Chapter 292 ·Turning Point (55)

Turning ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍󠄂󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄂‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​​​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍󠄂󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂Point (55)

「⸜(ˆᗜˆ˵ )⸝」

Who else would be called a workaholic—Carry was working excitedly. The guy was assisting the Beta Series, who were sorting out supplies.

Move one thing, and a glance. Move another, and another glance. Every time I moved something, Carry would gaze at me—or rather, monitor me.

Maybe in its own way, it was worried about me, or trying to keep the promise made with Nadia. But since it happened every single time, I couldn't help but be aware of it. There were even times when I'd open a nutrition pack to quench my thirst, but ended up putting it down quietly since I felt Carry's eyes on me.

"... Carry, I'm not going anywhere and I'm not going to get distracted, so you really don't need to act like that."

「(｡･~･｡)」

Carry didn't show much of a reaction even after hearing what I said. It just had this expression like, 'Mmm, really? Oh, I see~.'

"I mean it! Carry, don't you trust me?"

「( ›⤙‹ )」

Now it even turned away from me with its eyes squeezed shut, as if it wasn't listening at all. Seeing it start assisting the Beta Series again like nothing happened, I realized it might take me a little longer to prove my innocence.

I gave a small sigh and swept my gaze through the inner storage bay.

A mass of piled-up materials, Beta Series pulling them out one by one and restacking them by category, the distinctive metallic tang in the air, the buzz of lasers slicing through large scrap to pick out usable parts.

The work site operated smoothly, like turning gears fitting together. Inside, only Licorice and I were moving around.

'There are injured people, and Carrot and Nadia are here too, so it's not literally just the two of us.'

Being surrounded by the strong smell of metal put me in a strange mood. It was nostalgia, but more so déjà vu. It wasn't exactly this situation, but I'd definitely seen this composition a few times—maybe more than just a few.

After giving instructions to bring the gathered resources to the processing room, I quietly made my way over to where Licorice was. Carry flew toward me with its eyes lit up, but realizing I was just heading to Licorice, it turned back.

Licorice was accessing Albatross's main system to get a precise grasp of the extent of the damage. She was absorbed in her work, staring at dozens of holographic windows, but she noticed me approaching and spoke up.

"What? If you're tired, go sleep in the medbay with Woof-woof. If you're hungry, there's emergency gel food over there—help yourself. Personally, I think the potato gratin flavor isn't bad. At least it's less gross."

I'd tried that one too. Among the tube-type emergency rations, it was one of the few edible ones. Whether because it was old, or that's just how the texture was, it was dry and crumbly, so it didn't feel as weird. I wouldn't call it good quality, but I'd eaten actual potatoes before.

The worst was the cultured meat, blended up with sauce. After trying that, driven by curiosity, I pushed the limits of my own tolerance. I never wanted to eat it again.

"It's not that."

"Then why?"

"It just reminds me of the old days. Don't you feel that way, Licorice?"

"... All of a sudden?"

Licorice stopped typing frantically and glanced around. After seeming to understand what I meant, she nodded.

"I guess, yeah."

It was a similar atmosphere to the broker's office, where, besides Licorice, no humans worked and robots took care of everything.

They weren't robots that pretended to be human—they were all combat models armed for suppression, so each time I visited the office, I felt uneasy. I thought it was for show at first, but with time, I realized it was due to a fundamental mistrust of people.

"Have you gotten over your mistrust? There's a lot of good people here."

"What does that have to do with anything?"

"If you live together and rub shoulders, attachment grows, mistrust fades a little—don't you think?"

"... Hmph."

Licorice snorted. Just as she seemed about to get absorbed in her work again, I turned to leave, trying not to bother her—but she let out a quiet sigh and spoke belatedly.

"... I don't especially distrust humans. I think I told you that last time."

"... You didn't? Really?"

"What's with that reaction? That's pretty offensive, you know?"

Licorice shot me a sharp glare.

