episode_0073

A gap in memory.

At least one week and up to three weeks.

An empty void filled my heart.

What have I been doing all this time?

Judging from other people’s reactions, it doesn’t seem like I did anything that strange.

The training ground where we all arrived together boasted a space that was even wider than the gymnasium.

A place that feels more like a place to train your skills than a gym.

There are unidentified machines everywhere, and people walking around in white gowns.

As I stood there with my mouth open, dumbfounded by the lights bursting out from all directions, Shine grabbed my hand and pulled me towards her.

“This way, Jeff.”

I followed her actions as if I was used to them.

I didn’t hate Shine’s behavior of trying to take care of everything from start to finish, but I thought it was a little burdensome.

I slowly released Shine’s hand and followed behind her.

The moment I released her hand, the smile on Shine’s lips disappeared, but as I drew closer, a smile appeared on her face once again.

The facial expression changes quickly.

More than before.

Shine had changed.

“Shine. What are you doing here?”

Shine’s movements stopped at my question.

“I’m training to get stronger.”

“Training… ?”

“Yeah Jeff.”

“Like you did with Victor?”

“No. You learn something different here.”

I looked at Amy with eyes that seemed to be asking for an explanation.

But Shine reached out and grabbed my cheeks, holding my gaze.

“Jeff, we’re now in the resistance.”

“In the same place as Amy…?”

“Yeah. We officially joined. The two of us.”

I desperately searched my memory at Shine’s words.

The sight of Jin passing by in a blur.

The memory of the last time I saw him faintly comes back to me.

hay…?

The last thing I remember about Jin was him chewing on rabbit hay.

Did I talk to him?

As I frowned, Shine spread her fingers and pressed on my eyebrows.

“Jeff, don’t frown.”

“Yeah.”

“Your pretty face is ruined.”

Shine’s fingers, which had been pressing on her eyebrows, slowly come down.

The touch of his hands gently running over my skin felt strangely ticklish.

As I flinched and tried to pull back, she stretched out both of her fingers and raised the corners of my mouth.

“You’re pretty when you smile like this.”

“Yeah.”

I gave her the smile she wanted.

Shine also nodded in response to my smile with a smile.

The close distance slowly grew further away, and Shine’s sweet scent faded away.

As I was fiddling with the tip of my nose, Shine spoke to me.

“Let’s start training!”

The training that Shine was talking about was exercise that improved physical abilities.

Me, Shine, and Rain got on the treadmill and started running at a slightly faster pace.

“This is… . Huh… . Since when did you do this?”

Since I still had some breathing room, I asked Shine, panting heavily.

“Last week!”

Shine answered forcefully. I looked at her with confused eyes.

Shine didn’t seem to notice my gaze as she ran briskly with a bright smile.

A drop of sweat formed on his forehead and slowly flowed down, brushing past his eyes.

“Is Rain doing it too?”

“Yeah!”

Lane ran, swinging his bandaged arm vigorously.

The speed at which she ran was not much different from the speed at which Shine and I ran.

Yellow hair that sways vigorously.

I looked away from Lane and looked at Amy.

Long legs stretch out.

A treadmill that rotates at a faster speed than the three of us can run.

Amy looked amazing as she maintained a steady pace without even losing her breath.

Although I don’t remember, my body seemed to remember and I was able to complete the tough training without difficulty.

Most of it was aerobic exercise, and the goal was to build physical strength.

As I was wiping my sweat-soaked forehead and panting, Amy handed me a small bottle of water.

The water bottle was no ordinary water bottle.

It was a dinosaur water bottle.

A bumpy body wrapped around a long tail.

I really liked the fact that it focused more on appearance than practicality.

I turned back to look at the dinosaur head covered with a lid.

Then a small straw pops up.

I sat down, grabbed hold of the dinosaur’s arms, and sucked through the straw stuck in its head.

The cool taste of the sweet yet refreshing drink enveloped my whole body.

“Whoa!”

I took the straw out of my mouth and looked around.

Rain and Shine were swinging their fists next to the people in their gis.

Although the gesture seemed awkward, there was a certain longing in the eyes of both of them.

“Amy.”

“Huh?”

“Did you notice anything strange?”

“What’s strange?”

“That’s… .”

I licked my lips and fiddled with the dinosaur-shaped water bottle.

I had a feeling that something was strange, but I couldn’t tell exactly what was strange.

Memories that flew away, it was clear that there would be something in that blank period.

“Actually, I don’t remember the past few weeks.”

“Remember?”

“Yes.”

“Has anything strange happened during that time?”

“Um… .”

Amy, who was sitting next to me wiping the sweat off her face, came over to me and placed her hand on my forehead.

I closed my eyes at the soft sensation of Amy’s large hands.

“Well? There wasn’t anything particularly strange.”

Than that.

Amy added softly and pulled me into her arms, placing me on her lap.

I resisted, flailing my arms and legs in a strangely shameful feeling, but Amy did not let go of my body.

The tips of the ears turn red.

I lowered my head and grabbed Amy’s arm, feeling the soft sensation behind my back.

