Holding a watering can filled with water, I sprinkle it onto the flower bed.
A thin stream of water jets out, soaking the colorful flowers. It’s a pleasant sound.
‘Grow well, flourish.’
They say plants grow better when you speak kindly to them.
Unfortunately, I can’t speak.
At least in my mind, I try to offer some positive words, but I stop because it feels awkward, even if it’s just in my head.
I just silently hope they’ll grow properly.
If my sincerity reaches them, they’ll grow well, won’t they?
Thud.
I place the watering can on the ground and crouch down to leisurely admire the flowers.
I gently tap and stroke the petals with my fingers. A strange sensation reaches my fingertips, making me smile softly.
Since opening my eyes in this world, I’ve never really had a proper hobby.
There was no time to think about such things, and it’s hard to find a suitable hobby in a world like this.
‘If anything, my hobbies were probably treasure hunting in trash piles or eating desserts.’
Since coming to the orphanage, I’ve picked up a new hobby.
Gardening the flower bed.
It’s not because the flowers are pretty, or because I had this hobby in my past life. It just ended up this way.
It all started as a simple way to pass the time.
When I wasn’t hanging out with the children and was wandering around out of boredom, I suddenly noticed the flower bed in the yard.
From that moment on, I started watering them whenever I had spare time.
‘This turned out to be quite fulfilling. The children seem to find it tedious and don’t do it much.’
Seeing flowers gives me a curious feeling.
It’s hard to see flowers outside. There are no flower festivals or anything like that. At least not in the outskirts city.
The place is filled with buildings and debris, so there’s no space for flowers or plants to grow. It’s not an ideal environment for plants in this world.
‘You sometimes see flowers growing in cracks on the road, but when you go back, they’re either covered by debris or withered.’
Unless someone cultivates them carefully, they’re rarely seen.
It’s not profitable, so not many people bother.
Maybe that’s why this flower bed in front of me feels special.
‘This really is a screwed-up world. How did I end up here…’
This technologically advanced futuristic city has ironically become a barren wasteland.
Not just plants, but animals too.
Animals that I could easily see in my past life can now only be seen in the zoo, and even then, they’re mostly hologram images or androids.
I’ve heard that real animals can only be found in the rich neighborhoods inside the city.
Though, I haven’t seen it for myself, so I don’t know if it’s true.
Even if I wanted to verify it, I have no intention of going there right now.
Though, maybe one day my mindset will change.
At least, not now.
As melancholic thoughts creep in, I shake my head to clear them away.
‘I should get up.’
As I attempt to stand, I hear hurried footsteps approaching from behind.
Before I can turn around, the source of the footsteps lands on my back.
The sudden impact almost knocks me over, but I manage to steady myself.
“Lily!”
Delicate arms wrap around my neck.
I turn my head to see, as expected, the yellow-haired girl, Lena.
“Are you watering them again today?”
I nod.
“Lily’s so diligent.”
At the compliment, I feel a little embarrassed and shake my head slightly.
“Do you like flowers?”
I hesitate momentarily.
I don’t dislike them, but I can’t confidently say I like them either. I’m unsure of where I stand between the two.
My hesitation causes Lena to look curious.
“Isn’t it because you like them that you do it?”
Is that so?
I tilt my head, not really knowing.
“I like singing. That’s why singing makes me happy. How about you, Lily? Are you happy?”
I ponder deeply.
It’s such a simple question, yet I can’t seem to come up with an answer.
Eventually, I shrug, as if to say, “I guess.”
“Ehh… What does that even mean?”
It seems my answer isn’t satisfactory.
However, Lena doesn’t press further with questions.
With slightly puffed cheeks, Lena’s demeanor changes as if she has noticed something. Her small finger points to somewhere in the flower bed.
“Hey, look at that. The seeds you planted have sprouted.”
Indeed. Those are the seeds I planted.
They’ve sprouted so quickly.
It truly is amazing.
At that moment, Lena takes her arm off my shoulder and backs away.
She places her hands together gently at her chest.
“I’ll sing to help these little ones grow.”
Lena begins to sing.
The soothing melody spreads. It’s a good song.
I have a feeling they’ll grow well. They might even grow tall enough to pierce the clouds.
At the thought, I can’t help but chuckle.
Having finished the last verse of her song, Lena turns to me.
“Alright, now let’s go to the secret base.”
Smiling brightly, Lena holds out her hand to me.
The secret base.
It’s the place where I first met the kids at the orphanage.
I believe it was originally Lena’s secret spot, but after being kidnapped once, she decided to share it with the others.
The children love to play there, and Lena likes to sing songs.
“Actually, I came up with a new lyrics! Fa bat! I need someone to hear it. I’ll give you the first chance as a special honor.”
An honor, huh?
I take her small hand and stand up.
Just as we’re about to leave, someone grabs my hand from the opposite side.
It’s the blue-haired girl, Bada.
When did she arrive?
“Bada… Lily has to read books with me…”
Ever since our visit to the zoo, the distance between me and Bada has decreased significantly.
We’ve spent more time reading books together like this.
“Eh~ I said it first, so it’s my turn.”
“Bada, it should be later. Now is the most exciting part…”
“Since we already made a plan, it should be my turn.”
“My turn…”
Hey. This isn’t a line.
