Chapter 108

Is it really true?

[Yes, you really have. You forgot about the birthday of the person you're responsible for supervising, Rhodes Island operator Rosemary... Today is July 7th at 12:25 AM. Happy birthday, Rosemary.]

PRTS projected fireworks into the room, and the little white Feline, nestled in the arms of the black-haired Feline, finally smiled.

However, Medic himself looked somewhat dazed. In FrostNova's view, this guy who could stand up to her adoptive father and not be outdone showed a confused look after seeing the smile of the child in her arms.

"... Birthday?"

"Hmm, it's my birthday today... Ah, it's already the second day... But it's okay... I'm another year older, and I'm even closer to Mommy. (Part 1)"

Watching the black and white cats' conversation, FrostNova was immediately caught in a mental storm, then tapped her palm as if an exclamation mark had appeared on her forehead:

"Isn't this little white Little Cat your child?"

"... She could be."

"Oh dear, that's not what I meant... She's not your biological child, is she... You don't even know her birthday..."

Faced with this outsider's questioning, Medic frowned uncomfortably:

"I know... but..."

"But?"

"But... a birthday... is just a marker of age, right...? I'm sorry, I've never celebrated my birthday. Did I overlook something?"

Faced with the Rhodes Island black cat's seemingly genuine deception, FrostNova was once again stunned, while Rosemary was not at all surprised by the situation... Mrs. Cole had already given the Little Cat a heads-up... and Medic herself had never had the concept of 'birthdays'.

However, being unable to empathize is one thing, knowing that this is something the Little Cat is hoping for... is quite another.

Medic quickly composed himself, then smiled, hugged the Rosemary, and spun around in place.

"Sorry, I didn't even notice that. I was busy talking about work with FrostNova and the others..."

After a brief pause, letting the Little Cat happily rub its face against his, Medic looked around... Now, only Jessica was beside him.

"Birthday... I only know that usually you have to have a party or something... Can you still have one even if the time has passed?"

"Is... okay?"

Jessica paused for a moment, then pulled out her phone:

"First of all... I'll go to Columbia to book one... Ah, that's too far... Then I'll go to Ursus... Hmm..."

Seemingly remembering the prerequisite that everyone wasn't going to enter the city this time, Jessica realized that she was completely useless in the matter of the Little Cat's birthday and suddenly fell into chaotic thinking... If it weren't for Huang clicking his tongue suddenly at the gate in the distance, Jessica's thoughts might have gone astray to the Istina of the world or even the end of the universe.

"As expected, relying on a workaholic like you, Medic, is definitely not going to work. Su Sulo and I are preparing for Little Cat's birthday... but she keeps clinging to you... ugh..."

After making that sound, seemingly complaining about someone, Huang looked again at Medic, whose hair was now messed up from being rubbed by the Little Cat:

"So what do you mean? Originally, Su Sulo and I were planning to have a private birthday party for Little Cat... but now it seems our new friend wants to join us too?"

Following Huang's gaze, Nana looked at FrostNova and her adjutant, who had suddenly fallen silent earlier.

Seemingly noticing the gazes directed at her, FrostNova displayed her hastily put creation, along with a staff that resembled an icicle.

As ice shards flew, the adjutant put away his dagger, and then the two of them took out a... tiny ice sculpture of a cat, big enough to fit in Little Cat's palm.

"... This is..."

"The gift... it was made on short notice, but... I give this gift whenever a child in the village has a birthday... How old is this child now?"

"After this birthday... I'll be twelve years old."

As Medic nodded to the Little Cat, Rosemary politely thanked him and took the cat ice sculpture from FrostNova.

The material appears to be water in a paper cup; the cat-shaped ice cubes are transparent and pure, without bubbles or impurities... and they are placed in the Little Cat's palm without any sign of melting.

As Rosemary expressed her gratitude, FrostNova also showed a rare, slight smile:

"Twelve years old, in the Reunion Movement's settlement, probably less than half of the children get to celebrate their twelfth birthday... Me... well, I won't mention it... But this child, at twelve years old, already possesses that power... It seems that children outside the academy don't have it easy either... Happy birthday, I hope you don't mind the cold of this Snowfield."

"... It's not cold here... PRTS has the air conditioning on... and Medic is here too... Mom, and everyone else is here..."

FrostNova simply smiled politely at the Little Cat's nonsensical words, then turned her attention to Medic, who was discussing birthday party plans with Jessica and Blaze.

FrostNova's initial impression of her was that she was just an ordinary office worker... Based on the information from the Shieldguards, FrostNova had always thought that Medic, who had always been hiding in the car, was the kind of office worker who was specifically responsible for negotiations.

Even though the black-haired man, Feline, had introduced himself as 'Minister' during his self-introduction, FrostNova didn't quite grasp the reality of it... perhaps because he looked too harmless.

However... after talking, FrostNova realized how powerful the other party was...

At the very least, the fact that she was able to look her adoptive father in the eye without flinching and successfully offer him advice was something FrostNova had never experienced in recent years.

