"Mm, I know." Hesta nodded.
"Then that's all from me," Turan took a step back. "You should get some rest."
"Wait, Miss Turan," Hesta suddenly asked, "why didn't you go with the main team for training tonight? …Was it because you wanted to look after me?"
"Haha, not exactly." Turan smiled over her shoulder. "That kind of physical training doesn't do much for me anymore. If I want to improve my Bullet Time… I'll need to find another way."
Hesta wasn't sure what she meant but said softly, "Then I wish you success."
"Let's hope so." Turan grinned, gave her a playful fist-bump, and strode off toward her room.
Hesta watched her go. Tonight, she finally felt like she truly understood this brown-haired, green-eyed girl from Katra.
---
Over the next few days, even without Liz around, Shawn didn't come to bother her again.
That first proactive strike had paid off well, and the small victory lifted Hesta's spirits. She had wanted to tell Chris Chiba the news in person, but strangely, Chiba hadn't appeared for several days.
Instead, an elderly man in a formal suit began showing up at the base, taking Hesta into the city center for target practice during her class breaks.
The man's hair and beard were both silver. A pair of narrow mustaches curved neatly above his upper lip. He wore a crisp white shirt beneath a black vest, topped with a long black morning coat and trousers that fit perfectly.
His eyes were thin and sharp—when he wasn't smiling, he looked like a gentleman; but when he did, those squinting eyes made him resemble a sly, calculating fox.
Officer Morley seemed to know the man. When she saw him arrive in place of Chiba, she didn't look surprised at all.
As the two exchanged greetings, Hesta heard Morley call him "Mr. Elu."
Hesta overheard their brief conversation—Morley asked whether Chiba's health had recovered, and the old man replied calmly, "She's almost there."
"Miss Chiba is sick?" Hesta asked.
Neither of them answered.
---
A week later, Chiba finally appeared—but this time, she was in a wheelchair.
Half her face was wrapped in bandages, her left eye completely covered. Mr. Elu silently pushed her chair from behind.
It wasn't until they boarded the vehicle that Hesta noticed Chiba's right pants leg and left sleeve were both empty and folded. At that moment, she finally understood what Morley's earlier question—"Has her body recovered yet?"—had truly meant.
Chiba had lost both a leg and an arm.
During the ride, Chiba never mentioned her condition. Hesta glanced over several times and saw her resting with her eyes closed.
She was quieter than usual—but the moment they reached the shooting range, that spirited Chiba seemed to return. She had prepared a special set of targets: instead of standard circular boards at twenty-five meters, there were human silhouettes—each showing a "hostage" and a "criminal."
The "criminal" was partially hidden behind the "hostage," exposing only one arm and half a head.
As the training began, Hesta couldn't help but steal glances at Chiba, who stood on one leg, balancing with a crutch held under her arm.
All afternoon, Hesta found it hard to focus. She didn't know if it would be rude to ask directly, "What happened to your hand and leg?" when the other party clearly wasn't bringing it up herself.
Just as she hesitated, Chiba's crutch suddenly struck her across the back.
"Don't slouch!"
The thin cane lashed like a whip—burning where it struck. Hesta snapped back to attention, realizing she'd just shot the "hostage" again.
Chiba sighed.
Hesta turned to her. "I'm sorry."
Chiba suddenly smiled. "Well… that's one way to do it."
There was a trace of mockery in her tone, though Hesta didn't quite catch it.
Chiba hopped forward a step on her single leg, leaning on the crutch. "Next time you run into real kidnappers, just shout, 'Listen up in there! The hostage's already dead! You might as well come out and surrender!'—which criminal wouldn't give up right away?"
Hesta's face turned crimson.
She took a deep breath. "…Let me try again."
Chiba didn't answer immediately. She gazed at the new target board, thoughtful. She could tell Hesta was distracted today—but she hadn't expected her shooting accuracy to drop this much.
"Focus," Chiba said sternly. "No matter what's been bothering you, when you're holding that gun, all your thoughts should be on your target—if you still want to stay alive."
Mr. Elu stood nearby the entire time, wearing earmuffs, posture perfectly straight, a professional and polite smile fixed on his face.
---
On the way back, they once again stopped by the café White Ship.
This time, Chiba only ordered two canalés, while Hesta tried a new fruit tart. The café owner, as always, served a complimentary cup of hot cocoa, which she downed in one go.
That night, while Liz was taking a shower, she noticed a red mark across Hesta's back. She immediately asked whether any of the base instructors had violated procedure and physically punished her.
Hesta tried to change the subject, but Liz wasn't letting it go.
Realizing she couldn't deflect it, Hesta improvised on the spot—claiming that earlier in the afternoon, while out with Chiba, she had helped stop a mugger and had been struck twice in the scuffle.
Liz's hands froze mid-lather. "Chiba just let you rush in by yourself?"
"She helped too," Hesta quickly added. "But I got to him first, so…"
Liz sighed. "When I went to see Dr. Rico today, I noticed Chiba's scheduled for surgery this week at the base. …Is she ill?"
Hesta paused. "…Maybe she was injured."
Through the mist, Liz hummed softly, deep in thought, before saying, "Still, it's rare for active Mercury Needles to return to the trainee base for surgery."
"Why's that?"
"Even though our underground hospital is advanced, it's still not quite on par with those in the Core City. The mother facilities are all inside the Core itself, and some equipment isn't suitable for long-distance transport," Liz explained. "I heard the surgeon operating on Chiba was temporarily sent from the Core City."
Hesta thought of what she'd seen that day. "I see."
---
That same night, Valenti finished her shift, changed clothes, and headed straight for the base's underground hospital.
It was already nine o'clock—two hours after Chiba's surgery had ended. Visiting hours were long over, but Chiba's ward was always an exception. Visitors would be announced by a nurse, and only if Chiba agreed would they be allowed in.
Valenti didn't wait long before the nurse returned to say she could enter.
Inside the white hospital room, Chiba wasn't asleep.
Her long hair was down for once, and she wore an old pair of rimless backup glasses. A red pen rested between her middle and ring fingers, tapping rhythmically as her hand moved.
Papers were scattered across the bed—some filled with short red annotations. Beside her, Mr. Elu quietly organized the older documents on the nightstand.
(End of Chapter)
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