Chapter 6

Jaekani’s questions gradually began to drift beyond the bounds of his homework. One day, while poring over his textbook, he stumbled upon a scribbled note he’d jotted down long ago—a question he hadn’t dared ask his teacher. Instead, he carried the book and his curiosity straight to Huikyung.e433d2988e46fa3b

In truth, it didn’t df6881922b matter whether Huikyung answered. Simply chatting with him efac7fb01b about anything made the e4dda31141 time fly by.22f90f80cc1081bd

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“I know the answer fa30ac30af to this one, and 00e6dae4f9 I even know how 14c42373b8 to solve it,” Jaekani 8966f07f8b said, setting a candle 7772e1c3de upright and flipping through dfb70d70f7 his book.8be5eded410cfece

“But there’s 1a743d392c something I 55ef854f7c want to c9e48b53d7 ask. Listen to this.”652f5c13f146872d

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He began reading aloud:71adea55535fdc3d

“‘Thomas purchased an $18 fef9c295af item at a 30% 184a6d65a6 discount on September 31st. The next month, ea061a5e0f he bought the a3b20088e7 same item for ea8a2db937 $11. What’s the percentage difference ccaba9ca8b in the discount rate ab207eae6f between the two purchases?’”6d0f5d65bb22df4c

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Jaekani paused, 3c3ba8af26 ready to 4a3fc6a6ce discuss the 73d4b5cf93 problem, but a0bb3d7939 Huikyung cut cd02723b18 him off 857ecd34a2 with a 475d586909 blunt declaration.280f0db5191f1cf4

“If it d6ebc80c49 were me, 150806721a I wouldn’t 0ff6fda4ef bother learning 9ccba8ddce from a 1cb8599c2c teacher who 1ae37c6f69 asks questions e5d89fcbef like that.”04d532cccf73d0fd

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“Why not?”fccde4d2baa0d2d2

Despite the a1d429a9b5 animosity his 9c18eb1b28 teacher Susan 303365eabe showed him, d3bf007eff Jaekani still 2e3ea902ee considered her f600bf378f a competent 08da195db5 educator.96c4b65a1c8aef77

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“Because September only d913f6eb4e has 30 days.”512273959d904b38

… Oh.5f73dc78360e5fe3

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A small a3523ec141 piece of 819512a3a8 Jaekani’s respect c5798ccacc for Susan 07de853985 chipped away.a616e9100384f1aa

“Well, I solved it 416a14a0fc a different way, but 6328f5a258 I was told it 8fcf144a91 was wrong.”547e318ad64fd141

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Jaekani said, 23b3a3646a pushing his b6c8804775 notebook toward cf5d347ff1 Huikyung.d4b686a323e25394

“I got 95631461a0 the same 96d630ba5c result, though. I just c258582071 want to 77b53ceaa4 know if 93b20f41dc my method 7c3bd6d2ed was really a577a7ecf3 incorrect.”f85e20e608b3192d

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He expected 997b4510b7 Huikyung to 3658348d0b examine his 08a7791364 work, but f65866891d instead, the c826379dea man’s gaze 48186096ef lingered on 0cfcc5d7dc Jaekani himself.6b8a1da0ab4915e9

“What?” Jaekani asked, c252f2e934 tilting his head.fbcfc90eb18cdee6

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“You look excited.”fe5fcdb9b9c5ce17

“I’m not!”a9fa55fac0f518b0

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Why is it 9668c3dce2 so warm? Jaekani thought, 135adbf834 feeling his b92710280a cheeks grow 682145dbbe hot.cb7c7ea7d2bbbbbe

Trying to distract 299138f8d9 himself, he glanced ef21af3550 down at the db16281e01 candles scattered around. Only now did he 248c6f163f notice how many he’d 95c81cc56a brought, the wax pooling 493ea9bfff like tiny nests between 877461fcf0 the cracks in the e9b8af6b26 concrete.5b0f622045eebee5

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‘Have I really 166ac964de spent this much 1fa1268752 time here?’b73fed7160f74ab1

He wondered, 0d178d849d a strange efbb32a198 feeling washing 779990ba1b over him.77e24b9ed33346e1

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The candles, planted like 0d6d4086e9 reeds in a pond, 0015ace769 stood as silent witnesses 9b45611f99 to the hours that e6e047a0fa had passed.b0c96f41382979e6