But this person, who is meticulous in their work, eloquent in negotiations, and whose smile and tone are utterly agreeable, has been transformed by a few words from their own AI into a workaholic who lacks common sense and doesn't even know how to celebrate a birthday...?

If a child with immense power makes FrostNova feel sorrow, it's because she doesn't know the price they paid for gaining that power.

But then another equally strange person comes into the child's life... Witnessing their discussion about 'birthdays', White Rabbit sees something even more abnormal... 'twisted' in Medic than in the child.

On one hand, she possesses exceptional professional skills, while on the other hand, she lacks common sense about life... This is a young mother with a child who is completely unlike herself, clumsily and diligently trying to create a normal life for her child... This is the kind of situation that FrostNova sees with such a strong sense of contrast.

During their previous conversation, FrostNova had heard Columbia say something similar. Was she implying that such indifference was normal in a big city like that?

Seeing that Blaze and Jessica were constantly adding to the list, FrostNova dismissed her guess.

Clearly, the only abnormalities were the white Little Cat and the black cat that seemed to know everything but whose true form was merely 'empty'.

She absorbed the advice around her like a container, trying her best to 'play' the role of a [two-dimensional person].

FrostNova wasn't a gossip-loving person, but seeing Medic nodding repeatedly saying "Hmm, I understand," she was taken aback.

In that instant, the White Rabbit suddenly wanted to know whether the black cat truly understood that common sense, or simply crushed and shattered those actions, and the demands and desires behind them... leaving her soul to quietly remain in a place where even light could not penetrate.

Just as FrostNova was isolating herself from the world, she suddenly saw the black cat looking at her with those heterochromatic eyes that seemed to absorb all emotions like a black hole...

"Then, Miss FrostNova... and Mr. Lieutenant, would you be willing to join us for the party?"

"... Uh... Medic?"

"Huang, you're right, the more people at the gathering, the better?"

"But... this is purely a gathering of family and friends. Generally speaking... you wouldn't just go out on the street and grab a stranger you meet, saying, 'It's my child's birthday, do you want to come celebrate?' like that..."

"I know, but this isn't the street... We're not complete strangers to them, are we? Even though Folinic's cake was only enough for one small piece each, we have plenty of MRE military rations..."

Looking at FrostNova, Medic still wore that professional smile. Little did she know, the White Rabbit in front of her was thinking about when that fake smile would finally crumble.

"To celebrate Little Cat's birthday, I will give everyone a serving of MRE military rations as a substitute for cake. Just like what Miss FrostNova said before, it's not an easy thing for any child to celebrate their twelfth birthday. I hope this joy can be shared with everyone."

"... Emmm, that's a very parental way of putting it..."

FrostNova's words made Medic tilt his head in confusion, and with a flick of her cat ears, FrostNova waved to the Yeti group who had been secretly watching what was happening behind them:

"So, we've confirmed that you can participate too... Have you prepared any gifts or anything?"

"Yes, yes! Big sister, give me a little more time, my felt will be ready soon... Um, it seems I don't have enough materials, I can't brush any more fur off my body, can I just make a cat head?"

"... Alcohol... isn't it a bit inappropriate as a birthday gift for a child?"

"Can the stream campsite further from the campsite be considered a gift? I can take you Little Cat there to play when we get to the settlement~" (Umbrella)

Seeing the Yeti chattering away as they gathered in a circle, the Shieldguards in the distance exchanged glances, then reached into their pockets...

Some people pulled out small, cracked but still sharp knives; some pulled out kettles that had just been filled with hot water from the water dispenser; some fumbled around for a while, quietly asking if they should give their helmets to the Little Cat ... and then the class monitor elbowed them back... hiss.

Seeing that the Infected had become more active and were no longer staring at him so intently as before, Huang had to admit that expanding the Little Cat's birthday party might not be such a bad thing after all.

As the noise grew louder and the atmosphere more cheerful, the gates opened, and Su Sulo, having removed her surgical gown, emerged, a pink Little Fox pushing a food cart with a beaming smile, into the third-floor cafeteria. Qi

Upon noticing the cake with lit candles, PRTS proactively dimmed the lights.

Folinic, who was standing nearby, realized that the Little Cat couldn't hear her softly singing the birthday song, so she had to raise her voice... And starting with someone, everyone began singing this song, which was widely sung throughout the land, though in different languages, the melody was exactly the same.

Franka and Liskarm, taking advantage of this rhythm, carried the prepared dishes from the lounge to the third floor...

Meanwhile, being a natural party expert, Durin, being Durin, still went into the kitchen and turned on the equipment even after realizing the food wasn't enough... With the Yeti and Shieldguards, who were in charge of the meals, being called over, everyone agreed with Durin's idea of getting fries for everyone.

Perhaps because the ingredients were all provided by Rhodes Island, and this was just a treat for their own people, the atmosphere was very harmonious...

The tall Ursus man even listened with great interest as Durin explained the Exploration Vehicle's automatic oven and the automatic temperature control system for the fryer... Thanks to these convenient features, everyone was once again amazed by Columbia's technology.

