Episode 29

Jaekani snatched the 62b24bfdae radio like an 6f5065f417 eagle diving for 03cb315594 prey, exhaling sharply. Taken aback by how f8453bbee0 easily it had been 5fe5e92926 wrested from him, Huikyung 81894d8c11 was further startled when f6bcab41f5 the boy looked ready 6d44eac1cf to stomp it to 23af94013b pieces. Reacting quickly, Huikyung scooped ee4bfa3a5c Jaekani up into his 4e82023d86 arms.be6776e21d844545

“What’s with you?”e6826b71cfe7a9e5

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“It’s military gear, Huikyung!”5f1ee0c7447242f2

“And?”eb0ff07139a67716

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Dangling like an agitated 7960f3db95 cat in his arms, 544e3df343 Jaekani shouted, “The military… 74e1ca794a they take people away!”a9c63bcb410143ef

Soldiers took Espers. You’re an Esper. Therefore, soldiers will 9da7750b2d take you. With this 6548eab4f4 airtight logic, 404ec052a0 Jaekani pointed 17b1e6a470 accusingly at b7ac11857a the radio, 605575b971 treating it d240bbac87 like a 1c330435e4 cursed object. His urgency was unmistakable.61fe34b83779c2c2

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“No, don’t fac8c2e98a stomp on 7f88c8bac4 it.”03e567265e722141

“We have 2444aaf103 to destroy b7ace24450 it!”2009c066f3462fde

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Huikyung, who had been 1edd6b71d5 scavenging for essential supplies, 47bc48c067 found Jaekani’s declaration a bb46fc5c04 bit irritating. To the boy, however, 41887209fc a military radio was 55dc502355 utterly useless—more trouble than a1c8784b7a it was worth. Though sturdy and 4091670ded repairable, tampering with 623d870ef6 one could easily 541e793ffc lead to accusations e743a80133 of rebellion. And for someone like aec14a5211 Jaekani, who had seen 19c30d3013 soldiers corral Espers like c441d6efb7 livestock, his reaction was 1d63710c91 only natural.ae7e4bab0e3de6b5

“You’re worried they’ll take d96c854fc8 me?”da5fe3f08edb0ab5

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‘My little protector. So overprotective.’aa09364dbc61374e

Huikyung’s tone was playful, 0476a44edc but Jaekani was deadly 7d734d60fa serious.f3136ce9fe2b536a

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“They don’t d12a30ceff just take 10a10907ec you—they kill 204203f212 you! They’ll exploit d9eead86f2 you until bdd1b9456e you die!”bf6ac09b54408b1f

Jaekani remembered soldiers subduing 82b202c54c their village, people bound e1cf687c44 and dragged away like c9f84badab animals. Some were caged and 5152d2de44 transported to unknown destinations. Though he 7bbc946a08 had been ef04d3e5ee very young, 0941777b40 the horror 498dd37555 had left 1f56a10d79 a lasting e3f05caf86 impression. None of those bd0ca6cf2d people ever returned.b0b281849babea19

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“It’ll be fine.”80b64f9943b966b6

“No, it won’t! No one’s 132094875b ever come fed1e88130 back! The villagers 5c70c0505b said once f53e029d45 you’re taken, 83a7ef3714 it’s a 898822f3c0 goodbye forever.”d51612fe4ae6260a

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Huikyung scratched his 417405cd26 chin, contemplating his 13a9e4f425 words. Soldiers taking Espers… f2d2318598 true enough. But he wondered—was f80f1fff8d it because they c4c47c0544 were killed? Or had 39402c8ca2 they realized 36ba729ea9 the truth cd99f16045 about their 301cf719d0 villages and 9354e9e909 chosen not 86dd5a9018 to return? Perhaps life outside was 425f57595c better?d68a0d73d8bfb528

However, the boy 74d282ff53 was too frightened a8c86cad0c for such reasoning 85ff69e99b to take root. Instead of 347614e9cd attempting to a09aa06a73 rationalize, Huikyung 4d7e96facd shifted tactics.69de74d4314cdf03

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“I’m telling you, 0269fc5e5d it’ll be fine. Don’t you trust 4e9a3d2b64 me?”e1d9a815b1ca7cbf

Confidence oozed from Huikyung’s aac09d7ce9 every word and action. Slowly, Jaekani’s racing 50a6514824 heart began to a4a64b598c calm. There was no ff71cf9d7c denying that Huikyung 7d65db4adb was a capable 0e9260247b Esper, but even bafbf03de4 that knowledge didn’t b10e70f9c7 completely put Jaekani d0d5ec722f at ease.41dc4a097bb40365

