Chapter 19: If you were at my place...what would you do?

After that incident— "I escaped here with the kids and everyone... The boy who used to run this orphanage left after finishing his studies. Since then, we have taken responsibility for this place...

Leon was imprisoned for two years... But then, suddenly, after two years, I got a call from Leon. He had somehow gotten out of jail."

Manabu asked, "But how?"

Roy stopped Manabu and said,

"Chill, chill, I'm telling you. Leon wanted to see me, so he came home in the evening... Seeing him, everyone got emotional. Sumi hugged him and cried. Even I felt like crying. That day, our home was named Leon's Residence... Leon met and played with all the kids. And then—"

Roy looked at Maria, "Your father, Kami, came to our house in the evening. Morgan was with him. Leon introduced Kami to us—

'Roy, this is Mr. Kami. He is our state mayor and an important member of CPUS-Intelligence. Because of him, I got out of jail.'

Leon told me that while he was in prison, some officers suddenly came and took him to a special confession room. Inside, there were about 15-20 criminals. Then, several armed officers and CPUS-Intelligence Arms officials arrived—Kamiru Satoshi, Christopher, and Royaliva (A female officer). And then, the discussion started..."

First, they revealed everyone's names and biodata to establish a sense of fear and authority. Then, they got to the main point. Royaliva spoke first:

"You all have been brought here for a very important task. While I am speaking, everyone must remain silent. Not a single sound. Now, all of you have been selected by CPUS-Intelligence. Have you heard of it?"

A few raised their hands.

"Anyways," Royaliva continued, "you will all be working under us. This could involve spying, gathering information, eliminating targets, tracking people, or even being involved in a cold war. In short, we will use you as slaves. We will take away your freedom..."

Hearing this, fear spread among everyone. No one values anything more than their own life. But then, Royaliva said,

"But—the freedom we take from you will be returned."

Royaliva raised her voice, stood up, and declared,

"You will work for a limited time, and it may involve life-threatening risks. But after a certain period, you will be freed. And I mean—your entire sentence will be erased, and a lifetime settlement will be arranged for you. This will be legally bound by a contract!"

All the criminals were terrified, but Leon wanted to take the offer. From his perspective, if he didn't take the deal, he would rot in prison or be executed anyway. So it was better to take the deal—at least he could do something for his family.

He thought to himself— 'This is a life-risking matter, and even if we die, these authorities won't care. They won't have to answer to any court. Maybe this is written in the contract, and we will only know later...'

At that moment, Kami stood up and said,

"However, in this case, the authorities will not be responsible for your death. You will sign the contract, and we will not be held accountable for anything in the future. This is entirely your decision, and you alone will bear the consequences of your death..."

Just as Leon expected, everyone started debating:

'What happens if we die?'

'This is unfair! Are you saying we'll just die?!'

'Doing this job or not—it's the same thing! You'll assign us dangerous tasks on purpose! You just want us to die while using us like slaves!'

Royaliva grew irritated by the noise, pressed her hands to her ears, and suddenly screamed. (She had issues with loud noises and couldn't tolerate them.) Hearing her scream, everyone fell silent. She turned her back and shouted,

"You bastard brats! If you don't want to do this, then get the hell out of here! Motherfuckers! Didn't I tell you not to make a sound?!!"

She took deep breaths, trying to calm down.

Christopher placed a hand on her back and told her to sit down. Without a word, she sat. Then, Christopher stood up. He held the highest position in the Investigation Department of CPUS-Intelligence Arms.

In a calm voice, he said, "Anyone unwilling to work under this contract may leave through that door. But those who stay must follow some crucial rules.

First rule—Under this contract, you cannot commit any crimes or illegal activities unless you are assigned an elimination task or you kill someone in self-defense.

Second rule—You will be monitored 24/7, even outside of assigned tasks, without your knowledge. This is to prevent any possible crimes."

Then, Christopher continued again,—

"Now.... those who wish to proceed, please step forward and sign your papers. You may also provide your fingerprint if needed." After saying this, Christopher sat back down.

Leon was the first to step forward. He picked up a pen and asked, "Where do I sign?"

Royaliva looked at him and said, "Leon, right? Sign on these papers—anywhere marked with a blue box."

Leon signed the papers. Kami and Christopher exchanged a smile. Leon couldn't understand why they were smiling.

Then Kami said to Christopher, "I told you, Leon would be the first to sign the contract..."

Christopher silent claps for him and says, "Your deduction and foresight are impressive. Kamiru..."

Almost everyone signed the papers except few of them... According to the contract rules, by tomorrow morning—everyone who signed would be released from prison, and their belongings would be returned. And within 5 days(120 hours), they would receive their first task...

And just like that—Leon became an operative for CPUS-Intelligence Arms. His monitor, or sniper eye, was Morgan, who would oversee him on every mission. He could be replaced anytime—nothing was certain. "In this battlefield, no one is eternal... Everyone is temporary."

And with that, Roy's story ended. Everyone was staring at him. Maria finally understood everything about Leon...

And after listening to everything Manabu said, "Now I see... Leon was afraid that CPUS-Intelligence would find out about his illegal crimes. If they did, he would face serious punishment—or maybe even the death penalty. Just like my dad said..."

Roy then looked at Mion and asked,

"Mion, do you still think Leon is a bad person? He went through so much for his family. I request you—please don't create more trouble for him.

Leon had nothing to do with your friend's death. It was just misfortune—bad luck. He has never been happy in his life... So, Mion, forgive him."

Mion sits quietly, lost in thought. She curls her toes, deep in contemplation.

Thoughts were bouncing around in her head. She was confused—so many experiences at once; she couldn't handle it. She hears everyone—everything at once:

"For Naomi! For Justice!"

