Chapter 21 - What Are We Moving?

* * *

'... This is driving me crazy.'

For the first time, Hyeonyul understood what that feeling was like.

The assignment he had received a little earlier read as follows.

「*Incident Background

―This kindergarten is an extremely important facility that gathers and educates 'children with powers' who have lost their parents.

*Developments

―Villains began targeting the children after learning of the kindergarten's existence.

―There is evidence that several children have already been abducted.

―Security was tightened following the abductions, but there have recently been reports of someone suspicious being seen.

*Precautions

―Do not forget that the people you are protecting are children.

―Do not frighten the children.

―Do not let them learn that they are being targeted.」

This was no ordinary kindergarten. As the incident log stated, it was a special kindergarten run by the Black Eagles.

This was a world where many different powers existed. He had been told that most people possessed powers from birth, and that those powers were classified by type and divided into grades.

Apparently, those in the upper grades had poorer control over their powers and received training at special facilities. This was one of them.

The fact that these children had no guardians would make them particularly attractive to villains.

'I understand why they need protection, but do we really have to do it this way?'

Hyeonyul found the situation utterly awkward.

Children were far removed from his life. When he went to kill other villains, he had only ever seen them as bodies strewn about, or helplessly weeping in fear and terror.

He felt as though this was the first time he had seen them alive, smiling so brightly at that.

Then as now, they looked so frail that a mere tightening of his grip would kill them.

"Hey, kids! You remember me from last time, right?"

Jihwan addressed the children with practiced ease.

"Yeees!"

The children answered enthusiastically.

"This is his first time here today. There's a lot he won't know, so if he gets lost, you should show him the way."

"Yeeeees!"

They shouted louder and louder, at the tops of their lungs, as though competing with one another. The noise was enough to leave Hyeonyul's ears ringing.

Why were they shouting so inefficiently? What was there to compete over?

He felt as though he had encountered beings he could not even identify, and could barely open his mouth.

Jihwan was smiling at Hyeonyul when he briefly faltered. Hyeonyul's expression was awful.

"... I'll inspect the area."

After considerable thought, Hyeonyul concluded that he could not act like Jihwan, and that remaining beside the children did not suit him. The longer he looked at their brightness, the more he felt that they lived in an entirely different world.

"Mr. Ye Jihwan, you..."

"That's going to be difficult."

Jihwan shrugged at his suggestion.

It did not take long for him to understand what that meant. The children came straight up to Hyeonyul.

"What's your name?"

"Are you good at playing house too?"

"Hey, do you eat your vegetables?"

"Can you fly?"

Suddenly, questions came pouring in, trailing countless question marks. Hyeonyul froze on the spot, and Jihwan burst out laughing.

Catching a villain would be nice, but usually it was difficult to get that far. Still, these visits served as a warning to villains: the Black Eagles were guarding this place, so they had better not try anything.

The kindergarten already had its own guards, so their work could essentially be described as playing with the children.

'If the kids ask him to play with them now, he looks like he might actually faint.'

Jihwan knew he should hold back, but that expression made it impossible.

* * *

Hyeonyul only felt relieved once he had fled from the children.

'... How can something that small be alive and moving?'

Every answer he gave brought another flood of questions.

["Have you ever put a snail up your nose?"]

["Penguins, you know, penguins are friends with crocodiles!"]

Utterances he could not make sense of had also assaulted his ears.

'The assignment itself is simple. I never expected an ambush like this.'

All he had to do was catch the suspicious person and wipe out the culprits so this could never happen again. If several children had actually been abducted, there would surely be traces.

Yet when he opened up the assignment, it turned out to be playing with children.

'Maybe I would have acted like Mr. Ye Jihwan in my previous life.'

The drugs that had ravaged his mind had changed a great deal, starting with the way he thought. Like Jihwan, he had yet to escape their aftereffects and was undergoing rehabilitation.

'Dead people really are easier.'

The dead did not speak, so there was no need to share emotions with them.

At that thought, Hyeonyul rummaged in his inner pocket, took out his medication, and chewed it.

CRUNCH.

'These stray thoughts mean the medication is starting to wear off.'

Without it, his mind rang noisily as though an alarm were going off all day long.

