Talks

The situation at hand is dire. I'm on the verge of experiencing an unexpected event.

I, Ryuma, am about to be killed by a girl probably in her early or late teens. I don't know. She has a small body. One thing I'm certain of is that she is in her teens, but that's beside the point. As of this moment, this young girl in front of me is wielding two dangerous-looking daggers, and her gaze is fixed on me. A scary gaze.

"Bro, be careful."

"I told you to stop calling me that! And why should I be afraid of the girl? She's just a kid."

"I'm not talking about the girl, I'm talking about those weapons in her hands. I'm surprised how your kind is able to advance at such a pace in just a few years."

"Hmm, surely I recognize that energy… I've felt it somewhere before—wait a minute, those are made from Nephilim cores, right?"

"Yes, bro, those are made from my kind's life source."

"Ehhh… creepy, but I don't have a core, so they shouldn't be dangerous to me—"

"Remember what I told you: there are many ways to kill my kind. Well, this is one."

"Then this is bad."

"Indeed. When one core's energy meets another, they instantly begin to negate each other, and during that process, the stronger energy will consume the other."

"But you said I didn't have a core, so it shouldn't affect us, right?"

"It shouldn't, but I'm not entirely sure. For now, try to avoid any situation that will make you transform, because if you do and come into contact with that object, I'm not certain of our fate."

"Alright, alright, I understand."

I shook my head, leaned back in the chair, and crossed my leg over the other, looking at the young girl.

Upon watching my movement, she flinched but then gripped her daggers tightly, still locking her gaze on me. I was afraid for a minute but still tried to maintain my composure.

"What are you trying to do, Lieutenant!?"

The man beside her barked. He, too, was surprised at her sudden action, so it seems like she's acting on her own accord.

"Lieutenant Saiya!"

He barked again, bringing the girl back to her senses.

'Saiya… I think I've seen that name somewhere.'

"Lieutenant Saiya, stop this instant!"

"Nn… I'm sorry, s-sir."

She spun her daggers and placed them back in her pockets.

I'm relieved. So fucking relieved.

"Thank goodness, I thought you were mad."

"I'm so sorry, sir."

The man walked up and sat in the chair opposite me, while the girl moved towards the edge of the room in the shadows.

"S-So sorry about all this. She just came back from a battle not too long ago, so she isn't feeling well."

"No problem. I understand."

"You understand?"

"Mm err yeah, back outside the walls it was confusing. Everything was just so… somehow, and it was confusing."

What the fuck am I even saying?

"Okay."

The man dropped some documents on the table.

I doubt he bought what I said.

"Erm, so the thing is, there isn't anything in particular happening, I just want to ask you a couple of questions concerning your health."

I did a check while entering the walls. They told me it was to see if I was medically stable or something like that, using some other terminologies. So what is this doctor, or whatever he is, trying to tell me? That I'm sick? Or maybe I have a tumor, a brain tumor?

"So what is it you want to say, doc?" I asked.

"Glad you asked…"

He flipped through the documents and placed a sheet of paper with a black-and-white drawing I knew nothing about.

"What's this, doc?"

"This is your—please don't call me 'doc.' I am a doctor."

"Okay, okay, so tell me, doc-tor, what's this painting?"

"Well, as you know, we performed a check-up on you when you arrived, and this is the result. This is your X-ray."

Hmm… kind of interesting.

"Can I?" I asked for permission before reaching for the X-ray on the table. I looked at it, but I couldn't understand a thing. Everything was just new.

"The thing is, we found a rather troublesome issue with your body that needs to be addressed immediately," he said, taking a quick glance at my chest. I had a feeling I knew where this conversation was heading.

"So…? What's this issue, doc?"

He let out a sigh before answering.

"The thing is… about your heart. We discovered during the test that it's in a state of asystole."

"Please speak English, doc."

"Your heart isn't beating."

Shit. This is bad.

Three words resound in my head when he told me about my heart. Could it be it hasn't been beating all this time? Why?

Should it start beating now? No, if it starts all of a sudden, it'll definitely feel strange. But still, I could say they got it wrong. I doubt they'll buy that.

This is bad.

"Are you sure about what you're saying, doc?"

"Yes, I am. Here is video footage of it."

The fucking dude has proof. Shit, I am finished.

I never thought of any of this.

Shit!!

He removed his phone and played the footage, and truly, my heart wasn't beating. But what caught my attention wasn't its motion—it was the structure. It looked perfect, even though it was just a replica.

"I am utterly speechless, doc."

"Hmm, I haven't asked my question…" He dropped the phone and arranged the documents. "… There's a big scar on your chest and other parts of your body, so my question is: can you tell me what caused these scars?"

The situation is truly dire. Anything I say now will be crucial. I can't possibly tell him about B, so I have to lie. I have to make up a sensible lie. But what should I say?

"It's still your choice if you don't want to talk about it, but if I am to advise you, you should speak up now so we can address this issue—"

"I don't want to speak about it. There's nothing to talk about. I got the injury back outside the walls during a Nephilim attack."

First trick to lying: always tell the truth.

"Hmm… if you say so, there's no problem. But are you sure you don't want to check into it?"

"No, not really."

Surely my response will only attract more attention. From here on out, I have to be cautious.

Haa… and here I thought I could live a peaceful life. Well, there's always a start to everything.

"Then I won't pry any further. Since you just came into the walls, you'll be given temporary accommodations for three months. In these three months, you are to get familiarized with the place, get a paying job, and find a house for yourself."

He turned to the creepy girl in the shadows.

"Please show him around, Lieutenant."

"Yes, sir!"

"Wait a minute, wait a minute, doc! I'm with this creep? Are you being serious?!"

No doubt, this is gonna be one hell of a ride.