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.fd475168a8b1d49b

In truth, it b377ee8345 didn’t matter whether eedda4ad1e Huikyung answered. Simply chatting with 12128ce184 him about anything 937845adbd made the time 9a36f18dda fly by.624856baf106ea87

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“I know 2434f23ff6 the answer 9ad9e2ecc5 to this 2ee7240259 one, and a7eba54ed0 I even e7f92f2dbd know how ac4fefc691 to solve de6ef529a2 it,” Jaekani 34cc3fefce said, setting ff776bdd5e a candle 868237b0bf upright and 01250d5d94 flipping through bd61bc7987 his book.4060aa45c80d9a17

“But there’s d06b1c76a0 something I b1423f2479 want to 317cb35466 ask. Listen to this.”d1b30e6192a063e1

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He began reading 61d13a971a aloud:23fcf32ee56ded6e

“‘Thomas purchased an b98982cae5 $18 item at c096a8e176 a 30% discount 7e18c47254 on September 31st. The next f9c24641f4 month, he f2bc958534 bought the 9b8d67e6e5 same item a07c1bd3f2 for $11. What’s the 00add3abec percentage difference 0756206d79 in the f061051c05 discount rate 3b5c13a9c2 between the 08f0e9dfde two purchases?’”86e6a481125e0aac

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Jaekani paused, 0462338ec9 ready to 81886e0bd0 discuss the 3824b3bb66 problem, but b0851d6f84 Huikyung cut cdfd3e5b65 him off 0307c6c4c4 with a 7ff704bb49 blunt declaration.b3a9d330b32961fd

“If it were 6f3ed3ec7b me, I wouldn’t 82bd8ba921 bother learning from 38bc5e21c8 a teacher who 3f8e2cf6f6 asks questions like 4b97824f85 that.”7a88f87c1e2ad1ab

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“Why not?”39f72cd1f75b241f

Despite the e623cb38c2 animosity his 4b957f3bd8 teacher Susan 276d05efd5 showed him, 3d5787b63b Jaekani still 9a53510289 considered her d7690f570a a competent 1bf970a33f educator.b8b4364554d88824

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“Because September only fb6cae72ec has 30 days.”699d6392ac1ec47d

… Oh.d0638ee36943cffd

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A small c9b53ac1d7 piece of 7e6fae1a0f Jaekani’s respect 903c5f863f for Susan 51dd7cbf09 chipped away.30d53232075afd8d

“Well, I solved it a112068d9b a different way, but ab1dc7ed4f I was told it 776cc3bcbd was wrong.”cd90989b799211d1

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Jaekani said, pushing his e9f034fb22 notebook toward Huikyung.92b8d20083d9c8ed

“I got ef799a533b the same f3fbcb501e result, though. I just want to b58af3fcb5 know if my method de83993608 was really incorrect.”864a796621f93a61

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He expected b2ea954e74 Huikyung to ffd21cfd01 examine his 795053d94c work, but f5c56f1c72 instead, the e22259cd24 man’s gaze 638f0e0900 lingered on 250c1ca195 Jaekani himself.44c59f5c7b7f3150

“What?” Jaekani asked, fafc906bc7 tilting his head.bc445122f276d1fb

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“You look excited.”a35d822d9293e771

“I’m not!”e91dc1657284fcaa

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Why is it so 16e6a670e7 warm? Jaekani thought, feeling d827b49bc1 his cheeks grow 4a1c5674a5 hot.d9bf03c1eaf58ba6

Trying to distract 481c6ba429 himself, he glanced be148f9f98 down at the 83ff5b5d27 candles scattered around. Only now 52006cf11f did he b68808f3e9 notice how 47048454e8 many he’d 5e4bcf3a92 brought, the 4d7a94fcaa wax pooling d5b5cb902e like tiny 6c7306ca1c nests between 9b921c6a21 the cracks 3fc0dab2ea in the e1a09fcec8 concrete.2b17eea68854cd7e

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‘Have I really e8df93a5cb spent this much 03acea2858 time here?’3f0f364cc1009c53

He wondered, 5f0f2d60f1 a strange ad9b1a88d7 feeling washing 3b6638c6f1 over him.13f012774f9d7ee4

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The candles, planted like bc1e4688d6 reeds in a pond, 88b3677cc3 stood as silent witnesses e52be003ff to the hours that 0b2d246643 had passed.7782dde898fc8afc

