Kal'tsit Worries Herself Sick / Two Kal'tsits

"Don't mention it, after all, Rhodes Island is one of our own."

Mizuki values Rhodes Island highly, Lemuen will provide assistance at times, essentially helping her partner solve problems. After all, she's a patient on Rhodes Island, not an operator, so she has no missions to do and no Mizuki to steal from. Being too idle, she always wants to find something to do.

"By the way, is Dr. Kal'tsit going after Mizuki and the others?"

"Ah, no, that's not it. Mizuki and the others will be back in a couple of days. The peace talks with Iberia have ended, and Dr. Kal'tsit is on business in Columbia."

The letter from Mizuki some time ago made Kal'tsit realize that her thinking had been manipulated, causing her to overlook many important losses, including quite a few related to Columbia.

Although Amiya didn't know who Trevor Friston was, judging from Kal'tsit and the Doctor's reactions at the time, she could guess that this matter was definitely not so simple.

That Mr. Friston must be an important person.

"Columbia ..." Lemuen thought for a moment. Exusiai had said that there were people in Columbia who had always wanted to target Mizuki, but Rhodes Island had a close cooperative relationship with Columbia.

This is quite intriguing, but Lemuen doesn't think Kal'tsit and Rhodes Island would do anything bad to Mizuki. After all, Ho'olheyak said that Columbia is currently divided into two factions: the military wants Mizuki, while the Melnade Foundation wants to cooperate.

But the problem is that Lemuen also understands what the so-called doves in Columbia are all about. As long as the benefits are big enough, even doves can paint their necks black and become bald eagles.

Those who trust Columbia are less likely to trust that Ms. Doctor won't cause trouble than those who trust Columbia.

"Now I finally understand why the Doctor always asks Mizuki to be her assistant; he's really efficient."

Amiya had seen Mizuki working before; she could even see Mizuki's tentacles using her own power. Dozens of tentacles were simultaneously reviewing documents, working in a multi-threaded manner, and her daily official duties barely amounted to a few minutes.

"Then let's postpone everything until he comes back in a couple of days."

Lemuen gently patted Amiya's head and ruffled her long rabbit ears.

"It's so late, good children should go to sleep, lest they stunt their growth."

"I've always made sure to get enough rest and pay attention to my diet, so I've continued to grow taller."

Amiya squinted her eyes, enjoying the feeling. Kal'tsit cared a lot about her health, so she often made sure Amiya went to bed early and didn't assign her too much work, just training this little rabbit little by little, after all, she would be managing the entire Rhodes Island in the future.

"Dr. Kal'tsit said I'm developing very well."

"... That's true."

Lemuen glanced at Amiya's chest. Although it was covered by a scarf, it wasn't hard to see that this little bunny had an incredibly good figure. If it were the old Exusiai, she would definitely have gritted her teeth in envy.

Amiya is only 14 years old, which means she has great potential. Does she have some Sarkaz blood in her? She's already far ahead of her peers.

"Let's go... hmm?"

Amiya looked up and noticed a familiar figure flash past her eyes. It was Kal'tsit, but something seemed off.

Kal'tsit just left for Columbia yesterday, how come she's back today?

Chapter 190 Kal'tsit's Worrying

Rhodes Island...

Walking down the familiar corridor, Kal'tsit couldn't help but close her eyes. Even without seeing or hearing, guided only by her intuition and familiarity, she felt she could find her office.

The air smelled of disinfectant; the Medical Department staff should all be resting by now. Hmm... there was the scent of night-blooming Vanilla. Was Lena on duty tonight? Kal'tsit remembered that the operator codenamed "Perfumer" would always deliberately add some incense to help the patients sleep more soundly when she was on night shift.

"Dr. Kal'tsit, weren't you on a business trip to Columbia? You're back so soon?"

It wasn't Lena; the voice sounded more androgynous, but it was also familiar—at least someone she knew.

Kal'tsit opened her eyes and looked at the operator in front of her with short pink hair and matching pink bunny ears. Suddenly, she remembered the operator's identity.

"Ansel, are you on duty today? I thought it was Lena; she loves these incense sticks."

"Ah, Miss Lena and I switched shifts yesterday. I just brought these incense sticks over today, and they seem to be working well. The patients are all asleep and having sweet dreams."

Her smile made her ruby-like eyes appear exceptionally gentle and tender. Kal'tsit suddenly remembered that Ansel had always had this particularly likable personality, and her appearance also made the female operators of Rhodes Island lose confidence.

But for some reason, Ansel in front of her always gave her an indescribable sense of strangeness, but it was just a subtle difference. Kal'tsit thought about it and decided not to pay too much attention to it, after all, many places in this world had become unfamiliar to her.

"Dr. Kal'tsit, are you alright?"

Why do you ask that?

You don't look too well.

Ansel's gaze swept over Kal'tsit's face, and it was obvious to everyone that the weariness and worry on her face made it look like she hadn't slept well for three years.

As a member of Rhodes Island's Medical Department, Ansel certainly knew how hard Kal'tsit worked; she did indeed often stay up all night.

