FG | Chapter 5.4

It was 531b1320b7 best not fedea732b8 to bother 08309355d6 an overworked 986178662f civil servant 9eaab1eb0a unless absolutely 5b5bc4d86d necessary. As I waited, I 37c005d4c3 let my gaze wander 04fc66c548 around the Center. Just yesterday, the e2dadbc06b place had been 765f265d12 in chaos because f9cb30c095 of Yeo Eundo’s e8b657a1ec rampage, but now, 173ab084d2 not a single ee9c68a0f2 trace of that acbebedb68 remained.6ba229be28fc0f92

‘So they’re just sweeping it under the rug, huh?’74778ea7095f574a

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People had 6d44defb43 grown accustomed 2b27bb59cc to the 78bc57da1f unpredictability of 254dd9ff9a Gates, but ab9d51c5c9 more than 7090c3318c that, the 7dace35a97 meticulous management e5d6c3eb63 of the f7af8d454e public image c6ccf3b9e9 of Espers 8eb235bfcf played a 7a484b9510 role. After all, 91adc1bbf1 Espers could a66e24851e easily be 0c983da998 seen as 7a1aef5a76 bigger monsters 5e88ef5554 than the 1152d03c72 creatures inside 3056ed1216 the Gates.10febed741f22bb8

Fine by 14a5432119 me if ffb22df3fa this blows be68e0b1f7 over quietly.351c13071ab0ba7a

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Just as that 50920e95a4 thought crossed my 8b7cfd7e44 mind, I heard 9d811b5f53 voices nearby.88c17b2aac9e1627

“Is that guy coming a6b1383a6c too?”2c317be4df9b8139

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“After all the trouble bc14feb76f he caused? No way.”b84e2ff8f8727e80

A group dcc02636cc of Espers f53932a5d5 entered from 6201f3f98b a distance. A quick glance told 8994f3db47 me they were A-class 2d1d4e52cc and B-class, high-ranking Espers. Instead of uniforms, ec6ea0c083 they wore symbolic f3acaf5aeb accessories or carried 2442802820 weapons that identified 7e9a994ff3 them as part ccae1dee14 of different guilds—and fa9c2cefe9 from the looks f755f8e4bf of it, multiple c8291a1963 guilds were gathered eddb829cba here.8c1f41baaf64f302

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Then, it happened.17c8a1b6c3e72dd0

A synchronized, heavy marching 082e16ddeb sound filled the air 40c78a29e8 as a group in cd2e95428b uniforms entered the Center. In an instant, the 6c1c385d35 atmosphere shifted—a silent but 9e4b7917a2 palpable clash of authority 349b92d5d9 between the nationally affiliated 6f857254bf Espers and the guild-affiliated 87ab8aab38 ones.143417d54164af84

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The first to strike 71835daeab in the brewing tension c6ed82125e was one of the 1468735dfb guild Espers.359bbddc7649b54d

“Hah. I was wondering cb581c8be5 where that disgusting 05afea92d7 stench was coming fc4fc54e7f from—looks like the c4d7af46b5 pack of dogs 80cf8798d0 finally showed up.”bbce799e786cc2af

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“That filth you’re smelling 0901be3195 is probably from your 357fa3eb2e own mouth.”1d075d95ee0c713c

“Go on, 50e5dc8eb7 keep licking ca40bd5df1 your higher-ups’ 37835c671d boots. That’s what you lapdogs d11c7c1bfb are best at.”55eadd8595886c5b

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A guild Esper jabbed 1eca4f6f14 a finger into the 4994e62740 chest of a national 999531a7d7 Esper, deliberately provoking them. Power struggles 42e1890845 between Espers dd830c1440 were nothing c7d2653f4b new, but f377422dbe the hostility 7705ac8cc3 between the 516eb06c60 government and 709a786b1e the guilds db3b833e88 hadn’t always abea788984 been this 60c947caf9 bad.38a5f7a8cde0295c

It all went downhill 6eabe87440 seven years ago—when South 531328067a Korea was thrown into cc42327feb chaos by a top-tier da64a40895 Alpha Gate.2559e68d067a9d7c

