Under The Veil of Night

\\"Excuse me, I’m looking for Kanae Nali.\\"

\\"I’m here,\\" Kanae replied.

The homeroom teacher looked at the doctor with confused gaze. \\"Is there anything wrong?\\"

\\"There’s a bit of wrong information here. She’ll be assigned to me,\\" the doctor, Shiro, answered with a smile.

The doctor shrugged. \\"I see. I’ll be going to the next one, then.\\"

Kanae was grateful that the doctor assigned to her was not too serious. Little did she know that this peculiar doctor was actually unwilling to take this work if not because of his condition. Since someone offered to take the job from him, why should he refuse?

Walking out of the room, Kanae faced Shiro. \\"Where shall we go, Doctor?\\"

\\"We can go to my office. I have finished cleaning up the place, so it’s rather appropriate.\\"

Following Shiro, Kanae found out that the building for the doctors were located in a different place. She originally thought that there were some rooms for them, but didn’t expect that they were in a completely different building.

Compared to the tall building for her class, this building only has 3 floors. However, it was spanned for a long area with a flat roof, which allowed others to stay there.

Shiro’s office was located on the first floor, which was also the location for the most inexperienced doctor. Only after they got in that Shiro’s expression changed to his usual one. Previously, he was posing as a kind doctor, so he purposely made himself look more ’handsome.’

\\"That’s truly a close call,\\" Shiro sighed.

Kanae nodded her head. \\"You don’t answer your special phone. I thought that you’re not online at all.\\"

Shiro smiled wryly. It was not that he didn’t want to answer, but he couldn’t answer. He was staying with the other doctors who were heading to the building, so he couldn’t possibly answer them. All that he could hear was about the fact that Kanae wanted him to come as fast as possible.

\\"I heard the news about the check up a bit late, so I didn’t manage to inform you before,\\" Shiro sighed. \\"My apologies, Captain.\\"

\\"It’s all good in the end, so there’s nothing you need to apologize for,\\" Kanae smiled wryly. She couldn’t possibly let them check her, so she has been trying to come up with an excuse. The only thing that came up to her was the toilet, so she was trying to make time by asking the doctor.

\\"I truly want to know how you manage to stay safe all these years. You enrolled in this school too in the past, right?\\"

\\"Yes,\\" Kanae leaned back on her chair. \\"During that time, my parents are still alive. They’re researchers working for the government, so it’s easy for them to transfer the check up for them. I had long forgotten about the health check up if not because there’s one today.\\"

She had dropped out of Lima School before she lost her parents, so she no longer has many memories about this place. The life that she had so far has been very exhausting that she had to fully concentrate on them. There was no time for her to worry about other things that had long passed.

\\"It’s reckless of you to come here while forgetting the fact that they will surely try to attempt something.\\"

Kanae pursed her lips. She knew that it was reckless of her, but without coming here, she wouldn’t be able to know their progress at all. \\"Do you really think that I will be able to handle them if I stay outside and keep myself safe? Everything has a risk and this is the risk I take to watch over the government’s movement.\\"

Shiro sighed. He understood Kanae’s point, so he would not try to persuade her anymore. He looked at the young girl before him. It has been quite some time since the first time he met with the young girl, but the meeting has brought some impression for him.

\\"In the past, you’re nothing more than an ordinary kid, trying to do work on the black street for a meager sum of money for living. Now that you have already had enough, don’t you want to live a normal life?\\"

Kanae glanced back at Shiro with confusion. \\"Why are you bringing this up now, Doctor Shiro?\\"

\\"When I’m looking at you, I just can’t help asking you this. After all, I still remember the young girl who wants nothing but a normal life out of this mess.\\"

Kanae lowered her eyes. \\"It’ll be a lie if I say that I don’t want a normal life, but I have realized that it’s going to be impossible.\\"

\\"Why?\\"

\\"Don’t you already know the answer?\\" Kanae stared back at Shiro. Her clear eyes seemed to be able to see through him as he felt slightly uncomfortable. A wry smile appeared on his lips.

\\"You’re not going to let them go.\\"

\\"Am I the one who can’t let them go or the opposite?\\"

Shiro opened his mouth and closed it once more. He looked at Kanae for a moment and smiled bitterly. \\"Right.\\"

Kanae shook her head lightly. \\"Eight years ago, during the winter night, three young children sneak out of the research facilities using the pass they snatch from the guards. They’re all golden letter owners, meaning they have the potential far higher than ordinary people. Even if they never awaken their talent, they will be someone influential in the future.

The government kidnapped those children from their families without permission. No matter how much their families tried to bring them back, the government never allowed them to return back home. After all, they wanted the power the children had in their body for themselves.\\"

Kanae stopped for a moment. Her breathing turned a bit rough as her eyes glowed in anger and hatred.

\\"The government never tells anyone about this matter because it’ll be very detrimental for them. After all, they’re risking leaking out the secret matter if they announce the three children’s escape. One of them comes from an influential background, one has a peculiar status, and the other one is just an ordinary child. You know about them, don’t you?\\"