Chapter 15: Opening Conclusion【P3】

Dimitri

“Um. Hello?” A boy stands in the threshold, a faint wetness around at the corner of his lips.

“Good morning, boy.” I give a greeting nod. “My name is Dimitri. I am with the OPB, sent out for information. And you are—”

The boy’s jaw drops, his lips freezing mid-motion as they slowly form a perfect circle to create the vowel.

Time decelerates.

Faint bruises under his ear. Unrealistic place for falling.

Neck was not showered, not allowed to get his chest wet. Fresh bandages.

Grabbing the door handle with his non dominant hand. Discomfort.

Standing uneven on his thickened right piped jogging—

Tsk.

Too simple.

“Clearly,” I declare, peering into the entryway, “you have been beat—”

He hacks a few times, leaning against the door frame.

“Sorry,” the boy wheezes, rubbing his neck. “I’ve been beaten up a bit recently. Had this itching cough ever since.”

Closing my eyes, I scramble the shards of my grand momentum while swallowing my pride like a bitter pill.

“How tragic. May I?” I extend an open palm toward his wrist.

He obliges, tugging back the sleeve of his jacket.

Tsk, Tsk.

Vicious.

“OPB, you said?” He rolls his sleeve back down. “Shun did mention someone would help me out later, but I didn’t expect the service to be quite... so intimate.” He stares down at our shoes.

“Exactly.” I pinch my chin with two fingers, tapping it with the other fingers. “Raw data is a volatile substance. The moment the initial brief reached me, multiple projections materialized. To maximize the statistical probability of success, physical verification was mandatory.”

“But—”

“Beggars?” a shrill female voice comes through the hallway from somewhere inside the apartment. The tone carries a dangerous velocity.

The boy throws a glance over his shoulder, waving his hand to dismiss her. “Sorry about her… she is—“

“No need.” I hold my hand up flat.

“So, OPB? Um, wasn’t I supposed to report to the bureau instead of the bureau coming to me?”

“Ordinarily, yes. But given that you had not arrived before my partner began brewing her morning espresso—it became statistically certain your arrival would be delayed until midday. Information cannot be dammed up, boy. It must flow!”

He deadpans at my solemn nod. “Well… what exactly do you need to know—”

“Thank you for your service!” I clap a hand onto his shoulder, interrupting him. “The parameters are fully established. We will be in touch.”

“Just give the peasant a slice of bread and close the door!” The female voice sharpens, drawing closer. Through the narrow crack, a faint, hollow metal echoes as a thin rod must be imminent, scraping along the hallway wall.

“My deepest gratitude,” I whisper, placing my hand on my chest.

The boy blinks rapidly, his mouth opening to reply while turning back at the imminent threat.

I spring backward, dropping into a swift, bow just as the light in the gap starts to shift.

Turning on my heel, I vanish down the gravel path before the threshold can widen further.

Asset protection is a vital sub-clause of data collection. And I prefer my face clean of bruises.

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Discover what happens next in: Chapter 16: Unlearned Knowledge【P1】

Written by Limited_Infinity. Extras, official publishing platforms and updates are publicly available only on the Patreon page “_Limited_Infinity_”

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