Chapter 122
Chapter 122
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Translator: True Detective
Chapter: 122
Chapter Title: Bluebird (3)
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Crafting something was, for Yuri, both preparation for survival and the one modest hobby that truly sparked his interest.
On top of that, his handiwork wasn't half bad.
No, to be precise, it was at a level you could call talent.
He had the interest, and he had the talent.
Thanks to that, he found enjoyment in it, so Yuri had steadily kept making things.
But lately, while laying the foundation for his small fortress, he had felt the limits of his own skills.
And in the midst of that, the traps in the mechanism had left a profound impression on him.
‘And those were made by the Bone Clan, huh?’
His life mentor, the mercenary old man, had said as much.
[If you ever run into the Bone Clan someday, grab onto their pant legs and hang on—no matter what!]
Even if what you got was junk barely worth calling scrap, the moment it gained the descriptor ‘made by the Bone Clan,’ it could fetch a high price.
But...
‘It’s not an item made by the Bone Clan—it’s the technology to create such items.’
Every single small trap in the mechanism.
All of it had been crafted with the Bone Clan’s techniques, and the chance to learn those techniques was right in front of him.
How could he not be tempted?
If he could learn it, he absolutely had to.
And Yuri had a way to do just that.
His eyes gleamed.
“Lecture application form.”
He’d wondered when he’d ever use that 10,000-point scrap of paper, and now the opportunity had arrived.
But this opportunity came with one major problem.
‘...I don’t know his name.’
According to Theresia’s explanation, the form required the name and affiliation of the instructor you wanted to learn from.
But all Yuri knew was that he was a Bone Clan member.
He’d gone to talk, only to get attacked out of nowhere and chased off in the most absurd way.
He hadn’t even had a chance to learn the man’s name.
‘Is there any way to find out his name and affiliation?’
Yuri stroked his chin, lost in thought.
‘Tormenting him like this time won’t work anymore.’
The Bone Clan man had said it.
He’d be switching missions.
This was probably the last time he could provoke him into a conversation like today.
‘Once the mission switch happens, does he leave the Cradle entirely?’
Would the Bone Clan man leave the Cradle after the handover?
Or get assigned a new mission?
And would his replacement also be a Bone Clan member?
He had no information on any of it.
He wanted to use the lecture application form, but without the info, he couldn’t.
Yuri’s agonized search for a method continued.
Then, in one fleeting moment.
“Huh?”
A memory flashed through Yuri’s mind.
“Maybe...”
Had he found a way?
Yuri’s eyes sparkled clearly.
A faint smile on his lips, he quickly left the spot.
* * *
As March began, the frozen streamlets thawed and began to flow.
Trickle trickle.
And amid the melody of the flowing water, a small humming tune mixed in.
“Hmm~.”
The one crouched by the stream in his underwear, humming away nonstop, was none other than Jerry Bee.
“Hmm, hmm-hmm!”
The weather had warmed a bit, but the water was still quite cold—yet Jerry paid it no mind as he scrubbed every inch of his body.
Splash splash.
Was he washing his face, swimming, or shampooing his hair?
After washing from face to scalp in one go, Jerry stood and stared intently at his reflection in the water.
And then.
“Whew-.”
Sweeping back his wet blond hair, he flashed a grin.
“Damn, I’m handsome.”
Every time he washed, Jerry thought the same: with looks like his, he wouldn’t lose to anyone.
Lost in self-admiration, he was about to wrap up when he paused.
“Hmm...”
Letting out a soft groan, Jerry pondered for a moment before crouching down again.
“...Let’s wash a bit more.”
Normally, he’d stop here.
But not today.
Today was the day he faced a once-in-a-lifetime moment.
Reflected in the water, Jerry’s amber eyes filled with resolve.
‘I can’t meet her looking sloppy!’
And so he washed even more meticulously than before.
A lively hum escaped his lips once more.
And that song brimmed with excitement.
Hmm~ hmm-hmm!
The reason for his joy and excitement today.
The reason he was grooming himself so thoroughly.
It all stemmed from Theresia, whom he’d met two hours ago.
[There you are.]
She’d approached with a slightly pleased expression, as if she’d been looking for him for a long time.
But unlike that initial warmth, she hesitated, fumbling for words.
[Um... got a minute? I need to talk.]
Then, as if avoiding his gaze, she bowed her head demurely.
[I’ll be waiting there.]
She handed him a note and vanished like she was fleeing.
All the 49th Cohort members watching, including Jerry, were stunned by Theresia’s retreating figure.
‘Theresia... was embarrassed?’
Unable to meet his eyes, head bowed shyly.
Fleeing the scene.
Anyone could see it was embarrassment.
And at Theresia’s reaction, Jerry and everyone around gaped in unison.
Who was Theresia?
The iconic figure who’d joined the Golden Dragon Platoon and relentlessly pushed herself to claim the top spot in the 49th Cohort.
She was a training fanatic, and because of that, she kept no one closer than arm’s length.
Yet that very isolation only fueled the 49th Cohort men’s admiration for her.
Her stunning beauty.
The noble woman who drove herself so hard.
To the 49th Cohort men, Theresia was something sacred—untouchable, and not to be touched lightly.
And yet.
Theresia Winchester!
She’d handed a note to a man with that embarrassed look!
Everyone knew what that meant.
To the 49th Cohort men, it was nothing short of blasphemy.
Rumble—
Killing intent surged in an instant.
But Jerry, the target, had slipped away long before.
