[107]
“Put these on.”
Yuri returned the clothes he had kept for Chris.
After roughly drying his hair, Chris put on his pants and shirt. The entire process happened quickly.
“Thanks to surviving this match, you can now participate in other competitions.”
“Is that so?”
Chris’s face brightened.
“It’s one-on-one combat. Points accumulate based on the number of victories, and if you unlock a rank higher than your current grade, you can face stronger competitors.”
Yuri pointed to the top of the screen. Chris’s current rank was Silver.
“You’ve just moved from a rookie with Bronze to Silver, and the participation fee you’ll receive has increased. They’ll also assign you a new waiting room.”
“Ah.”
The message was clear: the higher the rank, the more comfortable things would become.
‘Maybe Yuri will be more comfortable too once we get out of this cramped room.’
It bothered him.
It seemed like Yuri had nothing to do except watch while Chris competed.
“And since you won, you can access some special competitions.”
One corner of Yuri’s mouth turned up.
“What kind of competitions?”
“Surviving against multiple beasts.”
Yuri read calmly while looking at the terminal screen.
“Next is team competition. For that, you need a team to participate with.”
“That would be difficult for now.”
“Indeed. And the last one is… endurance.”
“Is there no other explanation?”
“All I can think is that they’re not asking you to endure something ordinary. The points you can earn aren’t that high, but the entry fee is exceptionally high. About ten times that of other competitions.”
“Is it worth looking into?”
“I don’t know.”
Yuri narrowed his eyes.
“I don’t think we need to be proactive about it.”
“…Hmm.”
“The test to select competitors was full of traps. And just now was essentially your first battle since entering here… yet nowhere did this rookie hear the term ‘prey.'”
Though he was smiling, Yuri seemed a bit angry.
Others might not notice, but Chris could tell.
“…Then I won’t challenge it recklessly. If I have a chance to talk with other competitors during matches, I’ll try to sound them out.”
“Good. Don’t forget that your goal is to earn your price as quickly as possible without getting hurt and leave this place.”
Chris responded calmly.
“And ‘master’s’ goal is the money I earn.”
“Exactly. Very good.”
Yuri smiled broadly, showing his teeth.
“Let’s try to make a fortune. Your Guide will be waiting anxiously.”
***
“An unusual duo has entered.”
The man leaning back in his chair watching the screen blurted out.
Meredith, who had just brought popcorn, said:
“Right? I was quite impressed when they went through the test earlier, so I came to watch the match. No regrets.”
The man scratched his bushy hair.
“So, this one is the master.”
He pointed to the black-haired ‘John Doe.’
“And this one is the dog?”
He gestured toward Chris, who had returned to his human form from the wolf, and Meredith nodded.
“His human form is quite handsome too. He’ll sell well.”
The man whistled.
He was reading their lips as Yuri and Chris conversed on camera.
“Seems like the competitor’s goal is to pay off his price and leave the arena?”
Meredith mocked him.
“Is that even possible? Well, still.”
Her eyes gleamed as she looked at Chris on the screen.
He had looked dignified standing on four legs, but he didn’t seem to shrink much even as a two-legged human.
Though he maintained a cautious attitude toward his ‘master,’ it was surely because of the hostage situation.
“I’m glad the competitor doesn’t seem low-spirited. Everyone who ends up here usually has a grim face.”
“Why? It’s fun watching unfortunate people struggle.”
“It’s more fun watching strong people break.”
Meredith licked her lips.
“When do you think that man will abandon his Guide?”
“I’ll bet… this week.”
“Then I’ll say a month.”
The man laughed incredulously at Meredith’s answer.
“Come on. Once he starts taking drugs, he’ll forget not just his Guide but even his Guide’s grandfather.”
“I just think he’ll hold out that long.”
Meredith’s eyes, fixed on the screen, shone with a strange light.
“Well. Let’s wait and see.”
The man pulled up another broadcast screen. He rolled his chair over to it and stood up.
Below where he and Meredith had been, a group of people sat in neat rows.
They were all talking while staring intently at the screens.
“Green Horse. Green Horse. Leading the pack again! This will yield a nice dividend, won’t it?”
“Chipper Dale is collapsing…! Ah, is his winning streak over today? Or…?”
“Sonya produces a magnificent flame! Her enemies turn to ashes. And the chips wagered on such reckless bets burn up as well!”
“A delightful twist awaits you all.”
“Has everyone placed satisfactory bets?”
“Here at our Colosseum…”
“Victory! An outcome no one predicted. Who will be the lucky winner?”
As always, his employees were putting on an outstanding performance.
Their voices would reach the audience beyond the screen, whispering dreams.
