Chapter 10: Illegal Alien (8)
Throughout my life, there was something I heard often.
How could a person be so cold-hearted?
Every time, I countered with a question of my own.
How could a person be so stupid?
* * *
Kael turned to shake off the child's hand.
But in that instant—
"…"
It felt as though an invisible grip closed around his arm—someone else's hand, though no one was there.
The hand of that faint, unseen presence.
As if warning him not to.
Walk away now, and you might live a long life.
But you’ll end up no different from the things you hate.
Kael let out a low exhale.
Fine. I get it.
Instead of shaking off the filthy hand, he closed his fingers around it.
"Get up."
The tiny child had no strength left to stand, so Kael ended up lifting the child himself.
"Ugh…"
It had been a long time since he’d smelled something this foul—not since the day he was first dumped into a trash bin.
* * *
Kael opened the door and stepped inside.
The room in his view was still compact in size.
He set the child down on the floor and pointed toward the bathroom.
"Wash up."
"…"
"You stink."
The child flinched slightly and hung her head, unable to speak.
Seeing that, Kael let out a sigh.
"…Need help?"
At those words, the child finally spoke.
"I-I can… wash up by myself."
"Alright."
He didn't pry any further.
Instead, he took down his least worn shirt and pants hanging from the wall.
Since they were all his clothes, they were naturally too big for the child.
But there were no other options at the moment.
"Wash up and change into these."
The child received the clothes with both hands.
"T-thank you."
Hesitating for a moment, the child carefully entered the bathroom and closed the door.
A moment later, the hiss of running water filled the quiet room.
.
.
.
Finally, the bathroom door opened slowly.
Kael turned his head and was left speechless for a moment at the sight.
Once the child washed away the filth and blood, her appearance was completely different from before.
White hair falling to her shoulders, pale skin, and blue eyes.
"You were a little girl?"
At his words, the girl flinched and spoke in a small voice.
"I-I'm not a child."
"…"
"I turned twenty-two this year. I'm a-an adult."
He looked at her again in silence.
She didn't look twenty-two, but such things weren't rare in the Lower Level.
Most people suffered from malnutrition, so small, frail bodies were a common sight.
However, this woman was different.
One could tell from her appearance alone.
She's definitely not from here.
Without a doubt, she was a surface dweller with a story of her own—falling out of a transport pipe being just one part of it.
"Right."
At his brief answer, the girl carefully read his expression.
Kael reached out and pulled a black mask from the corner.
It was an item Harune had thrown in as a freebie before.
Supposedly a dust mask, but in reality, it was a cheap piece of trash that barely blocked anything.
Still, it was good enough for hiding one's face.
When he tossed the mask, the girl hurriedly caught it.
"Wear it."
"Eh?"
"Wandering around the Lower Level with that face won't last you a day."
The girl's hands froze.
"You'll get kidnapped and sold."
Kael said calmly.
Without a word, the girl stared down at the mask, then slowly nodded.
"So."
He threw a question at the girl.
"Why did you fall from the transport pipe?"
But she did not answer.
She merely kept her head down, clutching the mask tightly in both hands.
He waited for a moment, but only silence followed.
"Fine."
He gestured.
"You washed up, I gave you clothes and a mask, so now get out."
The girl slowly raised her head.
Her blue eyes wavered, but Kael intentionally hardened his expression.
"You said you're an adult. Then take care of yourself."
The girl parted her lips, but no sound came out.
Kael waited for her to speak.
Then, finally…
She spoke in a faint whisper.
"C-could you… let me stay here just for a little while…"
She tightened her grip on the mask.
Kael said nothing and fell deep into thought.
The girl looked like someone who couldn't survive a single day in the Lower Level.
That was likely no exaggeration, either.
If thrown outside, she would certainly meet an ill-fate.
He exhaled a short breath.
"Let's make a deal."
The girl slowly raised her head.
"…Eh?"
"I won't ask about your situation if you don't want to talk about it."
He leaned back against the chair.
"Who's chasing you, why you fell from the transport pipe, where you were originally—I won't ask any of that for now."
At his words, the girl's hands flinched.
"I only want to confirm one thing."
The girl looked at him cautiously.
Kael's voice dropped low.
"You came from above, didn't you?"
The room fell silent.
She did not answer him immediately, but the silence did not last long.
The girl nodded.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
He had expected it, but confirming it made his headache worse.
Someone from up top. And dumped down a transport pipe in this state, no less.
Judging by looks alone, she stuck out like a sore thumb.
That meant whatever trouble she was carrying was far from ordinary.
However…
Kael lightly tapped his fingers on the table.
"Fine. Then there's something only you can give me in return."
"S-something… only I can give you?"
"Knowledge."
The girl paused.
He looked straight at her with a serious expression.
