A Little Space To Cope

1103 hours, 2 July 0145…

We stood in the corridor outside of the infirmary room, helplessly waited for Christine, Kyouko, and Commander Marisa to come out and give us a concrete elaboration on what's going on.

Christine was not physically ill; instead, she was seething with anger towards Pope Enzio Busso and Antonio for their exploitative plans involving her Divinocchi to cleanse the entire Grande Maria, treating her as nothing more than a tool.

She needed a little space to cope with the overwhelming pressure from the squadron. Fortunately, Kyouko and Commander Marisa were able to offer her much-needed comfort and support during this difficult time.

Marisa might be the highest-ranking medic commander with expertise in treating diseases and even psychological disorders, but she often counsels Authonoid troops that have experienced mental health problems as a result of horrific incidents they have encountered on missions.

The consultant's mood improved as a result of Marisa's advice, and they were relieved when she gave them a straightforward cheat code to make the next difficulties simpler.

Although Commander Marisa's résumé was remarkable, Kyouko, her younger sister, had an equally impressive one.

Everyone riveted their eyes with anxious concerns after Commander Marisa and Kyouko left the infirmary room.

"Commander Marisa, could you tell me what happened to Christine?"

As Kyoko briefly looked down with a tinge of worry, she then glanced at us with a hint of sympathy.

"She wanted to go home."

Her response confounded everyone in the corridor, and Axel's eyebrows flew up in shock.

"Headed home? Like, right now? What's that supposed to mean?"

Then Commander Marisa spoke, her voice strong and assured.

"She wished to reunite with her father at her former residence, in the south-east of Grande Maria, close to the edge of Capriccio."

"And it's our greatest pleasure that her father, Leonid Martinez, is still living well."

Everyone became silent in thankfulness as they learned of her father's present situation. The fact that Christine's house was far from the headquarters was even more unexpected. Lisabelle groaned slightly in disapproval and motioned in the direction of the GPS on her phone.

"Southeastern Grande Maria? That's way too far! It'll take like 4 hours to get there!"

But Kyouko gave a concise response to Lisabelle's worry.

"Prolonging her stay here will negatively affect her mental wellbeing because of the mistreatment she received."

Her explanation perplexed everyone, and Nolan raised a doubtful eyebrow.

"Like, what mistreatment?"

After that, Commander Marisa unveiled the details of Christine's backstory.

"Christine's mother, Hilda Kaliglia, passed away ten years ago from an inherited fifth-stage colon cancer."

"The Cleanser Squadron tried to take advantage of Hilda's death to coerce Christine into marrying Antonio after multiple failed engagements."

"They planned to use Christine's Divinocchi to awaken Sanctoria, which the Cleaner Squadron believed God would use to cleanse all heretics in Grande Maria and throughout San Martino."

"Laconia is one of the seven arch-angels that specializes in healing. She consistently bestows healing blessings on her faithful followers and afflicts heretics with a disease."

"Laconia may unleash an otherworldly force capable of curing all ailments, even the Scorching Virus, by using Christine's inherited frantilos. Despite the lack of solid proof."

Many nodded in agreement as Commander Marisa eloquently presented her argument, resonating with the group and solidifying our understanding. With a nod, Lisabelle queried.

"There is no doubt that Christine is a real pro at healing. But how does Christine's behavior relate to her middle school syndrome?"

Kyoko stepped forward, her hands gesturing as she spoke.

"She needs friends, or maybe I should say attention. This group showed her extreme remorse for even the smallest mistakes and overprotected her, preventing her from retreating into a secure realm of pain."

Nolan suddenly queried her elaboration with a hint of slight frustration.

"Taking flak over a little blunder? What sorts?"

Kyoko examined the details, her fingers tracing them out as she went.

"That includes: conversing with an unfamiliar male, using slight profanity, overlooking the bible reading interval, questioning the rules, surpassing bedtime, and many other things."

Hearing of the Cleanser Squadron's brutal treatment of Christine, everyone's faces contorted in revulsion.

"As a result, she enrolled in the Minerva Academy overseas, seeking liberation from oppressive regulations that had troubled her, allowing her to freely express herself."

"And since the loss of her mother had motivated her, she planned to enroll in the medical studies there. She would effectively use her frantilos in this situation to rescue the lives of the diseased patients who were on the verge of death."

"But before she's about to enroll at the Minerva Academy, Antonio mandates that she attend a religious school to further her spiritual understanding."

"She did not let this stop her, as she signed up with the Minerva Academy through an online test without her squadron's cognizance."

"The outcome was favorable. Minerva submitted her test because of how inventive her answers were."

"But yet, she cannot confess to this squadron, since they still have a grudge against Minerva."

The final part of her statement slightly took everyone aback. Axel raised his left eyebrow in a questioning manner.

"Like, what grudge?"

Commander Marisa straightforwardly answered as she continued.

"Different political alignment."

"And it was fortunate that her father got her to the airport in secret for her flight to St. Minerva Island."

But Axel questioned her again with a hint of concern, seeking further clarification.

"How can she escape the squadron without them being aware?"

Kyouko then answered.

"She changed her telephone number and constructed a fake ID."

But just as Kyouko was going to carry on, Christine abruptly left the hospital room, leaving behind a sour expression. We all gathered around her, consumed by worry and concern.

With a sympathetic query, Kyoko put a gentle hand on Christine's shoulder.

"Christine? What's wrong?"

As everyone around Christine was filled with worries, she looked down and quietly responded.

"I definitely want to go home."

With a compassionate inquiry, Lisabelle traced her fingers down Christine's back.

"Aren't we going to take another long trip to your old home?"

Immediately, I exclaimed to everyone.

"Let's take her home right away. We don't want to make her any more uncomfortable here!"

Just as I was ready to continue, we felt a slight jolt as we heard a familiar voice behind us.

"Need someone to take you home?"

I glanced over my shoulder and saw Pedro Alvarino, our tour host, who was grinning at us. I found it perplexing why Mr. Alvarino felt the need to intervene in our plans. With big eyes full of confusion, I asked the question.

"Pedro Alvarino? What're you up to in here?"

He answered with indifference in his voice.

"Antonio asked me to bring Christine back to her old home."

It shocked me that he'd willingly drive us to Christine's former residence, which is quite a distance from here. As I asked, a ray of hope sprang into my heart.

"For real?"

As Mr. Alvarino elaborated, his voice carried a faint sigh, adding a touch of empathy to his words.

"You guys need to rest in there to reduce your jet lag."

Lisabelle showed him the GPS on her phone while asking him the same tiring question again.

"Isn't the journey going to take forever? I mean, take a look at the route's duration from here."

Mr. Alvarino's hearty laughter filled the corridor as he jokingly responded.

"Don't sweat it. I have one with the rocket engine."

Christine abruptly left the lobby without saying anything, her eyes brimming with determination to seize the opportunity.

I nodded collectively to indicate to everyone present that we should bring her home.

"Let's just go, guys!"

We left the lobby and drove Christine to her old home. And I am eager to engage in conversation with her father to unravel further details about her past, her mother's passing, and the complete truth regarding this squadron.