Chapter 78: Distraction

Shoun and Sein were sitting quietly in a secluded corner of their school's cafeteria when Robin joined them, sporting noticeable dark circles under their eyes. 

—Hey guys—the scientist greeted wearily. 

—Hi Robin! 

—Robin, have you been sleeping well? 

—What do *you* think?...yaaaawn...but besides that, I'm really happy! Look at this!—With a grin, the scientist pulled out their laptop from the backpack and showed them a screen filled with numbers and letters neither of them could understand—I finally did it! 

—Congratulations!...What is it? 

—...It's an algorithm. A stupidly complex one. First, I—Robin began explaining their entire work until Shoun stopped them. 

—Robin, we genuinely don't understand any of that. You did a great job, but what matters is telling us what your algorithm does. 

—Fiiine. It's for deciphering the texts that you and Deuz gave me. It's still in beta and needs tons of improvements, after all, there wasn't much I could do in just one night, but even so, it's already analyzing and sorting characters! At this rate, it'll take a long time, but this is definitely the first step to launching my career and uncovering so many secrets!—Robin was practically drooling over the future rewards of their work.

—That sounds good. How long do you think it'll take?—Shoun asked in response. 

—Hmm, at this pace, a couple of months. But with the right improvements, I'd say one month max, two weeks minimum, though it'll probably take a full month. 

—Well, seems like things are progressing well on that front. Have you thought about the prophecy? 

—One thing at a time, Shoun...and not much, honestly. I'm starting to get used to Deuz being the one who handles these abstract things. Speaking of Deuz, did he message you? 

—Yeah, he texted me his thoughts this morning. He also said he wouldn't be available tonight in case we wanted to meet up to discuss yesterday's events. To sum it up, he said that knowing the prophecy doesn't really change much fundamentally, though he did find it odd that none of the three governments suspected any of those three to be "the eternal traitor." 

—Probably because they weren't wearing literal masks on their faces...though I think it could also be...Wait, that can't be true, can it?— Under Sein and Shoun's puzzled stares, Robin searched for something on their laptop before showing it to them with a hint of amusement—Well, this explains a lot about why those three are the "chosen ones." 

The laptop displayed the profiles of The Three Jacks side by side. Robin pointed to a specific detail in each: their birthdates. 

—Wow...they were all born on March 3rd, just in different years—Sein commented while reading. 

—That explains it perfectly. Now, don't you think the prophecy might be connected to the seal Shoun and Deuz accidentally unlocked the other day? 

—Deuz also talked about that. He doubts it because he believes if that "seal" were to be released, it should happen with Kaze and the three idiots in the same place, which didn't occur. Still, I don't like the idea of randomly releasing seals as if it were nothing.

—Yeah...yeah...I agree...I'm gonna take a quick nap— Finally, Robin would collapse onto the table and fall asleep almost immediately.

—...Should we wake them?—Asked the younger one while putting away the scientist's laptop.

—Nah, they probably need the rest.

—Alright, Shoun. What's our plan?

—Right now? Same as always, keep climbing until we become strong enough.

—And what about dealing with The Three Jacks?

—What do you mean?

—You know...we can't keep fighting them forever...we can't kill them either, so I don't know how we're supposed to handle them.

—...Don't worry about that. Let me handle it—The young man reassured the younger one, though deep down he had serious doubts.

***

Two weeks later, Deuz, Kaze and Shoun could be seen fighting a group of wretches made almost entirely of mud. After defeating them, the young man couldn't help but sigh.

—Haaah, guess we're taking another bath today— After the fight, the three young men were covered head to toe in mud.

—Cheer up Shoun, look at the bright side! Kaze finally has all the points needed to become a Dominator!

—Well, that's true. How many do you still need, Deuz?

—Just a few more. If we hunt once more, I'll probably be ready too.

—Good. Since it's a special day, I'll make you all the pancakes you want, Kaze...after I take a shower, of course. So could you please summon the base?—Excited by Shoun's words, the masked one hurried to summon the base but was stopped by Deuz—What are you doing?

