"I keep getting the feeling that Gengar had something on his mind." Heath and Cynthia chatted as they walked along a path through Petalburg Woods. Heath kept feeling that Gengar had seemed a little off just now, as though something was weighing on him, but Heath did not know what it was. Although the system had not issued any quest, Heath still wanted to investigate. Perhaps that was how curiosity worked for everyone? Still, Heath did not know much about Gengar's circumstances.
"Maybe it's something he doesn't want to bring up?" Cynthia was holding a Pokédex and recording the Pokémon they had seen along the way. Her backpack was large and rather odd. At that moment, she held a strange device against the ground as though she were searching for land mines, leaving Heath somewhat baffled. But when he recalled that Cynthia's character seemed to enjoy exploration and archaeology and the like, he took it in stride.
Heath scratched his head, then suppressed his curiosity. In his experience, things people did not want to mention were often painful memories. At such times, what a stranger like him ought to do was not reopen someone's wounds and pry into every detail, but pretend he knew nothing about it. If the other party wanted to talk, they certainly would. If not, he could simply act as though nothing had happened. Offering comfort uninvited might actually have the opposite effect.
This was not just idle talk. In his previous life, Heath had known someone online who had depressive tendencies and often wanted to end their life. Back then, Heath had said things like "The world is beautiful" and "The sun will always rise," but none of it had helped in the end. Instead, it had made the other person very unhappy. From then