Chapter 136
Mr. Pehrman.
Following Chen down a long hallway, we arrived in front of a massive door. Carved with a giant lion's head, the door exuded an imposing pressure that weighed heavily on anyone who looked at it. I stared up at the massive lion's head. The shimmering gray beast possessed incredibly sharp, piercing eyes.
Chen paused and raised his hand to knock. But Amy bypassed him entirely, throwing the door wide open without so much as a polite tap. Beyond the threshold, Pehrman sat behind a massive desk. As if he had known the door would open exactly like this, he greeted us naturally.
"Welcome."
"Why did you ask to see us?"
Though she had opened the door, Amy didn't step inside. A silent battle of nerves stretched between Pehrman and Amy. After staring at Amy in silence for a long moment, Pehrman shifted his gaze to Shine and me.
"Did you like my gift?"
I nodded slightly at Pehrman's question, clutching my necklace. I could feel the coldness of the large gemstone in my palm.
"How long do you plan on keeping the children standing there? Come in," Pehrman spoke as if scolding Amy. Left with nothing to say, Amy could only let out a sigh.
"Let's go."
Amy gestured to us behind her and began walking forward. Stepping into the room, I looked around. A red carpet was laid out across the vast space. Since there was no bed in sight, it seemed to be Pehrman's study or office. In addition to the desk in front of Pehrman, there was another wide table near the window. Judging by the bookshelves and the mountain of documents piled on top of it, this was definitely where Pehrman did his work.
With the table between us, Amy, Shine, and I sat side by side. Sitting opposite us, Pehrman offered a small smile.
"I heard the story from Jin."
Pehrman raised his hand as he spoke. At his gesture, the people standing around the room began to move. I flinched in surprise. Until they moved, I hadn't even realized there were other people standing in the room. Responding to Pehrman's signal, they began placing pretty teacups and various sweets onto our table.
"He asked me to take good care of the children."
I stared at the unfamiliar sweets, casting a cautious glance at Amy. Am I allowed to eat this? I've already gone way over my snack limit for today. I placed my hands on the table and began to creep them forward, inch by inch.
"Jin asked that? For the kids?"
"Yes."
Amy let out a long sigh, turning toward me to pull me into a tight embrace, trapping me in her arms.
"Ah!"
My hand, which had been reaching for a sweet, was left flailing in the air, completely missing its target. Amy hugged me tightly and spoke.
"Be honest. You didn't do this just because of Jin's request, did you?"
"I am granting his request as well, in a way."
"You're planning to make the kids do something weird, aren't you?" Amy rested her chin on top of my head as she spoke. I whimpered under the heavy, pressing weight.
"Something weird? Me?" Pehrman chuckled softly. His quiet laughter filled the room. "Amy. I have always said this: those with outstanding abilities must receive the treatment they deserve."
"You certainly never let anyone forget it."
"In your eyes, what kind of treatment do you think these children deserve?"
Amy remained silent, her lips pressed into a thin line.
"Your father can finally rest easy. It's been five years since you ran away from home because you didn't want to get married, and now you return with two children like this."
"Father. Surely... you didn't?" Amy squeezed me even tighter as she spoke. Honestly, I couldn't breathe. Unable to bear the suffocation, I began to squirm. Shine glanced at me once, then casually reached out to pop a sweet into her mouth. Me too! I want some too!
"They have already been added to the family registry. Their citizenship papers will be issued within the week, so keep that in mind."
"No... how? Right now, I am their guardian..."
As Amy muttered in disbelief, Pehrman raised his phone and gave it a little shake. At that, Amy hugged me with a strength that suggested she was utterly devastated. Furious, Amy bolted upright from her seat. I dangled helplessly in her arms, swaying back and forth.
"Cancel it immediately. I won't let these children live such a suffocating life."
"If you dislike that, wouldn't it be simple enough for you to take over?"
"Do you have any idea how cowardly you're being right now?"
"Adults are always cowardly, Amy. Think about it carefully. What do you think those children need most right now?"
"That is..."
"I heard the stories. What they went through at the laboratory... and that those people still haven't given up on them."
"Yes..."
Amy's shoulders slumped. I raised my hand and patted her arm. Sensing my movement, Amy gently set me down. Landing safely on the floor, I cleared my throat. Ahem. Hopefully, my voice wouldn't sound weird.
"Mr. Pehrman."
I carefully called out to Pehrman, who sat across from us. His gaze shifted to me. His eyes widened slightly in surprise, flickering with deep curiosity.
"Please don't bully Amy."
