Kazuki sat on the Hyeonak Guild lounge sofa, fiddling with an acorn.
On the phone screen beside him was a breaking news article from Japan.
Prime Minister Takahashi Norio had been in a traffic accident at dawn. Though he was rushed to the hospital, he had passed away shortly after.
Kazuki let out a long, weary sigh.
The one who cast the curse was dead.
But...
He rolled the acorn between his fingers.
[A critical condition has been detected in the owner. Would you like to use the Elixir?]
The curse hadn’t lifted.
That left him with two options.
Kill his father.
Or use the acorn.
'Elixir...'
A legendary item that existed only in rumors—was now in his hands.
He closed his eyes. Despite being no more than a single acorn, it felt unbearably heavy.
Suddenly, he felt foolish for how desperately he had tried to lift the curse.
He had wandered the world for Haejoo, witnessing countless lives and deaths.
And yet, while people were dying helplessly somewhere far away, the acorn had ended up in his hands.
He was hesitating—unconsciously searching for the answer to whether he was someone worth saving, even with an Elixir.
He still hadn’t found that answer.
His thoughts were sinking deeper into darkness when—
creak creak—
A teddy bear the size of a basketball clattered into the lounge.
“...Guru-chan?”
...Didn’t seem like it.
Too small to be Guru.
The stuffed bear waddled all the way up to him, cradling a timer. Then it slowly turned its head toward Kazuki and spoke in a weird mechanical voice.
—This doll will explode in one minute!
“Guru-chan? Y-You can’t make dangerous stuff like this...”
—If you don’t want the bomb to explode, help Guru modify the drone.
So this was the tantrum, huh.
Kazuki gave a troubled smile.
Ever since she made the Creatato Reactor, Guru had wanted to replace the drone’s mana core with it.
The drone was originally a modified toy, so instead of using the mana stone directly, it had to be converted into a standard battery-type format.
There were plenty of battery-form mana stones on the market, but not for something like the newly developed Creatato Reactor.
And Guru didn’t yet have the technical skill to turn the Creatato Reactor into a battery.
That’s why she needed Kazuki’s help.
Kazuki smiled awkwardly, avoiding the bear’s gaze
The reason he hadn’t helped her so far was because Jurim had warned him to ignore her pleas—drones were already dangerous enough.
Kazuki had agreed with that reasoning.
So whenever Guru asked for help, he would distract her with other games.
Even though she was brilliant, Guru was still a kid.
Blow a few soap bubbles, and she’d forget all about the drone and run off to pop them. That’s how he’d gotten by so far...
“Okay, okay. I’ll help. Come here to Sabbuu.”
—Lies. I know you’ll just shoot water rockets and blow bubbles again.
...It doesn’t work anymore.
Smart kid. Kazuki gave an embarrassed smile and raised both hands in surrender.
“Okay okay. I won’t do that this time. I promise with Sabbuu.”
He held out his finger.
—You pwomised Gwu. If you bweak it, you a doofus.
“Yup yup.”
The bear’s eyes flashed once the promise was made.
—But it’s still gonna explode!
“...Huh?”
POP!
The bear burst like a balloon, and colorful confetti fluttered through the air.
Kazuki laughed weakly, and then spotted something where the bear had been.
A toy train was left behind.
...This is—
Kazuki picked it up.
“How did she get this?”
It was a well-worn, deeply familiar object from his past.
He stepped out of the lounge in search of Guru, but only a few guild staff passed by in the hall, bowing in greeting when they recognized him.
Kazuki returned the nods and quietly closed the door as he stepped back inside.
The chipped little train—it was his.
He’d loved trains around the time he started elementary school.
Back in those days when he couldn’t do anything without adults, he’d longed for things that could go anywhere freely.
'...I thought it was lost when I moved into the orphanage.'
He had a good idea who might’ve given it to Guru. Though he had no idea why that person had it.
Kazuki slowly turned the train over in his hands.
There was an engraving he hadn’t seen before on the body.
Remember the footsteps you’ve left behind.
Syria, Yemen, Afghanistan, Gaza, Kenya...
Kazuki chuckled softly at the list of countries.
They were all places where, through NGOs, he had helped connect water lines, build schools, and provide aid.
...Has he been watching me all this time?
A strange surge of emotion welled up.
Pride at being acknowledged. Confidence that he had chosen a different path from his father.
Truthfully, somewhere deep down, he had always been conscious of his father as a part of himself.
Patrilineal karma. A burden passed down through blood.
He’d felt it was his duty to sever that karma.
And digging into that feeling brought out his younger self.
'If it weren’t for me, Aunt’s family wouldn’t have died.'
Even his relentless volunteer work had stemmed from that lingering guilt.
But now Reiji seemed to be saying, “You’re a good person. Not like me.”
“...Footsteps.”
Reading the engraving again filled his chest with warmth, and shook something loose in his heart.
For all his bluster about killing his father, he was just a foolish child still hoping for his dad’s love.
Just then, the door creaked open.
Kazuki looked up, eyes wide, the train still in hand.
A cute little face peeked in.
“Guru-chan, how’d you meet Sabbuu’s daddy?”
“Met him shoppin’ at da mahket...”
“You only passed along this train? Nothin’ else happened?”
He asked ➤ NоvеIight ➤ (Read more on our source) anxiously. The girl nodded.
“He said if he gave dis, Sabbuu might get a wittow happy.”
“Happy...?”
Guru’s eyes dropped to the acorn loosely held in Kazuki’s hand.
“Gwu an’ Sabbuu Daddy bofe hope Sabbuu gets happy... not sick no more, an’ wive wong wong time.”
“...Ah.”
She clearly thought it strange that he hadn’t healed already.
Suddenly, his chest filled with something warm and heavy.
While he’d been searching for a reason to live, this child had been trying to bring him happiness.
“...Sorry for making you worry, Guru-chan.”
Guru looked down and shook her head.
Kazuki wrapped his arms around her.
“Don’t be sick, Sabbuu...”
Her worried voice, filled with love, clutched at his heart.
Without warning, he was flooded with the memory of his father—covering his eyes so he wouldn’t see the corpses of their relatives, then pulling him close.
'...Was that love too?'
Did his father feel, even a little, the same desire to do anything for a small child?
Carrying his son’s toy train for over ten years. Watching from afar. And now, reminding him to remember his path.
He suddenly wondered—Was there ever a time I wanted to live more than right now?
More than the nameless deaths in faraway lands, the love being sent to him hurt more.
His guilt and doubts had already begun to dissolve—melted by those who loved him.
And so Kazuki decided to do what he could for the people he loved now.
[Would you like to use the Elixir?]
Yes.

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