Chapter 133
Chapter 133
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Translator: uly
Chapter: 133
Chapter Title: Jin's Guardian
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I nodded.
Honestly, I still had no idea how to treat Jin.
Jin stared at me for a moment before suddenly asking,
"Why do you look at me like that, hyung?"
I knew exactly why Jin was asking such an out-of-the-blue question.
Jin had been a perfectly normal kid until he was ten.
Sure, he was physically superior to his peers, but his interests and love for play were just like any other child's.
Then the planet where Jin lived came under alien attack.
'It was right at the start, when the fourth defensive line collapsed.'
Many people died or were injured.
Including those close to Jin.
No—all the people close to him were gone forever.
The shock from that moment awakened Jin's ability.
A power that let him wield his own emotions and those around him as strength.
The more intense the emotions he could use, the stronger his ability became, and the wider the range he could draw from.
The environment where Jin awakened was a warzone sparked by an alien assault.
War is where human emotions rage most fiercely, so even fresh off his awakening, Jin unleashed tremendous power and repelled the aliens.
Though by then, everyone he knew was already gone.
Anyway, Jin's ability came with a passive function that let him sense others' emotions.
"It's fascinating. No one's ever looked at me like that before."
The words "I'm sorry" welled up in my throat but sank back down.
The protagonist had no choice but to suffer.
He had to grow up straight and true without being twisted by all those negative emotions he absorbed, fighting tirelessly to protect humanity.
Anyone else in the same situation would prioritize their own safety over worrying about others.
Or they'd flee to some isolated spot and cut off all contact with the outside world.
That's why I sometimes felt a sense of respect when I thought about the protagonist.
"Hmm..."
Jin glanced at me and turned his head the other way.
His face seemed a little flushed.
"Do you like it here?"
"Because there aren't people around."
"I see."
"...Also, you know something, don't you, hyung?"
I just let out a faint smile.
Hiding my true feelings in front of Jin was definitely tough.
After going through a few more major events and getting used to his ability, he'd start avoiding conversations about sensing others' emotions, but right now, it didn't seem to bother him much.
"Does it make you uncomfortable?"
"No. Not at all."
"Good. We'll be seeing each other often from now on."
"You're coming back?"
"Here, take this first."
"Huh?"
Jin took the panel I handed him and eyed me suspiciously.
"This is the latest model. Why are you giving it to me?"
"Just put it on and do the user recognition." Jin obediently followed my instructions.
Once the owner recognition was complete, a document loaded up.
Jin's eyes widened as he read the header.
"It's a guardianship agreement form."
"...You're going to be my guardian, hyung?" Jin looked back and forth between me and the document.
He had a deeply troubled expression.
'Was it too sudden?'
I'd agonized a lot over whether to leave the protagonist to his own devices.
At first, I thought he should go through the original story's trials and grow as fated.
But things had already changed too much—like when I'd pulled Rozena and Merdi into the independent unit.
The planet where the protagonist had taken refuge was supposed to be hit by another alien attack around now and abandoned for somewhere else, but with the Triple Link region stabilizing, the story had veered off course.
In a situation like this, did I really need to just leave him be? That's why I'd stepped up as his guardian.
"Why?"
"...Well, if you don't like it, you can refuse. I'll still come visit, though."
Even I couldn't fully sort out my own complicated feelings.
But could Jin, who wasn't yet skilled at handling his ability, really read my mind?
Luckily, Jin made his decision quickly and handed the signed document back to me.
"Here."
"...You decided already?"
"I think it'd be okay if it's you, hyung."
"Hmm..."
"What should I call you now? Godfather?"
"Godfather? Nah, just call me whatever's comfortable."
"Then nothing's changed."
"It has. Starting now."
As I spoke, I looked Jin up and down.
Then I grinned and said, "First things first, let's get you some new clothes. All of them." Now that I was his guardian, I couldn't let him keep wearing those ragged outfits.
"Eh...?" For the first time since meeting me, Jin made a face that matched his age.
*
I'd taken on guardianship of Jin.
Naturally, that included Suri as well.
When Suri heard about it, she agreed without hesitation.
The headmaster seemed surprised that I'd volunteered for Jin's guardianship but didn't object.
He just made sure to leave me with some parting words.
'The headmaster couldn't possibly not know.'
Jin's ability was special.
That must've been why he kept an eye on Jin out of all those kids.
The place I took Jin and Suri to was Quvillion Planet.
The site where the independent unit's operations had kicked off.
Back then, I'd stopped by to recruit the Metal Gear Mercenary Corps as my crew, only to bond with them amid a sudden alien attack, turning that mishap into a blessing—and now it was the second most important stronghold after Terra Planet.
"We're here!"
Suri, who'd been buzzing since the AD Drive ended, plastered herself to the window and cheered.
Quvillion Planet had shaken off the damage from alien attacks over the past half-year-plus and regained its original green luster.
'...Not bad.'
I'd only gotten reports until now; this was my first time seeing it in person.
We'd established a base here for several reasons, but the top one was to properly feed and shelter the 300,000 refugees we'd taken on in place of the Metal Gear Mercenary Corps.
To that end, I'd built an energy amplifier production factory in the first city I'd visited.
