Chapter 5: Breather

Master was lying passed out on the couch, again.

I was going to leave later in the morning to get some groceries. We did not have much left other than booze. I had to take care of Master’s health. He was looking much older than what his actual age was.

After turning him to his side, I took the blanket to cover him while he sleeps. I stared at him one last time before leaving.

The market was flooded with customers busy grabbing items on sale.

“I should get something nutritious for Master,” I told myself while picking some fruits. “An apple a day keeps the docto—”

Suddenly, someone grabbed my hand. I turned beside and saw a silver-blond guy. He was holding a cart filled with food and drinks. Behind him were two more guys; probably the friends he mentioned yesterday. He smiled at me, it looked kind but the expression of those ash-gray eyes behind his glasses says otherwise.

He must be pissed that I slipped away yesterday.

“We meet again.” He said without letting go of my hand. His friends went ahead pushing their cart towards the cashier.

“This is harassment.” Not that I could actually make a complaint though.

He chuckled. “Sorry about that.” He loosened his grip. “Are you really not a runaway kid?” His face looks at ease.

“Sorry to disappoint you.”

“No, actually I’m relieved.” He finally let go of me. “Sorry, my bad. I’m a bit nosy, I know. So… As an apology, how about I treat you?”

“I was told not to go with strangers.”

“R-right, smart kid.” He scratched his temple. “Well… It just bothers me to se—”

“It shouldn’t.” I cut him off. I proceeded to put a pack of apples into my cart. “If you wish to work like a charitable institution, you are free to pick other kids. I can handle m—”

Why is this adult-looking man staring at me like a pitiful puppy?

“Am I being hated?” He asked; his eyes fixed on mine.

I wanna stab him.

“I just thought that it would be nice if you could make a few friends.”

I don’t need any. Your sense of righteousness has no place in my life.

“I won’t be bothering you that long anyway. We’ll be going back home in three days.” He made a very soft expression. His voice was low; his tone was begging. “Can we be friends for at least these three days?”

I sighed. “Fine. Just three days.”

His eyes sparkled with joy. He stretched his arm with his palm open in front of me. “So, let me treat you for lunch. I haven’t eaten yet. Ah-! Do you need to go home now? You have some groceries there.”

“No, it’s fine.”

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It would be inconvenient if this turned out to be a trap. If anything happens I have to find my way through without getting Master involved. I have never encountered anyone who is this insistent after being refused so many times. Something was definitely wrong with this man.

After confirming that the place was just a normal family restaurant and ensuring that nobody was eavesdropping in our conversation, I took the sit across the nosy stranger.

“The reddish brown color of your hair suits you well. Is that natural?” He asked comfortably while I could only answer a nod. He then gestured to call for a waiter. “My name is Gavin Freyman. What’s your name?”

“Eleanor.”

That was the name I was to use in this city, according to the documents the handler gave us. We were going to be playing as father and daughter. For other specifics I just have to make up a convincing story.

“Eleanor?”

“Just Eleanor. My father calls me Elle.”

“I see.” He mumbled. “So, you are with your father. You said you are a tourist?”

“Mhm. My father took a leave and decided to take it easy for a while.”

“What does your father do?”

I feel like I am being interrogated.

“He inspects stuff. His job makes him go to different places very often. We are always moving from city to city. I’m used to it. I like exploring the new places too.”

“What about your mother?”

“She passed away.” I answered after a short pause. He looked like he wanted to know more but not sure how to ask. That was one of the common reactions. “My father doesn’t tell me much. She hasn’t been around for as long as I can remember. It’s always been just the two of us.”

He fell into silence. No words were uttered until the waiter arrived to give us the menu. Gavin smiled; the kind of smile that a salesman would pull in front of their customers in order to sell their products. With that smile, he asked the waiter what he would recommend. The waiter then replied courteously while pointing at the menu.

“What do you like to order?” He turned to me.

“Whatever you like is fine.”

He then turned to the waiter. He talked to him for a bit while pointing at the menu. After he finished with his order, the waiter then left with a “nice guy” smile.

“So Elle,” he called.

We’re that close now?

“How do you handle your studies?”

“My father taught me the basics.” I explained. “Once I learned how to read and write, everything else are easy to learn as long as I have the book.”

“I see, you’re an intelligent child.” He chuckled. “It would be such a waste to let you stay like that. Have you ever wanted to attend school?”

“Why are you so concerned about me?”

He laughed while scratching his head. “You see, I’m a medical student. I’ll be graduating next year and then take the licensure exam. Back in the university, I took a lot of volunteer work during the breaks. I went to the places that are far deep in the forests or mountains. Faraway villages that barely have medical facilities. We gave free consultations and medicine.” His back slouched as his sights shifted down. His smile slightly faded. “I thought I wanted to keep helping like this. There are a lot of kids around the world who could have had a better life if someone could just lend a helping hand. I wanted to be that person.”

“I see… How noble.”

The complete opposite of us, huh.

“I don’t sound too convincing, do I?”

“It’s plenty convincing. Considering how persistent you were.” Though it feels like there was something more in this story he does not want to tell.

He laughed. The light in his eyes grew brighter.

“I kind of got addicted to this volunteer work,” he continued to tell his story. “So last week, my friends dragged me here to relax and have some fun.”

Our orders arrived. While having our meal he continued to talk about himself and the places he visited. He told me about some beautiful sights that one could only find far into the wilds. In exchange I also told him a little about the places that master and I have visited. Excluding the job-related parts, recalling it seems to be quite entertaining as well. He looked like he was genuinely having fun.

After finishing our meal, we parted ways. I carried my groceries and took a roundabout way to return to our apartment.

“Did something happen?” Master greeted me as I placed the bag of groceries on the table.

“I met someone.”

“Making friends?”

“Sort of. He invited me to go with him to the library tomorrow. I want to avoid him. He seems like the nosy type.”

“Hmm…” He checked the groceries and then grabbed an apple. “We’re on vacation, go have some fun, learn something new. It’s just the library.”

“Understood.”

“By the way, Handler just dropped by for a bit. It seems that someone is developing a method, or some sort of device, to be able to identify and trace crimes related to people with extra-ordinary abilities. I still don’t know how that’ll be possible but soon it would be difficult to move around once we get identified. I know that you are very careful, but just in case, keep it in mind.”

“I will.”