Chapter Forty-Seven: The Search for Someone, a Revelation

Lynn laid out Kara’s plans for what came next, then returned to the surface with Jessica. Business at the fried-chicken shop had been improving steadily, and Lynn was even considering looking for a location for a new branch.

At the same time, there was also the business of Knox Charity Hospital.

Just as Kara had said, Knox Charity Hospital had already gained a modest reputation—not only because of its low fees, but also because of its almost urban-legend-like methods of treatment.

After returning to the surface, Lynn watched the streets of New York from the fried-chicken shop. While serving customers, he pondered what might happen next.

He had sent S.H.I.E.L.D. a considerable red herring, hoping to lure its attention elsewhere, but Lynn did not expect much from it. Whether it had been Hydra or A.I.M. that rescued Samuel Stern, there would probably be no shortage of trouble afterward.

After a full day of business, darkness had fallen. Lynn sent his employees home to rest, leaving only a few lights on inside the shop.

Lynn and Jessica were cleaning up, preparing to leave.

Standing behind the counter, Lynn switched through the programs on the television mounted in the dining area, skipping past the advertisements for various scams and dubious products. At last, he came across an interesting piece of news.

“It appears that some civilians have grown dissatisfied with the government’s slow response to certain supernatural incidents. With government approval, they have established the Human Activity Committee, an organization intended to provide mutual assistance to ordinary people who have suffered harm from supernatural phenomena…”

It was a thoroughly unremarkable news report. Lynn glanced at the station’s logo. Among the many North American television networks, it was hardly one with an impressive audience.

Such a tiny pebble should not have been capable of creating any waves, but Lynn had noticed something interesting.

“Lynn, is there something special about that report?” Jessica asked when she saw him suddenly staring at the television. She herself did not seem to have noticed anything unusual.

Lynn had indeed found something interesting: the footage the station was showing while introducing the organization.

After all, if they wanted to substantiate the existence of those barely credible supernatural incidents, they needed videos or photographs to prove that they were not making everything up.

For instance, the reporter’s background was currently filled with a loop of rather fascinating footage.

“Nothing much. The footage they’re showing is just rather interesting.”

“The footage?”

Jessica looked at the inconspicuous video behind the reporter. The image quality was terrible. All she could make out were numerous strange silhouettes in the underground waterways. It looked as though amateur photographers had filmed them in the subterranean tunnels around New York during their spare time.

Some of the footage showed a group of people apparently terrified by something as they sprinted through an abandoned subway station, as though fleeing from some unseen pursuer.

Certain underground waterways and deserted subway stations had fallen into disrepair and been left unmanaged for years. They were indeed temporary homes for some vagrants and homeless people.

“There seem to be some strange shadows in that video.”

Jessica and Lynn had noticed the same thing, but none of the footage on television was clear enough to make out the details easily.

“Mm. They’re not particularly important. Just a group of interesting people.”

Hearing Lynn say that, Jessica nodded. She continued wiping the plates as she spoke.

“Lynn, were you serious about opening another branch?”

“Of course. Why?”

“No reason. I was just curious. You already have such a large building, and what you do there seems to have nothing to do with fried chicken. Is it really necessary to open a fried-chicken shop?”

Though Jessica was asking those questions, her hands never stopped moving. She picked up the plates one after another, washed them, arranged them neatly, and placed them together inside the dry sterilizing cabinet.

Then she began on the next batch of utensils.

“The fried-chicken shop is a hobby, Jessie. People need some form of entertainment, don’t they?”

“Opening a fried-chicken shop counts as entertainment?”

“Something like that. I can’t spend every day scowling in an underground laboratory, can I? Observing humanity is very interesting. Teaching is like that, and so is selling fried chicken.”

Jessica suddenly smiled. After finishing her own work, she dried her hands on the cloth used for wiping them and hopped over beside Lynn.

“Where are you planning to open the next branch? Southward? Lower Manhattan or Soho?”