Even if they were family, the more Pehrman and Amy talked, the more Amy seemed to wilt. To me, it looked like Pehrman was just bullying her.
Pehrman blinked at my words. His right eyebrow twitched slightly, and then his lips curled into a sudden burst of laughter. "Bwahaha!" Startled by his sudden outburst, I scrambled behind the sofa to hide.
After laughing for a good while, Pehrman wiped a tear from the corner of his eye and spoke.
"You're Jeff, right?"
His gaze drifted down to the necklace resting against my collarbone. I gave a quiet nod.
"Do I look like I'm bullying Amy?"
"Yes."
Pehrman chuckled softly and stood up. I hadn't realized it while he was sitting, but he was incredibly tall. Amy's height was definitely a genetic trait inherited from him.
"Jeff. I like capable people. I believe those with outstanding abilities should receive the treatment they deserve."
Pehrman shed his outer coat. As his dark blue jacket slipped off, his massive, muscular upper body was revealed, shifting beneath his shirt. *Gulp.* I swallowed hard.
Pehrman loosened his tie and rolled up the sleeves of his white dress shirt.
"Father. Surely you don't mean to..."
"Stay back, Amy."
"But!"
Pehrman cast a sharp look at Amy. Meeting his gaze, a white aura began to ripple and surge from Amy's body.
"Amy. The moment you interfere, I will do as I please."
"Father!"
"A capable person should always be given an opportunity," Pehrman said as he raised his hand. The watch strapped to his wrist glinted under the lights. "Jeff. I will give you six chances starting now."
"Chances...?"
"If you can touch my body during six seconds repeated six times, I will grant your request."
I tilted my head at Pehrman's cryptic words. Six seconds repeated six times?
"Father. Jeff is still..."
"The emblem pinned to her chest. Doesn't that mean she is now capable of holding her own?"
At Pehrman's words, the aura of the White King swirling around Amy began to subside. The fading white energy wrapped around her body like a cloak before vanishing entirely.
"By any means necessary, touch my body. You may attack me, or simply grab me. Yes, it might be easiest to think of it as a game of tag," Pehrman offered a playful grin as he spoke.
"Tag..."
I muttered softly, nodding. Shine's gaze held no trace of worry. Filled with absolute faith in my abilities, and seeing that Pehrman harbored no hostility, she remained completely calm.
"Jeff. You can do it."
"Yeah." I nodded at Shine's encouragement. "Alright. I'll do it."
I didn't quite understand what "six seconds repeated six times" meant, but I was confident when it came to tag. Since he hadn't forbidden me from using my abilities, I was confident I could end this game in a single second if I went all out. It was a game I played with Victor from time to time anyway.
"Shall we begin then, Jeff?"
"I'm ready!"
"Start."
The moment the word left Pehrman's lips, I channeled my power. *Crackle!* Blue currents of electricity erupted across my entire body, expanding my senses. Moving faster than thought, guided entirely by instinct, the coordinates of every structure in the room mapped themselves in my mind. The sprawling electromagnetic field allowed me to move my body freely to any point. I immediately took a step.
*Tap.* The instant my light footstep sounded, my vision was washed in white. The world blurred past at blinding speed. Riding the lightning, my body flashed forward and came to a halt directly behind Pehrman.
Got you!
I reached out to touch Pehrman's back, but his body began to move in a bizarre, unnatural trajectory.
"Ah!"
My hand missed its target, grasping empty air. Moving as fluidly as water, Pehrman stepped two paces away from me and spoke.
"You are fast."
Pehrman's smile didn't waver. But the game wasn't over yet. I immediately threw myself toward the next position. A straight line of blue electricity stitched itself through the air. *Zap!* Using the techniques Victor had taught me, and the movements I had learned from Rain. This time, from above! The currents wrapping my body crackled, emitting a brilliant flash. In an instant, I materialized directly above Pehrman's head. My hand was just inches away from touching his hair.
Suddenly, a strange sensation washed over me, and all of my senses began to warp. As I reeled from a wave of motion sickness, Pehrman's voice echoed out.
"Jeff. The first six seconds are up."
*Click.* The sound of a watch ticking echoed from Pehrman's wrist.
"What is this...?"
I stared down at my hands in utter confusion. The electricity that had been wrapping my entire body was gone without a trace. I had definitely activated my power, hadn't I? Even the direction I was facing was wrong. We were standing in the exact same positions as we had been right before the game of tag started.
"Jeff. You can do it."
I heard Shine's encouraging words once again, exactly as before.
"Shine...?"
"Let us begin the second six seconds."
*Click.* The ticking sound echoed once more.