Chapter 37
Chapter 37
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Vine
Chapter: 37
Chapter Title: A Great Resolve
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Two weeks had passed since the commotion.
Nothing had changed since my safe return to the orphanage.
Red and Rene's attitudes toward me were also the same.
There must have been a few suspicious things, like the destroyed laboratory. But contrary to my expectations, the way they looked at me hadn't changed from the beginning.
No. To be precise, their gazes had grown gentler.
They didn't ask any difficult questions, rendering the various excuses I had prepared useless.
It all ended with a few simple check-ups and treatment for my injuries. They didn't bring up the incident again.
Was it out of consideration for me? Or because they didn't find me suspicious?
Whatever the reason, it felt a bit unsettling how lightly they let it go, but thanks to that, I could move on easily, which was good.
And now.
I was spending my time as usual, in a perfectly ordinary way.
Nom, nom.
Like this, I was spooning up the pudding I'd been saving, little by little.
The moment the pudding entered my mouth, sweetness filled it completely.
Hehe. Delicious.
Behind my mask, my lips curled into a wide, silly grin.
I wanted to roll the pudding around in my mouth forever, but moments of happiness are always fleeting.
I was watching TV, inwardly swallowing tears as the pudding grew smaller and smaller.
The children were busy playing outside. At this time of day, their favorite cartoons weren't on.
For that reason, I had the TV all to myself.
The TV was abuzz with hot news.
The shocking truth about a certain Fixer.
The story was that while he presented a righteous facade, he was committing horrific crimes behind the scenes.
The world was currently in an uproar over Isaac's story.
Whether it was newspapers, internet broadcasts, or the news, they all slapped on some sensational headline and talked only about Isaac.
It was unavoidable. Isaac was a Fixer who cared about public perception and had a reasonably good image.
The shock was bound to be greater when someone thought to be a decent person in this world was revealed to have committed such heinous crimes.
For those interested in worldly affairs, he was truly prime fodder.
And since he held a certain social standing, it made the story all the more delicious.
[It's incomprehensible. Why would a Fixer like Isaac commit such crimes? What could he have possibly lacked that made him turn to evil?]
[Perhaps he became a Fixer from the very beginning to hide his criminal activities. We were all completely fooled by him.]
[According to our association's investigation, Isaac was mentally unstable and possessed antisocial tendencies from the start. He had been falsifying documents to hide his violent nature... While this is unrelated to the association, we will be thorough to prevent such incidents from happening again....]
[Hmph. I knew he was that kind of person from the start. The way he always smirked and flirted with everyone around him seemed like he was hiding something.]
Those who condemned Isaac, those who reveled in the fall of a socially prominent figure, those who defended themselves to protect the association's credibility, and so on.
Like hyenas, many seized the opportunity to tear into him with relish.
They say a tiger leaves its skin when it dies, and a person leaves their name.
To be remembered not as the hero he so often proclaimed himself to be, but as a villain. A fitting end for someone who built their reputation on deceit and pretense.
The children, too, were quite shocked by the truth about Isaac.
I still vividly remember the children's faces when they heard the news.
“No way... To think Isaac did those things. I'm shocked...”
“He always had a smile on his face. To think it was all a lie.”
“*Sob*. I had no idea he was that kind of person.”
“Shocking...”
He was fairly close to the children, after all.
The sense of betrayal must have been as great as their trust in him.
For the record, the children knew nothing about the attack.
They were all asleep when the attack happened. Additionally, Lena, who had briefly come out to the yard, seemed to have been too drowsy to know what was going on.
Well, it all happened in one night, and there was no need for them to know, so the two women didn't say anything.
I turned off the TV.
I got up from my seat.
I headed to the kitchen to take my empty bowl.
Well, even if things were noisy with this story for now, it would soon be buried by new problems as time passed.
Controversies about Fixers' characters were a dime a dozen, anyway.
This commotion was just a common, trivial incident.
In reality, our daily lives remained unchanged.
They flowed on just the same.
Still, on such an ordinary day, we were about to face a special event.
A very special one.
“Ahem.”
Dinnertime.
After the meal was finished.
In the room where all the children were gathered.
She cleared her throat, drawing the children's attention.
“Today, Lily has made a very big decision.”
I could feel all eyes turning to me, hiding behind Red.
“Believe it or not, Lily is going to take off her mask.”
A shocked silence fell at the stunning declaration.
A moment later.
The children's eyes widened.
"""Whaaaaaat!?"""
I wondered if it was really that surprising, but then I remembered I hadn't taken off my mask for months since coming here, and I understood how the children felt.
“Now.”
With Red's encouragement and a gentle push, I stood before the children.
I took slow breaths to maintain my composure.
I had decided to take off the mask.
At least inside the orphanage.
Was it because I'd shown my face to the two of them? They had suggested it. If I was okay with it, how about I go without it, at least inside the orphanage?