“What do you think, Jessie?”

“Me?”

At Lynn’s question, Jessica gave him a sly smile. She pulled out her phone and swiped across the map. The screen illuminated her face in the somewhat dim fried-chicken shop.

“I think you’ll probably open the next branch over here.”

Following Jessica’s finger, Lynn looked at the location she had indicated on the map and nodded. He had indeed planned to open the new branch there—and to go there personally every day.

West Midtown.

Hell’s Kitchen.

“Heh, I guessed right, didn’t I?”

“You did. But why did you think it would be there?”

“Because of you, Lynn. Although you seem cautious and ruthless, you’re actually the sort of person who enjoys looking for trouble, aren’t you? Otherwise, I never would have met you.”

The moment Jessica finished speaking, Lynn tapped her on the forehead, then laughed aloud.

“Cautious is one thing, but what do you mean by ruthless? Do I really look that bad?”

“If I filmed you and put it online, ninety percent of the people who saw it would think you were a villain.”

“Oh? The customers at the fried-chicken shop all think I’m a kind-hearted proprietor.”

“They’ve never seen the way you talk to Kara and Maria. And I still remember those ridiculously expensive fried-chicken meals you sold back then.”

“It was such a remote place. I figured I might as well fleece whoever came along.”

“And you still claim you’re not a bad person? Heh.”

Lynn grabbed Jessica and vigorously ruffled her hair, turning her long locks into a tangled bird’s nest. Jessica did not seem to notice that although he had held back his strength, she had not immediately pushed him away.

After fooling around in the shop for a while, the two of them finally closed the doors.

Back at the apartment on Ebony Street, Jessica yawned and headed toward her room. Lynn, as usual, sat on the living-room sofa without turning on the television or even the lights.

He simply sat there in the darkness.

He took out two pages of the Darkhold. The moment he drew them forth, chaotic magical energy began to seep out and surge toward him.

But the energy vanished in an instant. Lynn’s psychic tendrils coiled around the two pages of the Darkhold.

Until he acquired a safe method of reading it, Lynn had no intention of studying the black magic contained within its pages. That did not mean he had no way to make use of them.

The psychic tendrils extracted the magical energy within. Each time the pale-purple tendrils absorbed energy, their phantom forms shifted from purple to red. At the same time, the Darkhold shook incessantly, while the energy attempting to invade Lynn was completely absorbed.

It could no longer accomplish anything.

After draining away the energy that had escaped, Lynn put the Darkhold back into the magical box he had crafted using Brutus’s knowledge, which served to conceal its magical aura.

Once he had finished, he clenched his fists experimentally, then walked out into the yard.

Lynn grasped the lawn mower and lifted it effortlessly with one hand.

“My strength is increasing? Mutant abilities really do naturally grant the physical strength needed to match them. It seems that’s true after all…”

“The Darkhold makes excellent nourishment. Looks like I really do need to collect more of it.”

Lynn did not know whether Chthon’s consciousness could project itself into the world, but the magical energy the Darkhold had originally used to corrupt mortals and make them serve it had now become energy Lynn could use to strengthen himself.

“Do I have to absorb other people’s energy to keep growing stronger?”

Lynn looked at the weeds in the yard, then checked the time.

“Perhaps I should pull the weeds.”

And so he began walking around the yard. His psychic tendrils swept across the lawn, causing the weeds to wither rapidly and lose their vitality.

—

The next morning, Midtown High School.

Lynn had become thoroughly accustomed to dealing with the students at Midtown High. The morning’s classes ended quickly.

“Goodbye, Mr. Sidis.”

One student after another called out to Lynn as they left, appearing to have a good relationship with him.

“Good morning, Mr. Sidis.”

“Good morning, Miss Ava. What is it this time? Do you have another question for me? Though you seem to be in excellent spirits lately. Have you met your prince charming?”

