(Unedited)
…
An awkward air surrounds the two as they travel down the mountain road towards the city. Curt was almost discovered by Jenny Mae. Luckily for him, the other guy who saw him entering the freezer did not say anything.
When he was fighting against the terrorist with a golem, he has already felt the movement monitor array of Jenny Mae. So he decided to end the farce and immediately escape. And luckily for him, as soon as he enters the freezer and gathers the talismans, he saw Jenny Mae's tie being loosened.
He immediately walked towards her location carrying a knife.
When their eyes met, his natural reaction kicks in and was has a surprised look on his face. From the corner of his eyes, he can see the person who saw him controlling his laughter. Though they didn't know each other, Curt feels that this person is a kind one.
That was the start of the awkward air between the two. Jenny Mae did not ask any question and would just eye him every now and then while driving.
She has a lot of questions and too many absurd thoughts but she could not believe nor picture this introverted fellow to that person in her mind. So Jenny Mae decided to just observe Curt closely from now on. If her conjecture is true then this 'boyfriend' of hers is hiding something, some deep secret that is making her curious.
And this all started when the day he suddenly hugged her and they both had a fight. At that time she used her wind ability. Though she defeated him, it was still a very shameful experience for an esper.
She drops him off at his house and she directly reported to her guild.
The next day, Jenny Mae went to school as usual as if nothing had happened. She studied, practiced her powers, hang out with her two best friends, saw her crush, and fought with the school bullies. That afternoon after her classes, the school administration office called for her name to go to the gym.
When she arrives, she saw the two police officers who save them that day. And when they saw her, they showed some cordial smile.
Lieutenant James Ramirez and SPO1 Maddy Castillo already knew that Jenny Mae is an esper and is studying at Kor City Esper College. So they decided to visit her to follow up on their investigation.
The reason why they met at the gym is that Lieutenant Ramirez has speculation about what happened inside the restaurant and who might the mysterious masked man or woman is. But he still needed some proof to confirm his theories. But of course, he wouldn't tell them that.
That day at the restaurant there are only two espers along with the hostages. And he has borrowed a more accurate LEP power reader from the bureau. And his first target is this powerful young esper who has already joined a mercenary group in secret even at a young age.
"Miss Lee, these two fine officers are here to ask you some questions." The dean said with a smile on her usual strict face.
Lieutenant Ramirez flashes a handsome smile as usual and waves his hand.
"Well, actually we are not here for some questions. As you know we already did the investigation yesterday. I'm just here for a follow-up investigation… Would you mind showing me your powers?"
When Jenny Mae heard this, she scrunched her brow and looks at him with a bit of hesitation in her eyes.
"Don't worry too much, we're just to check something out." The police officer who looks like a college girl with a police badge on her waist said while looking at the computer in front of her.
Jenny Mae was a bit hesitant, but still did what they asked her to do.
He suddenly produced wind energy in her palm and it turned into a small vortex.
While she is doing that, the lieutenant is currently looking at the data displayed on the computer. The two of them look at the woman with a bit of astonishment but look at each other with a tacit understanding and shook their heads.
"Okay, thank you, Miss Lee…" the police officer said.
Suddenly a young man enters the door of the gym. When Jenny Mae saw the young man, she showed a surprised look on her face. But the guy just looks at her and winked, then walked to her side.
"Alright, you may leave now Miss Lee…" the dean said as she guided Jenny Mae out of the door.
She was still a bit confused, however, she had an inkling that these guys are looking for someone. Plus from the news that she heard last night from her team, it seems that the masked man was actually in the restaurant.
With this in mind, she immediately thought that it might be that guy who entered the gym. From his confident smile and his gestures, she thought that it might be possible.
According to her teammates, the masked man might be an esper powerhouse with a power level of 25 or higher. When she heard this admiration immediately swell in her heart. How could she not know the meaning of having such power?
