[149]
Peter Garrett was quite a capable individual.
He could travel across all 12 continents in a single night, and moreover, he had established meaningful relationships in various regions.
Thanks to this, Yuri and Chris were able to meet Peter, who appeared with information about the “printing house” they had been searching for, in just four days.
“It’s a bit disorganized since I haven’t finished sorting everything, but this place seems to have the highest possibility.”
Peter, with sunken eyes, manipulated his terminal to send the location information to Yuri.
After checking the location, Yuri muttered,
“May Continent, is it?”
It was a region belonging to the same Spring Continent group.
“Yes. I can transport you there right away.”
Peter shrugged his shoulders. Distance, at least, wasn’t an issue.
“I did some reconnaissance once, but it didn’t seem like anyone was there. Of course, I only confirmed from a distance, so I couldn’t verify if someone might be hiding underground or somewhere similar.”
The man said this as he handed over the building’s blueprint.
Unlike the abandoned factory district, there was no basement or similar space. Peter grinned triumphantly and handed over the papers he was holding.
“This is the information I’ve gathered about the printing house. It’s a bit rough since I didn’t have time to refine it… but there shouldn’t be any problems reviewing it.”
Chris naturally took it instead of Yuri. Peter looked at him with a curious gaze.
‘I figured he’d even hold an umbrella for him.’
While appearing to have little interest in his surroundings, he unconsciously takes extreme care of Yuri.
Since Chris was Yuri’s subordinate, it might be natural for him to attend to his needs. But when you add the fact that Chris is an Esper and Yuri is a Guide, it creates quite a different picture.
Espers generally value their Guides. But that emotion doesn’t necessarily include respect.
Why else would Northern Light, the Esper Alliance, completely separate the living quarters of Espers and Guides, preventing unauthorized access? Despite Rosenhauser’s influence, it wouldn’t have been easy to separate the inner and outer buildings if the majority didn’t find it reasonable.
‘I’ve seen it before, but that bond is peculiar.’
While Peter was lost in thought, Yuri, who had been examining the map, spoke up.
“It seems the Thorns Order didn’t plan to go all out from the beginning.”
“Pardon?”
Yuri, with slightly narrowed eyes, said,
“Considering they went to the trouble of securing such a space in the Spring Continent, they must have been aware of the Esper Alliance’s scrutiny.”
“Well, one can’t exactly steal in front of the police.”
Yuri nodded in agreement with Peter’s comment.
As the Spring Continent provides a favorable environment for growing plants, it would have been easier to gather drug ingredients there as well.
“From the way you speak, it seems you have no intention of becoming a Guide.”
“Please spare me. I barely have enough bodies for my current tasks!”
Peter made a pitiful face, saying he’d had nosebleeds three times already.
Barrel Society had recently culled some of its executives and was filling those positions. Considering he found information about the printing house during this time, it would be unfair to squeeze more out of Peter.
He decided to let the locksmith go.
“I’ll need a new Guide then.”
Yuri, rubbing his chin, glanced at Chris.
Instinctively sensing something ominous, Chris asked,
“Do you mean… me?”
Yuri nodded toward the papers Chris was holding.
“It’s homework. Familiarize yourself with it in advance so it doesn’t interfere with the schedule.”
At those words, Chris reflexively furrowed his brow.
Yuri raised one corner of his mouth at this unusual reaction.
“What, you don’t like it?”
“No.”
Chris squared his chest.
“Leave it to me.”
***
A few days later. Peter, who had transported them to the May Continent, disappeared in a hurry.
He said they could contact him via terminal for the return journey as usual, and seeing him leap through a black door, it seemed Barrel Society’s business was indeed urgent.
Chris took out the stack of papers he had read through the night.
“Our destination was originally a printing complex… that is, an area where book publishing companies were gathered.”
He explained methodically.
“Since they’re similar industries, they gathered them in one area to facilitate operations.”
Yuri nodded as if he understood.
“Yes. There was also a village nearby where factory workers, publishing staff, and writers lived. Of course, no one lives there now.”
“Previously?”
“There are testimonies that trucks loaded with groceries regularly came and went to this complex until six months ago.”
Chris answered from memory and then double-checked the report he received from Peter.
Seeing it marked as six months ago, his effort to commit everything to memory had paid off.
“And after that, they stopped coming.”
“Yes. Too much time had passed to track the trucks, apparently.”
“They probably brought supplies from nearby cities. It’s not difficult to find food in the Spring Continent.”