After deep consideration, I had made my decision.
I had grown pretty close to the children during my time here.
And I couldn't just keep taking advantage of Red's kindness.
The children kept knocking on the door to my heart, so it would probably be okay for me to open it a little in return for their kindness.
I think it'll be fine, at least with the people here.
Well, wearing the mask all the time was inconvenient anyway. I should at least be comfortable inside, right?
With slightly trembling hands, I slowly removed the mask.
“......”
Seeing their faces, which were exactly as I had expected.
A bitter smile formed on my lips.
*
Red stepped out of the noisy room.
The sounds of the children from the room brought a smile to her face. They all seemed quite surprised by Lily's appearance.
She completely understood how they felt. The moment she saw Lily's face, she too had been incredibly surprised.
To think such a face could exist in this world.
She was like a lone star shining in the darkness. It naturally drew the eye, and she understood why Lily had hidden her face with a mask.
It would be a problem outside, but inside, it would be fine.
Red went out into the yard and stood in a shady spot.
She put a cigarette to her lips.
Red looked up.
The sky was filled with gloomy clouds.
Her eyes seemed lost in deep thought.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
Red lowered her head and glanced over.
It was the woman with long blue hair, Rene.
Rene approached Red and stood beside her.
“Just this and that...”
“Is that so? Well, you've been busy lately because of that Isaac fellow. It wouldn't be strange to have a lot on your mind.”
Red had gathered evidence of Isaac's evil deeds and spread it to the world.
Naturally, as a result, the Fixer Association was in an uproar.
When the association got busy, it was only natural that its members would get busy too.
She was swamped with work.
And one more thing.
Even though they'd grown distant, Isaac had once been her comrade.
It wasn't strange for her to be lost in thought over the fact that a former comrade was actually such a cruel and wicked person. The human heart can't be understood through reason and logic, after all.
Of course, Rene could tell from Red's face that wasn't the only reason.
Perhaps the reason Red was so deep in thought was...
“Come to think of it, I didn't expect Lily to take off her mask. I brought it up, but honestly, I didn't know if she'd agree.”
Red's eyebrow twitched slightly.
“I know. I was surprised myself, deep down.”
“She's a really strong child. It must have taken a lot of courage to take off a mask she was so reluctant to remove.”
“Lily was a strong child from the beginning.”
“That's true. She's fine even after going through all that. It wouldn't be strange if she developed trauma.”
A slight shadow fell over Red's face.
Rene, who couldn't miss the worried look on her face, spoke.
“Did you hear something about Lily from Isaac? Is that why you're thinking so hard?”
“Not really. He didn't seem to know much about Lily either.”
“Really? From the way he spoke, it sounded like he knew something...”
Rene tilted her head.
Red exhaled a puff of smoke and slowly opened her mouth.
“But I did learn one thing for sure.”
“What is it?”
“That she's very different from the other children.”
“In a good way? Or a bad way?”
Red told her honestly what had happened that day.
That at the scene, in the laboratory, a faint trace of the Grim Reaper's power remained.
Rene was very surprised.
“Huh!? The Grim Reaper?”
“Yes. It was too faint to be certain, but a similar energy remained.”
“Hmm... Could it have been a mistake?”
“Normally, I would have just dismissed it. But there was a monster Isaac had created there.”
She had learned of the monster's existence from Nina's data and her own research.
In other words, the monster should have been in the laboratory.
It was gone.
It couldn't have disappeared on its own, which meant someone had dealt with it.
And.
The only person inside was Lily.
In other words, it meant there was a high probability that Lily had taken care of it.
“Are you saying Lily is closely connected to the Grim Reaper?”
“I'm not sure about that either. When I subtly asked about what happened there, Lily seemed to have no idea. I can't tell if she's feigning ignorance, if she really doesn't know, or if she's just unaware.”
A strange light gleamed in Rene's eyes.
She clapped her hands together.
“Now I understand why the Cult of the Grim Reaper is after her.”
“We'll find out the exact reason once we beat it out of the Cult of the Grim Reaper.”
Red blew out smoke with a worried expression.
Isaac, who had been targeting Lily, was gone.
But this wasn't the end.
“Something even bigger might happen to her.”
“Do you regret it?”
“No.”
Red answered without a hint of hesitation.
Isaac's words suddenly came to mind.
*Lily is a bug. That child shouldn't exist in this world.*
Certainly, if Lily were closely connected to the Grim Reaper, his words would be true. Perhaps that little girl could bring about a great disaster.
But!
Red dropped the fully smoked cigarette on the ground and stomped it out.
No life exists that shouldn't have been born.
There is no life whose existence is a sin.
No matter what anyone said, Red would deny it with all her might.
“Well then, shall we go inside?”
“Wait! The smell of smoke isn't good for the kids. You should air out before you come in, Red.”
Red stumbled at Rene's remark.
She gave a dry laugh and said she understood.