Hyeonyul began to let out a deep breath, then his eyes shifted left. He heard crying.

He drew his dagger to go straight for the other person's throat, only to stop abruptly.

It was a child.

He quickly hid the dagger.

"... Mister."

The child called to him with a sniffle.

Wasn't the child afraid of him?

"Did you come looking for Serin?"

Tears welled in those large eyes, spilling down with every blink. Was Serin the child's own name?

"No. I just happened to find you."

Why was the child here?

His curiosity was fleeting, and he gave it no further thought. Just as he started moving to look for traces, Serin grabbed his trouser leg.

Feeling the tight grip, Hyeonyul looked down.

"Ask Serin... why I'm here."

"Why are you here?"

Now that he thought about it, it was strange. Why did no one know there was a child here?

"... Um. Um. Um."

Although Serin had asked him to pose the question, the child now fidgeted with small fingers as though pondering the answer, stealing glances at Hyeonyul.

"Mister, are you a new teacher?"

"No."

"Then why are you here?"

"I'm here to work. Why did your teacher leave you here?"

"... Th-the teacher didn't do anything wrong!"

Serin's voice rose involuntarily. When flames briefly burst from the child's body, Hyeonyul extinguished them with his own power.

'No control over that power.'

Startled, Serin covered their mouth and twisted their head and body this way and that, apparently searching for the flames. Soon, the child stared up at Hyeonyul.

"... Did you see?"

"See what?"

"The flames."

"I didn't."

Only then did Serin relax.

"... Serin is, you know, a troublemaker."

As though ashamed of something, the child covered their face with both hands and shook their head.

"What makes you a troublemaker?"

"When I'm happy or angry, fire keeps coming out of me. So I can't go near my friends. Last time, a friend got hurt because of Serin. ... Serin is, Serin is a monster."

"Is that so?"

At his indifferent reply, Serin stared intently at Hyeonyul. That was not what people usually said.

Could it be? Could this man possibly understand too?

"Mister, has that ever happened to you too? Like, like, doing bad things when you don't want to?"

Asking the question, Serin tightly gripped Hyeonyul's trouser leg again. The child did not seem inclined to let go until he answered.

Hyeonyul surveyed the surroundings through the shadows. At least there was no one suspicious nearby.

"Have you seen anyone suspicious around here?"

The child seemed to spend a great deal of time alone. If he were a villain, he would certainly target this child too. Fire powers were always on the strong side.

"If you answer me, Serin will tell you too."

"Very well."

Considering it a sensible bargain, Hyeonyul readily accepted. He briefly lowered himself onto one knee, bringing their eyes to roughly the same level.

"That has happened to me too."

When his current power had first manifested, he had come to his senses surrounded by a sea of blood.

It had been exhilarating.

His only regret was that he had not killed more.

"... Really?"

Serin looked at him with eyes that seemed to hold stars.

"It really happened to you too, just like me?"

"Yes. Now please answer my question."

Hyeonyul cut the conversation short with precision. This was a transaction. Even a young child possessed reason.

Serin's lips pushed out in a slight pout. Still, the child beckoned him closer.

Hyeonyul knelt to meet Serin's eyes.

"... This is a secret, but a man said he'd help me. I'm telling you because you're like me too."

"How did he say he would help?"

A smile settled on Hyeonyul's lips.

Got him.

Whether the teacher had neglected the child or separated them to protect the others did not matter. What mattered was that the child was here alone.

Seeing Hyeonyul smile, the child smiled too.

"Do you want to come too, mister? Serin will ask for you!"

"Very well."

"Shhh."

Hyeonyul nodded at Serin's request. The child beamed and spoke.

"I'm Lee Serin."

"I'm Seo Hyeonyul."

Serin hugged Hyeonyul's leg tightly, then ran off somewhere. Hyeonyul lifted his phone and informed Jihwan.

[I don't know whether it was neglect or for protection, but I found a child alone.]

[After talking with the child, I learned that someone is trying to take them away. I'll go along with the child and follow up.]

[The name is Lee Serin. Please check.]

Lowering his phone, he followed Serin.

* * *

Serin slipped out of the kindergarten with practiced ease.

