Arknights, but the Family Has Fallen Yet Again, Again, Again — Chapter 18

She had even switched from the formal "you" to the informal one.

There was surely no lack of resentment toward Oute for forcibly dragging her into this mess.

But since he had dragged her in already, Oute certainly would not let her off so easily.

Oute pointed directly at Specter and asked Folinic, "It seems Specter is unwilling to go back."

Of course she was!

Folinic had already witnessed Specter's current dependence on Oute.

She naturally understood that, given Specter's current mental state, forcibly separating her from Oute would only make her condition even more unstable.

And she had already seen what a rampaging Specter could do this afternoon!

From a rational perspective, the advice she, Folinic—Kal'tsit's student and, in practice, adopted daughter—should have given under the circumstances was:

Let Specter spend the night with Doctor Oute.

Was that reasonable?

Due to Kal'tsit's de facto secrecy and her habit of compartmentalized management, most Rhodes Island members, including Folinic, were currently utterly confused about the relationship between the old lynx and Doctor Oute.

But as everyone knew, the rumors most likely to arise in such circumstances... were romantic ones between a man and a woman.

And Kal'tsit had turned a blind eye to them, which only made those rumors seem more credible.

After all, the elite operators were not blabbermouths who spilled everything, especially not the fact that Kal'tsit had abstained from the rescue operation.

Besides, as PR... PRTS had said, Kal'tsit's feelings toward Oute were mixed with many, many other emotions.

That was likely one of the most complicated emotions in the world.

But regardless of how those feelings manifested, Kal'tsit could not possibly easily accept "Oute spending the night alone in a room with another woman"!

"I believe... Miss Specter's current condition... from a matter-of-principle standpoint..."

Folinic stammered, repeatedly rephrasing her words.

"Considering her psychological condition, spending the night with us is an acceptable proposal."

So said a female voice.

Wait, us?

Oute turned his head. At the end of the corridor stood a cat-eared woman with a frosty pretty face.

White hair, a collar, bare shoulders, a coat made extensively with transparent plastic, both hands tucked into her pockets.

Without a doubt, it was Kal'tsit.

"Doctor!?" Folinic, meanwhile, breathed a sigh of relief—at least she did not have to make this decision.

"Kal'tsit?"

"Doctor Oute." Kal'tsit barely managed a greeting.

Then she said to Folinic, "Return to the Medical Department first."

"Yes!"

As if granted a pardon, Folinic swiftly departed.

"..." After a long silence, a hint of disdain showed on her otherwise expressionless face. "Amnesia?"

"What a convenient excuse. But I am afraid there is nowhere left on this land whose laws could defend it."

Oute sighed. "Ahem. The specific circumstances determine what is an excuse and what is fact."

He pointed at himself. "And the fact is, regarding this person's past... ahem... I can only uncover scattered fragments of images, not even enough to form a complete scene."

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Not a single word of that was a lie.

Kal'tsit remained noncommittal.

"When an infant is cast into this land, he will often feel unfamiliarity and fear, thereby exposing his true nature."

Kal'tsit walked up to Oute, then abruptly stopped.

Her slender fingers fiddled with his chest for a moment, seemingly straightening his collar.

At the same time, her placid voice reached him. "But what I see is not an ignorant infant."

The scent of shampoo drifted from her hair, while her soft cat ears occasionally brushed against Oute's collar.

What Was That, Protecting Her? I Was Protecting You!

"Now that you have taken off this protective suit before, Doctor Oute, how did it feel?" Her voice came from his chest, accompanied by a delicate fragrance.

At the door to Specter's room, the nun tightly gripped the corner of Oute's clothes, while Kal'tsit stood before him, intently arranging his garments.

Or, more precisely, his protective suit.

Oute instinctively placed both hands on Kal'tsit's shoulders.

Separated by his gloves, he did not directly touch Kal'tsit's fragrant shoulders, yet that familiar sensation still activated certain nerves.

Only after finishing with his protective suit did Kal'tsit belatedly begin to get angry. She said irritably, "You should answer my question rather than interfere with my work."

"I feel at ease."

Although Kal'tsit should not have been able to see his face, Oute still smiled.

"In a chaotic and unfamiliar world... ahem... I have once again come into contact with things I had long known... amid a puzzle of nearly infinite unknowns and blanks, I have found a rare sense of familiarity."

Although that truly was how he felt inside, Oute turned it into a riddle with a touch of mischief.

"..."

"But that sense of familiarity itself is also very unfamiliar... cough!? What are you doing?"

Kal'tsit gently moved Oute's hands off her shoulders.

"That does not answer the question." She could see Oute's smile.

Oute shrugged.

"Before you asked that question, the only conclusion I could reach... ahem... was that my race was rather unusual, rather fragile, and rather unfit to be seen."

"..." Kal'tsit's mood visibly sank. "No, that is not the case."

Glancing up at Specter, she said, "It is simply that some secrets are better kept secret from this world."

The world included the ocean.

This was an exceedingly rare word on "this land."

Kal'tsit stared at her own hands for a while longer, though no one knew what she was thinking.

She should have been angry. She should have wanted to...

But...

Pretending nothing was wrong, she returned to the subject. "Although the probability of her recovering her personality is low, and the probability that she would still remember today's conversations after recovering it is even lower, but..."

Oute chuckled. Just as he was about to speak, Kal'tsit extended a finger and placed it before his hood.

She gestured. "I still do not believe you have lost your memories, but you do indeed need rest. Unless necessary, I suggest that before speaking with people who are not wearing tactical earpieces, you remind them to put them on."

She placed an earpiece on the ears of the four-channel person.

Ah! She put on a tactical earpiece especially for me! She has feelings for me!

Looking at the timid nun, Kal'tsit said, "In this situation, we should not continue delving into topics that are not suitable to delve into."

"And as for Specter..." Kal'tsit glanced into the room again.

"Her mental condition has already improved significantly. So long as Doctor Oute does not casually exploit his standing in Specter's heart and behave recklessly, she will most likely not go on another rampage."

"PRTS, prepare a new room for Specter."

PRTS's electronic voice came from Oute's terminal. "Completed."

Not from the broadcast system...?

This strange action clearly made Kal'tsit glance sideways.

She committed the matter to memory, but controlled her expression perfectly, without the slightest change.

Instead, she said to Oute, "She will move into the new room only after she has cast off her dependence on you and her mental state has improved further."

"It will be like the other operators' dormitories, not as oppressive as this hospital room."

"But before then..." Kal'tsit stared at Oute, enunciating every word. "We will share a room."

"You distrust me that much?"

Kal'tsit shook her head. "Even looking at you now fills me with rage."

"But no matter what, protecting you remains my promise and my duty."

"I am not worried about what you might do to her."

"I am worried that... as an Abyssal Hunter, if she does something to you, I may no longer be able to fulfill my promise to a lump of mangled flesh."

Oute could not help imagining that horrifying scene, and he shuddered.

Clear disgust appeared on the catgirl's face. "But since you could ask such a question, you truly do harbor such filthy thoughts."

"Intending to take advantage of religious fervor to make a move on a helpless, isolated Aegir, Oute, the you of today is truly despicable."

Oute retorted, "No matter what, my physiological functions are still normal. When facing a woman like this, having amorous thoughts is unavoidable."