# Chapter 31
Fenil didn’t miss the Boss frowning in confusion. The emotions that had been slowly building had now reached their limit. With just one more drop, those emotions would overflow.
That moment would soon arrive. It wouldn’t be long until the Boss regained his emotions. Though he was confused now, later it would surely be marked with regret.
“It’s better not to be bound to eternity.”
For now, she could only hope that regret wouldn’t turn into despair. At Fenil’s softly spoken words, the Boss looked directly at her.
Don’t be bound to eternity? It was as if she had peered into his mind. He knew he couldn’t follow her thoughts, but he wondered just how much she could see.
“But that’s what I’ve always believed.”
The disoriented words came right back to him.
He had always believed it since that day. From the time he held onto his loved one’s cold corpse and could only stare endlessly. From the time he felt nothing while looking at someone precious to him.
He had thought he would live forever without feeling anything.
Every moment of his life was both amusement and despair to him. A terribly empty life that simply flowed on without any meaning.
He thought that would never change.
“They say even mountains change in ten years. It’s about time to shed those old thoughts.”
But Fenil immediately contradicted the Boss’s words.
“Old thoughts…”
And the mention of ten years too… The Boss could understand why Fenil spoke so naturally. She already knew.
“…So you knew about my past, Fenil.”
His past. The Boss slowly raised his head to look directly into her eyes.
Fenil’s green eyes, reflecting nothing, came into view. Just how much had those eyes seen?
He thought he had hidden it where no one could find it. But even that was useless against Fenil’s ability.
“Don’t underestimate my ability.”
It was an affirmative response. Despite appearances, she was someone loyal to the organization. If that was the case, she wouldn’t have done something unnecessary…
“So, what do you want?”
What was Fenil after? If she had learned about his past, whether by chance or deliberately, that should have been the end of it. But she deliberately brought up that past.
There must be a reason why Fenil, who had only been observing until now, left traces.
“What I want…”
At his suspicious gaze, Fenil scratched her cheek. Revealing information to the Boss was intentional. It would be safer to reveal it now than in the future.
He would surely recognize that fact. That’s why he would ask her such a question.
But what she wanted wasn’t as grand as the Boss thought.
“Well, maybe for the Boss to be happy?”
It was a modest wish, but one that couldn’t be fulfilled, and therefore one she wanted to make come true.
The Boss’s eyes narrowed slightly. After a silence, he exhaled words that sounded like a sigh.
“…That’s quite a pointless endeavor.”
It was more insignificant than anything else. At first, he thought she was joking. But looking at Fenil, who gazed at him with straightforward eyes as if she was serious, he could tell it was true.
Wishing for his happiness? They say everyone lives to be happy. But that “everyone” didn’t include him.
Because he couldn’t feel happiness. Knowing this fact well, he didn’t wish for it. But Fenil said she wished for happiness for him, someone like that.
She was wishing for the happiness that even he had given up on. How futile was this?
However, despite the Boss’s assertion that it couldn’t be achieved, Fenil didn’t change her words.
“I thought so too.”
Because she had been like that too. But that’s why she could wish for his happiness even more.
Like him, she had lost everything and lived without any meaning. Each day was a series of frustrations, and there was no way happiness could exist in such a life.
“The day I first met you. You said to me then:”
Then she met him. On the day she couldn’t find a reason to live and was about to die, she met him who told her to live.
At first, she thought it was meaningless. Telling someone who wanted to die to live was, more than anything, a pointless act.
But he continued that meaningless act.
“You said that if I kept living, I would find a reason to live.”
He kept raising her up. Whenever she wanted to sit down and give up on everything, somehow he was there.
As she lived like that, she truly found a reason to live, just as the Boss had said.
When she looked back, happiness, not despair, surrounded her, and she found people she considered precious.
They were all created by the Boss.
“So this time, I want to help you find a reason to live.”
I want you to be happy too. Fenil sincerely wished for that. How ridiculous would it be if the person who had made her happy couldn’t be happy himself?
Seeing the smile that filled Fenil’s face, the Boss realized she was sincere. Ripples began to stir in his eyes.
