Chapter 176
Chapter 176
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 16
Chapter Title: Love
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"Ow."
My cheek burns.
"Astounding."
That pain fuels a momentary surge of rage that engulfs my mind.
Before I can even finish thinking, my hand moves on its own.
Slap-!
I give back exactly what I got.
I just can't stand looking at that mug. This is revenge for Tenn Ries and all the other survivors too.
"Nicole!"
The leader of the survivors goes flying from a single slap. Nicole's body hurtles in the direction of my palm strike, and that's not enough—she rolls a couple more times across the ground.
"And you call yourself human after that? In my eyes, you're the real monsters."
One slap isn't enough to vent my anger. Part of me wants to climb on top of that withered old body and pummel her with my fists, but Isaac grabs my leg and starts holding me back.
"Joo-ho, hold it in...! J-just hold on a little..."
It's a selfish plea.
Isaac can't bear to see his former wife suffer like this, so he chooses to debase himself instead.
"Hold it in? You want me to hold this in?"
That only makes me angrier.
Tears well up in my eyes. It's not because my slapped cheek hurts—it's because this absurd situation is so infuriating that my weak side keeps bubbling up.
"Your wife abandoned every last crew member of the Paradise Ship!"
"I know that! But Nicole over there, and the other survivors—they're all our comrades too..."
Isaac, who's survived alongside us all this time, begs for forgiveness for his wife.
He can't stand by and watch Nicole die,
nor can he watch her get beaten by me.
My rage has nowhere to go.
In the end, I have no choice but to unclench my fist, which I've gripped so hard it's drawn blood.
"You're in the way."
The only one truly on my side here is Amy.
"Urk!"
She pries Isaac off me with one hand and tosses him into the corner. Even Amy's actions carry a hint of emotion.
"You all should be grateful to Dr. You endured this far with one sole purpose: to save you."
Anger flares even on her cold, expressionless face.
Amy feels disgust toward the survivors. Her sharp gaze pierces the survivors and Isaac.
"Dr. doesn't deserve this treatment. Don't blame him for your weak wills and incompetence. He's accomplished the impossible to reach this place. You never could have. All this time, Dr. has—"
"Amy, that's enough."
That's plenty.
Now I just want to go home.
"But, Dr...."
"It's fine. Let's leave it at that and head back."
I pat Amy's shoulder and turn my back on the survivors. In the distance, beyond the sunken Paradise Ship in the sea, the sun is rising.
"No. You can't leave like this. They need to know. And at the very least, make sure they can never interfere with us again—"
"We've got a lot to do. We need to hurry. You're short on time because of Ember too, right, Amy? Let's go eat something and get back to work. Got it?"
Amy starts to press the survivors harder,
but in the end, she yields to my bitter request.
"...Dr."
Amy squeezes my shoulder tight. As if that's not enough, she even pulls me into a hug.
"Returning to base."
"Yeah, let's go."
Finally, I turn my head one last time to look at Isaac.
I extend my hand to him too.
Amy seems utterly fed up with humans and doesn't bother with Isaac anymore, but I still can't abandon him.
"Isaac, we need to go home."
If he stays with that group, Isaac will die anyway.
It's hard to imagine the survivors—who abandoned their other comrades just to stay alive—taking care of Isaac, who doesn't even have a lower body.
I know it, and
so does he.
But even at the last moment, Isaac keeps his eyes on Nicole. Can't be helped if she's on his mind.
Middle-aged eyes betray longing and emotion that's hard to hide.
A brief hesitation.
That alone makes me realize we can never go back to our old relationship.
Isaac loves Nicole.
Even though she sold out all the other survivors,
and now ruthlessly drives me and him away, discriminating against us...
Still, he loves her.
"Y-yeah. Let's go. Thanks, Joo-ho. Thank you for holding back."
Isaac drags his mangled wheels and follows behind us.
The clattering sound grates on my ears.
I should ask Amy to make him some prosthetic legs at least.
"..."
It's scary.
Feels like I'll be left alone.
If he could walk again,
would Isaac leave my side to go see Nicole?
Even knowing it might kill him...
Would he go chasing that tainted love after all?
My mood is foul.
Sitting by the seaside, breathing in the sea breeze, deep breaths do nothing to improve it.
"Joo-ho, you okay?"
Aria looks up at me from the water below, asking. Her face full of worry feels so familiar.
It's the face Isaac used to make.
Isaac wore that expression by Nicole's side.
Splash.
I dive straight into the sea.
Water splashes,
bubbles rise,
and then Aria's face appears close up before me.
Underwater, we press our foreheads together and close our eyes. Communication underwater is usually done with sign language, but sometimes we can converse like this without a word.
Aria silently strokes my head.
Her arms wrap around my shoulders and the back of my neck, hugging me tight as if afraid a wave might sweep me away.
A moment of peace returns underwater.
With the moon-chasing thugs gone, all sorts of sea creatures resume their daily lives. Cute striped fish circle around me and Aria.
They don't fear me at all.
Mermaid tails growing underwater,
gills,
calm movements and leisure.
With just those three things, I'd be one of the sea folk.
The ocean on this remote planet—something I've rarely experienced—doesn't reject me.
The Paradise Ship and its crew, who flew tens, hundreds of light-years with me, no longer accept me now, yet this unknown, alien ecosystem reaches out to welcome me.
"Forget them."
Arachne says.
"If they won't properly acknowledge you, even if they're your own kind, there's no need to stay close."
The tea she offers is always fragrant. Not too hot, not cold—just the right warmth lets the tea leaves' aroma bloom.
"...I'm happy just having you."
Arachne's shy confession burns hotter than the teacup. Her face flushes bright red.
"What I mean is... even without your own kind, I'm by your side. You don't need to worry about anything else."
We interlock our fingers and pinky swear. Arachne fidgets with her sweaty hand and starts pulling me closer.
"Elder."
Nephyr quietly calls to me as I come back inside after a sleepless night. She lifts the blanket she's been using slightly, waiting for me.
Lured in, I lie down beside her, and I feel the warmth she's gathered all this time. The weather's a bit chilly, but inside Nephyr's seamless blanket is a desert-like heat.
But it's not the dry, unpleasant scorch from before.
It's more like sunlight brimming with life, filling the heart...
"Ah, Elder. You're cold."
Nephyr hugs me tight and buries my face in her breasts. In that soft, alluring scent, I hug her back.
"You did nothing wrong, Elder. Fools twist and defy the will of the gods."
She serves me without the slightest hesitation or doubt. Even in this moment, Nephyr fulfills her duty.
"That's why the shrine maiden stays by your side. Elder, I'm always here. I've been waiting for whenever you need me."
Her unconditional love and trust border on burdensome, but now they give me certainty and courage.
The contemptuous gazes of the other survivors flickering in my mind, their rejection and distrust toward me...
"My god."
...mean nothing in Nephyr's embrace.
"Even if the world crumbles, I'll always be by your side. If you die, Elder, I die too. I swear it."
We kiss under the moonlight, unconcerned. Her secretive mouth, full of her saliva, opens to me all too easily.
What the hell is love, anyway.
I still can't grasp its true meaning.
It creates miracles at times,
yet brings inescapable filthy tragedies too.
Symbiosis, mutual destruction,
faith, trust, jealousy, doubt...
Any word fits without issue.
Maybe love is a concept on a whole higher plane. That's why us mortals spend our lives wandering in search of its meaning, only to die without finding it.
"I want to."
I urge Nephyr like I'm pleading.
Please, just hold me today.
Otherwise,
my mind keeps crumbling without warning.