“Karas?”
“Why…”
Yuki turned her head away from Karas, who looked surprised to see her. Then she quickly rubbed her eyes with her hands. She didn’t want to show him her crying face.
“What brings you here?”
“Huh? Oh, I came to collect the inspection data for the guild guides.”
Karas, snapping back to attention at the doctor’s question, stated his business. However, he kept glancing at Yuki.
“Please wait a moment. I just need to finish consulting with Yuki.”
“Oh, I see. I came at a bad time. I’ll wait outside, please call me when you’re done.”
“No, we’re finished.”
The doctor glanced at the crumpled paper in Yuki’s hand and printed out the test results again. Then, with a resolute face, he spoke.
“Ms. Yuki, my position is as I told you earlier. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of help.”
“Ah…”
“You can go now.”
“…I understand.”
Yuki, who had been moving her lips soundlessly, finally answered with a resigned look. Realizing that further insistence would be futile, she stood up with a defeated expression.
“Yuki?”
Karas hurriedly called out to Yuki as she brushed past him, almost as if fleeing. After exchanging a meaningful look with the doctor, he turned and followed her.
“Wait a moment!”
“…! Why…”
Yuki, who had been wiping away tears, was startled by Karas following her.
“Are you alright?”
“What?”
“You don’t look well…”
Karas examined Yuki with concerned eyes. Recently, the two had become quite close due to the handkerchief incident. Known for his good nature, he hadn’t changed his attitude towards Yuki at all even after she was dismissed from her secretary position. If anything, he seemed even kinder than before.
“It’s nothing, just…”
Unable to finish her sentence, Yuki’s eyes crumpled as she lowered her head. Clear tears dripped onto the floor. She felt grateful yet miserable that Karas was showing concern for her.
“Hic, I’m sorry… I’m not in a good state right now… Could you please leave me alone?”
“…Come here.”
Frozen by Yuki’s crying, Karas looked around and then carefully took her wrist.
“Ah.”
Yuki’s eyes widened, forgetting to cry as Karas suddenly pulled her along. She followed him without resistance.
Click.
Karas closed the door after bringing Yuki to the storage room next to the infirmary and looked at her.
“This is…”
“It’s where we keep the medical records of guild members. No one will come here.”
“What?”
“I’m saying you can cry as much as you want without worrying about other people’s eyes.”
“I…”
Before Yuki could say anything, Karas moved first. He placed a handkerchief in her hand.
“I’ll go talk to the doctor. Take your time to compose yourself.”
“Ugh…”
Left alone in an instant, Yuki sank to the floor. She clutched Karas’s handkerchief tightly and sobbed for a long time.
“Um…”
About 30 minutes later, the tightly closed storage room door opened slightly. A very hoarse voice came through the gap. Karas, who had been guarding the door, brightened at the voice from behind.
“Are you feeling a bit better now?”
“…Yes, thank you.”
Yuki bowed her head in gratitude to Karas for keeping watch.
“Um, may I come in for a moment?”
“Of course.”
Only after getting Yuki’s permission did Karas approach her. He handed her a bottle of water.
“Drink this. I got one while receiving the documents earlier.”
“Ah… Thank you. I keep showing you my worst side lately.”
“Not at all. I know you’ve been having a hard time recently.”
Yuki’s eyes moistened again at the kind consolation. Barely swallowing her tears, she mumbled almost inaudibly.
“I’ll wash the handkerchief and return it to you. I’m sorry for dirtying it again.”
“Don’t apologize. I gave it to you. That’s what it’s for, after all.”
“Still…”
“May I ask what happened?”
“Uh…”
“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to say…”
“No, it’s not that. Um, well…”
Yuki slowly explained what had happened earlier. Perhaps because her heart was heavy, she wanted to confide in someone.
“…I see, so that’s what happened.”
Karas frowned seriously after hearing her story. Then he gently suggested,
“If it’s alright with you, maybe I could help?”
“Pardon?”
“After hearing your story, I think I might be able to help.”
“Really?”
“Yes, I’ve been assigned to compile and organize the inspection records of the guild guides. That’s why I went to the infirmary earlier. From what I can see, it seems you’ve been under a lot of stress since stepping down from your secretary position… I’ll write that in the report. If we emphasize that point as much as possible, don’t you think the Guild Master might understand?”
“I’m not sure if he would… More importantly, wouldn’t this cause trouble for you, Karas?”
