Kitty Killer Isn't Very Cold

After silently repeating that three times in her heart, Nana raised the corners of her mouth slightly. It was a standard business smile.

"What are you doing sitting... on the floor?"

Having only taken two steps closer, Nana immediately noticed the bruise around White Cat's eye.

Because the pause in Nana's gaze and tone was so obvious, Matilda noticed where she was looking as well. White Cat then lightly shook her head, letting her hair cover the corner of her eye.

"I fell off my bicycle."

"...Did your father hit you? No, he got up very late today... So, did you get into a fight at school?"

Seeing White Cat part her lips in surprise before guiltily looking away, Nana had wanted to say something... but right now, all the killer could think about was the possibility that Matilda might lose her father forever.

Nana, who did not know what to do, and Matilda, who likewise did not know what to do, could only meet each other in inexplicable silence. The neglected killer looked thankfully at the ceiling, then turned around and began opening her own door.

"Fighting is bad... Whether you hurt someone else or yourself, it's bad."

"...They provoked me first..."

Muttering to herself as she watched Nana return to her room, White Cat looked curiously at her neighbor's new Backpack... Hadn't that older sister been working for years already? Why was she still carrying a schoolbag?

It even looked like the kind of Backpack used by aristocratic private middle schools. The material was high-end, and the girl envied it from the bottom of her heart.

Perhaps feeling ashamed of being jealous of her older sister, White Cat kicked her legs in the air. Then she heard the lock of her own home being opened, and the girl pushed herself up from the floor... Her dad's conversation with the guest was over. She could go home now.

Since the apartment's soundproofing was poor to begin with, Nana, who had just taken off her shoes, also heard the conversation between Andy and another man next door.

[...So, you've definitely received the item...]

[I'll report in as soon as possible.]

[Not as soon as possible, now... Go by the end of today at the latest. Everyone in the project is waiting for you... Andy, you received a large sum of money. I took pressure from both the Disease Control Center and the laboratory to help you... You won't make things difficult for me, will you?]

The voice speaking to Andy sounded unexpectedly familiar. Nana's killer instincts swiftly went through her memories, and she recalled the Liberi in a beige suit who had once slung an arm around Andy's shoulders at an intersection.

And what they were talking about... was obviously Andy going to report to Loken Watertank.

As someone who knew what experiments were being conducted at Loken Watertank, the "saleswoman" instinctively wanted to stop him. But upon hearing the word "deal," Nana halted her steps.

The killer had complained before about why Loken did not find someone more willing to participate in the experiment... But now, Nana suddenly realized there was a blind spot she had never considered...

Who said... that Andy was not participating in the experiment voluntarily?

Listening to the small talk continuing next door, Nana took out her phone and texted her agent.

'You said before that we could sell low-cost Oripathy suppressants to the Bruce family under my share... How much would that be?'

'Sixty-six thousand Columbian Dollars a month, or ten thousand Lungmen Dollars... That's already very cheap, practically just covering logistics.'

'The Bruce family's current monthly income is...'

'...Well... Their savings are probably around seven hundred thousand Gold Yuan...'

'Monthly income... It seems it isn't enough to cover the treatment costs.'

'Mrs. Cole works at a handicraft factory still located in the old district, one that could be called the bottom of the industry. Her husband has been doing odd jobs because of Oripathy... Their daily life can only maintain a certain standard because their three older children work nearby and subsidize the household...'

'So even the most basic prerequisite for helping them doesn't exist.'

After being silent for a while, Nana typed another line.

'Do you have any jobs that could support their treatment?'

'...Probably not any legitimate jobs that can both sustain their lives and allow them to receive treatment. And in the Underworld, apart from work written into the criminal code... Unless someone in their family registers as an assassin with ICA, or simply becomes a member of our organization, that is probably the only way their lives could return to normal.'

Looking at her agent's words, which were almost like a death sentence, Nana sat holding her potted plant and stared blankly at a towel for a long time. Only after the sky had completely darkened did she finally stand up.

Unexpectedly, her agent did not seem to have gotten off work either. Through the combat recorder, she noticed Nana beginning to move.

[Made up your mind?]

"I'm just showing concern as a friend... Do what I can and leave the rest to fate."

Watching the combat recorder's view return to the corridor, the agent sighed and shut off the connection as the black-haired girl knocked on the neighboring door.

Nana did not know what she was sighing about. The killer herself did not even know why she had come to knock on the door.

Perhaps when a killer's reason and instincts could not explain something, all inexplicable actions could be attributed to an irresistible impulse from the heart.

If that impulse had been directed at Matilda or Kate, who had actively approached her, or even Mrs. Cole, who seemed more like a beast than a person once one got familiar with her, Nana would not have found it strange... After all, being around them was pleasant in both body and mind.

But could Andy Bruce, a person Nana found downright unpleasant, also trigger that kind of impulse?

Were the conditions for love's spread really so arbitrary?

