Chapter 193 - 193 Caught

193: Caught... Sort Of 193: Caught... Sort Of Arriving at the booked restaurant and making our way inside, we soon found those who were waiting for us. “Oh gosh, Enki? Look how handsome you are! Little Gil too!” “Ah, good evening...” Meeting the Lindner family with an awkward smile, I realised it was my first time seeing them in almost a whole year. Because of that, although my parents undoubtedly informed them of my “Awakening”, they hadn’t yet seen the drastic change I’d gone through... After that, as everyone went around giving their greetings like so, we all sat down at a large table in the corner of the restaurant’s second floor. On this occasion, there were ten of us. From the Valentine family was myself, Ina, Gil, and our two parents. From the Lindner family was Ella, her older sister Evelyn, their little brother Elliott, and their two parents. With each family’s oldest, middle, and youngest siblings all being the same age, wasn’t it just such a coincidence that everyone always had someone to talk to at such a gathering? Because of that “coincidence”, the seating arrangement was also easy to figure out―just have everyone sit opposite their ‘twin’. With both fathers on one side and both mothers on the other, all sitting at each end, the two little brothers sat beside their respective mother, followed by us middle siblings, followed then by the two older sisters. That meant, with Ina on my left and Gil on my right, and with Ella sitting opposite me, the both of us were sandwiched by our siblings, who were then capped on each end by the parents. For a while, as things should be, everything was fine. Everyone was chatting casually, catching up on things for the first time in a while, and in high spirits that matched that atmosphere. Unfortunately, just when the food had arrived and everyone was beginning to dig in, the inevitable was brought up. “―Oh yes, that’s right, Enki’s home now, isn’t he? Does that mean we’ll be seeing you more often too?” Raising my head at the sudden mention of my name from Mrs Lindner’s mouth, I noticed Ella also turn her head. Before I could reply, my own mother added. “I wish so, but I’m not sure. He seems very determined to visit the Tower, you see. It worries me...” Seeing the concern on her face, an expression I had consoled numerous times since my return home, I opened my mouth. “It’s not like I don’t know what I’m getting myself into.” “I know, dear, but I can’t help myself from being worried about you.” “...” “Excuse me... What do you mean ‘now that he’s home’?” Taking advantage of the momentary quiet to jump in, Ella spoke up, her quiet voice bringing a hint of confusion to both mothers’ faces. “Ella, did Enki not tell you? He moved home this past week.” “...What? Why?” Her eyes widened, she snapped to face me, evidently taken aback. In response, I could only scratch the back of my head awkwardly. “Uh... Did I really not say anything...?” Thinking back, I couldn’t quite remember clearly, but certainly, it was true that I at least had no recollection of telling Ella about my dropping out... Every time we talked recently, it was always something or other about Awakening... “Sorry. I’ve been busy lately, so it must have slipped my mind...” “...” Not knowing what else to say in response, I could only apologise. Still, she appeared speechless. Following up on that, perhaps to save the vibes and not let the conversation fall into a lull of awkward silence, Ina intervened to move the topic on. “That reminds me! Enk-Enk, when are you going to finally tell us what you’ve been up to recently?” “I don’t know what you mean.” “Really? Think about it, whatever it is you do when you don’t respond to any messages for long periods of time.” “...That’s just what I normally do.” “Mm, yes, if it was just my messages then I’d accept that answer, but it’s not just me, and especially not to the extent that it’s been this year. I’m the one asking you, but everyone here is worried that something strange is going on, you know?” She gestured to everyone else around the table, and as I turned my head to look, it certainly seemed true that they were all looking at me with concern. Honestly, I knew my excuses were all absolutely terrible, but I didn’t think it would cause them to worry about it to this extent... Part of me felt awkward about the lavish attention I was receiving, but at the same time, it was dangerous. Shooting a slightly irritated glance at Ina, she only winked back, making me even more sour. For the first time in what I’m sure was many months, that sloppy older sister was clean, and wearing a smart outfit that wasn’t completely dishevelled or stained. And yet, now more than ever, she was putting me in a real tough spot. “So? What little adventures have you been getting up to behind our backs, little bro?” Saying that with an infuriating punch of condescension, and with a devilish smirk she didn’t deserve to wear, I didn’t even know where to begin. Of course, there was no way in hell I’d tell the truth, so all I had to do was come up with something halfway believable– “...Wait.” At that moment, before I could conjure a story up, someone interrupted. Sliding my eyes across, I looked at Ella. Hesitation evident in her face, she slowly asked. “Enki, have you... already been going to the Tower?” “...” Thereafter, the whole table was struck with silence. Although, it didn’t last for long, as she quickly continued. “For all this time... Is... Is that why you didn’t come to register with me...?” “...” I didn’t open my mouth. I could have, but I knew that if I did, nothing would come out. Even if I could manage to spew whatever combination of words were first to