"Sick? Is it serious?" Sora asked, startled.
"I looked it up online. Seems like it's a terminal illness," Su Yi said frankly.
Unfortunately, thanks to the common assumption that "if you self-diagnose online, it's cancer until proven otherwise," Sora didn't take him seriously at all—she thought it was just Su Yi cracking another routine joke.
After all, he'd only done his pre-employment physical a few months ago. How could he have a terminal illness that fast?
"If you're sick, go see a doctor. Tomorrow's work—leave it to us," Sora said.
"Thank you, Superstar Sora. Next concert, I'll definitely buy a ticket to support you!" Su Yi said, genuinely moved.
"Talk after you manage to grab one," Sora laughed, then went back to her room to sleep.
Croissant also got ready to head back to the dorm.
Before turning in, she stopped at Exusiai's door and knocked softly.
"Exusiai, are you asleep?"
A few seconds later, a lifeless voice came from behind the door. "Not yet."
Good grief—was that really Exusiai's voice?!
In Croissant's memory, ever since the day she met Exusiai, Exusiai had always been lively, noisy, and bursting with life.
Naïve, adorable, deadly with a gun, obsessed with sweets—she checked every stereotype Terra had about Sankta.
"Exusiai, what's wrong? You sound so drained," Croissant asked, worried.
"Maybe I'm sick. I'll be fine after a couple days of rest," Exusiai replied.
"Then rest well. Tomorrow's work is on me and Sora," Croissant said.
"Mm. Thanks."
Sure, she said that—but two people doing five people's work with no pay raise… just thinking about it made Croissant's head hurt.
But what could you do? Both Exusiai and Su Yi were suddenly "sick."
"Texas—Exusiai's not feeling well too. Tomorrow, bring her to the hospital with you while you're at it," Croissant called out.
Texas hesitated.
Because what she was taking Su Yi in for was an Oripathy screening. It wasn't exactly convenient to bring Exusiai along.
"Okaaay~" Su Yi drew out the word, answering for Texas.
"You… forget it. Get some sleep," Texas sighed.
When you reach the bridge, you'll think of a way across. It was late. Better to sleep first and deal with tomorrow when it came.
Night deepened.
Penguin Logistics headquarters sank into darkness and silence—until the faintest sound of sobbing echoed through it.
Exusiai lay in bed, tears streaming. Both hands covered her mouth, but the grief still leaked out in broken sounds. Her halo continued to glow, bright as ever.
…
The next morning, 7:00 a.m.
Texas got up, washed, and opened her wardrobe. She took out a brand-new pair of black stockings.
With pale fingers, she rolled them into neat rings, sat on the bed, and pointed her toes—letting the dark fabric climb, little by little, over long, fair legs, all the way up to her waist.
By habit, she reached for Penguin Logistics' black-and-white uniform—
—but then remembered: today she was accompanying Su Yi for an Oripathy screening.
So she chose a black trench coat instead.
Downstairs in the living room, Su Yi, Croissant, and Sora were already eating breakfast. Exusiai was nowhere to be seen.
Still not up?
Texas went to Exusiai's door and knocked. "Exusiai, are you awake?"
"I'm awake," came the voice from inside.
"I'm taking Su Yi to the hospital today. Come with us," Texas said.
"Is that really okay?" Exusiai asked. "You won't think I'm in the way… that I'm interrupting you two?"
"Of course not—" Texas began.
"Yes, you would. Texas, you would. Otherwise, last night, the one who answered Croissant shouldn't have been Su Yi—it should've been you."
Exusiai might act careless and goofy most of the time…
…but her mind was actually sharp.
A prodigy who'd self-studied university-prep material back in high school, she'd long since learned—after leaving Laterano—how to step away from "empathy" and truly feel what other races felt.
And Texas—her teammate, her coworker, her closest friend—Exusiai didn't even need to leave her room to sense what she was thinking.
"I…" Texas tried to speak.
But Exusiai cut her off again. "Swear on the name 'Texas' that if I go with you today, I won't disrupt you and Su Yi. Then I'll believe you."
Silence—that was Penguin Logistics this morning.
After a long moment, Texas finally said, "I want to tell you the reason… but I'm afraid you won't be able to accept it."
In the pitch-black room, Exusiai's voice was calm. "What is there I can't accept? I already know."
"You already know?"
"Last night, I saw you hugging Su Yi. You two looked so loving."
"What? No—no, it's not what you think!" Texas panicked.
She hadn't expected Exusiai to be there. It had only been a hug for a dozen seconds—at most.
"Then what was it?" Exusiai asked.
If she didn't tell the truth, the misunderstanding would never clear.
If she did tell it, she feared Exusiai wouldn't be able to take it—especially since Texas herself bore responsibility…
Texas's head felt like it had doubled in size, stuck between two impossible ends.
Caught between smiling tigers, blocked on both sides.
In the end, she clenched her teeth, stomped her foot, tail bristling, fists tight, and blurted:
"Su Yi might—possibly—maybe—perhaps—probably… have Oripathy."
Bang!
The tightly shut door flew open. A red-haired Sankta girl stood there, eyes swollen, clothes rumpled—she hadn't even managed to speak before Texas covered her mouth, forcibly muting her.
A few seconds later, once Exusiai seemed a little calmer, Texas let go.
"How can that happen to him out of nowhere?! And what happened to your hand?!" Exusiai was horrified—and only then noticed several cuts across Texas's palm.
"I did it myself," Texas said softly, stroking the wounds. "Because him getting Oripathy… it's all my fault."
A night had passed. The cuts had already scabbed; in another couple of days, the scabs would fall away.
If only Su Yi's Oripathy could heal that easily.
"What happened?" Exusiai demanded, desperate for an answer.
"Yesterday afternoon, a group of Siracusans came looking for trouble," Texas said, taking a slow breath. "I didn't want to drag you all into it, so I went out alone."
"Su Yi happened to pass by. He tried to help me."
"I thought it was over… but someone played dead. When I let my guard down, he tried to ruin me with Originium shards."
"Su Yi saved me. But the shard cut him—on his left hand. That's why he's had it wrapped in bandages these past two days."
Bad news always arrived like this—without warning.
The day the fallen angel Mostima came home carrying her sister, covered in blood, had been like this.
The day Su Yi became infected was like this too.
"Why… why did it have to be like this?" Exusiai whispered.
Her eyes went empty. A fresh tear slipped down her cheek.
Lord… even if six million people pray to you every day, there's only so much you can do. But I left Laterano. I came out to look for answers myself. So why—why can't you spare me even a little mercy?
Texas opened her arms and gently held the Sankta girl in front of her—who looked like she was about to shatter.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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