“Will you be alright, Captain?”

“……”

After completing the mission, as the members proceeded with the cleanup, one member approached Alpha with a concerned expression.

He was the same member who had woken Alpha that morning.

“Still, to spare a witness…”

Glancing sidelong, the member’s gaze fell upon a corner where the child was being treated, surrounded by other members.

Alpha too silently observed the scene for a moment.

Narrowing his eyes slightly at the severe scars marring the child’s body, he eventually turned away.

“…They’re still a child.”

“How will you explain this to Narin…?”

“……”

Certainly, if Narin became aware of this, she would undoubtedly throw a fit.

Thus far, their meticulous planning and execution had aimed to leave no witnesses, yet a mere personal whim had led to an exception.

‘…She’ll definitely be furious.’

Alpha recalled the harsh scolding he had received from Narin after accidentally breaking her cherished game console.

Expressing a slight grimace, he firmly shook his head and continued.

“…Regardless, disposing of them is out of the question.”

“That may be true, but…”

The member could only nod in reluctant agreement with Alpha’s words.

Regardless of being a witness, they were still an abused child who had barely escaped.

There was no way to bring himself to harm the child further.

“…I intend to treat their wounds and escort them back.”

“But what if they start blabbering about today’s events to others? If we’re unlucky, it could lead those hunting us right to our doorstep?”

“The child possesses excellent situational awareness and adaptability. They don’t seem the type to recklessly divulge information, and a firm gag order should suffice.”

“Well, if that’s your intent, Captain, I can only follow.”

The member rubbed the back of his head before sighing and nodding in acquiescence.

Shortly after, having completed the treatment evident from the child’s bandaged appearance, they seemed to make furtive glances towards Alpha.

“Captain. It appears the child wishes to converse with you?”

“…With me?”

“Yes. They keep looking this way.”

Observing this scene, the member mischievously nudged Alpha’s back.

“Why not have a chat while you can?”

“…Now?”

“Go on!”

Urged by the member’s insistence, Alpha reluctantly approached the child.

As their eyes met, the child’s eyes sparkled momentarily before averting their gaze shyly towards Alpha.

“Ah, Um…”

Unable to bear the silence, Alpha posed a question to the child.

After a brief pause, the child seemed to muster their resolve and deeply bowed their head.

“Th,Thank you for saving me…!”

“……”

“If not for you, sir, I might have died…”

“……”

Alpha slowly blinked at the child’s words and actions, as if struggling to comprehend the situation.

Then, belatedly responding:

“Expressing gratitude, I take it…”

“Y,Yes, you saved my life…!”

The child, swathed in bandages from head to toe, smiled brightly.

From Alpha’s former perspective as a hero, had this mission aimed to rescue civilians, it would undoubtedly have been a failure.

‘Any physical detriment to the victim indicates the hero’s failure.’

Alpha gently patted the child’s head.

“…Do you have anywhere to go?”

“Pardon?”

“If there’s a place you need to return to or family you need to meet, I can escort you there.”

Of course, Alpha himself was no longer a hero, nor did he intend to resume such a role.

Thus, he felt no misplaced guilt or the like.

He simply did what was necessary.

“Um…I had been living in the slums. But if I were to return, it would be best to remain within the vicinity of those I know…”

“…In that case, I shall take you there.”

Responding with a smile, the child’s expression remained bright despite their ordeals.

“……”

For some reason, Alpha felt the child’s demeanor overlapped with a distant memory from his past.

---

Back at Vigilante’s headquarters, Narin, who had been residing in the guest room, pinched the bridge of her nose upon hearing Alpha’s recent account.

“-So you treated the witness?”

…Nod.

Observing his response, Narin exhaled deeply before regaining her composure.

“Have you lost your mind, Gramps?! Do you have any idea what a witness might say if they’re still alive?!”

“But they were just a child…”

“Which is precisely why they might start blabbering without grasping the severity of the situation! Are you insane?”

As expected, Narin unleashed a torrent of furious reprimands.

Faced with the undeniable gravity of his mistake, Alpha could only bow his head and silently endure her scolding.

“Do you even remember why we operate like this?! Do you have any idea how much effort I put into hacking and plotting our routes?!”