It was a mid-sized plant handling only this region's supply, so it couldn't employ everyone, but it breathed life back into the city.
Along with people in related jobs, the city's stabilization let refugees resume the work they'd done before becoming refugees.
"Superhuman! Over here!"
As we disembarked at the spaceport, Tunie Obah was there to greet us with his wife and daughter.
He'd been the colony manager serving as a midpoint relay for evacuating refugees from Lakesis Planet, but at my urging, he'd relocated to Quvillion.
Now he was one of the factory's senior supervisors, and when I contacted him about looking after Jin and Suri, he'd accepted gladly.
'I couldn't just leave them with the Monarch family.'
Suri was one thing, but leaving Jin alone in the Monarch household?
If his condition didn't worsen, I'd call it a win.
The environment would be much better, but for Jin's sake, I figured a normal, bright family atmosphere would suit him more.
"Oppa!" Spotting me, Jenny came barreling over and hugged my waist.
She still had her ever-present rabbit doll tucked under one arm.
I'd thought she'd grow out of it, but seeing the rabbit-ear headband on her head, her obsession seemed even stronger.
"Oppa, why haven't you come see me? I hate you, oppa!"
"...Haha, sorry."
Jenny whined as I picked her up and stroked her hair.
She did this every time she saw me, so her parents didn't bother stopping her anymore.
Because of that, I had to stand there for a while soothing her.
"Mr. Tunie, these are the kids. This is Jin, and this is Suri."
"What cute children!"
His wife looked them over, her eyes sparkling.
Jin and Suri were both naturally striking.
Shelter life had hidden it under tough circumstances, but dressed and groomed properly now, they shone like stars.
"They've matured early, so they probably won't need much hand-holding. Sorry if this is a burden."
"Oh, a burden? With such adorable kids? Ho ho ho. Hello, dears. Auntie Betty here."
"Hello."
"...H-Hello."
While Jin responded maturely to the wife's enthusiasm, Suri hid a bit behind him, shy around strangers.
'It'll get better with time.'
One worry was Jenny.
Clinging to me, she showed zero interest in the two.
"Hee hee."
Jenny burst into giggles when our eyes met, clearly delighted by something.
'Jenny must be that Raviere, huh?'
The name Raviere had bugged me, so I'd investigated through various channels.
There were plenty of people with the same name.
But only Jenny matched the original Raviere's backstory and deep connection to rabbits.
'Such an innocent kid...'
I'd reached a conclusion, but it was hard to feel it viscerally.
Raviere was a key female character on the antagonist side, opposing the protagonist.
A total psycho depicted with mad laughter and intense obsession.
She enrolls at the academy as Jin's classmate, develops a fierce fixation on him, and sparks all sorts of incidents.
I hadn't realized it while writing, but in hindsight, she's a prime cancer-inducing character.
Would this Raviere turn out like that?
I had no idea how many ordeals she'd need—losing her parents, claiming the rabbit doll's name as her own—to become that Raviere, but it was hard to picture it from Jenny now.
Which meant preemptively doing something felt off-base.
How I handled the original story's villain would be a test case for changing my judgment.
"What do you think?"
After introductions, as we headed out, I asked Jin.
"They seem like nice people."
"And Jenny?"
"...Her?"
"She ignored my greeting too."
Jin trailed off, unsure how to respond, while Suri puffed her cheeks and grumbled.
"Yeah? Want me to tell you an easy way to get on her good side?"
"There's a way?"
Suri's eyes lit up.
Jin leaned in, interested too.
I wasn't sure if meddling in the kids' relationships was right, but I couldn't just leave Jenny—the potential queen of jealousy—to her own devices.
"Target the rabbit doll she has."
"...Pardon? The doll?"
"Praise it, buy her a gift one—whatever. Treat it like a real person, not just a toy, and she'll warm up fast."
Both their faces twisted in confusion.
From a normal person's view, it might sound absurd.
But for Jenny specifically, it'd work like a charm.
Jin recovered first and nodded.
"Got it."
"Y-Yeah, me too..."
Suri looked lost, grimacing, but nodded along after seeing Jin.
Suddenly, I felt bad for putting the kids through this.
They were orphans.
The Tunies had agreed to take them in at my request, but they weren't their real children.
No matter what, Jin and Suri would have to mind this family's feelings.
They couldn't just brush off Jenny as a weirdo.
Of course, from what I'd seen, Tunie and his wife wouldn't mistreat them, but since I couldn't keep watching forever, who knew.
I'd thought this was the best option beforehand, but now that it was real, I felt guilty for not doing better.
"Commodore, you're on leave—why are you out here?"
When we arrived in the city, the combat crew had come out to greet us.
And not just them.
Many city residents who remembered me were there too.
At least ten thousand, it looked like, holding up huge holographic picket signs with welcome messages.
"Hahaha. How could we sit still when the captain's visiting?"
"I told you not to prepare stuff like this."
"They came on their own two feet—how do we stop them? They're here just to see your face, so at least give them a greeting."
Feeling sheepish at Amorf's words, I raised my hand and waved.
A massive cheer erupted.
Felt like I was some idol.
The emotions of people who'd regained hope and life washed over me like a tide.
My head naturally turned to Jin standing beside me.
He stood there, mouth slightly agape, looking utterly entranced.