"You've been hiding in the kitchen talking for so long—don't tell me you were isolating me?" Su Yi joked.
"Isolation confirmed. Do not engage," Croissant replied, never letting a line hit the ground.
"We were actually talking about what kind of person you might have been before you lost your memory," Sora smoothly steered the topic toward Su Yi. "What if you get your memories back and remember you were already married, had a daughter… maybe you even kept a cloudbeast. What would you do?"
Su Yi thought for a moment. "Hmm… I'd probably take a leave of absence to go find them, look at them from far away… and then come back to work."
"Why?" Exusiai didn't understand.
You finally learn you still have family in this world, and all you want is to see them from a distance?
"Because there's a good chance I did something bad, and my friends and family abandoned me," Su Yi said. "I don't think I've told you this, but my 'spawn point' was inside a very expensive life-support device. That means I probably had a pretty high status before—ordinary people don't get to lie in something like that.
"But there wasn't a single guard there who recognized me.
"Back then, Texas stayed with me nearby for three days, waiting. But my former family, friends, relatives… not one of them showed up.
"In the end, there was nothing we could do. Texas brought me back to Lungmen, and I gave up on looking for my past family.
"If they don't want to see me that badly, why should I put myself in front of them?
"All right—enough of that gloomy stuff. Let's eat. I'm starving."
Watching Su Yi's lonely back as he walked into the kitchen to wash his hands, Sora wished she could go back ten minutes and strangle her own "why would you bring that up" self.
"That's not true," Exusiai suddenly said.
Su Yi turned back, confused.
"The you from before—absolutely wasn't what you just described. No way you were some hated guy everyone turned their back on!"
Exusiai spoke faster, more and more agitated. "We've only known each other for three months, but in these three months, I've been watching you. No one understands what kind of person you are better than I do.
"You lost your memory, but you still try your hardest not to trouble us. You work your tail off at Penguin Logistics—because you want to repay the boss for taking you in.
"And you're always complaining that your luck is 'bad,' but when you see someone who truly needs help, when have you ever turned away?
"Gentle. Thoughtful. Reliable. Kind… Even without your memories, you're still this good. How could the old you possibly have been someone people hated?
"Your family and friends from before—they have to be out there somewhere on this land, trying their best to find you!"
Su Yi fell silent.
After a long pause, he said sincerely, "Thank you, Exusiai. Having a coworker like you is a real blessing."
With that, Su Yi went into the kitchen, washed his hands, and came back out carrying place settings for five people.
"Not bad," Croissant muttered under her breath. "That something you learned from galgames too?"
"I just said what I truly felt," Exusiai replied.
Only after she'd calmed down did she realize how explosive her speech had been. She went bright red—like a shrimp on a sizzling hot plate—practically steaming from the head.
…
Elsewhere.
Blaze, an elite operator freshly returned from a business trip, knocked on the door of Rhodes Island's CEO office.
When she pushed it open, she saw a young Cautus girl.
Her name was Amiya. She was fourteen—an adorable, delicate face and clear, light-blue eyes that looked almost like they could speak. Small and neat features, the unmistakable promise of beauty as she grew.
Her petite frame wore a fitted sleeveless white top, a blue-striped skirt, and black stockings—though over it all she'd thrown on an oversized, worn Rhodes Island jacket, which only made her look even smaller.
"Amiya!"
Blaze shouted and lunged forward, yanking the little rabbit into a crushing hug and ruffling her like crazy.
"Ah!"
Startled, Amiya recognized Blaze and immediately asked, "Miss Blaze—did you find the Doctor?"
"Uh…" Blaze's shoulders sagged. "Sorry to disappoint you. I searched all over Victoria, but I still couldn't find him."
The moment Blaze finished speaking, Amiya's gaze dimmed.
She must have been devastated.
But instead of showing it, the little rabbit turned around and comforted Blaze, who was much older than her.
