"Beep beep beep!" Just then, a communicator sound came from Manticore's body.
Manticore nervously opened her communicator.
"Manticore, are you there? Where are you now? Doctor Kal'tsit wishes to hear your report in person."
A female voice came from inside, sounding very firm.
"Yes... I got delayed on the way... I'm sorry, I'll be right there."
Hearing the words from the communicator, Manticore apologized to Kanna with an embarrassed expression, "Sorry, I have something to do, see you next time..."
"My name is Kanna! See you next time!" Seeing Manticore leave in a hurry, Kanna waved and shouted at her retreating figure.
"Kanna!" Manticore silently memorized the name as she hurriedly jogged towards Kal'tsit's location.
"What a pity, Red only likes Rupo's fluffy, somewhat firm-feeling tail..." After savoring the sensation, Kanna walked towards the Greenhouse.
Upon reaching the Greenhouse, she saw Lena standing in front of a white-furred Feline. As Lena moved, the Feline kept taking deep breaths.
Kanna didn't disturb them but quietly sat down nearby, curiously observing. Although Lena belonged to the Medical Department, this was her first time seeing Lena treat a patient. After a while, Lena wiped the sweat from her forehead and smiled at the Feline, saying, "Gloria, this treatment was very effective. I believe that as long as you persevere, your condition will definitely improve."
The Feline nodded, then looked in Kanna's direction.
Lena followed Gloria's gaze and saw Kanna sitting quietly nearby, looking at them with a curious expression.
She couldn't help but smile. Although many Operators said Kanna was a master at getting into trouble, often causing amusing problems, in her eyes, Kanna was a sensible and obedient good child.
Having been to the Greenhouse so many times, she had never seen Kanna damage any of the plants here. Every time she entered and exited, she was very careful, which made Lena, who loved flowers, very fond of Kanna.
"It's Kanna! I have fresh milk in my room, you can go get it yourself if you want to drink it."
Lena said to Kanna with a smile.
"Mhm mhm!" Kanna walked over to Lena, curiously looking at the white-furred Feline. She felt a hint of familiarity, guessing that the other party was probably also a Rhodes Island Operator, just perhaps a very niche one that she hadn't used much before.
Seeing Kanna staring at her with wide eyes, the Feline calmly nodded. "Hello, my name is Gloria. You can also call me—Nightmare."
After hearing the introduction, Kanna suddenly understood. So it was Nightmare.
Kanna didn't have a very deep impression of Nightmare. Because of her strange skill set, she was always a benchwarmer. Aside from being promoted to Elite Operator 2 and being assigned to the Personnel Department after other Operators reached max trust, she rarely had a chance to be deployed.
"Do you know me?" Gloria, as expected of the little cat with 'Psychology' skills in the game, could read something from Kanna's expression alone.
Kanna shook her head. She naturally wouldn't admit to knowing Nightmare, as the two shouldn't have had a chance to meet before. "Kanna also has a Feline friend whose hair is white like yours, which is why I was curious."
"Is that so?" Gloria was still a bit suspicious.
"Uh-huh! But Rosmontis's white has a hint of blue, making it look a bit icy, while your white has a light yellow, making it look very warm." Kanna gestured with her hands, trying to divert the other's attention from her earlier anomaly.
Just as they were chatting, a knock came from the door.
After Lena nodded, Kanna scurried to the door on her short legs.
Opening the door, she saw—a Uma Musume.
A golden-haired woman with a very heroic face stood at the door. Seeing Kanna open it, she gave a friendly smile.
"Hello, little sister, is Miss Lena in?"
"My name is Kanna! Sister Lena is in, but she's treating Gloria right now. If you're looking for her, you'll have to wait a bit."
Kanna had spent a lot of time with Lena and had encountered many visitors.
Lena's aromatherapy required quiet and continuity, so sometimes when Lena was busy, Kanna would volunteer to help greet visitors.
"Hello, little Kanna, my name is Margaret Nearl. You can call me Nearl. I'll wait here, and please tell Miss Lena when she's free."
Nearl's slightly impatient mood calmed considerably as she looked at the little girl in front of her. She held a list and spoke softly to Kanna.
Kanna looked around. There was no place to rest near the door, and leaving Nearl there clearly wasn't appropriate.
She reached out and pulled Nearl into the Greenhouse.
"Come sit inside for a bit first. There's a special resting area in the Greenhouse. When Sister Lena finishes, you'll meet her right away."
Hearing Kanna's words, Nearl nodded and quietly walked in with Kanna.
Walking into the resting area, Nearl smelled the flowers and felt her mood relax considerably. After taking the floral tea Kanna offered, she asked,
"Little Kanna, are you an assistant here?"
"No, the Greenhouse smells nice, and Kanna and her friends like to play here. Sister Lena also likes us to play. But Sister Lena is usually very busy, so sometimes when she's not free, we help out."
Nearl nodded and observed the surroundings.
"Sister Nearl, are you a Uma Musume?" Kanna sat next to Nearl and asked curiously.
"Uma Musume?"
"It's a horse girl who runs on the track for dreams and victory, winning and performing live through running!" Kanna waved her hands, trying to make Nearl understand her words.
"Uh... although I used to participate in races, it wasn't this kind of simple running..." Recalling the Kazimierz Knight Tournament, a hint of nostalgia appeared on Nearl's face.
"Oh? Then if you were to run two thousand meters, would you choose to go all out from the start and run to the end, or start slow and gradually accelerate?" Kanna continued to ask.
Nearl didn't show any impatience. Instead, she touched her ponytail, thought for a moment, and then spoke.
"Two thousand meters? For ordinary people, this distance indeed requires considering speed and stamina allocation... But for a Kuranta, two thousand meters isn't too far. For me, this distance is almost a warm-up, so I would probably go all out from the start. Of course, if the distance reached five thousand meters, I might choose to accelerate from slow to fast, so that in the final stretch, my speed could reach my absolute limit."