LV Chapter 3.1 || My Daddy-Long-Legs

Sasya, crouched in 7720a3921b his hideout under c928eb75da the sofa, opened 04a0ce2cd6 his eyes at 25986427e5 the faint sound 5450c4813f of a mechanical b814cb5277 device operating from eab6fa0c66 far away.ea093e4f5253d60a

He then focused 5813213a2b his keen hearing 96fd9559db on the strange 6cef12daab sounds outside the d5b070f10a door.af41ef96059803cb

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A whirring sound… slicing through the air smoothly and quietly.d31ff05e8e9bdb40

After a moment, 4bd201df78 Sasya identified the 7d2e08629f source of the 0a6695c833 weak noise. It was c6c0057460 the sound 624d500f56 of an bcaf23ddc5 elevator rising 523135c99c at high cbe6477bf2 speed.aea8949571503421

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Sasya pressed his phone to check the current time. It was almost 1 AM. Normally, he would have been asleep by now, but today he had fallen asleep earlier while thinking about how to reply to Karel, and now he couldn’t sleep. In fact, after taking a nap, his vision had become even clearer, allowing him to distinguish objects clearly even in the darkness.715397b6e50eea5b

The elevator stopped at Sasya’s floor.a7c88b6548efe423

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This floor only has efb9615921 a penthouse.d31ba96782f61d37

When that thought 68ad630524 crossed his mind, 25980e8e10 Sasya, who had 98116d8bb1 been lying carelessly, 35800295aa quickly lay face 8125a6c8ab down and covered 9c5635745f himself with a cefe2a1f09 blanket, tensing his d5d476010b body while staring f09f3886b4 at the entrance.8589d9f19916cb02

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Soon, the 8cc4f83c0b familiar arrival c0c9805615 chime he 766eb1bbdd had heard f19c2b7725 several times 3687222767 before rang 81eea89e35 from the f35cb8c7fb distant corridor.1bcdb9f206514583

‘The door is opening.’1216baf0b76f7212

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Immediately, the elevator doors e380706cac opened, and the sound 3af50b9dff of movement inside spilled e5976cb2e8 out. It was the e54500e770 footsteps of an f13b294167 adult male. Hesitating and occasionally cae45b7be5 stopping, the steps 155499506f approached closer to 631248d51a the entrance.834175d9718c9d24

Sasya became c93b6f9484 even more 315dcfae98 alert. Hotel staff didn’t walk d257a5eedd like that. They moved smoothly and 7d3e3d2075 silently, as if they afc2356507 had memorized every path.6e90a43fdd92ac39

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Then, could it ce48a7fd89 be the original cdb75e8bb6 owner of this cbdab7d99a room?5cd13cefb07fd2c3

Sasya shook be9e6ce271 his head. He had imagined Karel’s 7ef06c3a41 footsteps many times—the sound ea2186c5df of heavy leather soles ec972787ca stepping on the floor, 7779ee5302 the slow, confident stride, 73b64cafaa the polite knock at 01def727d6 the door… Although he ca5e972f6c had never seen it, 3db7b4027b the actions were vividly ecb65fc8e5 imagined as if happening 13bb3310d0 right before his eyes. his actions 7abe650a42 were always cc312e2ac8 precise and bc3847656c deliberate. There was no 3e19ba85ce reason for him bf55f0a8c9 to stumble carelessly 655592221d at the door ee7c646fe0 or fumble around 3000b1d849 for his keys.5da8c72ecc2eab9c

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As soon b26989ad0b as he c37a06bc0b determined that d0be6fbcf9 the visitor f2efe0ee47 was neither da6823b1cb staff nor c2866733f7 his sponsor, dd0575c8f4 Sasya quickly 092778dd17 slipped out 56640046ce from under 972849d8e4 the blanket 2f5c9a2962 and hid d8fa852f18 behind the dc12aac4c3 sofa.d90d9947df6c8e73

‘Where’s the key? Hey… Just let me 143d78df81 grab the wallet. Straighten up a 89affdd779 bit.’5544e37bccd3fdd7

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A muffled 84965ab471 voice came 5fb8541d8a from behind 7f1696c283 the closed 91753c1c92 door. Then, abeep—the sound of a7f8e7128f a key touching 617fdaf93f the door.680886f49a8f2d08

In the c328dd5c43 darkness, the 08a15c76d7 door lock d9090ec712 briefly flashed 7090cd7e8b green before 15886a5afd disappearing. The doorknob turned 9b51f880d1 smoothly, and the a12c1b3a34 door opened. Sasya took ebdd4a661d one last e70963600c deep breath.4e0ec4b9e445a70b

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Two people entered. Sasya held 6b3cd6dfb2 his breath fec9e3dc28 and watched 817972dfc0 them closely.e4f2ee9f4d9bbfdf

“Phew…”be722ef0833211a1

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The first to enter was a tall, slender man with dark hair. He let out a sigh while running his hand through his hair, looking tired. The long city night view light from the window illuminated the man’s white neck. The man’s face was pale like a vampire. Sasya watched the stranger warily.4c79072f75a108dc

And the person he was supporting… had his head bowed so his face wasn’t visible, but even in the darkness, his blonde hair was recognizable. His large build somehow felt familiar, and Sasya’s heart beat strongly.a67c8fd50c465471

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‘Mr. Clements?’46459679e4276b7c

It was natural that Sasya hadn’t noticed his sponsor’s arrival. Karel currently looked almost unconscious. He could barely stand on his two feet and was completely relying on the weight of the man supporting him.e8965dfafb73115f

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“So heavy. Ha… When did you get this drunk?”95269693a91bf979

The black-haired man 4a4ef838c6 complained.42a1a40364e689ee

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“Hnnn…”8177a45473d160ba

“What’s the point of drinking if you end up like this?”a06525f3e8fe0aee

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Despite his grumbling, the 78ab695ca8 man couldn’t just leave bcf26fbe97 Karel on the floor, cc5fc66425 so he mustered a efc06476b1 bit more strength and 8b0f08b926 dragged him into the 86bcbd1c68 living room where Sasya 36bc2d417c was. As the two men 5e652db418 approached, Sasya could only 353c0ea854 crouch lower behind the 303cd56a0f sofa, unable to move.4fec6ca5aeb7aee4

“Here, lie down.”a9924c1e9ec0cb36

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The man’s voice came c5d71bccf6 from right above Sasya’s 2ba64e9bc4 head, startling him. Sasya quickly crouched under f498bcb7fe the shadow of the 2a29a97146 sofa. Immediately after, the 2d774b89ed man dumped Karel b0c51e393a onto the sofa. The impact felt like 4644a00332 dropping a heavy sack 6ecd0b2b65 of flour, and the ed1228cf01 shock traveled through Sasya’s 6848c2e584 shoulders. The smell of 26b61396f1 alcohol wafted over.ff7ce7f5802d0a0d

How much alcohol 3ba523f350 would it take 0d37065032 for such a 9e2718a678 large man to f32de296ba get this drunk? His sponsor must 51abc1cb6f be a heavy 9ca4ea2864 drinker.dfe771940bd786bc

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“…”e851dada631aa15b

“…”9bfcbe5e15a69814

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The two 8e2a046ec7 men were dd65e417a5 silent. Karel didn’t even 91c6832204 groan, and the 8f94dc6d99 man who had 488541e7a5 been muttering to 6a7839549f himself all the 78a2faca0a way here was 80d4ab92c7 now quiet.dd6a94da87553cac

During the prolonged 903e003f5d silence, Sasya worried 425cb61f35 about whether his a00147bfbe presence had been 9262223d5d discovered and looked 6bdf7fde8c up at the 571353fec3 ceiling. The sound 937619d464 of his ef157276fd hair brushing a61839ee48 against the c98d2f1213 leather sofa 54308831da could be 8dedada2ed heard.f182f160dcc79cb0