rise, it probably wouldn’t be anything good. So, I just sat, soaking in the quiet alongside everyone else, thinking. Wondering about how the hell I would get out of this situation without looking like a deceptive asshole. By the time I realised nothing I said would work, it was too late anyway. At this point, it was obvious that anything I said would just be an excuse. I was caught. And so. “...Yes.” All I could do was accept it. ❖─────☆☆☆☆☆─────❖ I was caught, but it wasn’t the end of the world. Because what I had been caught for, was not actually the truth in its entirety. The real reason I had frequent streaks of going missing for long periods of time was obviously because I was taking on Contracts and visiting other worlds, but what they thought I was doing was visiting the Tower. It was still undesirable, but it was far better than them knowing the real truth. In fact, if I tried to deny what they now thought was the truth, they would only become more convinced that it was what really has been happening. It was the perfect cover-up, and although I didn’t plan on doing it for a little longer yet, it was true that I had already planned to use the Tower as my excuse for my disappearances from a while ago. So, although it was happening earlier than I originally wanted, if I thought about it, it was still fine. All I had to take care of now was the backlash of being seen as a liar. “I’m sorry... I started it before I found out you Awakened, so when you asked me, I wasn’t sure how to bring it up...” Rubbing the back of my neck and putting on a show as if I was more awkward than I was actually feeling, I spouted a simple explanation for why I hadn’t told Ella before now. “...I see...” Quietly muttering, she seemed to nod and think to herself for a bit, and Ina took over, wrapping an arm around me and pulling me close. “Aw, hey guys, don’t be down! Enk-Enk, you really need to stop being so awkward all the time. If there’s something important, you should tell someone. Even if it’s not us, you can at least tell El those kinds of things, right?” “I know... But I told you not to call me that.” “Ina’s right. Especially if it’s something to do with the Tower, you two should work together. Don’t you think that’s why you Awakened around the same time?” Joining in alongside, Ella’s older sister Evelyn shared her thoughts. I hadn’t interacted with her much this evening aside from a brief initial greeting, but it wasn’t like we weren’t also close, albeit not as much as with Ella, though that was a given. In any case, something about what she said rubbed me the wrong way. ‘Around the same time, sure... But that’s not how that works.’ I didn’t so much as ‘Awaken’ as I did ‘gain access to the Library’. Of course, I called it Awakening to simplify things, but the reality was that I technically wasn’t an Awakened. After all, I didn’t have mana―that alone was proof I hadn’t Awakened. Maybe I was growing a bit of an ego now that I was getting stronger, even using everything I had gained thus far to climb the first ten Floors of the Tower, but... I must admit, I did feel like I was beginning to see myself as superior to ordinary Awakened. At first, I didn’t quite realise it, but my own capacity for growth was far higher, and the rate at which I could progress was much faster, too. Even if it was Ella... I felt bad for even just thinking it, but honestly, if we worked together to clear the Tower instead, I feel like she’d just hold me back. However, at the same time, I didn’t want her to challenge it by herself. That was far too dangerous, and of course, if possible, I would rather her not go near the Tower at all. That, and, I still felt reluctant to reveal too much, even to Ella. After all, the reason I was clearing the Tower... It wasn’t for something wholesome, and it wasn’t even for a selfish reason like money or fame. It was to kill. “...” “Why’re you so quiet all a sudden, hm~? Oh, I got it. Did what Eve said make you embarrassed...? That’s it, isn’t it~? Because even you can’t deny that you look so good together, right~?” “Oh, for sure! ‘The superpowered couple of Valentine and Lindner’, mhm mhm! I’m telling you, it was a sign!” “”Please stop...”” “Oh, did you hear that?! They spoke together!” “Wow~ They really are made for each other~” “”...”” Without planning it, I and Ella spoke simultaneously, each of us attempting to halt the teasing of our sisters, but regrettably only serving to embolden them. Glancing over to Ella, I saw that she appeared more exasperated than anything, focusing her energy on her meal in an attempt to ignore them, and as for me, although I knew those two were only joking, I couldn’t help but feel a sturdy weight resurface from the depths of my heart. Every time it came to these sorts of topics, I was always reminded... “Enki? Are you okay?” “Hm?” Belatedly realising Evelyn was calling me again, I turned to her. “You seem down all of a sudden.” I shook my head. “No, I’m f–” “Were you thinking about Lisa again?” Ina interrupted, and right at that moment, I froze. “...” For just a moment, my mouth paused while still open and my heart stopped beating. Simultaneously, all thoughts previously occupying my head were completely wiped. As if I had closed my eyes my vision was black, and I could see nothing except a faint image of ‘her’ in my mind. I wasn’t sure how long I was like that, but what snapped me out of it was Ina’s voice again, perhaps finding the answer to her question obvious from my reaction. “Enki, I’m sorry, but don’t you think it’s been long enough? She would also want you to–” Thud. “I’m going to the bathroom.” Abruptly placing my hands on the table, I stood from my seat and walked away.