As Yato, Black Horn, and Ranger brought back MRer (Military Rations) as a 'return gift', the Reunion Movement members gratefully accepted these military rations that Rhodes Island had been using as ballast. Subsequently, the unlimited supply of fries and semi-processed fried chicken even lured many Sarkaz had already returned to their dormitories back over.

As W expressed her bewilderment at having a party without inviting her, Rosemary's birthday party truly reached its climax... Medic didn't even notice that the 'Sankta' twins, being held by Ah Fu and Eileen, had also opened their eyes amidst the aroma of food.

Medic's gaze was now fixed on the Rosemary, while the Little Cat happily accepted all the strange and wonderful gifts from everyone, watching with a smile as the birthday candles burned down to their last flame.

"Rosemary... aren't you going to blow out the candles?"

"... Mom said that as long as the candle doesn't go out, you can make a wish that might come true..."

After a brief pause, the Little Cat snatched the fries that Huang had offered, then looked again at Nana sitting opposite her:

"I hope the candles burn longer... so everyone can make a wish..."

The Little Cat's words quieted the previously incredibly noisy environment slightly, though only slightly. Medic ignored everything else; she hoped that by focusing all her attention on the Little Cat, she could make up for forgetting such an important event as her birthday.

"Well... Rosemary... Narcissa, what is a wish you wish to have fulfilled?"

Just before the candlelight was about to disappear, the Little Cat with emerald eyes, as white as a cloud, raised its head... and looked at Medic, who was surrounded by her mother and sister.

Looking into her emerald eyes, which were just as green as his own, and at her expression and demeanor, which were almost identical to his mother's, the Little Cat thought of many things in that instant, but in the end, he said nothing and silently blew out the last of the candles.

Amidst the loud cheers and celebrations of the people around them, the Little Cat looked at Medic's expression and gave a slightly shy smile:

"I am already happy enough... and if I were to ask what my wish is... I hope to be your strength... so!"

So... it's not just my mother and sister...

Nana, you... can you lean on me for a little while...?

Has this feeling also been transmitted Emotion Link?

In the midst of the noisy silence, Medic simply cut the cake for the Little Cat.

Happy birthday, Rosemary.

P. S.: It seems that the Snowfield itself has a serious tone... I revised it three times in the middle, all because the inexplicable atmosphere made it too serious to continue writing...

And even the desire to seek and act has been shattered, leaving no joy in life... Is it Nana, or myself...? sigh

PS2: However, while it was noisy, it also felt very quiet. Everyone participated, which even eased the tension between the parties... This birthday party achieved the goal I originally designed for it.

PS3: The cheerful atmosphere will probably last for a while... We still have to fight two more skirmishes... Then, once the matter of what happened to the deer is revealed, the entire Reunion Movement's direction will be completely different from what it originally was...

Nana changed the Arknights

This is fine, isn't it?

PS4: Happy Birthday Rosemary, generated by AI! Although some details in the image are a bit odd, the overall quality is acceptable.

I received a cake and candles~

A happy cat making a wish~

The original design for the wish-making ceremony, like this picture, was supposed to include a kiss, but I feel that's too early for the Little Cat, so let's wait until later...

Speaking of which, I haven't decided on Nana's home run partner yet... Although there can be many possible romantic feelings, when it comes to love... should I continue with singles, or should I have them all...? That's a big question.

4th Crimson Warm Winter: 114 Static Beauty W & FrostNova's Healing

Parties, cakes, free food, everyone's favorite fries... Although these opportunities are rare, just one is enough to quickly make everyone familiar with each other.

Although Yeti and Shieldguards were still not allowed to enter key compartments such as the engine room, in order to make themselves look less useless, FrostNova and her adjutant, after consulting with Medic, had their subordinates join the manual labor in the 'Welfare Department' starting from the second day.

The Rhodes Island Human Resources Department, under which is the 'Welfare Department', was established by Medic to provide these Sarkaz civilians with livelihoods. They appointed Ah Fu and Eileen as the head and deputy head of the section, respectively, and temporarily placed them under the Rhodes Island Human Resources Department.

Their job is simple: to ensure that Rhodes Island's various welfare programs are implemented and that any improvements are needed, such as physical health checkups, mental health testing and interventions.

It might sound vague and unclear, but in practice, it basically means showing concern and care for everyone...

The chef happily took over the three-story kitchen and began providing meals for everyone on the third floor... Of course, when needed, meals for the fourth floor could also be handled by the main kitchen on the third floor.

Miranda the craftsman replaced Black Horn in his original position and began to take charge of prop and weapon maintenance.

He had a tough job because he was responsible for maintaining the Tactical Unit that Rosemary used every day. This required instructions from the Rhodes Island spell unit manual of PRTS, and there were other people involved... such as Blaze's weapons, which required complex maintenance procedures... He was too busy to handle everything, so he had to ask some members of the Shieldguards to participate as craftsmen to improve efficiency.

In exchange, the Shieldguards received permission to use the workstations. Although they didn't have the authority to create items, the ability to maintain shields with magical units was a significant boost to their Shieldguards capabilities.