052 Problematic Parents - Part 2 - Evelyn’s POV

  I watched the airship fly away, its engines humming softly against the night sky. The academy’s towering walls shrank beneath it, and soon, the ship became just another blinking light among the stars.

  So… almost all of the main cast was finally out of the academy.

  I exhaled, rubbing the back of my neck. This was better. Much better than having the kids suffer the unprecedented butterfly effect I caused. If they stayed, the next week would be dangerous for them—far more than they were prepared for.

  I couldn’t be the perfect mom for Mark, but at the very least… I could do my job.

  My phone rang.

  Reina.

  I answered with a lazy drawl. “Yo.”

  “Finally! Where are you?” Reina’s sharp voice came through the speaker. “Almost everyone’s here. We’re just waiting on you.”

  I stretched, watching my breath mist in the cool air. “Chillax. I just sent the kids away.”

  “That’s nice. Hurry up.”

  “You really can’t be patient for five minutes?”

  “No,” she shot back. “I’m running out of jokes and icebreakers.”

  I chuckled. “That’s a you problem.”

  “Evelyn.”

  “Fine, fine, I’m on my way.”

  I pocketed my phone and turned toward the sleek black car waiting just outside Black Tortoise’s main gate. Shirley stood by the open door, her usual impassive face giving nothing away.

  “Ma’am.”

  I slid inside, getting comfortable in the back seat. “Thanks, Shirley.”

  She gave a short nod before closing the door.

  A moment later, the front passenger door opened, and Shirley settled in beside the driver.

  Cox, my ever-reliable driver, glanced at me through the rearview mirror. “Where to?”

  I smirked. “The hotel.”

  He didn’t need clarification. He already knew which one.

  Cox nodded, shifting gears. The car pulled away smoothly, leaving Black Tortoise Academy behind.

  I leaned back against the leather seat, closing my eyes for a brief moment. Just as I exhaled, my phone rang again.

  Reina.

  I sighed and picked up. “What’s up?”

  “Why did you hang up on me?” she snapped.

  I frowned. “I didn’t… I think?”

  “You think?”

  “I thought the conversation ended.”

  “It wasn’t.” Reina’s tone was flat and unimpressed. “Learn some manners.”

  I scoffed. “So there are manners in phone calls now?”

  “Yes. Anyway, try calling Merrick.”

  My fingers froze midair, just about to lower the phone. “…Why?”

  “Because,” Reina said slowly, like I was an idiot, “I just found out he suddenly filed a one-week leave. Without notice.”

  I sat up. “You’re only finding out now?”

  “Hey, I’m busy,” she shot back. “You’re the one obsessed with that guy.”

  “Not obsessed,” I corrected. “Just concerned.”

  “Right, well, be concerned faster.”

  I sighed. “I’ll call you back.”

  Hanging up, I scrolled through my contacts, searching for Merrick’s number. It was buried deep—something I hadn’t touched in years.

  Merrick…

  At best, he was an old flame. At worst, a short-time fling.

  Either way, he was a good guy.

  And that’s why this bothered me.

  I tapped his number and waited tensely for the call to connect.

  The dial tone rang. Once. Twice.

  And then—

  Static.

  Then turbulence.

  I straightened. That wasn’t just background noise—it was the distinct sound of high-altitude wind rushing past an open mic. He was in the air.

  I tightened my grip on the phone. “What’s the one-week leave about?”

  No response.

  I pressed on. “Tell me you’re not taking assassination jobs again.”

  Silence.

  Merrick had walked away from that life—at least, that’s what he said. But the timing of his leave was too coincidental. With everything happening behind the scenes, I couldn’t afford for him to get tangled up in something he couldn’t walk away from.

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  I needed him to be that killer again.

  Even if he didn’t want to be.

  That was the truth, but I’d hate it if the timing had to be now.

  “Merrick.”

  No response. Just quiet breathing.

  I frowned. “…Where are you?”

  The silence stretched for a few seconds before a familiar voice finally broke it.

  “How did you get this number?”

  I let out a breath I didn’t realize I was holding. “Didn’t you give it to me?”

  “That was three years ago.” Merrick’s tone was dry. “I figured you’d never call.”

  He wasn’t wrong. This was the first time I’d actually used his number.