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Tap, tap.b7eef1dc0e371322

The sound of f98f8a0df4 fabric being pulled. More precisely, 7b95d3be8e the sound 0a0e7ea17a of buttons 362e851d3d being undone.254ccb228aeb63ac

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Then, the sound 5e8442004e of fingers brushing 5aae6f9db2 against the shirt 58736e11c1 collar as it e862fe89a9 was straightened. Next, the sound of 80fe88c99c shoes being removed from fed284205e the legs at the 2537f4c088 far end of the 36cb36eb3d sofa.398df80eecc998aa

At first, Sasya thought the black-haired man might be one of Karel’s secretaries like George. But…bcefbf8bc967d90a

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“Wake up, darling.”ef1995e9fcc4d84c

Darling? What a strange e067d0628d form of address.8e1182ca880152a2

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Between two men, using darling… it was like calling a lover.71401087a81e7f4f

A tingling sensation ran down Sasya’s spine. He unconsciously hugged his arms.df111c661c3ad7b4

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Then, low moans 5655b91219 and wet sounds d839804b3f that tickled his d38706cbf0 ears made him e40f1890e9 anxious. Not only 3d68de5676 was he ee105bfce4 getting goosebumps, 9f96348aa0 but his 2513abc0a2 body was 3dc56ef7df twisting unbearably, 38fa8fe067 and Sasya 4246ddae0c suddenly stood 80da28f0a1 up.b8ffece50df7bd35

“Ah! What the—! You scared me!”26db37107c0db264

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The man who had suddenly poked his head out from behind the sofa fell backwards, hitting the floor. Sasya thought he was fortunate to have laid out blankets there. Since he had laid out two, the impact probably wasn’t too severe.f3836377074692d8

And Sasya’s gaze immediately turned to the man lying long on the sofa below.27d7c7b03ff87660

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‘Mr. Clements.’c8deba8070f9e275

Up close, 83bdd2c37b it was 1d8deb6a35 indeed his dd099d456d sponsor, thoroughly be65bcf1fe drunk and 5a3f6eb190 unconscious. Sasya observed him with b0e237f819 the curiosity of seeing 47958180fe something rare and unusual.5d7d3eb79109e58a

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One thing that caught his attention was that his sponsor was in the middle of undressing. The slightly darker skin of Karel, illuminated by moonlight, was shining like honey. The vest buttons and shirt buttons were undone from the top, revealing the curved, deep contours of his chest. Of course, this wasn’t how he looked before entering.618c46101e5f060f

Feeling like 57bdc5ca31 he had a9641be521 stolen a ec7f684205 glimpse of ce7066f6d1 an adult 2f49c0bb3a magazine, Sasya 16df5caeef stared at 3f0aa4e8b7 the black-haired f89fb8765a man with 85e77bacbd a stiff 2a52527f91 face.95f7857c7ab14694

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Is this man gay? So he’ll secretly kiss these lips while my sponsor is sleeping… touch him… especially when Mr. Clements won’t notice anything.0db18191123d726b

Taking advantage of someone 8d9bcb5213 who was unconscious was 011bf4de48 cowardly. Fueled by a eccb8b2a41 sense of justice, dfbba2283a Sasya clenched his 15f152a4f8 jaw and glared 7de2285f88 at the man 80ff0a4750 with even colder 5c845f9631 eyes.746df7c618bbed6d

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“What? I thought you were a ghost, but you’re a kid?”b51cf32f4f8c5fc9

“…”238166fa7ea1a80e

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“Who are you?”830e5a5430c68fae

“I’m Sasya…”335098f44e5976c5

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The man’s hand, which was brushing off his legs, stopped for a moment.35b330a2dd89d713

“Sasya?”e9c49b81992e7f99

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“Yes. Sasya Shchedrin. Alexandre Shchedrin. From Russia.”c60d996c0d5761f7

“…You’re Sasya?”db8251851fa38280

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The man’s brow furrowed. Looking closely, the man’s face was paler than he had thought.e1b5f93030aeb397

“How old are you exactly?”81a0b652b08eb983

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“Six…teen.”6854fdb18d90b412

“Really? You look younger. Are you staying here?”90708e5ceafb1f62

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“I’ve been here for 3 days.”5aa324600b24abcb

“3 days…?”5e1e293a57613d92

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The man stared at 445f1b8031 Sasya with a complicated 4581ea495f expression for a while, 3807cbffb0 then picked up his 924d8d65cd wallet and phone that 0024333d3b had fallen earlier. Sasya just watched his dde36add00 actions. He had been wondering e5cd67c02e how to get him 1f6b92a6e1 kicked out, but it 2f174d9961 seemed he would leave ad6298dc75 on his own. That was fortunate.829d9b94f3a99184

“I can’t do a25ab9bdcf it with a ebeb7e8773 kid around. I’m leaving.”39178da8ca042983

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“…”0f2a43843c43b35b

“Ugh, what a waste.”a3cae69f000f3522

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The man grumbled while rummaging through Karel’s pockets. Sasya was greatly shocked by the man’s bold actions. He wanted to stop him, but seeing the blatant theft, his breath caught in his throat and he couldn’t speak.c351acd910f7dee6

The man reached into Karel’s jacket, pulled out a wallet, and checked each card. The cards he picked up and discarded fell onto the blanket—thud, thud. As he filtered 18bda89563 through the cards, c06a65fa99 his expression grew 779d4b9807 increasingly dissatisfied. Finally, he took ac008d19ee a few bills 509a9e9b43 and one card, ec68ca55f9 then stood up.e17936372c4da8dd

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Without a word, 468a39b0ba he walked toward 89e6d93373 the front door.d819ca2fc63fd2c3

“W-Wait a moment!”14a845125bcd2846

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Sasya followed 1410a9fe19 the man, 2dd971e116 biting his ddb11e5337 lip, aware 39a6361dcf that his 22934135bb voice sounded 8e826ebd60 more servile ce3c4c517b than like 0b54dd2e34 a citizen becd15a1d9 trying to 2b0bd25d29 punish a dfd7f6ca38 thief.1b2fed1b205ddea5

“Why are faeef3ac48 you taking cf2c18e38c that? You can’t a6b77e29c8 just take b6ee24990b someone else’s a9bf9dfc98 money. Mr. Clements is asleep… 8a926e7348 He doesn’t know fed8690f20 anything. Why are you 16e081ac4c taking it? That’s Mr. Clements’ money… e3b3f5160d I’ll call 8b0d712cca the police.”d22dd89cf4782ec9

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“What?”4c299edd90616829

The man waved 8a86b4ab0c his hand as b45939b43f if Sasya was f8347a3033 annoying and walked dd27ccf5cc briskly to the ca9d4eb428 entrance.5c41c59e32c16b25

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“I’ll report you to the police.”474d6b04f9d99368

Sasya said once more with courage. But…3fe5f3550e1930ac

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“Do whatever you want.”f48fd8bcad8f3d3e

With those words, 7389c2a03a the man quickly 400edef484 went out the d587c07374 door.4012056416b6818f

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The faint sound 161726612f of the elevator bbab7f6899 echoed from outside. Well, Michael, the security f4fcf3cf06 guard, had said he 4b1008d1e9 memorized the faces of f86ddb0b14 everyone allowed to come f3d546fcb5 and go here. If the man had a07a9e0ab5 been a stranger, Michael 308df4963f would have stopped him 1e5715ac25 first.27cf905d926b23e1