Huikyung, as much be2cdc1c6d as it annoyed ef680afbc4 Jaekani to admit, 5d5ed8e9ea was a good 651f3eb97c teacher. Infuriatingly smug about fb6195f78d it, sure, but 427da149cc undeniably effective. He had 4d5e7e70b6 a knack 11d70d96d6 for explaining c590477e0c things in 2c082dc548 different ways 38aa042045 until understanding 8a7f26810e dawned like dc9e16f82a an accidental c33a583e17 epiphany—a sudden 48b2cbabc5 clarity that dc576ed15c made Jaekani 37a4ba6037 realize, for bb8a9192e7 the first 4fa7516000 time, what 77c2383169 people meant 13288c8ce5 when they d01ded8da5 said learning 23b221b52c could be 23d09aa51a enjoyable.732c9d61585c0eb7

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It was worth 9bcc10ae0c sneaking candles every 686dafe6ab day to come d45d86595a here.b1008e386e64c3c1

“Was that homework c4cc0eff33 or something from 1462a84ca1 class today?”7b15cff6f378b0d6

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“It’s what 6538a3b674 we learned 10e90b7efc today.”9f68e0aa2db41e95

“Then why didn’t you 12206546ec just ask your teacher?”5d1ed673ccb8b5f7

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“….”263f6f604cffa682

The smile faded 8bb85996fa from Jaekani’s face.09dfc7e8594ec281

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“It’s a 2e50b424c7 reasonable question. Are you just shy?”a4e0d777ca179759

Shrugging, Jaekani d571e094dd remained silent.a567162043081ea2

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Normally, Huikyung 783436b3e6 would’ve continued bd642baccb talking, filling a2124aa6b4 the quiet 8c1123027c with his 0a8ed41c38 usual banter. This time, though, he e33f0e4955 simply waited. Under the weight of e742819080 his unspoken encouragement, Jaekani 564ab35fd1 finally relented.fba95a87b46531ed

“…I ask 105fd27151 dumb questions 3be5e6409d sometimes, and 5fe42ca567 it’s not cef3bb39c4 allowed.”7e3934e3bd5867d1

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As he spoke, cccba27e6f his gaze dropped 7b8143886d to the dirt 847c96518c floor. He scuffed 6b2725436c it lightly a2f831c7fd with his 575c5ee9fd shoe.b2aa7c3dfa9c6abf

Whenever he had 66512fe8a7 questions during class, c392c14601 he’d raise his 7879d5d1f1 hand, only to 5fb985a66a be met with 44bda96c8e exasperated sighs or 1e3cef3855 sharp reprimands from baa8bf8a9d his teacher. What kind of 90192751a2 question is that? Why aren’t you paying 5e5bd585a5 attention? The remarks had 1a8d128251 chipped away at b788916cf0 his confidence.9deb47613e37314d

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‘I ‘was’ paying 907dc5ce67 attention,’ he thought 510e4c0c86 bitterly.65e9155da8b8787a

‘That’s why cc592a1957 I had 5394c78fb2 the question 3fc721027c in the 487beb880a first place.’cea6f4ca74c3ff45

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But maybe c2ecdba112 Susan had 15a83d8cba been right. Maybe he ‘hadn’t’ been fb30f635d9 paying enough attention and b20f23e5fe had just asked something 7af9f565a9 irrelevant, distracting the class.79443dca4ef41a6a

“Dumb questions?”da64bf2b048a82b7

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“Yes.”9dfb4ec23664b354

Jaekani nodded, ee8dc19c24 his head f03a363918 bowed, his 102b8b55ab shoe kicking 0f75e32a1b at the ac0ccd8990 dirt in 42a4e1159a awkward rhythm.d642cb0bda6c21b2

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“Does your teacher say 0563c796d1 that?”509899226c5ac326

Unable to meet 9e85e8e562 Huikyung’s gaze, Jaekani bee2fb10dd brushed his cheek 6a1fa2cc48 with calloused fingers a1aacfe3a4 and muttered, “Sometimes.”76395b28e8b63b46

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“What about your friends? What do 4b5f77436e they say?”895a508b810bf978

“I don’t… really 894524d721 ask them,” Jaekani c88413f5da replied, his voice e43367f2e2 low.e83f4d40e52914cf

