"Family? Are you certain?"
When Bryan gave his answer, the elderly man's head suddenly snapped up, his gaze turning razor-sharp in an instant. Those eyes cut through Bryan like twin blades, piercing straight into his soul.
Under that penetrating stare, Bryan froze in place, unconsciously retreating half a step. Beads of sweat began forming on his forehead. But he quickly recovered from the momentary discomfort, meeting the old man's eyes with determination. "Yes. They're family."
After a brief hesitation, he stepped forward and took the seat across from the elderly administrator. He explained his reasons for searching—and his true purpose—laying out the facts plainly.
The old man listened in silence until Bryan finished. Only then did that piercing gaze soften. A slight smile tugged at the corner of his lips as he remarked, seemingly offhand, "You're quite clever..."
"Ahem!"
Bryan stiffened at those words. He raised a fist to his mouth and coughed twice, a flash of embarrassment crossing his face. His little scheme had been seen through.
He'd understood that without blood relations, there would be no convincing reason for a stranger to help with such a search. That's why he'd claimed they were looking for family. And if caught in the lie, he'd planned to tell the truth—after all, for Sarah, Sylvia really was something like family.
What Bryan hadn't expected was that the old man would see through him at a glance. But since the administrator seemed disinclined to call him out directly, Bryan simply kept his head down, pretending he hadn't understood the implication.
"Tell me what information you have. I'll help you look."
Gazing at the two young people before him—a boy and a girl—a nostalgic look flickered through the old man's eyes. After a moment of silence, he spoke.
"Great!"
Hearing that he was willing to help, Sarah's face lit up with excitement. She immediately rattled off everything she knew—Marlene's name, along with all the details Bryan had deduced.
"Ah... Marlene... between seventeen and eighteen years old... Black... attended Georgia High School..."
As Sarah listed the information, the old man put his reading glasses back on. Facing the computer, he typed with excruciatingly slow deliberation, muttering each detail aloud to confirm as he entered it.
Waiting was always the hardest part. Bryan watched Sarah fidgeting in her seat and could only pat her back reassuringly. Though he personally didn't care much whether they found Marlene, Sarah clearly did—so he had to at least make an effort.
"Ah! Let me see here..."
The search seemed to have produced results. The old man straightened in his chair, leaning his head forward slightly. "There are currently ten students named Marlene enrolled in the school. However, only one matches the information you've provided. She's not on campus at the moment. Here's her photo—take a look and see if it's her."
He pushed the computer screen toward them, revealing half the display.
In the center of the screen was a photograph of a Black teenage girl. She wore her hair in braids gathered into a ponytail, and her face carried an unmistakable coldness.
Bryan studied the image briefly before looking away. Honestly, while he could distinguish most other ethnicities reasonably well, he'd always struggled with Black faces—unless someone had distinctive features or he'd spent considerable time with them, he couldn't tell people apart based on appearance alone.
He'd seen Marlene's photo once before, in the locket, but that had been a long time ago. He turned to Sarah, waiting for her confirmation.
Sarah seemed equally uncertain. The photo she'd seen of Marlene had been taken when the girl was barely ten—nothing like the young woman on screen now. Though there was a vague resemblance in the features, she couldn't confirm it with any certainty.
Noticing their hesitation, the old man considered for a moment before speaking slowly. "If you can't confirm it now, there's no rush. Come back in three months. I'll give you her address then, and you can write a letter or visit in person to verify."
"Why do we have to wait that long? They're not—mmph... mmph!"
Hearing they'd have to wait three months, Sarah leaped to her feet in agitation, about to demand an explanation. She nearly blurted out Bryan's earlier speculation about the danger Marlene might be in.
Bryan saw she was losing her composure. He moved quickly, clamping a hand over her mouth without ceremony and dragging her toward the door.
At the threshold, he pushed Sarah outside first, then turned back to the old man. "Thank you. We'll return in three months."
He stepped out after her, and with a soft click, gently closed the office door behind him.
Inside, the room fell silent. The old man gazed at the closed door for a long moment before picking up his pen again. He pulled a document closer and resumed writing, murmuring softly to himself:
"What interesting children."