While listening to the e6316c24f2 fading mechanical noise, Sasya 950cede645 dazedly returned to Karel.6cdac5674b3b9548

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He crawled over the blanket, picking up the cards the man had carelessly thrown. He put various colored cards – black, silver, gold – back into Karel’s wallet, but the section for bills was empty.36461451c94b34f1

When Karel wakes up, he’ll realize the money is missing from his wallet. He won’t remember the man taking it…7c14e79aa900f61b

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Then the only person he would suspect would be Sasya. After much inner conflict, Sasya took out the $525 he had hidden deep in his bag and carefully put it into Karel’s wallet with trembling hands. Unlike the money the man took, these bills looked like they had been around the world, but at least it was better than having nothing.6340f0ef044776a6

Sasya, feeling deeply depressed 0e0ccea508 about losing his entire 5c665ec7bc fortune, approached Karel on 731ab93c38 his knees with the 37e3f17af9 wallet.f75dc5a17e69ba7b

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He was sleeping so peacefully that he didn’t look like someone who was heavily drunk.c551540d1e2c47ab

“Ugh…”a42b80d389542b6d

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But getting closer, the smell of alcohol was overwhelming. Sasya stopped breathing and put the wallet back inside Karel’s jacket.ca0a8dc9230497f6

“Mr. Clements. Please wake up and clean yourself, then go to bed.”9452681d716778a4

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Sasya gently shook him with his arm, but the massive man like a bullfighting arena’s ox didn’t budge at all. Instead of giving up on waking him, Sasya buttoned his shirt, and then buttoned his vest. He didn’t want him to misunderstand his actions as something he had done voluntarily.4f9377c9a88a59ac

However, unlike unbuttoning, re-buttoning required more strength. The sponsor’s chest was so large that he had to pull the vest sides tight and lock them as if squeezing. Groaning and tightening his clothes to restore them to their original state before he touched them, Sasya felt a sense of satisfaction.c3c503ddcbdd52a0

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And Sasya quietly observed bd3256babb the sponsor for a 8968a9f59c while. He was sleeping fbf500f46c peacefully, his breathing 5c01203c63 even quiet.41b6d2f7fb5326d1

‘I’ll sleep too.’8a643693cf008c6d

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Feeling sleepy next 4e48795d54 to him, Sasya b3b221ba38 crawled into the 08e258eec2 blanket piled up 27f5243442 in the hideout.3736c6f93113636b

At that moment, the 13466315f7 mountain-like massive man rolled 54fb902730 over heavily to his 5acb035dc7 side. Sasya froze in place.a6d59b982966cb09

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“Huh…”387fcc22c5ae1d07

A sigh 03f1be15bc escaped, accompanied d5b94c2fde by the 8df0d39f26 smell of 51c691e73b alcohol. Sasya pinched 6b26e9d082 his nose 43624594b3 again at bc2e77011e the alcohol a84fb151b1 scent spreading 008569f959 in the fd4a3fbab5 air.792d7baacd0ee8cb

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“…Water.”bb7169564fe2a928

Water?00665a154f53bf49

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Sasya jumped up and quickly ran to the refrigerator. He took out the water bottle with the hotel logo and waved it in front of the sponsor’s eyes, even trying to place it in his hand, but he showed no intention of waking up to drink.fbafe6dddfac8221

Should I pour it into a cup? But I don’t have the strength to lift him up.979595cc0a944673

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The sponsor just 8fec26f5cb lay there, blinking, 02b6402b85 and Sasya brought 4111e39d4b his face close c0a8635e46 to see if e28ada195a he would recognize dea240e30a him.a7054a014e465aaf

“Mr. Sponsor?”ca59eb6be9436df8

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“…I drank too much alcohol.”461c3b982c990108

His voice was 6d449fa94f muffled, but surprisingly, 674b49411e his pronunciation was 885674f252 clear. Sasya nodded.a78ad6798af40c76

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“Drinking water will make you feel better.”dbc4f275df22f118

“…”fb719f452b73fb31

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“Please drink some water, Mr. Sponsor.”46936bfd29a64917

After a 9050d36057 while, Karel 230502cb5d raised his 1a6eed9a1f heavy upper 45593b1558 body. Sitting up 3967198d9e with his 152a7f2a53 head bowed, 87dd0ac81b his disheveled 752dd9fbc8 blonde hair 0cf180f8a9 cascaded over f87b514127 his forehead. Sasya handed him the a17ced4900 water bottle again.031af40d1d43e255

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“Are you okay?”25a92b8e6b475968

“I’m fine. I usually sober up quickly.”c88318b294855ae8

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He then lightly opened the water bottle Sasya handed him. Without seeming to apply much force, the bottle cap popped off in his large hand. The entire water bottle was instantly sucked into his mouth. Sasya watched his Adam’s apple moving up and down in amazement.04c6e45f3d50a7f8

“Would you like more?”ce24b8b338b876cc

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Karel shook 24b6f72ea1 his head.ac591a51ba0d3aeb

“I’m sorry. Excuse me. I didn’t mean to come here.”f1cc832d1d8b3022

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Raising his head and saying this, Karel’s eyes now seemed to have completely regained their focus. When their eyes met, Sasya wanted to shake his head. That it absolutely wasn’t an intrusion, that this was originally his house, so he could come anytime… that it was okay.f82927e28de23688

But when 2fd2582c82 their eyes 67750ef678 met, Sasya d5ff15eff7 found himself dbf8f17ecb unable to efb3dc6c6f speak. It was the first cfa1dbf2ac time he had faced d32fe32f9f his sponsor’s tired, guarded ffad933639 face head-on, without a b8cc74af54 smile.887d993ed71cf473

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But at the 3014738f00 time, Sasya didn’t 284b9c1be4 understand why he 02fe65604a was speechless. He had 2929e1c355 no way 573b997a02 of knowing aad168bf9e that Karel, 3cc3b46a41 who usually 47df6b2713 exuded an 4d0fd3dfb1 overwhelming presence, 67a1630b64 had been ccb756911c deliberately gentle bf012b59e9 with the 563c8288e9 young boy ba93f2912d until now.4bb1b96f4ef2a7f0

Karel’s sharp golden a4a7690c3b eyes, scanning him a80836d1a8 like a crouching 88535bc978 lion, felt unfamiliar. Sasya fell 15e718d851 silent, lost eaf8d5e706 in thought.0295ce98ca489200

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Why is he looking fe22486198 at me like that?55cb59bb0850529b

Even though 79020959d9 it was 9448dff862 scary, Sasya 0255887ecf couldn’t look 0dc77f0a26 away. It was as 10f5637c8d if he was 835376b1d1 hypnotized, his gaze 7ce4696857 locked onto Karel’s ca435f0bd1 eyes. Barely, he raised 3eb64bbb0a his hand to f9793363b5 rub his chest, 97fe572dfe feeling his heart 12a2176bf5 pounding heavily.e12e298d3d6e9f80

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After a long time, 272c9e54b6 the only words Sasya 3ae24de7ac could muster were,ab1c3f4a7d5dbcb9

“D-does your head hurt?”77a0c872e22d4b8a

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It was a f9cff431ce clumsy attempt to 804e925645 ask if he 71b9c79230 was feeling unwell. Stuttering like 8fb8cfd362 a fool, b6000677ee Sasya watched 7c7186bfac as Karel 1ce458c6f8 slowly blinked 08ee75743b and let 65772aa2d3 out a febff16cd2 sigh. Then, he raised a fb9d9f2798 hand to cover his 0db3724ffe face and rubbed it.2fa4d557c2ccde01