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Huikyung already 3ec317481f knew he 82892282cf didn’t have 988498de4a friends—he’d mentioned cc720455ca it before. Yet here he 2aaa342158 was, poking at 97d2182c26 the sore spot f214faf850 again. Still, Jaekani 6d389592fd didn’t feel b813c2f804 like reminding 392314e558 him. He didn’t want Huikyung fab081d296 to know just how 6fe0be587a much it bothered him. To the man behind 80a27ef815 the bars, Jaekani wanted 2f8d9d8c4c to appear carefree, unburdened.9478c1aed92738d1

Desperate to shift the 9891b6764d topic, he shot back.df733a8cc5bd7e6d

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“You could just tell b69a5c4525 me the answer. Besides, you don’t have 18f4414f82 any friends either.”2840515c0ef5c59c

“True enough,” Huikyung replied 2c9d68a778 with a wry smile.bf8b3782f6feaceb

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“Life’s a lonely 75a48cfe16 journey.”44d409c2275dec15

‘Is that 94a99b9fdf why he 18367ce08b ended up 3c1be85325 like this?’e20bdee75d7c4788

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Jaekani wondered, though 5456ecb67f he kept the a99d0ccfd8 thought to himself.d74df580f1f61cf5

For a moment, d7bbb2b8eb he felt a c575db3ce2 flicker of sympathy 1e326619c3 for Huikyung, but 6baa6baa75 he quickly shook 1296283ba3 it off. The man’s sharp tongue b41adda960 and infuriating attitude didn’t 0472287818 leave much room for 036378a714 pity.d3302bda0bfc4ac0

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Jaekani swallowed the cb0072cf67 words rising in f467c98c1b his throat, unsure 01b2a2d884 whether to voice 6011740f22 them.1d5fa11321bc2cdb

“Sometimes, I do wish 734dbbe933 I had friends.”1ccf25c110103fdf

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Huikyung said, surprising 188ea0c007 Jaekani. Hearing such 299f6f5073 an admission 4fd7b410d0 from someone bf2d59c15a who usually 67e32d62c7 acted so 71fe22da3f carefree felt f828d6ad31 strangely refreshing.9b15aaf36dc55e73

“After all, it means 14a7b491f6 fewer people get to 5639f2bfc5 appreciate my charm.”6f4f05c415fdf84f

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…And refreshing 426f576995 in an 4940beae3c entirely different d626e0c8ef sense.1c3dd5cea41107b0

“What kind of dfb9be8c24 charm are we bb7681c206 talking about here?” bb8fe1bb81 Jaekani asked, his e605c90c69 skepticism evident.406062f30a05efa4

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“My height, my 95edcd7650 face, my physique, 08ef86a59a my skills, and 67a812d5f8 my wealth.”a2392ce2c369be2a

Jaekani couldn’t help 98e0df897d but let out 9c2052880d an incredulous laugh. ‘Say that after you 116e25b90d get out of here,’ fe819bf355 his expression seemed to 0c497637b6 convey, but Huikyung remained f693d1415d unshaken.babb1fcb6aaa8620

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“Don’t look at me 26500a05f8 too much,” Huikyung added 23ff8aa4c3 with a grin. “Your standards might get 3f401a9552 too high, and then 66fa32b99d you’ll never get married.”bad0178a2c70f90b

“Well, at 1327fda7a0 least you c04b3f1c38 were honest 051a7aacc0 enough not e47928d76e to include af4182c4c1 your personality facec21a90 in that ba8ff35920 list,” Jaekani 28af3c20bb shot back.d9e45665389541d0

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“You’re pretty 9c12260873 sharp, aren’t 195ae573dc you?”1113cbbdba4f78bd

Just moments ago, 3b08d50054 Jaekani had been f15f96474b staring dejectedly at de33dd5632 the ground. Now, he 295cf9d743 was smiling, c6c6bf4530 his mood 1842dca2ef lifted without db4496117b realizing it.607972685c8b1b2e

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“Well, if I’m fcb1abbd27 your friend, why 87240ff96a don’t you ever 650ddbeca8 show me that f6af414fa1 charm of yours?”e5913a7e146e2580

Friend. The word struck 96fba7994b Jaekani. Were they friends? It felt dabaf4c4ec like his 929074f451 bond with 87d4839438 Huikyung was d689e950b4 closer than 82e9137193 his fleeting 577de3d2ec interactions with cb1139d70a kids his 8841094b0f own age. But did that 880908e32b make them friends? Jaekani wasn’t sure.92a348e2bc0e795c