Staring at Andy, who had opened the door for her, Nana's expression was so serious that he thought he had somehow offended this neighbor who had barely spoken a word to him in years... Of course, Nana could recover from it. Or rather, such a serious opening was perfect for what she wanted to say.

"...It looks like things are temporarily fine... But did Cole tell you? I said it before, Loken Williams's project is very dangerous..."

"Yes, my wife told me before she went to work."

For the first time hearing this silent man speak in a normal tone, Nana accepted the teacup Kate silently offered her.

"Sorry, I happened to overhear your conversation when I came home."

"Mm, I know."

"...Won't you reconsider? I found a source for affordable suppressants through my workplace... If you pair it with a slightly higher-paying job... or lower your family's standard of living a little..."

"That would only create a bottomless pit for the family. Cole and I tried that in our early years..."

Shaking his head as he spoke, Andy set down his teacup.

The man's gaze drifted around the room. Then he beckoned to Matilda, who was picking at the corner of the wall. White Cat pursed her lips, looked at the older sisters present, and slowly shuffled over.

Andy did not say anything as he watched his daughter squirm. This man, who had once blamed all the misfortune of being unable to receive treatment on the birth of his youngest daughter because of the torment of illness, silently opened his mouth before wordlessly brushing aside Matilda's bangs... revealing the injury she had received from fighting at school today.

Matilda had shut her eyes tightly, already prepared to be hit, but she had not expected her father's unusual silence.

"...Does it hurt?"

Blinking, Matilda looked at her father, whose cheeks appeared sunken and cheekbones prominent beneath the pale yellow chandelier, then answered reluctantly.

"It hurts."

Hearing his youngest daughter's words, the man said nothing and merely withdrew his hand. White Cat shrank back sharply, thinking she was about to be hit, but nothing came.

Andy Bruce was silent for a long time before looking at Nana again.

"I still can't understand... Why did you choose to help me back then?"

"I don't know either. Back then, I had only exchanged a few glances with your children."

"So, do my children have some special talent?"

Facing this man who had suddenly begun daydreaming, Nana looked around in confusion. Only after seeing that both Kate and Matilda wore equally baffled expressions did Nana relax with relief. Apparently, Andy was the only abnormal one.

"No, your children are all quite ordinary..."

"Then you must have your eye on the dowry Cole and I left for Kate."

"...Are you serious?"

"It can't be that you have your eye on my wife, right? Or do you want my twins?"

This time, Nana merely rolled her eyes and could not even be bothered to respond. But since she did not see that optimistic woman come out to refute him, the black-haired girl unexpectedly looked around.

"Where's Cole?"

"She said she didn't want to see me... She went to work overtime today."

"Because of Loken Watertank?"

"Yes."

"You should listen to her. My information comes from the National Laboratory. The experiments at Loken's place will kill you... You don't need to worry about Oripathy. I can get you medicine. You only need to endure a little longer... Aren't you arranging Kate's marriage? At least wait until Kate gets married..."

"Getting that money now is the most important thing..."

"I work in the industry. I can't tell you the specifics of the National Laboratory's intelligence, but I can offer you other job options. You don't need to pay attention to Loken Williams... His project is unreliable. After all, he's only one step away from collapsing himself."

"I know. The way they approached me was nothing like a major corporation... But I don't care about any of that. I just want to die now."

Those words abruptly choked off every argument Nana had prepared. She had truly tried her best, but faced with Andy, who would not listen to reason, Nana had nothing left to say.

Kate and the twins sitting on the kitchen floor remained silent and offered no comment in response to their father's talk of giving up. Only Matilda glared fiercely at him.

"You might as well keep being sick..."

Watching Matilda run off to her room with quick pattering steps after saying that, Andy did not seem angry.

"She seems to think pain and pain are the same... But whether that disease feels the same as the pain children get from fighting... adults only need their own judgment. Besides, the reason I'm giving up is that I truly do not have much longer to live, not because I have given up... I haven't given up. I still need to complete the final deal with Loken Watertank.

"Let me tell you about my preparations... You and Mrs. Wilson are among the few people who know about my illness and are still willing to help us. Cole trusts you... And even if I don't, there is no one else I can trust."

Nana was somewhat puzzled by the man's solemn expression.

"What are you trying to say?"

"After I'm gone, four children will still be too much of a burden for Cole... Even if the savings can support Kate starting a family, the other three will have a hard time... Originally, I thought that you are Cole's friend and our neighbor... If you were interested in my second or third child, or if one of them had some special talent and you were willing to take on an apprentice, that would be wonderful..."

"...My job is rather special, so I have no plans to take apprentices yet..."

"How about raising two little boys? I'm quite confident in my children's looks."

"If you keep talking like that, I'll call Cole back right now and have her talk to you."

"...What if I said this was Cole's idea?"

The man's words twisted Nana's expression somewhat. She was beginning to lose track of whether this couple was normal or not.