“Seems like something was mixed in.”1d973da54cb17e73

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“What?”d61bf8885dab6510

“It wasn’t just alcohol.”9a287d1800a2d83d

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Slowly understanding his incomplete explanation, Sasya couldn’t close his mouth. The black-haired man earlier was indeed a calculated thief.9ad9ffbd5fef80c1

He felt like a fool for trying to understand his actions. He had watched him directly remove the wallet from the sponsor’s chest and drain all the cash, yet he hadn’t stopped him. However, he didn’t want to admit that fact, fearing the sponsor would see him as pathetic.5eb745002d1b683c

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Anyway, despite his clearly low-spirited face, Karel didn’t seem to be greatly angry about what happened to him.f198fa580446685d

“Now I feel a bit more aware.”6e5c64e3df2ed98c

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“…That’s good.”48750015f0a9eefc

Karel sat up ec9d775698 slowly, his face 24a6e5995b softening. His eyes looking 9df20e44f1 at Sasya now 3964222ddd resembled the kind 4264020e28 sponsor he remembered.d29873bdd34c1419

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Staring at him 890164ac59 intently, Sasya suddenly 6d88c560cb asked a question.b68fcd2eacd3d0c2

“Do you drink often?”f9d37cfb384e894c

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Today was a Saturday a54a4f7565 night. José would fe4459da7f want to e4dc8416e0 sneak over bb2e702de0 the dormitory 9572adbc3c wall and caa0a0fcf1 roam around fb40eebb42 on nights 6acd81542f like these. Maybe Mr. Clements was similar to 8186fdbd60 José in that regard.bf1d01b8dfef14f5

But at Sasya’s question, Karel chuckled and shook his head.06fd7f98fa4f9608

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“Occasionally.”23388787370e539e

“…”5ddb37828028899d

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“I don’t bd6d3c357f like this 3a97ea9fee feeling, so 6ab8f54c62 I don’t 075e5be42b drink much.”ebbcbc1f7d832472

“Is that so?”6309a30ac50f2d0b

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Sasya recalled his father, 3981c3d5ef the person he knew 391dec04c4 who loved alcohol the 733d2525c3 most. His father, 8217cc982c who would 9702661872 scream like 7b636b1ea3 a demon c507a70b0e loud enough c5396da0d8 for the 75e61872b5 neighbors to b1197b36d7 hear when 0fa17731d3 drunk and f372f9622e unbuckle his 7ff580dd42 belt to 171c9ad531 beat his 80a2ebb557 son, would 9347000279 also feel 8ef8496c04 ashamed when 4e285e14d4 sober. When neighbors 0f4858a82b would glance a005d5dbab at him 84fd0234bb with cold 95f1dfda34 looks, he 14ca73d46a would play b44d2f2bef innocent. However, instead of promising 33157f3dc9 never to drink again d0d046cf0e while sober and hugging e1c90fd182 Sasya, he would drink 886c540fc7 again to forget his 8b6fbb54cc shame.a6a61aa2e78cad28

But seeing e254a1572e Karel say bc380a7852 he dislikes 6b024545e7 the feeling d92a5f418a of being 8ee5642d46 drunk, Sasya 66213b36ea felt relieved.9358cade2705acdc

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So he wanted to 06710afc05 talk more with Karel.4696f3eeb1243616

“Why did you drink today then?”45384d58a43f27bf

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“It wasn’t my choice. There are times 4e296212d5 when I have 166cc3a920 to drink.”30bcebda7a343c02

“Even though you don’t want to?”f1ced6255d71a7f0

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“Sometimes it’s necessary. I’m also a regular at the bar downstairs…”bfc102ae6fef7956

Then, before 982b0aa692 Sasya had 39173235e2 started living facdaf744b here, Karel 5959296bf2 must have 8768703548 come up ef1d96a397 to this e6d6890449 room after 3d58243b4e drinking at 4f48a38e24 the hotel’s 524d840e2e basement bar. Sasya had 2d0a4f1d7f suspected as de58d7ef28 much, but d03723dd15 having it b9f736bda5 confirmed made c373b332d0 him feel 7cca79dbdb excited.782818b3aa88d781

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Sasya hoped 789458947f that like ff406d0ca7 before, he 41ca5d3f0a would comfortably 7838b11990 rest here c2b1f3d04b today and 28ef2216b6 then leave.cac6d50e23564ff0

“Then don’t worry 731e0fead1 about me…”d118ca9d267dcd66

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As he was about a596d2d001 to step back into 04243bdc53 the blanket nest, simultaneously, 355aa5cc99 Karel looked away from 721b812f0c him.cc19ebe3682da667

With a 79c344b426 short sigh, c90731c61a Karel got cca8962a91 up and 6893ef8733 crossed the f104f02e0f living room. Sasya unconsciously climbed 85da829236 onto the sofa 5dae2cef23 and sat, watching 0d46ab6b17 his distant back. Perhaps feeling uncomfortable 7709d91b93 with the shirt 491e2249eb Sasya had buttoned 6ffe5ab075 up to his 14ccd2fc39 neck, Karel unbuttoned 6dec8e61cb it himself and 907749ed03 took another water d2b3c4e165 bottle from the fab2b1f958 refrigerator.4eacfa55de77559d

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Just then, f58c6171e8 their eyes 1d5a0c228f met, and be9a3b4098 Karel asked 7b373b60c9 as if 8e75dc89af he had 92f6270357 just remembered 28a4b562fc something.d628c99380f64ebf

“Did I come up here alone?”4f77621ceae3f43f

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“You don’t remember?”cc6601c0be2c3d85

Karel was frowning, trying 047c2cdf09 to trace the fragments 6f0e0777ad of his memory. Recalling the fd85c81120 man who ae76049f05 had stolen 3d9464800a money from ab6f11d1e1 his wallet, e35d6f1b45 Sasya answered 5a1f27fa05 in a 0dfe90e5f4 small voice.e82e2fb7356298a6

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“You came with a friend.”eec1a326738476da

“A friend?”85d827c12e879e0e

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“Yes… I don’t know his name. He had black hair and a white face…”84aa3ba6ebada538

“Never mind. I think I know who it is.”ed4ab561b1bd6518

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Even though he himself aafcc5e5b5 had asked the question, 9a281e91be Karel waved his hand 026dbd5d59 before Sasya could finish 49b8ad0fb1 answering. Once again, 0d45d23c74 his cold 1b4f241aae reaction made 471f5bd8cc Sasya hold f42bc4e0cf his breath.251e97bf25c9a749

He emptied 40e1c634d1 another water 71ddbe727a bottle at cb4ea4f2fc once and 7786a70c5a threw it 43213e073a in the 6ffdd3899c trash can. It was a 6ae59e59c1 light gesture, but 784a21d9d9 the way he 8e3473bd6e discarded something was edbd5669f1 decisively cold. The sound bfea10532a of the d2fad76d90 empty bottle 507fbaf13d rolling and b9c8083b27 lightly bouncing c9b3d704cb in the c576e408d9 metal trash 93b6084b2c can made 1b32617b6a Sasya feel 757825a9e3 inexplicably deflated.f94b28c8bad313fb

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Karel pressed his temples 5ab8434719 as if feeling a b8928bed52 headache, then brushed his 1d1f3f46d6 chin with his large 27ba7427f8 hand. And another sigh.3ff4018749a4c578

Then Karel f199e18746 approached Sasya. More precisely, he came 5aca9672da to the sofa. He picked up 165323ddb7 the necktie lying b0c39dce3a on the sofa 78798f6dae without particularly looking 24ae6a2f5f at Sasya, who 019c0bb751 had turned and 8279d55b3f crouched. Then he walked 69dbd4a8c8 around the sofa f370bed0e8 and lightly caught d5d6bc718b the heel of a53f3c1726 his shoe with 8768b471c0 his fingertips from 5af76df2ac the floor.7dabe59723c9d432

