Chapter 57
‘Oh, my.’
Harriet looked more carefully at Ender, who had his eyes closed and was drooping. Come to think of it, he seemed really low on energy today. Even his lower body, which was usually erect, was unusually quiet today.
Feeling sorry, Harriet stroked Ender’s ear. He brushed Ender’s black hair back, tapping and stroking his cheek with his index finger.
Ender’s eyes finally opened. His red eyes trembled precariously, almost decadently. Harriet realized, as Anschel had told him, that Ender was unusually low on energy today.
In the old days, during their academy years, Ender would occasionally wear such a gloomy expression. In the beginning, he would prowl around like a wary kitten, but as time passed, he became close enough to sit quietly by Harriet’s side without making a sound. And he would observe Harriet, rolling his large eyes.
Watching him, Harriet would throw bread crumbs to the carps by the pond and smile slightly. When Harriet smiled, Ender would be startled and even his hair would stand on end. That probably made Harriet laugh more because it felt like a cat with its fur standing up.
The small Ender never opened his mouth first. Yet he would always appear like a ghost wherever Harriet was resting. And he would stealthily approach and sit next to Harriet.
Harriet would be by the pond in summer and in the library during cold winters. But that day was different. Harriet was injured and couldn’t get out of the tank. As he curled up in his merman form, Ender opened the door and approached.
Blood was continuously flowing out of Harriet’s body, polluting the water. His tail was badly tattered, exposing raw flesh. His scales were loose, and the wounds were deep enough to show bone.
Approaching the tank, Ender blankly stared at Harriet’s wounds. The blood flowing from the merman tail looked very painful.
“…Harriet sunbae.”
Ender’s eyes were truly large. His red eyes were filled with moisture.
“I…”
A loose scale fell with a plop. Ender, who had been staring at the scale gently sinking, raised his head.
Harriet felt that his merman tail was like a fish. Yes, he remembered the sashimi he had eaten with Alcita before. Harriet, who had been deployed to the Eastern Sea battle, was completely damaged. His young body, unable to withstand the enormous power, was covered in wounds.
“Sunbae…”
“Ender, come here.”
Harriet tapped the glass in front of him and smiled. That day, Ender’s usually puffy black hair drooped. He had his shoulders completely slumped and his eyes closed.
For the first time, Harriet thought someone was lovable. He wanted to reach out and stroke Ender’s hair. Ender was really small, precious, and cute.
Even though he was no longer the small Ender from back then, Harriet still found him cute. Harriet, who had been stroking Ender’s ear, let out a small laugh. Then Ender, who had been tightly closed off, opened his eyes.
“What’s wrong, Ender?”
“……”
“Poor thing… why are you so low on energy?”
Harriet spoke as if upset. He clicked his tongue, seemingly sad that his cute junior was lacking energy. Even though Ender thought he was being a bother to his sunbae, he still couldn’t regain his energy.
“Good lord…”
Anschel truly thought he might die.
“Won’t you tell me?”
“Sunbae… I…”
Ender stammered as he opened his mouth to speak about why he had been low on energy since this morning.
“…I’ve never eaten sashimi before.”
“……”
This, dog… fuck.
Anschel cursed internally with extreme fury. But Anschel’s crazy superior was very serious, truly sincere.
“Not only did I fail to identify sunbae’s favorite food, but I’ve also never eaten the food that sunbae likes.”
Ender’s eyes turned red. Harriet swept his index finger over Ender’s eyes, which looked like they might burst into tears at any moment. Come to think of it, Anschel had never seen Ender eat sashimi either. When they went to a Japanese restaurant before, he didn’t even touch the sushi.
“This is sacrilege.”
Ender’s red lips trembled. Angela asked Anschel with her eyes, ‘What is he talking about?’ How should I know? Anschel stared at the two damned people with a cold gaze.
“It’s a desecration of my love for sunbae.”
“Did you dislike it?”
Harriet soothed him, saying that he himself hadn’t eaten sashimi since he was nine years old. Ender, with his lifeless face, slightly raised the corner of his mouth, and even that looked quite impressive. Angela, who was a fan of Ender, blushed slightly before regaining her composure.
Meanwhile, the two, who had completely fallen into their own world, faced each other and continued their conversation.
“…It reminded me of sunbae.”
Anschel wondered what nonsense this was now, but Harriet gently stroked Ender’s chin as if encouraging him to continue.
“When I see sashimi, I think of sunbae.”
Ender licked his lips with his tongue, smacking his lips. Ender’s red eyes gradually opened like blooming flowers, and his red pupils deepened.