"It's okay. I gave you the wrong task. Maybe the Doctor didn't go to Victoria at all."
As she spoke, Amiya wriggled out of Blaze's embrace. "You must be exhausted. Go rest. I need to keep working."
Blaze glanced at the desk—paperwork piled into a mountain, taller than Amiya herself—and stared, dumbfounded.
"All of that… is your work?"
"Yes," Amiya answered. "This much work… the Doctor used to finish it alone in half a day. I've worked all day and I'm only barely halfway done. The Doctor is really amazing…"
"If you can't handle it by yourself, why not ask other people to help?" Blaze demanded.
"Everyone's busy. The ship's internal work can only be handled by me."
"Then what about Dr. Kal'tsit?!" Blaze pressed.
"Dr. Kal'tsit just got back from Laterano. Yesterday she left again for Columbia…"
"Wasn't she in Iberia before that? Why is she still chasing after that Doctor?" Blaze couldn't hold it in anymore. She asked the question that had been bothering her for ages. "Is the Doctor really that important? Ever since you said he went missing, you, Kal'tsit, Closure, Warfarin… and Ace, and all those elite operators from the Babel era—you've all gone crazy, searching everywhere!"
Amiya replied in the most serious voice she had.
"Miss Blaze, I understand how you feel. But please believe us.
"I can't be without the Doctor. Rhodes Island can't be without the Doctor. The future of the Infected—the future of this land—can't be without the Doctor!"
"Is the Doctor really that godlike?" Blaze muttered. "No matter how capable he is, he's still just one person, isn't he?"
"When we find the Doctor and bring him back, you'll understand," Amiya said.
Why are you talking like Dr. Kal'tsit now—turning into a riddle-speaker… Blaze sighed. "It'd be great if the Doctor would just come back on his own."
"The Doctor will return to my side," Amiya said with absolute conviction. "Right now, he probably ran into trouble. That's why we have to go find him!"
That's… heavy. Did the Doctor run away because you scared him? Blaze thought.
"Fine, fine. I'll keep trying to find the Doctor," Blaze said, ruffling Amiya's rabbit ears. "But in exchange, tell me a story about you and the Doctor."
Amiya clearly didn't want to. Stories with the Doctor were her most precious treasure—she didn't want to share them with anyone.
But she couldn't bring herself to refuse Blaze, so she compromised.
"I'll tell you a story about me and Dr. Kal'tsit instead."
Blaze thought for two seconds, then happily agreed.
…
Four in the morning.
After an exhausting day, Amiya fell asleep the moment her head touched the pillow.
In her sleep, a single clear tear slipped free, rolling down her cheek and soaking into the fabric.
In the lonely, silent dorm room, the Cautus girl's sleep-murmur echoed softly.
"Doctor… Miss Theresa… I miss you so much…"
-------
Enjoy 20% off our Patreon membership to celebrate Christmas. You can join starting today
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
I, Herta's Fiancé, the Universe's Number One Male Fist (114 Chapter (Simulpub-Full) )
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Succubus in Sixth Street (400 Chapter)
Reborn in Type-Moon, My Sister is Aoko Aozaki (254 Chapter)
MyGO!! A Story Voiced by Me (140 Chapter)
BLEACH: Blade of Purification (158 Chapter)
Konoha: Starting the Game as Yoriichi (400 Chapter)
My Real Job is Spying on Konoha, but I'm Also its Hokage (140 Chapter)
The Pinnacle of the Navy! Starting from Being Captured by Garp (172 Chapter)
Watching Yu-Gi-Oh! short videos is making the veteran players lose...(80 Chapter)
