The morning sun filtered gently through the gaps in the window, spilling across Su's face.
Dewdrops awaited the sun's warmth.
Su slowly opened his eyes, reached habitually for his phone on the bedside table, and glanced at the time. His alarm hadn't gone off yet.
He sat up unhurriedly, stretching with a soft sigh.
Getting dressed and washing up—these routines need no elaboration.
Afterwards, he walked to his desk and neatly organized the books he'd been poring over the night before. With a practiced hand, he picked up the cup of tea left beside them—now long cold—and poured it down the sink. Watching the liquid swirl away, he let out a faint sigh.
Once everything was in order, Su's gaze settled on the photo frame on his nightstand.
It was a picture of him and Kevin, both of them grinning brightly, their eyes sparkling with youthful vitality.
"Good morning," Su murmured softly to the photo. (T/N: Gay)
Looking at it, he couldn't help but feel how swiftly time had flown. It must have been about five years since he last saw Kevin.
He still remembered that day—Kevin had introduced him to a girl named Mei. She was extraordinary; Su could sense it from just a glance.
But dwelling on that now served little purpose. He needed to focus his mind on combating Honkai Cancer—that strange, suddenly emerging disease from a few years ago with a one hundred percent mortality rate. That was the more pressing matter.
Su stepped out of his home, drawing a deep breath of the fresh morning air, then set off toward the hospital with steady strides.
Upon arrival, he exchanged greetings with his colleagues as usual. Their faces wore expressions ranging from weary to bright as they began another day's work.
Then, Su went straight to his department, sat at his desk, and began carefully reviewing patient files.
"Su, you're here early."
The voice came from a middle-aged doctor with gray hair who gently pushed the door open, smiling as he entered.
"Good morning, Director Spacy."
Su quickly stood up, responding respectfully.
Spacy was Su's mentor. When Su first came here for his residency, Spacy had often offered guidance and support. Su remained deeply grateful to him.
"Young people have such drive. Makes an old fellow like me feel I can't fall behind," Spacy remarked with a slight sigh, then shifted the topic. "By the way, Su, are you still working on that specialized treatment?"
Hearing this, Su nodded firmly, his gaze resolute.
"Yes. Even if the hope is slim, I want to try. Every patient is hoping for a cure. I can't give up."
Spacy walked over and clapped a hand on Su's shoulder, his eyes full of approval. He didn't press further. He knew Su's character—once he set his mind on something, he wouldn't easily let go.
Some time later, it was Su's usual hour for rounds.
He had just entered the ward when he was greeted by the bright, cheerful laughter of children.
"Wow, is this the picture little Griseo drew? It's amazing!"
"I want to meet her too!"
Su saw a little blonde girl sitting up in the hospital bed, holding a sketchbook, her face lit up with an innocent smile.
"Next time when Sister Blanca is free, we can all come play with you!" a little white-haired girl beside her said with a laugh.
"Yeah! Griseo would love the colors of those flowers!" a pink-haired girl chimed in.
Watching this warm scene, a soft smile tugged at the corners of Su's mouth.
The blonde girl in the bed was Annie. She had been admitted not long ago. The initial diagnosis had been Honkai Sickness…
But later, more detailed examinations revealed it was a misdiagnosis. Still, to be safe, they decided to keep her under observation for a little while longer.
The white-haired one was Vya—a particularly warm and cheerful little girl. Su remembered her quite well.
Back when they first met, Vya had said she'd seen him before. He'd racked his brains but genuinely couldn't recall.
The pink-haired one was probably Rin, another lively and adorable girl.
They seemed to be good friends with Annie. Since Annie's hospitalization, Su often saw them visiting.
"Oh! It's Brother Su!"
Vya, with the sharpest eyes, was the first to notice Dr. Su entering the ward.
"Hello, Dr. Su~" Annie and Rin greeted him with smiles.
After all, what child wouldn't like a gentle-spoken, handsome, doctor big brother?
"Good morning, everyone," Su replied with a smile.
He then began carefully checking Annie's condition, softly asking if she felt any discomfort anywhere.
"Alright. Just two more days of observation and you'll be good to go," Su said gently after finishing his examination. "Take care of your health, okay? Eat plenty of vegetables and fruit. That's how you grow up strong."
"I will, Dr. Su!" Annie answered, her smile as radiant as sunlight.
To Su, such innocent smiles from children were utterly beautiful. As a doctor, he felt that relieving patients' suffering and seeing smiles bloom on their faces again was his greatest comfort—the very meaning of his work.
After Su left…
"That's great, Annie! You'll be home soon!" Rin said happily.
"Mhm! And thank you both for coming to see me~" Annie said gratefully. "When I get back, I'll pick out the prettiest flowers for you!"
"Yay! We'll look forward to it!" Vya added excitedly.
The pure friendship between children was always like this—beautiful, simple, and untainted.
As for how the girls had met, the story was quite simple.
Annie's older sister ran a flower shop, and Annie often helped out there.
One time, Elysia had taken Vya to buy flowers, and that's how they met Annie at the shop. Later, they'd heard by chance that Annie was sick, so they made a special trip to visit.
Vya and Rin stepped out of the ward into the hallway, where they happened to run into a familiar face.
A brown-haired man wearing sunglasses.
"Oh! Uncle Paul!"
Vya, sharp-eyed as ever, recognized him immediately. She hurried over and called out softly.
The man started at the sound, then looked toward Vya.
"Vya?" Paul was puzzled. He hadn't expected to run into Vya here, as she mostly stayed around the base.
Although Paul was often on the move, also serving as Su's assistant, Vya was a well-known presence at the base. Naturally, he knew the little girl.
Paul walked over, took off his sunglasses, and offered as kindly a smile as he could manage.
After all, his daughter knew them. One ought to be warm toward his daughter's friends.
"What are you two doing at the hospital?" Paul asked curiously.
"We're visiting a friend," Rin piped up beside him.
"I see…" Paul nodded. "You two are alright, aren't you? Not running around?"
He was a little worried the two girls might accidentally get into some trouble in the hospital.
"Sister and the others will be back to get us soon," Vya said with a smile.
Tsk tsk. So Elysia and Sakura were here too. That should be fine then.
Feeling reassured, Paul said, "That's good. I'm here to take care of something. You two be careful in the hospital, don't go wandering off, alright?"
"Mhm, we know," they replied.
…
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