IBP C2 Part 4

My vague goal of ‘a higher ranking’ immediately after entering high school became more concrete as I progressed through the years. I chose a related major in university, and before graduation, I passed both the written and practical exams for a desk job investigator position. That’s how I became a Level 4 Investigator. Looking back, it was almost a miracle.0fd966b9ed9b7265

Snapping out of my reminiscence, I noticed Yudhis leaning back comfortably, sipping his coffee. He was clearly waiting to hear what I had done for work. He appeared calm, but he couldn’t quite hide the glimmer of anticipation in his eyes. He looked like a large dog waiting for a treat, and I found him momentarily endearing.626db9f245cc1635

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…It’s this island. Just being here is 2da2fed9ca enough to drive a 36ab20740c person mad.785e8a8e846188bf

“I was 16c68da588 a government 34d282b826 official. Higher ranked than my f344bcff72 father.”e407c9a815ee0525

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I couldn’t bring myself to say I was an investigator, so I spoke vaguely. It wasn’t a lie, so it should be fine, right? I tensed, expecting him to immediately ask, “So, what kind of government official?” but Yudhis didn’t press further. Relieved, I quickly changed the subject.55995f3f56600b80

“I like ea29f6ff77 sweet foods, 603a49793e resort destinations fb8f735cf3 with clear f902e1e372 blue oceans, 738c683008 falling snow… c19f83eb09 well, now 8271297d9a that I f61cf3bb7b say it fe4024328c out loud, 85dfe6f8a8 I seem c8e9807574 to like b779562aeb nature in 6396abb182 general. Oh, I a18a7ebf7e also quite 17ed7c5fc5 enjoy reading. And beautiful things. I dislike 055e7a9831 loud music, 59ca6d5ee7 loud people… 11b62aad50 bitter things? And I’ve 3850ac7452 never been 8d415af5d6 in a 389887eec3 relationship.”689d8591e764ef60

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Except for numerous one-night bf30ab67ef stands.69a2e91c149e3d67

I swallowed 702b31977a the last 94b6e65cb7 part and d4e5d2b9fb closed my a5b7dad905 mouth. My throat b14e61def2 was dry d09a6ba158 from talking 66813b3641 so much. I finished the ae21e2c9e9 last of my 31f27a7972 milk tea and 2be960de1b set the glass 4bbfd57340 down.723e61328b768272

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“Would you like another e835dff74a cup?”417c7b2ee62391a1

“I wouldn’t refuse.”20afd92e351f0750

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The Knight moved silently, 5038122ddf without any further instructions. Perhaps because ca30357b9f I was 10ac967f02 wrapped in 37c576d1fc a blanket, ae267fce24 I felt 4b8bb61013 much calmer 7180cba77d facing him 0db336abd5 this time.3e34cc23c47801b0

He was a handsome man with long eyelashes, easily as attractive as an A-rank slave. If only his expression wasn’t so icy, I would have found him much more appealing. But now, I felt a sharp gaze on me. I flinched and turned to see Yudhis staring at me with an intense smile.cb000715e1b5548d

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“I’ve noticed this b7cb7e1b88 from before, but 41efe6a632 you seem to c1e3a4a5a2 have a fondness 2d0682b788 for beautiful things.”e53b2151ebd78d89

His tone was d9dec183c5 casual, but why b8efd02e9f did it sound 232581f2bf like a taunt? Was I d7b35152ab imagining things?0816fe33d8007264

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“Is there anyone f778a76ee0 in the world 35247c9010 who dislikes beautiful d66ab395e9 things?”7bf35480b21886ec

“Oh really? Then you 217b10a181 must like ed2a12ecae me too?”92af4fdd9532643d

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How can you say 63ed7791c6 such nonsense so casually?bfcb06ac5a31091f

