Arnold frowned. He leaned slightly forward, his tone careful.
"I don’t want to overstep, but... don’t you think you’re working more than you should?"
That finally made Martha pause. She lifted her eyes to him. "What do you an?"
Arnold exhaled quietly.
"You have a personal life too. No matter how much the base has given you, that doesn’t change the fact that you’ve already given just as much back."
His gaze softened. "You work overti without extra pay, shoulder responsibilities that aren’t even yours, and act like it’s normal. Honestly, that feels unfair."
He hesitated for a brief mont, then added more firmly,
"You shouldn’t always be looking after the base or everyone else. You should look after yourself too."
There was no teasing in his voice, no hidden agenda. Only concern. His eyes revealed it clearly. He wasn’t saying this to impress her or gain favor.
He genuinely cared.
Martha’s eyes softened as she looked at Arnold.
After all, aside from Ivy, he was the first person who had shown genuine concern for her.
She did have friends, but everyone was too busy struggling to survive, too occupied with their own burdens to notice another’s exhaustion.
Taking a slow breath, she finally spoke,
"All the overti I work is recorded. Ivy told to note everything down, and I’m paid accordingly. Saying I’m not paid at all isn’t accurate."
Arnold paused. His expression didn’t change imdiately, but sothing thoughtful flickered in his eyes.
After a mont, he asked quietly, "Then... how long has it been since Ivy last asked about your health?"
The question hit harder than Martha expected. She froze, caught completely off guard. Her fingers tightened around the file in her hands as she searched her mory.
From the mont Ivy beca consud with base affairs, troubleso people, and family matters, she hadn’t really asked. Not properly.
Martha lowered her eyes, an unfamiliar heaviness settling in her chest.
As if sensing her mood shift, Arnold spoke again quickly, his tone gentle. "I’m not trying to offend Ivy. Or you. I just think relationships should work both ways, not just one."
He hesitated briefly before continuing, "I’ve also heard that Ivy’s trying to match you with Kael."
Martha frowned and looked up.
Arnold didn’t retreat under her gaze. Instead, he t her eyes steadily. "Even if we never end up together, I’d still say this. Kael isn’t a good choice."
Her brows knitted together.
"He kept a substitute behind your back," Arnold went on calmly. "Now he’s acting virtuous, as if nothing happened. He didn’t apologize to you, didn’t reach out after your last fight, didn’t even try to explain himself."
The words sank in slowly.
Martha’s thoughts spiraled. ’He really hasn’t contacted ,’ she realized. Fifteen days had passed. Not a single conversation.
She clenched her fists, lowered her head, and whispered, "I understand."
Hearing that, Arnold smiled faintly and turned to leave.
Just then, sothing occurred to Martha. Every single morning, without fail, a bowl of strawberry-flavored milk appeared on her desk.
Strawberries were available in the base store, as was milk, and soone had recently started selling handmade strawberry milkshakes. It had been her favorite even before the apocalypse.
And the timing wasn’t a coincidence. It had started appearing the sa day Arnold was hired.
She looked up. "Thank you... for the strawberry milk."
Arnold paused for a split second, then smiled naturally. "You’re welco. Would you like anything else for breakfast?"
Martha shook her head quickly. "The strawberry milkshake is enough."
With that, she returned to her work, unaware of the quiet satisfaction in Arnold’s eyes as he walked away.
The next morning, Kael appeared outside Martha’s office.
As Ivy’s older brother, he had access to nearly every departnt, including hers.
For days now, he had been placing strawberry milk, snacks, and small items on her desk. Each ti, he left a handwritten note apologizing.
But Martha hadn’t responded to a single one.
Kael blad himself endlessly. ’If only I hadn’t looked for a substitute... maybe things wouldn’t be like this,’ he thought bitterly.
As usual, he placed everything down and left silently.
Monts later, another figure appeared. Arnold.
Without a word, he calmly replaced the strawberry milk on Martha’s desk with one he had brought himself.
He picked up the sticky note Kael had left, crumpled it, and tossed it away. His expression was faintly condescending as he walked off with the items Kael had placed there.
Martha noticed none of it. She only saw the familiar strawberry milk and assud Kael hadn’t even tried to reach out again.
’Maybe he really doesn’t care as much as he pretends,’ she thought. ’Maybe Ivy was wrong.’
Perhaps Ivy believed too strongly in her brother. Maybe it wasn’t malice, just blind trust.
As she worked, Arnold casually ntioned, "Kael still hasn’t co to see you, has he?"
Martha paused slightly.
Arnold continued softly, "If Ivy truly cared, she would’ve investigated properly before suggesting him to you. But she didn’t. She trusted her brother completely and put all her hope on you instead."
The words felt reasonable. Logical.
The more Martha listened, the more they made sense. If Kael had truly been as devoted as Ivy believed, then why had Martha been left hurt and alone?
Unknowingly, distance began to form in her heart. Distance from Ivy.
What Martha didn’t realize was that every ti Arnold spoke, invisible waves rippled through the air. A subtle influence. A power he had never ntioned.
anwhile, far away in Jay’s laboratory, the atmosphere was entirely different.
Jay stared at the data in his trembling hands, his breath uneven. Around him, the other researchers wore expressions of barely contained excitent.
"If this is real..." one of them whispered, "then the apocalypse can actually be reversed."
Jay nodded slowly. "If that’s the case, then Ivy, Moona, and Maxi have made an enormous contribution."
They had discovered that the apple Moona and Maxi provided contained specific compounds capable of reverting a zombie back to its original human form.
It was completely unexpected.
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