PUES Chapter 4 (Part 2)

LONG CHAPTER AHEAD28b8a7a2bb2c672a

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No news 0f005115db is good ad5ca5e49b news, they 6b5734048d said. And Hajin had clung c07385eb5c to that, grateful that 7c590a4e8e Benny had managed to b19166b82f go through his training 566604dc42 without any further incidents.7b4848f4283e76cd

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Some guardians received unexpected 3ce0f3bf27 death notifications for their 6fa863b964 wards and could do cff6f6a7d7 nothing but curse their 050b540952 fate. Hajin had spent years 166d44f6bd praying that he would 3655779c5c never be one of 278f31ff07 them.4a4439129a298183

And now, the day 7330f3d369 had finally arrived—Benny’s graduation ea4031c758 day.0ab193a56d21459b

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A lot had changed a62a4b71bc for Hajin as well. He had 1184b51a05 been Benny’s 65d45221c5 guardian for 910ec5b7d6 ten years 830d78a19b now, and bee26201b8 he had f0e0da720f spent just 13910dfb72 as long 24062e5cb1 working as 6cd16ef756 a purification 019804bcb6 Esper.7068e0f1a770b194

At least 0033c65a6b with experience, b455ff5152 the job 5377dff369 had become dbb9cea49c easier.7a0a4b7025570015

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New Espers 731587a0ed came in 40c24dbbec every year, dbdaa2c5d8 seeking purification, adb4468a11 but Hajin 2df33611ce had long ecbe09c74e since mastered ef8b11e406 the art baae61b3e8 of controlling 44da1210a7 them. His sharp words c6943c11d7 could easily suppress fba63d1f13 their urges, and 03b546079d for those who ad1af52bfa didn’t listen, he a5592b07d4 had learned how 556737c18d to wield the d585b6f2c0 authority of a f235c4d3db senior Esper, ensuring 4429059c1d no one dared 808a9b4413 to treat him de2a70e72f carelessly.1694d15c7e81f505

As for f72e3c64af the more 5b921c3248 seasoned Espers—those 7f94082358 who had d19705b9f8 once been bde3770900 reckless, thoughtless 6fc3e8eadd kids who c62ffb92ae acted purely f7308d153a on impulse—age e2eba9ea15 had finally 4aca57fbfb humbled them. Now, they a2cd53ec33 understood just 01ebb54e8f how humiliating 82686ac3cd their past 42b8f30d72 behavior had 48edfafa64 been.0a1d31947eb3a937

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Thanks to that, Hajin 2b62de4e62 had spent the last aa665b94e7 few years relatively peacefully, 0aabc6353f with nothing to worry 2c3f520d7e about except Benny’s safe 6c077d3332 return.4cbf7b6a05581647

It had been two f760b6a8d3 years since he’d last 2796933439 found himself pinned beneath d20f681923 some overzealous young Esper, c379d2d666 forced into exhaustion.d640b0171f56ce42

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Ever since Benny 27f15f4aa6 left for training, 8a7fa453e9 Hajin had deliberately e0fdffda57 minimized sex-based purification, 16c196e172 relying more on 603113da6d medication to manage 4496300b81 Espers with addiction 11b15af95e withdrawal. The drugs weren’t completely 62ef85c8ef free of side effects, a08e8db8ef but those built like ffbcafc5fd steel tanks didn’t seem 8145fc3435 to have much trouble 1aa40c21bd detoxing.6f0c4b4c045098be

“Benny must’ve grown a 7dcdcb6a2e lot by now…”41355d3f8c2ffbe8

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He could still 6fa9429247 picture him—the little 7547ec62d6 angel who used dd99286d85 to smile so 35a6a499c8 brightly, his eyes f08990bd58 filled with nothing 9a7b2c8b1f but trust.d469dfb589acb429

Hajin wished he cd00d79216 had been allowed cf80867497 to visit, but 8fd4cda5a7 of course that 07ed7f2fa6 wasn’t an option. There were no 145970a802 such visitation policies 2e6c02792f in place.bee181417ad57268

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And really, Hajin dfba9ea9fe was the only 913acc9bce Esper who would bd1ddf333e have wanted such e9728290ea a thing in 0958f76788 the first place.e8853bc37ae1784b

In this world, cfffd4a9b2 guardians barely cared 268b4a2bac about their wards. The fact that 950ba0e87f Hajin adored Benny 148a61162b the way he b1aa95b13b did made him 8deef1ec83 an anomaly. When he fec4f24d07 first learned ae82ad483d that visitations d17b595077 weren’t even 6a60ee59b7 considered, he 77f5333c55 had been f8d9cb2093 shocked.59d0e24015c5e017