"You're just a little tired from traveling back and forth, don't worry, you can continue your shift."

"Okay, goodbye, ma'am."

This time, Ansel didn't address Dr. Kal'tsit or the more respectful title of "teacher." He simply bowed politely and left to continue his shift.

In a daze, Kal'tsit had a strange feeling that nothing had changed, everything was the same as always, whether it was her or Rhodes Island, everything was just as she remembered.

However, this was clearly unlikely. She had initially thought that this world might be a lucky exception, but it turned out that she had been overthinking it.

"Dr. Kal'tsit, what brings you back?"

While Kal'tsit was being held back by Ansel, Amiya and Lemuen arrived. When they saw Kal'tsit, they were stunned for a moment before they reacted.

"... I remembered there are some things I need to tell Mizuki when she returns. After I've finished explaining, I'll head over to Columbia first."

"I see."

Amiya didn't suspect anything; Kal'tsit would never lie to her, she would only remain silent at certain times. But for some reason, there was something off about Kal'tsit in front of her.

Lemuen also caught a strange, indescribable smell from Kal'tsit, like fuel, but fainter, and the smell only lasted for a moment.

"It's so late, go back to sleep first. Leave the official business for the Doctor to handle."

Amiya's last lingering sense of unease vanished. Right? If Kal'tsit saw Amiya at this hour, her first words would be to tell her to go back to sleep.

"But the Doctor won't be back for several more days."

"... Go to sleep. You do have responsibilities and missions that you can't refuse, but that's something for when you've grown up."

As if remembering something, a hint of sadness flashed in Kal'tsit's eyes. Amiya felt that she was probably thinking of Theresa, who had passed away. She wanted to comfort Kal'tsit, but as before, she didn't know how to start.

"Go to sleep, leave the rest to me."

Kal'tsit gently patted Amiya's head, feeling the familiar sensation. For a moment, she didn't know what to say, so she simply left with this sentence and walked back in the direction Amiya and Lemuen had come from.

Watching her departing figure, Amiya sensed an indescribable bitterness and loneliness emanating from her. She knew that Kal'tsit had always been under pressure, constantly driven forward by some mission she couldn't tell others, but this time the feeling she sensed was even more... profound, evoking pity and sympathy.

"I feel like Kal'tsit has changed, but then again... It's so contradictory."

Lemuen raised an eyebrow. She and Kal'tsit didn't have much interaction, so she didn't know much about each other and naturally didn't feel comfortable speaking up.

"Dr. Kal'tsit has always been like this."

Amiya shook her head. She was exhausted today. The amount of work had left the little bunny practically asleep in the hallway. All she wanted to do was go back and rest.

"Okay, let's go back and rest first."

Seeing that Amiya couldn't help but yawn, Lemuen didn't intend to ask any more questions. Helping her patient with the paperwork was already overstepping her bounds, and asking further questions would seem like she was treating Amiya like an outsider.

Seeing how well-behaved and sensible Amiya was, Lemuen couldn't help but want to find Kal'tsit and ask her how she managed to raise such a cute and well-behaved little bunny.

Perhaps because she is now a woman and will be a wet nurse in the future, Lemuen's greatest ambition is not to raise another Exusiai to bring trouble to her family and neighbors. She thinks that the Exusiai incident is probably due to her parents' failure in education and has little to do with her as the older sister. It may also be due to genetic inheritance.

Hmm, we can ask Mizuki to investigate whether the child's personality is inherited from the parents or formed by the environment. We should explore this further.

(Miss Lemuen, you seem to be thinking about something terrible yet wonderful?)

Amiya hesitated for a moment, sensing that Lemuen wasn't thinking anything good, but she still managed to keep her expression well-controlled. Is this what adults are like?

Hearing Lemuen lead Amiya away behind her, Kal'tsit breathed a sigh of relief. What she was most worried about was Amiya seeing through her feelings. This appearance was not a disguise, so she didn't have to worry about being exposed. However, memories and feelings could not completely match what they remembered.

She was indeed Kal'tsit, but she wasn't Kal'tsit either, at least not the one Amiya knew. She should have another name— Mr. K.

Fortunately, Mizuki isn't on Rhodes Island right now, which makes it much easier for her to infiltrate. The Reunion won't be able to arrive for at least two more days.

Terra doesn't yet have full communication coverage, and transportation is quite difficult. However, we'll need to figure out how to deal with their questions later. Red undoubtedly saw that face that night, and the Reunion will definitely come to question us.

How are we going to cover this up? It's a bit of a problem. Maybe we should have a real and a fake Kal'tsit...

While pondering, Kal'tsit unconsciously picked up her pen and stamp and began skillfully reviewing the remaining documents on the table.

But she froze as soon as she picked up a report. Something was wrong. She was here at Rhodes Island to infiltrate, so why was she sitting at a desk working?

"... Fine, let's do it."

Remembering Amiya's tired and weary appearance earlier, Kal'tsit ultimately didn't put down the documents in her hand. The child was only 14 years old; it was irresponsible and a sign of weakness to make her bear these responsibilities.