"I used to work at CASA... I know the people in that department too well. If one Infected person appears, they conduct mandatory inspections. If you cannot pay the fine, the whole family has to go become Infected..."

"...Aren't there specialized communities for the Infected?"

"Yes, there are... But what does that have to do with certain corrupt cops and gangs joining forces to prey upon an entire household? Kate is almost an adult, so she will be fine. Colt and Kevin are boys, but because they are premature twins, they are more frail than their younger sister... And because of me, Matilda worships strength too much. Without a reliable teacher to guide and educate her, all she can do is join a gang. If, once she grows up, she can at least become someone's mistress with the pretty face she inherited from Cole, that would count as inheriting her mother's abilities... In the end, the person I worry about most is Cole."

By the end, Andy, who had always left Nana with the impression of someone who only yelled, the man who could only answer his deeply wronged youngest daughter with silence, spoke of his wife's plight after he was gone as though he were crying.

"Can you help her? Please..."

"...If you just chose another way to live, you could support your own family however you wanted... Are you seriously begging a stranger like me?"

In response to Nana's sigh, the man smiled through his tears and produced an inheritance contract he had clearly prepared long ago.

"After all, I'm in pain. I just want to die."

PS: Regarding how Arknights refers to animals, it is basically always "beasts"... But because I am not very familiar with that setting, everyone has probably seen me use real-world terms like "cat," "cat ears," and "milk" before... This is mainly to help everyone immediately form an image in their minds and avoid having to mentally convert terms like XX beast.

If anyone truly cares about the original Arknights setting, feel free to mention it. I will pay more attention to that in future descriptions...

PS2: Today's update was actually a bit difficult to write... Killer's hesitation and Andy's resolve were unexpectedly hard to portray... But it's fine now. There won't be any need to agonize over it later.

PS2S: Also, let me add something about the value of Originium Prime... It is not that Originium is valuable, but that real estate in this city is worthless... Because this is not a mobile city, only a second-tier city built and settled through land reclamation along a mobile city route... After all, YJ never said what Rosemary's hometown was like, so I could only make something up.

PS3: Shamelessly asking for monthly votes, recommendation votes, blades, and everything else.

Rosemary's Embrace: 009 Trial Successful

Nana ultimately did not accept Andy's agreement.

The reason was not that Andy's terms were harsh or that they would be difficult for Nana to fulfill, but that Nana instinctively did not know what to do about the result of that contract.

Whether as a "killer" or a "saleswoman," every contract Nana had handled since entering the profession... or rather, since awakening with amnesia, had concerned other people. Killing, protecting, stealing, framing... never had a contract changed or affected Nana's own life.

But in the contract drafted by Andy Bruce, he used one piece of Originium Prime... an item worth a full thirty-five thousand Lungmen Dollars even at the international market's lowest recommended price, and which almost never sold for less than five times that price on the black market... as collateral. He required the contractor, under the supervision of his wife Cole and eldest daughter Kate, to ensure that one among Matilda or her twin older brothers, Colt and Kevin, would receive the signatory's "meticulous care equivalent to that of a direct blood relative."

In exchange, the second party to the contract would be regarded as having been granted guardianship rights by the first party... In other words, if Nana signed it, she would have to care for Matilda or her brothers as though they were her own children, under Cole and Kate's supervision.

This was not a task she could smoothly clear merely by putting on a businesslike response according to organizational training. Nana was completely unprepared to reveal her "whole self" to others.

"When someone suddenly begins changing another person's path through life, if it was not part of the plan, that can only mean both people will head toward destruction... I don't think you did anything wrong, Number Seventy-Seven.

"Ultimately... Aside from being neighbors and friends, a relationship you have only just encountered and do not know how to judge the proper distance for, in a world where a slice of loaded pizza costs one cent and a weekly wage of ten dollars counts as a comfortable life, while corporate weekly revenue is measured in tens or even hundreds of thousands, one piece of Originium Prime is still far too little compared to an entire lifetime.

"Seventy-Seven, I do not deny your desire to show kindness to a friend... But you need to see yourself clearly..."

Facing her agent, who had been surrounded by smoke since they met today, Nana appeared no different from usual. If one did not understand Number Seventy-Seven's microexpressions, one would probably believe the lie she told next.

"I never thought I could save everything... At the end of the day, I'm just an assassin."

"...I think you already have a plan to stop the experiment, don't you? Really, you are more troubled by not knowing how to handle your own psychological problems than by the Bruce family's problems... Don't glare at me. From my position, I'm actually very satisfied with your reaction. As a trained combatant, you showed sufficient restraint, which is why I think the organization can recruit you.

"You should know that, for people in this line of work, so-called destruction often begins when they extend violence without limits... And Despair is usually the beginning of an even greater tragedy."

As she spoke, she shook the papers in her hand, and Andy Bruce's portrait flashed past.

As the focus of Loken Watertank's upcoming experiment, Andy's medical examination records had been obtained by the agent and the organization's higher-ups through public medical channels.