasn’t anything for them, but it was true that she had been thinking for awhile now that the city needed something more for entertainment

“Alright, find out more about them, and if it’s a small group, invite them to Warren . I’ll think of something . ”. “I’ll do just that . Thank you, Mistress . ”.

“Ellis, the manju store is finally finished . I handed off the management to Ken, and his friend has already started planning on how he’s going to decorate it . ”. This was what Claire had to report

“Yeah, how was it?”. “The two people taking over seemed okay . They said their names were Shin and Nonna . I already talked to them about the 10% of sales and the development of new products . ”. Yosh! Ellis did a mental fist pump

“Alright, we’re going to be really busy tomorrow too, so let’s go to bed!”.

Ellis jumped off her chair excitedly, but everyone else curiously watched her go wondering what had gotten her so worked up . Without looking back, Ellis called back to them

“Hey, we’re going to be really busy tomorrow, so let’s take a bath and work up a good sweat before bed . ”.

Ah!. The four remaining girls jumped up from the table as fast Ellis had and followed after her

A small slit formed as Pi-tan slightly opened his eyes . He saw everyone moving and wondered who would be bringing him along to enjoy that bath this night . This was the benefit of being a member of Warren’s Jewelry Box