*
Kazuki, sitting on the sofa in the Hyeonak break room, fiddled with the acorn.
A Japanese article was displayed on the phone screen beside the sofa.
It was breaking news that Prime Minister Takahashi Norio had been in a traffic accident at dawn and had been rushed to the hospital but had died shortly after.
He let out a long breath, his face weary.
The one who had cast the curse was dead.
But…….
He rolled the acorn.
[A major abnormal condition has been detected in the owner. Will you use the Elixir?]
The curse had not disappeared.
Then there were two methods available to him now.
Kill his father.
Or use this acorn.
‘Elixir…….’
A legendary item spoken of only in folklore was truly in his hands.
He closed his eyes. The acorn, no more than a single kernel, felt heavy.
Suddenly, he felt pathetic for having tried so desperately to break the curse.
He had wandered the world for Haeju, witnessing countless lives and deaths.
And instead of people dying helplessly in some distant place, the acorn was in his hands.
Unconsciously, he had been hesitating, searching for an answer to the question, ‘Am I truly someone who should live, even if it means using the Elixir?’
Even now, he had not found the answer.
It was when his thoughts were sinking into darkness.
Squeak, squeak—
A teddy bear roughly the size of a basketball came clanking into the break room.
“Geuru-chan……?”
……But it didn't seem to be Geuru?
It was too small to be Geuru.
The peculiar thing about the teddy bear that waddled right up to him was that it was holding a timer; the bear turned its head toward Kazuki with a whirring sound, opened its mouth, and emitted a strange mechanical voice.
- This doll will explode in one minute!
“Geuru-chan? Y-you shouldn’t make dangerous things like this…….”
- If you don't want the bomb to go off, help Geuru modify the drone.
So this was why Geuru was suddenly being spiteful.
Kazuki smiled with a troubled expression.
After creating the Critato Reactor, Geuru had wanted to replace the drone's mana stone with the reactor.
Since the drone was a modified toy, it couldn't use the mana stone as-is; it had to be reshaped into a standard battery form.
While existing mana stones were commonly sold in battery forms, there was no way a ready-made product like that existed for the Critato Reactor, which had only just entered development.
And Geuru didn't yet have the dexterity to reshape the Critato Reactor into a battery form.
That was why Kazuki's help was needed.
Kazuki avoided the teddy bear's gaze and let out an awkward laugh.
The reason he hadn't helped Geuru until now was because Jurim had hinted that drones were dangerous enough as they were, so he should ignore any requests for help.
In fact, Kazuki agreed with that.
That was why, whenever Geuru asked for help, Kazuki would divert Geuru's attention with other games.
No matter how smart Geuru was, Geuru was still a child.
If he made a few soap bubbles, Geuru would soon forget about the drone and run around trying to catch them; until now, he had brushed off Geuru's requests in that manner, but…….
“Yeah, yeah, got it. I'll help you, so come to Master.”
- Liar. I know you're going to say that and then shoot water rockets and blow soap bubbles at me again.
……That doesn't work anymore now.
Clever kid. Kazuki raised both hands in surrender, his face flushing.
“Okay, okay. I won't do that this time. I promise—Master promises.”
He extended his finger.
- You promised Geuru. If you break it, you're a fool.
“Yeah, yeah.”
The doll's eyes flashed after extracting the promise.
- But it's still going to explode!
“……Huh?”
Pop!
The doll burst like a balloon, and colorful paper scraps fluttered through the air.
Kazuki laughed weakly, “Ahaha,” but then discovered something where the teddy bear had been and fixed his gaze on it.
A toy train had been left there.
‘……This is.’
Kazuki picked up the train.
[“How did you get this?”]
It was a memento worn smooth from handling.
He went out of the break room looking for Geuru, but only a few employees who recognized Kazuki passed by, greeting him.
Kazuki accepted their bows and returned to the break room, closing the door.
“…….”
The train with its broken corner had been his.
Around the time he had entered elementary school, he had loved trains.
In a childhood where he couldn't do anything without adults, he had longed for things that could freely go anywhere.
‘……I thought it had disappeared when I moved to the orphanage.’
He had a hunch who had given this to Geuru. Though he didn't know why that person had kept it.
Kazuki slowly turned the train over in his hands.
“……?”
A message he had never seen before was engraved on the body.
[Remember the footsteps you have passed through.
Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, the Gaza Strip, Kenya…….]
Seeing the names of the countries he had passed through, Kazuki let out a short laugh.
The countries written on the train were places where Kazuki had followed NGOs, sparing no effort in various forms of support such as connecting water supplies and building schools.
‘Have you been watching over me all this time?’
A strange emotion welled up inside him.
Feelings of pride at being acknowledged, and the conviction that he was forging a path different from his father's.
Truthfully, in one corner of his heart, he had been conscious of his father as if the man were a part of him.
