Because both Kal'tsit and Warfarin had mysteriously disappeared, Jay was brought back to the infirmary by Amiya for a final round of blood tests.
...
Meanwhile, Kal'tsit had successfully subdued Warfarin and confiscated the incriminating camera. She returned to her office, calm and composed once more.
As she reviewed the mission report again, she fixated on one odd event: the Doctor's sudden public confession to Talulah. But when considered alongside Talulah's strange withdrawal from the battlefield shortly afterward, a theory began to form in her mind.
Could it be that the Doctor's so-called confession had actually been... a form of psychological warfare?
Back then, Rhodes Island had been cornered, dangerously close to collapse. But that one bizarre, outrageous act of "love" had flipped the situation on its head. The enemy backed down. Was it possible Jay had done it deliberately to disrupt Talulah's mental state and create a turning point?
Kal'tsit frowned, recalling what she knew about Talulah once the idealistic leader of the Reunion Movement, now a violent warlord ruling over Chernobog. It was almost as if something inside her had... changed.
The Black Snake's influence.
Could Jay have detected the shift in Talulah's consciousness? Was that odd declaration part of some larger play, striking at the shadow lurking within her?
Kal'tsit shook her head. She didn't have enough intel to confirm anything.
Her gaze drifted toward the confiscated camera in her hand the one that had captured the moment Jay kissed her. She recalled the way he had looked at her, and the words he said...
"You're beautiful, Kal'tsit."
Unconsciously, her fingers brushed against her cheek.
Could it be that this emotionally dense man had finally developed a shred of romantic awareness after being pulled out of the Sarcophagus?
Kal'tsit quietly licked her lips, making sure she was alone.
"Well... I suppose that wasn't so bad."
...
Strangely, Kal'tsit never brought up the incident with Jay afterward. That night passed uneventfully, to his great relief.
The next morning, he bumped into her in the hallway after breakfast.
"Good morning, Kal'tsit," Jay greeted her cautiously, ready to activate his defensive shield and bolt if needed. She might've appreciated the kiss... or she might suddenly launch an M3 at his face. With a tsundere like Kal'tsit, you never knew.
"Morning," she replied coolly.
To Jay's surprise, she seemed completely normal. No tension, no glare, no mention of what had happened. It was like nothing at all had occurred the day before.
"Have the final results of your blood test come in?" she asked calmly.
"Yeah. Everything looks fine."
"Good," she nodded. Then was it just his imagination? her skin looked more radiant, her energy more vibrant. Her hair was brushed to perfection, and she carried a faint, refreshing fragrance. It was as if she'd aged backward ten years.
Not that ten years made much difference for someone like her.
"About yesterday..." Jay began, a little curious.
Kal'tsit's cheeks flushed briefly, but she masked it behind a polite cough.
"Considering the Doctor has amnesia, some strange behavior is to be expected. I won't hold it against you. That said... there's a time and place for everything."
She's... letting it slide?
"If you have any more 'troubles,' you're welcome to come see me... privately," she added with a slight glance away.
"Uh... got it."
"Ahem. Enough small talk. I actually came to find you for a more serious matter."
She handed Jay a dossier stamped with a red seal.
"This is regarding the prisoner... W."
W the former Babel member turned Sarkaz mercenary, now an enemy of Rhodes Island.
"You personally captured W and brought her back from Chernobog. What exactly do you intend to do with her?"
Without hesitation, Jay answered, "I plan to recruit her."
Kal'tsit pressed a hand to her forehead, sighing.
"You really want to bring that troublemaker into Rhodes Island? Seriously..."
But after a pause, she reconsidered.
"Actually... it might work. And if it's your plan, I'll help manage it. No more disasters on your own, understand?"
The two of them headed to the detention room, where W was shackled and disarmed.
Though once a comrade in Babel, the years and bloodshed had driven a wedge between them. The W they faced now was the enemy.
"Well, well. Never thought we'd meet again like this," Kal'tsit said with a crooked smile.
Back in Babel, their relationship was already rocky. Now, the tension had only grown worse.
"Tch. Can't believe I got played by that damn Doctor. Guess even pros like me slip up once in a while. Go ahead, do whatever. I'm not talking. Unless you give me something real, don't expect me to say a damn word."
After Theresa's assassination, W had lost faith in Rhodes Island and in Jay.
"Oh? Still so defiant?" Kal'tsit narrowed her eyes. "Maybe it's time we used... that."
W's pupils shrank in fear.
"No way! You wouldn't dare use Rhodes Island's most despicable, twisted interrogation method!"
Kal'tsit's smile was bone-chilling.
"Oh, I would. You know I would."
"Wait, wait, Kal'tsit! We were coworkers once!"
"If Scout had died because of your betrayal, you wouldn't be getting off this easy."
Jay didn't know what exactly "Rhodes Island's most despicable, twisted interrogation method" entailed, but based on the way W was reacting... it had to be something wild. Please don't let it involve peppermint oil and coins again...
Still, he stepped forward, adding to the psychological pressure.
"W, there's an old saying: 'The wise submit to the times.' We've got plenty of tools to loosen that tongue of yours. Work with us, and we'll treat you well."
Faced with the double threat of Kal'tsit and Jay, W finally snapped.
"Oi! You two, what the hell?! Since when did you start tag-teaming me like this?! Are you two a thing now?!"
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Oh, you like the story? Wow, who knew. Go ahead, drop a review and throw some power stones maybe I'll be motivated to keep going.