With her power level of 6 for wind, she was already accepted the Esper College. However, she was able to join the mercenary group because her true power is actually higher. She has two elemental control ability, wind, and fire. Her wind level is 6 which is already powerful, yet her fire level is actually 11.
And this is the reason why she was immediately accepted by the group, as one of the youngest members of one of the top 5 mercenary groups in Kor City, the Greenhoundz.
However as she walks out of the school, she seems to still think that her boyfriend seems to be hiding something from her. But no matter how she analyzes things she could not figure it out. As she walks she seems to be thinking deeply about this matter and didn't realize where she was going.
She then found herself standing in front of the small convenience store where Curt is working. She hadn't bothered to come here at this hour before and when passing by in this part, she would not even turn her attention to this place.
However, she was suddenly surprised at the line in front of the store.
She never would have thought that the convenience store is this famous. So he curiously walks and queues up with others.
While standing, she could hear some of the people chattering around her.
"Hey, you're here again… for the tea, right?" one of the women asked another one.
"Hihi, you're right. I bought it yesterday and the effect is truly astounding. My… my husband was really surprised this morning when he saw me. He just came back from a 3-day trip outside. He almost drops his luggage when he saw me… Hihi…"
"Oh, really? Me too… my boyfriend was really amazed at my skin. He would look at me the whole day while drooling… Hihihi…"
"Man, you're here for the coffee?"
"Yeah, I was having a hard time and have weak health. My doctor suggests me to do some detoxification. I already tried a lot of methods, but they all failed. I bought the coffee just yesterday, and guess what. It really works. My wife scolded me for the bad smell of our bathroom though… Hahaha…"
"Haha… you and me both brother, you and me both… Hahaha…"
When Jenny Mae heard the conversation and more, she was a bit stunned. She didn't actually know what they were talking about. In her mind, she was thinking, 'How wonderful could it be? It's just coffee and tea?'
Her confusion and curiosity were piqued as she continues standing in line. Suddenly behind her, she heard two young high school students.
"Are you going to make him carve another statue of your idol?" one of the students asked.
"Umm… Yes. But, I wish he can carve me a statue of himself… Hihi…"
"Pfft… Yeah, me too… Does he have a girlfriend or something?"
"I don't think so. But I can see that one of those ladies working with him has a crush on him though."
"Yeah, I also noticed that. The way she looks at him and flirts… I really wanna…"
Jenny Mae was a bit taken aback at this conversation, but she could not piece it together. Suddenly she heard one of the girls said.
"Look, look! That's the flirty b*tch. I really hate her."
Then Jenny Mae's eyes shifted towards the store. From where she stood, she could see Curt arranging something on a shelf while a beautiful and a bit busty woman is talking to him with her eyes sparkling.
When she saw this scene she actually didn't feel anything at first, but as she observes, her heart seems to feel something pricking it. This is true when Curt would show some smile on that young woman. Although she knew that he is just acting politely at her from the way he acts, she still could not help but feel a bit hurt.
"What am I thinking about? He… I don't like him. He is just an experiment. A cover… A test…" she thought as she tried to shift her attention to other things.
Although she is curious about the things these people are buying at the store, her curiosity is already gone upon seeing this scene. Without a second thought, she immediately left the queue and walks away.
Suddenly, Curt felt something and turn his gaze towards the door. What he saw are a line of people and a silhouette of a figure leaving. He didn't know why but he felt that someone is looking at him a while ago, some familiar feeling.
…
After leaving, Jenny Mae directly went home. This time, she didn't go to that dilapidated house in that poverty-stricken area. She was actually living there because of her mission. Though that was her previous home, she just grabs the opportunity to live there for a while.
She took a cab and arrives in an apartment building. This apartment building is where she really lives. It was a 7-story condominium. And she lives on the 3rd floor, condominium number 27.
As she scanned her print on the panel and input her code, the door opened.
Entering inside, a slight smile appears on her face then said in a low voice.
"I'm home!"