Mr. Azik

Lynch was just about to see which abilities he could currently imitate when he spotted a man hurrying toward him. The man wore a formal suit and a bowler hat, had bronze-colored skin, and bore a black mole below his left ear.

There was a faint bewilderment and uncertainty in the man's eyes.

"Y-you're related to Joshua Trance how?"

"He was my father."

Lynch took a small step back. He had the vague feeling that he recognized the man.

But he had never met him before, and had no idea why he felt that way.

"How is Joshua Trance?"

The man asked again, his expression growing animated. He looked at Lynch as though he were a relative he hadn't seen in years.

Lynch began to suspect that the man was one of the original owner's relatives.

Come to think of it, that was quite possible.

Lynch recalled the original owner's father.

He must have been well-off when he was young, because he spent money lavishly wherever he went.

He had treated the original owner well, too. Unfortunately, he had died of an illness when the original owner was six or seven.

He had squandered all the family's money, and after the original owner's mother struggled on for a few years, she passed away as well. That left the original owner with no choice but to quit school and find work.

"He passed away. Did you know him?"

Lynch asked curiously.

The excitement on the man's face gradually faded. He sighed helplessly, but his gaze remained warm as he looked at Lynch.

"I'm Azik Eggers, a lecturer at Khoy University. I came to this gathering at Mr. Skuton's invitation. I never expected to run into you here. How have you been?"

Mr. Azik?

Lynch's eyes widened.

He remembered now. Wasn't this the Grim Reaper dad from the original novel—the one who belonged to Klein?

And Mr. Azik had a connection to the original owner, too?

"Were you friends with my father?"

Lynch couldn't help asking.

"...Yes, yes, we were friends. It's just... we hadn't been in touch for a long time, so I had no idea he'd passed away. I didn't know he had a child, either. In my memory, he was still just a child himself..."

Mr. Azik looked at Lynch, overcome with emotion.

Lynch found the man's words rather odd. He sounded like some kind of elder.

But he quickly put aside his doubts and decided to get closer to him. The man was so impressive—maybe he could ask him for help someday!

"I miss him, too. In my memories, he was like a young man."

Lynch spoke in a heavy voice.

In truth, he didn't have much affection for the original owner's father, but he could now feel a son's love for him.

"Life is full of partings. I think he would have wanted you to live well."

Mr. Azik's eyes grew calm, leaving only pity and affection in them.

That was right—affection.

Lynch's mouth twitched. He could only reassure himself that Mr. Azik had lived for many years, so it wasn't strange for him to look at younger people that way.

But...

Mr. Azik didn't look old, and having him look at Lynch like that put him under a lot of pressure!

"You still haven't answered my question. How have you been lately?"

Mr. Azik asked again.

Lynch nodded.

"Very well. I recently joined a security company as a general helper. I earn two pounds a week, but they said that if I can get into Tingen University, they'll make me a full-time employee and raise my pay!"

Lynch answered casually.

He didn't have any qualifications. If he said he'd started at three pounds a week, everyone would suspect he'd sold himself. It was better to say two pounds. A smaller sum wouldn't make anyone suspicious.

He'd thought it through, but as soon as he finished speaking, Mr. Azik looked at him with concern and hesitantly asked:

"Would you be willing to quit? I happen to need an assistant. I could offer you five pounds a week. What do you think?"

Lynch: !!

Damn!

Why hadn't Mr. Azik shown up sooner?

If he'd appeared earlier, Lynch definitely wouldn't have become a Nighthawk. Staying by Mr. Azik's side would surely have been safe.

But now he'd already signed the Nighthawks' confidentiality agreement and couldn't quit for five years.

Of course, the main problem was that he had secrets. He was afraid he'd let something slip if he stayed by Mr. Azik's side all day.

Suppressing the eagerness that was about to burst out of him, Lynch gritted his teeth and said, "No, Mr. Azik. I really like working at that company. The boss is a good man. I don't have any qualifications, but he's even willing to pay for me to attend Tingen University."

Mr. Azik's expression softened.

"Education is important. If you need help, you can write to me. Oh, and give me your address, too. I can send you some books you might need."

Lynch nodded at once.

He immediately took out a pen and paper and wrote down his address for Mr. Azik.

Mr. Azik took the paper and studied it for a while before sighing.

"Could you just tell me where it is? I can't make sense of this."

Lynch: ...

He grinned sheepishly and took the paper back. Well, his handwriting was a bit messy. It was only natural that the man couldn't read it.

"I'm living at 2 Daffodil Street, sharing a place with a colleague."

"Sharing a place? Would you be willing to share one with me?"

Mr. Azik asked again.

This time, Lynch refused immediately.

Mr. Azik lived nearby, and the rent alone would cost two pounds a month.

Besides, if he lived there, he wouldn't be able to tap into Sefirah Castle's energy. No way was he willing to do that!

"My colleague's family isn't well-off. He earns a pound more than I do, but there are three people in his family. I'm worried that if he loses me as a housemate, it'll put more strain on them financially. If things get easier for him in the future, could I reconsider sharing a place with you?"

Lynch didn't close the door on the idea. He figured that after Ince Zangwill killed Klein for the first time and Melissa and the others went to Backlund, he might be able to ask Mr. Azik to share a place with him, since he'd be staying in Tingen.

But he remembered that Mr. Azik went to Backlund later, too. He just didn't know when.

Never mind. He'd deal with it then.

Lynch came back to himself and was about to ask whether Mr. Azik had any plans to leave Tingen soon when he saw Lecturer Skuton emerge from the house.

"Why are you two still standing out here? I saw you talking for ages from the doorway. Couldn't you come inside to talk?"

Lynch hurriedly apologized on behalf of himself and Mr. Azik.

They really were being a little peculiar.

"Sorry. Mr. Azik was a friend of my father's. I couldn't help keeping him here to talk when I met him for the first time. I hope you don't mind!"

Lecturer Skuton looked at Mr. Azik in confusion when he heard Lynch's words.

He'd never heard that this old friend had any friends he didn't know about.

"His father was one of the people I valued most. I hadn't seen him in a long time, and now I've found only this child in his place. If I'd come sooner, he wouldn't have had to work outside at such a young age—or rely on someone else to give him the chance to study!"