Chapter 17: Room To Breathe

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Kiyotaka (♚)

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Kiyotaka ()

The White Room—a space where I stayed for the first half of my life. It wasn't a place I harbored any strong feelings toward. Never hated it nor liked it; rather, I deemed it a secret, a facet of my existence that should remain hidden from the prying eyes of the public. Consequently, I divulged this guarded secret to only a select few.

The notion of taking on an apprentice never crossed my mind. Yet, the presence of Kei somehow managed to crack open the walls I had built around myself, prompting a newfound willingness to share my experiences with someone.

Accepting Aqua as an apprentice wasn't a decision I took lightly. The only reason I embraced this responsibility was my indebtedness to Gorou, who had been a significant support when I stayed at that hospital located in a rural area. 

Gorou must've been a great example to him, even though Aqua didn't get the chance to meet him in person because he went missing and presumably died before he was born. 

He said that he was constantly told stories about Goro's life and presumably some of them included me.

Since I could never repay my debt to Gorou due to his unfortunate demise, I saw supporting his nephew as a meaningful way to express my gratitude.

...


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"Umm..., Kiyotaka-kun, it's time for your rehabilitation. Would you mind leaving that book aside for a moment?" 

I stared at Gorou for a few seconds before answering. "Hm," I simply said and nodded. 

"Still won't talk to me huh? Ha ha." He scratched his head. 

I stood up and grabbed my clutch to support myself. I began to follow him close behind at a slow pace as he was probably thinking to himself ways to talk to me. 

This was the fourth day I stayed at this remote hospital in the countryside. 

How I got here? One day I overheard the low-ranking workers from the White Room talk about how the facilities would be shot down for about two months and that all activities of the current curriculum would stay on hold during that period. I didn't really mind but that would also mean that it was going to be two months of pure boredom since I had already read all of the books from there. The shipment of new material would arrive 4 months later so consequently, I would be left with nothing to do. 

Days passed, and as I was re-reading a history book for the tenth time, for some reason curiosity peaked within me to explore the outside world. 

I formulated a plan to temporarily leave that place as a way to 'breathe fresh air' so to speak.

I waited for a day when that man would leave for his usual trip overseas. Thankfully, it happened just a few days later. 

Another thing that went in my favor is that he always takes one doctor with him wherever he goes leaving only one inside the facilities in case 'something' happened to us. They only cared about the ones at the top so it was understandable in a way.

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