I'm So Sad
Lucia thought Nera was a dangerous person the first time she laid eyes on her.
Well, can you blame her?
Sure, her outward actions were clearly just, but there wasn't a shred of human hesitation between them. She was like a machine. Nothing but a tool to enact justice.
Of course, there's no need to show mercy when executing a criminal.
But any normal person sends out social signals naturally. Nera had none of that. She just approached silently and pinned the criminal down with an expressionless face.
Everything about her was mechanical and rigid, yet somehow that downward strike felt light and spry. For a split second, her expression even tricked Lucia into thinking she was smiling.
Thud!
Only after the loud crash did Lucia snap back to reality.
It was too one-sided to call it mere subjugation—more like outright violence. There wasn't a hint of pity in the eyes fixed on the criminal.
It was also a bizarre sight. The height difference was at least half a head, yet this tiny woman had hoisted up a burly man and slammed him into the ground hard enough to crack the floor.
Lucia wasn't about to defend the thug, but the brutality still made her stomach drop.
His gaunt cheeks, the hand trembling around the knife despite gripping it tight. It all screamed some tragic backstory. They say every criminal has one, but it was hard to look away from that raw desperation staring you in the face.
She was definitely no ordinary person. Lucia had felt chills down her spine the moment those red eyes floated out of the darkness, but there was a world of difference between suspecting and confirming it.
The red eyes drew closer. Her breathing quickened, fists clenching.
What did that gaze mean? Ecstasy? Desire? Violence? Madness? Whatever unknowable emotion it was, who would it turn to next?
Lucia steadied her trembling body and stepped in front of the children. Pure instinct—she had to protect them.
When those red eyes finally loomed right in front of her, her heart pounded so fiercely it drowned out everything else. Faintly, through the thundering, she heard the children sniffling.
How much time passed? Probably only a couple minutes, but to Lucia, it felt like an eternity.
As her fear mounted, so did her resolve. But in the end, it was all for nothing.
Lucia's fears were just delusions. Nera was nothing more than an inspector.
Nera had simply done her job as an inspector.
It wasn't unusual for inspectors to show up here. The precarious security in these neglected outskirts—where the sector's lax oversight left room for trouble—was maintained precisely because of enforcers and inspectors.
Enforcers and inspectors spent most of their time at the sector walls outside rest periods, but they could enter the city proper. Even for minor matters, as long as they followed procedure. That's what they'd taught at the academy.
A bit rough around the edges, maybe, but the inspector had scanned her surroundings and done what needed doing.
Reaching that conclusion, Lucia felt her chest unclench.
It was the first time she'd misjudged someone so badly based on appearances alone. To spectacularly mistake an inspector who protected sector residents, no less! She felt utterly ashamed of herself.
No one had gotten hurt over it, sure... but at least this Inspector Nera had witnessed Lucia's reaction up close.
What if she's hurt by it...? That thought haunted her from then on. Lucia figured she owed her an apology, at minimum.
And then, miracle of miracles. She'd thought she'd never see her again, but there she was during a routine volunteer shift: the red-eyed inspector, right in front of her.
At first, Lucia thought it was a hallucination. Wishful thinking making her see things.
It wasn't.
The sight of her expressionlessly tending to a newborn was oddly eerie, but no illusion.
Another blunder! Calling her eerie now would be rude! Was she about to repeat the same mistake?
She'd only helped out of kindness. Judging her just because she was stoic would be ridiculous. Past and present, all evidence pointed to one thing: she did the right thing.
Lucia chided herself quietly and approached Nera.
Still that blunt impression, but different from that night. In the dark, with only those red eyes glowing, she'd seemed terrifying. Now? Just small and fragile. And cuter than expected.
Back in high school, she'd been surrounded by tiny, cute girls like this. But since the academy, not so much.
Lucia forgot all her prior fear. She reached out. Contrary to expectations of fierce resistance, Nera didn't budge.
