Does Spring Come Even for a Dying Esper

“Sniff.”

A small boy, crouched on the rusty stair railing, sniffled with his strawberry-red nose. Despite the blazing summer sun, the child was wearing long sleeves and pants. Even so, he shivered occasionally as if cold.

“Achoo!”

A cough finally broke out as the hot wind brushed his cheek. The boy, making a groaning sound, stretched his neck and peered at the entrance of the alley. He seemed to be anxiously waiting for someone.

“It’s about time…”

The child looked at the entrance where not even a shadow could be seen, then slumped his shoulders. It was well past the usual time, but there was no sign of anyone.

“Mom…”

The dejected boy called out tearfully for the person he was waiting for. His heart always felt uneasy when his mother was late coming home.

It couldn’t be helped; this neighborhood had very poor security. Just a few days ago, the esper girl next door had been severely injured. Last month, the downstairs neighbor lost one of his arms.

Surprised to see him missing an arm, the boy had asked about it. The man said he had been in charge of cleaning up an area where a Monster Wave had occurred, and a monster hiding in a hole suddenly jumped out and injured him. Having grown up seeing people die or get hurt almost every day, the child had an extremely high level of anxiety.

“When mom goes to pick oysters in the island’s shade…”

The boy hummed a children’s song his mother had taught him to calm his increasingly anxious heart. Although he didn’t know his mother’s native language well except for a few words and simple phrases, and thus didn’t fully understand the meaning of the song, he had no trouble singing along as she often sang it as a lullaby.

“Son?”

The boy’s head jerked up at the voice calling him. His mother’s figure came into view, standing at the bottom of the stairs, looking up at him with a surprised expression.

“Why are you out here?”

“Mom!”

The child jumped up and ran down the stairs, calling out to the woman.

“Aren’t you cold? My goodness… look how cold your face is. What if you catch another cold!”

The woman quickly embraced her son as he rushed into her arms, worried he might fall. She immediately checked his complexion. Except for his reddened nose, he looked pale and clearly ill to anyone who saw him. She was shocked as she cupped his whitened cheek with one hand. His skin was too cold for the recent weather with its tropical nights.

“Well… but… you weren’t coming…”

The child whined sadly in his long-awaited mother’s arms. Then he burrowed into her embrace as if he would never let go.

“I’m sorry. A customer came just before closing time… Did you wait long?”

The woman, feeling guilty towards her son, patted his dry back as she held his light body. As a D-grade guide, she worked at a private guiding center. While she generally had set work hours, there were occasions like today when she had to work overtime if a customer came just before closing.

“No! I didn’t wait long!”

The boy shook his head vigorously and clung to the woman’s neck with both arms like a koala.

“Mom, I’m cold.”

“Oh dear, are you very cold? You’re shivering.”

“Uh-huh.”

“That’s why you should have just stayed inside.”

“The house is cold too. I’m cold even under the blanket, and I’m cold even when I drink warm water.”

The woman’s expression darkened at her son’s complaints. Her child had been unusually cold since birth. Worried it might be a serious illness, she had gone into debt to get him tested, but even the hospital couldn’t find an exact cause or clear diagnosis. Without a diagnosis, treatment was impossible.

The doctor, trying to console the woman who was devastated by the news that there was no immediate treatment, hinted that the baby had a high probability of awakening as an ability user. While it was meant to be comforting, it only deepened her worries.

These days, many parents hope for their children to awaken, but not her. As a low-ranking guide who couldn’t even go into the field, with meager income and only slightly stronger than an ordinary person, she had gone through all sorts of hardships and hoped her son would grow up normally. If he caught the eye of a villain organization…

“What are we going to do with our son, always so cold like this.”

“I don’t know. But mom’s embrace is warm. So hug me.”

“Oh, you little spoiled one.”

The woman, snapping out of her thoughts, tightly hugged the ice-cold body of her child as she slowly climbed the stairs. Though each day was a battle for survival, she was still happy.