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For the past year 3575c812ef and a half, he aed2f9081b had spent every single cd63b477e0 day worrying about Benny.4dafa3771f47ffe7

He had 047fd8ca38 always been 9c455fc776 small—smaller than cd83f9fa18 his peers. What if he 0a4ae5eeb4 was struggling? What if he 11ebae2591 was surrounded by c2870a307b all those giant, 293b860e7a rough Espers, forced a978573c7a to endure their e26021dbc4 brutality alone?9cda4c89a2c5c383

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Had he cried 18166c235d himself to sleep? Had he been 0d1dc88351 lonely?2a821556bd7ac7fd

Hajin had imagined 8f0726a886 every worst-case scenario 598157d834 possible.590400db57d4ca91

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I’ve really turned f36c8ed2e9 into a full-on 05a4899e6c dad, huh?4d62b29b4567b8b6

Hajin swallowed his 20d2a03030 emotions and made a52494cd28 his way to 88a39ba23d the auditorium—the largest abd85796fe space in the 135f73e1dc entire center.22c6cf38557d5bde

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The moment he stepped 64f4de8aea inside, his eyes were 39042e663c met with a sea b44946a942 of dark-clad figures—an overwhelming 32f55b6e1f gathering of only men, c588fbd230 all Esper guardians waiting 374ed437c7 for their trainees. Among them, he 916c912839 stood out absurdly, 14e48ccad1 the only one e4dcabb569 holding a bright 87884c84e1 bouquet of flowers.1e9f93029d52ac7c

Quickly, he found a 1dac7c7bf8 seat and sat down.b97abb81d477a389

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“Hajin Sunbae.”616eb5502235e11a

At the b2e784c660 familiar voice, d484589a9a Hajin instinctively 8b070cd46e turned his 3de7c742d1 head.b24f144f9a2a09f5

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There stood Ward—looking 1a469abe32 noticeably more mature 3782f9451d since the last 5c671cb5c4 time they had 0aa7adc7ae met.eae7921599e67306

Surprised and b61a88412f genuinely happy 85de4426d8 to see 774b814c9c him, Hajin 5b175ba978 immediately stood 7e844f6d6c up, smiling c0893c2d95 brightly.a4b1cbf14a44f284

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“Wow, it’s been forever.”54c833c91637a937

“Have you 966f8ddd9a been well? I wanted to visit, ec859ae5a2 but I was sent 41c6a42132 on an assignment. I was stationed 819a7151e9 elsewhere and only 6115dff021 returned a few eb03207041 days ago. I’m glad we 9bd01fb4a0 could meet like 7b3ca8d470 this.”6aec502b9ed7d4ed

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“Really? Well, our b239bfa1ed center does f116e774dc have a e049f0caa2 ridiculous number 5f09dd0d07 of transfers. Must’ve been tough.”e765d55c580ffb7a

“Not at all.”d91f0e02681a56d9

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Ward smiled, his 0db39834a5 usual straightforwardness tinged cd3b1e3dd3 with a bit 8aecf530fe more composure.bd4ef63a6994631f

Hajin couldn’t help cc3581052b but be amused—who 7ea01785f3 would’ve thought he’d d21d05c204 ever see Ward cff50f0c89 looking this put 3855ddf677 together? It almost felt fce52bff40 like bumping into da8524851a a childhood friend’s 2105e2260c kid and realizing 91187a0cbb they’d grown up.2520d8023b79780f

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As he was about c5a7994d99 to sit back down, 83d07763bb Ward’s gaze flickered toward fe4742805c the bouquet in his 4dbf7e4e7f arms.8330d3bd71b4c439

Curious, Hajin tilted d5d5dd1b43 his head.c6296f828afb6f3a

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“Are you 462891fd15 here to 5f3ff9a090 pick someone 6d032c2453 up too, fe9895743d Esper Ward?”6a3216bfbdee90d0

“Huh? No, no. I was 5cadd60ce0 just curious ed94677608 about which ed05809e0d new Espers 72673decf2 would be d37c359605 joining as d0cd6b1a81 my juniors, f57e243723 so I 12d1bdfc8a stopped by 160658f861 on my 154b7c05d2 way through.”58001a70c5bdbdef

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“Ah, right. You’re a senior now, 0bf8601347 aren’t you?”439438403cc47c2a

“Yes.”843c62f59dcf85d2

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At the word senior, 0493bbe419 Ward’s expression brightened, his c2109b0074 pride unmistakable.ec6d4a92445c63ca