"I mean... Honestly, wasn't it kind of obvious? When I asked if you used people, you responded really cynically. What was it you said...? 'I don't keep people close because in decisive moments they let you down and betray you. But robots don't do that. Even if their frames get ruined, they carry out their orders.' Or something like that?"

"... Th-that's oddly specific. Even if you don't remember—still, you're making things up. I wish you'd stop."

"Wait, there's more I remember. 'You get betrayed because you trust. If you don't trust or expect anything from the start, you'll never be betrayed.' That sounded about right."

"......"

"There's more. I think right after those words, you said, 'I don't want to blame others. Or make excuses. If it's my responsibility and I failed, I can accept it. But if I have to pay for someone else's mistake, I'm not just going to let that go.' Right?"

"... I-I don't want to listen anymore. I didn't say it that harshly. Please stop... okay? Stop...?"

Licorice blushed deeply and forced a smile, trying to act nonchalant. Her red eyes burned even redder.

She was biting her lip so hard she trembled, and it was obvious she was only just holding back her embarrassment.

I so badly wanted to say just one more thing. Just that one last line—I felt like it would really clear my mind. But I suppressed it with superhuman endurance. I was proud of myself.

'Anybody would think those were the words of someone with hardcore trust issues.'

If that wasn't mistrust, then what was all that behavior until now?

"Then, what was the reason for pushing everyone away? There were plenty of times you recoiled when someone just approached you."

"That's just about efficiency."

"Efficiency?"

"Yeah, efficiency. Fundamentally, robots are easier to manage in every way compared to humans. They won't clash with you emotionally and they do everything you say. Plus, when the people you hire take credit as pay, yet they can't do what I can, why should I even hire them?"

What confidence. It had gone past the sky and out the other side. For a moment, I thought about this—then admitted Licorice's abilities were incredible. The reason she could act as a broker in Titan, even with no power base, was all due to that skill.

"If I really had trust issues, I wouldn't have picked you up, Lee Hyun-woo, or brought you along. I wouldn't have hired Roxy or supported Carrot, either."

"Well... I guess that's true. Now that I think about it."

"That's what I'm saying. What I really can't stand is people who don't deserve it looking down on me. I don't especially hate or distrust all humans. From the start, I actually... rather than mistrust..."

Licorice said it was just that there were too many people who didn't meet her standards. She snorted, then trailed off as she spoke.

"Rather than mistrust...?"

"... It's closer to disdain."

When I gave her a look asking if she meant it, Licorice blushed again. She continued,

"I-I'm not Maria. Even if I try to view people favorably, what can I do if most people are closer to beasts than humans? You know there are tons who take kindness for granted. You haven't forgotten the ones who tried to take advantage just because I gave them one good deal?"

"... Well, people from Titan are a bit rough."

Maybe because the environment was harsh, people on the gentle side were practically nonexistent. Those types wouldn't last, or got pushed out by the stronger personalities and left Titan like they'd been hounded out.

There were certainly good people too, but they weren't really connected to Licorice. After all, in this underground world, the category of people you'd get involved with was basically set. I was a special case.

"That's not something you can just gloss over as being 'rough.' Even now, thinking about the troublemakers gives me chills. Speaking of which, one in particular comes to mind—some lunatic who brought a portable EMP device to a deal. Do you remember?"

"Oh. That guy we thought was secretly sent by SSTC, but turned out to just be a pirate?"

"Yes, him. Because of him, my robots and even the goods were completely wrecked. I don't want to imagine how it would've turned out if you hadn't been there."

Licorice had become famous by then, so she was subject to constant warnings. Even though she'd set up multiple safety devices against unexpected situations, the world was wide enough that a few idiots could get through.

'They tried to kidnap Licorice.'

Hearing that she had only robot bodyguards, they tried to disable the robots and act while she was vulnerable. Maybe they realized I was there, or figured I wouldn't be a problem—but thanks to my resistance, Licorice managed to escape that ambush unscathed.

I didn't really know what happened after that. All I heard later was that a pirate gang was stranded by a broken ship and got rounded up by an SSTC patrol, according to the news.

