Chapter 2

“Quil, where are you going?”

“It’s hot. I’ll be back in a bit. Get the rest from Drich.”

He escaped from the Learning Hall packed with people. He closed the door and leaned against the wall, catching his breath.

“Drich! Did the Pioneer really recognize you two?”

“You’re lying, right? Was it really the Pioneer?”

The children’s voices carried through the door. The barrage of questions would continue until tomorrow. Meeting the Pioneer up close was a special event, after all.

Quilbion covered his cheeks with his hands. The excitement wouldn’t settle down. His heart had been pounding all day, making it hard to sit still.

The Pioneer recognized us.

He smoothed his twitching lips and went outside. He could see kids from other houses running around. He exchanged nods with a few familiar faces.

“I heard the news. You met the Pioneer? Lucky you.”

“Tell us what happened later!”

The Diligence House children heading to the Learning Hall called out before disappearing. His shoulders rose involuntarily.

Quilbion sat on the white bench in front of his house and looked up at the sky. The flawless blue sky seemed just like the Pioneer’s face.

When would he get to meet them again?

Quil turned his gaze to the sound of laughter in the distance. He saw black robes with silver embroidery.

Every child playing in the open space in front of the houses shifted their attention to the person wearing the black robe.

Everyone looked on with envy and jealousy. Quil felt the same.

Only special children who received teachings from the Pioneer could wear the black robes.

Children who would undergo the ‘Ritual of Awakening’ instead of the ‘Ritual of Transformation’.

It was just a rumor, but supposedly even the Sun gained its beautiful body through the Ritual of Awakening.

Though it was only a rumor, so nothing was certain.

The special children disappeared from view.

If he followed those children, would he get to meet the Pioneer again?

The desire arose, but he didn’t act on it.

Love, Friendship, Diligence, Gratitude.

Students from the four houses were only allowed to be active in designated areas. It wasn’t a severe punishment to step outside them, but points would be deducted.

When 1 point was precious, losing 20 points was too much.

Quilbion thought about the black robes.

If he kept learning steadily and diligently, someday he’d wear those robes like those children.

Quil was confident.

If the Pioneer remembered him enough, the possibility was very high. Like Drich said, maybe someday he’d become like the Sun…

The pleasant thought cut off midway.

Quil squinted and looked to the right.

He saw a girl sweeping with a tired face. It was sweeping without sincerity—just going through the motions.

“Move your foot.”

The girl approached and said. Quil didn’t hide his displeasure.

“When you should be moving the broom with a reverent heart, you can’t be so careless like that.”

“I get it, so just lift your foot.”

Quil stepped aside so she could clean under the bench.

“I said just lift your leg.”

“You have to do it with the feeling of sweeping away all impurities from every corner, making everything clean.”

The girl stopped abruptly. Then she raised her finger and pointed at the ground.

“How does this look to you?”

“What?”

“Here. Does it look dirty to you?”

Dirty?

Quil shook his head.

“Right? It’s clean, isn’t it? Strangely clean. There’s no dust. But we have to clean it. I don’t understand that. You clean when it’s dirty. But here…”

The girl spoke as if wronged, then clamped her mouth shut.

“No, pretend you didn’t hear that.”

As the girl bent down to push the broom under the bench, she squinted her eyes with an “Ow.”

Quil looked at the dark bruises settled on the girl’s forearm and neck.

“That’s why you shouldn’t say strange things.”

The child who said bizarre things about the Sun—that it resembled a spider, that it was disgusting.

That was the girl in front of him.

“Yeah, it’s my fault. I shouldn’t have said it.”

The girl concluded by saying she was reflecting deeply, but her eyes said otherwise.

“Have you talked to an Ascetic about it?”

The moment Quil started speaking, the girl flinched and looked around.

“Will you tell?”

“Tell what?”

“What I just said—will you tell on me?”

“If impure thoughts keep arising, it’s right to receive counseling. We all learned it that way. If it’s the Ascetics, they’ll understand your heart and guide you to the right path…”

“It’s all really fine. Really. Saying bad things about the Sun—that happened because my learning was shallow. Believe me. So just ignore what I said. I’ll clean hard too. Look!”

The girl squinted and bent her body. She thrust the broom in as if she’d crawl under the bench herself and swept vigorously.

At another time, he would have smiled with satisfaction watching that. Surely he would have.

But it was strange.

The thought that she was pitiful came first.

Why pitiful?

Cleaning for the sake of learning was the right thing to do. Even if the right thing involved pain, it had to be carried out.

Besides, the girl was reflecting. Although evil thoughts seemed to linger, continued learning would correct them properly.

That should be the case.

“Give it here.”

He held out his hand and said. The girl looked up blankly.

“The broom. Give it to me. You can’t do it like that.”

“No. I’ll do it.”

“I won’t tell the Ascetics. I’ll say you did all the cleaning. So.”

He snatched the broom away.

He should leave her alone—that was the right thing to do—but his hands and mouth moved on their own.

There was something strange about him today.

Was it because he met the Pioneer?

If so, it might be a positive change.

“Move aside. Cleaning should be done like this—with the feeling of pushing away all impurities cleanly.”

He lowered his posture and swept.

Cleaning was the most important thing taught in the Learning Hall. Quil believed he was better at cleaning than anyone.

Even now, the impurities that might be on the floor…

Quilbion’s hand stopped.

