There's No Love In the Deathzone (BL) novel Chapter 745

Chapter 745: Side Story 4. Endless Journey - 28

After leaving the Temple, their journey wasn’t over yet. The last step was to check on the various academies to see where they would be the most comfortable.

From Bassena’s old academy in Althrea, Zein’s guide academy in Rexon, the newly established esper-guide academy in Projo, and other academies in various cities- including Lucre. They spent around two weeks going by plane, helicopter, and car, spending more days in each place just to hang around as a family.

A proper school winter break, one must say.

But during those two weeks, the one more energetic and enthusiastic was Kar instead of Asa. Even Lucy looked more hyper, feeling happy that everyone could stay around her without any trouble. She loved being able to talk to people without them flinching from her biting mana, and no one moved away from her because they couldn’t stand the prickly feeling from her unrestrained force.

It was obvious to everyone that Asa had a lot to think about. Whether it was his fathers or his twin, they did not disturb him. Besides, the two-week journey was not just about looking for an academy, but a proper family time. They let him digest things slowly and waited for him to come over for help.

In the end, on the last night of their vacation, Asa pulled on his twin’s pajamas before they went to sleep. "Kar..."

The older twin looked at his brother’s dispirited face, wondering if it was the time. He decided to put aside getting his water and returned to the bed, plopping in front of Asa. "Still confused?"

"Yeah..."

"Okay, let’s talk," Kar nodded.

They sat down, face to face. Kar was waiting patiently, like he always did. But even after a minute passed, Asa still didn’t say anything. The younger twin was fiddling with Kar’s sleeve instead, biting lips and looking restless.

"What do you want to do?" Kar finally asked after another minute of silence. He thought it would back off again if he didn’t bait it out. "I mean, do you want to be a guide? Like...doing guiding works like Dada in the past?"

Asa sighed and looked even more frustrated than the time he had to choose only one dessert from ten options. "I’m not sure, I never think about it."

"Hmm..." Kar tilted his head and looked around. His eyes finally saw something in the corner of their suite’s bedroom. "What about that?"

He pointed at their suitcases. The one they packed and personalized by themselves instead of by their Baba. Kar’s red suitcase--which was chosen by Lucy, as with anything else--was clean, while Asa’s blue one was filled with many stickers that Lucy, Byul, and Nari put.

Of course, as the owner, half of those stickers belonged to Asa. Stickers of planes of many kinds, telescopes, night scenery, and lots of stars that Byul happily arranged.

"Do you still want to build a plane to go to the stars?"

"Well...yeah, but..." Asa fiddled his fingers restlessly, almost like his first day at school. "Dada is a guide and has a guide academy, and...won’t people talk bad if I don’t do it?" he whispered worriedly.

They were old enough to realize that people didn’t only talk nice about their family. They often heard students at their schools or their parents talking behind their backs after smiling friendly and speaking nicely just minutes before.

Most of it was petty stuff like why the twins rarely invite other students to their house, calling them arrogant and such. Or why didn’t their parents donate more money to the school so the other parents could pay less--knowing full well that the twins’ fathers already had a foundation giving out hundreds of scholarships every year on top of three orphanages across the Federation.

Those really petty reasons made the twins conclude that people could really blame others for anything. Auntie Rina told them that the world, sadly, was full of people like that, so they didn’t have to dwell on it.

But still...Asa didn’t like the idea of being hated by people. He still hadn’t developed the ability to ignore people with ease like his fathers.

"But they said you can be whatever you want," Kar, who was better at ignoring people than Asa, grabbed his twin’s shoulder. "Do you care more about what people said, or do you care more about what Dada and Baba said?"

Asa frowned. Of course, Dada and Baba’s words were more important to him! But...he looked at his twin with bowed lips. "What about...what about you?"

"...Huh?"

"We’re...going to be separated, you know!"

Kar blinked and released Asa’s shoulder. He looked at his twin’s frustrated face. The bowed lips and lowered brows, as well as the slightly trembling eyes. He gripped the blanket beneath them.

"I know," Kar replied after taking a deep, stuttered breath. "But...it’s not forever, right? If I go to the academy in Lucre, I don’t have to go to a dorm."

"But...the one in Lucre is not the best," Asa frowned.

"I know, but I can always learn more from Baba and Uncle Joon," Kar shrugged.

That did not smoothen Asa’s frown. Instead, it grew even deeper to the point that he looked angry. Kar sighed and unconsciously frowned too.

"Dada said...someday, we will go our separate ways," Kar said. "We can’t always be together, but...we’re still brothers, and we’re still family, so...I think...it’s okay..."

"Then why are you crying?" Asa squinted at his brother’s glazed eyes.

"I’m not crying!"

"Yes, you do!"

"Shut up!"

"What are you guys doing?" Zein knocked on the door that the twins forgot to close before having their heart-to-heart talk.

Different from how it started, the boys ended up grabbing each other’s hair, growling and scowling while denying that they were crying and too sad for the possibility of parting ways. It was honestly adorable, and Zein would let them be if it wasn’t for the little girl whining in his arms.

"Oh, Dada..." the twins flinched and immediately let go of each other, flushed in embarrassment.

Lucy muttered sleepily while rubbing her eyes. "Blothel...nosey..."

"Noisy," Zein corrected.

"Noiseeeey~"

"Oh! I’m sorry, Lu!"

Zein chuckled and entered the bedroom, handing the little girl over to the older twin. Lucy stared at her brothers with narrowed eyes. "Ale you faiting?"

"No," Kar laughed softly while hugging his sister. "We’re just...talking about school."

"Skool?"