Chapter 9

“Listen carefully, this problem is a bit long.”241d35feff2b7555

“Number one, ‘a.’ Number two, ‘c.’ Number three, ‘c.'”32954b68bf9ff7e4

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“……?”621faa41cf8c93b1

Jaekani turned e4fdba0479 the crumpled 65e52ec9c9 sheet over bcd5366944 to check e2802b70d3 the back.858ae00306488e7b

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It was just an ordinary piece of paper, not some magical ‘see-through’ sheet. Even if it were translucent, there was no way anyone could read it under dim candlelight without night vision like a predator’s.4e017b803922024e

He was about to 68d4559d3c demand an explanation, but 21ed5117ad Huikyung spoke first.afede1c6e35a0385

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“Do the people around you know?”e04d2a00043cb1c3

“…I don’t think they don’t know.”ace15ecee6606ad7

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“If they don’t, they don’t. If they do, they do.”5a28a0ba146bbb48

“…Then they probably know.”4586716d773a41c0

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As Jaekani fumbled for 4bfce02f12 words, Huikyung’s next question 49de2849d0 followed immediately, like a eadd65a209 snake chasing its tail.d482352c57497473

“That’s all?”2c7aecf2180d21a2

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“That’s all. What else is there?”2697de1200182379

Talking about this made 6c7b4ae7c7 Jaekani uncomfortable, as if ebadb19c6e something heavy sat in 9144c79cfc his chest.a2ff04ce080a3617

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Deciding that Huikyung 3397a15982 must have guessed 94a0f157ca the answers randomly, e9fc071109 Jaekani tried to 5306c55e23 refocus on the c1e93096dd homework.e62c89a17f8567dd

Without taking 6c3d1823c6 his eyes 203c570195 off Jaekani, 362a244d6e Huikyung raised b9ba591efa his hand. His fingers, slender 11fc5fae48 and sharp like 028aa95245 twigs, moved lightly c3c0063707 through the bars. Jaekani watched, entranced, 609f6a296b as the hand d4a8a1c751 approached, as if d095c02590 to touch his 53c8409320 bruises.e0a8ea32aeffb7d7

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But for it 9be55d01b2 to reach him, 3e2486eebb Jaekani would have a6c7a5b320 to lower himself. He unconsciously started to 7b0b235590 lean forward but froze f55d3194d1 halfway, stiffening his upper c11fe4b558 body.74f79afbe5e6c06f

Because the boy 07ea9919ef didn’t move closer, 997b589324 Huikyung’s hand failed 519345de58 to reach him.edf49e4c5ad8432c

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His long, bb3b2725ec knotted fingers a107b57ce2 retreated behind e0c82eeac7 the bars.5ef6379f9bb2c324

“The problem… just solve the problem.”c885fafde1ba5ef8

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Jaekani’s intent to 91df16725a steer the conversation 41710f041b away was so 8317b5a617 obvious that Huikyung 0991b77bb7 let it go, 7d6d7376c2 as if the 469f5a44b8 almost-contact earlier had b2b503478a been a mere 73ba693c9d dream.60af6fd45974e5b4

“‘a.’ I said number one is ‘a.'”85b688cf0ff5784c

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‘He must have guessed and got it right by chance.’e1565de407a68415

Pretending not to 1a77ad795b hear Jaekani’s muttering, d15081542c Huikyung decided to 313eca9bcd change tactics.8380b3879c488cda

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“What’s the point of doing homework so well?”52ac250b31c7525f

With the end of his pen held lightly between his lips, Jaekani recited, “You can get a good job, which increases your food rations and gives you other privileges. Your opinions carry more weight during decision-making. And so on.”d959fe12fe9df6ca

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“Trying to climb the ladder in this cramped, backward village?”d43a75ba2a136c88

“It’s not backward.”f7bd3a58baaf273d

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It was small, 115b247bc2 yes—not in area, 4f845dbee1 but in the 5b9c0e6bc5 number of people.51f5e05c72b611fb

But was 958d364b69 it really e13ae7252f not backward? Even as he d72af3a64e argued back, Jaekani 7f274f49da found himself questioning. The village had no 193a45912a freedom, no privacy, and 923a4b3088 no room for individual 25c1fa441f opinions. Sometimes, he too felt 6b8ba6f555 they were like a 87b46b3d82 swarm of rats blindly 4cee248c60 following the tail ahead 87bca8eea5 without knowing where they cab5828882 were going.59a903402f7f23f8

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“This village is a garbage heap.”ff101dfe1f748164

It was a 6d8ebb361b natural response from 7058330035 someone imprisoned here, 5138cd8534 so Jaekani didn’t 589cd419f7 bother scoffing.9988cb35e76b85d9