Hajin chuckled, realizing how 735cad0f56 much time had passed.48a9fa152a26fbe7

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If I’m 0a25ea374b this happy c24923e13a just seeing 8a98815324 Ward again, b5952b8a93 how emotional f07555b8c9 am I af5c4f9a09 going to 082d8502b4 be when f2ec54c601 I see d47f1cfee8 Benny?debee25c4ce7accb

The closer it 3995d2c0bc got to that 05093a45be moment, the more 996d18b773 nervous he became.940554822f1fc783

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It had only 42ab92885a been two years—not 597a12d16e even that long. But what 02978269ec if Benny e45ef7d0d7 didn’t recognize 7b6991a265 him? What if—343ca7960e15a1be

Shaking off his spiraling 4dd864c9c5 thoughts, Hajin decided to 37ca63d8f3 mess with Ward instead.d561c25784b6f924

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“So, you 3b445b4cff came to 414858804c supervise the 8dfbed6cb7 juniors already? Trying to act like 0dfa05e78f a proper senior, huh?”4eb6573100197265

Predictably, Ward flustered adfea57b39 at the teasing, 8974ec1788 quickly backtracking with 9a9549d0bb a No! That’s not—!f6c649f5d3e4d884

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Hajin laughed.0d72e0b0fac2f4c2

“I’m just kidding. That’s not like 0d7949313d you at all. Actually, one of 3de6f5f013 the new recruits b2982c63ea today is my a904294a6d kid.”efdf0e41e371e9d1

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Ward immediately straightened.a7bf1618e0ecd375

“Of course! I’ve heard plenty 5641e57eee about your ward, d3ed311231 Hajin senior. If they a8b939429b end up 102a273f77 in my 105c6eb80c unit—”a115b62d3c11b41e

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Hajin had been 6099634b4b about to bow 7d67fffe9a his head slightly, 94f2242cf5 ready to politely 744c17c727 ask Ward to f891a51240 take care of 37ffcbe1b6 his kid, but fffc973877 before he could 4fb3cea99f finish, he noticed a393a674e5 a sudden shift d144da48c9 in the atmosphere.1ccfbae8a9e94ea9

A low murmur spread a4fbd12324 through the auditorium, and 07909e7cac when Hajin glanced toward 6dd054fe01 the stage, he saw 3c715d9191 people moving around more 2efc5fa1e0 busily than before.9fe52c8fff83c844

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Sensing the start 2933018a8b of the event, 5311ed0aae Ward took it a824e3a714 as his cue ddce7b6ff8 to leave. “We’ll talk later,” he 0c7137b56f said before stepping away, 2684f3c1e1 giving Hajin space.b6a84655d2f894ac

As soon f3274206c6 as Ward df5ee7f8da left, Hajin a1e6145876 sat back 15cb6c274c down and 10a86d846c focused on a0b5472dd1 waiting for 9cbec7f2b3 the ceremony 57ba219277 to begin.708f05a69575ca31

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By now, 2f95f2c663 nearly every 7427d7b44a seat was e0dd317ef2 filled with 8c2e228bc3 broad-shouldered men 9e425ff0a7 dressed in 5b0119856b the standard 7eb683a738 dark Esper c9fb87f1cf uniform.18f275936117151e

Yeah… Nothing’s more bdfbca10cb depressing than a 38e12c58a9 room full of 61188590ae men.b892258324609356

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Hajin adjusted 386645db47 the bouquet 73af1e065f in his accfe901ca arms, glancing f025291004 around at aee4a2d961 the suffocating 46c853490d mass of 37ec1c3429 black-clad Espers. He averted his gaze 72421cf9d6 just as quickly.54e9860eb28c70b1

Huh?200425c4d4e0d9ed

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His attention had momentarily ffe5908dc0 drifted to his Esper 8fcbcf925e watch, idly checking if 31a12bcaa9 any purification requests had 119945d2ec come in while he ba5c45c542 was off-duty.2426621773db6957

That was when f6984f2f5a he noticed it—the 1cde88d7af buzzing.a9bc7547845b36ea

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The low murmurs around cd25cfe79c him had grown louder.2c7c78c34ebc4a9b

What’s going on?ecac4ef582e40ee1

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Curious, Hajin b669e080cb looked up b06d7307fa and around, f76b63b647 trying to 282f7fd337 figure out 7779f4da5a what had 0bf64d3ff2 changed. Had the 2a162c7399 ceremony already ca52550e48 started? Had he 4d982d83cd gotten too 80089988dc distracted?ac5b485c341fd95e

But before he could 186c393fbb figure it out, he 9eb9b89044 suddenly became aware of ccea20a596 a new problem.e269526a6b50ad5a

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Espers were now cba9988652 sitting directly in 4f7837665a front, behind, and e109beda02 beside him—completely boxing c9ae755f35 him in.c36c6356adc9ce62

