# Chapter 87
Fenil’s face was stained with guilt. Her expression was probably not much different from his own. Boss slowly turned his head. His gaze was directed toward the white curtain that was gently fluttering.
“I’ll have to try… though it won’t be easy.”
Kay was sleeping behind that curtain. His silhouette, faintly visible, confirmed that he was sleeping well.
He was fine for now, but he would be in a lot of pain when he woke up. He might even shed tears again. Boss didn’t want to see Kay like that anymore.
He wanted Kay to be happy. That’s why Boss decided to do his best. Even if Boss himself wasn’t included in Kay’s happiness.
The same was true for Fenil. Like the sun emerging after the dark clouds have retreated, a smile appeared on her face.
“Yes. That’s right.”
Fenil nodded, harboring a firm resolve that hadn’t crumbled. It was the moment a new goal was born within her.
* * *
After receiving Boss’s request, Fenil returned to her home after a long time. Since she spent more time at headquarters than at home, her house only had basic furniture.
The only thing that stood out in the desolate house was the chessboard on the table. A layer of fine dust had accumulated on the glass pieces, as if they hadn’t been touched for a while.
Upon seeing the chessboard, Fenil started walking toward it as if enchanted. The glass chessboard was something she had purchased when she first joined “Alice.”
Because she didn’t want to be betrayed again. But no matter how hard she tried, betrayal wasn’t something she could control. So Fenil decided not to see people as people.
If she treated them as mere chess pieces, she wouldn’t be betrayed. She bought this chessboard to remember that. She had designated everyone as a piece and kept it until now.
“This is useless now.”
But it was no longer necessary. It had been a long time since she had stopped thinking of them as chess pieces, and now she only used it out of habit. After all, it was convenient to think in terms of chess pieces when planning. While it didn’t provide specific help, it allowed her to sketch a rough picture. That’s why she had kept using it without throwing it away.
Who knew that habit would become a problem? Because she treated Kay as a piece, she couldn’t think of him as a person. She had run various simulations, but the fact that she hadn’t considered his emotions already made the operation a failure.
“I’ve completely lost this game.”
Fenil knocked over the king piece with a thud.
“Because the king is dead.”
The fallen piece rolled across the chessboard and eventually fell to the floor. But for some reason, Fenil watched the scene with a relieved expression.
“…But reality isn’t a game.”
Fortunately. If it wasn’t a game but reality, there was still a chance. So it was too early to give up. Kay was alive, and the organization was intact.
“If I can just set things right again…”
Yes, if Kay got better, there wouldn’t be any problem. Her calm mind started working tirelessly.
It was too late to restore everything to how it was before. But the crisis might become a turning point. So Fenil decided to bet everything on that possibility.
* * *
Fenil worked hard to fulfill Boss’s request. But the results of effort aren’t always successful. She was teaching Kane the basic methods of controlling Kay’s ability to bring Kay back. However, Kane was in a state of fear towards Fenil. Teaching someone like that couldn’t possibly go well.
She also knew that Kane feared her, so she tried to appear as gentle as possible, but the atmosphere itself was the problem from the start.
Kane kept trembling at the fierce and spirited aura surrounding Fenil. Since she couldn’t detect it herself, no matter how hard she tried, it amounted to nothing more than treading water.
At this rate, it could take more than half a year for Kane to control his ability. Just imagining such a future made her feel uneasy, so Fenil finally decided to use her last resort.
“…So that’s why you called me?”
“You’re the most approachable among us.”
“I am the most mentally stable, that’s for sure.”
Her last resort, Alex, momentarily wore a bewildered expression at Fenil’s sudden words but then nodded compliantly, as if giving up. He had hurried over at Fenil’s message to come as quickly as possible, only to find an unexpected situation unfolding.
After hearing the whole story from her, Alex gazed at Kay, who was on the bed occasionally glancing at them. Oh, or was it Kane?
“Is this our first meeting?”
“Ah… yes.”
“I’m Alex. It seems we’ll be seeing each other often, so I look forward to working with you.”
“Yes, yes… I’m Kane.”
When Alex smiled kindly and spoke gently, Kane, who had been flustered for a moment, bowed. Since he was bowing while on the bed, it created a very strange scene.
It was like the image of intimidating a patient, and Alex could understand why Fenil had called him. She was exactly the kind of person who would frighten someone as timid as Kane.