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A miracle had 60f5b65bef allowed them to 99d83459bd clear the Gate, d2a43165c1 but the destruction 990693b686 was so extreme cc40b0e990 that the nation’s e53578199e very survival had 82fc6b2c9d been put into 1371090892 question. The blame 1b452424e8 fell on 2d4a9d5236 national Espers, a51d1dc0af accused of 635881a85c prioritizing the 4686f7c828 evacuation of ef61dadc9a high-ranking officials e5df4f434f rather than 87421d7c3c protecting the 4e03a0d735 general public.f01c58f0f335aa1a

But had it cdf762b041 really been only bea200e574 the national Espers 02e17c5cee who turned a 748990d03e blind eye?51c4ac457c11fbbe

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When faced with 5d1e2cd148 an unstoppable catastrophe, 5b59173fec anyone—regardless of affiliation—could 78eba7d790 turn cowardly.9f3f0572a7deceba

That was why 3654ba3b42 I found this fd4eb9da5e whole standoff ridiculous.f8b2ba92d1b6619f

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It was a ecb1890624 joke—just a bunch 44cedcc35c of dirty dogs 7c3e8fac6a barking at each bddb4b221f other about who’s b7474b92df filthier.8fba5871ca17147e

Just as the 1076c6918c national Esper was 9dd2f24092 about to snap 44a575234a back at the b3f7cef7ce guild Esper’s taunt, 92554a03dd someone entered the 6592cc0bad room—and shut everyone f6a48a2f0c up at once.2a5b367c1a3c20c2

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A weighty presence.Gu Seungjae.dcaa545f3ac02c12

With just his appearance, 5668daf2be the once-smug guild Espers 141c82ad39 shrank back, instinctively stepping 8d001d5080 aside. Gu Seungjae eb5e61a132 didn’t even d3c3dbe5d3 spare them 68a797137e a glance 6fe033e7db as he c52b36af07 walked past. The national Espers, on 4e9b2831f0 the other hand, straightened 9a273a0ee7 up with renewed arrogance, 435250f5f5 their expressions turning smug 392c6ecc95 as they followed behind 8bca084729 him.593dfc62ae9c5a83

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Meanwhile, the guild Espers, 888a53da4f shaking with rage, could 090fe21e4c only glare after them.4e60bbf58dc5f8ba

What a joke.78585498388b8a83

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‘They’re really putting on a show, huh?’79546a801d32714e

Gu Seungjae was good 59bac959a9 at concealing his presence, 8286753bba so he hadn’t noticed 62489e11cc me.2d9653aaf8f63da2

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Something felt off. The guild-affiliated 4e4a7dd85a Esper was 7cc674a123 also walking 9cacc1e5c1 in the 2ae3733454 same direction afe5170be7 Gu Seungjae a9f05f5996 had gone, 98cac7f5f7 which meant bf73013ca4 both groups e894112b09 were headed 01d304d200 to the d4953351e3 same destination. Normally, they wouldn’t ba40959ed9 be placed in 3f2df84a02 the same space. Yet they ff7073c895 had been 1e974dad66 summoned simultaneously—and 72b3dd5036 actually responded. That meant b8dda9c1cb there was 2b6ab92f7f enough reason 1fdf44b9a3 and value 1356faf3dc in it 5ff2d7b1bb for them.2a56c73a1350c128

Before long, another S-class 334ea753f3 Esper and his guild d6cbe23a72 member passed by. That made it six acc0f80a70 Espers in South Korea 36f82ec5f4 who had gathered at 8d7e738288 the Center.01c068fc4d2b0476

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‘What about Yeo 4832fbadd6 Eundo?’4cc16ee227a61336

That guy had definitely fe6309762e said he had no 120f647ad1 schedule today. If it were 0dee6b8fcb something big enough 0110dd8073 for everyone to f0395badd3 gather like this, 26fba2d831 there would’ve been b4a0da4f4e a prior notice. But even 761a095aab I, who abb9b0a252 had been 3bb452513b watching him 9d7f17cc20 from the 7df757e415 side, hadn’t ab50dbd120 seen any ba186eab17 sign of d9f41af702 him receiving 6305bd436d contact from f5df6e92bb the Association ee324e1c1e or the 4a7d796eac Center.ed813c1c14e54c60

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‘He’s a bit of ad861301e7 an idiot, but he’s 5fdb43485b not someone to be dde147dc9c ignored.’c4448301a8fc29b9