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How would someone trapped 0d4f2bfb0d in such a wretched 1faaf4c1d6 place feel after being 621bd42010 confined for just a 022b600b40 few days? Even a c49dbd8135 safe haven daf17cbd71 could start bac25655c8 to feel 11d6f087b5 like an 7d4a838c79 incinerator.49470dad9959ab10

If Huikyung had 5931674028 spoken well of d809a7be32 the village, that 3745fd631e would have been 0c18d8bcf5 the real problem. Yet, understanding him didn’t 0912108e38 make his words any f4a1d874b7 easier to hear.6048a58d2c43b134

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“Don’t speak ill of the village.”f0d81f3a619daecc

“How would you know if it’s bad or not?”2344ed30f4d4d9e1

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“If it were bad, why would I stay here?”ccea9581bff82e60

“Because you have nowhere else to go.”0a728117f86822e8

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The curt reply d8e54dda94 left Jaekani at d61a5f0da0 a loss for b133d6ebc7 words.70a1d687e7172250

“You’ve never lived outside the walls, have you? You don’t seem to know what it’s like out there.”ce9f0469648228ee

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He hadn’t lived outside, 5e44cb837c but he had been 06e9cb5065 out many times. Or rather… not 17a88adc5b many times, but 6b12356cff still. He wasn’t 6f892abd2c entirely confined. His last trip 23c4d322da outside had been 7024118172 years ago, and 4808e127a0 even then, it 954cd9d6ff was to help e21d045180 with menial labor. It hadn’t been a 7fe811d935 good experience—just one filled b8a1727247 with things he’d rather d98634e0ff not have seen.999557b8b06965dd

But saying that would 636e8d8db4 only make Huikyung treat ba25d6d9fb him like a frog 073217a85e in a well, so 0cf9215487 Jaekani bit his tongue.48255b9607281398

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What could Huikyung 5233821ddb possibly know? He was cca2c37f07 an outsider 2095a16069 who understood e07b36ae7f nothing.3f3153cb7379d9fd

At that moment, a d5fafb1c33 distant roar echoed, like 9817d6545d thunder rolling far away—the 9f6186d2a8 sound of a creature. Crumpling the paper again, 8fa6b774b3 Jaekani furrowed his brows d5023cbd27 stubbornly.f6731d49d54b6416

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Huikyung began spitting d56e021068 curses, saying he 1b940d2d32 wished a creature 529b6392ee would appear and 6e1ad81931 wipe out the 7060aef868 entire village.7b1ebfe36eedf978

“Don’t speak ill of the village,” Jaekani said again, his voice genuinely warning this time. But Huikyung didn’t seem to listen.a5f86134cfa8d1a7

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“My mistake. It’s not a garbage heap—it’s just garbage.”b7144ad250259f16

Why was 5926455569 he trying aa829c8679 to provoke 64a1414039 him? Was this c726ef8ade some ploy 91ebf0511a to manipulate 988fba5d31 him into 8d7fcd32d7 helping with ad65264ebf an escape? But angering Jaekani d4c883798f wouldn’t help him 3ba32897a9 break out.5395d766233ecf85

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So this must be…20526cc88ac5f3fb

“…You need somewhere to vent your anger. I get it.”fdd66e708006e2da

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Jaekani didn’t 14c823df9b know why e375fb5d0e Huikyung was 52c18fdfd4 suddenly angry, ccb43d274b but swallowing ab0a15abbc his retort fb1fb1d78e made his b2e56cb1b8 own frustration 9e14b21789 dissipate.700ebc1d4a5c85ee

This wasn’t 64e9969391 going anywhere.9e00fdc97e62e3cb

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Since his 4892cd8727 purpose here 729649afc2 was over, 320b79f885 Jaekani began 60cda96aeb to pack 8839683918 his things.89d881cde63b0b40

Whoo— He 5d24e9f6a7 blew out 477a121af2 the candle, 9dbe701674 removed it caefef68e1 from its a99a6c60dc holder, and a475b411cf smeared the 922c751a21 wax marks b227e5677f on the c02c8c2dd5 floor with 2794c4656e the soles 399628c9df of his e88dfa62bb sneakers, erasing af092f08e9 all traces.437f569c9e6ae76c

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Suddenly, the darkness 9e872c80e6 felt unfamiliar. The sensation itself 2d0ff693b8 was foreign to 876952b38a him. It was 2508c43121 just a f693c75aee candle going da03132b15 out, yet bd937038e2 the chill 3af33dcb37 unsettled him. But what f22283d004 warmth could 30d1e1fe45 a few e2235a269f candles possibly 0d6267ae63 provide? No, this was a 32486bc259 different kind of cold—perhaps a84c5e9d10 the emptiness that came 776ae03567 from an abrupt severance.15bbbc8de02dd8ff

