Seth pressed his ear against the door, listening to the little Mixed Breed’s incessant coughing from inside. Worried sothing was wrong, he kept knocking and asking how it was doing.
"What’s wrong?"
Just then, Jite walked over, carrying a backpack.
"I don’t think it’s doing well." Seth glanced at the stuffed, off-white backpack in Jite’s hands. "What’s that?"
"The little boss’s things." Jite joined him, pressing his ear to the door to listen to the sounds inside. After a mont, he gripped the doorknob, about to push his way in.
"What are you doing?" Seth grabbed his wrist, stopping him. "The boss said we should just stand guard out here."
Jite retorted, "And if it dies in there, we just keep standing guard?"
Seth was taken aback by his words. "It won’t die, will it? Mixed Breeds aren’t that weak. It’s just a fever. Let’s wait a little longer. It’ll co open the door."
Even as he said it, he was still worried. But barging in like this might startle it.
Mixed Breeds were easily stressed, and now that it was sick, its mood would be even more unstable.
"I’ll ask the boss, see what he..."
Jite pushed down the hand Seth was using to open his terminal. "The boss left the little boss in our care. Don’t bother him with every little thing. He’s got a mountain of crap to deal with right now. He doesn’t even have ti to sleep."
Seth cursed, "Those bastards from Zone 19 don’t give the boss the ti of day when things are fine, but the mont there’s trouble, they push him to the front. I say we find a chance to secretly beat up a few of those high-level assholes from Zone 19."
"Don’t cause trouble. We’re not staying here forever. After winter, we have to go back to Zone 5 with the boss to report for duty," Jite said, continuing to listen for any sounds from inside.
Hearing a loud CLANG followed by the sound of retching, Jite imdiately tried to break down the door.
Before, he wouldn’t have cared too much what the little Mixed Breed was doing inside. A Mixed Breed left alone in a room would, at worst, just rummage through things and cause so damage. What could possibly happen?
But after seeing the prescription the boss got for it last night—one ant for a Beast cub—he couldn’t help but worry.
’This little Mixed Breed’s constitution is unusually weak. Maybe it really is an underage Mixed Breed, and the boss just said otherwise so we wouldn’t worry.’
He couldn’t force the door open.
Jite put more force into it. The door thudded loudly under the impact of his shoulder but didn’t budge an inch.
He jiggled the doorknob. "...The boss really installed a sturdy lock."
"Wait." Seth fumbled in his pocket and pulled out a key. "I have the key the boss gave ..."
Jite smacked him on the back of the head and snatched the key. "You had a key and didn’t say so?"
Seth scratched his head. "The boss told not to go in unless it’s an ergency. He said to keep my distance from the little boss so I don’t scare it."
’What an idiot. If he really wanted you to keep your distance, would the boss have given you a key? Isn’t this just his way of telling you to take good care of the little boss?’
Jite shook his head and used the key to open the door.
The mont the door opened, both of their eyes darted around the room, searching for the little Mixed Breed.
Hearing the door open, Gu Ning looked up toward the entrance.
’...’ ’How did they get in?’
Seth and Jite both froze when they saw the little Mixed Breed.
It was wearing a black hat, covering its mouth, its brow tightly furrowed. The eyes that looked at them were dark and round, shimring as if covered in a layer of water.
’Those eyes... why do they look so familiar?’ both n wondered.
Gu Ning stared at the two Beastn for a mont, then quickly pulled the mask up from her chin to cover her mouth and nose. She backed away toward the sofa, watching them warily.
"D-don’t be afraid." Seth snapped out of it and gave Gu Ning a friendly smile. "We heard you from outside. You didn’t sound well, and you didn’t answer when we knocked, so we got a little worried."
Gu Ning didn’t let her guard down. Her gaze shifted to the other, sowhat unfamiliar Beastman beside him. The backpack in his hand, however, looked very familiar.
’Isn’t that my backpack?’
She rembered she had only brought a shoulder bag yesterday, one Barto had given her. It still had her unfinished breakfast inside, and she’d left it in the office downstairs.
Jite noticed the little Mixed Breed staring at the backpack in his hands. He held it out slightly before stepping forward to place it on the coffee table. "The boss told to give this to you."
"My na is Jite. I’ll be your partner from now on, too." After speaking, Jite’s nose twitched. His gaze moved from her to a puddle of vomit on the floor, next to which lay the shards of a broken glass.
After hearing his introduction, the wariness in Gu Ning’s eyes lessened slightly. She seed to recall seeing him in the office yesterday.
Seeing him looking at the vomit on the floor, she imdiately wanted to clean it up, but her stomach lurched again. She let out a dry heave and bolted for the bathroom.
Seth started to follow, but Jite put a hand on his shoulder. "Forgotten what you just said?"
Seth faltered. "Is it going to be okay? Should we report this to the boss?"
Jite looked around the room for cleaning supplies. "It probably just hasn’t recovered yet. We can take care of it."
Gu Ning hugged the toilet bowl and threw up everything she had just eaten.
Once she no longer felt nauseous, she walked to the sink, stepped onto a small stool, turned on the tap, and cupped her hands to rinse her mouth.
The winter water was bone-chillingly cold. Gu Ning flinched and pulled her hand back.
’The water’s too cold. I can’t touch cold water right now. I need to find a cup...’
There were two cups on the sink counter.
Gu Ning looked at the glass cup on the left, then at the slightly smaller glass cup on the right.
There were two sets of toiletries. The one on the left was clearly Alex’s. The one on the right...
Gu Ning picked up the cup on the right, took out the new, unused toothbrush and toothpaste, and used the cup to get so water to rinse her mouth.
’I should try to interact normally with Alex. I can’t keep avoiding this.’
’Alex most likely knows I’m a female. I need to figure out how to talk to him about my identity.’
’Or should I just maintain this not-too-close, not-too-far distance?’
’If he cares that I’m a female, he’ll probably co and ask about it.’
’I’ll deal with it once I feel better.’
’Maybe once I’ve recovered a bit, Alex will take the initiative and ask.’
’If he doesn’t ask, then I’ll find a chance to have a frank talk with him.’
Gu Ning spat out the water and unwrapped the new toothbrush and toothpaste.
When she finished washing up and returned to the living room, Jite and Seth had already cleaned everything up.
Jite had boiled a new kettle of water and was tempering it with cold water, adding so white sugar.
Seth was sitting on the sofa, studying the instructions for Gu Ning’s dication.
Seeing the little Mixed Breed erge from the bathroom, Seth quickly asked, "Are you okay?"
Gu Ning stood in the middle of the living room. Seeing them poised to take care of her made her feel a little embarrassed and uneasy.
They were Alex’s subordinates, but she didn’t know them well, after all.
’Alex probably didn’t tell them I’m a female, did he?’ Gu Ning felt a little anxious.
"Ti to drink your dicine." Jite walked up to Gu Ning, holding the prepared dication. "You just threw it all up. You have to take it on ti if you want to get better."
As he spoke, he held out the cup of brown liquid with his left hand. He opened his right hand, revealing a few pieces of candy. "Take your dicine like a good kid, and you’ll get so candy."
Gu Ning: "..." ’Why do I feel like he’s coaxing like a child?’
User Comments
0 comments from readers