"Knowledge about the Upper Levels. The lifestyle up there. Transit procedures. Corporate structure. How citizenship is managed. How ACUs are registered. The relationship between schools, hospitals, the Public Safety Bureau, and the MegaCorp."
He paused briefly.
"Just tell me as much as you know."
The girl parted her lips, flustered.
"W-why would you…"
"Because I need it."
He replied curtly.
"I need to understand this city. But the rumors in the Lower Level are limited, and most of them are total lies. If you came from above, you must know things I don't."
"…"
"Teach me those things."
Kael pointed to the narrow room.
"In return, I'll provide food, clothing, and shelter."
Hearing that, the girl's eyes widened slightly.
He added an extra condition with a calm demeanor.
"And if someone comes looking for you, I'll fend them off as long as it's within my ability."
The girl's shoulders trembled.
"You'll… protect me?"
"It's only a transaction."
"…"
"We're just trading what we need."
The girl lowered her head and hesitated for a moment.
Kael did not rush her.
After a long moment, she opened her mouth very softly.
"I… don't know that much."
"You don't need to know everything."
"I-I'm not sure if what I know will be helpful."
"I'll be the judge of that."
Clasping the mask tightly against her chest, the girl slowly nodded.
"…Okay."
He looked at her.
"So, deal?"
The girl hesitated briefly, then nodded again.
"Yes."
"Good."
Kael stood up, popped open a metal trunk in the corner, and tossed a worn sleeping mat onto the floor.
"Since there's only one bed."
The girl gave him a bewildered look, but he ignored her and pointed to the mat.
"You take it."
"But…"
"I can sleep in a chair."
The girl looked down at the mat and spoke.
"Thank you."
She offered him a smile of gratitude.
"Your name?"
As the girl's expression stiffened at Kael's question, he quickly added.
"If you don't want to give your real name, anything is fine. I just need something to call you."
He didn't rush her.
A moment later, the girl opened her mouth very softly.
"…Rin."
"Rin?"
"Yes."
The girl nodded.
"Please call me Rin."
Kael didn't ask further.
That was enough for now.
"Alright, Rin."
It was now his turn to state his name.
"My name is Kael."
"Sir… Kael?"
"Drop the 'Sir'."
Rin blinked, caught off guard for a moment.
"Then… Mr. Kael?"
"Drop 'Mr.' too."
"…"
After hesitating for a moment…
"K-Kael…"
She dropped the titles.
"That works."
Kael nudged a worn blanket toward her.
"Sleep today. I'll ask questions starting tomorrow."
Rin accepted the blanket with both hands.
She looked down at it for a moment, then carefully bowed her head again.
"Y-Yes, Sir… I mean, okay, Kael."
* * *
Upper Level Water Purification and Waste Treatment Facility No. 3.
Clear glass tubes and silver pipes ran endlessly along the walls and ceiling, plastered everywhere with corporate logos.
The logo featured silver wings wrapped around a blue water drop.
Beneath it, a neatly displayed sentence lit up.
[A clean city begins with clean circulation.]
Under that slogan stood a man.
Pale.
A man dressed in a black suit.
He lightly wiped the underside of a pipe with his gloved hand.
There was a streak of blood that had dried up over time.
Pale raised his head.
In front of him stood a man who appeared to be the facility manager, breaking out in a cold sweat.
"You're saying she fell through here?"
At Pale's question, the facility manager opened his mouth while trembling violently.
"Y-yes… There was an abnormal pressure warning in the transport pipe, and right after that, a waste backflow warning triggered… W-we immediately initiated lockdown procedures, but…"
"And yet you lost her."
"S-she likely washed down into the lower transport pipe. Given the drop pressure and the waste compression procedure, though, her survival chances are almost—"
"Almost?"
When Pale cut him off, the manager fell silent.
Pale slowly approached him.
"I hate that word the most."
"P-pardon…?"
"Almost dead. Almost over. Almost, almost, almost…"
Pale grabbed the manager's jaw.
"Most problems happen because of that almost."
"I-I'm… s-so—"
Crack.
With a brief, dull snap, the manager's body collapsed limply.
Thud.
Pale didn't even look at the corpse.
He simply pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his gloved hands.
"Can't even handle a single task properly."
None of the surrounding employees dared to move.
Moments later, a woman standing behind Pale cautiously spoke up.
She was a security officer clad in a gray uniform.
"What… should we do now?"
Pale folded the handkerchief, tossed it onto the dead manager's chest, and slowly turned his head.
"Find her."
"The transport pipe connects to the Lower Level. There are too many unofficial passages and waste routes, so tracking will take time…"
The moment his gaze landed on her, she immediately shut her mouth.
"We need to confirm the body."
Pale spoke indifferently.
"The… body, sir?"
"Yeah."
The corner of his mouth twisted upward.
"It'd be troublesome if she's still alive."
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