TWLPOD 32

It was a very philanthropic, gentlemanly, and reasonable opinion.

[“This is why Central Command is called naive. They’re really good at saying only what sounds nice.”]

[“Do you still not grasp the situation?”]

As complaints popping up from all over mingled and the words grew harsher, Layla mediated.

“Your point is valid, but the gravity of this matter is clear, so we cannot aim for capture. I recommend that you consider it an android.”

Jin, who was recording the meeting, was suddenly reminded of Kay’s words.

About how some lives were more precious than others. There was no need to feel wronged by the accusatory tone. That was a self-evident fact, and Kay himself was probably enraged because he knew it too.

But since when?

Since when did they stop being able to find concern for the well-being of individual humans among those who went to the battlefield seeking victory for the survival of humanity?

“This concludes the meeting. Thank you for your hard work.”

As everyone disconnected or rose from their seats at Layla’s closing words, one person remained unhurried.

“Are you not leaving?”

In the reception hall that everyone else had vacated, Aran, who was still sitting in his seat despite the summons for 18:00, lifted his head. He was someone who still evoked a strange tension, even though it had taken years just to get used to his appearance.

“Hoping to switch jobs?”

“Pardon?”

“I was just wondering, since the Center Chief’s aide is even concerning himself with my schedule.”

“I just hope you won’t be late for the meeting. You are, after all, the key to this citadel conquest.”

“Mhm. I know.”

Jin gave a slight bow to the man who offered a habitual smile and a soulless reply, and then he left the reception hall.

Aran, who had been watching the door close with a bit of irritation, put up a curtain made of light and answered the video call from someone who had been ringing for a while.

“Did the items I sent arrive safely? Father.”

The other side of the video was black, but Kay knew that the person in the black screen was looking at him.

[“Since you even asked me to cover up a murder, I thought you’d at least show the courtesy of bringing it yourself.”]

“They weren’t exactly expensive lives, were they?”

[“The dead ones, maybe, but the guys who were having fun will probably have some complaints.”]

“The auction will open again once the replaceable lives have been replaced.”

The highest value at an auction house is, by far, trust.

The fact that an illicit market of that scale could be maintained so stably meant there was some kind of collusive relationship, and if such a relationship existed, the auction would not disappear over the loss of a few replaceable lives.

And Aran thought that the core of that collusive relationship was either within this Center or among the high-ranking officials who had access to the Center’s information.

‘Otherwise, there’s no explaining how only specific individuals were targeted.’

When a war drags on, deserters are bound to appear.

The desire to live and the movements of interest groups diversify. The problem is that such betrayals only occur between humans.

‘This kind of flaw… would you call it human, too?’

Suddenly recalling Kay’s words, Aran continued his call with Sahan.

[“Aran, I don’t know what you’re thinking, but leave that child alone.”]

“Why is that?”

[“Because it will become irreversible. Some things in this world are better left unknown forever.”]

“…If that person is already dead, he knows.”

Just as moments that are impressive, for better or worse, are imprinted in memory and don’t fade for a long time, the look on Kay’s face when he heard of El’s death also seemed like it would not be forgotten for a long time. Even now, along with the thrill he felt when he faced that expression, just thinking about it made a corner of his chest tingle and his emotions stir.

[“What on earth do you wan—”]

Letting his father’s words go in one ear and out the other, he checked the faintly vibrating bracelet. On it was a short message, the first he had ever received from Kay.

[Why aren’t you here.]

The text seemed somewhat insistent, which put him in a rather cheerful mood, but then…

[Help me.]

His eyes widened at the sudden words. He hastily ended the call with his father and hurried out of the reception hall.

Kay, sitting in a corner of the strategy meeting room, couldn’t figure out what part of the winking emoticon resembled Aran, and was scrutinizing it when he felt a presence behind his back.

“Ah, I knew it.”

A sense of delight could be felt in the bright voice.

“Kay! It’s you, right?”

He couldn’t shake off the hand that abruptly grabbed his because the person looked vaguely familiar.

“It’s Jude Peng. Don’t you remember? I guess the situation was pretty chaotic.”

His desire for an explanation of what that situation, which only Jude seemed to know, was, was instead resolved by the woman who grabbed Jude by the collar and moved him to the seat behind.

“Wonder if you remember me. We met at the induction ceremony.”

The image of a tall stature and refreshing features came to mind, along with the image of water.

“Ah. I remember.”

