Arknights, Suika's Messenger Journey

"Of course. I told Hoshiguma that after leaving Lungmen, I'd head to Ursus, then go west and see what the western side of Terra actually looked like!

Lately, I'd been getting up early and staying up late every day to study the Common Tongue for that.

Didn't I tell you guys?"

Seeing everyone staring at her with their mouths hanging open in disbelief, Suika finally realized that she seemed never to have mentioned her plans for the future here.

"The west, huh? Where are you planning to go?" Exusiai perked up after hearing Suika's plans.

"I haven't decided on a destination. I'm just heading west, that's all.

I want to visit places like Victoria, Leithanien, Columbia—all those places ending in 'ia.'"

The others looked at her with admiration.

"Although there haven't been any major wars on Terra these past few years aside from Kazdel, traveling through the wilderness still isn't a decision ordinary people can make.

I admire you."

"Haha, it's not that noble. I just happened to get an opportunity like this. If I didn't go out and see the world, I'd feel like I was losing out."

They chatted and drank, and before long, everyone except Suika was a little tipsy.

After saying goodbye to the people from Penguin Logistics, Suika wandered about and eventually arrived once more before Lee's Detective Agency.

"Hm, aren't you that little girl from half a year ago?

Why are you standing outside my place again?"

She had only just stopped and looked up at the Lee's Detective Agency sign when a familiar, slightly flippant voice came from behind her.

Suika turned around and saw Lee standing in the same place where they had spoken before, making her feel as though she had returned to the past.

"You know each other?" A girl beside him curiously poked her head out from behind Lee and looked at Suika.

"Remember half a year ago? I was talking to her downstairs, then you called me upstairs.

It's quite a coincidence. I didn't expect us to meet again in the same place."

Lee pointed at Suika, then at the windowsill as he spoke.

The girl beside him scratched her head, puffed out her cheeks, and shook her head.

"Don't remember..."

"Haha, forget it if you don't remember.

Little miss, since we're so fated, would you like to come upstairs and sit for a while?" Lee asked amiably, pointing toward the stairway.

Suika shook her head.

"Next time, if we get the chance to meet again..."

She had not expected to run into Lee twice in the same place and in the same manner, but she was about to leave Lungmen. Staying in touch with them would only leave her with more things to miss.

After returning home, Suika picked up her book and the recorder beside it, continuing her studies along with the voice from the recording.

That evening, Hoshiguma looked at Suika and asked,

"How are your preparations coming along?"

"More or less done. Sister Swire said my spoken language is already at an ordinary person's level, so normal communication shouldn't be a problem. I've packed all my things, too.

According to the weather forecast, the coming days will all be sunny. I plan to set off in three days, while the weather is good, and try to cross Ursus before winter arrives and reach the other side of Terra."

Suika explained her backup plan to Hoshiguma.

That was right. This was only her backup plan.

As for exactly how she would travel after leaving Lungmen, she had actually prepared long ago.

"Alright. I'll see you off when the time comes..."

After saying that, Hoshiguma quietly began cleaning the room.

The next day, Suika left the house and headed to the post office to collect her final paycheck.

On the way, a motorcycle stopped in front of her, and Chen and Swire got off.

"Are you looking for Hoshiguma? She should be at the Guard Department!"

"No, we came to see you." Chen stared at Suika.

"You went out of your way to avoid Hoshiguma just to find me?" Suika was somewhat puzzled.

"Want to sit at that café over there?" Swire pointed to a newly opened café not far away.

"Sure!" Neither of them gave off any sharp or hostile aura, and Suika was curious what purpose had brought them to seek her out at this time.

"You're heading west, right? We both happen to know people in the west, so we hope you can help deliver a letter.

Of course, we'll pay you well. That way, you'll accomplish your travel plans and earn some extra money at the same time. What do you think?"

As soon as they sat down, Swire spoke impatiently.

"Uh, doesn't the post office have a counter for sending letters abroad...?" Suika reminded her.

Although sending a letter outside Great Yan was more expensive than sending one within Great Yan, it would not actually cost more than ten times as much.

It was not that expensive. The two of them could have used regular channels instead of coming to her, a former messenger who had already resigned.

"Isn't it because the Kazdel civil war cut off the route to Victoria?

Lungmen hasn't had contact with that side for over half a year.

You know the current situation. Ursus is difficult to pass through, Kazdel is too dangerous, and no messenger is willing to risk delivering letters that way.

If you weren't just happening to go there, we wouldn't have come looking for you!"

Swire explained the reason.

The Rich Little Tiger

Suika thought about it. There did seem to be such a matter. She had heard people mention at the post office before that Lungmen's contact with the west had once been completely severed due to the full outbreak of the Sarkaz civil war.

Put that way, the two of them did have a tiny bit of reason to come looking for her.

But there was no need to hide it from Hoshiguma.

If Hoshiguma knew about it, she would probably tell Suika to agree as well.

After all, in their eyes, Victoria was much safer than Ursus.

Thinking that, Suika decided to probe a little further.

"But I'm planning to travel on foot this time, so I might be very slow. Won't the letter arrive too late?"