“Prince charming? Hahaha… Er…”

Lynn’s question seemed to leave Ava speechless. She struggled for a long while without managing to form a complete sentence. Soon, however, she patted her cheeks and coughed lightly.

Then, as though trying to cover something up, she waved her hands.

“No, nothing like that.”

“Then what is it?”

“Er…”

It was obvious that she had fallen for someone. What else could it be? Lynn lowered his head and thought for a moment. Soon, he recalled a scene he had witnessed some time ago at the Captain America Memorial Museum.

Looking again at Ava’s flushed face and her helpless expression, Lynn more or less understood what was going on.

It was rare for something to amuse him like this. Wanting to coax Ava into speaking, Lynn pulled over a chair and gave her another one.

“Sit down first. We can talk about it slowly.”

“Okay, okay…”

The girl who had initially seemed so full of energy suddenly wilted. She went from a plump red apple to an eggplant struck by frost.

To get her talking, Lynn set down his lesson plan, extended a hand, and began:

“Let’s put it this way. Suppose—I mean, purely hypothetically—you’re asking this on behalf of a friend. What would your friend want to know?”

“On behalf of a friend?”

“A hypothetical friend.”

Ava quickly understood what Lynn meant and hurriedly continued.

“Yes, yes, exactly, Mr. Sidis. Suppose I had a friend, and that hypothetical friend had fallen for a boy…”

As Lynn had expected, the situation was thoroughly predictable. It was the sort of plot commonly seen in soap operas.

A normal teacher would probably have advised Ava’s “hypothetical friend” to give up at this point, but Lynn was clearly not a normal teacher.

Just as Jessica had said.

“So, Miss Ava, have your other two hypothetical friends established a relationship yet?”

“No. But most people at that hypothetical school think they’re a couple.”

“Then does your hypothetical friend have any other advantages?”

Ava hesitated for a while before answering uncertainly, “Would working part-time together after school count as an advantage?”

As she said this, the unnatural expression on her face relaxed somewhat, and a faint blush appeared on her cheeks.

I doubt they’re working part-time. They’re probably acting as vigilantes together in New York. Interesting. Perhaps I should find a video camera and record the whole process later. What a pity. What a pity.

Naturally, Lynn did not share the strange ideas in his head with Ava.

“That’s an enormous advantage. In that case, your hypothetical friend should try taking the initiative while they’re working together. After all, it’s an environment separate from everyday life.

“People unconsciously blur the boundaries of their usual identities in different environments. Not everyone can keep those things clearly separated.

“Taking the offensive at a time like that can often produce excellent results.”

“Really?”

“Of course. Think about it. Our daily lives consist of work and personal affairs. Since your hypothetical friend seems unable to gain an advantage in everyday life, she can only make her move through work, can’t she?”

Lynn was naturally talking nonsense. He simply found the whole thing amusing and was curious about how it would develop.

“I see…”

Watching Ava seriously contemplate the logic he had invented, Lynn decided it would be best to stop there. He began organizing his lesson plans and quickly tidied up the classroom.

He was preparing to leave, while Ava still seemed to be thinking about what he had said.

“Miss Ava, remember to turn off the lights when you leave. I’d appreciate it.”

Ava seemed not to hear him.

So Lynn walked out of the classroom. Along the way, he happened to see Peter and MJ walking side by side, chatting and laughing. It certainly did not look as though there was any room for a third person to join them.

But the next second, Harry threw an arm around Peter’s shoulders. The two of them tugged at each other’s noses and brawled playfully as they walked down the hall.

They certainly seemed close—almost like cousins.

“Is this what bonds and love look like? Hmm. Youth really is brimming with energy.”

—

That afternoon, Lynn was arranging the next phase of work at the fried-chicken shop when he suddenly received a phone call.

It was Maria.

“Doctor, I found Blade’s two associates. One of them really is a vampire. Do you want me to make contact with them now?”

“Do it.”