“……”

After a brief lecture, Narin’s anger flared further upon Alpha’s continued silence.

Reporting the incident to Maker or dealing with the increased CCTV footage that needed scrubbing – those were manageable concerns.

However, her greatest source of frustration was…

“And!! You blithering idiot!! What if you had just abandoned that child in the slums?!”

“…They’re an orphan with nowhere else to go, so the slums were their only home…”

This utter imbecile had essentially intended to abandon the child in the very slums they had rescued them from!

“You should have brought them here instead! Leaving them there will only complicate matters further!! Not to mention, do you seriously think abandoning an orphan in the slums is a sound idea??”

“…Ah.”

Alpha blinked slowly, belatedly realizing his oversight.

“I could have brought them along.”

“Of course you should have! It would have been far easier to contain the variable by keeping them here…!”

Exasperated by Alpha’s obliviousness, Narin furiously pounded her chest.

Gesturing sharply towards the outside, she barked out an order.

“Go back and retrieve that child immediately!!”

Thus, Alpha was able to locate and bring back the child who had been following a suspicious adult offering candy.

---

After bringing the child to Vigilante’s base, receiving Alpha’s apology, and dealing with various other matters, Narin made a call from her cellphone to someone she knew.

Tturururururu-

Tturururu-

Tturu-

-Hello?-

“Big Bro!! So much has happened, I’m really struggling here, aaahng!!!”

The recipient was none other than Maker.

Narin had called Maker to vent the day’s accumulated stress.

-Ah…First, try to calm down.

Momentarily flustered by Narin’s sudden outburst, Maker swiftly attempted to soothe and ascertain the situation.

-…So you ended up bringing back the child you had inadvertently rescued during the mission.

“Yeah…I figured it would be better to keep them within a controlled vicinity for now…”

-You did well. Even if the child doesn’t divulge information themselves, their mere presence could potentially bring them into contact with those searching for Alpha.

Indeed, keeping the child under close observation was the better approach to contain potential variables.

“Apart from the child, the mission was a success like usual, and all traces were erased.”

-Excellent.

“I’m glad to hear that…”

From the other end, Maker’s clear voice conveyed an affirmative nod.

Momentarily relaxing her tense stance at his reassuring tone, Narin cautiously broached another concern.

“Big Bro. But, will the child be alright?”

-Is there an issue with the child?

“Not exactly, but people tend to change, even subtly, when a new presence enters their lives. What if Gramps gets carried away by some delusion because of the child?”

-Hmm…

“I don’t fully understand your intentions regarding Gramps Alpha, but I worry this new variable might disrupt your plans.”

Narin’s apprehensive words gave Maker pause as he pondered an appropriate response.

Finally, he recalled an apt analogy to address her concerns.

-Consider it akin to playing a nurturing game, of sorts.

“Huh? A nurturing game?”

-You know, those where you feed and care for virtual pets, meant for healing and relaxation?

“Well, I’m familiar with them, but…”

Was it really appropriate to make such an analogy involving a living person?

Momentarily dumbfounded, Narin envisioned Maker on the other end of the call.

-Alpha may appear normal for now, but his mental state is quite fractured.

Though tempered by the passage of time, his fundamental nature remained that of a broken man.

Today’s incident may have only involved sparing a child’s life, but the next time, a greater impulse could trigger far graver disruptions.

Hence, some degree of mental recovery was necessary.

-If observing that child elicits any positive emotions from him, rather than solely negative ones, it signifies progress in his recovery.

He needed to find small comforts, opportunities to heal and relieve stress, even if only slightly.

-And even if Alpha’s personality undergoes some changes, as long as the situation remains more entertaining than problematic, it should not impede our objectives.

“How can you be so certain, Big Bro?”

Narin’s tone betrayed her skepticism.

Hearing her doubtful query, Maker calmly leaned back in his chair, considering the source of his confidence.

‘Because I made a promise.’

Given his understanding of Alpha’s nature and goals, there was no need for such apprehension from the outset.

Alpha would undoubtedly uphold the promise he had made to himself in prison.

-Have faith in me, and worry not.

With those reassuring words, Maker took a sip of tea, smiling faintly.