“You really don’t remember?”

Amy’s voice was full of worry.

I felt conflicted by her words.

“That’s… a little blurry.”

“Where does it hurt?”

“I don’t think so.”

Hmm-

Amy let out a small moan and stroked my hair.

Amy didn’t stop her touch, even though she flinched at the gentle strokes.

I quickly gave in to her touch and my body relaxed.

“Amy! Jeff!”

At that moment, Shine and Rain, who were learning martial arts with people in dobok, came running towards us.

As I watched the people around me disperse, it seemed like training time was over.

“Are you done?”

“Yeah!”

Shine, who had been running vigorously, came to me and hugged me.

Amy hugged me and I hugged Shine.

Rain, who had been watching the scene from a distance, ran towards us with shining eyes and hugged us.

“Hug me too!”

I gave an awkward smile and hugged Rain too.

With two people in my arms, it felt a little burdensome.

I felt doubtful as I held the two girls in my arms.

A view of people scattering from afar.

Rain and Shine were trained among them.

But me?

After finishing my simple physical training, I went straight to the bench where Amy was sitting and sat down.

As if doing something that is so familiar.

Even though my mind didn’t remember, my body did.

“Shine, I’m not getting that training?”

“Yeah. Jeff is dangerous, so no.”

“Yeah… ?”

“Yeah.”

I looked up at Amy with eyes that demanded an explanation.

But she, too, gave the same answer as Shine.

“Jeff shouldn’t do anything dangerous.”

“Is that dangerous?”

I asked, picturing Rain and Shine.

The sight of him swinging his short limbs around vigorously looked a little cute rather than dangerous.

But Amy shook her head and answered.

“It can be dangerous, because sometimes we spar.”

“But… .”

“Jeff.”

Something.

Something is off.

Aren’t you treating me like a child?

“But you also do shine?”

“I’m Jeff’s older sister, so that’s natural.”

The answer came from Shine.

She was looking at me with confident eyes.

I shut my mouth at those eyes.

“You understand?”

I feel a strange sense of pressure.

I found myself nodding my head without realizing it.

“I’ll protect Jeff.”

“Shine is a cool older sister.”

“Yeah!”

Amy praised Shine, patting her on the head.

“Hey Amy…?”

“Huh?”

“I told you something earlier… .”

“That’s what you were saying earlier?”

I kept my mouth shut at Amy’s question.

Small, puckering lips.

A tongue that moves weakly hangs down, unable to complete words.

“What did Jeff say?”

At that moment, Shine, who had been silently listening to our conversation, raised her head and asked back.

A gaze looking straight at me.

I turned my head away because of a sticky feeling I couldn’t explain.

“Jeff. What did you say earlier?”

“Just… . My memory is a little weird.”

“Remember?”

“Yeah… I don’t remember what happened in the past few weeks.”

Shine’s expression begins to change strangely at my answer.

The corners of the lips twitch.

Eyes that curve gently.

It was clear that he was smiling, but I couldn’t shake the strangely sticky feeling.

“You really don’t remember?”

“Ah… .”

I let out a deep sigh.

I had a feeling something was wrong.

“Yeah.”

“Jeff.”

A voice whispering in my ear.

I tried to reflexively draw on her voice.

“Have you had a hard time?”

But I couldn’t use my abilities.

Because Rain, Shine, and Amy, who were stuck to the body, could have gotten hurt.

“A lot has happened in a short period of time.”

“Was that so…?”

“Yeah, Jeff is confused.”

I nodded blankly at Shine’s words.

“I’m confused.”

“Yeah, Jeff. That’s not weird at all.”

“Yeah.”

“Does Amy think so too?”

Shine slowly raises her gaze to focus on me.

No answer came.

Amy simply reached out and gave Shine’s head a firm squeeze.

“Shine.”

“Yeah.”

“What did you tell me to do first after I finished training?”

“I told you to wipe off the sweat… .”

“Then I should clean it quickly.”

Amy said and handed him a towel.

Shine, who took the towel from Amy, muttered softly.

“It’s not working well.”

What do you mean it doesn’t work?

As I looked at her with a puzzled look, Shine wiped the towel she had used to wipe her sweat off my face.

“I’ll clean Jeff too!”

The towel was damp, soaked in sweat.

After a short break, the second training session began.

Unlike the first one, the main content is training on how to control and use abilities.

But Shine did nothing.

He just sat there quietly and looked at me.

“Jeff! Let’s get started!”

I was looking at Shine, and I nodded when I heard Rain’s voice from afar.

What are you doing?

But the body seemed to remember and took a ready stance.

“Fire!”

Lane raised his hand forcefully and slammed down a small button in front of him.

Then the machine she was sitting on made a rattling noise and began spitting out countless small balls.

Thump thump thump!

The speed wasn’t that fast, but it wasn’t something that could be easily avoided.

Startled, I crouched down.

Dudadadad!

Small balls falling all over your body.

My whole body felt cold, as if I had been hit with a sledgehammer several times.