Uma Musume : The Trainer Who Just Wants to Live (200 Chapter)
Zenless Zone Zero The Random Kamen Rider (200 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: It All Began With Me Being Stepped On by Arlecchino (120 Chapter)
Naruto: I Can Synthesize Summoning Beasts (96 Chapter)
Demon Slayer: The Great Swordsman's System, Disciple of Yoriichi (140 Chapter)
My Wife is a General, but I'm an Emanator of Abundance! (160 Chapter)
Type-Moon: My Nine-Fold Path (140 Chapter)
Uma Musume: They're Peeking at My Diary, and All of Tracen is Panickin (Ending)
The Wild History of Type-Moon world (70 Chapter)
Reborn in Conan, But I Refuse to Be the Bad Guy (80 Chapter)
Ruan Mei is begging me to go back? But there's no going back anymore (140 Chapter)
Just a Slacker at Tracen Academy (165 Chapter)
Survival in Blue Archive (70 Chapter)
Kimetsu no Yaiba: Doma Wasn't Hated Today, Either (100 Chapter)
The Vibe of This Chat Group is a Little Off (100 Chapter)
Heartbreak Simulator: I Broke Them and Made Them Cry (80 Chapter)
The Talentless Trainer Doesn't Want to Restart (80 Chapter)
A Journey Starting as a Quincy (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: The Master of Romance Obstruction (80 Chapter)
Uma Musume: You Can't Be a Hero Without a Little Chemical Enhancement (40 Chapter)
Honkai Impact 3rd Your Boyfriend is Really Amazing (40 Chapter)
Warhammer 40K: My Fiancée, Fulgrim (180 Chapter)
Classroom of the Elite: Trying to Capture Me! (120 Chapter)
Genshin Impact My Named Senji Muramas (150 Chapter)
A Chef, the Vice-Captain of the Rocks Pirates? (160 Chapter)
Naruto : My Uchiha Girlfriend is Too Tsundere (130 Chapter)
Type-Moon: Reincarnated in a Lostbelt, I Became the Alien God (90 Chapter)
The Way These Horse Girls Look at Me Is Terrifying! (160 Chapter)
Naruto: Tsunade's Deskmate (130 Chapter)
I Just Want to Live a Normal (50 Chapter).
Genshin Impact: A Hundred Confessions? It's Just a System Task (70 Chapter)
OnePiece : Starting as a Veteran of the Roger Pirates (60 Chapter)
Uma Musume : I Have Special Horse Taming Techniques (180 Chapter)
Uma Musume : My other self is a Horse Girl (110 Chapter)
Jujutsu Kaisen : All Affection Stats Maxed Out (190 Chapter)
Satou Kazuma's Decision to Live by Swindling, Starting from Re:Zero (60 Chapter)
Bleach : Ichigo! Take Over the Soul Society (78 Chapter)
Crossover Anime: The Master of Plagiarism with a 'Love Obstacle (130 Chapter)
Arknights Succubus Nurturing System, But I'm a Quiet Office Worker (80 Chapter)
Genshin Impact: Using My Personas to Break the Hearts of Players (50 Chapter)
One Punch Man : i am King? (140 Chapter)
Genshin: My Stats Are Irresistible (50 Chapter)
Naruto: Master of Dream Fulfillment! (60 Chapter)
Why Are All My Chat Group Friends Spin-Off Characters? (110 Chapter)
Arknights : Batman System (30 Chapter)
Chat Group: Swapping Bodies with the Bad-Ending Herta from the Start (54 Chapter)
DanMachi: Why Did My Dungeon Turn Into a Soulslike Game? (63 Chapter)
Losing Money on Uma Musume...What Do You Mean You Actually Won? (77 Chapter)
I'm Gotou Hitori—Who Are You? (40 Chapter)
Were You Ever Even a Uma Musume? Stop Making Things Up! (58 Chapter)
Moon Project: A Full-Time Love Adventure for the Lobotomy Corporation (60 Chapter)
The Leisurely Days of the Hyuga Main House (50 Chapter)
Arknights : A Draco Surviving in a Matriarchal Terra (40 Chapter)
Arknights: What if My Luck Is Too Good? (70 Chapter)
If there's a particular novel you're enjoying on Patron, please give it a 'like' so I know to focus on it