The decision to go with Kyle was probably one that came from the spur of the moment, but the moment I thought about the orphanage, I felt my heart growing weaker.
I… couldn’t find it in myself to refuse.
“I knew you’d join.”
Kyle gave me a knowing smile while looking at me. He looked rather confident that I’d join him on this trip.
I could already feel my stomach sink at the upcoming situation, but if it helped me learn more about this world and the previous ’Seth’, then it had to be done.
I knew that I’d have to go there one day or another.
’Might as well go now rather than later.’
“Well, since you’re joining, I’ll give you a better rundown on the situation and what we’re supposed to do. I know you don’t like scary stuff…” Kyle paused, narrowing his eyes slightly while looking at me. “You don’t like it, right?”
“I don’t.”
What was up with his expression?
For a moment, it almost felt like he was doubting me.
“I really don’t like it.”
“….So you say, but you seem to enjoy it when people get scared by your games.”
“That’s…”
I struggled to come up with a proper rebuke.
“That’s a different matter. And who said that I like it when they get scared? I would never take joy in people’s screams.”
“Never?”
Kyle raised his brow, the doubt on his face becoming even more obvious.
I felt offended.
“You know, Seth.”
Kyle tapped his finger over the table while looking at me.
“I would believe you if you just didn’t smile or chuckle to yourself whenever someone flinched or reacted to your game. You were doing that to me whenever a scary part was coming.”
“Eh…?”
I did that?
Kyle tilted his head.
“Thinking about it, maybe you’re the reason why I didn’t find the game so scary. Whenever a scary part would come, you’d just giggle to yourself.”
“…..”
I wasn’t sure what sort of expression I was making at the moment, but it was certainly not a very good one.
With a shake of his head, Kyle brought his attention back to the files.
“Back to the point, this mission is purely reconnaissance. We’re there to gather intel on the anomaly, to determine if it’s a threat or not. The Section Chief has appointed me as Team Leader and given me the authority to select three people. You’re the first one I’m bringing.”
“…Oh. I’m thankful.”
Kyle rolled his eyes.
“I’m unsure about who to bring next. I’ll think it over in the next couple of hours before deciding. In the meantime, you should start packing up your stuff.”
“Pack up? Now?”
“Of course.”
Kyle clapped his hands.
“We’ll be leaving in a couple of hours. Why else wouldn’t you pack? I’ve already contacted the Matriarch. We’ll be staying there for the next couple of days to a week. The faster we go, the faster we can get this done.”
With a grin, Kyle looked around the room before settling his gaze onto the painting on the wall.
“Hm? This is?”
“That’s…”
Shit!
I immediately started sweating bullets, recalling how I had forgotten to put the painting away while Kyle was in. He was somewhat filled in on the entire museum situation, and while I wasn’t sure if he recognized the painting, I didn’t want to take any risks.
“Right, Kyle. There’s something that I’d like to ask you about.”
“Hm?”
Turning his attention back towards me, Kyle blinked his eyes.
“Sure, what’s up?”
“That… Ehm.” I scratched the side of my cheek while raising the sack in my hand. The one filled with fragments. “Now that I’ve got the fragments, I’m thinking of selling them. However, I know the Guild might not be interested in them. Do you have any idea if there’s some sort of black market around?”
“You’re thinking of going to the black market to sell the fragments?”
Kyle’s expression turned even weirder as he looked me up and down.
“Are you planning on losing your organs?”
“What, no…”
“If you go to the black market to sell the fragments, you’ll definitely get scammed. Your best bet is to go to a smaller Guild and sell the fragments to them. You know what, how about this? I can get you in contact with someone to help you sell the fragments. How about that?”
Hearing Kyle’s offer, I didn’t know whether to smile or cry.
I… just wanted to go to the black market, damn it.
“Err. I think I’d rather go to the black market.”
“What? Why…?”
Kyle’s expression grew serious, suspicious as well. I could tell from the expression he was making that he was thinking things like, ’Why does he want to go to the black market so badly? Is he hiding something?’
Licking my lips, I quickly came up with an excuse.
“…I’ll be honest. I just need to pick up some things to defend myself. I’ve found myself in too many strange situations lately, and since the Guild only offers these items to members, I can’t exactly buy them myself.”
This was the best excuse that I could come up with.
And it wasn’t like I was lying. The (BAU) prevented any Guilds from selling special items to regular people. The only way one could get such items would be by joining a Guild and paying for them through Guild points.
Since I was only a Trauma Counselor, I didn’t have many points.
I couldn’t buy any item even if I wanted to.
“…..”
Feeling Kyle’s gaze, I felt a little fidgety. Did he believe my excuse? Or is he still suspicious? Feeling my heart beat loudly inside of my chest, I found myself growing nervous.
The silence felt like it lasted for a very long time until Kyle eventually sighed.
“Fine.”
“…Oh?”
I hastily raised my head, looking at Kyle while suppressing my excitement.
’He’s really going to tell me?’
“You raise a good point. I would like to give you one of my items, but that’s illegal. I’ll get in a lot of trouble. This might be better, actually.”
Looking around, Kyle grabbed a pen and started jotting something down on a piece of paper before sliding it over to me.
“You can go here once everything is over. For now, get ready. We’re going to be leaving soon.”
“Got it.”
I hastily grabbed the paper and put it in the drawer.
Kyle gave me a small nod before quietly leaving the room. I stood in silence for a short while before letting out a small breath and reaching out for the fragments, and then turning my attention towards the fax machine.
“Since I’ve only got one hour, I guess I’ll have to make the most of it.”
***
Clank!
Coming out of Seth’s door, Kyle’s relaxed expression gradually turned more and more serious.
’Seth is definitely hiding something from me.’
Kyle had been watching Seth closely for quite some time now. While he was mostly the same as the Seth that he knew, something about him felt off.
From claiming he was scared of horror to acting like the complete opposite, to suddenly asking about the black market, everything felt off. Even his games, which made some people scared, were strange.
His excuse regarding the black market seemed believable, but Kyle couldn’t ignore the subtle spark of excitement in his eyes when he gave him the location.
’…I don’t really understand what he’s hiding, but since he isn’t telling me, it might be something that he doesn’t want to share or can’t share. I hope it’s nothing dangerous.’
One of the main reasons why Kyle decided to bring Seth wasn’t just because they were going back to the old orphanage.
But because the Matriarch was there.
’If it’s her, then maybe…’
Kyle shook his head.
“Well, whatever. I’ll think about it more later. For now, I should get packing too.”
Perhaps, he was thinking too much.