“Hehe…”

The boy, though still sniffling, grinned as if deeply content. Unlike with others, when he was with his mother, he could escape the cold that tormented him all day. That’s why the child always wanted to stay close to her. Even though he knew how difficult a wish that was.

* * *

…Was it a dream?

Iberis thought, staring blankly at the familiar ceiling. Though the memory quickly became hazy, it felt like he had dreamed a very nostalgic dream. Moreover, he had slept soundly without waking up intermittently, which was rare for him.

“Hmm.”

Iberis, still lying down, slowly opened and closed his eyes, making a low nasal sound. After repeating this a few times, his vision became clear. Having shaken off most of the sleepiness, he slowly sat up. Maybe it was just his mood, but his body felt lighter. Even the cold that tormented Iberis every morning when he woke up was less severe.

“… Is this the effect of guiding?”

The only thing different from yesterday was receiving guidance from Lucas. Iberis stretched lightly while checking his condition. For the past few months, even using a heating machine and taking hot baths daily didn’t improve his condition, but today was different.

“Not bad.”

He wasn’t in pain or cold. Just that alone brought a smile to his face, his small lips curving upward. On this pleasant morning he hadn’t experienced in a long time, Iberis turned off the heated mat and changed clothes with a smiling face. Thinking how nice it would be if every day could be like this, Lucas’s face naturally came to mind.

“Somewhat arrogant, but his skills are certainly real…”

The guide with impressive starlight-like sparkling hair and sun-like eyes, who came to treat and guide him. Iberis sipped chamomile tea that warmed his body while taking chicken breast out of the refrigerator.

If he continued with both treatment and guidance, could he really get better as that guy said?

Iberis paused while sprinkling pepper on the chicken breast as he recalled Lucas’s words. But soon he let out a deflating sound.

“Don’t get worked up just because you feel better for one day.”

Iberis put the chicken breast in the mini oven, reminding himself not to get too excited. If you don’t have expectations, you won’t be disappointed. That was the lesson he had learned living as a soldier.

What’s the point of escaping a terminal illness and surviving now? It’s not like he could be completely free from the cold that strikes at any time and the guilt.

His gray eyes darkened. For Iberis, death was always a presence lingering around him. Before awakening, he had several near-death experiences due to unexplained hypothermia, and after awakening, he always suffered from aftereffects due to lack of guiding.

Even though it wouldn’t be strange if he died at any time, death always passed him by. And as if in exchange, it took away the people around him. His mother, the most precious person in the world, his trustworthy teacher, and colleagues who had become like family after sharing life and death situations.

Perhaps that’s why when Iberis received his terminal diagnosis, he thought it was rather fortunate. That he could finally put a period to his persistent life.

It’s not that he has no attachment to life. But he also doesn’t have a desperate desire to survive at all costs.

That’s exactly how Iberis felt now. When he thought of Brenda who followed him and the families of his deceased colleagues, when he remembered Livio Logan and his group who still lived comfortably, he felt like he should try to live somehow, but he was too exhausted for that.

Having lost precious people one by one, both his body and mind were severely worn out, and sometimes Iberis just wanted to escape from everything and be free forever.

“… Huh?”

Lost in gloomy thoughts, Iberis snapped back to reality at the sound of the doorbell. At this hour, the only person who might visit was Brenda, but she knew the door code and wouldn’t ring the bell.

“Who is it?”

Iberis awkwardly checked who it was as he approached the door. His expression became peculiar when he saw the face on the intercom screen.

“Captain?”

Confirming it was Lucas visiting his quarters, Iberis quickly opened the door. As soon as the lock clicked open, the doorknob turned and Lucas entered.

“Good morning, Major.”

“Oh, yeah… Um, what brings you here so early in the morning?”

Iberis reflexively took a few steps back and raised his hand awkwardly towards Lucas, who was greeting him. Unlike Iberis, who hadn’t even changed out of his pajamas, Lucas was wearing a black defense force uniform with a pristine white coat, the symbol of a military doctor.

“It’s breakfast time, so I came to go to the dining hall with you, Major.”