...
Outside the Administrative Office
"What was that back there? Why did you suddenly lose your cool like that?"
After leaving the office, Bryan led Sarah toward the library. He glanced back at the girl trailing behind him, her head bowed, her expression dejected. The irritation he'd been feeling melted away in an instant.
Ever since they'd decided to search for information about Marlene, he'd noticed something off about Sarah's state of mind. She seemed to have made this her personal mission, abandoning her usual calm and composure.
"Look at me."
Seeing that her spirits remained low, Bryan stopped and turned to face her. He placed both hands firmly on her shoulders, his tone brooking no argument.
Sarah blinked, then slowly raised her head. Her clear, bright eyes met his gaze.
Bryan cupped her face gently between his hands, looking directly into her eyes with an earnest expression. "Nobody wants things to go badly. But sometimes, no matter what we do, things don't work out the way we hope. Don't carry that burden. As long as we've done everything we can, as long as our conscience is clear—that's enough."
Sarah stared at his face, transfixed. Whether it was his words that moved her or something else entirely, her eyes drifted downward. She gave a soft murmur of acknowledgment, and a faint flush crept across her cheeks.
"Come on, let's go. We've wasted enough time already—Dick and Allen are probably waiting for us!"
As if suddenly aware of the warmth in her face, Sarah pulled away from Bryan's hands with a shy shove. She grabbed his hand instead and hurried ahead, practically bouncing as she walked, desperate to keep him from noticing the heat spreading across her cheeks.
"Huh?"
Bryan had no idea what had just happened. He found himself being tugged along, watching the girl skip ahead of him with complete bewilderment.
Wasn't I supposed to be comforting her? She recovered that fast? Was she even upset in the first place?
Walking ahead, Sarah pressed her other hand—the cool one—against her cheek, feeling the burning warmth beneath her palm and her quickening heartbeat. Her thoughts swirled in chaos, but despite everything, a happy smile spread unbidden across her face.
...
The Library
The spacious reading area held a scattered dozen or so students, quietly absorbed in their books. Those who actually wanted to study were still in training, and those who'd finished training had little interest in coming here. The few who did show up were mostly flipping through casual reading material.
Bryan moved slowly through the rows of shelves, scanning the spines from top to bottom. He didn't reach for a single book—just browsing, taking in what was available.
Eventually, he selected a firearms encyclopedia and emerged from the stacks. He made his way to the far edge of the reading area, where Sarah, Allen, and Dick sat with books open before them, reading intently.
"How's it going? Anything you don't understand?" He settled into the only empty seat and leaned forward, looking at Allen and Dick, whose faces were practically pressed together over their textbooks.
"Ugh! Studying is so hard!"
Allen looked up at Bryan with an expression of pure despair, then let his head drop heavily onto his book.
Suddenly, his eyes caught the book Bryan had set on the table. His face lit up immediately, the anguished expression vanishing in an instant. He stared at the firearms encyclopedia with undisguised interest.
"Eyes on your own book!"
Noticing Allen's gaze fixed on the book in his hand, Bryan gave him a light smack on the head. "Looking at you, I'm not expecting any academic miracles. But elementary and middle school material is the easiest—you need to at least pass those levels. They're practically free credits. Once you've secured those, I don't care what you do after."
Allen touched his head forlornly, then reluctantly lowered his gaze back to the dry textbook before him.
Watching the boy's reluctant compliance, Bryan shook his head. He could see it clearly now—this kid had zero interest in academics but was absolutely fascinated by weapons and combat. A classic musclehead in the making.
He shrugged and opened his own book, not really expecting the boy to become a scholar. As long as he earned enough credits to get by, that would have to be enough.
"Kick his ass!"
"Damn it, he's fighting back!"
"..."
Just as the library had settled into peaceful quiet, with everyone absorbed in their reading, a sudden commotion erupted from somewhere outside—shouting and the sounds of a disturbance.
The noise yanked everyone's attention from their books. Frowns appeared on faces throughout the reading room as people turned toward the source of the disruption, annoyance plain in their expressions. Who was disturbing their peace?
...
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