He hadn’t expected her to remember those words until now. It was merely a tactic to persuade her.
It was a meaningless phrase to him. Yet it became a driving force for Fenil to live. What value could there be in those words?
The Boss couldn’t understand why she would go this far for him. If she knew about his past, Fenil would surely have known that Alice was an experiment subject.
But she didn’t mention that fact. He could be certain that the reason was Kay’s infiltration.
“So using Hans as a disguise was all intentional.”
He had inserted him without suspicion because it was Fenil’s recommendation, but even that was part of her plan. What influence did Kay infiltrating as Hans have that made Fenil intend it?
Kay changed after infiltrating as Hans. Did Fenil want Kay to change? He didn’t understand how his change was related to his own happiness.
“Are you saying that was for me too?”
It’s a plan too grand for creating a person’s emotions. Indeed, I should say it’s like Fenil. He uttered an expression of admiration that wasn’t really admiration.
The Boss still didn’t think her plan would succeed. The past 15 years were too long for him to think that way. But that was only for a moment.
Soon, the corners of the Boss’s mouth began to curl up slightly. This plan would fail. He could be certain of that.
However, he thought it might not be bad to be a puppet moving according to Fenil’s plan. Watching a play with a predetermined ending could also be enjoyable.
Thinking that way, even the slight confusion gradually began to disappear. Once again, a relaxed atmosphere, as usual, enveloped the Boss.
Fenil smiled toward him, who was looking at her plan with an expression of interest.
“I’m trying to play the role of a grateful magpie.”
It won’t just end with bringing a gourd. Evoking erased emotions couldn’t be that simple.
But someday that day would come. A life made of happiness, not just interest, would come to him.
Fenil believed that without a doubt.
* * *
The Boss spoke while staring at a hologram calendar floating in the air.
“Alice’s rescue is scheduled for a week from now.”
A Tuesday marked in bright red a week later showed its presence. Since Fenil had been working overnight to draft the operation, there would be no mistakes in the plan.
Rather, extending the period could lead to getting caught. This schedule seemed appropriate. Everyone seemed to share that thought, as no one raised objections.
Looking at the document containing Fenil’s operation, Zenon asked the Boss:
“It’s just Kay and me going, right?”
As if he just wanted to confirm, the Boss nodded lightly at Zenon’s question. But Alex, seemingly uncomfortable with the small number of just two people, furrowed his brow.
“Isn’t the number of personnel too small?”
They were dealing with Peace. Indeed, it wasn’t a large number. But the purpose this time wasn’t combat, but rescuing Alice.
Having more people would actually increase the risk of being detected.
“Fenil will control the system.”
Moreover, since Fenil would handle the surveillance cameras and security systems, the number wasn’t really that insufficient.
At the Boss’s words, Alex, who had been lowering his eyes as if thinking about something, suddenly turned his head as if recalling something.
“Didn’t she say before that she couldn’t do it?”
His gaze turned to Fenil. As Alex said, she had previously claimed it was impossible. That’s why I had infiltrated Peace to find Alice’s whereabouts.
“Extracting information is difficult, but controlling is easy.”
Fenil smiled, her eyes curving, at his statement that didn’t add up. A confident smile hung at her lips.
Is extracting information more difficult? When you control, can’t you automatically extract information? Such questions arose, but I was ignorant of the information field anyway.
If Fenil said so, that must be the case. Alex seemed to feel the same, as he briefly pondered before dismissing it as unimportant.
“…My ability.”
Meanwhile, Melia offered a suggestion. Using “Trump” would certainly prepare for any unforeseen dangers. Since her ability was also S-class, she could capture most individuals.
“We’ll be using Melia’s ability tonight.”
But the Boss shook his head at her words. Flipping through the papers, there was definitely information about it.
The operation personnel were just Melia and me. The time was quite tight, but it wasn’t a particularly difficult mission. Since it was a mission using Melia’s ability, the number of personnel was adequate.
Her gaze also fixed on the documents. Melia, who had been slowly reading the detailed plan, soon spoke in agreement.
“I understand.”