—N-nothing, nothing! It's just...what if we get it dirty since we're covered in mud? Let's just walk to your house instead so we don't risk it. Who knows, Liam might even make us clean if we mess it up—Without letting Shoun refuse, Deuz and Kaze started walking, making the young man sigh again before resigning himself and following them.

Upon arriving and entering the base, Shoun wanted to head straight to the bathroom, but Deuz stopped him again.

—Now what?

—Uhh...why don't we use the jacuzzi after showering? And you know what they say, you can't use a jacuzzi without some warm milk!

—Nobody says that, but fine, I won't say no to trying out the jacuzzi—These past weeks they had been checking missions daily to pick the least suspicious and dangerous ones. Just yesterday they'd accepted a mission to eliminate a group of vestiges, with one of the rewards being the base's new jacuzzi.

Kaze and Shoun went to shower in the adjacent room, later joined by Deuz after heating the milk. Finally, the young man and the boy with the beret prepared to enter the jacuzzi. Kaze, meanwhile, put on his base clothes and headed for the exit.

—Aren't joining us, Kaze?

—Uhh...taxes—Without another word, the masked one left the bathroom.

—Damn guys, you're really acting weird today. Did those things give you some kind of mental attack?

—I don't think that's the case.

—Haaah, whatever. Let's just get in already. I only want to stay about ten minutes before resting on the couch.

—No!

—Now what's your problem!?

—It's just...I can't go in yet.

—Why?

—Because...I still have mud between my toenails.

—Then clean yourself.

—I can't reach properly...Could you do me this favor?

—...

—...

—Haaah—Rolling his eyes with a mix of resignation and exhaustion, Shoun proceeded to fill a bucket with warm water. The young man took one of his companion's feet and began scrubbing, working carefully and patiently on each toe. For the first time that day, Deuz stopped looking at him with his usual calm smile, instead adopting a rather neutral expression. Shoun didn't notice, as he kept diligently cleaning every trace of mud from his companion's feet. Silence fell over the room - a comfortable one for both apprentices, lending an oddly intimate air to the foot-washing ritual—You should know this is the last time I'm doing this for you. Though I must say, you have pretty nice nails.

—Thanks, I take constant care of them.

—I thought you couldn't reach?

—...the milk's getting cold! Let's get in quick!—Without another word, Deuz entered the jacuzzi, followed by an exhausted Shoun. Both young men enjoyed the hot water in silence for a while, until Shoun tried to leave again, forcing Deuz to restart the conversation—Hey Shoun, how do you plan to handle The Three Jacks?

—...that's been on my mind these past weeks. Now that Kaze will become a Dominator, dealing with them will be easier. But how long can we keep this up? Fight them indefinitely?

—We still have the option to kill them—This suggestion made Shoun look at him strangely.

—We can't do that. It's illegal. They're protected because Kaze isn't registered and is essentially a legal loophole. If we lay a finger beyond what's necessary, we'll get years in prison. I can't let any of you go through that or become murderers.

—But Shoun, you said it yourself, how long can we keep this up? You saw their determination to kill Kaze. They won't stop until he's dead... Who knows? They might even decide to kill us for getting in their way. Even if we appeal to the government, it's unlikely they'd protect Kaze. So, Shoun... what will you do?—The young man didn't answer his companion immediately, lost in thought as the hot water soothed his troubled mind. 

—...I can't let any of you become murderers. Kaze isn't a monster, and he won't become one because of those people. Sein is a child, one of the future heroes this world needs. I won't let Robin tarnish their bright future for those idiots. You've already been through enough, I can't ask you to bear this too. 

—It's brave to take matters into your own hands... but are you prepared to face the consequences? 

—...You've all become the family I lost long ago. Ironically, you brought color back into my world whenever we came here... I knew this would end for us eventually. If it ends for me because I protected you, it's worth it—He declared resolutely. Deuz responded with nothing but a quiet, wide smile. They lingered in the jacuzzi a while longer before finally getting dressed. 

—Thanks, Deuz... Without you, I might've realized too late to make the right choice. 

—Don't worry. I'll always be here when you need me.

As they stepped out of the bathroom, they were met with an unexpected festive sight. 

—Huh? 

—Surprise!