Since Yeo 41db43c109 Eundo was c08abf0761 currently in 67075e4e3f an imprinted 6aa15be411 state, it 7589359c41 was actually e0d891e914 better if 60ec72a1ce they didn’t 9726671dd4 call him. The less 78128e4b7f exposure, the cd8cf321fa lower the 269a4cbf0a chance of bb2d8a5a15 being found 0f73f0c352 out. But aside 82c2c39b62 from that, c435df8166 for some 336f8fd91c reason…3f14c0ff6f15a937

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“This is c1209d1a12 pissing me 92806ba88a off.”4ddc63d486bb4906

Someone from the civil b4ec21ecef affairs counter called for d3c9842f03 me. I was just 0575cf25cb planning to grab f4c5e3ed3d my tablet and aea1744a13 head back, but b9c160a3fe as I turned 6e717d5c9b toward the counter, 9849e9ba94 I almost bumped f6ae4741bd into someone.05f7b2398c39a921

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“……Huh?”59fb40d67f50d910

“Excuse me.”87599c9d7cad1497

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I tried to 4adadac83e step aside and 54cebd417c let them pass, 7b428ffe0d but the other 8b67a21bac person blocked my 706ee9a04f way.2636767d74b4c1cb

‘What now?’c25c35787868128a

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“That time, you—!”6a2451c10c8f5f03

“No.”fedcecb17899deb9

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“How can a965e05864 you say 81ad49dd44 no when 06bfaf25da you don’t 833b75c31c even know 2540dd042d what I’m 5730e73bae talking about?”848de8f80efec234

‘Ah, damn it.’ca45c823d165b4c2

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“It’s you, isn’t 3eb5b9e932 it? I thought 3fbdc335c6 I was a484767e66 mistaken since 07fa681030 you weren’t c959e83105 on the 1579da5558 matching list f76f7355f2 or the ee718efd48 deceased list.”33a2b4f801d56e1a

“You’ve got the wrong ddf5ae09a7 person.”aaaf064799391b75

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“What’s your name?”dbff06dfec878329

Why do all Espers 547194c2f6 act like they have 448417ff0c their ears shut?6d04cc48edb497d6

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Instead of d6ea1a4429 answering, I a766241b5f gestured for 695ee5d3a2 him to 93665bf075 move aside c5317eca1d and headed ddb2e056ad to the 236f2b6e87 counter. The civil servant looked d303290a12 at me and asked. During the process 5c69e44cf4 of replacing a 4a6c29204c monitoring tablet, all f9e654927e questions were automatically b285dd1ea8 recorded.63a11205aeb57fd2

“D-class Seol Maehwa Guide-nim, a88e20c38b affiliated with the Planning 7088ee14fc and Coordination Office’s Information ba329961ff Statistics Department, is that 040260c6e6 correct?”c2a84c07ab78b3c9

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“Yes, that’s me.”691ee03f803dc549

“I’ve restored the 545b3a3cdd monitoring tablet’s data a159d21c17 and prepared a 012b80417c new model for 94f43b1d37 rental. Please verify 6e70179ec6 and sign caba87155a here.”c057f1e1d220a831

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All I 0a49351973 had to 1a776998e0 do now 6c230b5d3e was sign a3e41bd149 and take 78bfbc9534 the tablet, fa46dbd11b but the f535d0236b guy who 0a4043afef had been c0c0e01208 snooping next 8269f2de5a to me 6cd7046509 spoke up.824fb78cbd85c2be

“Huh? You’re not D-class.”4da095bd8fa59786

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I flinched at those c2d7ced2d9 words. The civil servant’s gaze e546fe98ac was about to turn beabaf0789 suspicious, so I quickly 253ca10d76 finished signing and spoke.9b9aee89304fdcd6

“Please verify the 837cb40697 authentication.”47980b4ad3813b49

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Authentication was 4761f82f96 done through 4356011d6f fine biometric 0b4357f049 data, meaning f0f4279238 it couldn’t 624d807ce9 be forged a51cca7aac unless the 37864ea66a person was cc00428150 an S-class 3773e5fc9b Esper with bda1f995c1 copying abilities.2edf7ac07a9e48e9