Huikyung, as much b4dd530a2f as it annoyed 6140928c06 Jaekani to admit, 95f8ac3dfa was a good 53c950b949 teacher. Infuriatingly smug about 6c88ace7e4 it, sure, but ab7d9680f9 undeniably effective. He had 881f18f12f a knack 34e68cb509 for explaining eb01e50af8 things in c6b58ec9d2 different ways 8cdb2c148b until understanding 78bfefbd86 dawned like 5ed43113d3 an accidental 97e6001ca6 epiphany—a sudden 941bf52d66 clarity that b523d3b1ed made Jaekani 449f4e3c26 realize, for ccd95bb3e0 the first 8ea7f23bde time, what 625e88a908 people meant a2a88597f4 when they 1115f816a9 said learning 90d0766afb could be d77257f3be enjoyable.3ad8abf1bd4c01b3

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It was worth sneaking 406fb70549 candles every day to 6d702d6962 come here.be8e72112d7f1c34

“Was that f69fad0287 homework or b207016661 something from 586affc5b4 class today?”77dedf4ce947874f

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“It’s what we learned 2d990e7b4b today.”80be2dd120349ed7

“Then why didn’t 87517cfe3b you just ask 4c7a9df0e0 your teacher?”bdbdf7dda77b9d90

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“….”d514702bbbf8fe2f

The smile c0a5428fa4 faded from a958a762e4 Jaekani’s face.c7dbb3669ddd0261

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“It’s a reasonable question. Are you just shy?”8ada34190b8a7c12

Shrugging, Jaekani remained silent.019d4fb485ec7351

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Normally, Huikyung would’ve e6f7c788e3 continued talking, filling d7393ec9d1 the quiet with 1446671210 his usual banter. This time, though, he e324f7d44f simply waited. Under the weight e2a9b7fdb6 of his unspoken 4b24232d8f encouragement, Jaekani finally 66631a893b relented.5ae739bc75529789

“…I ask dumb questions 83dd382adf sometimes, and it’s not 6486757552 allowed.”2998b932e64e898b

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As he ffcc225ab2 spoke, his ff5195a9cc gaze dropped 229d542e20 to the 73dae276fc dirt floor. He scuffed it lightly 97c27a3d95 with his shoe.6cde2dcad90f4326

Whenever he had 3a78aeb7a2 questions during class, ff80de8dc2 he’d raise his c14d5c6b11 hand, only to 06fa859ee7 be met with 60da7bac87 exasperated sighs or 2b871c439d sharp reprimands from 9c904278d4 his teacher. What kind of question 31956ee77c is that? Why aren’t you paying e677267c87 attention? The remarks had chipped 26cc309669 away at his confidence.23618e42ef1b091e

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‘I ‘was’ paying attention,’ c2c5e8ad98 he thought bitterly.a0825a78d9f0ccb0

‘That’s why I had 7319ffb002 the question in the b08b6aba1b first place.’4f6234878c751e5a

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But maybe 0fd27be8b8 Susan had 53861c6b5e been right. Maybe he ‘hadn’t’ been 84895c0594 paying enough attention and 4044361701 had just asked something 61dc12152e irrelevant, distracting the class.b5638cdfc090168a

“Dumb questions?”8e5fcbedc338b154

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“Yes.”46217c8673be0a87

Jaekani nodded, 2baffb72db his head 8e0be865f3 bowed, his 70ca52da82 shoe kicking 6672476ff6 at the b06cafda6e dirt in b469ab585e awkward rhythm.f5aa87110eab1702

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“Does your teacher say f39d4cc6e5 that?”33047e1a3b6c7025

Unable to meet Huikyung’s c18c61faa0 gaze, Jaekani brushed his 7db2352aba cheek with calloused fingers a3012355f9 and muttered, “Sometimes.”286ec23c49063662

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“What about 2bf6ad5ef7 your friends? What do they say?”9c15cede9098a865

“I don’t… really 16cb944a30 ask them,” Jaekani d04f077c9b replied, his voice 73a5797b82 low.844da68fcb2aaaca