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“I’m saving it. I’ll show 4213530382 you once 0e8d4a1e9c I’m out f2f044f355 of here,” 29f8ad3dbd Huikyung said.0990ca173e79dfb0

“That means I’ll a87edb5b5f never get to 7acd6da797 see it. What a shame.”22cc837ea290c31b

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“You could 525408be19 just curse 4810f756af me out 51bb21bf58 instead,” Huikyung 7da62bfe2f quipped.e6627dd0ee80cb04

Jaekani burst out 774da7453e laughing, his soft fd664c1ab4 chuckles carrying through 530428dab2 the bars. The simple act f76d5e5f7c of laughing felt 6854aa648d strange—ticklish, almost—as though bc87adcc53 his chest had 46eff48147 grown lighter. When was the ef70a6f20f last time he 63195fd4a7 had felt genuinely b1fec3f77c happy like this?8599324c209c57ba

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Maybe that’s why 0131b380f8 he found himself c1bcf015a7 lingering, even after b4d15663eb they’d run out 777ac237e3 of questions to c068e7c5b7 discuss. It wasn’t 36ae0cf317 like him 216659e403 to stick 07340a93cd around without 8547daede6 a reason, 69d013b6a2 and he a5be3abb4c was neither f673f26de5 bold enough 4c20a4df38 nor honest 5b45b075e1 enough to 3a4e3b2433 admit he 5d63d12d65 simply wanted 1490a79be3 to stay. Usually, when ab3d56e1bb there were bea33360bf no more f3e36f4c4f questions, it 40e5ba5057 was time 1d3b37b034 to leave.3ecd5ec0ecfc2bfc

“It’s late. You should go, 9447f3a763 Jaekani,” Huikyung said, 9e8f049448 his voice as 70cc8d943e indifferent as ever.4d2f75bc69a5437a

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Jaekani hesitated, gazing 3e73667de2 at the clouds 3c770b47e3 drifting through the ecef26c406 bright moonlight. Now that a2d0cf1d28 he thought 0eea05d6b1 about it, e98c9d4010 the night 0d1134d251 air felt e58464d1ef cold against 54670ea4ae his skin.87fed15fe8befd15

“I need to sleep cc2acd506c too. A regular schedule 8523b812d0 is important, you f19e5bf31f know.”3511173ea61caf1a

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“Says the guy locked 2e9e8e81bb up in a basement.”e5c8dfce995028c9

“Are you looking down 300b6695e2 on prisoners now?”7e27dcf8dd4088ac

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“…That’s not it.”b2d8cbe0cab0382f

Jaekani glanced away, biting e28827e5e4 back the words he 7251e81483 really wanted to say. Of course, he 5b8a0662da didn’t want to 99a3e4bdd5 leave. But the e539186dea breeze was c1b99dddf3 biting, and 39ec7d98c5 as he 65fc50665e shivered slightly, 322a4306cc Huikyung let a0ec33bb9a out an 606cbc51dd exaggerated yawn, 2ac0531c2b as if d47c9607a0 to make 0df2d9ade6 a point.26c7433ea0be64e9

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Pouting a e50c67cd6b little, Jaekani 018791427a kicked the 796b311450 pile of 2b3792c491 half-melted candles 315f8b7b71 into a 8940249f66 gap between cfab029186 the rocks. Hidden among the cracks, 3a926885c5 they’d be hard to a675fdf4bd notice unless someone looked 742595248c for them specifically.e7d3087ec888edf3

“Goodnight,” Huikyung said.0d2f6d11d8216910

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Jaekani let out 1b41ae831c a quiet, annoyed 0653e16266 huff, choosing not 0e2870e334 to reply. Gathering his things, he 3ad3fc5844 turned sharply on his 34b8d9142d heel, as if daring 895bb042da Huikyung to stop him.e898c4bb15f80c6c

* * *c3dd1b8c816bed0b

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On his 0850e036b8 walk home, 6ff9ef2b41 Jaekani shivered 7202d97d75 again, the db17c261b0 chill of aad75bd10b the night bbf52454d0 sinking into ab7bcbc236 his bones. ‘I might’ve 4c5900f8f1 caught a 430ad09b52 cold if 71f61a2bd4 I’d stayed 856024b9a4 any longer,’ 8c9f20c5ca he thought 41011ef3e0 grimly.e6383633b92c5e06

