“And what’s your name?”

“Tennessee.”

“Is that your first name or your last name?”

“Doesn’t matter.”

Opening the window for his cigarette, Tennessee checked the surroundings. On the empty road, only streetlights were installed here and there; there was not a trace of a person in the vast wilderness. If he dropped the kid here, there was a high probability he would die.

But if he abandoned the child in a town, wouldn’t an Amber Alert really go off then?

Tennessee rubbed his forehead. He had experienced many crazy things while doing this job for a long time, but this was the first time he had ‘accidentally’ kidnapped a child. Perhaps because it was something he hadn’t expected at all, his mind wasn’t working quickly.

“Um, Mr… Tennessee.”

The child’s tone was cautious as he added ‘Mr.’

Tennessee chuckled. The child, who had heard him steal the car, couldn’t let go of his wariness.

However, since he had given him food and didn’t seem likely to attack immediately, his guard was halfway down. That’s why “Mr. Tennessee” came out even while holding the scissors.

Biting his lower lip, the child lowered his head. He also lowered the scissors he was holding.

“……I have to go to the bathroom.”

Good grief, it’s one thing after another.

With a gesture that didn’t hide his annoyance, Tennessee moved only one hand to rummage through the things he had bought. Moving things out of the way, he found a water bottle. He simply stuck his arm out the window and poured out the water. After roughly shaking it off, Tennessee tossed the bottle back.

“Do it in there.”

“……You won’t stop?”

“If you run away and report me, I’ll have to shoot you dead. The cleanup would be a pain.”

The child took the water bottle with a face that looked like he had a lot to say. Tennessee checked the child in the rearview mirror.

With a grumpy expression and a pouting lip, he seemed ashamed and dissatisfied in many ways.

“This water bottle is too small.”

Give me a break. At this point, Tennessee was truly speechless.

“When did I tell you to fit your dick into the bottle? Just aim for the hole and pee. Or do you want me to personally check if the bottle fits your size?”

“……That’s not it. I’ve held my urine for so long that the bottle is too small.”

Tennessee slammed on the brakes.

“Ack!”

The child, who hit his head, looked up resentfully, but Tennessee had already stepped out of the driver’s seat.

“Get out.”

Tennessee, who personally opened the rear door, gestured with his chin. Stepping out of the car barefoot, the child stared blankly at the wilderness—a landscape where truly nothing lived except for some grass.

“Pee here.”

Wary looks returned to the child’s blue eyes. Tennessee was baffled.

“I’m not looking; you’re so small I can’t even see. Just pee.”

As he said that and waved his hand dismissively, the child took a step to the side. Without a word, Tennessee showed the gun in his hand. Then, the child stopped walking and adjusted his shorts.

Soon, a trickling sound was heard.

The child glanced at Tennessee with anxious eyes. Tennessee let out a small laugh in his throat.

He felt like he’d heard that dogs do this somewhere. In that case, it supposedly means, ‘I’m in a vulnerable state because I’m pooping, so you have to protect me.’

That kid must be thinking hard in his own way.

Tennessee inhaled his cigarette until his cheeks sank. He was a proper nuisance. He had no idea what to do with him.

* * *

“Get out.”

I’m switching to this car.

As soon as the maddeningly lonely road ended, Tennessee stole another vehicle. Since stolen cars are usually reported, it was impossible to travel continuously in one car.

As he opened the car door, the child hopped out. The child’s white toes wiggled as they touched the cold asphalt.

Ah, he was barefoot. As Tennessee gestured, the child jumped into the car barefoot.

After closing the car door, Tennessee pondered for a moment. He already had water and food, and since he had packed a blanket and spare clothes, there was nothing else he needed to buy.

Then, Tennessee remembered the child, who had been in short sleeves, shorts, and barefoot for a whole day.

How annoying. Tennessee pushed the items into the passenger seat and called the child in the back.

“Shoes, what size?”

“……5.”

I’ll just buy something roughly.

“I’m going to buy you shoes. And clothes. Is there anything you need?”

Taking the child with him would reduce the risk of escape, but the child’s attire was too conspicuous to take to a bright, crowded Walmart. Since he himself was dressed up in a suit, the contrast was even more severe.

“……Um, Mountain Dew?”

“That’s something you want, not something you need.”

The child’s face fell. Then, Tennessee noticed what was in the child’s right hand. Those damn magic scissors. He had managed to pack the scissors while switching cars. To think he could ask for ‘Mountain Dew’ while trusting people so little—Tennessee let out a hollow laugh of disbelief.

“Stay here.”