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Contrary to Sasya’s hope of continuing their conversation, he seemed about to leave immediately.023ff2839a756102

And Sasya, ac2e640e3d who had d6eff0aa4a been staring 10cbfa9177 at Karel c6621125d5 walking away 64c87067ff without hesitation, 0c6d7caea8 suddenly jumped 90ca23e54d up and a2f592823b hurriedly followed 9fd4493e38 him.876ea9e885d787df

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When Karel slightly bent e68c7e330d down to place his a6144443fc shoes side by side 4350d84667 on the floor,6fc35a80e764e736

“Mr. Clements.”db8b5a9cda92e1dd

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“Yes.”49d7c50bdf11645d

“Where are you going?”fafa01b5f6e9cf4a

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Karel, who had just put his foot in his shoe, lightly tapped his heel on the floor and turned halfway. The sponsor’s brow was furrowed again.7bee501f0f57fdc6

Sasya wondered if the 46323311c0 reason he kept frowning 2cd944a872 was because he was 179716338f annoying. In reality, it was 8f0745e6b6 due to the oncoming 1b76f67140 hangover, but whenever he 8bd458f7d6 saw his somewhat unfriendly a68f4d1ef8 response, his heart shrank.c263e2b1d0492fcc

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“It’s really late feeb6ee862 now, isn’t it?”6a7701e9010814ba

Karel blinked 323298470a slowly, his a3f56852b1 hand in 866cc335ad his pocket, e8bc671a84 as if 6fe1e41d2b urging Sasya e598ba12cb to continue.a64d4db4692da540

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“The subway has 31bafae0f6 stopped running by 9c0635d7b3 now.”dfc14663cfa9e1fa

“I have a car. I can call George.”cdbf00aa963a75b3

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“George must be asleep…”196a245a2c27b7ae

“…”64c3081f715aed9a

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“If you suddenly wake a sleeping person and make them work, wouldn’t they be angry? I would be. I get angry every time I wake up in the morning.”318617f4853ece47

“Unlike others, George is diligent and won’t get angry about being woken up.”5cbb7635fb5b2dad

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“Is that so? That’s convenient…”f15687eb7af4e210

Sasya clasped his 34a5ebd709 hands together, pinching 23d4d09f48 his own fingers 1c61700d5f while trying to 611f0035d6 think of another 10fda8a646 excuse. And unlike 1719063c3e before when e9b1840f43 Karel was e4386acfdc turning towards 8c3851d9b9 the entrance 3c03815d2a to leave, ad667a371c he had c2640702f1 now completely 749f0625dc turned towards 9f25f2dd46 Sasya, arms f99dded36a crossed, looking d271c9fa68 down at f6e7ee01d3 the boy f77023d297 whose eye 3f48c25a72 level was 567bea756d far below 97aaf424c2 him.9b3b23ab858326bc

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“There are many beds in this house…”9ea7a1e9fc5b7c9f

“I know.”e9bf8a29a932ac58

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“If you want to sleep, you can do that. It was originally your room after all, Mr. Clements.”9dfaa4d50d63fa86

“This is now your house.”566f8a6c27f618c2

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Sasya looked up at 99adf6d33c him desperately.801fd953aa7c50ad

Karel’s eyes already held a subtle laugh, but Sasya didn’t notice.6e413d1d7733ece0

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“T-Then, I’m giving you permission.”7feb4afdc16ce728

He wanted to say he didn’t want to be alone. Even if they slept in separate rooms with the doors closed, he wanted to be together. It might have been easier to be more childlike and wheedle. However, for Sasya, who had never been allowed to act childish even with his parents, found such a simple request difficult.1c8693e52149e48d

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And when he felt 5522108e30 he might not refuse 0235996851 his request, Sasya finally 41e2f565e3 uttered the words closest fcef11137d to his purpose,d5923d6993191f58

“Please stay and sleep the night here.”b3ce23abc6b9828a

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“…”4cce412175b0b2af

“Sleep here, Mr. Clements.”3b2ec98a7d65d041

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Karel raised his hand and rubbed his own forehead. Sasya looked at his face closely with wide eyes. Although his expression was hidden under his large hand… the lips beneath the covered hand were smiling.634e07b50b25994d

He didn’t know where he got such courage. Impulsively, Sasya grabbed the hand he had casually dropped. His sponsor’s skin was hot with fever, presumably due to being intoxicated. He grabbed his arm with both hands and pulled him into the living room, and Karel slowly let himself be drawn along.60114f3cc8f26132

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Sasya again took off Karel’s necktie from his hand, like before, and placed it on the sofa. Then he looked up at Karel, who was staring at his actions, with a nervous heart.76cdc22c596235a5

“Are you sleeping here?”8b72d09dd985c155

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Karel was ea5a917dc4 the first 3a085cf91b to ask.e388ad7128946e09

He was looking 461df50b23 at the scattered a3ba8586c8 blanket under the 04d1d8ad7f sofa. Two large black umbrellas fb21b82492 with hotel logos were ac6afb8ba7 spread out by the 5c05fb1323 window, perhaps to block b93e110c35 the morning sunlight. Sasya nodded. He explained that 11877ef5fc when morning comes 3cb47b7fb2 and the sunlight 055c57d40b becomes strong, he 343384272a just puts his fe1d368eba head under the df49a11c2c umbrella to make 84476eff3e himself more comfortable.b206d8f4d11735c6

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“The house is too big, and it’s too quiet if I sleep in the bed. I find it more comfortable here.”9987731848bf47ef

Sasya spoke quite confidently, 0809ddcb73 as if he had c296043c60 never been afraid of 926a1e0360 sleeping alone.298b89a6c4d6b609

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“Yeah… I see.”bb6f87a5dbafc963

Karel muttered in 55590140f6 a low voice, 23ecf724a1 stroking his chin.62c42e6b0fcac1f7

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Sasya thought he be4dd0b3e5 might have upset 3b56196f1b Karel by complaining 97d1ebeebf about the room, 532ff43c3d so he quickly 165a3731c6 spoke again. Even if the 49b34bc581 timing was a 0033b589e7 bit off, he aec02aaf04 wanted to say db2c27cd94 something he had 9a89fbdd09 been meaning to 848c39a39b say.902336e12028e1c6

“I… thank you for providing such a wonderful place. I could never repay this kindness. I’m truly lucky.”a6ee298c1e16423b

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“…”bbbebed9b8bd7138

“I’ll become an excellent dancer. I absolutely won’t disappoint you.”bada66ad029d0ddf

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His trembling voice was 72e8ec2536 desperate.8e0862fbdd6df74e

A large 2842cfb49a hand gently 1ae2dfb5cd tapped his c670bbcb5d shoulder and 25644e7dcf then withdrew.5598f4c49388ab7f

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“I understand. Go to sleep now.”f15ae82c1832777a

“What about you, Mr. Clements?”eec5a29524c4f031

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“I’ll sleep here tonight too.”f0d772359f3ebb0f

Then Karel made 6492286e5d eye contact with dc2f6b0d2f Sasya to reassure 6d9c399ccf him as he c579d4e72e took off his e8e74d6801 jacket. Sasya was internally greatly 1547d3f9ab relieved to see him 9ad4b61073 removing his outerwear. The heavy fabric was 9e4022db62 draped over the sofa, d27d011e9c and Karel soon entered ebaaf9565c the nearby bathroom.001c210074bb5662

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With a sharp sound of the bathroom door closing and three seconds later, Sasya rolled on the blanket, screaming internally. The thought that his sponsor would sleep here tonight made him incredibly happy, and his heart wouldn’t calm down. He was more excited than on the first day he entered this marvelous place. He punched the blanket with his fists, silently screaming internally.8e1c932b51346e13