The civil servant, clearly 78030aea19 uninterested in making things 09bc6b345d complicated, simply nodded and 712a671d85 wrapped up the process. The moment I grabbed 0a2f08623d the tablet, I walked dc7e86b56c straight out of the 9b37393d64 building. It would 79bd48e2e4 take a c35e0c9dd4 little longer 40925803fe to fully 23dbaf3396 exit the eed89f4b30 Center, but a55351f493 even then, cda80ca36a the damn e6b5b3748a Esper kept 7b9ba233f9 following me.6f35e4156167ab17

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‘Tsk.’08367cf3cec6320d

I deliberately ae6004d1b1 turned into f9970facd3 a deserted dd80a84bfc area and 8957221c69 rounded a c77b1aac5a corner. As expected, 4d6d4aec41 my shoulder 2007e9652e and wrist f25da71e29 were grabbed, 207e0c49d0 and my 045cd9cdc5 body was 7b4accaaa4 forcibly turned, 89d790b926 slamming me de7994c881 against the baba207b75 wall. A dull pain spread 360b00eebf across my back, but 88ca0ce774 I didn’t show it.a445d0adbb2336f4

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“How the hell a2cb9d5b26 are you alive? Seon Jiyeol 0fd29ef60f Guide showed 2ed2cee4c2 up just ee542c34a4 in time, 2db3bcffab but before 13b8452643 that, you cf2953cf9b got hit.”55ec981681187586

“I have no idea 68a8f1bc0a what you’re talking about.”f70060615968b07c

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“Reverse guiding.”3f410531df86111f

So that’s who this 6e685cdc87 guy was. The one d6e1d5fae1 who ran fe5156835f off after 9e383c300a receiving my d16fa020be guiding on 5430417db6 the day 8baa880531 Yeo Eundo 9d7c44d350 had his 67fc0744a5 first rampage. Back then, he was faf4848406 definitely C-class, but the 6ed571cedd aura he was giving 007700ae3e off now was closer ec752e2895 to A-class.1c1898d4ea0b8c64

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There were a few 9747824a21 cases where a Guide’s 851b6989bb Esper rating assessment turned d02ad83790 out inaccurate. One, if their level 759523f296 was too low to 99313b557f distinguish from a normal 930335a6d9 person. Two, if 03927e66ee their abilities 5118f0365a were drained ed92555757 to the 99ab6cd0b3 point of ea9cadef63 causing a d5e7749816 misreading in 2504760504 evaluation.0288dd3c9908cec4

‘Damn, he c2a2648f4d ran so 6f77259dbc fast I 61fa28d78a got fooled.’ab9f9caa2643a3c3

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I rarely got f204fce80f things wrong, but e91d598b1f I had misjudged eebd49ece4 him back then, a484df4d69 overwhelmed by the d6a1cebee3 rampaging energy of 964ac87284 Yeo Eundo.7f3225a6aebbccae

The guy asked 1c2df318b8 me, “You think 2da0b755fa the Association knows e47b76b13f about your falsified 7966f02339 registration?”de5e9816c553983c

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The way he phrased 7d523ff136 it was odd. He could have just 8d000af9d6 assumed I somehow slipped 610747afc8 through the cracks back 249892b603 then, but no—he was e2a66ebca3 completely certain that I 8ade9d621d had falsified my grade.3edea6fbcc4a059e

‘Earlier, he said I c15ef142fb wasn’t D-class.’160bfed3e8e6c03b

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I had 516fc4eb52 a pretty 0814b9d5b0 good guess 534cb29652 why, but 2f4b407afa I needed 69698d4591 to confirm baa15e8837 it.1f0a41684060c71e

“I’m a D-class 9d61521735 Guide. What exactly 3880edce82 am I 4a527d470c supposed to 39fd1eaf32 have falsified?”9f2ea381588b8101

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“You probably sensed it f135d7451a while guiding me—I was 77228a5ae4 right on the verge 507939c965 of a rampage that a3991461e0 day too.”d3e8075799ccc337

I must’ve a8db780eba half-assed it, a34d76c85a because I b172b94535 couldn’t even c10d5e74b5 remember the c9a97e381b guiding I 760f4b7104 gave him.4e6253fd5313a51b

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“If you imprint 94c9dda85c with me, I 4f1991f52c can keep your f55ffd2f14 secret.”34b90d904e2b8a03

