Was That Considered Diligent of Him?

"Is the captain's memory really that bad? Is he going to be all right?"

Lynch reminded him again, trying to make him take it seriously.

Unfortunately, Old Neil didn't take it to heart either, so Lynch had to give up on trying to make Dunn realize the problem right away.

After all, he figured Klein might not become a Beyonder anytime soon. By then, Dunn would have to find a way to handle things in Tingen, so it would be best to resolve the problem with Dunn first.

If Dunn wasn't on the verge of losing control and could still advance to Sequence 6, then perhaps everything would be fine.

But they could wait a little longer before dealing with this.

Lynch took another sip of coffee, put away all the things Old Neil had brought, then asked curiously, "Dunn said I'd take turns working with you, Rozanne, and Brazier, but I don't know what you all do exactly."

Old Neil smiled.

"You can read documents with Klein and me and decipher some of them. Like this, for instance."

Old Neil pushed a few yellowed sheets of paper in front of Lynch.

At a glance, Lynch recognized Roselle's Chinese handwriting. He hurriedly looked away, afraid the diary would make him think of something else again.

Only some of the most basic energy remained in the Stone of Myriad Phenomena, enough to shield him from prying eyes. He didn't even know if it would last until Klein opened Sefirah Castle next Monday. He really didn't want to tempt fate.

"I know what this is. It's Roselle's Diary. I tried to decipher it, but unfortunately, I couldn't understand it at all. Still, I analyzed it, and these parts might have something to do with numbers."

Lynch pointed to the dates in the diary.

"Brilliant! That's exactly what I thought!"

Old Neil gave him a thumbs-up.

"I'll talk to Dunn about it. I think you should focus on studying these. It'd be wonderful if you managed to decipher more."

Lynch: ...

He'd have to pass.

He didn't want to spend every day watching his energy drain away at an alarming rate. He'd only wanted to get a little closer to Old Neil, not take on the consequences.

"Ahem, for now, I just want to study. Dunn told me I have to pass the Tingen University entrance exam as soon as possible."

Lynch quickly came up with an excuse.

Old Neil laughed.

"Come on, young man, look at me. The old man in front of you used to be a teacher. It was only at a free school and the church's Sunday school, but that's more than enough to teach a student with such shaky fundamentals as you."

Lynch's eyes lit up.

"Then can you just give me the answers to the Tingen University entrance exam? I'll join the Old Neil Fan Club."

Old Neil burst out laughing. "Then I'll have to start the club right now. I can't keep you waiting too long. But as eager as you are, I must give you the disappointing news: I have no idea what's on the Tingen University entrance exam."

Lynch and Old Neil shared a laugh, and the distance between them seemed to shrink at once.

When they'd finished laughing, they looked over at Klein, who was staring intently at the diary beside them.

"Could he really recognize it?"

Old Neil took a sip of coffee, his tone curious.

Lynch nodded.

"Maybe he really can!"

Old Neil took it as a joke. "If Klein really can recognize those characters, then I'll lose control and die!"

"Don't say things like that. What if it comes true?"

Lynch hurriedly stopped the old man from tempting fate.

Did he have the ability to predict things in advance or something?

"I'm joking, young man. You're too serious."

Old Neil winked, then reminded Klein before setting Roselle's Diary aside.

"Young men, are you planning to start work today, or take the opportunity to go home and rest? Staying here with an old man like me and wasting your precious day off would be unwise."

Lynch and Klein weren't going to stay there all day, of course. They chatted with Old Neil for a little while longer, then hurried off.

When they went upstairs again, they saw Leonard.

Leonard was about to head downstairs. When he saw them, he greeted them first.

"I'm going to relieve the captain. Are you two heading home?"

Lynch nodded.

"Yeah. I'm getting ready to move. Once I've moved into my new place, I'll invite you all over for dinner. You have to come, especially you. You shot me and gave me my first taste of the terror of being hit by a bullet."

Lynch grumbled as he spoke.

Leonard couldn't help laughing.

"I thought you weren't scared at all. I didn't realize I'd left you with psychological scars. I really am sorry!"

"But I don't see you making the least effort to look sorry. Personally, I think if you really are sorry, you should bring a one-pound gift to celebrate my move. That would make up for it."

Lynch immediately asked for the moon.

Leonard didn't refuse. He smiled and nodded.

"All right. If you insist, I'll do it."

Lynch immediately gave the sucker who was about to give him a pound a happy hug.

Leonard's smile lingered for a while after Lynch and Klein left. Then he seemed to mutter to himself, "Lynch is an ordinary, genuine sort of person. I don't think there's any need to pay too much attention to him. That Mr. Klein, on the other hand, seems a little strange."

"All right, I'll keep an eye on Lynch. It's nice to have a gentleman like him as a friend. I'd like someone to protect me with their life, even if I don't need it."

"Klein isn't special? Ha, as expected, I'm the one who's different."

Lynch and Klein came to the reception room. They were about to greet Rozanne when they heard her call out to them.

"The captain said you two should come back on Monday. There's no need to rush."

Klein was surprised again.

"Didn't he say he only had one day off?"

Rozanne shrugged.

"He forgot the weekend was almost here. By the time he remembered, you'd already gone to collect your money."

Lynch had been about to remind Rozanne about Dunn's memory problems again, but then he decided against it. Bringing it up all day on his first day wouldn't be a good idea, so he changed the subject.

"I'm about to move into a new home. Once I've settled in, could I invite you all over to celebrate? It'll be the first time I've ever lived in a nice house, and I have you all to thank for that!"

Lynch said warmly.

His sincerity touched Rozanne. She thought for a moment, then said, "I'll come if I have a day off. I'd like to have a look around. After all, we only get one day off a week."

"Of course. Whenever you come, I'll cook for you myself!"

Lynch declared confidently.

Klein, standing beside him, looked as if he wanted to say something.

Lynch could cook?

This guy had stayed at his place for two days, waiting for someone else to feed him. He could cook for them himself?

Then what did his own cooking count as?

Did that make him diligent?