I’ll be torn in half if you guys keep pulling me like this.
As the tension tightens, the two girls start a tug-of-war with me at the center.
Stop!
I’ll really be torn apart like this.
*
The quiet office.
Red was lounging in the chair, resting.
With his head tilted back, he seemed lost in thought, staring blankly at the ceiling.
Eventually, Isaac’s face faintly appeared on the ceiling, causing Red’s expression to crinkle in irritation.
“Why do you keep showing up…”
Isaac’s frequent visits have become more common recently. He really dislikes seeing him.
Suddenly, he recalls a question from Isaac’s junior, Nina, as if it echoes in his ears.
Perhaps because his eyes were closed, the voice sounds vivid.
Why do you dislike the boss so much?
What could the boss possibly have done to make you act so cold towards him?
Red didn’t answer that question.
He couldn’t.
Had his thoughts deepened?
Before he knew it, Red had fallen asleep and began to dream.
The dream takes place on an event from long ago.
The breaking point between Red and Isaac.
That day was the funeral for the children of the orphanage Isaac ran.
Isaac, Red, and a few acquaintance solvers attended.
The weather was atrociously bad.
A cloudy, gloomy sky.
Torrential rain.
A heavy silence filled the air.
Everyone present held black umbrellas, making the atmosphere even more oppressive.
“You’ve done your best. Don’t blame yourself too much.”
“The children must have been incredibly happy during the time they spent with you.”
“This is the world we live in. It was beyond your control.”
Each person offered words of comfort to Isaac.
Though it’s uncertain whether those words were enough of a solace.
“Who could have done such an act?”
“There are no clues left behind, so we can’t even speculate who did this.”
“Surely numerous security robots and systems were installed…”
“It was the location that was a problem.”
The children had gone missing.
At first, a few disappeared one by one, but soon, all of them vanished on the same day.
There was no trace of the children or the culprit.
Isaac mobilized all his power to conduct a search operation, but nothing came of it.
Nothing was found, and the search ended in failure. The children were declared dead.
Given the cruelty of this city, the likelihood of survival was slim, so they assumed the best.
Though no bodies were found, they at least decided to build a grave.
After the funeral ended.
People began leaving, and Red was the only one who remained.
In front of the children’s graves, Isaac still refused to leave.
Seeing him standing there, head bowed, Red felt a pang of sorrow.
Red understood the difficulties of running an orphanage, and how much anguish Isaac must be going through.
Though any words of comfort may not reach him, Red wanted to help alleviate his pain, even a little.
As Red approached Isaac to console him, he halted abruptly upon noticing his side profile.
A smile was spreading across Isaac’s lips.
Caught off guard, Isaac quickly covered his mouth.
Turning toward Red, he lowered his hand and wiped away the smile.
As if it had never existed from the beginning.
Isaac spoke.
“…I appreciate your concern. I’m fine… I’m fine because…”
A voice trembling as though trying to suppress tears, his expression revealing sorrow.
Red wondered if he had seen it wrong.
However, at that moment, as thunder struck and light engulfed the ground, Red saw it.
Isaac’s eyes.
There was no trace of sorrow or despair in those eyes.
It wasn’t the calmness of one who has accepted his fate either.
The eyes were similar to those intoxicated with desire, or those who had achieved their desires.
A chill ran down his spine, and a coldness enveloped his heart.
“Red… what’s wrong…?”
“No, nothing…”
That was when it started.
Red’s discomfort with Isaac.
The dream began to fade like mist.
Red slowly opened his eyes.
“Having a nightmare about that incident…”
Red furrowed his brow.
Perhaps he misjudged the situation.
Maybe the strange thoughts keep leading him astray.
But his instincts, honed through countless solver jobs, tell him otherwise.
So Red investigated secretly.
Collecting data, he found inconsistencies.
The location of the orphanage Isaac ran seemed off. The security systems and guard robot placements were suspicious.
It seemed fine at a glance, but upon closer inspection, there were numerous issues.
Though it might be just his mood, his suspicions grew deeper.
But without evidence, it’s merely speculation.
Afterward, he’s been too busy with solver jobs to pay attention.
But as he keeps crossing paths with Isaac, it brought back memories.
This time, he asked Nina for help.
“What’s up? Red, why did you call me here separately?”
“I’ve always wondered why you hate Isaac so much.”
“It seems like you’ve finally decided to speak up. But that’s something you should address with the boss, not me.”
“…We’ll do that. But before then, wouldn’t you like to visit the orphanage Isaac used to run with me? Just the two of us?”
“Excuse me? What did you just say? Hold on a second… What’s this about? It sounds like you suspect the boss is involved in something suspicious. Could you possibly think the boss is up to no good?”
“…I don’t know for sure. That’s why I want you to come along and see.”
“Why drag me into this? What will you do if I tell the boss? It would be better for you to go alone.”
“It’s because it’s you. You might notice something I didn’t.”
“….”
“What do you say?”
“In return, if we don’t find anything, you must apologize to the boss for all the rudeness so far.”
“I will. You can choose the time freely. But our discussion here today must remain a secret from Isaac.”
“…Agreed.”
It’s time to confirm whether this suspicion is real.
As someone who was once his colleague, a small part of his mind hopes he’s wrong.
Red waits for the call.