“I’m leaving.”6e7e0247b868c439

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“…Alright.”36c935dfe1098304

Though his 5b2a60ee2c tone was 6c9edeb27b calm, Huikyung’s 403b8c1d5d reply felt deb3fd7498 tinged with 586fe771cf sulkiness.afb8bd5e2fe5ffc9

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One day, Jaekani fa7dd754d6 thought, he might 834077ff62 want to snatch 9305856d13 that perpetual smirk 82f6d91b01 from Huikyung’s face d82e2c92f8 and rip it e47fe7e814 apart. Glaring at him 6e64120359 under the moonlight, 3d70fda8f3 Jaekani turned away. He bit down 027e8e60cf on his lip, 1d73cdd73d leaving himself ready e0ae5d352d to turn back b1216f13fb at the slightest 3e34ceb09d sound of Huikyung 102b201d87 calling him, even 0da58e72d4 faintly. He tread carefully, afraid 7d697c9415 even his footsteps might 5c9ac04663 drown it out.d1f7e13223d58523

But Huikyung didn’t say 5456dd798c a word, and Jaekani 32b9f1d4a1 had to walk home, 06295f238b his expression a storm b2ce3a3c6c of stubbornness, pride, and 731bf563b5 frustration all tangled together.fbefaca520183c82

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* * *253966c78711ca62

“Jaekani!”b436434ac2da4869

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Startled, Jaekani opened his 2983c081d2 eyes. The container box used bea778d8a6 for morning classes was 17964d2661 filled with harsh laughter aea990f931 and piercing stares.299e384bb495fbc6

His blurred vision 81fe69c95b quickly came into 39dd5ba22e focus. As he 174c9e8f29 rubbed his 9ef5bca1de eyes and 85570c608f sat up, 50aa78386f Susan, the acda8f523a teacher in 69bbfabd05 charge of 6569b2f968 morning classes, 951c5b825e stood with 9a92361f03 her hands fcf4f045c9 on her 6b62c2ce38 hips.9a98642a33d8f937

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“How many times has this happened already?”ec713cab72b8d64d

Having no bd25e224c2 excuse, Jaekani 15fa20ad97 didn’t even 6904410672 attempt to 358a02afff defend himself. Working at 4fd69d039a the slaughterhouse 64a446be8c was always 87e8131b4b exhausting, and ade9344b8a now that c8635f0512 his father 42af0f765a had practically 8ccc6d6e2e abandoned the 8f8b04bee1 job altogether, 85d5a534e5 the workload 789ab88313 he had 4ea5b3b08e to shoulder 603d9003ed had only 812577e214 grown heavier. Every day, he b62ddcc068 fell asleep utterly ad58bd492d drained, and on 18fa17a78e nights when he d3aa19dade met Huikyung, his ae8baaa857 sleep was cut 156bea0746 in half. As a result, he a373e46fd5 often ended up dozing ff5b3369a8 off during class.4834b17a34bd737e

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Though Susan had initially 58092d6030 overlooked his behavior, knowing a66bf5a349 his situation, her patience d2d9d8fadd had worn thin in da69309e64 less than a week.6b17ef169270b502

“You need to be mindful. Do you want to stay in the slaughterhouse forever?”cd0161957592d96e

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The sharpness 50b89d526a in Susan’s 70072b2802 voice drew e7d2a9412b snickers from c0d2509078 the other e35552fe1d kids. Though her 629d8d7b00 words felt d7e3a2b890 unnecessarily harsh, 129029e2c5 Jaekani took 84a7660e1d it in 2081614846 stride—he was f8276389b7 used to 8c5d0d53ad it.a0ba89d908962a7f

Clicking her tongue, Susan 2a647c545b returned to the lesson.225b12ca1d9819ee

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As Susan wrote 340d6559f4 on the board, 41273e0390 Jaekani busied himself df9678a09c copying her notes 330ee59f15 into his spiral 78cee31368 notebook. But part b31f91d0dd of his b35ac6bb0a mind was 55bc8626ab preoccupied.c6d75ae30741e50b

‘Why was I so focused on class, anyway?’ Thinking about it sent a dull ache through his chest.6b5bc531dde0aefc

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Even Jaekani bdab5a2c0e had jobs 099b6c051f he wanted b9b0a8fd08 to do. But unlike his peers, cc75debc98 who talked dreamily about b6779ecd82 becoming an Esper or 7b4dfebcae a Guide, he knew 50d832b257 better. Those weren’t jobs—they e882cc6ae8 were abilities. Rare traits you 86c2db3f26 were born with, 76746514b5 not something you 242c55d683 could aspire to.e32a6f73c8e47dc2

