A Child's Toy, Perhaps?

Mr. Azik sounded regretful.

He had always thought his life was strange. He had no memories from the distant past and had assumed something had happened to him, that his parents had abandoned him.

But when he saw Lynch just now, part of his memory returned. He had once been Lynch's great-grandfather. Before he left, Joshua had already been in his teens.

Lynch looked a lot like Joshua. At first glance, Mr. Azik had thought he was Joshua. Only after remembering that decades had passed did he ask Lynch how he was related to Joshua.

He hadn't expected Joshua to have already passed away, leaving behind only this poor child.

He remembered that Lynch's grandfather—his son—hadn't started working until he was nearly thirty, and even then he'd taken over the business Mr. Azik had left behind. That child's life had consisted of finding fun ways to pass the time almost every day. He'd never imagined Lynch would be in such a dire state now.

"He's still such a little child!"

Mr. Azik said again, full of concern.

Instructor Skuton's mouth twitched.

He'd thought Lynch was trying to cozy up to his old friend just now. Now he could see that his old friend had lost his mind.

The boy was already in his twenties. There was no way he should be spoken to in that tone, as if he were a little kid.

"Azik, you're getting a little too worked up."

Instructor Skuton reminded his old friend, but the other man only looked even more heartbroken.

"What do you mean, worked up? Just look at what he's wearing. He doesn't even have a cane. He's gone out to work for other people. I can't even imagine what kind of life he's had!"

Mr. Azik was almost in tears.

Instructor Skuton could understand his old friend's feelings.

That made sense. A friend he hadn't seen in years had passed away, leaving a child to struggle on his own. Of course he'd see things through rose-tinted glasses.

But...

Could he stop saying it out loud? People were coming and going here. It was really easy for others to think they were crazy.

"Come on! Let's go inside and talk. Quickly!"

Instructor Skuton took one of them by each hand and led Lynch and Mr. Azik toward his house.

Ignoring Mr. Azik's sighs, he gave Lynch a sympathetic look.

If he were Lynch, he'd be incredibly embarrassed right now.

"He wasn't like this before. He must feel guilty about you now."

Lynch nodded, acting understanding.

"I know. It's all right. Mr. Azik is just a little upset. I shouldn't have told him such cruel news so soon. He must be blaming himself."

His gentle, empathetic tone made Instructor Skuton even more pleased with him as a student.

Before, he'd only tried to curry favor with him because he could talk to the principal. Now, they'd suddenly grown much closer.

"Come on, you and Azik can talk here. I won't let anyone disturb you. Oh, and spend some time in that room later."

Instructor Skuton pointed toward the small room at the very back and winked at Lynch.

Lynch understood and nodded to show that it was no problem.

Only after Instructor Skuton left did Lynch turn to Mr. Azik, who had already calmed down.

"I really did get a little emotional just now. I embarrassed you, didn't I?"

Mr. Azik smiled awkwardly, and Lynch quickly waved his hands.

He was sure that if Mr. Azik's identity became known, plenty of people would be happy to have him get worked up on their behalf.

"I understand how you feel. I was thoughtless, too. I should have waited before telling you such terrible news..."

Lynch began by criticizing himself, but before he could finish, Mr. Azik cut him off.

"What does this have to do with you? This must be hard for you, too!"

Lynch hurriedly insisted that he wasn't upset.

The original owner could barely remember what his father looked like, let alone Lynch, an outsider.

"Don't say that. You must be upset!"

Mr. Azik declared firmly. Lynch hesitated, then nodded emphatically.

All right!

If Mr. Azik thought he should be upset, then he'd be a little sad for a while.

Lynch mourned Joshua, a man he'd never met, for two minutes before managing a sorrowful smile.

"Yes, you're right. I am upset. I lost him when I was very young. I don't even know what kind of person he was. Could you tell me a little about him?"

Mr. Azik promptly sat up straight and picked through the memories that had returned to him, telling Lynch the stories he could recall.

Lynch listened attentively, but the more he heard, the stranger it seemed.

These stories didn't sound like things adults would do. They seemed more like the antics of young children.

If the original owner's father had stayed that way into adulthood, no one would have wanted to marry him.

So, in Mr. Azik's eyes, he had only known the original owner's father when he was young—at most, through his youth and early adulthood. He hadn't seen him as an adult.

A thought occurred to Lynch. Mr. Azik was an Undying. Could the original owner's father actually have been related to him?

Thinking of how fond Mr. Azik was of him, and the things he'd said in his excitement, Lynch found it seemed quite likely.

Did this mean that when he ran into trouble in the future, he could call on Mr. Azik for help without hesitation?

Lynch was thrilled inside, but kept listening attentively as Mr. Azik spoke. Then Mr. Azik looked at him and asked hesitantly, "I've noticed that you don't seem like an ordinary person anymore. You're different from ordinary people, and you seem to have gotten mixed up in some kind of trouble."

Trouble?

What trouble?

Lynch immediately looked at Mr. Azik.

"Can you tell what kind of trouble it is?"

"I can't see exactly what it is, but you give me a feeling very similar to that of one of my colleague's students. I really hope you're not involved with him. He seems like trouble to me."

Lynch: ...

He had a good idea who Mr. Azik meant. Some fellow named Klein, perhaps!

Then he really had gotten mixed up in trouble.

"Don't worry. If anything happens, come to me. I feel like I can handle it."

Mr. Azik smiled warmly, looking very confident.

Lynch immediately felt reassured.

A real big shot!

And he was offering to let Lynch lean on him!

"Thank you. It's been a long time since anyone made me feel so cared for!"

Lynch looked moved, his expression full of emotion.

He could use some help right now, actually. He wondered if the big shot would be willing to lend him some Beyonder items. They were already so close. If he asked...

Lynch was about to shamelessly ask when Mr. Azik spoke again.

"Speaking of helping you, I should give you something nice. It's been with me for many years."

Lynch immediately sat up straight.

What was it?

An Angel's gift had to be something special, right?

He watched Mr. Azik take out a pen, then heard him say lightly, "You said you were going to take the university entrance exam. I wasn't sure how to help, so I thought of this. It'll make sure you pick up a pen and write something every day.

"It'll also explain the mistakes in your writing and tell you bedtime stories.

"Best of all, it can make sure you practice your vocabulary. If you write a word badly, it'll even spray ink on your face. It's fun and convenient, and you never have to refill the ink. For a child like you, it's a really fun toy."

Lynch: ...