Even the name written in the four-way split screen he saw every time he went in and out of the dorms, and the photos that filled the walls.

“Iris Bernstein.”

“Nice to meet you.”

While the two who had finished shaking hands sat down behind Kay, Jude did not stop talking.

“Wow, wow, wow. Me too! I’m happy to meet you too!”

Is there a reason he has to say the same thing multiple times when I can understand him just fine if he says it once? Jude, craning his neck forward as far as it could go, couldn’t hide his curiosity for Kay and asked with sparkling eyes.

“There was something I absolutely had to ask you if I ever met you.”

Jude, who leaned his body so far forward that he would have tumbled into the next seat if Iris hadn’t been gripping the back of his neck, was like a walking paradise of curiosity.

“Is Willamere really all desert? They say it stretches on endlessly, is that true?”

“Mostly.”

“That must be so cool!”

It was a pure and malice-free exclamation. That didn’t mean it wasn’t unpleasant, though.

“A landscape with no end in sight… Lympus has limited land, so everything is built upwards, which means there isn’t really what you’d call a landscape. They say in the old days there was joy in looking at natural things, what with feng shui and rivers and mountains, but not anymore.”

Pout—he puffed out his cheeks, and then he asked again.

“But they say the climate is brutal instead. How bad is it?”

“There’s no sun, so it’s sub-zero by default. When it gets really cold, it can drop to minus 40 degrees.”

I’m answering him, but I don’t know when my patience will snap. Kay looked for the person who hadn’t arrived even though it was almost time and sent a message.

[Why aren’t you here.]

“Then what do you eat? Does anything grow in that kind of environment? Or do you have separate greenhouse cultivation?”

“No.”

If that were possible, so many people wouldn’t have starved to death.

“They say there are people who eat dog meat. Is that true or a rumor?”

“We eat dogs, bugs, and camels.”

“Wow. Really? Ugh, I don’t think I could eat that. Never. I’d rather starve to death.”

He tapped the screen’s keyboard and sent the message one more time.

[Help me.]

It was just this morning that I had resolved to kill my temper and be a little more patient.

El had emphasized that patience was important to maintain composure and be oneself, but no matter how I thought about it, that was too angelic of a statement. The urge to tell Jude to try starving for a week and then think about it again was peeking out, about to pop out of my mouth.

“I’ve never been friends with anyone from Willamere before. So I have a lot of things I’m curious about. How do you live in an environment like that?”

“Why don’t you go and live there yourself?”

I knew who it was the moment I heard him, and my body reacted first. It was a voice that soothed my frayed nerves.

“Oh, Aran!”

“Get it off.”

When he pushed back the flailing hand of greeting, Jude, who fell over easily, whined about it being too much and how could he do this to a friend, but Aran ignored him and took the seat next to Kay. Is it just my imagination, or does he seem a bit out of breath?

“What the. Why are you wet? Did you shower?”

Aran, sitting sideways instead of facing forward, rested his chin on the desk and stared intently at Kay.

“…Yeah.”

“At the training ground?”

“Where else would I shower.”

“You have a dorm room, too.”

“Why would I do something so annoying.”

Why bother when there’s a perfectly good shower and locker room attached to the training ground?

“…It’s visible.”

“Speak in proper sentences. Don’t piss me off.”

Even when I tried to peel off the leather-gloved hand playing on the back of my hand, it kept sticking back, and I was getting irritated.

“The kiss marks I left… they’re all visible.”

As he spoke, enunciating every word, a horrified Kay tried to shake his hand off, but Aran’s evasion was faster.

“You told me to say it.”

Even more annoying than Aran, who was smiling slyly, was Jude, who was carefully observing the back of Kay’s neck.

“Wow, that’s hot. Must have been good last night.”

“It was amazing.”

“You, shut up for a bit.”

Kay covered the kiss marks he couldn’t see with his hand and glared at Aran.

“It’s not a lie, is it?”

His expression seemed to say, ‘I did nothing wrong.’

“I consider subtly twisting words to distort the truth to be a form of lying. Me.”

“Hey now—that’s in the realm of flexibility.”

A difference of opinion. A finger poked his cheek.

“Still, I’m glad you two are a good match!! Aran’s guiding is famous for being painful, you know.”

Painful?

Those were completely unexpected words.

He didn’t know what kind of concept the people of Lympus had for the act that accompanies guiding, or how they felt it, but to Kay, it was sex.