It was a clean floor. Sparkling, gleaming white stone. Pure white stone that wouldn’t tolerate any dirt.

Suddenly this thought occurred to him.

Why do we have to clean when there’s no dust? It’s annoying.

The back of his neck went cold in an instant. Goosebumps rose, and he threw down the broom he’d been holding.

“Wha—what? What’s wrong?”

The girl asked in surprise.

“…You do it.”

“What?”

“Finish it! I’m leaving.”

No, no.

This was a bad thought. A thought he shouldn’t have. It must be the ‘evil’ thought that the Ascetics at the Learning Hall had mentioned endlessly.

His hands grew cold.

There was clearly something wrong with his immature shell that lacked learning.

At times like this, he should receive counseling from an Ascetic.

He had to confess all the evil thoughts that bloomed in his head to protect the learning he’d accumulated so far.

He ran. He opened the Friendship House door as if to break it and went inside.

The children who’d been in the first-floor playroom spotted Quilbion and swarmed around him.

“Quil, Quil! What did the Pioneer say?”

“Drich said to ask you too.”

“What kind of Pioneer was it? Was it the one who came last time?”

It should have been a moment of excited explanation, but Quil had to keep his mouth shut.

“Later, I’ll tell you later.”

“Quil? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, it’s nothing.”

He had to hide as much as possible that evil thoughts had bloomed in his head. After all, I’m the top student in Friendship House no matter what anyone says. I don’t want to show the kids a weak side.

He steadied his mind and went up to the third floor.

He could see the office. There would be an Ascetic inside.

He steadied his breathing and knocked on the door.

“Quil. What’s the matter?”

Al Terua, one of the three Ascetics managing Friendship House.

Quilbion thought this was fortunate. Since they’d shared various conversations regularly, Al Terua was more comfortable than the other Ascetics.

“Um…”

“Haha, looks like you have more questions. Your academic passion is truly remarkable, Quil.”

“Well…”

“I just finished praying so I have plenty of time. Ask away. I’ll answer to the best of my knowledge.”

The eyes were comforting just to look at.

But unlike his heart, his lips wouldn’t move. It was strange. Something from an unknowable place, not his head, was shouting loudly.

Don’t reveal the truth, no matter what.

So Quil said,

“I’d like to get a better broom. So I can clean more thoroughly.”

For the first time, he lied to an Ascetic.

Al Terua smiled with their eyes.

“I can really feel the depth of your learning. I wish all the children were like you, Quil.”

A large hand settled on top of his head. A hand stroking gently. At any other time, he would have felt good.

Quilbion bowed his head as low as possible.

Because nausea was surging up.

“I’ll be going!”

“Don’t trip—go slowly.”

He came down the stairs hearing the warm farewell. He couldn’t lift his head while descending. What kind of expression am I making right now?

He ran to the first-floor entrance. He stood in front of the full-length mirror used for uniform inspections.

The child reflected in the mirror wore a face that looked ready to cry at any moment.

*

“Will that be enough to eat?”

Drich sat down beside him, laughing heartily. Quil smiled with difficulty and looked at his tray.

Blackish things sat on top of a pure white bowl.

It’s food, right? The food I’ve been eating all along, right?

He put his nose close and smelled it. A foul smell rushed up sharply. If he hadn’t steeled his mind, he would have shuddered and thrown the bowl to the floor.

“I really can’t stand this smell. It even comes to mind when I’m sleeping, you know? I want to keep eating it even in my dreams.”

Drich thrust his bowl forward.

“Here! A cool guy shares even a single bean. You like this, right?”

With a cheerful laugh, Drich scooped up food with his spoon and added it to Quilbion’s bowl.

If it had been yesterday—no, even this morning—he would have been moved by the hot friendship.

But.

“What? Are you so moved you can’t speak? I didn’t know you’d be this happy.”

Drich said as he put the black thing in his mouth. The foul smell wafted over.

Quilbion looked around.

The children smiled brightly and scooped up the black thing with their spoons. A quiet dining space with no smacking sounds or clattering utensils.

“Quil? Are you sick?”

Drich asked.

He snapped back to attention. Reflexively lifting his spoon, he looked across.

He could see the Ascetics. Al Terua was looking his way. When their eyes met, Al Terua smiled.

Quil grinned broadly and shoved the black thing into his mouth. The inside of his stomach contracted, trying to vomit up what entered his mouth immediately, but he endured and swallowed.

Tears pricked at his eyes.

“Is it so delicious you’re crying?”

“Yeah, it’s so delicious. How can it be this delicious?”

Quil forced the food into his mouth, suppressing the nausea. When Drich said he’d give him more of his in the middle, he almost punched him, but barely held back.

He stood up holding the clean bowl.

As he walked to the dish return station, Al Terua spoke to him.

“Quil, was your meal delicious?”

“Yes! It was so delicious I ate it all clean like this.”

He showed the spotless bowl.

It felt like he had to do this.

Al Terua’s eye-smile deepened.

“That’s the right behavior. Oh, and I’ve prepared the broom, so you’ll be able to pick it up tomorrow.”

“Thank you!”

He answered brightly, then turned around.

His face collapsed only after he left the cafeteria and was alone. He bent at the waist and clutched his stomach.

He clenched his teeth at the thought that he mustn’t vomit. How long did he stay like that?

“You…”

A voice he didn’t want to hear came from ahead.

It was that girl.