Kal'tsit glanced at the signature in the lower right corner of the report— Warfarin's— and tossed it aside without even looking at it again.

Nine out of ten points of Warfarin's report are unnecessary to read. The remaining one, once read, will make you want to hang her on the bridge of Rhodes Island. If something really important happened, why would she take her time writing a report?

Everything seemed unchanged, just like before. Kal'tsit gently stroked the desk in front of her, even the touch was so familiar. She suddenly couldn't tell if this was a dream or if all the things she had experienced before were a dream.

Black Crown flashed overhead, and the identity of Mr. K bound Kal'tsit's self tightly to this body. She suddenly realized that she really shouldn't think so much, nor could she.

Yes, now she is Mr. K. Kal'tsit is just a disguise, just an identity. She will only ever be Mr. K, nothing more... In the end, who else could she be besides this identity? Even she herself cannot give a reasonable answer.

"Mizuki and the Doctor are heading to Iberia to resolve the Seaborn issue. Next, they'll travel to Columbia, where they'll learn about Trevor Friston's existence through Rhine Lab, and then understand the threat facing Terra. Mizuki will lead the Brood of Seaborn north..."

Ultimately, all the different paths lead to that one and only predetermined result.

After realizing that this worldline had deviated significantly from the development trend she was originally familiar with, Mr. K was initially very happy, even ecstatic. However, she then discovered that this world, which should have been completely different, was also sliding into the abyss.

She forced herself not to think about these things. On the one hand, she had to play Kal'tsit, and on the other hand, she had to maintain her own existence so that Kal'tsit's part wouldn't become too active and cause her cognitive confusion and consciousness to collapse. This was a very energy-consuming thing.

"Forget it, I'll just keep reading the report to distract myself."

Then there's The Shining... Liz's been staying home all this time? Is that even a report?

"Liz, isn't it time for bed?"

Unable to resist yawning, Shining glanced at the time; it was almost one o'clock.

"No rush, it'll be quick after I finish this level."

Liz answered without even looking up, intently holding the game console in her hands and fiddling with the joystick, her eyes not even blinking. Shining wondered if her eyes never got dry.

"... Didn't I hear that sentence once just ten minutes ago?"

Shining glanced at Nearl, who had changed into a nightgown, and the latter nodded slightly.

"She said the same thing twenty minutes ago."

"Liz, if you don't go to sleep now, you won't be able to get up tomorrow morning."

Liz finally raised her head and looked at Shining with her pure and innocent eyes.

"But Shining, I don't have to go to work or school, I don't have jobs or exams, and I really can't find anything to do besides playing games. And Mizuki isn't here either..."

(I feel like the key point is that Mizuki is no longer here either.)

Shining finally understood what it meant for grown-up children to turn against their own kind. Before meeting Mizuki, Liz was a well-behaved, quiet, lonely, and elegant girl. But now? She's only known Mizuki for a short time, and she's already turned into a complete homebody!

"But Liz, if you keep staying up late, you won't look good anymore, and maybe no boy will like you in the future."

"It's okay." Liz lowered her head and continued playing the game. "Mizuki said he likes me a lot, and the Doctor said that if I can't find a suitable partner in the future, I can consider Mizuki. Exusiai won't mind."

(Of course, if she minded, she would have died of jealousy by now.)

Shining has now become the one making sarcastic remarks, feeling that if things continue like this, Liz will be ruined. Although she wouldn't mind supporting Liz for the rest of her life, she can't let the girl continue to degenerate.

But finding a psychologist isn't really an option. Perhaps we should find Liz some work?

Well... it's not impossible, but Liz's condition makes it difficult for her to even speak a few words to someone, let alone work.

"The one who tied the knot must untie it; let's wait for Mizuki to return."

Seeing that Shining was preoccupied, Nearl said this, pulled up the covers, and prepared to go to sleep. Since Shining couldn't do anything about Liz's situation, she certainly couldn't either. She might as well sleep and wait for Mizuki to come back.

"I raised them myself."

Shining suddenly felt a pang of jealousy towards Mizuki. This wasn't a good feeling, since it was Mizuki who had allowed Liz to walk freely again. She stopped trying to persuade Liz and could only swallow her anger and crawl into bed.

The soft sounds of button presses and joystick clicks echoed in the dormitory as the two drifted off to sleep. Liz finally cleared the last level, and contentedly took a screenshot to show off to Mizuki when he returned. She was much faster than Rosemary at clearing it.

Yes, Liz's recent all-night gaming sessions weren't just due to being a homebody; they were competing with Rosemary to see who could finish the game first, so they would have more leverage in front of Mizuki.

"Hmm, Mizuki will be very happy~ But if he finds out I stay up all night playing games, he'll definitely scold me."

Liz snuggled into bed, ready for a good night's sleep, hoping to wake up tomorrow to see Mizuki —nothing could be better.

Chapter 191 Two Kal'tsit

Perhaps some things had already been arranged in secret, and she was just a slightly special, or perhaps not so special, pawn in that arrangement.

Doctor and Mizuki have undoubtedly become the central point where all the problems converge. Kal'tsit looked at her face in the rearview mirror and pondered for a moment.