To be more enthusiastic. To have bigger opportunities to win.
The man, Onse, wiped his mouth and stood up, saying:
“Let’s make a killing today as well.”
***
Fortuna, who had been leaning against the wall with eyes closed, opened them. In front of him stood Chase Dalton, a bloodied man with a broad smile.
“Did you get anything?”
At Fortuna’s question, Chase licked his lips.
“No. Just had some fun.”
“You should keep him alive.”
“I’ve broken him just enough that he’ll be good for you to dig into. Speaking of which—”
Chase smiled, squinting his eyes.
They had just found the broker who had been tracking a drug dealer and spreading addicts throughout Baekyah’s alleys.
He was clearly from another continent, but his lips were incredibly tight.
However, Chase was willingly overexerting himself.
“If you find out who messed with my sister, please share.”
If anyone thought about touching Gwen, he would make an example of this case.
“The boss comes first.”
“Of course.”
Chase nodded indifferently, but his face was far from disappointed.
It was more like: why state the obvious?
“I can let you know after that.”
“Good. Thanks.”
“You’re not planning to meet your sister like that, are you?”
“Ah.”
Chase clicked his tongue.
“At times like this, I envy Chris.”
“Mr. Chris?”
“Telekinesis is really convenient. He can squeeze someone’s limbs without even using his hands. And he can prevent things from splattering like this.”
“…Do you do such things?”
Fortuna was surprised.
Though Chris seemed quite wild in battle, he didn’t give the impression of being skilled in torture.
“Ah. You joined late, after all.”
Instead of giving a “don’t you know?” look, Chase just nodded.
“That bastard doesn’t shed a single tear or drop of sweat while tearing people apart.”
“…That’s a harsh assessment of your comrade.”
In response to Fortuna’s words, Chase shrugged.
“I deliberately used refined language because I thought you’d be shocked. Hmm.”
“Hmm.”
It was hard to imagine.
“Well, being an Esper yourself, you should know. When someone messes with a Guide, Espers go berserk. And Chris’s biggest problem is…”
He paused for a moment, then whispered:
“His Guide is also his brake.”
“You mean without the boss, the brake is released?”
“Ugh.”
Chase shuddered at those words.
“I thought I enjoyed thrills quite a bit, but just thinking about the time the boss was kidnapped… hah.”
Fortuna was about to ask how someone like Yuri could get kidnapped but decided against it.
Chase’s face showed clear signs of distress.
“That’s when I first realized I wanted to live a long life with my sister. I also learned to be more cautious.”
“This is your idea of being cautious…?”
Fortuna was bewildered.
“Anyway. I hope Gwen lives a long, healthy life without seeing such terrible things. Let’s not make frightening assumptions like taking a Guide away from an Esper, specifically us.”
“I understand roughly.”
“Great. Shall we go then?”
Chase extended his hand to Fortuna as if inviting him to dance at a ball.
The psychic Esper glanced at him and walked past.
‘Strange person.’
Most people are wary of psychic Espers like Fortuna.
The idea that thoughts could be read or that someone could penetrate one’s mind wasn’t very pleasant.
Fortuna was accustomed to rejection throughout his life. As his heart was whittled away… he ended up mortgaging his life to someone like Rosenhauser.
But the world after escape was quite different.
The people of Baekyah didn’t seem to care whether Fortuna was a psychic Esper or not.
Take Chase, for example.
Fortuna had tried to read his mind a couple of times. But after facing the madness within and retreating, he did so two or three times.
Fortuna concluded it was better to let madmen live as they were and drew a line.
And what about Chase Dalton’s sister? Not afraid of being brainwashed and dragged around as a Guide, she eagerly held his hand during every guiding session.
Yuri didn’t wear gloves because he found Fortuna creepy either.
He avoided contact for reasons similar to but slightly different from Fortuna’s. If anything, he was closer to shutting out not just her but the entire world.
Even such a person as Yuri never showed a trace of contempt or discomfort toward Fortuna.
‘Baekyah people are all strange.’
He had sought refuge here because he didn’t trust himself to protect his half-broken body.
Every encounter with the people here inevitably affected his heart.
Finally stopping in front of the targeted cell, Fortuna faced a bloodied man.
“Oh my… you’re badly hurt. Look at all this blood.”
At the sound of the frail voice, the man’s gaze mixed with desperation.
“He… help…”
“I’d like to help you. Just a moment. Let me support you, would you hold my hand?”
The man hesitated briefly, then extended his hand.
Fortuna’s fingers coiled around him like a snake, firmly interlocking their hands.
A cold smile spread across her face.
“Now… let’s get out of here together.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