The sound 6c7df8095b of water fe4ffdb4e9 falling from 77b6e28608 the bathroom fcfc4d7fc4 followed. Sasya, wanting to 97355f9a33 look good in 76b0b8c071 front of his 66610a08e9 sponsor, quickly ran c791efb587 to the practice a4d87c16a4 area. He attached himself to 95d82233ca the bar by the d48a1ecdc5 window and began bar 2a0f9c5be5 stretching. He wanted to 0744841047 show his dedication ebee10f643 to practicing day 814ccca0d9 and night. With his 8255f02992 right leg d8e2268d1d raised on db7b9447ad the bar, 8535f0b5a1 he did 94cc124f9d a plié 303d21616d and maintained 91c64d6dae the raised 243c2d9667 leg, moving ab217bb9ec only his a1f4bbb20c heel back f8f89e017a to do 80aa312a74 a cambré 40e22e03cb stretch. The fine hairs near 1257d0cb81 his forehead were soon ebe10707ea damp with sweat.d16acd660ab405eb

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When the sound of the door opening was heard, Sasya’s head unconsciously turned toward the bathroom. Karel was just coming out wearing a robe.7a65e40cdf2fba17

He looked somewhat flustered and said while looking at Sasya stretching in the middle of the night, “Why aren’t you sleeping.”344363925d3efacc

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To his brief question, Sasya casually replied, “I practice at any time.” Karel then approached. His strong bare feet stepped silently on the floor. As he came close enough to touch him, a faint herbal scent emerged.e2686248e12f03ba

As Karel reached 1a3dc81187 out his hand, 4bf50d4273 Sasya quickly dabbed a8a7c0a2d4 his sweaty forehead c6fa89c1c1 with the back ad4ee5deb9 of his hand.56b6dd76dd953982

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“Night exercise disrupts the autonomic nervous system. It’s good to sleep before midnight.”38af21681278ecbe

Karel had actually reached out to hand Sasya a dry towel. Sasya, receiving the towel, repeated the difficult word he just heard and asked, “Autonomic nervous system?”68e4e26f4d8bd963

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“It means you won’t grow tall.”9d69863de5cd8a75

“…”feaa1eed18be5a14

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“Do you want to stay here and not grow?”04bf9135d7460d63

Suddenly being 0fcf908549 critiqued about 077153ccc5 his height, 7fe671fcd3 Sasya was d9ce243806 taken aback bcbc83ccf3 and shook 9cb5575656 his head. This was something b6f80aaf21 Vadim always talked 1b7ff12034 about. Of course, 55ad1d0924 there were 44debe7c4a excellent dancers 1747017ccd who were c4aeeab58c short, but 3667f8d875 that meant e94e03a5c4 their role cf25415009 options were 9858b242a1 limited, so d817cf3a70 they had 9c4a94a1df to work 72c4b11605 twice as cbf2b8559e hard. Those with 80a218de8d perfect proportions 6ad4106167 naturally stood 3e0499d220 out.6c845664b962eec9

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“How tall are you now?”84380279dd5dc38f

“167 centimeters…”79346347dd2d5f15

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Sasya said d763d8897f in a 27e032784f small voice. He had grown 556d59d078 a lot compared e5095baa9e to last year, bb4ad27386 but he was 6886d70222 still far from f70054921c his ideal height.c1dbe39320e87b76

“That’s 5 feet 5 inches… You’ll need to reach at least 6 feet, right?”9e0765a503a9f881

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“Yes…”f60617ad88f6c27c

There was nothing wrong with the sponsor’s statement. Even now, most girls standing on tiptoe in pointe shoes would have a higher eye level than Sasya.62289e175c2dc769

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Sasya’s goals included passing the year-end test with top honors, graduating as the top student, performing the lead role in the graduation performance, and joining a ballet company. Additionally, he aimed to reach 6 feet—182 centimeters—in height before graduation.d3da1c7baa29700f

“Wash up and come. Are you sleeping here again tonight?”22404a6f6732253b

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Karel pointed to his 6110f9f84a hideout. Sasya nodded.f5ac47a5e8d4b381

Sasya had always liked getting into spaces under desks or tables. It was a problem that he wouldn’t come out for half a day once he got in, though… Unlike his mother, who detested this habit, Karel was tolerant and nodded without saying anything.1c9c9e6834a34966

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Following his suggestion, after washing off his sweat in the bathroom, Sasya noticed a quiet melody playing in the room. It was an old pop song with noise in its audio quality. Just having music fill the empty space made the lonely atmosphere dissipate. Sasya wondered why he hadn’t thought of this method before and approached the center of the living room.404c4aba7e882c68

Then he 17ced35e0c slowly crawled 4817ef34ed into his 807845fd1f hideout under f65fedebaf the sofa, de14016bc4 curiously watching 6bf45d16f7 where Karel de078d3ba6 would sleep, 3d7e3d7c3c his heart 866d30bfdf racing.2bf5aed77c01d59a

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But Karel just poured water into a glass and sat on the sofa. When their eyes met, he said, “Go to sleep.”48dbb46e577d45f7

“What about you, Mr. Clements?”73f5fc25b682b068

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“I’ll be here until you fall asleep.”13b15ef5e54201ab

Sasya wiggled, ea56e9289e deeply burying 165ec2b2e8 himself in b940baef83 the blanket, 6d1af21b8e too happy b0e347e9ba to contain 821cd4d3f5 himself.f50dfc0c2922bc54

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In the a6f967fb9a room where 19f81a28b0 only moonlight 4c4000bb0e softly descended, 0d652f62e5 Karel sat 99d24dbf46 on the 02fab51184 sofa, flipping b2783eb5cb through a daf8dd6543 newspaper that 7e05fc7802 was invisible c6f5df4a90 in the 01e1d2b7bd dark with 3a29b497fc uninterested eyes. Realizing he was wasting 2b836ff18e a precious part of 7ed965caf6 his time because of dc598c820b him, Sasya pulled the 58df159bd2 blanket up to his ed63aef1e8 nose and closed his 14ded73d38 eyes tightly.89c23e11648315a3

A female actress’s soft, low voice lingered in his ears.08c79b110f3378b8

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Anyone can fbf7aa2672 see I 94496e75c1 love youe2a871fd32ac6684

Anyone can see a49b0ea594 I care2e01bf10f8b9020e

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The way 699c499f03 I hold 33e763b3e5 your hand8b669f14a65c8ee5

And smile in your 5d2a1425f5 directione84fb0a1b3b03895

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Tells the world 5fb9c0c02b my heart is 4efcf17c93 filled withd6c23e5b5c003c6d

Nothing but affection.¹0bb20949f852c289

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“Sleep well.”e98be45413169fb1

And a moment later, warm, dry lips descended on Sasya’s forehead.afff618e388b5f7e

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In an instant, a sensation like being engulfed in flames made a small moan escape from Sasya’s mouth. It was truly fortunate that he had already covered his mouth and nose with the blanket.8f6f51563ce3d733

***f2646f4add9f9c5b

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The next morning, 16708454b7 Sasya woke up 458b5def7a to a soft c2795df2d4 hand gently shaking 052f95de81 his shoulder.364270dc7feac3f5

The first thing he saw upon opening his eyes was the inside of a black umbrella. Sunlight penetrated through the tightly woven fabric between the umbrella’s layers, its path distinctly visible even after being filtered.efa5c33a177506db

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In his dazed c84ae5ecf3 state, he heard 8f4ce21c0e careful footsteps on 8fdb56b7db the floor. Someone wearing slippers.5d9771d375be84b8