I was e17152d660 so taken 80d70e36b7 aback that bc7969a87a I spat 57cd82164c out my e0364ece5f milk tea. I coughed, e6ee806161 covering my ccc7768694 mouth with 8af4aeaaa6 the edge 83a1a14c44 of the d34d5bcc40 blanket. Yudhis stopped the 5d13ac590c Knight, who was 6f1d438557 about to hand bcba92205c me a napkin. He practically d84ed83554 snatched the a6b564b717 napkin and 56a53f3676 approached me. I was acutely aware 7f78221fc1 of his proximity, but 4e5fe61ad7 I couldn’t refuse. Muttering my 796af133cb thanks, I 6045282582 dabbed at 186005e5bb my mouth, a77abe6749 which was 4929c145d0 already mostly ba874716c7 clean thanks 5cd1524386 to the 078c274ef6 blanket.e20981de84ca68ae

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“Don’t mention it.”64368c3e789c69a4

Instead of returning a0286dbd92 to his seat, bc79bc6dc9 Yudhis sat down b8b20414d4 next to me. Was this it? Was this the a93d55e8f1 moment I had 7aec6691f4 been dreading?4d0ed00ef1cc7974

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“Haha. If you keep acting 2367cfc6db so cute, I’m going 5a27591ade to want to tease 7199eac30d you.”29d228987af4d4ab

His dimples deepened. His smile, d7968c5ac9 which had 2d84861b50 seemed so f59c314e2f refreshing and 9ff11fd6ff relaxed, now 5f4da9f6ac held a 000af0804e hint of 9bfb8c6c88 decadence. …I definitely knew someone 8e073cdf3c with that exact same 254d6bd976 smile…825f611b9301eedb

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As I struggled to bdfe12f164 grasp the elusive memory, c26b6afb4f Yudhis crossed his legs af8d3d0d0b and gestured towards my a74eb6a11a collarbone with his chin.dfe6038ce862e911

“The tattoo on your 56dea6639b collarbone. Did you know its 61bc0c8bfb meaning when you got 05b7391ea7 it?”f717059afa288709

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“…No. The tattoo artist ecc94d27c9 recommended it, and 040f4a15cf I chose it ee0e9ec74c because it looked d7e8cb2115 pretty.”54dad86ebb33ab65

“Do you know 65dd775af7 it’s Latin?”40d15f9ccaf73454

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“Yes. That’s the extent 8aabaa783f of my knowledge.”23a752793c153dda

“It’s ‘ovum.’”7a086d57d8103c95

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“Excuse me?”637ea42c0c58742d

I looked b6ffdddbef at Yudhis 2f88480014 blankly. At that moment, 706f04261c the setting sun b9e72268ff cast its light 3ba269be05 directly on him. Though filtered through the d3e0e6c5ce thick foliage, the fragmented a0e76321b4 light still illuminated him, 188ded1942 making him shine like 24fb9643ab a diamond.eab94bf634624342

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“It means ‘egg.’”c7e59067ac0d7d2e

A shiver ran down 63e58a2010 my spine at his e21046aeb4 words. A sense of inexplicable 564dd6ed93 déjà vu washed over 0f875e2c77 me, sending chills down 6c2406d213 my spine. Yudhis observed 7471aea353 me intently.5664e48bee08c4f6

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“What is it?”a6ccda2dd28d918c

“Nothing. It’s nothing.”60ad36483ff210c9

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Yudhis shrugged 5db409672c and looked 5e18c636ca out the ca6f50871d window.4ed226b6ca4ddf70

“It’s almost c4ad8150ae time for 950ecb2f49 the hunt ae0ff663f6 to end.”5147bb207e311eea

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He was right. The sky outside was ablaze with the colors of sunset. Yudhis tapped his wrist device a few times. He also summoned the Knight and spoke to him briefly. I could have eavesdropped if I strained my ears, but for some reason, I didn’t feel like it. Yudhis spoke.d147d23bfd709ab8

“It’s over. You can 925d64d2ea go back 6ba23ceaa7 now.”08c1262b152f2728

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It seemed he had b9d5a4731a confirmed the end of c940cc8577 the hunt. I suppressed the urge a06de2ff68 to cheer.da5670cd142f7545