Fleeing his comrades, Jerry dove straight into polishing himself up.
“Perfect.”
After a full two hours of grooming, Jerry admired his flawless self with satisfaction.
He dressed quickly, spread his arms wide, and took a deep breath.
Suuuuck—!
The still-chilly winter air filled his lungs.
But Jerry caught the faint spring scent mixed in.
His heart thumped.
‘Is spring finally coming for me?’
Grinning, he pulled the note from Theresia out of his pocket and sniffed it.
Sniff sniff.
It just smelled like paper, faintly, but to Jerry, it came across as something entirely different.
‘Sweet.’
Wasn’t this sweet scent her clumsy aroma of love?
Recalling Theresia’s shy departure, Jerry unfolded the note.
“Your handwriting’s as neat and beautiful as your looks, my goddess.”
Smiling warmly, he checked the promised meeting spot and time, then headed out.
Plenty of time left, but a gentleman arrives early to wait, right?
“Hmm~.”
The two-hour hum resumed as Jerry walked with steps full of anticipation.
A short while later.
Jerry finally arrived at the meeting spot.
“Huh?”
He spotted emerald hair in the distance and froze.
‘This early?’
He’d come early himself, but Theresia had beaten him there.
Jerry nodded, as if it made sense.
‘Guess Theresia’s nervous too.’
Probably arrived early from anxiety.
Thinking that, Jerry imagined how to respond to her impending confession as he approached.
Finally facing Theresia.
“You’re early?”
He greeted her in a husky voice, flashing what he thought was a handsome smile.
‘A perfect smile, right?’
On the other hand, he worried a bit.
What if his perfect smile made her heart race and tense her up more?
But Theresia looking at him showed no tension.
If anything, she seemed a little awkward and deeply apologetic.
“Haa...”
With a small sigh, Theresia turned her head back.
“He’s here.”
At her words, a figure emerged from behind a tree pillar.
A beautiful boy with black hair and golden eyes.
It was Yuri.
He walked to Theresia’s side and held out a piece of paper.
“Good work.”
Theresia took the paper marked 【Meal Voucher】 and eyed it suspiciously.
“This really means you’ll make whatever I want to eat, anytime?”
“Of course. One meal, no matter the cost.”
At Yuri’s firm answer, Theresia finally dropped her dubious look and smiled faintly in satisfaction.
But it lasted only a moment.
Turning to Jerry, the smile vanished, leaving only faint apology.
“Well then... you two talk.”
Theresia left those words for Jerry and fled the spot.
Just like a few hours ago.
Question marks popped up over Jerry’s head as he watched her go.
‘...What’s going on here?’
The scene unfolding before him refused to make sense.
Standing dazed for a while, Jerry finally summed up his situation.
‘I... got sold?’
For just one meal?
Theresia’s shy, bowed head from hours ago flashed in his mind.
Now he got it.
‘That’s why she couldn’t meet my eyes...!’
She’d avoided his gaze out of guilt for selling out a comrade for a single meal.
Realizing the truth, Jerry looked up at the sky in despair.
“...Cold world.”
The spring he’d longed for didn’t come.
Only the biting winter continued.
His gaze dropped from the sky to the ground.
Drip.
A clear teardrop fell from the heartbroken man’s eye.
And that’s when it happened.
“Hey, you crying?”
A black head suddenly thrust under Jerry’s face.
“Kyaa!”
Startled into a backward stumble, Jerry glared at the grinning Yuri.
‘That bastard!’
Yeah, this was all that guy’s doing.
If he hadn’t used Theresia to set this up!
Then he wouldn’t have deluded himself and gotten hurt!
Grumbling inwardly, Jerry scrutinized the black-haired boy.
‘Handsome in an annoying way.’
First, the annoyingly good looks caught his eye.
Then he noticed something odd.
‘Red epaulet? That means 50th Cohort?’
Theresia, who didn’t even mingle easily with the 49th, was chummy with the 50th?
From their earlier exchange, they seemed awfully close.
‘Who the hell is he?’
Frowning as he studied Yuri, Jerry tilted his head repeatedly.
‘But... he feels weirdly familiar.’
A face he’d never seen, yet it felt familiar—why?
And not in a good way.
A displeasing, ominous urge to bolt.
Jerry asked stiffly.
“Who are you? Why’d you call me out?”
Yuri waved his hand casually.
“Hey, Jerry-senpai. How’ve you been?”
The overly friendly tone made Jerry flinch back.
“Y-You?!”
His face had gone pale.
‘D-Damn! No wonder he felt familiar!’
That nagging ominous feeling.
The cheeky, rude voice calling him “Jerry.”
Only one person fit all that.
Jerry pointed accusingly and yelled.
“You crazy psycho bastard!”
Yuri’s eyes curved dangerously at the shout.
“If you curse me right to my face like that, who knows what the crazy psycho bastard might do?”
“Th-That...”
“Stop right there. One more step back, and any senior treatment goes out the window.”
“When did you ever treat me like a senior...”
“Tsk!”
“R-Right.”
Jerry caught on.
Yuri’s “senior treatment” was just a euphemism for basic human decency.
Realizing that, he froze in place and forced an awkward smile.
“Haha, s-so, what brings our busy junior here? I’ll handle it quick and clean since you’re pressed for time!”
“As expected of Jerry-senpai. We really get each other.”
Yuri smiled, pleased.
Then he wiped the smile away.
“Jerry-senpai, you know where the group in the Cradle that buys and sells info is, right?”