Peter likely didn’t dig deeper for the same reason.
They passed a road covered with broken asphalt. There were only fields and low buildings, no forests.
Apart from the trees being less abundant, it was a ruin similar in texture to the abandoned factory district.
“Is it fascinating?”
At Yuri’s question, Chris affirmed in a low voice.
“Yes.”
“In what way?”
After pondering for a moment how to explain, Chris spoke.
“It’s fascinating how ruins can appear so full.”
It was a somewhat abbreviated statement, but Yuri seemed to understand, nodding his head.
“Ah. The ruins in the Winter Continent tend to be more empty. Covered with snow at most…”
The Winter Continent was a rather harsh environment for human habitation.
That’s why there were quite a few abandoned cities.
In the early days of their fugitive life, when they couldn’t even think of hiding in cities, they stayed in such ruins. As long as there were walls and a roof to shelter from the snow and wind, the risk of freezing to death was reduced.
In those days when they didn’t even know how to build a fire, Yuri survived by relying on Chris’s warmth.
“So it feels unfamiliar. In snow-covered places, it might be easier to spot enemies, but here it’s difficult to immediately notice if someone is hiding.”
Chris trailed off. He worried about Yuri’s safety constantly.
“But we can’t turn back, so let’s proceed with entry.”
“…Yes.”
Even if reluctant, there was no way he could stop Yuri if he wanted to go.
“You worry too much.”
Chris hesitated at Yuri’s sudden remark as they walked.
“Do I?”
After brief contemplation, Chris added,
“I think you don’t worry enough.”
It was a rather bold criticism.
“I have no reason to worry.”
The purple eyes that turned slightly toward him sparkled curiously.
“When I’m accompanied by none other than you. There’s no reason to worry.”
Then he turned his head back toward the front without waiting for Chris’s reaction.
Chris unconsciously covered his mouth.
He knew without looking that his face had heated up to an unreasonable degree.
“The paper mill is this way.”
Chris strode forward, overtaking Yuri. It was an action taken in case Yuri turned his head again and noticed his complexion.
But Yuri had already clearly witnessed the reddened earlobe of the man passing by him.
The nape of his neck, visible beneath his collar that rose and fell with each movement, was also tinged pink.
‘…Selectively dense, aren’t you.’
Yuri decided not to point it out.
It would be troublesome if Chris learned to hide his embarrassment more skillfully in the future.
Though he knew Chris had given his heart to him completely, that desire to thoroughly understand the other person operated separately.
Yuri needed to know everything about what was in his hands, from beginning to end, in detail. The habit developed to survive without betrayal remained intact even after everything had ended.
“Is that it?”
Yuri pointed to a building that looked plausible.
The door had completely fallen off.
As they approached, they could peek inside through the windows.
The paper mill was quite a mess.
There were traces of water having flooded and swept through the interior multiple times.
“I heard there’s a reservoir nearby. Seems it flooded several times.”
Furniture scattered haphazardly, dried puddles. Moss covering the walls and plants growing along the pillars.
Chris nodded at Yuri’s observation.
“And… those are footprints.”
In this green ruin, only traces of human passage were gray.
Chris whispered as he stared at the long tracks between the moss.
“It would be better not to stray from the path.”
In other words, the two of them could also leave such traces.
If someone was still frequenting this space, they might notice new visitors.
Entering the paper mill, the two moved along the path where people had passed.
Half the intention was to hide their traces as much as possible. The other half was to retrace where the previous visitors had been and what they had done.
Places with less dust settled than elsewhere. Places with signs of something being wiped clean. While checking chairs with signs of use, Yuri finally reached a desk with a drawing board spread out.
Standing still, Yuri muttered,
“This… doesn’t show signs of having been wet and dried.”
Chris, who was looking at the same thing, agreed.
And on this desk lay several sheets of paper.
Yuri picked one up to check if anything was written on it.
“Nothing much written here.”
Chris, who had been anxious about Yuri’s bold search, gently suggested,
“Might there be a journal or something in the drawer?”
He had worried that a knife or needle might be hidden between the papers, but fortunately, there were no such traps.
But with no clear clues, they had to look elsewhere.
“We might need a key…”
At Chris’s words, Yuri reached out to put down the paper. As the angle of the paper changed, sunlight streaming through the window brushed across it.
“…Just a moment.”
Chris, who noticed something in that light, stopped Yuri.
“May I examine it?”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
