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“Are you not hungry, Unni?”

While we were walking and chatting, Yul asked.

Come to think of it, I hadn’t eaten anything.

It’s okay not to eat if I’m using medicine, but it would still be healthier to eat.

“Should I show you our hideout?”

“What are we eating? The stuff we got last time? Is there water?”

“Yeah, we have some.”

Yul grabbed my hand and pulled me along. I followed as he led the way.

An old, shabby house and some dirt piles that I couldn’t figure out what they were.

We walked past a road that hadn’t been maintained at all. The children were chattering away, which was cute.

“Over there, over there.”

We twisted and turned through the alley.

It was a door made from haphazardly combined plastic sheets.

“This is the secret base. Is this a secret?”

I nodded.

It was indeed a secret base.

There was something that excited the inner child.

The inside was surprisingly spacious and well-organized.

“This used to be a restaurant. We found a secret passage and came in here!”

“That’s just the back door.”

“It’s a secret entrance.”

“Everyone knows where it is, so where’s the secret?”

“It really is secret.”

As we squabbled, Yul showed me around the interior.

There was a lot of romance in it.

“Anyway, let’s eat! I’ll give you what I brought!”

He pulled something from the shelf.

“Ah, Unni. You just have to pour water on this to make rice. They say if you only eat this, it’s not good for your health, so there are side dishes and more…”

“I have snacks! There are cookies!”

“Eat cookies after the meal.”

“Ugh, then…”

Yul searched for something else, rummaging through the shelves.

“Seaweed?… I already ate that. Ah, this one.”

What he held was a can of tuna.

“Ah, we have to eat outside. Cooking inside makes the place smell.”

“Is there a chair outside?”

They’re nice kids, sharing food with strangers.

It’s not easy to be kind while living in a place like this.

Still, it looks better than where Yoo Seo-A lived.

There, there was no one to catch the monsters for you, and it was rare to get free food.

I accepted the tuna can.

– What do you want to eat the most?

A voice came to mind.

A memory from the past.

A friend?

Did my friend ask me that?

Now that I think of it, I do have memories of us eating together.

But it’s not my friend’s voice.

My stomach felt a strange rumbling.

I felt like I could throw up.

“Ugh…”

Disgusting.

Tuna was a food I hated.

That must be it.

“Ugh, you don’t like this? Oh well.”

Sorry.

I didn’t mean to hurt you.

Did I hate it enough to refuse your kindness?

I used to stack it up at home and eat it.

My taste must have changed.

But still, the instant-cooked rice was acceptable.

Just fried rice with a few side dishes added.

“Eh? You’re picky too, Unni.”

Picky?

I just separated the mushy things like the seaweed and veggies.

“It’s tasteless~ even broccoli is like that.”

“It’s for your health.”

That’s right.

Eating everything without leaving anything is important for health.

I also hate being picky.

I can almost eat anything as long as it’s not spoiled.

Why am I choosing to pick out the vegetables right now…

There are days when I just don’t want to eat, right?

In many ways, it’s better than the food they gave at the lab.

I just gulped all that down too.

And now I’m being picky?

Anyway, I ate well, thanks.

“Oh, are you leaving? To the factory?”

“It might not be from the factory.”

“Let’s play with us!”

I want to do that too.

If I have time later, let’s do that.

“…Unni, where do we have to go?”

I nodded slightly.

We have to go.

[283 hours 21 minutes]

To the factory.

Maybe for these kids.

Or maybe just to get the medicine.

Either way, I’ve been thinking about going to the factory that makes the medicine for a long time.

I just discovered the logo drawn on the container while I was eating.

It’s the same logo as that company that makes the medicine.

The logo I still remember clearly.

It was also drawn on the bags that contained the cooking food.

This factory has to be somehow related to medicine.

Maybe it’s a place that does good things.

A factory that can catch monsters and supply daily necessities and medicine.

A facility that does such good things doesn’t exist in this world.

I’ve never seen such a place.

It would have been nice if I had at least seen it once.

“Um, Doctor?”

Hyun looked back at me and said.

“It’s the doctor!”

A doctor?

I turned around to check.

It’s really a doctor.

It’s strange to see a doctor here.

Did he know I was here?

Killing him would be the solution.

Attack.

No, but since he’s a good person, I shouldn’t attack.

I’m angry, but I don’t know why.

Ah, could it be that I’m complaining about why he’s only coming now?

“It’s been a long time, Doctor!”

Yul greeted him cheerfully.

“…Hey.”

Doctors pop out from everywhere.

It’s kind of amazing.

“Hello. Seo-Ah, it’s been a while.”

“Do you know my sister? Is her name Seo-Ah?”

“Yes, I came to find Seo-Ah. I should have come earlier. Were you playing together?”

“We were going to play together.”

That doesn’t make sense.

Thoughts aren’t lining up.

It feels even more so since we haven’t seen each other for a long time.

“Here, I also brought some snacks. Please share.”

“Wow!”

“Thank you.”

Is it okay to eat that?

I guess so.

The doctor is a nice person.

“Did you do well? Haha, it’s been a while.”