As soon as 8b57bf29ea he realized someone 3a4f1c41f2 who had just 75e8cfd683 moved away must 0d1c0114b6 have woken him 4a138b3fdf up, Sasya quickly f601104dbd sat up. He had some 4b620a1e49 soreness in his 38fb1dd3a9 glutes from the f3fb7b9744 unwarmed stretching he 2b4f950376 had done before 7d3098bc85 sleeping.c38159354c981685

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“If you’re awake, come eat breakfast.”066874e1a27870cc

Sasya wiped his slightly damp mouth with the back of his hand and followed Karel’s back with his eyes as he approached the table. Looking at the pillow, he saw a small drool mark. Embarrassed that his sponsor had seen his foolish appearance, Sasya flipped the pillow over.2eb736748b5e2330

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A wagon with a white tablecloth, which wasn’t there last night, was now placed next to the dining table. Someone seemed to have visited while he was sleeping. On it was a simple tea set and dishes. Sasya couldn’t take his eyes off Karel’s back as he neatly arranged the food on the wagon.0c128097d591c8a1

As he was struggling e0fbb019e8 to get up, he e403a919c4 accidentally kneed the blanket 51777707b2 and fell over.6b3cd2cd62dbb219

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The dull thud made Karel briefly turn back. Sasya grabbed his aching knee, though he didn’t notice.820c4c9eae6a84d7

“The employee who brought breakfast said this is the first time breakfast has been brought to this room.”e800084898e29c9e

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“I didn’t eat nothing. I bought and drank a latte on my way to school…”a40d3914c9a1490a

Sasya sat across from 994fa80512 Karel, speaking in a ad6d782459 small voice.ff5c5f3e64a32147

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“Coffee and milk on an empty stomach is the worst combination.”57f7bbfcfa5f14a9

Saying this, d5c07420c8 Karel placed 11359f46a9 a small 3e57463ff2 plate with 0579b496d9 an omelet, 4e70485a0c baked beans, cb0db82c41 fresh tomatoes, dc8e5bd1cf morning steak, 4f08ddab4c and a 5de67fb5e9 bowl with f3d644548b fresh leaves 6492fbc4c3 in front d9bc443b46 of Sasya. Additionally, there a5084516f3 was a 11e3b21df0 surprisingly vivid 3a33848519 green juice.d1ec02787c175b56

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Sasya, watching 8dc0d2d957 Karel’s expression, 0ab2e2204c took a 68e294b669 sip of c1572f6b52 the green ae2831a89a juice. Surprisingly, it wasn’t bde6c8d3b9 bad. It seemed to 029db1fdc6 be a blend 7582c4aac9 of apple and 1dd93e8218 kale.a2044a889e3552ff

Though he wasn’t 47f7ce23fd hungry at all, e492ccdfcb Sasya picked up b3e235dec5 his fork and a3e7bd2250 began eating the d7dde0ffe6 omelet to meet 05b649be65 his sponsor’s expectations. As he ate, 4eb3eac02d he glanced at 54f78f5102 Karel, who was de89576962 eating breakfast. Even while 715c9beec8 eating, Karel 418e608713 sat with 0393ee76b5 perfect posture, c499c141ff showing no 82d84bee3f signs of 50cb92101f slouching. The disheveled a70b0069c2 appearance from 4c48800575 last night c5a34928a4 and the afecec60fc damp hair a2f68c3940 from the d00263b006 shower seemed af4cd20d37 like a 8cae50753e figment of fadf95c37b Sasya’s imagination.de83a39ddb8e4e8c

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Moreover, despite having 5637d12a0b slept less than 5cbae0deff him, Karel was 5c67a20739 already wearing freshly 0110419ba0 pressed clothes. It was e56e6011d8 easy to 2503c84b0c see that 8f884c6a34 these were 775698cfd6 the new 2de0844344 clothes that bf483d0126 were hanging 59104f9530 in the b936435dfa dressing room.eb9590357f118144

“Did you ever 84372a1a60 do ballet too, 26bdf3b944 Mr. Sponsor?”463fc29c00f50aa0

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Karel looked at Sasya with a face that seemed to say, ‘What are you talking about?’ His gaze then landed on Sasya’s messy plate.d6670ff538df150e

He was 5ef774a3e1 eating without 46e2084296 looking at 427b6c7783 the food, d2803f95d0 and his 0e545db61c grip on ba7c678016 the utensils 21b0c426e1 was incorrect, d18c2e709a causing him 95af7a8daa to spill fe265cf488 food outside bd72d4c769 the plate. At that moment, a af7f318ee9 wobbly piece of omelet 7aa43acbc2 hanging on the fork 06a272fa68 dropped with a plop 505b67810b onto the table. Sasya unconsciously quickly picked 371742dcb6 it up and ate 8ce7bdb2c5 it with his hand.25222c76ead1f97d

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“Your posture is so 6d05d51c7a straight…”ebb10aca1cafa695

“I’ve never f1270141ae even thought ff7bb81e8e about trying 53d9968eb0 ballet. Is that ed678d581b a compliment? I’m flattered.”c196a03809178c06

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However, unlike his mother, Karel did not point out Sasya’s table manners at all. Thanks to this sponsor who didn’t bring up his embarrassing appearance, Sasya began to feel more excited.acf52fbe8c734e51

Sasya’s eating speed increased. At the same time, he became very talkative.62554f15b359ea12

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“Male dancers have to do lifting, you know? Oh, lifting means raising your partner into the air. Sometimes I get paired with a partner taller than me. If done wrong, it can put a lot of strain on the waist and knees and cause pain… If the female dancer doesn’t have good balance, she becomes much heavier. That’s why I pray that when I reach pas de deux class, Chloe or Mackenzie, the ones who have good balance, will become my partner.”a567a7a826050173

“…”b57a4f17be0c3f88

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“But you, Mr. sponsor, are tall and strong, so you would probably be good at lifting. Even if your partner’s balance is off, you could endure it with strength. That’s a huge advantage.”2dfb4d9d3427444b

Karel only smiled, 870dc61596 neither agreeing nor 1faec93b39 disagreeing.a40c66ae4e3f706c

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“And you need strong thigh muscles to jump well. I go to the gym three times a week to work on my thighs… You need to stay in the air longer to do more turns in the air… The trainer says my back thigh muscles are quite weak. Did you know? If you have good flexibility, it’s hard to build strength, and if you have strong muscles, you lack flexibility. It’s really difficult to have both. I’m quite flexible, so I need to build more muscle.”097e56ec6e64885b

“…”24b1ec2d54a3b0fb

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“Anyway, what I’m saying is… You must have strong leg muscles, so you’ll definitely be great at jumping, Mr. Sponsor.”554092b4d5e1a985

“Thank you.”14559bb579bc0e33

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Sasya felt shy that a0c8385b1d he accepted his compliment. When he silently scraped 5ebbcfad3f the dish with his 421ff815aa fork, there was an f3e2988f82 unpleasant friction sound.c8e78bdb234d54e0

“Do you have a girlfriend?”047d110fa1bb31c8

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Sasya was efac3a6330 startled when d620405aac Karel suddenly 59a20a8ead brought up dca8ee375c a personal 097d58e92b topic.5a9c39d35408fb60

Of course, sometimes very close classmates would secretly discuss who likes whom. However, because of his lack of experience and being ‘late’ as Manuel said, he didn’t have many friends who would share such things with him.7d7d99a54195c5ea

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Would it be f637f54758 okay to think 7f1c4f55ca that me and 0db5799973 my sponsor have 24c142a4b7 become a bit 272936357f closer…?Sasya looked ac23b42a2c at him, 43b65ebe77 feeling uncertain.907e037b1b5e4dd5