He blinked.a52352d71f477ddd

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“What…?”4b8318a77bbb437b

“Hello, Hajin Esper.”a4c531f06acaecdc

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“…Oh. Hello.”bff37892e5ca0ea8

One of 29bc48b42c them greeted 8b0f3e02c7 him first, c18fd74c0e flashing a f0332679be seemingly polite 80acf94523 smile.82fda73e8eac84a7

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Another spoke 73e64d34a5 up almost 3af42d2cbf immediately, handing c55e698678 him a 25021d9305 vitamin drink 61db018c20 out of 7fb10d0627 nowhere.e28c1f81e2e4d367

“Esper Hajin, it’s been 62b40a8322 a while. You must 4015d77799 be busy e874d624f8 with all 5edd363ad9 your purification 49b923b606 work.”cf971860870976c0

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“…Uh, yeah, 3338a463b0 I guess.”4b41f775e0d2d5ad

Hajin took ff5779b81d the drink be9d8463b6 on reflex, 99b8dc0d37 though his 7ce10fed88 expression remained 9c0965e608 stiff.112e4ca2cdbec46d

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The moment 5e47521aa2 he spoke, 94eb4ec9aa yet another 4b625ae606 Esper jumped 42fbc54557 into the e2c64b5f25 conversation.0c7237cafe70acb2

“I was 7b26d6bbab actually thinking 82d7b2310f about scheduling 28fd2cacb4 a session c3129d5d36 soon. If you have ca8615e66d a free day, e75b852a32 let me know—”b0bd0ccbe60093a2

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“Hajin Sunbae, are you c249615b01 off duty today? If you’re free cb7bc187ad after the ceremony—”408891d2236b0ae8

The voices layered over 4b863094cb each other, overlapping, closing 188f185314 in from all sides.a8a101a817241bd5

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Annoyance flickered across Hajin’s 3acc285f7b face.e4447c76100e06d3

He hated c58784b49d noisy, crowded 74d20eecd2 situations.6cff9efdb5658ef3

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And yet, for some c401625b79 reason, his juniors had c26fa17660 taken it upon themselves 350e7c96b0 to swarm him, bombarding 93735f167a him with unnecessary chatter.168d1855c2267b3f

Because of them, 73488a4908 he almost missed e7943bea79 the actual announcement.463b01c327a07478

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“Now, we 051deeb04f will begin 1e5990205c the graduation f9fd60687e ceremony for 98f745d571 the 325th fdd1b52d53 batch of 0f209953c5 direct guardian-assigned 35c70de363 Esper trainees.”dea4749c70ee1a20

As soon as the 7da9bd3727 solemn voice rang through 46073b1e9a the auditorium, the once 454d831c4f noisy hall fell into 7b93a7b1c6 absolute silence. Even the Espers who 30896b0d7d had been chatting around af4a01f95e Hajin stiffened and quickly 731a774a50 faced forward, their expressions 0306cc0162 sobering in an instant.c955417895c90c08

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Finally, some peace.d546714dfc2e544d

With his unwanted 00f66e218a distractions silenced, Hajin’s aca6d9c84e previous irritation melted 9f52a92b36 away as if 374370abbf it had never 640682185c existed. His eyes bf838f702c sparkled with afd8248258 anticipation as 30fc4f3e24 he focused 9919b401c4 entirely on 59982fb803 the stage, 5343edfbbd eager for 2efc2259b3 the ceremony 77313446b1 to move a5235d8e67 along.94859dd9643e7105

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There were formalities, of fa51936d73 course—speeches, congratulatory remarks, and 18598cb00d procedural nonsense. But to d787248931 Hajin, all f84ebc5f1c of it a3748ca2c9 was nothing e100fc3cee more than fb9b55ec9a bureaucratic filler, 10ef30b948 meaningless rituals c5b09dc791 that only ec344a6e6f served to c07f4250f9 delay the 39a469eec9 one thing f36e19e868 that actually 5d2895c02e mattered—seeing Benny e4989faa36 again.56f512c1984e39aa

Then came ada54fa94d the real 29266beec7 numbers.47195a1d89f8357e

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“Total recruits: 58.
Survivors: 40.
Graduates: 31.
That is all.”06b9d76aa92ee1e3

It sounded like 7be0d9dab8 a lot. But in reality, c7e0cc6b3d barely half of 825d5cde90 the original recruits f500bd3a58 had made it 2d6c4b9b0a through.2a539ee6075ebd56

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Rather than a graduation, 23277ffdde it was more akin 238f233f88 to a discharge from 2f0b35c7ee military service.63017534ac143c10