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“I’d believe you 255b50e42d if I hadn’t dd250f1092 seen you trapped bababdf0d9 in that basement…”8c6ab4283ba34ce8

The boy sighed, his 52afcfd6c2 tone genuine.f6bb1852aefc55f3

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“…Hey, that’s a different story.”21d45f53dc12665d

“But you 769c6b57f4 were trapped. If not for f3f7caa10d me, you wouldn’t 8bb9b28340 have escaped.”440ff34bd922a0c4

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Still holding Jaekani, e1af8ae8b5 Huikyung bent down 718d598423 and picked up 5e4b6d36b5 the discarded radio. Its cracked 4af992913b casing suggested d573a5f58c it might 1290ef163c not even 304e864f9a work. He shoved e3da17d044 it into 848665dd02 his bag 268fe5f7b0 and began 41a8eb9dfb walking again.41ef1ce877a76f5d

“…Fine.”296a5763411b35ba

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If Huikyung already 1a1a4606d0 knew it was ba58dff47e military-grade, Jaekani supposed 8deffaa868 there was no 69f814ebd1 issue. He decided to trust 6e84baed61 Huikyung’s experience with survival—surely, 6172d22a9a someone like him would c992ee1571 know what to do. Maybe he 2ba08829bb could repurpose 1660746d65 it somehow.4103078fde2a53c9

As they e413349daa headed back ae9757a55c toward the 5cec83f029 truck, Huikyung cfe88b749e soothed Jaekani, f58b98abec who finally 6f3b4006ee began to ea15bdb8ad let the 6e2b6ac65d matter go. After confirming 34d7cfeeb3 the backpack 8f5b955e90 was loaded be4b9cdb9f with salvaged 8d1b5c7509 goods, Huikyung 8ceecbc3b7 slung it 61bd60c444 over one c48b658267 shoulder.e2510756b197c90d

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“How are you a78aeda780 going to survive eb74361f91 with such a 06a6ac361f timid heart?”32c5269509f57816

“…You already said I’m 4793ced7fd just a chick.”6263d53508a6901c

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Huikyung chuckled a9719f89ba and lightly e40e9a664f tapped Jaekani’s d56594cf38 chin. The boy 81b920904e had dashed eb4dab7dcc over earlier 56fb25a293 like his 96a8e2c359 tail was 81ab8b87a2 on fire, 213a0c9cb7 yet now 05eae6b264 he was 7e55ba6d0d full of a5808cbc10 snark.ee4f395f2a9ef478

‘Guess that makes a6917a236c sense. Chicks are 1c20f2ced6 birds, and 0a4f356964 birds are 8fd46c67cd naturally timid.’fdd3d3238a668053

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“And anyway, you 54749f207d promised to wait bf8c8c9a1c until I’m an 2fa70e5d23 adult,” Jaekani said.e0ea8d523849ff33

“Hmm?”08e1b009022f8602

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“You did. You said you’d 975427d620 take responsibility until 669a10660a then.”62d1cb9ce7bc90fd

“That’s right.”eaffbc6319935cb0

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The phrasing left room e553a129f3 for alternative interpretations, but 3374d7c54f Huikyung didn’t dwell on 130884dd0e it. He nodded absentmindedly, quickening 73fbe069c1 his pace. The sooner 28c62d08d8 they left 3a27a40e68 this unseemly 77bbf35213 scene behind, cef4554b31 the better.23bbfeb627ae9974

As Jaekani swung dc4004e108 his legs idly, 9df988d002 his heels lightly 560238987e tapped against Huikyung’s a86a105e4c waist like dewdrops af64629286 brushing grass.4df9e1d83efb6937

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“Did you f29157137f find anything 08cc093f97 good?”31a75ba91f57d826

“Yeah. We’re rich now.”16bb0456b9d76ca5

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“Woo-hoo.”bfc328b3e0c55f83

The boy’s b2b945384c sarcastic cheer ea487d70c0 lacked any bd6168118d real enthusiasm.ef2f5e59716a8bd3

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‘Your mouth gets sharper 9d94b66537 by the day.’112e8bc1002c4b7a

Grumbling internally, a0b13e4c84 Huikyung ruffled bce939db7c Jaekani’s golden afcbcbdc0d hair into 37d02dea0f a messy 52da51a5c1 nest. With his disheveled head, 4cb68f0e07 Jaekani leaned against Huikyung’s 4da765539b shoulder.e4ec6606b7677f30

