Life didn't get easier, even in another world.

After Kain was done scolding and cursing Kairen as much as he liked, he took a deep breath and finally changed the subject.

"You... That day... were not being serious right?"

"...About what?"

"...."

Clench

Kain grasped his arm even tougher.

"About... about renting a place and moving away from here..."

'Ah, that!'

Kairen remembered saying something like that in the car. He was angry back then when he said those words, but he still didn't think that what he said was wrong. He thought for a moment before carefully answering.

"Well I can't live here forever I should find a place for myself as well-"

"NO!"

Kain almost shouted, cutting Kairen's sentence.

"You can live here how much you want!"

"B-But-"

"I said you will live here!"

Kairen thought Kain would stand up at any moment and proceed to beat the shit out of him after looking at his angry face.

"B-but... I should buy a-"

"Kairen!"

Kairen shut his mouth after being yelled at.

"Do you even realize your situation?"

Letting go of Kairen's arm, Kain grabbed his shoulders this time and slightly shook his body.

"What if something happens to you again? What if you get sick? How are you going to live alone?"

"Wait I'll-"

"Do you enjoy this? Do you like to make everyone around you worry about you?"

"...."

Kairen strongly shook his head.

"I don't!"

Ha hated to be the center of attention by making them worry about his health.

"Then don't leave!"

Kain's eyes were shaking.

"Don't leave. Stay here!"

It almost sounded like pleading.

"...."

Kain finally let go of Kairen and then moved his head, putting it on the boy's shoulder.

"What should I do with you? Why do you like to make me worried so much?"

"...."

"Look at you. You are already 23 but you act like a kid. You make me worried more than Ariyan."

"...."

"When are you going to grow up, huh?"

Kairen just silently listened to Kain's naggings.

"You weren't like this before..."

Kain's voice lowered.

"Is this a side effect of memory loss?"

Kain's voice, almost like a whisper, was heard from besides his ear. Not knowing what to do, Kairen just patted the other man's back.

"...."

"Is that all? You've made me worried sick for so long and the only thing you do is to pat my back?"

Unlike usual, Kain's voice was shaking and it also sounded a little bit grumpy.

"...."

'What do you want me to do?'

Kairen hesitantly wrapped his arms around Kain's body.

"Sorry..."

And said in a really, reallllllyy low voice. 

"Pfft!"

He heard Kain's low chuckle, though his voice turned all gloomy again after a second.

"You should've said that you will never make me worried again..."

"...."

Kairen thought for a moment. He thought about his life. 

Yes, his damned life.

"But... I can't promise such a thing..."

Though he wished he could.

"I know..."

Kain's sound sounded disappointed.

"I will tell them that I couldn't fulfill their orders."

"What?"

After a few minutes, Kain raised his head and let go of Kairen.

"I'll say I failed... or I couldn't do it... I don't know yet but I will-"

"Wait! Didn't you say you could get expelled if you refused to follow the orders?"

"That... I accepted them and did as they said for a while so... there must not be so many problems..."

"But you are not sure?"

Kain lowered his head.

"I'm not sure..."

Kairen took a deep breath and massaged his eyes. After a long while of sitting on the bed, he was starting to get dizzy again but it seemed that it was unnoticed by Kain who was deep in thought, and that made Kairen really grateful. He didn't want to go through another nagging.

"You can just keep doing what you were told to do."

Kairen mulled over his words a little bit.

"It's not like... I do anything wrong to be scared of..."

"...."

Kain's eyes looking at him were shaking ever so slightly.

"What do you..."

Kairen folded his arm with a proud face.

"I mean you can report as much as you want! I'm clean and have nothing to fear... I-I hope! Ahem!"

"...."

Unable to stand the dizziness anymore, Kairen moved back and sprawled on the bed in a casual way as if he was just playing around. 

'Damn, I hope this fever is gone by tomorrow!'

He was once again happy that Kain was too deep in thought to pay attention to him.