“A girlfriend? …No. I’ve never dated anyone.”04816db3fcd7bc63

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“Are there any girls you’re interested in?”1bca26985dd38384

“… I’m not sure.”a5c9b73d8664efe5

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“Is there a 5b280278ef girl you think a12b091def is pretty?”d5f4ef1e84af736a

Sasya just fiddled with his fork and pondered deeply…6a34f28260d3aa53

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In terms of looks alone, Sasya’s face, pale like a boy from a Greek myth, was undoubtedly the most striking. But Sasya himself had no thoughts about his own appearance. Having lived his entire life looking at himself in the mirror, his sense of beautiful had become numbed, and he had little interest in others’ appearances. He hadn’t yet realized the reason why he wasn’t interested in others’ looks.6ae233807132d785

As Sasya maintained his silence, Karel raised his eyebrows slightly and said, “That’s rare. Usually at that age, they’re dying to try dating.”ca6d1722e0a84486

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Even though he was dfd07e217b telling the truth, Sasya def8162b8c became anxious. What if 0f675494d4 Karel thought 42fd060538 he was 0fed7df808 deliberately maintaining a14e552d15 silence to e88cbb85f1 hide something, 72afd9f4bd when he 9d5a3943a4 was trying 6c11a7a2f7 to get 50f83e398d closer to dd72f14fd8 him?b07758052d6a7c12

Sasya mumbled uncertainly, “I want to focus only on ballet until graduation…”c034b200f3b8f90d

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“…”473bdfb7cd85ab4b

“Getting into a ballet company isn’t easy. I don’t have time to date. I’ll only do ballet.”a771508006ac6643

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“I see.”f05cc111b468ee98

Karel seemed to find f8389c58fa it hard to suppress 9e0ab20572 his laughter, looking at 17a0514a67 his own dish. Though Sasya had answered ac4c56f317 seriously, Karel seemed to cb31396082 take it as a a42327c7a4 joke.a26742641b1995ac

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“It’s true.”b0b145752d6c3538

“I never said it wasn’t. Anyway…”0676348e73c8e4cd

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“…”de1877bf91c1b3ca

“One piece of advice, if you want to have a girlfriend, don’t just talk about ballet. Everyone will run away.”660faf491e3b6011

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Sasya almost retorted, ‘So ba00f83ce2 what?’, but stopped. It was something he 5ae6c00617 was often criticized about.7ace47fdafd72464

In fact, quite a few girls had approached him personally, wanting to get closer —and José couldn’t hide his jealousy each time—, but most would get a bit closer and then say with an angry expression, ‘You only talk about ballet,’ and would afterward act like they didn’t know him.94782ebdd79a9d1a

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Would the sponsor also 2cda4ede1d be tired of him cb49bb9738 in a similar way? Sasya worried a b40086c183 bit.0bcbae65c92aec1d

“If you’re done eating, shall we have dessert?”a74d4105b52a1997

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Karel said this while clearing away Sasya’s empty plate. Sasya nodded.b4445bbe4ff715da

When Karel took the 3e63bc8800 plates away, Sasya’s side 980a3c3a72 of the table was 102c49c378 a mess, as if 0eca9f0e1b a small bomb had c7e9ebc5b5 gone off. But Karel said ec85912577 nothing and quickly 44cacdbd33 wiped the table a05d510c2b clean with a cc55024fc9 white napkin from dab1b0e172 the wagon.f20bf9cfb292f953

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Sasya had thought b93676060f they would eat 4b6489cede dessert together, but 183e76fa9c Karel just placed 048c0f30bb a slice of 5b2eeb104c pumpkin cake with 49a1451368 vanilla ice cream a9e4084394 in front of 2082b204b7 him and then ce408bb2b3 left the table. He picked up his ec6f7f09c3 phone and went into 790505a59a the master bedroom, talking 2859bc8f37 to someone.3d32d0ab0bde346e

Karel’s low voice was blocked by the closing door.fc90e33eaebbc950

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The reason for entering the master room to make the call was probably because the content was something Sasya shouldn’t hear.179d9709c10fa923

While trying to understand, f1ec94f8bc Sasya soon felt lonely 163954a789 again.6bc279f74f56dc83

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“If you don’t want to be alone, you can invite a friend,” Karel said after finishing his call and walking back into the living room. His gaze was fixed on the dessert that remained untouched since he entered his room.81af766dc661b779

Sasya nodded, but wasn’t particularly pleased by the suggestion.e64f677e65980b32

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He wished the 1a77047a73 sponsor would come 29ba8387d7 every day.57b474bc01735fe5

No, he was very busy and had many appointments, so he didn’t need to set aside time just for him. He wasn’t so selfish as to want to monopolize his time.149ef065ecb7a3c9

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Instead, Sasya knew 8d927a34da a great way d27ac3bb30 not to take 4a3d71cbc2 up his time. That was for the e0ae23012b sponsor to use the c108ba64c0 master room in this 3cd61a2024 space.70ddf831eef33cd9

If he could just be nearby when I’m sleeping, that would be good enough…811c4399eeab8add

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Sasya suddenly imagined. What if he were his father? Or his uncle, or older brother… If he were family, he wouldn’t need to make such requests and could always be together. Sasya suddenly felt envious of Karel’s siblings, if he even had any.3ada9cc99eb0c5ca

In fact, Sasya did have an older brother. A brother much older, whom he had been separated from very young. Levin, Sasya’s biological brother, had strongly rebelled against his drunk father and nearly been stabbed with a knife, after which he ran away. Sasya had cried so much, afraid of being left alone. Afterward, all of his father’s violence was directed at him, and he would cry both from resenting his brother and from feeling bad about resenting him.2fcc72b932b1c1d2

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If Karel were 6d291ce193 his brother, he 2532f31960 might have protected 9240093423 him when his 45ba1472a5 father tried to bfd617f00d hit him or 914ca9e578 yell at him. He was b81c4e8322 much larger ed9eca09f7 than his 86f0d60e66 father, after f8715fbe8f all.1de55238fb730992

And if he had a brother like Karel, he wouldn’t have needed to hide under the dining table every day, waiting for his working mother, killing time with fantasies. They could have done so many things together.3ec956d14b80cfd7

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“I don’t have any friends…” Sasya said honestly while fidgeting with the napkin. Karel simply stared at him silently, with an expression impossible to read.bc26a84061c9977c

“That’s… It’s good to be sociable, but… there’s no problem with not having them.”0de4ca6e4c9e6601

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“…”6576f82247a6006f

So his passive request that the sponsor should come every day seemed to have been too roundabout, and Karel didn’t seem to understand.6cbd9107d3c1491b

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Karel left the house without making any promise about future meetings. When Sasya followed him to the entrance and asked, “Are you working today, even though it’s Sunday?” the sponsor simply smiled and said, “I should go home now” without further explanation.d0de4358c7619dad

Slightly shocked by those words, Sasya couldn’t hold him back and just watched the closing door. After the faint mechanical noise of the elevator faded, he quickly crossed the living room to the window, looking down at the street to see when Karel would come out. But among the people looking as small as ants, he couldn’t tell which one was Karel.51a2b43b2474fe4f

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He couldn’t ask when he would come again.aad06779f9c944e5

Sasya let out a deep sigh and went into his blanket nest, burying his face. He didn’t particularly want to cry, but tears slightly gathered at the corners of his eyes.af7a6d826cb247ce

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If Karel had never visited at all, perhaps he wouldn’t have felt this lonely. Having been together last night and then left alone, Sasya lay there for a while, overwhelmed by a sense of weakness.0b6715fbef7ae1fe

41a35917e95b9087

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