Paternal karma. As if the sins passed down through blood were his own.
He had felt that it was his responsibility to sever his father's karma as well.
If he dug deep into that heart, the child he had been appeared.
If it hadn't been for him, his aunt's family wouldn't have died.
His dedication to volunteer work had been an extension of that mindset. Because of that sense of debt.
And yet, Reiji seemed to be saying, ‘You are a good person, unlike me.’
“Footsteps…….”
The moment he read the words again, his heart felt full and yet unsteady at the same time.
He had spoken so boldly about coming to kill his father, yet in truth, he was like a foolish child who still longed for his father's love.
Then, the door opened slightly.
Kazuki, standing with the train in hand, opened his eyes wide.
A cute child was peeking her face through the gap.
“Geuru-chan, how did you meet Master's father?”
“I met him while buying groceries at the mart…….”
“Did you only give him this train? Nothing…… happened, right?”
When he asked worriedly, the child nodded.
“He said if you received this, Master would be a little happier.”
“Happy?”
Geuru lowered her gaze to the acorn Kazuki was loosely holding in his hand.
“Geuru and Master's daddy want Master to be happy……. Don't get sick, and live a long, long time.”
“Ah…….”
Geuru had clearly found it strange that he wasn't healing himself right away.
Suddenly, his chest felt full and tight.
While he was searching for the qualification to live, the child had been struggling to find happiness for him.
“Sorry for making Master worry, Geuru-chan.”
Geuru lowered her gaze and shook her head.
Kazuki hugged Geuru.
“Master, don't get hurt.”
The voice speaking so worriedly filled his chest with deep affection.
Truly out of nowhere, the final image of his father covering his eyes so he couldn't see the dead relatives and embracing him overlapped and surfaced.
‘Was that affection too……?’
Had his father also felt a desire to do anything for his small child?
After holding onto his child's train for over ten years and watching his steps, even now telling him to remember those footsteps?
“…….”
Suddenly, he wondered if there had ever been a time when he wanted to live more than he did now.
The affection sent to him was more heartbreaking than the nameless deaths in distant lands.
Before he knew it, his guilt and worries had melted away through the people who loved him.
Kazuki decided to do what he could for the people he loved now.
[Will you use the Elixir?]
Yes.
Leave a chapter review
[Drone expected to be grade B, revealed to actually be grade A+…….]
[“A railgun no one can follow” — A drone soaring endlessly on the wings of the Critato Reactor, and Gnovation]
[Buy a railgun drone and get a Critato Reactor 1+1? Bidding competition chaos worldwide]
*
Blah blah
[Title: All you guys nitpicking about the Emperor Drone, come out]
Thanks to you, my older brother made the Critato Reactor, thank you!
Jjab-men
[Comments]
- LOL Jjab-men
- What? Nitpicking battery efficiency? Yep, it's the Critato Reactor~
Kiya~~~ Jjab-men
- The Hyeonak lunatics are swarming again
Jjab-men
You're gonna nitpick again?
Even if you nitpick, we're just grateful hahaha
- Bro… if he nitpicks something else, what else could he make?
Ha, thrilling.
- They're doing it again. Hyeonak is always like this, so we can't even try to like them
Shh, be quiet, the Critato Reactor is listening
F*** LOL
Have they gone mad LOL
[Title: How's Hyeonak these days?]
It's a total festival atmosphere, right?
I'm jealous
[Comments]
- For us, it's just the usual, so whatever LOL
Usual my ass LOL please just trip and fall onceㅜ
[Title: What about a man like this as marriage material?]
Specs: Passed Hyeonak document screening lol
[Comments]
- Please fail the interview please fail the interview please fail the interview
- That single lol is the most annoying thing
[Title: How did Hyeonak really recruit Jjabsso?]
Honestly, I didn't know he'd blow up this much…
If I regressed, I'd want to recruit him LOL
[Comments]
- Fact) Even if you actually regressed, you wouldn't know who he is, so you couldn't recruit him.
Real LOL
- Why does still nobody know who Jjabsso is? Hyeonak bastards act all high and mighty online but don't have the guts to go ask On Jurim?
Not easy
Ah, cowards LOL
[Title: On Jurim must be happy every day, right?]
At the office: Jjabsso
At home: Geuru
[Comments]
- CEO On must be at peak happiness these days
*
“Haaaahm—”
Jurim came out into the living room, still bathed in dawn light, and yawned.
“What time is it…….”
In contrast, Geuru answered in a lively voice.
“6 o'clock!”
“Ha…….”
Having to wake up at 6 on a Saturday…….
‘Unhappy.’
Jurim rubbed his face with both hands and staggered about as Geuru pushed him from behind.
He couldn't even open his eyes properly as he brought a large delivered box inside from the front door and opened it.
Beside him, the package's owner—a tiny little squirt—was hopping up and down in excitement.