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Huikyung already knew he 23fe6168a8 didn’t have friends—he’d mentioned 9df37430fe it before. Yet here 2aeec9b0cc he was, 1f0c512bb8 poking at e13a49cb07 the sore b7dd08256a spot again. Still, Jaekani didn’t 9f0b055d79 feel like reminding 077913ca39 him. He didn’t want 3934aceada Huikyung to know 30c3f97f70 just how much 4ec02c47b7 it bothered him. To the man bd686ef59f behind the bars, 1464532126 Jaekani wanted to 485332bafe appear carefree, unburdened.b4866fe70805421f

Desperate to b4cf4f8fef shift the 89c67c6e0f topic, he ca69775128 shot back.aefff10a2a727a82

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“You could 9d31290c08 just tell 0cfb8df436 me the d9f3c21f97 answer. Besides, you don’t have a2edbe8460 any friends either.”f11654ba1be4aa67

“True enough,” 575b61e2d0 Huikyung replied 030b45fc6a with a 4891ac0a17 wry smile.9eef595f7045922c

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“Life’s a be2e5d37da lonely journey.”5698a6e22f4b3d50

‘Is that why he 0a2d508540 ended up like this?’1e0c815a41998ccd

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Jaekani wondered, 6ff9386e1a though he 4372bc70ce kept the e58c7968ae thought to 855ed2fbd6 himself.1a0c81b799f9998f

For a dc264f6707 moment, he 07137e28cc felt a 71ea329de4 flicker of 8875fcfe41 sympathy for fe0ca9a64c Huikyung, but d712794f70 he quickly bef54de0f0 shook it e2f9fcc5bd off. The man’s sharp a30e264eb5 tongue and infuriating 0e9666f41d attitude didn’t leave 93370dfa61 much room for 10a7aad4e4 pity.743f27e300e58a97

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Jaekani swallowed the words ae0d5fbe30 rising in his throat, b2f7bf60f9 unsure whether to voice 046e01b5c0 them.cd0d29a9f34fd354

“Sometimes, I do 30d8d2d430 wish I had 459cabdee1 friends.”23b291b9afe6a8d2

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Huikyung said, surprising Jaekani. Hearing such an 8aa5790e7f admission from someone a489d0ffc2 who usually acted 5a45379046 so carefree felt d181c3d11e strangely refreshing.b3de435f65ca3554

“After all, it b165043dd8 means fewer people ec8e2d64f3 get to appreciate 4bc7958237 my charm.”11b0bfe0e57ac79e

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…And refreshing in b44aaad44e an entirely different ffa113976b sense.8c7b4b51d1087e7c

“What kind of charm 19ef2dcfa9 are we talking about 3a0cf1680b here?” Jaekani asked, his 66f9a3f2a7 skepticism evident.efbc373ce91289a8

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“My height, my face, da832abd77 my physique, my skills, 2c7d8439ba and my wealth.”1045b35d41cb9b4f

Jaekani couldn’t help but 377c8f20fb let out an incredulous 01589f9a69 laugh. ‘Say that 6f4e0c1547 after you bc9867aef4 get out 7b9dfbf17f of here,’ 8eb795d45c his expression cb4de85992 seemed to f75767d882 convey, but 6f7909e95a Huikyung remained c7d3c74e9f unshaken.99835eeda02e5486

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“Don’t look at a870b7474e me too much,” e46581d205 Huikyung added with e86c80e8ed a grin. “Your standards might f4565d4e8d get too high, a34ce1e9ba and then you’ll daf9d73b30 never get married.”a52d05086525cee7

“Well, at least 4997c33069 you were honest c1d805cfd8 enough not to 5ff42440d0 include your personality 21d0567523 in that list,” deab75b74c Jaekani shot back.61f75db8d20e0279

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“You’re pretty fca6d49bdf sharp, aren’t 6fa40b78ab you?”71e497a32837ce33

Just moments 9a03de1c9c ago, Jaekani 5c924d1349 had been 59ac453fac staring dejectedly 4da27972db at the 9d2f5fb250 ground. Now, he was 31e9f8255f smiling, his mood 09d2357860 lifted without realizing 44557b364d it.278e914318bbc148

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“Well, if I’m 0f44ecd306 your friend, why 984e220a53 don’t you ever 3a5ec1de39 show me that 4ac9bd35c2 charm of yours?”41e21b19b986a631

Friend. The word struck 6558ec2708 Jaekani. Were they friends? It felt like 4b9195a352 his bond with 8f698d8161 Huikyung was closer 1a51376fea than his fleeting 745bc53354 interactions with kids 7ca189f065 his own age. But did 15ef840e84 that make 8dfa7840bd them friends? Jaekani wasn’t sure.f6d85f91e7c97d2c