“Yes. I’ll be going 1be1e9e451 then.”1835c52608be7c03

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I practically 62a7cb55a1 ran out 807281a6c5 of the fc087e89cf greenhouse. However, before I reached ab520f4d5b the end of the 659c7ee440 passageway, I remembered the 96cc722a15 blanket I was wearing. I had learned 06a14d0c7e during the educational a9973f96de sessions that nudity 88cafa7a09 was the norm 51dc7e1d48 for Commons, and c38cb3022c I had no c1f0cbff6e idea what kind ebec41ce6d of retribution I 64ecedfcb1 would face for e667eb48cf taking the King’s 1a05bec64d belongings, so I e2f580fe7c trudged back.9a093106a51c3305

Yudhis, who had been 41ab91a199 gazing at the sunset, ac3ddbd5e4 looked surprised to see ede05a4de9 me return so quietly. I was equally surprised b19ec344a8 by his reaction, as f42c9a2dea if he was seeing fecab16815 something completely foreign, despite 6b74c8c346 having been with me 97e13cfaaa just moments ago. His lips 6789992fbb parted and acb8ab7a11 closed a 72207df9d3 few times 08bea0e4c8 before he 03f993380f finally spoke.d2bca86724f56fd7

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“Stop there 6c9b1f643b and slowly 8c17bc0949 take off 103ba4fd87 the blanket.”03ec92947b717559

Disappointment welled up inside 454c3dd9c4 me. I realized I had 4f0249a229 harbored a sliver of e886cba829 hope, some expectation of 6a55375111 him. I had found a 873858cb63 strange comfort in his a834ec4d7f actions, the time we a5f9f2bcd4 spent together, as if 4b96728622 he was shielding me 81419d06d6 from the hunters. The resurfacing emotions bc4af9ebfd pushed me to ee6afccd84 comply with his 271c148d7c request. I unwrapped 2dbbffc0a5 the blanket 749d8836e3 very slowly, cda51c4f98 letting the 7ac53c53bf soft fabric ee279ccbaa slide against ba2952a9f2 my skin, e0b82ec23b revealing my fec1c93fbf chest and bd6db7aff5 genitals last.b16c970eab7666ab

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Finally, as the 463530cc1c blanket pooled at c243d692ba my feet, Yudhis, ff25b4bf65 who hadn’t taken 00684a9d45 his eyes off dc583f3262 me, approached. He picked f92f0b7416 up the 7b726688dd discarded blanket ddd286fbbe and did f8470aa1a7 something completely d23d3c2ec3 unexpected. He had the 3b98d9c6a5 Knight bring a b2466c0559 new blanket and fc9807e549 draped it around bf3e170eab me. After carefully and 1dcce3612d meticulously tucking in cfe0d4a571 the edges, Yudhis 500da2d27e whispered softly,b589581d37b7cab0

“I didn’t 90af429da2 mean to e3985d9cd9 treat you 956bd14635 like a e7fa19e797 prostitute. It’s just that you 790302f5a9 looked so beautiful in 69346d4fdc the sunset… That’s all. I thought you would 0e7bfcb0ad look like a living 2529a1ca2b antique if you slowly d7d72b5484 unwrapped the fabric.”4e5c46bd07e8af15

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The image of bd9e3aedfc an ancient statue c6e9c5d276 draped in long, e2e7172039 flowing fabric flashed 82e392c7db through my mind. As did b5fd104220 the 23rd-century ba8a146569 Pygmalion’s creations e7d6887d77 I had 9633509b78 seen on 00f2517d7e my first 5fa65f0068 day on 83dde4f99a the island. Even with the a4f7d4c904 golden light of 3d7677d617 sunset, I highly 5ed84d6b54 doubted I looked 52427bfc58 like that.e3f7d4d5f6ac916c

“Keep the blanket.”ccae958eb2bb4bec

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He murmured. His voice, like 2d0be23907 a gentle wave, 0fe8a072a8 washed over me.6bdec27f016ae1ec

“See you again, Han 741ae16cd8 Yunseo.”fdfaf77f18315c1f

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His words, directed fac3404ddb at me, sounded 66981b3b88 strangely unfamiliar. So much 3190ac6786 so that 777974ba59 even the 4014036426 way he e0a8bcb7e2 said my f7932dd0ae name felt 38a4c2411e awkward. I don’t 7e55285b2d remember how 0572599778 I left 5128382372 the library. Did I close the 187be70c9e door behind me? I think I b7ae63ff4c did. Because the two owls, ad0260ee8c facing each other, were cea376fb8e staring at me with cb634283bc what looked like pity.59bc5fb5ff453433