‘This is insane.’
Anschel swallowed another curse, losing count of how many times he had done so today. But Harriet narrowed his eyes until his white pupils were barely visible and opened his mouth.
“Then try eating it in front of me this time.”
“Yes.”
Understanding the meaning, Anschel turned deathly pale, but Angela raised her phone from beside him.
“So lunch today is sashimi?”
Angela wasn’t Harriet’s subordinate for nothing.
* * *
The soft voices of two critics resonated through the radio.
– The person we should pay the most attention to right now is Jayden Olden’s return. Many politicians are tense about his appearance. Even presidential candidate Dante Maxim is nervous about Jayden’s actions after returning from six years in seclusion.
He is currently the most influential chairman among politicians, and he is also the successor to former Peace Council Chairman Alcita Maxim, who was aboard the Ellikiss ship 20 years ago. Moreover, didn’t candidate “Anschel Lee” declare war against Dante Maxim’s dictatorship after 10 years?
– I saw that speech too.
– It was interesting. Getting back to the topic, Jayden Olden was a close friend of Alcita Maxim. Both were excellent ability users, and I remember they graduated from the academy with top ranks, receiving a lot of attention. But surprisingly, both of them didn’t enlist in the military but jumped into politics, surprising many people.
Especially Jayden Olden. Even though Alcita Maxim’s father was a politician, so that’s understandable, wasn’t Jayden really excellent military material? He was a fire ability user with high attack potential, and the military was waiting for his enlistment with open arms.
In my opinion, I suspect that Jayden entered the Peace Council along with Alcita to protect him as he ventured into politics. At that time, the military tried to persuade Jayden, but all efforts ended in failure.
– Isn’t the academy they graduated from the same academy that “the” Ender McGuire graduated from?
– That’s correct. It’s the academy that hero Ender McGuire graduated from.
– But Jayden Olden suddenly disappeared from politics six years ago after Alcita Maxim’s tragic death. He lasted as Peace Council Chairman for 14 years after succeeding Alcita, and then disappeared. Yet Jayden Olden is still the most influential politician in the current political scene. Because all Peace Council members carry on Alcita Maxim’s will.
I think his return this time might be because of presidential candidate “Anschel Lee.” Whether he stands on the side of his close friend’s father or remains “neutral” will greatly influence this election.
– There doesn’t seem to be an option of supporting Anschel Lee?
– Oh… did you think that?
– Well… he’s a candidate who has appeared after 10 years. Candidate Anschel Lee’s guardian is that Ender McGuire, isn’t it? In this speech, he participated as presidential candidate “Anschel Lee’s” aide, firmly establishing his position.
He’s the most popular hero right now, isn’t he? I’m a fan, and my daughter is a fan too. Especially in Region 18, which is close to the Southern Sea, his popularity is beyond imagination. In fact, most people living in this land can be considered fans of Ender McGuire.
Of course, politics isn’t done with fan sentiment. Moreover, candidate Anschel Lee is too young and a soldier with no political experience. The probability of him being elected is too low.
– Unless a miracle happens?
– Yes. A miracle.
* * *
Angela suppressed her laughter. Anschel’s eyes were tightly crinkled as he smoothly turned the steering wheel, but she couldn’t stop laughing and even trembled. Anschel, who was glaring at her cute brown ponytail, sighed.
Harriet passed cold water to Anschel with a small smile. Ryan said he didn’t like sashimi and would have lunch at the village hall with the village chief.
Even amidst all this, Harriet kept brushing Ender’s black hair back. Watching this scene, Anschel sighed repeatedly and then opened his mouth.
“What’s so funny, Angela? That my election would be a miracle?”
Damn radio. He should have turned it off right away, but he missed it while listening for Jayden’s whereabouts. Angela laughed out loud once and then took a deep breath.
Those damn critic bastards, all they know how to do is investigate behind people’s backs and excitedly criticize them.
It wasn’t just that, but in a way, Anschel was greatly upset as it felt like he had heard gossip about himself.
Harriet, while stroking Ender’s soft black hair, recalled the past.
Jayden Olden. He had thought the name sounded familiar, and indeed it was him. He was the person who occasionally visited the orphanage with Alcita.
He was the person who would fret constantly, worried that Alcita might be harmed by someone. Unlike Alcita’s fragile image, Jayden was a healthy and cheerful handsome man.
In reality, on days when Jayden accompanied the gentle and quiet Alcita, the orphanage would always become noisy. He was the person who would follow with a displeased expression when Alcita visited the orphanage alone without any guards.
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