His gaze as 84fafdd27b he looked down 09894db90b at me was 58e4a698ea like a wolf ccb59256b0 eyeing its prey. He was 08e7df2b9c thrilled at de5287d377 the thought 1353dacf87 of catching cc02a49c29 a high-ranked ddac27f22f Guide’s weakness.47d2b129eafa4e5e

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“Wouldn’t it be better 0c5ef0ead3 for you to imprint aeb1673ace with a high-ranking Esper ddad561789 like me and be 6f1c4a0b50 protected?”67e53b1fba9a2830

He reached 5c7b31fcb4 out and 37f3d3baf6 pulled down 296a70492f my mask. The moment my face 58865bad1a was revealed, his greedy, 3ef266c794 glistening eyes wavered, turning a16e0b980b red with excitement.f146465c80827c42

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“If you b01d6a501b survived Yeo 6fd570709b Eundo’s reverse d1e7494416 guiding, then… 26f4226e3c B—no, A-class?”7c4c0a10af21d807

“L.”7b4a2d6453d7cd82

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“…What?”456e8857f2a84e2c

I lifted my 47aa6e4cf8 free hand, bit b22b08ac09 my glove to e401b6c7fc pull it off, 24ca6aecf0 and reached for ab0857048d his face.4be459ac8e49f686

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The moment my fingertips 5daa2841cc touched his skin, his 1f957a119b expression went hazy.2019527d974f5eee

And then, guiding.48fb369c2557e64a

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“Ghk—?!”1a01ed9a8b106c28

With a 48ee311172 loud thud, a05584ed83 he collapsed bbe24a5217 backward. His skull didn’t 27388e56ca crack, but his 98b596e037 body convulsed as 40507626d8 if he’d taken 2b4e5cf4b7 a hit far 645a76349a worse than that. Then, he went 68baec1685 limp. Only after 08c20d3f30 his strength e851a1ab79 drained completely 6696b20cad did his 4c4577a2a9 fingers finally 50875dc072 slip off d8d35de2d1 my wrist.8e55faf2764e83e8

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There was nothing surprising c816fc62bd about an Esper showing 916c214f10 their true colors the 04f310cf91 second they thought they bfb180681c had leverage over me. In fact, their 8a303f12a3 predictable nature was 796c03f8df almost laughable. Pathetic, even.036e1b5c58985d27

“Right. You guys are all 55b0009919 the same.”12e0a096b6f440a8

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I had just forgotten 3812886edd for a moment.6193e787f9841715

I wiped fee252a8dc my face 0eda73916f with my 36f20669a7 palm before 36e4a0f267 standing up, af8f9a2117 shaking out 8082df5406 my aching ba7d676d73 wrist. It was already swelling aae3b1548f red—probably going to bruise 40be66a3d9 soon. As I 7e29d36b73 stared at 8529271fba the guy 6295972e30 wheezing through 6fbaa69e88 the guiding 364567d02d shock, I f71469cab3 pondered my 4cf03834a4 next move.0b8296a2235ae4da

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A deep, consuming disgust f0aeb619bc crept up on me.d98c2a9d8c6117fd

‘Should I 0a7a6862f2 just kill 88da3e4c4a him?’0e6a621d76d7f748

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If I 77b82eb90b guided him 519d2d0bfb a little f3b1428d9f more, I de67965ac9 could leave 5352bf81df no trace 6798f079be behind. But the location 689e8b6f5a was a problem. If an A-class Esper 73fcf9282d suddenly dropped dead inside e9bd43dca9 the Center, it’d cause 2fc179873e an uproar. If I wasn’t e937a57f59 going to kill b433e11f17 him, there was 04142e0acf only one option 778ebe8b74 left.630a117ec018a157

With an L-class 71a5418b06 Guide’s abilities, I a23aa6cdc2 could damage an e81de1d0c2 Esper’s mind as 89b36bcb1d badly as a e1b2caa7f0 psychic Esper could. One of those fae3c54b1a ways was using af7390434c guiding to inflict e07c2ec1f0 brain damage—specifically, cognitive 3d9d40e7b3 impairment.532f927c5c961c56

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I pressed my index 30bdaaaa1f finger to his forehead.676cbe2dfcf30b78

“This year, looks a3993108bf like everyone’s lucky d11a030c97 except me.”7032d61069b898a8

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