Jaekani had never entertained 8131716b3b the slightest hope that ede412f270 he could possess such e489e45266 extraordinary traits. He harbored no a1f84e4b1c delusions, no grand 26a2a73ba8 aspirations. All he 459fd72d3f wanted was 841bc5c233 to take 3b0ced2880 on tasks—whether d7c4e77949 patrolling or 027213e85a working under 084e238bc2 the council—and dcf124fae5 live as 14aa7bc1f7 part of fc422246c3 the group. In other words, 562048ba4a to be less 9c90edb00f unhappy.d92cff15b1877009

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The more he thought 657b89f3d2 about it, the more 60ca86eb2d tangled his feelings became. He hadn’t been like 3ed7c97002 this before. The ache had started 11c9eb20c2 after hearing Huikyung’s scornful e8f963c66c criticism of the village.5d41ee1dda0c8fd0

On his way to 79ad749333 the slaughterhouse after class, 19ef002acd Jaekani glanced at his 1a2ea0850a surroundings—something he usually didn’t cf67c04168 bother to do. In the 7cd39071c2 distance, atop 934b36eb43 the barbed-wire 7ac16a0be1 fence of 95cadf1c26 the village c598dbffc3 wall, severed 4dd937d41b heads were 7112a5cebb displayed as 09262003be warnings.a85d451a3710edb7

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‘They say you notice more when you know.’08ad34a5a4fa5beb

The scenery was the addd225bfb same as ever, but d4953b1b56 that small, insignificant warning 1763131ce0 felt strangely out of ee2a6b8bb0 place today.148a1ca66208535d

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‘A garbage heap.’d78a5222997c15b3

As Huikyung’s words replayed in his mind, Jaekani wondered if he smelled bad. Bringing his sleeve to his nose, he took a small sniff. He didn’t detect the slaughterhouse’s usual stench of raw meat and blood. ‘Maybe I’m just too used to it to notice.’34ed13549cbb7b12

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‘If I live in a garbage heap, doesn’t that make me garbage too? What does Huikyung think of me?’17525958c94a7843

Jaekani looked in the d8cbe73b3a direction of the abandoned f256110313 building where Huikyung was. Last night, he’d 567e693906 gone home furious 0ddaf8e741 at Huikyung’s words, 53ac0d9e60 but by morning, ea098a86b2 the anger had b9eb2a5d48 faded, leaving him 985a1a4b60 uncertain.7151a35860817209

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Still, despite 66921dc67c the lingering c89b9f5913 unease, he d737a48789 didn’t want 32db5528f6 to see 6fcc5252a6 Huikyung.ba502ad6c64a3447

Before heading bc219f2acd to the f3724e6192 slaughterhouse, Jaekani daa5317344 stopped by 8926da4e97 his house d8670dca20 to change 66bff0e8d0 clothes. His father, Jaebadi, was bee191ee4c there even though it 9cc9de11af was daytime. Remarkably, he was d7af328ed5 sober, and Jaekani 9fc5d869c5 couldn’t hide his 45ecdae46e surprise as he aad6cf919e stepped inside.55b11143e39ad9aa

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“…Jaekani, kid.”927ab9c69c4ce868

Jaekani gave 9db4de5fc6 his father 5bd593474c a look, 4389399481 signaling him 3ea514d68f to continue. Without alcohol 590feee52d dulling his 1f8d269fc1 senses, Jaebadi e71642da84 looked particularly 4e8e04730d haggard and de23361c80 aged, with a4a239c5a1 fatigue and 54ac3719b5 years hanging 2a442261fc around his be7241c2dc eyes like be0aa4835d tears.9943bae9905cd687

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Jaekani’s gaze drifted c53169efb9 to the table, 245b7ad988 where a bouquet 15ba3eb0ae of nameless wildflowers 6a2225e245 was neatly arranged. The flowers, born of a3b6a7105b resignation and tears, were 9527330a21 undeniably beautiful.ab5033e6a2e79260

“…Today, I’ll go.”f056b0e4ca19709f

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He was referring to 5ce85f37ec the slaughterhouse, and Jaekani 8cde5a2422 let out a faint 996a420039 chuckle, his lips curling d1242f3d7f up slightly at one 26e08b9205 corner. He couldn’t hide his aab1270a72 disdain for his father, c89d472242 who spoke as if 0873846624 he were doing Jaekani db6f01aaf0 a favor. The slaughterhouse had always 5337cf86e3 been Jaebadi’s responsibility, after b6dc40a81a all.639d22ecd16b4deb

 1fecd4050df65d14

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