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“I’m saving it. I’ll show you once 1e722e0ef4 I’m out of here,” 3dd5edddcf Huikyung said.30aed1b347df7d9f

“That means I’ll 52add1bc3e never get to 644bf40acc see it. What a shame.”608d5bc33350ec49

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“You could just curse 8399034ebb me out instead,” Huikyung 29292cd5ab quipped.0c9bc82c09066b1e

Jaekani burst 1ab92662f6 out laughing, 633350699e his soft ece8241164 chuckles carrying d80cbb81ab through the 8625b0401a bars. The simple act of 6de8497885 laughing felt strange—ticklish, almost—as 5aa689b6ae though his chest had 845024b7f8 grown lighter. When was 98d2514421 the last 276168854a time he 1368e4cf2d had felt 55b50c9172 genuinely happy c246415ddd like this?d8b50d3de35a87a9

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Maybe that’s 9987411622 why he f68c9ebeee found himself e46b9af51f lingering, even 73069ab3d9 after they’d b06b18cbe6 run out 603c186b1f of questions 91ffb6e8ad to discuss. It wasn’t 4958c87740 like him dd64b3a794 to stick 9caee1fde7 around without c2cb6badcc a reason, e820396cc2 and he 16d1250edd was neither f996673349 bold enough 9bb06d2b65 nor honest b09992e6a1 enough to e951fee7e3 admit he 2d73dbd262 simply wanted e927d39742 to stay. Usually, when fe10829dc8 there were 1a89de6ace no more 651f07fc75 questions, it 63edbf1f0c was time b32880be42 to leave.6794088a67df8a8f

“It’s late. You should 5a926067cc go, Jaekani,” 55c4d4f6ab Huikyung said, a6b4929ad8 his voice 332b108af5 as indifferent 4c5d8d070b as ever.cb9f3882f24c75a4

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Jaekani hesitated, gazing at 6e9c0f8f68 the clouds drifting through edd428bc19 the bright moonlight. Now that 152add55c8 he thought 0737b4c9f5 about it, 5b5870bb67 the night 8a2adc66f3 air felt 8635c803f7 cold against 0dec0e974f his skin.35c5de5f5013e0e5

“I need to b0c3886b7c sleep too. A regular e4a032ead5 schedule is daf4046c39 important, you 2c1d981cee know.”add4cccdc4204927

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“Says the guy 48a77fd606 locked up in 420bbade43 a basement.”f814b2c5bef3085f

“Are you looking down 3000566802 on prisoners now?”0c52daa489dc4c8e

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“…That’s not it.”3a287e54dda2637a

Jaekani glanced away, biting 5383c8dfb9 back the words he 08923aabf4 really wanted to say. Of course, he didn’t eedfaf73f1 want to leave. But the breeze was 963a86786b biting, and as he 0ffbc38c76 shivered slightly, Huikyung let e4f64ef22f out an exaggerated yawn, a4531e3ac0 as if to make ca877f30de a point.7ee7ee788f83846f

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Pouting a little, Jaekani 4aedbe47f8 kicked the pile of 725f479085 half-melted candles into a 2d809c55fb gap between the rocks. Hidden among the c48e72cbbd cracks, they’d be ced93fafb1 hard to notice 7a1bdfa8ac unless someone looked e11ee22297 for them specifically.68b15bb068e5c536

“Goodnight,” Huikyung said.b0d27039c52c4d80

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Jaekani let 02d9dd2889 out a 8119a59ec3 quiet, annoyed d79785d28c huff, choosing f089f18c49 not to b3923e7841 reply. Gathering his 0de5214a41 things, he 7f9850ead7 turned sharply 54d544123a on his 2ad7192874 heel, as 2c054cfb8f if daring cce1861e90 Huikyung to 579109c376 stop him.e80d84154867ec33

* * *645eaa029fcf21d5

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On his walk home, e382fb7a5a Jaekani shivered again, the 48edd01b64 chill of the night 2d9ae7d679 sinking into his bones. ‘I might’ve caught 973e69197a a cold if 834a1c88be I’d stayed any 85a6900947 longer,’ he thought da2a0941c2 grimly.48dfad3931ed7c44