"It won't, it won't. Mine is for a friend in Victoria, and Chen's seems to be as well. They're just ordinary letters, nothing important. You only need to deliver them.

We won't ask anything more of you."

Swire hurriedly said.

After hearing Swire out, Suika looked at her suspiciously.

If the letters were urgent, having someone who planned to stroll there at a leisurely pace deliver them was obviously inappropriate.

If they were not urgent, they could simply wait. Even if Kazdel's civil war continued, it could not remain so intense forever.

There would eventually be a lull, and they could send the letters then.

Yet the two of them insisted on making her do it. That was strange.

"I told you Suika is a smart person. Stop trying to use an excuse that wouldn't fool even an idiot to convince her."

Chen interrupted Swire's explanation, then looked at Suika.

"It's like this. We know you're leaving, and we wanted to help you.

She happens to know people in Victoria, and I have a few friends too, so we wanted to use delivering letters as an excuse to give you some support.

Of course, it's also because we do happen to know people there.

We couldn't tell Hoshiguma about this. With her personality, she'd probably find a way to pay us back later.

This Char Siu Cat wasn't prepared at all, and this ridiculous excuse couldn't even fool you..."

Chen laid out their intentions directly.

Hearing Chen's words, Suika relaxed.

She had thought these two were up to some kind of special play again, but it turned out they simply wanted to lend her a hand.

"Chen Hui-chieh, you Sausage Dragon, you bastard.

If you could say it yourself, why did you make me come up with an excuse!"

Her cheeks flushed red, Swire angrily waved her handbag, trying to pick a fight with Chen.

"Shouldn't you blame yourself? With your storytelling skills, couldn't you see Suika had already started wondering whether we were planning something bad...?"

Chen dodged left and right, easily avoiding Swire's handbag attacks.

"So that's what it was. Then I really can help!" Suika nodded as she watched the two of them bicker.

"Then, the payment for delivering the letters..." Swire leaned forward, her ears twitching slightly. She looked especially playful and cute.

"You can give whatever you think is appropriate. Like at the post office, you sometimes get tips for delivering letters, right? It's not something embarrassing."

Suika was perfectly calm and did not feel there was anything wrong with accepting their support.

"Right, how did I forget that tips are given freely!" Swire slapped her forehead and stomped her foot in frustration.

"Then these two letters are yours. This bank card can be used to withdraw money from banks in Victoria and Columbia.

I remember saving some Columbian Gold Notes in it when I was little. It's all pocket money I saved when I was younger. After coming to Lungmen, the banks here weren't connected to the ones over there, so I couldn't spend any of the money on this card.

Since you'll be over there, help me spend it!"

Swire said lavishly.

"Can I ask how much is in it exactly?" Thinking of the little tiger's rich-girl nature, Suika suspected there might be enough money in it to buy her outright.

"I don't remember. When I was little, my grandfather and father would put money into it every so often. I never managed to spend it all anyway." Swire's casual words made Chen's brow twitch.

It was not as though she did not know Swire was rich, but she had not expected her to have so little concept of money.

Or perhaps she had simply been dazzled by Swire's extravagance.

"Then I'll gratefully accept it. Of course, I won't spend recklessly. Don't worry." Taking the bank card, Suika placed it together with the letters into her small shoulder bag.

"Alright. Remember, don't tell Hoshiguma about this. She's usually so quiet, and she's stubborn too.

I don't want her nagging me about this every day."

Seeing Suika accept the letters and bank card, Chen and Swire both sighed in relief.

Realizing they had been out for quite a while, the two hurriedly said goodbye, drove off, and returned to the Guard Department.

"You seem pretty concerned about Suika," Chen said to Swire on the way back.

"After all, she gave us such a big gift. We can't possibly not return the favor.

Besides, she's quite interesting, and she has a good nature.

If she could stay in Lungmen, I'd quite like to be friends with her."

Swire turned back to look at Suika walking out of the café as she spoke.

"Now that you mention it, I just remembered something... Although Suika looks young, whenever we talk to her, it always feels like we're on equal footing."

Chen also recalled her several meetings with Suika.

"Come to think of it, didn't you investigate that incident before? Was it related to Suika?" Swire asked meaningfully.

"There was no surveillance footage, only testimony from a few people who were so frightened they couldn't tell east from west. Hoshiguma wouldn't say anything either, so I'm not sure what exactly happened then.

But according to the experts, that hole was created by an enormous force striking from the outside inward.

According to them, even the best Originium Bomb would require at least ten kilograms, buried and detonated at a precise point, to achieve that kind of result.

Yet the instruments showed that the Originium levels inside and around the crater were completely normal. So after ruling out Originium Bombs, I couldn't imagine how anyone could have done something like that in such a short time."

Chen recalled how, out of curiosity over the cause of that crater, she had specially carried out quite a bit of investigation.

But she had found almost nothing. Later, the higher-ups ordered her to stop, leaving her no choice but to abandon the matter regretfully.

"Do you remember what I told you before? I saw Suika punch a large tree apart with my own eyes.

Not punch through it—blow it apart."