The train doors closed, and the whistle echoed through the night.
Then, amid the sounds of "clank" "clank," the train slowly began to move forward, heading toward an unknown destination.
The station was gradually left behind. The last wisp of dim yellow light chased after the train, shining through the window and becoming the only light source inside the carriage.
Facing the light, Amos inadvertently noticed that the earring of the young man sitting on his right reflected a brilliant water-blue glow at a certain angle.
"Liquid titanium ore…"
That kind of glow and color made him instantly recognize what material C·L's earring was made of.
Amos's pupils contracted. Realization flashed through his eyes as he thought of something.
As if seeking confirmation, he looked toward Kisho and spoke, "Hey, Kisho."
"Hm?" Kisho raised his head, puzzled.
"Didn't you say earlier that you were broke? I remember I once gave you a piece of liquid titanium ore."
Amos spoke with a serious expression. Ignoring the amused smile of the person beside him, he forced himself to continue:
"You didn't lose it, right? You could've taken that to an auction to exchange for money."
"Oh~ that one!" Kisho replied carelessly. "I gave it to the boss over there to cover my meal expenses."
"…Cover your meal expenses?"
Amos sucked in a sharp breath.
"Did you eat some 3S-level rare ingredient that's almost impossible to obtain? And have a three-star Gourmet Hunter personally cook it for you?"
"How could that be? You know that place. There's no such delicious food there."
Kisho shook his head in denial, then continued:
"I used it to cover a tiny bit of medical fees, plus one month's supply of compressed biscuits and mineral water. They were even expired—I'm telling you, the food over there is really terrible."
Black lines suddenly appeared on Amos's face. He tried to steer the conversation back on track:
"…Liquid titanium ore refracts a water-blue glow under nighttime lights. It's one of the Seven Great Beauties."
As he spoke, he stared fixedly into Kisho's eyes: Realize it already, you idiot! I'm practically slapping the standard answer onto your face!
However, he saw Kisho's eyes widen. "One of the Seven Great Beauties… So according to what you're saying, is 'liquid titanium ore' very valuable?"
Amos: "…"
Before he could say anything, the young man beside him chuckled softly. He raised a hand to rub the blue earring by his ear, then patiently explained:
"Judging by quality and grade, 10 grams of liquid titanium ore is worth around 100 million Jenny, fluctuating slightly. And it's priceless on the market."
He looked at Kisho, a trace of laughter flashing through his blue pupils.
"If it's auctioned, the price could double—or even go higher."
Hearing an answer far beyond his expectations, Kisho stared blankly, eyes wide.
The half-eaten ice cream cone in his hand dropped to the floor with a "thud." But he no longer cared about the ice cream at all.
He abruptly stood up and slammed his palm onto the table, nearly smashing it.
He didn't care about the terrified Tonpa startled by the loud noise, nor the gazes of the other examinees. He simply stared at C·L and ground his teeth in disbelief:
"What?! That thing is worth that much?!"
C·L smiled and nodded. "Mm."
Amos, sitting at the side, felt despair: That's not the point, you idiot!!
Then Amos watched as Kisho, after hearing the answer, seemed to shut down completely. His whole figure slumped, turning grayscale.
Amos paused, looking at the faded Kisho, and asked hesitantly, "Hey… are you okay?"
Kisho ignored him.
Sitting there, drawing circles on the table, he muttered to himself,
"…I was wrong, I really was wrong. I only knew liquid titanium ore was valuable, but I didn't know it was this valuable…"
Amos: "…"
"Once, a precious gem was placed before me, but I didn't cherish it. Only after losing it did I regret it deeply. There is no greater pain in this world…"
Amos: "…"
"If Heaven could give me another chance, I would never hand it over so easily and even refuse to ask for change. And if I must add a time limit, I hope it would be ten thousand years…"
"Bang!"
Amos stood up, stretched his arm across the entire table, and smashed a fist hard onto Kisho's head.
"Snap out of it!!"
Kisho: "…"
He took a deep breath.
Amos sat back down with satisfaction.
"As long as you're awake, let's continue—"
Kisho suddenly raised his head and stared at him with wide eyes. "Amos!"
Amos froze. "…Wh-what is it?"
Kisho spoke fervently, "What do you think—after I go back, how about I ask him to return it to me?!"
"—Or I could just steal it back!"
Amos: "…"
The black lines above his head were now too many to count.
Unable to endure any longer, he closed his eyes, not even daring to look at the possible expression on the young man's face beside him.
This must be what they call "plotting loudly."
He was in despair. He gave up. Whatever happens, happens!
Just as he was about to completely give up on everything, the young man beside him let out another low chuckle.
"I don't think that would be appropriate."
The young man named "C·L" spoke casually while turning a page of his book, then looked at Kisho with a smile.
"Once something is given away, how can you ask for it back?"
He paused slightly. "As for stealing it back—" he smiled, "that probably wouldn't be very easy to succeed either."
Kisho deflated. "…Yeah, you're right. Stealing it back would be too hard."
Amos: "…"
Help. He really couldn't take this anymore. Why is this so awkward!
What did he ever do wrong to be stuck between an idiot and someone teasing the idiot for fun, suffering through this torment?!
Perhaps the only good news was that he could now confirm the true identity of the person named "C·L."
Although he had no idea why Kisho showed absolutely no sign of recognizing him, at least Amos didn't have to worry that this guy would do anything harmful to Kisho.
Amos let out a sigh. He had tried his best, but he just couldn't carry him. Really couldn't.
But suddenly, he found himself somewhat curious to see just how long it would take for Kisho to recognize this person's true identity.
Ah, so this is the strange pleasure of having such a mischievous sense of humor.
Amos noticed C·L's gaze. He turned his head to meet his eyes briefly, then silently looked away and discreetly grabbed his own knee.
Even disguised as a college student, this person was still terrifying.
So just what kind of original image of this person existed in Kisho's mind, to make him so preconceived and blinded, turning a fairly clever head into that of a fool?
Tsk. Hopefully, when Kisho learns the truth, he won't completely collapse from realizing that he himself has been an idiot all along.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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