'... I never imagined there would be a hole in the wall.'

It was so narrow that even a child could barely squeeze through, which was reason enough for it to have escaped notice.

A forest stretched behind the kindergarten. When he searched for the kindergarten, this place had not appeared in the results. Apparently, they had intended to conceal it with the forest.

Following behind Serin, Hyeonyul watched the child's movements. He wondered what Serin was following, then noticed small ribbons tied at the child's eye level.

Adults would have to look down to see them, making it highly likely that they would pass by without noticing.

'Have they done this several times?'

Hyeonyul watched the little child's feet scurry along to a hummed tune. Serin seemed quite familiar with the route.

"Has another child come here with you?"

"Yes! That friend went to get fixed before me. They said they couldn't fix me right away."

'What nonsense.'

Hyeonyul could see the villain's trickery.

"Did they tell you not to tell your teacher about this?"

"How did you know? They said they wouldn't fix me if I told my teacher. So, so I didn't say anything. They kept saying they couldn't fix me, but this time they can. Serin is really happy you get to come along today, mister!"

Serin spoke brightly, seemingly unable even to recognize what was wrong.

'... I knew they'd use that trick.'

Long ago, he had often heard all sorts of things from a coworker who was more loose-lipped than expected. Among them was that the best way to lure children in was to use another child.

A child's wariness, the coworker had said, crumbled very quickly around someone their own age.

It seemed they intended to make this child the last, then leave the kindergarten alone until its vigilance eased.

'In other words, if I lose them here, I won't catch them.'

Quietly covering one ear, Hyeonyul set about searching for them. They would certainly be nearby.

"But, mister."

"Go ahead."

"Can you use your power well now?"

"I can."

"How do you use it well?"

"I made various... efforts."

Hyeonyul hastily changed what he was going to say. Whatever else might be true, he did not think he should tell a child that he had been subjected to countless experiments.

"You tried hard? Then did you eat your vegetables, and go to bed early, and, and say hello nicely too?"

Serin kept looking back while walking.

"...?"

Hyeonyul did not understand the flood of questions. What did any of that have to do with controlling powers?

After a moment's thought, he realized these must be reassurances a teacher had given the child. Sometimes people planted illusions under the guise of comfort.

"That's right."

"Then what else did you do to try hard?"

Serin chattered excitedly, as though this was the first time the child had ever had such a conversation.

'Effort...'

Hyeonyul thought for a moment. After gaining his power through various experiments, his body had collapsed. Whether it should be called shadow or darkness, it could not even hold a human shape.

In that state, he had examined the bodies of the people he had killed, one by one, in order to become human. He had thought that experiencing the feel of a body would allow him to maintain his original form.

'I can't exactly tell a child to touch corpses.'

Just as Hyeonyul was struggling with the question, he reached out and stopped Serin. He heard voices and footsteps up ahead.

"... What's wrong, mister?"

"Does it feel hot when you release fire?"

"Not at all!"

"If anyone approaches, you may release your fire. Ah, except for anyone wearing this emblem."

Hyeonyul pointed to the eagle emblem on his uniform.

"... Mister, you're a Black Eagle?"

The look in Serin's eyes changed. It was close to admiration.

With the child's face flushed and a scream seemingly imminent, Hyeonyul immediately put a finger to his lips. Serin covered their mouth and nodded.

"Sit here, like you did in the bushes earlier. Don't let anyone approach except me or someone wearing this emblem."

"Yes! Serin can stay here nicely!"

Serin gave a quiet shout.

Seeing Serin crouch down immediately, Hyeonyul headed toward the villains without hesitation. Jihwan was hurrying over now, so Serin would be fine.

As he took a step, he pulled on the fully formed helmet. It resembled a motorcycle helmet, but looked much thinner and lighter.

Hyeonyul vanished from the spot. When he reappeared, he was already behind one of them, a blade driven into the man's neck.

"Did you need more test subjects?"

Still in that position, Hyeonyul addressed the villains.

Every pair of eyes widened in shock. Their gazes shifted to the eagle emblem on his arm.

"You pulled this shit and didn't expect us to come?"

Hyeonyul made no attempt to hide the irritation rising within him.