“Oh, it’s not like I’m manipulating the numbers. It’s normal to add the handler’s opinion and any special circumstances when organizing these things.”
“Is, is that so?”
“Oh, you didn’t know? Anyway, if I, as the person in charge, formally request a statement, the doctor will have to write one. If we say the numbers came out lower than usual due to poor condition rather than an error, the Guild Master won’t immediately dismiss you. Espers tend to be attached to guides who are compatible with them.”
Karas spoke with a confident voice. There wasn’t a guild member who didn’t know that Yuki was favored by Livio. Although some looked down on her as washed up due to her recent removal from the secretary position, Livio still frequently called for Yuki’s guiding.
Yuki herself knew that Livio favored her. She had received lenient treatment despite failing missions several times.
In truth, Livio’s affection wasn’t welcome, but knowing she needed to stick with him to survive for now, she had no choice but to endure it.
“Do you think… it’s possible?”
“Of course. Trust me! I’ll convince the doctor and make sure the Guild Master can’t make an issue of it. The results might not be exactly what we hope for, but… isn’t it better to try something than to do nothing at all?”
“That’s true.”
“Great. Then I’ll go back to the office right now and get to work.”
Karas gathered the documents he had received from the infirmary with an enthusiastic attitude.
“I’ll contact you when I get the doctor’s statement. Probably by tomorrow…”
“Thank you. But…”
“Yes?”
“Why are you being so nice to me?”
Yuki hesitantly voiced the question she had been holding. She knew Karas was a good person, but no matter how she thought about it, there was no reason for him to help her so wholeheartedly.
“Hmm, because we’re in the same boat?”
“Pardon?”
“As you know, there’s discrimination based on background in our guild, right? I really hate that atmosphere.”
“Ah…”
“So I think that’s why I keep stepping up. Workplace life is hard enough as it is, wouldn’t it be better if we help each other?”
“I see…”
“It’s just me meddling, I guess. Anyway, I’ll contact you.”
“Yes, thank you very much.”
Yuki lowered her eyes, feeling an inexplicable sense of disappointment. Because of this, she missed Karas’s expression. The way his eyes gleamed ominously as he looked down at her, and how his smooth lips twisted strangely.
* * *
“Haha, welcome!”
Winfried greeted Lucas and Iberis with a bright smile as they entered the room guided by a waiter.
“Did you wait long? We’re sorry.”
“Ho ho, not at all. I arrived earlier than the appointed time.”
Winfried waved his hand lightly and offered them seats. He watched with fond eyes as Lucas pulled out a chair for Iberis.
“Did you have a good trip to England? From the news articles, it seems you had an enjoyable time…”
Winfried started the conversation as soon as they sat down. Their trip to England was reported even in Paris daily newspapers. Normally, military personnel visiting a pharmaceutical company wouldn’t make headlines. However, Iberis and Lucas had been attracting attention in various ways recently, and above all, since the person they met was the famous European figure Marquis Blake, no one found it strange that the news was published.
In fact, a paparazzi site even went down temporarily due to traffic overload, showing the extraordinary level of interest. Given such a commotion, Livio must have been quite conscious of this as well.
“We had a good rest visiting my home after a long time. We ended up staying an extra day unexpectedly because of Regina.”
“Mmm.”
Winfried nodded while eating the scallop appetizer.
“By the way, how is the investigation going?”
“We haven’t had any notable results yet. We’re in the process of lifting the hypnosis on the villagers where Carlos lived and taking their statements… Ah, Carlos Norris has been hospitalized in a military hospital due to severe withdrawal symptoms. The trial is expected to start as early as next week.”
“Next week? Is that possible given how unwell he is? The investigation seems to be at a standstill too.”
“We plan to proceed first with the trial for his attack on you two. That part is undeniably guilty. We’ve decided to conduct the trial while reinforcing the investigation, and if the mastermind is revealed, we’ll file a separate lawsuit.”
“I hope it goes well.”
“I hope so too, but… Sigh, I’m not sure if it’s the military investigation bureau being incompetent or if the opponent is too cunning.”
“Probably both.”
Lucas replied cynically as he drank the sparkling water served as a pre-meal drink. He had many complaints about the military investigation bureau’s behavior so far, so he couldn’t say anything nice.
“We shouldn’t let the mood drop at a pleasant gathering. I’ll share some news that might cheer you up.”
Author: Hyacinthus B
Hyacinthus