Way more docile than I thought? Short girls can be surprisingly stubborn about hugs sometimes. But no pushback despite that icy tone!
Finally, Lucia was convinced. Nera was just a girl bad at expressing emotions!
*****
I could finally escape the giant slug clinging to me relentlessly once Sirius III's mother returned.
Human body heat feels nice and warm. Especially facing Emma's massive affection—it always brought a profound peace. But the giant slug was a bit... sticky.
I wanted to squirm away every which way. But no matter how hard I resisted, she showed zero signs of giving up, so I threw in the towel.
If every action led to the same result, why bother with the hassle?
Anyway, after successfully breaking free, I headed back to the sector walls...
-Bzzzzt!
My phone alarm blared. Was someone seriously dumping more chores on me during this golden weekend?!
Things had been miraculously quiet for days—I was lounging in uniform in my quarters! How did annoyances like this keep piling up right after waking?!
I tried ignoring the phone, but I'd already screwed up once with oversleeping. Couldn't afford another mark against me. Ignoring a summons now would go beyond slacking—it'd be insubordination!
The sender was a total surprise. How surprising? I'd never seen them before in my life.
Even the messenger app warns you not to trust randos! Scammers sending spam in this day and age—who'd have thought?
Sure, I knew someone with that name, but he's too busy romancing his Cadaver creations to venture out. I never even gave him my number on purpose! So, obvious spam. No doubt.
I strode confidently toward the sector walls—ten steps in—and glanced at my phone.
...Sigh. I could just sink into that sigh forever.
This is not okay. Do they have any idea how long it takes to get to the sector core from here? A full day, easy. Things were so peaceful with no missions lately—this is a bolt from the blue!
If I ignore it, Dr. Licht will flip. Might even drag his bodyguards here to kidnap me.
Fine, whatever—I had to drop by the lab anyway! Totally unavoidable!
*****
The lab I arrived at after half a day still reeked of that oppressive gloom.
Minus the bright lights, it felt utterly lifeless. Plenty of organisms lurking here, but calling them "living people" was a stretch. Effectively, Dr. Licht had this vast underground space to himself.
"Heard you ran into another calamity-grade Cadaver. Some uniquely evolved infiltration type, they say. Got samples?"
Straight to demands the second I walk in. He must think I'm some golden goblin.
But what to do? I wanted samples too, but all that was left was ground-meat chunks. Didn't even finish off the Infiltration Core! There had to be a core somewhere, but that weirdo interrupted before I could snag it.
Thinking about it pisses me off. If Carlos hadn't interfered, I'd have scoured the area and found it!
No core means it'll regenerate eventually. Maybe already has! At least it's stationary—strength doesn't matter if it can't move.
Though even if I'd found it, returning with it mid-mission would've looked suspicious.
Would've been a perfect chance to swallow it on the sly. I can still get stronger.
"Failed to process it properly."
"Tch, useless. Fine. Stand by here today."
What the hell? Why do I need to standby at the lab? Anywhere's better than this dank hole—even the enforcer barracks reeking of old-man sweat!
Whether I inwardly cursed him or not, Dr. Licht strode off briskly.
Pointless. "Today" means at least until tomorrow? What is this?! Wasn't I independent from the lab now? Abuse of authority!
But seriously, what now? Shouldn't I at least notify the enforcer division? I rushed here on the fastest train expecting to be back tonight! Wasting my precious cash!
I glanced sideways. Where Dr. Licht had left stood Emma, affection for me clearly evaporated.
"Already informed 1st Platoon."
Oh, cool. That's a relief. Go, Emma! What'd they say? They might care enough to worry, y'know.
"So behave and standby here."
Yeah, no way. Even if they said that, no need to report back via you—they'd just text me directly. Bitter pill. Do I have no comrades who care?
My heart hurts. Only way to soothe this sadness is sneaking some ampoules from the tortoises Dr. Licht cooked up.
So, when's Miss Emma leaving? I'm itching to move...