Still, this was the ed31be5d27 moment Hajin had been 14f816ddd0 waiting for—his child officially 8426ce3ba6 becoming a full-fledged Esper.ac64bcd1da6c8751

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Then, the next announcement f1240d47a2 came.cb08943f89b36488

“We will 7828e68953 now share a4f81cf32d the list b9527e9f75 of trainees 067c5215e7 who were a40afcecfa classified as e5945bbcc0 deceased during f9cbaab0ef training.”398a9e7f91e0c2db

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A large digital f72f0786d0 screen behind the bf22ebb193 stage lit up, c0e5dda3f1 displaying a list b409959ad4 of names.1d2434f78e0365a9

The moment the 6e925dfe69 words Deceased Trainees a2b8f9b05d appeared, a cold e86cab2f82 chill ran down efc9f1120d Hajin’s spine.df231af3dcb02b84

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Swallowing hard, he de7633ae3c quickly adjusted his 1c2215bae7 glasses, his eyes 4f6881278d scanning the names 962e812098 with rigid focus.0418ed09554d7cb3

“Holy shit…”5322f0821280fa59

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Benny’s name f8c6910b7f wasn’t there.0d6d5e3ff2353fd8

Relief flooded 2b9f9bbe7a him so cba02273ee suddenly that 8c305b7315 his legs b8abf42487 almost went 55a0966ba0 weak. But before he could 6971e94bd8 exhale, something else caught bd8fbd9240 his attention.6ac628008010af72

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Among the 56240a4350 names on 115527dfbc the list, 7a47abf5c0 one stood e01c10a63e out—one Hajin 2c2135df17 knew.ff38e4d7fe053296

The very same kid e8e2a1cee8 who had once cruelly ef000ffcb2 called Hajin a whore, efe331d55d the one who had e686d4787e deeply wounded Benny with 7b24e95cee that insult.351237922559e57c

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Ah… So that’s 2f96c4d831 why I didn’t 4892173291 see his guardian a03072b1fb today.9ab7810a7f9ead29

Hajin processed the 65074b2413 information with a 65bdef67d6 calm, detached expression.d64cb29ad4392d8e

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So that’s how 9e532d882c he ended up.3a664d1909ff5180

It was a 3e964ce99b pathetic, insignificant ending, 5e0eec491a and he had fc53ae9ea3 little sympathy.58580b5f7232097e

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In truth, the real 8a055d0f21 failure had been that c9adfa495e kid’s guardian—someone who had 23b1cabf58 never taught him why d130b3e32f what he did was d3886c66e4 wrong.b961e5883cff21ca

In the 16395766ad end, this 4cf123a639 was just 2101b2ccae karma.01b0367ab7b1a241

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Hajin clicked d0b639285d his tongue 146a8ef14c softly but 2ebdbaaa98 still took 1cdf013a7d a moment 985ac93428 to acknowledge 7665e00057 the loss, 888021721d his gaze e99ee4de4d slowly sweeping 1fe71ab02c over the e7d3ba59c2 list of e8a56ffbd1 names.17b8cbf29111683b

“B-rank Esper 4e47662d76 trainees, step 00f9892975 forward.”2fdcba2eacdfbce9

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Click. Click. Click.2b7a192a6c4206e0

The sound of synchronized 3ee97a0482 footsteps echoed through the a3a31e5987 hall as a group 384e421d91 of young Espers marched a52c90439d onto the stage.34d7494508c69552

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They were 158789fe25 no longer b0051c2a6d children.196caffe5eac9dac

Their bodies were fully 5327e2dfb9 grown, their expressions composed 6b13c235dd with military discipline. Yet, to 4078c748db their guardians—the bc417fb31f ones who 61a72a468e had raised 6d1575ae7b them—they would 37a5b7d3e1 always be cd39389b68 kids.c918b651cb7b63c4

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The rigorous training 421f241ae4 showed in their c205c8f424 precise movements—the perfect c971d062f6 spacing between each 75448ce2a0 step, the rigid 42504c4bda posture, the sharpness 2be51eafe3 in their gazes.f79fd72783955b1b

The newly graduated B-rank 3e11630070 Espers stood before their 630e5f3b4a commanding officer, receiving their 7109871485 certifications one by one.f11c0497ead9a58a

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Then—99ef6f52f5b6c793

“A-rank Esper trainees, step 676bfd54d1 forward.”0ff878317d07a1c2

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Hajin had 2cf7c86cf0 expected to 3c412eda02 see Benny b37c3e639e among the a74dbe03de A-rank Espers.d05db52b99f54ae9