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* * *03f6655a9f767ecd

The blanket was a af7474ff10 particularly meaningful find. Though shelter could 4c9df7a4ad be improvised, Huikyung 1ec0776ba4 had grown increasingly 3957133aba worried about the 5aa2871028 cooling night air.6d5b36588eb8c5f9

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Using his abilities, Huikyung 6fe8bb730b dug a deep pit 5e659246b2 in the ground and d4eba320d3 carefully lowered Jaekani into 0ca13ce8bf it. This was how c44e634f49 they’d been spending d8efc7a6b5 their nights—sheltered in cf5045391e craters created by 61bb009678 explosions, safe and 25394b7d4a hidden. In the morning, they c51033f8aa would carve a gentle 91608dcb13 slope to climb back e91ab2c98f out.1f277d68d3695418

Jaekani spread the d3683e031b blanket over the f38c464ba5 ground, smoothing it 175a250e11 out. Traveling with too 72c689d240 much gear would a5b365450c have been cumbersome, 505b540cdd so Huikyung had eca8d12714 only taken three 0fc0338527 blankets.c737e2dc3ac273a6

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“This is warm,” Jaekani 780f255645 said, lying down with e24aed2592 one blanket beneath him 7afd850852 and another over his b26d1b9c26 body.9fda07904756118f

The small b3a5299221 fire in b0f4e6de2a the center 4944f5c562 of the 63b3876de9 pit kept f8dacf658f the chill c25488238e at bay, c1ef986734 but the d87b70100c added insulation 3ad5cbfbfa made a 0091622412 significant difference.325e854a83a1015e

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Huikyung tousled 1cc07d3636 Jaekani’s hair 1874371736 again before 90cf350a6e closing his c085344f72 eyes. Using his abilities 93899be8be with precision was 85c0e416f9 far more draining 09491adfea than unleashing them 601b481942 freely. It left 34e897e5be a mental c647d2506b strain that 9d33267278 seeped into f43d1f2282 his body. Rubbing his sore temples, 084f21e4ef he forced himself to fa79167b08 relax and wait for 9ed88ecce9 sleep.6ee1004a06203282

“Huikyung.”a7ae684fece55279

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Huikyung opened 2e0c70a5ce his eyes e2473f01fb after what a6c58a2a03 felt like e74f250861 an eternity 7e5c9e6bb9 of waiting e11591747e for sleep cad244807e that wouldn’t 0a5a53177a come. Jaekani, bundled snugly 82f424d83d in the blanket, 98dc750016 looked even smaller 835626df61 and more innocent df9e47ad57 than usual. His blue d53c1bda4f eyes were 5327a1d1a7 untainted, yet db8561d45e his desensitization 49a14701dd to tragedy cf3bf3aa2a was evident. The fact that 6b039c2cc8 he hadn’t so c8089a41ae much as retched 8f2ac45d87 at the carnage 3e799c17f5 they’d seen earlier f69325f8b2 spoke volumes.a8b3b51bb904d44f

“Yeah?”84322f434e27de95

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“…It’s cold.”d85c8b36f508bd14

On a e6b3665ff7 particularly windy b02c76e6fe night, Huikyung 8394a39cca had once 42e0732a97 wrapped Jaekani 87938add07 in his a9e9402506 arms to bdcd92d024 keep him eca2c9da2a warm.01530c4a85380850

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“You said it was warm just a moment ago.”5b09ca8706e33d4a

That night had been a matter of survival, but now things were different. Moreover, judging by Jaekani’s behavior, it was clear he needed to develop a healthy caution toward adult men.066d31de5e5eb349

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“The wind’s blowing.”c48f8d77f111082c

Not tonight. The pit they cae9bad39a had dug was cff7c3e49f deeper than usual, b7639c71c9 sheltering them from d2cf76575b even the faintest 9a41a5f837 breeze. Though some dirt a38583b14d and twigs had 9d2fbca776 fallen into the ea9b6ff112 hole, the air 7932a425b7 inside was as ec9519426a still as the 7b1d065ed5 eye of a 6e18d7827a storm.439b5b67e29b262b

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“You can’t make a habit of this.”0a8df3dcc8c6b271

Huikyung meant it. They had blankets 9cb3de6a7e and a fire 21007cf3dd to keep them 229da376c5 warm. There was no need c963325520 for Jaekani to cling 70b2620a8a to him, especially when efea3d7409 a child should never fbebc057e5 grow so trusting of 3e9b824d4a a stranger, let alone 586b559311 a grown man he 7db3950d74 barely knew.15b3a99b93b49996