"Do you even know what it means—to be a father?"

"Even Leon has a family too."

"Forget Naomi, Mion."

"Hojo is the copycat."

"It was necessary."

"Forgive him, Mion."

The words swirl in her head, along with vivid images of Leon's actions. She can't decide what to do. But then, her body starts trembling as a sudden panic attack overtakes her. She loses control over her own body.

Still Roy kept asking her—

"Mion?! Do you think—Leon is guilty?"

Manabu notices Mion's sudden shaking and stops Roy. Both of them look at her. She tries to calm herself and presses her face with her palm. Then she says, "I need some time to..." and gets up, starting to walk toward the door.

Roy wantes to convince her right now, so he tried to stop her but Manabu grabbed his hands and says, "Roy, stop! Give her some time..."

Mion opens the door, and right outside, Sumi is standing, blocking the entrance with both hands, preventing the younger children from entering.

Sumi tells them, "I'm on a mission, and I can't let anyone—" she turns suddenly, noticing Mion's shadow.

Mion softly asks, "Where is the washroom, kids?"

Sarah immediately grabs her hand and says, "I know! Come with me, sister, I'll take you! And Sumi, don't move; complete your mission." And they head downstairs...

Seeing Mion leave, Roy says nothing and thought—She just needs more time....

Sarah opens the door for her. Mion thanks her and steps inside the washroom. She opens the tap and splashes cold water on her face, trying to calm herself. Sarah immediately gets a towel and hands it to Mion.

She takes it and wipes her face, staring at her reflection in the mirror. She takes slow breaths in and out to clear her mind.

Behind her, Sarah stands and asks, "I knew you weren't feeling well. Do you have a headache?"

Mion shakes her head. "No... I'm alright..."

For a moment, she keeps staring at the mirror, recalling everything Roy had said to her. She closes her eyes, deep in thought. What should I do?

And then, when she opens her eyes—she finds Naomi standing in the mirror's reflection. She wondered—'If you were in my place… what would you do, Naomi?'

But Sarah thinks Mion is talking to her. Confused, Sarah asks, "About what?"

Mion turns around and says, "It's nothing. I was just talking to myself. Your name is Sarah, right?"

Sarah gives a bright smile and nods.

"Do you love your brother Leon a lot?" Mion asks.

Sarah's smile widens, and she nods enthusiastically.

"How much?..."

Sarah stretches her arms out, "This much! No—" she tries stretching them even wider, "This much! No—" It still wasn't enough to express her love for him, "I love him the most! More than Maria-sister and Sumi! More than anyone in this world!"

Mion smiles. "I see..."

Just then, the door opens, and Leon enters. The children, including Sarah, rush to see who can reach him first. Sarah wins since she was downstairs closest to the door, opening it first.

As Leon steps inside, he grins and lifts Sarah up in one arm. "Sarah opened the door first!"

Then Sarah notices something—Leon's right hand is in a sling, secured tightly to his body. She asks, "What happened?"

Leon replies, "I just had an accident. It's a shoulder immobilizer sling."

Mion walks out of the washroom and stops at the doorway. Seeing Leon smiling like this feels strange. He has an innocent yet rough face—he looks like a guy who just returned from war. Could this man really hurt someone? she asks herself.

Just then, Leon notices her standing near the washroom door. As soon as he sees her, his smile fades.

Meanwhile, Manabu and the others come downstairs. Seeing them, Leon greets, "Good evening."

Manabu responds, "We came in the morning. Maria wanted us to visit once, and it was nice to be here with the children..."

He signals toward Mion. It was time to leave. She lowers her head and quietly stands beside them.

"Maybe it's time for us to go. I have studies to do. We'll visit again if we get the chance..." He waves at the kids and says, "Kids, take care. We'll see you later," Manabu says.

The children respectfully say their goodbyes, but Masao wants them to stay for a while since he didn't get enough time to speak with them. However, he doesn't stop them.

Masao grabs Manabu's hand and requests, "Uncle, come whenever you want! We're always home since we don't go to school. Leon-brother teaches us at home."

Manabu smiles and pats Masao's head. Maria also leaves with them since she has college tomorrow.

Before they go, Leon tells the girls, "Maria, one last thing. Lafiaza's situation right now isn't safe. Several gang rapists and murderers are roaming around. Anything could happen. So, don't even dare to go out after 9 PM. At least take Taiju or Manabu with you. This applies to Mai and Mion as well. Nighttime in Lafiaza is equal to a nightmare. Ever since the war, things have changed… So everyone—take care."

After saying that, Leon turns and walks inside.

Mion watches him silently go upstairs, saying nothing.

Manabu calls out, "Mion, let's go."

Mion nods, and they all put on their shoes and leave. Roy accompanies them for a bit on the walk but then heads back.

Noor comes downstairs, carrying plates, and takes them to wash.

Leon is sitting in his rocking chair, gazing at the sky from the window. He carefully places his hand on the wooden handle of the chair.

Luckily, his hand wasn't fractured, but his bone had been dislocated. The doctor had instructed him to keep his arm in the sling for a while.

Hima walks up to Leon and reaches up, wanting to be carried. Leon lifts her onto his lap and rocks the chair gently.

Hima glances at his right arm and points at the sling. Leon understands her curiosity and says, "It's nothing. I just got hurt."

Hima hasn't learned to speak yet, but she can make noises. Still, Leon worries that—she might turn out to be mute.

But—Leon pats her head and whispers,

"It's alright. It's alright to be different... There's nothing wrong with being different from others..."

She rests her head on Leon's chest and arms. As he rocks the chair, trying to put her to sleep, he ends up dozing off too, with a sweet little angel on his chest…