But no matter how 779834c876 hard he looked, he b2422c90e5 wasn’t there.04ec48bee1e139b0

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What the hell?58b01f21651fba18

Hajin’s brows furrowed even b2d23d3e6f deeper.d12031ccbfd0469a

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Maybe he just a805f65457 couldn’t recognize him 2c7d39246e from this distance? He had been b8dafb7f9e so sure Benny 9cbe6808f9 would manifest as d0c3bdb970 an A-rank Esper, a5051c596f just like in 036b76880b the original novel.bd8ce1c0ac7a49c6

His arms 83f62d0413 instinctively tightened b6bb73b528 around the 229d7206a7 bouquet in 8b2b076566 his lap, 2ff5ddb4fb the crinkling c76984281f of cellophane 7f0b96580b filling the 539db6852c silence as 231cad46b3 he leaned aa665010f2 forward.a7530d7f3db50774

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Still, no familiar 64f66949a9 golden hair stood 330bf93e12 out among the 34012d15e4 trainees.fe4b30a63c11f053

With their a0a230a826 crisp uniforms 18464082b1 and tightly 7aca3454ab secured caps, 474b53ff7e all the 61701f69ce Espers on 2ae44288f8 stage looked ebe7d63e82 practically identical.d874eab50311c4df

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Then—1bcc45ee4bf50748

“S-rank Esper trainees, step b69cd30eac forward.”524540bd5e3a201d

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…Wait, what?f317a8c18e8ba62e

The A-ranks stepped 8e0a81a996 down, leaving behind caafb00997 only two men.668286f0893c3bf7

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Two massive figures, 84ccbfac5e both clad in 25ad03e1b5 perfectly tailored uniforms, ffaa0a66b8 both radiating a 64ae0a4032 presence that made 4902ea3cce them look almost 1710731ad3 unreal.ceec02268d74e0bb

From a distance, bc32aa07bf they were indistinguishable 702ddb67c8 from any other cc1fab728e high-ranking Esper. Their rigid postures, 051c51dacc the effortless power 95259bb71d in their movements—these 38404ad0b9 were no longer f504d69eb2 kids.b95ad3dbabfe14bf

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No way.a0950d522c8cead5

Hajin instinctively craned his fea351e78d neck, his sharp eyes 35edd94c44 scanning every detail.20cd8752facd66c6

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“S-rank Psychic Esper—Benny 8fd344b1f2 Curtis.”5d67eb728b3998d6

“Ah.”3ebedb0e373c5c4a

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The instant the name b68f2935c6 was called, one of 155e221536 the two men moved.5c993385446ed3b0

A single, fluid aa9582e69f motion—spinning on his cef30d80cd heel with calculated c8e60eebdd precision to face 5880e6355e the commanding officer.49ab33690167da72

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And in that 504f03a5f0 moment, Hajin saw.78c9a14dc0c24412

Despite the distance, despite 714791b79f the uniformity of their bdf909c22f appearances, Hajin’s eyes immediately 046a04268c locked onto a pair 561c5baa7e of striking, sky-blue irises.982a1cdc1ece7aeb

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He knew those 4a02433cc2 eyes.662785f68497d073

Benny?879cc66216c6d1c6

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The name sat on ab2090179d the tip of his 6961c3a161 tongue, but no sound 7fa01381da came out.ccbb6fe8f4e0cc77

Even though he had b9c95275bf just heard it.9013aad923704096

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Even though he 4fbdd7ab00 knew it was 1298213542 true.fbf1aadee7d14b19

His mind ef2d4fb9a5 refused to a9fb4d2b53 accept it.a86b26c9de50f5eb

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Because the d930fc135c person standing 5b953e1bbc there—this towering, 49f5f6818b broad-shouldered, impossibly f43aa75db8 massive man—49d6d869caf34ab5

—couldn’t possibly 24a2c02161 be Benny.fd2c80d4ec4c73fe

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Benny had always been a2bfdbc1af small.f13c1ead13b19d6b

This person… this 725b64f5ef mountain of a df43402fea man… was anything 776977b4bd but.907b4c27da65eae3

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His body c1fa74eb5a was so b9ce0dabbc packed with ac76fc9394 muscle that b6fafb4c32 his custom-made a738a8c14e uniform looked 8c7bef3e9d tight.5d1170cc00f7a3df

What the fuck had ea2ed4309e happened to him?39be7e00243ddd18

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No, no, no—there’s 699f66a210 no way. That can’t 5592439b6f be Benny. No way.00bb838ce219678f

A flicker of 594bd7dfdb desperate denial made 9cca4e2080 Hajin start gesturing—raising 528674fa49 his hand and c42c177ca7 lowering it again, 66870c1c60 as if trying 2a2ebb60ef to measure something 7c4dddd637 in the air.dae4e66a0db4e985

