You Really Don't Know How?!

Lynch felt a bit of a headache coming on. Although he'd known he'd be watched as soon as he arrived in Tingen, he'd always thought he was just a backup option.

But judging from what 008 and Ince Zangwill had said, those two had probably planned to kill him from the start. Then they discovered he'd met Mr. Azik and learned that he was a descendant of one of Mr. Azik's past lives.

So, feeling guilty, they'd tipped him off that someone was watching him and told him to leave quickly if he didn't want to die. It was also a way of doing Mr. Azik a favor.

It was also possible they were afraid Mr. Azik would disrupt their plans because of him.

That explained why the other party hadn't stopped him from throwing the Antigonus Notebook into that room.

Of course, it was also possible the notebook had been there in the original story, and his arrival had simply interrupted things.

"What do you think I should do?"

Lynch looked at Mr. Azik.

The person sitting across from him was an Angel, so of course he should ask for his opinion, especially at a critical time like this.

"They're probably trying to show me goodwill. In other words, they won't let anything happen to you. But it's also a warning: from now on, don't get involved in this matter you're dealing with."

Lynch nodded pensively.

But he was still a little worried. The rest of the team would be going out to do the job together. If he stayed behind, could he still become a full member? Could he still get a raise?

Mr. Azik seemed to see what he was thinking. He began explaining how to dodge responsibility after a superior assigned him a task, and even gave Lynch a necklace.

"I call this necklace Troublemaker. Its ability is to increase your luck, but it'll also bring you bad luck. You might find a gold pound, but then trip and fall. You might see a pretty girl smile at you, only to turn around and discover your wallet is missing..."

Lynch's mouth fell open.

Well, wasn't that a case of fortune lurking in misfortune?

Would this thing even be any use to an ordinary person?

Mr. Azik laughed when he saw Lynch's expression.

He hadn't planned to give Lynch this Beyonder item. In his hands, these little things were just amusing toys, but in Lynch's, they might cause him harm.

So he'd tried to pick Beyonder items with minor side effects that could still help Lynch in his current situation.

This one hadn't been among the options he'd considered giving Lynch.

But now Lynch had run into this situation, and it looked like he might not have a good excuse to refuse. So Mr. Azik brought it out.

"Some side effects can be very helpful if you know how to use them. When you don't want to take part in certain missions, just wear it. It'll make it impossible for you to go. The process might annoy you a little, but at least you'll stay alive."

Mr. Azik pushed the necklace toward Lynch.

Lynch understood that Mr. Azik wanted him to make good use of the necklace's side effects. But after hesitating for a moment, he decided to have the Stone of Myriad Phenomena absorb its energy later and begin binding with it, rather than keep the necklace and its side effects.

He planned to get Sefirah Castle's energy from Klein on Monday and then have the Stone of Myriad Phenomena generate the original story. That way, he'd be able to see what was coming and avoid it in advance, so there was no need to rely on side effects like these.

The side effects were just too awful. He didn't want to be hopping around with a broken leg while going on a mission with the Nighthawks.

After accepting the Beyonder item from Mr. Azik, Lynch chatted with him a little longer before finally saying goodbye to the reluctant Mr. Azik.

He had things to do that afternoon.

First, he went straight to the Duel Club to practice his marksmanship. Then he headed to the Nighthawks' team to collect the ten pounds allocated for buying a cane.

Next, he went to Old Neil's house and dragged him along to buy the cane.

Old Neil was always telling them what a good eye he had for canes and how he knew where to find the best value for money. Lynch certainly wasn't going to pass up the chance to take advantage of that.

As it happened, Old Neil had the day off.

Thinking about his day off made Lynch think of poor Old Neil, who hadn't even gotten to sleep in on his day off.

Dunn had woken him at three in the morning. He'd worked with them until morning, and after going home, he'd probably barely had time to rest before Lynch dragged him out to buy a cane.

Just thinking about it made Lynch feel a little guilty.

But he went ahead with it anyway, and felt perfectly justified.

Old Neil was still being led astray by the Hidden Sage, hoping to resurrect his fiancée. If he stayed home, he'd probably just brood. It was better to drag him out shopping.

And Old Neil did have good taste.

He bought Lynch an excellent cane with a satisfying heft, one that made a sharp whooshing sound when swung, for only six pounds. He even had the shop clerk write them a receipt for ten pounds.

With the remaining four pounds, Old Neil took Lynch to buy a suit.

The one Benson had bought for Lynch and Klein earlier was certainly very nice, but it was almost too nice. Lynch and Klein were reluctant to wear it, so Old Neil took him to buy a decent suit that wasn't quite as good quality but could stand up to everyday wear.

Lynch immediately put it on, delighted.

He praised Old Neil all the way there and decided that the old employee really knew how to shop. He understood what mattered to them.

Old Neil was so pleased by the praise that he decided to take Lynch home for a drink.

Lynch readily agreed. He shamelessly showed up at Old Neil's house without bringing so much as a gift.

As soon as he stepped inside, he was drawn to the beautiful piano in the middle of the room.

He figured that piano alone must have cost several thousand gold pounds.

Before long, he got the price out of Old Neil.

"Three thousand five hundred pounds."

"Could I play it for a bit? I don't know how to play the piano, but I'd like to try."

Lynch rubbed his hands together.

Old Neil stared at him in astonishment, unable to understand how Lynch could play the piano.

Lynch had said he didn't know how, but Old Neil thought he was just being modest. Why would someone who didn't know how to play the piano ask to try one as soon as he visited someone's home?

He was certain Lynch could play, so he nodded.

"Go ahead and try. Let me listen to your masterpiece."

Old Neil picked up his coffee cup with a chuckle.

Lynch immediately sat down at the piano bench and poked at the keys with one finger. After pressing every key once, he stood up, looking quite satisfied.

"Old Neil, I don't know how to play the piano, but it sure has a nice sound."

Old Neil: ...

"You really don't know how?"

He'd thought Lynch was being modest. So he'd actually been telling the truth!

"Anyone could've guessed I didn't know how. I started working when I was in my teens. How could I have learned things like this?"

Lynch shrugged, as if life had smothered his artistic talent. In reality, his mom had bought him an electronic keyboard in his previous life and told him to follow online lessons, but he hadn't been interested in the slightest and had given it to his little sister.

In this life, he'd simply been dazzled by the piano's price and wanted to get up close to the instrument that cost three thousand five hundred pounds. That way, he could brag about it later!

"All right, Old Neil, don't be mad. I just remembered something. You said last time I could come over and listen to your lessons. I think I've got time right now!"