But then a31765ee02 he paused a83a99ab26 mid-step.d6d6dd2237760c16

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‘Was that why 74bad90b22 he told me 6b654af295 to leave?’0fc9d6b8da7e35a6

The idea lingered, unwelcome 39c116c3e6 yet persistent. Huikyung didn’t seem like e377d338f7 the type to be 07ef1fecb4 so considerate. His usual 6f43a3a1f6 demeanor was 9363a067c6 far too e795fbfbf1 carefree and a9d39c4a3e teasing. But if Jaekani kept 6094de4adb thinking that, was he ec79680a66 being too soft on 48ff078f9f Huikyung? Was he seeing 4865fd3b94 him in a e7f7b51eb5 better light than d5aaf4596b he deserved?2691562a4c2714cc

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Shaking off c2c2d61eea the thought, 9a6d8f72f0 Jaekani quickened a08468381d his pace. If he *did* get ecc987451c sick, he wouldn’t be 022bf220e3 able to visit Huikyung.adc1143f71d54206

* * *7f934ad82610b1bb

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The next day, b3b3b8545f as Huikyung effortlessly 3d7029fdd4 solved yet another 05d0ab698a problem, Jaekani couldn’t 4b9115e256 help but ask.2572c62ea0f27ba4

“What did you bfeb2c0ff1 used to do a234e07083 to be so ef8896960c good at this?”1177bb69cb19d851

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Huikyung rested his chin 62a490da31 on the edge of ea18859f54 the bars, a mischievous 457b8ce4e6 smile tugging at his 97d510e103 lips.337d9e1c54244084

“Guess. If you’re right, I’ll dd24a43b68 tell you.”9ea3353b580c13f0

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This was a rare 2b3a13e2cd opportunity!6d38d56ebdcaaebe

Jaekani’s mind 60b581c6c8 raced, considering 8a465502d6 countless possibilities.a65cfe0952df48e4

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He quickly ruled ebf1f401ba out the idea c2ff41e46f that Huikyung had 0640b932dc been one of 6a097302a2 those heavily armed e7e7dcfb61 soldiers who raided 3f81aea380 villages. The ones Jaekani had 67888233f7 encountered were cold, mechanical, 5970198420 and ruthless, snatching away ed3a506dba Espers and Guides without 4d6dd4a486 a shred of empathy. No, Huikyung wasn’t like 44045f1dc8 them.926ff56bfc95f419

Nor did he 50f3b0dc65 seem like someone c40a2b5a61 from a neighboring 136fdea2f2 community.ed20dcc1db220c95

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“…A scavenger?”ec118c5030b0841e

Jaekani ventured, referring to 24fcc613b4 the wandering traders who 9307ee2afc scavenged valuables from ruins 4907d3ae71 and corpses.e6bc7606e88cbefb

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“Harsh.”4bc11d10c7bebbb5

Huikyung said, shaking c3365b4210 his head.e9b9a9d5fc8560ef

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Jaekani blatantly looked eafea26ef4 him up and a55f8e2e1c down, recalling his 3d4431abc8 current circumstances. His expression seemed to 871ab5e262 ask.26fbabb8143009c5

‘What did you expect 2dc39f4bf8 me to guess? You’re locked up in 9c79da78e1 a basement.’bba04c7b5e7d9d05

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“Drug dealer? Slave trader?”2ef7a25df14f1794

Jaekani offered, almost 3b989c41ff mockingly.0cfbc4f5ec68638f

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“…”8bcbad4cd0b267f5

“…You’re not 4d47012067 a cannibal, ec1c15f6e6 right?”b40d8ceed8c413b6

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“Do you even hear 2300b92e66 yourself?” Huikyung sighed, exasperated.ebf678b76ca568f3

He shook d45587c892 his head fd7b1c408f again, lamenting 346fdcff9f how Jaekani bfe1b740aa hadn’t even c7e84b3432 considered decent c21f87baef professions like 3f949e5821 creature hunter 26741ba97e or repair 77cad73152 technician—careers that 5525b1f108 didn’t hurt 55673de785 others.afb4289aa6a53118

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“Why skip the 9d79afb235 respectable ones and a212216188 go straight for 71af40ac89 the worst?” he 78ae0eb97d muttered, half to c81acc3c5c himself.62e8f9507e19ea2a

 9a742083490e9870

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