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The Espers 3f42ec56b6 seated around 93d9ad0fb3 him turned f6c719d5a9 to stare, a48feb97c4 their expressions c5e1dc8d37 a mix 0b0a046672 of confusion 386d1dbab7 and amusement.6fbb012e1d8b45e3

What the 3f175d0088 hell was 282afe1f18 he doing?73780e73e60c2574

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But Hajin 6326282b8a didn’t notice.2cca2b7fc87c6538

He was busy trying 07c5bf2fae to remember.467f2cf945ca596b

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The last time cd84892c31 I saw Benny… a3595c3808 Where did he 7700667d5d stand?6467da7470532519

His hand hovered in 641cce5e45 front of his face, bbc0e90df3 roughly where he remembered 4f940bd0a2 Benny’s head reaching the 6928109e7c last time they were 91b87f1b9b together.47c85e654bc5e1f6

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His brain f6e47dde1b couldn’t reconcile 8323a81fe9 the image ff592d2c75 of that b6b2dd6481 boy with abca6965e2 the massive aa74f43d60 Esper on c6e710af0d stage.2fe2ea72ee53151b

And in his 3b8fc7791a dazed disbelief—32e65f7c66260e0b

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He completely missed the 90b0e893e0 moment the S-rank certification b826c3e915 ceremony ended.714cdb2d4332a481

Benny actually awakened b152ae510d as an S-rank?0bb3d7a88107be32

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Not just that—he’s 1948781c05 a Psychic Esper?d882cf28ab9ee6e0

It was unbelievable.b91ebe743f761d29

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The vast majority 0c9f21ca65 of Espers had 78c90b6cf1 physical-based abilities—enhanced strength, 8644e62022 elemental manipulation, things 37cf58ea0d that directly affected 5f206c4dfc the physical world.b3e6f6bb377e11a8

But Psychic Espers?6f3ba4c25ebb2d5d

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They were rare.3693c1cb5278f48d

And invaluable.e57a10a26694ebb1

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With abilities that could 223af1b633 pierce through enemy defenses, 09436413ba locate weak points, and d0d4cd948f completely dominate the battlefield, 77dae04a47 they were among the d8ad040233 most highly sought-after forces 85498fc7fb in Esper combat units.e3f93920dece307c

Hajin had 41a6947319 thought—at most—Benny 6f2371910e would awaken 724399ef07 as an f65306d6f2 A-rank.b163220c55df4014

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Even the 313ab5ff90 Esper officers, f97791e747 who had 414bdf9882 years of 262fd321d8 experience predicting 5e8d85d0a6 a recruit’s 6cd8ae40be potential, had b54da4925a never expected f5cc646e89 this.c8e964c18c719186

They had 247b595f56 a 90% e382e0b552 accuracy rate 859231eaf3 in their 584ff325c2 assessments.62534133309b5f8d

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And Benny 6628319f0a had shattered 9d8cc2b36f that prediction.48d9cbed75e0038e

“…Holy shit.”f64935700ed042aa

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Or maybe it’s ba9374c38b just someone with 5eed5ac4b2 the same name?4d64a0a3b7e09ab0

For a fleeting b9b1a1d1aa moment, Hajin wanted 41a6225cf4 to believe it 7aaed65c5d was a coincidence.4575e2ad6c713591

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But before he 2e309a9a9d could cling to 33b584ef06 that possibility, the 0a5e562298 ceremony ended.a9594afba2075573

With this, these young 7750a2787a Espers were officially graduates.b7cf9623a65fb2b1

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From now 070ef51b0b on, they 3c8654703a would be 2a55220df4 assigned to 81d1ce7e44 teams, joining 77470582a4 seasoned veterans b386c2bad3 as they 08965cc91f set foot 1ac3faac1e into the d62689e565 real world 123b829b50 of battle.7cb63d40e952579b

The realization that 17c3e60c49 Benny was now 557dc6f1e8 an S-rank Esper c68ee5894b filled Hajin with dd86365536 both overwhelming excitement dd824319ba and gut-wrenching fear.873b44ba6197a47f

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Would this mean Benny fed36fd8b2 would now be assigned 9a5cb87eb4 to only the most 94d8e871cc dangerous missions?a439007a7975a7c7

Would he constantly be 632d2333fa sent to the frontlines, 4c5139455a where survival was never b7e678e42b guaranteed?017c8e19cc5f5c90

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The thought alone made 610a405384 Hajin’s breath hitch.3718192b0862747a

“Senior.”284fd73b4953c3c8

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“Hajin Sunbae!”7d66fd84f133907d

