Chapter 43
“Be honest. You’re not getting any… sponsorship or anything like that, right?”
“What?”
“You know, sponsorship.”
Sponsorships were simple. They were what rich pedophiles did—using their wealth to support lost, young boys and girls as a way to satisfy their twisted desires. It was a practice I despised even more than prostitution through street pimps.
In the organization I used to run, there were quite a few people who had suffered under scumbags like that and had come to us for help, so I knew exactly how vile it was.
“Is someone threatening you? Forcing you to do things you don’t want to do? Hurting you? Beating you? If that’s the case—if that’s really the case—”
My breathing started to quicken. My whole body trembled like a leaf. My pupils dilated, the muscles in my face stiffened, and my limbs turned rigid.
I was scared.
It felt like someone had touched the weakest part of me. I knew full well that Mayra, Anna, and I hadn’t survived because we were skilled—but because we were lucky.
I still vividly remembered all the children who were exploited and sacrificed just for being young and trusting. That’s why I became so attached to Mayra and Anna. That’s why I wanted to protect people as much as I could, to gain power, to throw punches.
If this boy had gone through the same thing… If he didn’t even realize the pain he was in, if he was just suffering silently…
It was too much.
Suddenly, I felt like I couldn’t breathe at all. My breath caught in my throat. Why couldn’t I breathe? Why…?
“Verdette.”
It was then that Jute stepped toward me and quickly tapped both my temples with his index and middle fingers. His fingers moved swiftly and precisely, as if trying to stimulate something.
What… what did he just do? I forgot what I was about to say and looked at him.
As soon as our eyes met, Jute spoke briefly.
“It’s not.”
“What’s not?”
“Whatever it is you’re imagining—it’s not that.”
“How—how do you know what I’m imagining—”
“I just do. Now breathe.”
He cut me off and gently cupped both of my cheeks in his hands.
“Listen carefully, Verdette. I’m not being abused, I’m not tainted, and I haven’t stolen or extorted anything from anyone. I know what you’re thinking, but I’m sincerely asking you—please stop.”
Stop.
The moment he said that, all the chaos in my head halted. I could breathe normally again. The trembling stopped, and my body, which had been freezing, began to warm up.
I stared at Jute, who stood in front of me, as if I’d just woken up from a dream. What… what just happened? One thing was clear—I had gotten far too worked up.
Trying to act like everything was fine, I asked again,
“…Then what is all this?”
“I told you. It was given to me by people.”
“No… why on earth would they give you all of this?”
“They probably want something. They come to me on their own, wishing for something.”
“But these luxurious things here…”
“They’re mine, but also not mine. If someone steals them, I don’t care. Even if I lose them, it’s fine.”
What the hell is he talking about?
He was answering every question I asked, but none of it made sense. Or rather, everything he said just sounded like nonsense.
I looked at Jute with a confused expression.
His face was oddly serene, and his eyes were full of conviction.
Why is he so firm, so unwavering? How can he be spouting nonsense like that with such certainty?
“Anyway, the reason I brought you here was just to show you where I live. I’ve seen your reaction, so that’s enough. You can rest as long as you want before leaving. There’s no food, but there’s water.”
The topic shifted so quickly that I frowned. What? You’re just moving on like that?
What is all this? It felt like I was dreaming.
Actually… maybe it was a dream. A random, nonsensical dream.
“It’s not a dream.”
Even though I hadn’t said anything aloud, he responded.
The timing of his answer was strange—like he had read my mind.
I feel like this happened once before…
Suddenly, a strange sense of déjà vu hit me, and my eyes widened.
Right.
That man.
That man had answered my thoughts like this, too.
Of course, comparing Jute to him like this was weird. Besides, their looks, age, and even voices were slightly different. But for some reason, I felt like telling Jute about that man. I wanted to ask if he was related to him.
“…You, by any chance—”
CRASH!
Just as I opened my mouth, there was a loud crash from outside. The sound of something breaking echoed, followed by boisterous laughter. My eyes widened.
“…What was that?”
Startled, I rushed to the window.
Click.
The lights in the house suddenly went out.
“Huh?”
I looked at Jute in surprise. He quickly came to my side and whispered,
“If the lights leak out, they’ll notice we’re watching.”
…That was surprisingly clever. He was right. In places like this, you always turned off the lights before looking out the window. If you opened it with the lights on, they might notice you were watching them.
“…Thanks.”
I muttered awkwardly and carefully opened the window. Through the gap, I saw several men standing in front of the building Jute and I had entered earlier. A quick glance told me there were about fourteen to sixteen of them.
Shockingly, they were all wearing the vests of the Parrot Gang.
The men were giggling amongst themselves. Their faces looked oddly relaxed. It seemed like they had been drinking; their speech was slurred. And judging from the way they wore those leather vests—they clearly wanted people to know they were from the Parrot Gang. Even though just a little while ago, I had beaten up three of their members and handed them over to the Sylkhar family…
“Don’t worry about it! The city guards said they’d handle everything!”
What?
I frowned and strained my ears. Did he just say city guards? For once, I was grateful for how poorly insulated this building was. Their voices came through crystal clear.
“Ha! That’s great news! I mean, just think of all the bribes we’ve given the guards. The booze we sent to Peter alone!”
“And didn’t we give them women, too? That noble idiot of a captain keeps going on about some ‘grace period’ crap. Sure, they took three of our boys this time, but honestly, there’s no way they’ll wipe us all out!”
“Bwahaha! And as if the ones who got caught would rat us out! Whether they die keeping quiet or die after spilling everything—it’s all the same!”
The things they were saying were utterly appalling. Jute came up beside me.
I turned to him and whispered,
“…Did they just say they bribed the guards? You heard that too, right?”
“That’s what it sounded like to me.”
“…Did those guys just come out of that alley? From the yellow-roofed house?”