  I leaned back against the car seat, letting my relief settle. “Well, here I am. Calling.”

  “Tch.” I could almost hear him running a hand through his messy hair. “After you ambushed me a few days ago in my car and asked me to do a job for you, I decided to do some investigating of my own.”

  I frowned. “Investigating me?”

  “Investigating what the hell you’re doing here,” Merrick corrected. “And then I decided to do something about it.”

  I narrowed my eyes. “…Merrick.”

  “No.”

  I blinked. “What?”

  “No,” he repeated flatly. “I’m not going back to that life.”

  I pressed my lips together. Conflicted? Yes. On one hand, I sincerely wanted Merrick to kill a certain person for me. On the other hand, kudos to him for choosing to walk away…

  “I’m a professor now.” His voice was firm. “My focus is my students.”

  Something in my chest tightened, but before I could reply, he continued.

  “Speaking of which, I’m currently in the airship with a certain five students.”

  I sat up straight. “…You’re what?”

  How the hell did I not notice him when the airship took off?

  I exhaled sharply. “You sneaky bastard.”

  “You’re slipping, Evelyn,” he said, amused.

  I ignored that. “Alright, fine. What did you find out?”

  A pause. Then, “There are powerful people who have a vested interest in Mirai Valeska.”

  My fingers tapped against my thigh. “Figures.”

  “I don’t know everything yet, but I know where I’m needed right now.”

  I scoffed. “Oh? And where’s that?”

  “Where you so conveniently sent a handful of students away from the island,” Merrick said knowingly. “Your boy, Mark, has sharp instincts… I think he noticed me already… The others are not too bad, but they need more training.”

  I grinned. “So you figured that out too, huh?”

  “A secret war is about to break out in ESPer Island.” His voice was grim. “That’s why you arranged for certain students to be kicked off the island for a while.”

  I didn’t confirm or deny it.

  “You’re in cahoots with Reina Morningstar,” he added. “And you’re allied with several people who have vested interests in protecting those students.”

  I couldn’t help it. I laughed. “Oh, Merrick. Such a guy.”

  He sighed. “What’s so funny?”

  “For someone out of the business,” I smirked. “You sure still have it in you, huh?”

  Another sigh. “…Unfortunately.”

  I exhaled through my nose, letting the information settle. "So what? You’re playing bodyguard for a bunch of bodyguards now?"

  Merrick let out a humorless chuckle. "I’m here as a representative of the ESPer Academy to contribute to the guard detail on Ash Enoch."

  I raised an eyebrow. "Officially?"

  "Officially."

  Of course. The ESPer Academy always had its hands in these sorts of things. “So what was the one-week leave about?”

  “Reina ratted on me, huh?” Merrick hummed. "I am not surprised. It’s to muddy the waters and not provoke a bigger response to whoever have interest on the kids or Ash Enoch.”

  It would be wishful thinking that whatever threat, hovering around the kids and Enoch, would be deterred by a single adult ESPer, even if it was Merrick. So yeah, it was an agreeable assessment that his existence might have provoked a bigger response.

  I leaned back against my seat. "It won’t be a walk in the park, though. Bodyguarding Ash Enoch is going to be dangerous. The kids might be forced to mature even faster than they already have."

  "Get their first kills?" Merrick suggested, his voice edged with distaste. “That’s what you mean, don’t you?”

  I didn’t respond immediately.

  "You're as vile as ever," he muttered.

  I rolled my eyes. "Don’t be dramatic."

  "Oh, please. For all its glitz and glamour, the ESPer Academy is still a paramilitary organization at its core. We create soldiers. If not warriors." Merrick’s voice was laced with something bitter. "But one thing they won’t teach is the necessity of the kill. That’s something you only learn in the field."

  I disagreed.

  "The world is changing, Merrick," I said. "A new era is coming, and frankly? None of the adults in the current world will cut it."

  There was a shift in his silence.

  "Stronger ESPers are emerging," I continued. "The younger generation is surpassing expectations. The Pioneer Class? They’re just the beginning."

  Merrick didn’t argue.

  I sighed. "Still, I trust the kids to handle themselves. But I won’t lie—it’s good to know you’re there. If there’s some unseen butterfly effect screwing things up, at least you’ll be around to keep them safe."