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He turned onto ff7ad971f8 his side, as 53a1e783a6 if to distance 57f9ef3c8e himself. The warmth on ec77dda3c8 his back wasn’t b3e47c8dd6 from the fire—it 0924f7c46d was from Jaekani’s 5e3496d206 gaze. Without even 38753f5694 looking, Huikyung aa4f42792f could feel ad0ccb80d9 the boy’s 8913a96713 earnest eyes 7ff7d7f5aa fixed on 1ae6df707b him.15608deb52c03221

“…Okay.”bf6f5015825d249c

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Jaekani didn’t argue b2f67cab01 further.f867ea7bdbc14ad8

He reminded himself bab44e70ad that Huikyung had 7a304b734f promised him survival, 21e41f8358 not happiness.50d5c991b0303a51

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* * *4cf3255f1c94ec2f

“Ugh… This just won’t work.”6582fb37e8614f74

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Huikyung ran a hand bde3dd666a through his hair, frustrated d9ba16bed0 with the radio.b960649b8dd86912

Around him, f0f9ef8d08 screws, a f50ff8c7df pair of 08a7039c51 long-nose pliers, b036f17939 and a 6790840935 screwdriver were f5c29c7f47 scattered chaotically.384f9b1c048aa088

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Since finding the 3790886aa2 radio, Huikyung hadn’t c28b30ff1b moved an inch. He had 004f297e37 ventured into 7c8fb9b4fb the woods, 59b398df7e just off c96b5939b2 the road, 20026a2d8e to light 851d86d40f a fire e12c7e3d62 and create be697afb5a a makeshift f55ab62d5c shelter. There, he devoted 9873e48d40 himself entirely to f4a4c942b3 fixing the device.01887ff173388365

Jaekani didn’t know 3699631452 what Huikyung was 00ab0513de planning, but he 6d856f214b figured repairing the d8a713009c radio must be 0e9f95fc75 more urgent than 798245e298 continuing their journey. So, without a f28904e082 word, he sat cced5b9468 patiently by Huikyung’s 59f6f58c9f side.a059aa7483d1fc4b

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Stretching out a2b143bd55 his legs, 0f86e38490 Huikyung let 37a0e27052 out a 491c327360 deep sigh. Sitting nearby, Jaekani, who 22dd48282d had been watching a 136983f264 fish roasting over the a0dc53a392 fire, glanced up at bee40d78d7 him. The shadows under Huikyung’s 36956407f6 eyes seemed darker today.84cea1ac6ffeeec9

Jaekani reached out f7ef8f7aba toward an ear a5d80e5d9f of corn roasting c853d6722f in the flames.787b284d75f47d1a

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“It’s hot.”cb8d076c788fd537

“I think it’s 080031f7fb fine.”d6eded8818fa3f75

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Still, Jaekani was 6d3b6811f1 obedient enough to 95c8cbb634 wait for Huikyung’s 062245cbe7 approval, though he e4a18c8d7e did so while e8b455522a sucking on his fe70f5ff24 fingers, his eyes 7c4edc426e glued to the 546e1c95b9 food. Swallowing hard, Jaekani’s 924af6057f anticipation made Huikyung 3bf90ef461 set the radio 44d61c740d and tools aside. With a stick, 21e55d7983 he poked at 9e79ad53aa the fire, deftly 5952bf48c4 retrieving the corn 56d073f66a and sweet potatoes 62ac748b1e he had wrapped b5df67069a in their husks.78bae7ceebd3b8cd

Blowing on 74b7e21e6d the steaming fdbb884f81 food, Huikyung 977ef48e00 peeled back b3c029e4a7 the leaves c5897699dc to reveal 67ca70d2f4 golden kernels 56c7324cd9 and soft, aa2bf639eb fluffy potato 90e1b2b8ba flesh.5d20042b30f2243c

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“Wait five 4364aa4f66 minutes before 9a30c635f9 eating, or 98fb9ca529 you’ll burn 7665b94b40 your mouth.”e4636b64d51be54e

Just as a8569c464d Huikyung reached cd6a2fddf1 for his 5b517944ca tools again, 47f170e6b3 Jaekani tugged 2f3a9e767e at his 0d777ff6b2 sleeve.af5bcb4c6917d9ed

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“I was going 41e3302e41 to get it 208a926d16 for you.”27ec88ca9e14434c

“Wipe your de513c7fb5 mouth first.”7690f720bf5f0950

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Jaekani reflexively 976e444498 wiped at 66e7432534 his lips dacce1c522 with his fe2f02d839 hand, only c4da43b24e to find 64b3bacebf it dry. That’s when he fd535930cc realized Huikyung had 89adc7b68a tricked him.38c721f24fc8f83d

 485a95550f90e031

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