"To make an excuse, even if I wanted to trust people, the environment just didn't allow it. Over time, that became my default. I guess to you, it would have looked like mistrust."

I wanted to be honest and ask if that's why she didn't expect anything from the beginning, but I knew that would only make her blush again and dealing with the aftermath would be entirely on me, so I held back.

"When we get to Earth, I want to change, too, to mark a new start. There'll be more customers, which means more troublemakers, but at least I won't be alone, so maybe I can lighten up. Not that I'll let people walk all over me—I'll do what's necessary. But now I've got backup, so I don't think there'll be much of that anyway."

"Backup?"

"You, obviously. You're practically Myosotis now. Most troublemakers will avoid me just for the name value. And as time passes, the standard will only rise."

"Then you'll have to make a good impression on me."

I snickered as I said it, and Licorice's face immediately went cold. Her red eyes chilled.

"Lee Hyun-woo."

"Yes?"

"Are you crazy?"

"... No."

I shut my mouth. Just when she'd seemed calmer, her old personality had suddenly burst out. As I tried to retreat quietly and sneak away, a loud yawn hit my back.

"Don't tease Hyun-woo...."

Nadia, rubbing sleepy eyes, walked over. Her tail seemed to drag along the floor, as if it hadn't fully woken up yet.

She trudged over and leaned her face against my back. Her tail twitched a little.

"Nadia, you're up already?"

Checking the time, it'd been about two hours since we started work. Not enough to recover. Sure enough, Nadia was stretching and still nodding off.

"There isn't... much time... so this is... enough...."

"... I don't think that's nearly enough. Can you even work like this? Weren't you supposed to repair the repair drones?"

The last firefight had depleted all our drones. We didn't have enough time or resources to build new ones, so our only option was to repair as many broken ones as possible.

Fixing one or two was no big deal, but once it got up to hundreds, that was a real task. And then there was ship maintenance, too.

Nadia, still leaning against me, brought her hand to her own cheek and patted it a few more times. Soon, with clearer green eyes, she looked around.

"Carry will help, so it's fine."

"In that case... let me know if you need help."

"I'll say it now."

"Now? Okay, what is it?"

"You don't need to help. But there's something for someone else."

Nadia approached Licorice and held out her hand, clearly asking for something. Licorice looked at Nadia in disbelief.

"Make me a program. I'm building an automated sector, but while I can handle the machinery, I can't do the system side."

"Does it look like I'm just slacking off to Woof-woof? You know the engine shutdown caused a power surge that left the main system mostly inoperable, right? We barely have enough power to keep life support, essential sectors, and the storage bay running. It's not dark in here just for no reason."

"That's exactly why I'm asking. If you could just set up the basic framework, I can do the rest."

Nadia moved closer and Licorice flinched. With ears perked, Nadia whispered something in Licorice's ear, making Licorice's body jolt.

They were whispering so softly, I couldn't hear what was said. I debated whether to reawaken my dulled senses on purpose so I could overhear, but then Carry popped up in front of me, blocking my view.

「(｡・▿・｡)」

Carry stared at me intently. Its visual sensors glowed—guess it had already deduced what was going on.

"... Is it really true?"

"It's true. For me... it's completely unique...."

"Alright, but...."

In the time it took me to raise both hands in surrender, the two finished their conversation. With lingering suspicion and murmured words, they nodded, seeming to have reached an agreement.

"Wait a bit. It won't take long."

"Then I'll wake up a little more in the meantime."

"Keep your promise."

"Don't worry."

What could they have promised, for Licorice to get so intensely absorbed, even though she was clearly overexerting herself?

Nadia quickly went back to her tasks, while Licorice started working through her backlog at speed. Nadia returned to me, laughing softly and patting my shoulder.

"As expected of you, Hyun-woo. Looks like we'll finish way ahead of schedule."

"... I didn't do anything."

"No, no, it's thanks to you. Really."

"... Really?"

"Of course!"

"......"

I still didn't know what was going on, but if Nadia was happy, I was happy. She had no intention of explaining, so I decided to just let it go.

RelatedRelatedRelated