If Kane was only watching her nervously, there was no way the supernatural ability training would go well. After all, concentration was the most important thing in training. Alex’s gaze slowly examined him.
Kane, trembling like a lamb, was in Kay’s form, which created a fresh shock. This was understandable since the Kay he knew had never once shown fear.
Finding this scene quite interesting, Alex wanted to see other sides of him as well. Especially expressions Kay would never make, like crying or acting cute.
But as if sensing his thoughts, Fenil gave him a sharp look. With her eyes telling him not to mess around, Alex had no choice but to firmly put those thoughts aside.
“Then I’ll leave it to you.”
“I’m not good at teaching.”
“Who here is good at that sort of thing? You just do it.”
Fenil gracefully left, as if finally escaping from a bothersome task. Alex stared at her in dismay.
Could it be that she didn’t fail to teach, but simply didn’t try? No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like she was dumping the task on him…
But the ship had already sailed. He couldn’t catch Fenil now, so he needed to complete the task assigned to him as soon as possible. Alex placed his hands on both shoulders of Kane, who was still kneeling and bowing.
“Eek…!”
Startled by the sudden touch, Kane looked at Alex with a jolt. Seeing Kane trembling, even a nonexistent conscience would feel pain.
“Sorry for startling you.”
“Ah… it’s, it’s okay.”
“Please be comfortable. This isn’t a prison.”
“I, I heard this is ‘Alice’ headquarters… Since I’m a Peace researcher, being comfortable is a bit, well, you know…”
Kane’s eyes, which had been darting around, now stared at the floor. At his dejected words, Alex scratched his cheek, searching for an appropriate response. Perhaps because this was the first time he’d met someone so passive, he wasn’t sure how to approach him.
“No, of course I don’t mean this place is bad! I’m really grateful that you’re being so kind to someone like me!”
Thinking Alex was angry, Kane hurriedly blurted out words.
Alex’s eyebrows furrowed slightly as he was thinking of ways to help Kane relax. There was something that bothered him in Kane’s words.
“Someone like you?”
“Ah… well, I’ve done a lot of bad things.”
Kane unconsciously scratched his hand. Having been scratching since he woke up, his hand already had scabs, but Kane couldn’t stop the behavior. In a state where blood would clearly flow if he continued, Alex covered Kane’s hand with his own.
“Could it possibly be worse than what I’ve done?”
The reason he called himself bad was probably because he had participated in human experimentation. But Alex couldn’t imagine that someone who looked so innocent could have conducted experiments without feeling anything. Though one shouldn’t judge by appearances, no matter how he thought about it, Kane didn’t seem like that kind of person.
Kane, speaking timidly with downcast eyes, looked obviously like a kind-hearted person.
“Like a puppy.”
Alex inadvertently blurted out while watching him. Fortunately, it was a small comment that Kane didn’t hear. He carefully gazed at Kane. It was puzzling how such an atmosphere could emanate from Kay’s appearance. It was like looking at a drenched puppy.
Alex had never been hard-hearted from the beginning. That’s why he had even picked up Boss from the streets. This meant that even knowing Kane was a Peace researcher, he couldn’t treat him coldly.
After criticizing Boss like that, here he was doing the same thing… His ears turned slightly red.
“How pathetic. Really…”
“Pardon?”
“It’s nothing. Besides, I’m just a low-ranking member here, so you can relax.”
“Really? But with that person earlier, you seemed comfortable…”
“She’s my older sister.”
Of course, it was all a lie. But sometimes, a benevolent lie was necessary. To calm Kane, he needed to temporarily step down from his position as an executive.
Though he had impulsively called Fenil his sister, since there was no one to hear it besides Kane, he decided to go with it.
And perhaps thanks to Alex’s efforts, Kane was quickly able to open up to him.
* * *
After treating his wound, Boss headed to his house. He could have kept Kay at the organization, but he didn’t want to. No matter how hard he tried, it would be impossible to completely avoid others’ gazes at headquarters.
He didn’t want to show Kay’s current state to anyone. That’s why he had brought Kay to his house.
Since he had merely moved someone who had fainted, it felt strange to say he “brought” him. After carefully laying Kay on the bed, he covered him with a blanket up to his shoulders. Given his steady breathing, he would likely be asleep for a while.