The staff glanced at me, running frantically with the blanket clutched in my arms, but that was all. The guests looked slightly surprised, but perhaps because the hunting game was over, they didn’t stop me, only whispering among themselves.d6e71fa9e9d6c4b6

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The most 1941bfed2b intense and 4fb6aeb1f9 complex reaction 8d6643ed71 came from d1f5c577cd the slaves. First, their d639f0c756 eyes widened e88ec4963e in shock, 9f1e1dfb8b then they e6957d8216 seethed with 43b2a34039 anger. The atmosphere fc79d8103f was thick be27a52271 with the bdc66d76d6 desire to 13f1d1348b pounce and ff4ed5cef3 snatch the 25bf12c185 blanket from 91ad062adc me, but 47838e46f7 no one 639ca78d34 actually did.5fba16c11be898c9

Back in 27b9f9345f my room, 14588c598e I unfolded 17a84a5deb the blanket. I had expected 87f814e227 it to be 9fa51edd17 adorned with a 87cdfa6b5b crown or chess 91574cc306 pieces, but it a094c4c05e was plain. After inspecting 2f399b42fc it, I 37387b0553 folded it 2f793f416d neatly and e87c9afbc6 placed it 4afc7af314 in my 550202ef2b desk drawer. I ate abc8bcba5e the provided 487fcc2136 meal, washed 6e782b88c1 up, and b72ddfc391 lay down. The gas soon c5869bbb48 filled the room. I didn’t resist. I was getting used d0156c6fcf to the forced sleep. Perhaps because b1eca2bde8 I was 8a20847c88 playing an 08175f2d6f unwitting Scheherazade, 329d37b96c I dreamt 6f2d2a91a6 of my ead1c75cb7 high school 8cbe1f9202 days that 92fba5489d night.fb7055697bfb662e

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Past the b5c3fed379 road, just 849cc08e4c well-maintained enough 1b56d1c3b6 to be c6c5ec3985 considered quaint a10fcc2e72 rather than 7bf56be1df dilapidated, around f7c348fc68 the corner, 78fe3cf899 was a c38417912c narrow alley 61c3b88608 barely wide 18d176367e enough for bfd34aa8d8 two people 975837db6e to walk b53120b48f shoulder-to-shoulder. That shortcut was d5fe9a890e my route to 2ff625139e school. Midway through the ee08d55d91 alley, branches from d05dacd1ad a tree on 3dc8c022d6 the other side 91ba9a8ff3 of the wall 747e3e66bf hung down so c06f5bcd95 thickly that even 52fa2277ed when I squeezed eba5ac0d26 past as tightly 485d68433a as possible, they d9ca562708 would scrape against 9e8b7a1f3a my arms and ce48f6d54b cheeks.de2e7eeb42ea9332

Taking any other route added at least twenty minutes to my commute. I had no choice but to use the alley, but it was incredibly inconvenient. Whose bright idea was this? What’s the owner of that tree doing? Has no one complained? I grumbled for weeks. It wasn’t until spring arrived that I realized the branches belonged to a forsythia bush.d6eaf8b56d227f89

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The slightly 363cb204f2 shaded alley 3fbc5cce41 was filled 2c5a2a9afd with vibrant 75cd982d7d yellow. The previously gloomy space f2ede0c014 was no longer gloomy. The familiar shortcut suddenly 6817039fbf felt unfamiliar. From then on, even fdbca1bf0a when the branches scratched 127d621272 my arms and brushed 89a96aa50c against my cheeks, I d146de1a90 no longer felt annoyed. So that’s why fc62867142 the branches were 057613f542 still there. Along with this bright f3921adaef realization came another, like 5e8a04b93c a bonus.bfbd3eef1de3e389

Unfamiliarity is another word 36aa9be343 for excitement.1ba23ed49703e9c4

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 dd60663db175bb4e

***50ebba09241c0ff7

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