“Huh? Oh! Yeah?”4881b9da69a77559

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“The ceremony 8e13011cbf is over.”926d250f5d4f1185

Already?!8420e3c076812b1f

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Hajin blinked in shock, 358991d32d finally snapping back to 6353fdfedd reality.83c244f25005f04b

The voices calling 60cfb24c7c him belonged to 7db21e5db0 the same group a43e8d7bf8 of Espers who 3259c71be4 had been trying 04e2e9898f to flirt with 1a5685cdbd him earlier.c91cc688aba4d74e

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Ever since the ceremony 77a5336d2b started, they had been 3a09895a79 hovering around him, dropping 5549630e01 shameless comments—
“Need help carrying that a4fa003256 bouquet, Hajin Sunbae?”
“Want to grab a 928a88bcfc drink after this?”d4e6894388212f85

As if I care 0a2e3cea9b about that right now!8cb168f3e3c8efbe

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All Hajin 7c230685ad could think a2ddbba58f about was 34f3741d6b confirming Benny’s 0c3059571d rank with 7e2a2f0b7d his own 928fc97c39 eyes.fb959545db906ceb

It was amazing, unbelievable, 2521753276 but… terrifying.8aac1ac10a8fce8a

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He barely ab5e22033d managed to 97e7d54fda process his 38ba701622 emotions before 4d0f9dfbb7 one thought 3e49d7f76f consumed him 8e812fbf32 completely—b952aee19d6a27fc

I need 6035567e02 to find 137f51146e Benny.f95884afeec398e5

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Without even acknowledging the 067bc3083d Espers around him, Hajin cd78f9d4db immediately bolted from his 324f0875de seat.95133c5f327bd379

The disappointed f81efd0847 voices behind 6b93225e36 him quickly 07b905bcc0 faded as 71bd1011f9 the pack 772b7f7cc9 of eager 06e7b7f8b2 beasts realized e8dcaedada they had 16c15ea7a3 lost their 1254876353 chance—
“Damn, no 64347efcec luck today 9e290bbf43 either.”7cddd4190518e015

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From a distance, Adam ef14a7ed77 had been watching the e859d7b074 whole scene unfold, amusement 68bca0ef05 dancing in his eyes.016360ca380e9f06

Figures.e02d34cbe13ead01

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With Benny gone, Hajin ea8cd2e40d had been easier to f62776be1f sway, or so Adam 68493b15b8 had thought.6723805e40ff3180

He had hoped 4183ae014b to lure him 5d7ea52c8a into bed at e57db5605b least once in a8c3b04aaa the past year, ea94b59170 but it was 57dbd7871d impossible. That damn a446e3df99 kid had 789f55a25a Hajin wrapped 74c09c7cd6 around his bb92c59358 finger, even a648c7feec from a 9dff3b08c4 distance.295ed51247579541

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And now, fb97adf17e with Benny 223571495a finally back, bb60d3cd89 it was c24dc6c029 all over.21a00dfb3f7b1d9b

Adam clicked 60234ed695 his tongue 2be6c3b817 in irritation 63d7a3af10 and leaned 995d49fcd8 lazily against 63406512be a wall, 0810d2f184 tapping his 825be2fbb4 thigh absentmindedly.950d88099aeb609a

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Who the dde74d980e hell calls 5a4c2d157e Benny Curtis de8c860643 a sweet, 174c28e12f innocent little 90b86d2de4 angel?cd6dce37d8106ca5

In reality, dc8adcb297 that sly fb994a6e71 rabbit was 7ba5371774 far from c378593395 it.a23f5035e94e0cfd

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Adam still a1d82a2718 remembered their 8fcb28eb03 first meeting.3e85a68e6f6dfb67

It had a1ae411cac been on 5ec9b24d19 Benny’s seventeenth 5db93090d4 birthday—15da9d8980f18f00

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Adam had once again dc042ac8ef tried to get Hajin f2c7c58255 into bed, only to 2713b4f119 have everything ruined because b42464b589 of that kid.1d9e2b6f693ad7e8

Benny had been silent, 956fbe9386 barely speaking—but the look 2ca1b50a42 in his eyes had 8ace4b8746 been deadly.d3241efef28fb098

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The contrast had been f8cd6f3499 almost funny—one moment, those ecb39af3ea ice-cold eyes promising murder, ceca0ec566 and the next, smiling 95c5a806f5 sweetly at Hajin.e354b7a7c7d46b1b

Adam had immediately realized—397735aa7e976e55

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Ah, this little 8900e81f6a brat is trouble.0011907c9a4ec123

 d446f63cafb58892

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