He starts a conversation like everything’s normal.

It seems normal, but.

No.

Isn’t it strange?

Why is the doctor here?

Why are the kids so friendly with the doctor?

Why now?

Is it good?

The doctor will probably give me medicine.

That’s why he’s always been a good person.

My brain feels scrambled.

I can’t possibly think of him as a bad person.

“I have something to talk about separately. Would it be okay to take you with me?”

Looks like he finished talking to the kids.

“Okay! Come again!”

“Goodbye.”

It was wrapped up in an instant.

The goodbye was quick too.

“Shall we go?”

The doctor extends his hand.

Are you saying to hold it?

I hesitate.

Of course, that hand looks innocent.

But I instinctively feel that things are going wrong.

This isn’t the first time this kind of thing has happened.

It’s wrong that I can’t think for myself or move my body.

“[Snap out of it.]”

At that, I really felt clearer.

There’s only one goal.

I just have to kill the doctor.

If I can get rid of this one person, the world will be a bit more peaceful.

Dear medicine, whether it be a sword or whatever, let’s make a plan to take him out.

Even if he is a good person, it can’t be helped.

I don’t want him reaching out to the kids.

Just treating me will be enough.

– Wham.

The medicine stuck.

Everything from my nerve endings to the center of my brain catches fire.

My whole body is overwhelmed by a tingling sensation.

[404 hours 5 minutes]

Good, huh?

I received the medicine.

It feels like over a hundred hours have piled up.

Thud.

The black sword that was being made fell to the floor.

And it vanished like it evaporated.

Ah, I failed.

But I feel good.

Really good!

“Hehe…”

I think I feel better.

The doctor really is a good person.

I just need to wait a little longer.

Maybe there’s a better timing to deal with the doctor.

Let’s gather more of these medicines and think about it.

“This isn’t my jurisdiction, but if it’s a military factory, movement should be easy.”

Did I come here through a portal?

What an absurd ability.

“Actually, I was thinking of visiting Seo-Ah at some point. You might not remember, but…”

He trails off.

He walks while holding my hand, chatting.

It feels pleasant.

“Seo-Ah chose this path voluntarily.”

“……”

Voluntary?

I don’t remember choosing anything.

I don’t know what I wanted to choose so badly.

“Haha, you might not remember. Well, it has been quite a while.”

What on earth is he talking about?

“There are many people who should be thankful to Seo-Ah. Thanks to her, the assessment of the medicine’s utility has concluded faster.”

They’ve experimented extensively.

Considering that memory has chunked away, it must have been a long period of time.

“If it weren’t for Seo-Ah, we would have had to look for someone else.”

The hand he holds is exceptionally gentle.

But I can’t understand it.

I don’t know why he is explaining all this so kindly.

I look at the syringe he’s holding in the other hand.

An empty syringe that’s been used up.

Thanks to that, I’m happy.

“Ah, this is a very powerful medicine. I haven’t made it here, but I had it prepared just in case.”

I don’t even know where it’s needed.

[404 hours]

I just wish they would keep giving it to me.

“I mixed the concentrate at a significant ratio… which means it’s not something anyone can just use. But Seo-Ah can enjoy this level of privilege.”

That’s right.

I do have the right.

What was I locked up for?

Now I think I have the right to enjoy a proper level of pleasure.

“It seems you didn’t want to meet your friends.”

“Huh?”

“At the lab. You must’ve seen them.”

Friends.

“Since the academy was training around here, I was nearby.”

Friends?

The scene I saw inside the laboratory building comes to mind.

I saw dazzling lights.

They were fighting monsters.

It’d be strange for me to jump in there.

Of course, I want to see my friends.

That’s why I watched from a distance.

I was satisfied just observing.

Nothing would change even if I jumped in.

Sadly, that’s the reality.

Thus, there’s no need to meet these so-called friends in the future.

“Could you sit down for a moment?”

It’s a bench without a back.

It’s shabby, but it’s fine to sit on.

“I know Seo-Ah’s condition roughly, but since I’m in charge again, I have to check.”

Was there such an obligation?

“There are no other people around.”

I see.

Why is that?

“Now, please roll up your clothes.”

“…Eh.”

Why?

“It’s just an examination.”

I see the stethoscope he’s wrapping around his neck.

Oh right.

He’s a doctor, so he’ll examine me.

But here?

Why?

I don’t want to roll up my clothes.

It’s not about being shy or anything.

The feeling is close to fear.

There were similar situations in the past.

Because of a bruise on my stomach, I had to roll up my clothes to check.

But now it’s a different situation.

I’d rather have a bruise.

No.

Thinking it over, this is indeed embarrassing.

A scar.

I just have a bit of a scar.

The doctor is waiting.

“Ahaha…”

Bad memories resurface.

It would have been better to forget.

This isn’t something huge that’s worth dragging out.

I just fell for a childish prank.

It was just a prank.

Now I’ve overcome it, so it’s fine.

Did the doctor know to ask me to roll up my clothes?

He doesn’t seem to intend to use the stethoscope.

Bad memories emerge.

It’s all because of that canned tuna.

That canned tuna.