"Anyway, who is that guy you are so afraid of?"

"Yes?"

Kairen casually moved his hand in the air.

"The one who ordered you to observe me. Who is it that can order you around like that? Aren't you a deputy team leader yourself?"

"....."

Kain didn't answer.

"Hmm..."

Kairen rolled on his bed until he reached his pillow while waiting for Kain's answer.

"What's wrong? Is that a secret as well?"

"...This whole thing was supposed to be a secret and you were supposed to never find out about it..."

Kairen hugged his pillow.

"Yes yes. And now tell me who that person is."

Kain was clearly reluctant to tell the name of that person. He fidgetted with his fingers, bit his lips, and squirmed around on the bed.

"Come on. Why are you making such a fuss?"

"...."

Kain lowered his head even more and finally spoke.

"It was... The commander..."

"The what?"

"SMF's commander..."

"...."

The commander of SMF was the one who ordered Kain?

No wonder he was so scared of disobeying him.

At this point, there was no point in asking or thinking about why was that commander interested in him. 

He knew about the C.A.D project and was told that both Philomns and the government were interested in his power. No wonder the commander ordered Kain to observe him.

Also, Kairen was now used to this shit so he was not that much surprised about the fact that the commander ordered his family to observe him.

'Ah wait...'

Kairen was suddenly reminded of something. 

-You are gathering so much attention, and that attention... is not the positive one. 

-So you'd better do something while the team leader can still protect you.

-Team leader Dains is nothing but a 'team leader'. Keep that in mind.

"...."

Kairen pressed his face on the pillow.

'Did Glenn mean this by telling me those? The attention he was talking about was the commander?'

That was the only reasonable answer Kairen could think of now.

'Then does that mean that team leader Dains was protecting me against his own commander? The hell?'

Kairen didn't know much about the structure of SMF But that still seemed strange.

"Aren't you..."

Kairen snapped out of his thoughts and turned to Kain.

"Aren't you... like... surprised?"

"...."

Oh!

Kairen opened his eyes wide.

"I am really surprised! So much that I'm unable to react normally!"

"...."

Kain opened and closed his eyes.

"Is that so?"

It was written all over his face that he didn't believe what Kairen said.

"Anyway, if that's the commander who ordered you then you should never ever tell him that you were unable to follow the orders!"

"But-"

"It's okay, Kain."

Kairen turned his body to Kain.

"I get it. I overreacted before but it's really fine now. Keep doing what you were told to do."

"...."

"Don't do anything stupid and just act as if nothing happened."

"...."

Kain didn't say anything for a while after hearing Kairen's words. He silently sat on the bed and stared at his brother. 

"Then... I'll make it so that no one would bother you for at least a while..."

Kairen suddenly got an ominous feeling.

"Y-yes?"

As if he was done here, Kain picked up the trail and stood up without answering Kairen.

"Nothing. You just rest and make sure you are better until our next mission. I won't allow you to go if you are not recovered by then."

Kairen's brows twitched.

"What? 'Our' next mission?"

Smile

In his answer, Kain only smiled at him and left the room.

"Wait! What is going on here!"

No one answered Kairen. 

Staying still like that for a few moments, Kairen processed the information.

'No way. Is he coming with us?'

POW

Kairen punched the bed.

'First captain Neal and now Kain! What is wrong with these people joining our missions!'

With a deep sigh, Kairen pulled his blanket towards himself and closed his eyes.

'I don't care. I'll just sleep.'

All of a sudden, he wished that he wouldn't get better so that he could skip this one mission.

. . . . . 

There is a law in the world regarding wishes.

People's wishes don't always come true. 

As for Kairen, the law was a little bit different.

His wishes never come true. 

With a sad heart and a grumpy face, Kairen was standing in the rear of a group of people. The group of people who had just teleported to this place was slowly approaching the jungle ahead.

He was back to his work and was on his mission.