Benson

Lynch felt a rare moment of guilt toward Klein, but he quickly brushed it aside, smiling as he watched the man walking over from the living room.

"Hi, Benson, how have you been these past few days?"

Benson: ...

What do you think?

While working these past few days, he couldn't stop thinking about how his younger brother was saddled with a debt of two pounds and ten shillings, and since Lynch was unemployed, he might have to cough up the full five pounds himself.

It made him lose the courage to even argue with his boss about overtime, terrified that the man would fire him on the spot, leaving his whole family destitute with nowhere to go.

Even so, Benson felt that at least Lynch was just as worried as he was.

He had a good relationship with Lynch; sometimes when he took leave, he would have Lynch cover his shift, and he truly thought the young man was a good person.

He was certain that Lynch could foresee the same troubles he could, and that he must have been frantic these past few days.

He had even intended to comfort this poor lad upon returning, but what did he see when he walked in?

The guy had actually gained weight.

Well, not exactly fat, but he finally looked a bit sturdier.

Lynch had been too thin before, but after eating and drinking well these past two days, his cheeks even looked a bit fleshy.

Benson felt he should be happy for Lynch, happy that he was doing alright, but...

"How are you even able to sleep?"

With things like this happening, how could this guy eat or sleep?

Lynch looked at Benson, who was much thinner than he had been a few days ago, and slapped his forehead in sudden realization.

He hadn't told Benson that both he and Klein had found work, or that the medical expenses had been reduced.

Thinking of Benson's situation at the company, Lynch felt terrible for him.

"Ahem, don't worry. Let me tell you some good news first: Klein and I have both found jobs!"

Benson's eyes lit up, and his entire body relaxed.

That was good; his pressure wouldn't be so immense anymore.

"There's more good news: the medical expenses have dropped to three pounds, which means Klein and I only need to pay one pound and ten shillings each."

Benson smiled.

"It seems my efforts were a bit unnecessary; this matter was resolved quite easily. Lynch, thank you. I imagine you were under a lot of pressure these past few days to be able to accomplish these major tasks in such a short time."

To achieve all this would be exhausting even for him, let alone a relatively honest kid like Lynch.

"It's alright. After all, I'm practically an elder to Klein. With something like this happening, how could I leave it to you all to figure out? If I hadn't been completely broke, I wouldn't have asked you for money."

Lynch put on an embarrassed expression.

Benson waved his hand immediately.

When he heard from Melissa that Klein had hit Lynch, his first reaction was that Lynch was truly righteous for only asking them to pay half the medical bills.

His second reaction was surprise that Klein would actually hit someone.

He didn't want to believe Klein would resort to violence, but he also didn't believe Lynch would lie to extort them.

That was impossible.

Look, now it had proven his judgment of character was correct.

Especially after Lynch told him that the security company Klein joined had only considered Klein because they had taken a liking to Lynch first, Benson became enthusiastically warm to an absurd degree.

In the afternoon.

Klein returned.

He had gone to Tingen University today to tell his tutor that he had a job opportunity, and while he was at it, he asked for records regarding the Fourth Epoch; the tutor promised to help him keep an eye out.

Upon returning, he discovered he was being followed.

He went straight to the Nighthawks team, sought advice from Dunn, and then left the security company, returning to the surface via the cathedral.

After that, he went to the training base to practice using his firearm, which was why he was only getting home now.

As soon as he entered the house, he saw Benson grinding coffee. He gave a cheerful greeting and was just about to take the coffee from Benson's hands when he saw Benson turn around and set the coffee aside.

"Don't touch that. This is for Lynch, to thank him for taking such good care of you and Melissa these past two days."

Klein: ?

No, wait, how exactly did that guy Lynch take care of them?

Was it by lying there sleeping all afternoon waiting for dinner, or by waiting for Melissa to mend his clothes?

He really couldn't wrap his head around it!

"What did he tell you?"

Klein probed cautiously, and then he saw the touched expression on Benson's face.

"He helped you find a job, got your medical bills cut in half, and protected you with all his might when you encountered thugs. I have truly never been so grateful to have a friend like Lynch."

Klein: ...

No, other than the medical expenses, everything else in there felt strange.

But thinking about it carefully, it was somehow explainable.

Being investigated alongside him did indeed happen during the interview process, and encountering the thugs... Brother! He definitely hadn't told you that those thugs were actually two Beyonders.

However, he was indeed protected; the fact that someone died to protect him left him feeling shocked, but he also accepted the favor.

But after Lynch said it all out loud, why did it sound so weird?

It was as if he were some unreliable guy, a little kid who needed an adult's help to do anything.

"Actually..."

Klein opened his mouth, wanting to offer an explanation, but he was quickly interrupted by Benson.

"Just tell me, is what he said the truth or not?"

Klein: ...

Even if it wasn't the truth, he had to hide it from Benson; he had signed a non-disclosure agreement.

"Alright, since it's the truth, you should thank Lynch. I rarely see such a sincere young man."

Klein: ...

It just felt strange.

But forget it, these matters weren't easy to explain in detail, and his defenses would be useless anyway.

So, he looked around and asked, "Where is Lynch?"

"He went to the washroom. Before he left, he begged me to grind a cup of coffee for him. He said the thing he admires most about me is that my coffee is excellent."

Klein: ...

Is it possible that he just wanted some free labor?

"Alright, Klein, don't be so serious. I also want to ask you, how did you learn to hit people?"

Klein stumbled through an excuse about his drinking to brush Benson off. Benson stared at him for a long while before finally patting his shoulder with lingering fear.

"Don't drink anymore, really. Klein, you have to remember this—our family can't afford the damages!"

Klein felt like he had lost all face. In the eyes of his brother and sister, he must be a terrifying guy who hits people whenever he gets drunk.

But he had no way to explain his true situation, so he could only respond with silence.

"Alright, I'm going to make some food. I have to head to the docks in a bit, and I'm truly starving."

Benson proactively changed the subject and prepared to cook, but Klein stopped him immediately.

The food Benson made was even worse than Melissa's. The original owner and Melissa had no choice but to let Benson cook when they were children, but once Melissa learned how to cook, she forbade Benson from entering the kitchen ever again.

"Um, you're tired from work, go take a rest!"

Klein gave a dry laugh and hurried into the kitchen to prevent Benson from touching the family's ingredients.

Making food that tasted that terrible should probably be considered a crime, right?