Perhaps because he wasn’t getting Mountain Dew, the child’s cheeks seemed to puff up 1.5 times.

Tennessee didn’t give those cheeks a single glance and said:

“If you don’t answer, I’ll just have to leave. You won’t die just because you don’t have shoes.”

“I’ll stay here! Still!”

As he pretended to go toward the driver’s seat, a desperate voice burst out.

“Still?”

“Yes, like I’m dead.”

“……What will you do if the police come?”

“I’ll hide down here, like last time. Even if other people come, I’ll hide.”

He spoke while pointing under the back seat. Tennessee first engaged the child locks on both sides of the back seat so the doors couldn’t be opened from the inside.

If the police got involved, things would get noisy. He would be cleared of the kidnapping charge once the investigation was over, but there was nothing good about being spotted by the police.

“Just in case I should mention this.”

Tennessee looked down at the child, not dismissing the thought of shooting if necessary.

“If you ask people for help, I’ll kill those people too.”

The child’s hand trembled faintly.

People aren’t particularly terrified by the mere words “I’ll kill you.” Everyone says it. I’ll kill you, I’ll take care of you, I’ll make you pay for your sins…

Fear only sets in when those words are a sincere intention, devoid of a single shred of exaggeration. That is because it is closer to a prophecy than a warning based on a slim probability.

“If you run away, I’ll kill you too.”

Tennessee hoped the child wouldn’t take his words as a bluff. Killing one child was far cheaper than drawing attention. He meant it when he said he would get rid of the boy if things went wrong.

“So stay put.”

Still, Tennessee knew the child wouldn’t be able to completely give up on escaping. It was because of uncertainty. Uncertainty about the unknown confuses a person.

Since he had stopped by Walmart anyway, Tennessee bought enough food for two. He didn’t forget to check the movements of the security guards from time to time. If the child had asked someone for help, the guards’ behavior would have changed.

The worst-case scenario would be the child entering Walmart and asking people for help. Of course, the best option was for the child to wait quietly in the car.

Arriving at the car with bags in both hands, Tennessee piled the groceries in the passenger seat. Let’s see. He leaned his head back, sighed, and opened the rear door.

It was empty. He checked not only the seats but also under them. There was nothing.

“Hoo…”

I told you not to do that. I didn’t want to kill you.

Taking out his gun and disengaging the safety, Tennessee looked around. Since it was late, there weren’t many people. Only about ten minutes had passed, so the child couldn’t have gone far. Finding him wouldn’t be difficult.

It was just as Tennessee was about to close the car door.

A rustling sound was heard from somewhere. Then, the armrest between the rear seats popped out on its own. Soon after, like in a horror movie, a thin, white arm emerged.

“Pfft—!”

…Come to think of it, this car was a sedan.

Tennessee quietly put his gun away. The child peeked his face out from the pass-through. He had crawled into the space connecting the seats to the trunk. A smirk escaped Tennessee’s lips.

With a few grunts, the child pulled himself out.

“Drink.”

With a sigh, Tennessee handed over an entire bundle of six drinks. Having fully extracted his upper body from the trunk, the child was left awkwardly crumpled in the backseat.

“Whoa, Mountain Dew!”

As soon as he saw it, the child’s legs popped out of the trunk as well.

“They were on sale.”

“Thank you.”

Tennessee also felt it was the right time to dangle a carrot. He then tossed a bag containing the child’s long pants, socks, shoes, and jacket into the back. The child, who took the bag to the face, let out a light “ah” sound.

“Do they fit?”

“Yes, they fit perfectly.”

The child nodded vigorously while tying his shoelaces. Hidden by the bags with “Walmart” written on them, the magic scissors were nowhere to be seen.

The child checked the shoes by stomping his feet. He put on the jacket, which still had the price tag attached, and changed into the pants.

“Where are we going now?”

“We’ll drive a bit further and rest at a motel for the day.”

Having driven for a full twenty-four hours, Tennessee’s body felt stiff. Normally, for someone like Tennessee, who had gone through all sorts of wars and training, this wouldn’t have been physically demanding.

However, he felt exceptionally fatigued because of the child, who—despite being halfway kidnapped—had the nerve to ask, “Where are we going now?”

Tennessee decided to look on the bright side. Although the child was tagged along, he wouldn’t stand out much for now. Coincidentally, he looked quite similar to Tennessee.

Father and son might have been too much, but their appearance was plausible as relatives or a youngest sibling. Their exceptionally fair skin, black hair, and even eye color were similar. In America, where siblings with different hair and skin colors are common, this was enough to look like a family relationship.