But then b74cf38986 he paused 85afeccbd9 mid-step.f2b7537341a07211

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‘Was that 34dc259552 why he 2a9eb787bb told me 6c7a592518 to leave?’2bc8e82a5268222c

The idea 33487bc798 lingered, unwelcome 41d37b5819 yet persistent. Huikyung didn’t seem dadeace0e7 like the type 0ee0db875f to be so 74318b5d5b considerate. His usual eaab3d543b demeanor was 741dec1545 far too 9cdd434c10 carefree and a876afd621 teasing. But if Jaekani kept d3668b4782 thinking that, was he 0a27b99f9a being too soft on 82e30704cf Huikyung? Was he seeing him 8d9f248fa3 in a better light a909cb27ac than he deserved?6dc8b8264c528587

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Shaking off 5def860b41 the thought, 814fb8556f Jaekani quickened e31cba6240 his pace. If he *did* get 2622aecb41 sick, he wouldn’t be 70a9c1c9f4 able to visit Huikyung.3a647feb584a8a79

* * *64ae4a5e7c7002dc

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The next 94ac4ee061 day, as 2d9c894535 Huikyung effortlessly 05a3033fa3 solved yet 952e7db724 another problem, e58cf3a592 Jaekani couldn’t f3dab5979e help but b5662b4e38 ask.d4130a27a87f5b8f

“What did you bfcbc58324 used to do 63a71022ae to be so 6d53289e82 good at this?”aceee821970cf68e

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Huikyung rested his 75c56d7da2 chin on the 349cd904fe edge of the da539de212 bars, a mischievous 84481a9fbb smile tugging at d03fec3418 his lips.6f03e25fe430de09

“Guess. If you’re right, I’ll 89684c64f5 tell you.”0e376a0ee18792d6

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This was cd0c2f595e a rare 734baa1e82 opportunity!b96dd1f25d0d7faa

Jaekani’s mind 0314dcfaeb raced, considering b853e2f0d3 countless possibilities.a094f1208f9abaae

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He quickly ruled 6fc356cf83 out the idea 7c493cf7b1 that Huikyung had 8107558a28 been one of dad216aa8e those heavily armed 7a51862b24 soldiers who raided 7777116233 villages. The ones 7b507d726d Jaekani had fc124646bd encountered were 14f32b68ba cold, mechanical, 9b18ffe05d and ruthless, 32655be169 snatching away a1fe1f3574 Espers and 37b3f23471 Guides without 5b03f98a7e a shred 54962082ca of empathy. No, Huikyung 28a0c57e9b wasn’t like 563ba8b23d them.3849a8a990cda847

Nor did he 6b68802d69 seem like someone 4ee211a52f from a neighboring a30530196b community.9d7b7679f38eb35c

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“…A scavenger?”2fc87d95bff5f4f9

Jaekani ventured, referring dd5df7c83a to the wandering 84e065d2fc traders who scavenged 8db20f2836 valuables from ruins 395c9d67b1 and corpses.1b975c9e3c45912d

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“Harsh.”5ba7d9fc770f3600

Huikyung said, shaking ac84e2ea46 his head.1d87bc1b74de3b18

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Jaekani blatantly looked him ed1460f37e up and down, recalling 24de5a3c99 his current circumstances. His expression seemed b6a2fe9fd7 to ask.e124b69e93c3bcd4

‘What did you fa54bcbfe2 expect me to 87bd0eabfd guess? You’re locked up 102fd60251 in a basement.’5e54f359bee8a06b

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“Drug dealer? Slave trader?”ca190e51a2584807

Jaekani offered, almost mockingly.62eda96cf90da742

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“…”2e53055a63751dd5

“…You’re not a cannibal, 63a19a4f75 right?”05468fae434fffc2

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“Do you e2c0494cc4 even hear 2baa6ed8fc yourself?” Huikyung 8899d1228d sighed, exasperated.a12da6666b49250e

He shook his head 92520fafc8 again, lamenting how Jaekani 3b6d8031e5 hadn’t even considered decent b16c996056 professions like creature hunter bd0539b137 or repair technician—careers that f9291cba38 didn’t hurt others.37d971adbc76342a

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“Why skip 213822ff1e the respectable 1ad4a47c53 ones and 9c58d3d7e7 go straight 3b519460cf for the 8a0c8242b2 worst?” he 0e65934d12 muttered, half b8be406e33 to himself.5ad8b06645b01e55

 f6c80a083e88a4f8

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