  "Hah. Is that your way of saying you’re relieved?"

  I scoffed. "Don’t push it."

  Merrick chuckled. "Well, look at the bright side. At least I’m off the island while your so-called secret war is about to break loose."

  That was true. Even if Merrick wasn’t considered that strong by ESPer ranking standards, anyone who underestimated him was an idiot. He wasn’t a powerhouse, but he was a dangerous man when he wanted to be.

  And if things really spiraled into chaos back on the island, I’d rather he wasn’t in the crossfire.

  "Be careful, Merrick," I told him.

  "You too."

  And then, he hung up.

  Cox eased the car to a smooth stop. “We’re here.”

  I exhaled, stretching my neck as Shirley stepped out first, opening the door for me like the perfect assistant she was. I slid out of the car, heels clicking against the pavement as my gaze swept the surroundings. “We’ve got surveillance from the third floor, adjacent to the hotel,” I murmured, my tone casual. “Another set watching from the seventh floor, two blocks away.”

  Cox let out a barely perceptible sigh. “Tch. Persistent bastards.”

  “And there are three tails,” I continued. “Not obvious, but they’ve been keeping pace. The white van ahead, a motorbike parked at the left juncture, and a black sedan behind us.”

  Shirley’s lips curled into a smirk, her fingers twitching slightly, likely already sending out silent signals to their on-site operatives. “You want them cleaned up?”

  I flicked a dismissive hand. “Deal with them as you see fit. Activate any resources on-site. Fleas and vermin shouldn’t get comfortable.”

  Shirley gave a small, satisfied nod. “Consider it done.”

  Cox cracked his knuckles. “I’ll make sure they get the message.”

  That was enough for me. With them handling security, I had other things to focus on. I turned away, striding toward the hotel entrance. The doors slid open with a quiet hiss, cool air washing over me as I stepped inside.

  This meeting had better go well.

  My phone vibrated in my coat pocket. I pulled it out to find a text from Reina—an angry string of emojis.

  I smirked and typed back. [I’m here.]

  A second later, another message popped up. [Room 1408.]

  The hotel was quiet—eerily so. Too quiet for a place that should’ve had at least a handful of guests wandering about. The occasional staff member moved through the halls with mechanical efficiency, but I knew better. Mercenaries. Every last one of them. Reina had gotten her hands on a lot of things over the years, and real estate was one of them. This entire building was one of her assets, run by hired hands from her network of ex-military and contract killers.

  I made my way to the elevator, pressing the button. The doors slid open with a ding, and I stepped inside.

  Just as they were about to close, a blonde-haired man with a stubble stepped in after me.

  My gaze flicked to him in the reflection of the elevator’s polished interior. Tch. Another one. He had no noticeable tension in his posture, no unnecessary shifts in weight. Most people wouldn’t give him a second glance.

  But I wasn’t most people.

  “You hide your tells well for a hired assassin,” I remarked, my voice even. “But you could’ve done better.”

  His fingers twitched. A second later, his arm moved. Fast. A scythed dagger arced toward my side, a gleaming flash of steel.

  I parried the flat side of his blade with the butt of my handgun, the impact sending a sharp vibration up my arm. Rubber bullets wouldn’t work on him. My Mind’s Eye flared, calculating every possible outcome within fractions of a second.

  Most efficient kill method?

  I removed the clip from my gun in one swift motion, fired the rubber bullet left in the chamber straight into his eye, then drove the magazine into his throat like a dagger.

  A sickening wet choke. Blood sprayed across my face as his mouth opened in a silent gasp.

  Teleportation. His body flickered, an attempt to escape.

  I grabbed the collar of his suit mid-phase, timing the split-second teleportation, then slammed his head against the elevator wall with bone-crunching force. His ESP flickered out like a dying lightbulb.

  Twisting the embedded magazine deeper into his throat, I felt the last shudder of resistance fade.

  Blood colored my coat a deep crimson.

  I exhaled sharply, lips curling in irritation. “You ruined my drip.”

  The elevator dinged as the doors slid open. I stepped out, leaving the body slumped against the wall, blood pooling at his feet.

  Reina’s people would clean it up.