Originium was the most vicious poison on this land.
If a venomous snake bit your finger, and you chopped the finger off immediately and got medical treatment in time, odds were you'd live.
But if Originium cut your finger—even if you severed the entire arm in an instant—you still could not escape the fate of Oripathy.
"That's the face! Yes—that face!" the Lupo cackled madly. "Texas, you can make an expression like that too! Even if I didn't manage to kill your man, stabbing you in the heart feels pretty good!"
"Shut up."
Su Yi stuffed the filthy rag back into the Lupo's mouth, then turned around and sighed.
"In any case, that's the situation. I'm asking you—please keep it secret."
"Why… why can you be this calm?!" Texas couldn't understand.
Regret tore at her. Why wasn't it her who got infected? Why hadn't she hit harder? Why didn't Su Yi blame her at all?
Su Yi scratched his head and answered lightly, "Maybe because it's my first time being infected, so it doesn't feel real yet. Once I start growing rocks, maybe it'll hit me."
His tone was relaxed—like he was talking about trying a new restaurant tomorrow.
Growing rocks…
Su Yi glanced sideways at the Lupo's black, translucent crystals.
For some reason, it didn't feel like "erosion" or "growth" to him. It felt more like "assimilation," and "recording."
Texas fell silent.
She realized she'd misjudged Su Yi. Even if he recovered all his memories, he probably wouldn't be any different from who he was now.
His nature simply would not allow him to turn bad.
He was consistent—through and through.
"I'll take care of him first," Su Yi said, "then let's hurry back. We've been out too long—they might think we slipped out on a date."
He pulled the Originium knife from the Lupo's body and drove it straight into his heart, ending his life.
Then he made a call for someone to come handle the aftermath. Finally, he wiped the fingerprints off a newly bought terminal, tossed it to the ground, and crushed it under his heel.
"Let's go," Su Yi said.
"…Mm." Texas was obedient—almost like a Perro blood relative.
On the way back, Texas stayed silent. She was usually quiet, but this kind of silence made Su Yi feel like he had a bone stuck in his throat.
"Can you not do that?" he complained. "Someone who doesn't know better would think you're the one who got sick."
"Su Yi… will you blame me?" Texas asked.
That Siracusan was her "past." If it weren't for her, none of this would have happened.
"How could I?" Su Yi said honestly. "I'm actually glad I saved you."
He paused, then added with a sigh, "It's just a shame. Looks like I won't get to eat Exusiai's apple pie anymore."
Exusiai…
How was she supposed to face her?
I made the person she likes catch Oripathy…
The thought made Texas's chest hurt even more.
It was all her fault. She forced Su Yi to leave Lungmen. She turned his lifespan into a candle in the wind. She condemned him to live under discrimination for the rest of his days.
All of it… was… her fault…
"Not your fault!"
Su Yi saw the gray wolf with her head lowered, black hair half-hiding her face, her beautiful features flickering under the streetlights—and he knew exactly what she was thinking.
He steadied her by the shoulders, lowered his head, and told her solemnly:
"The moment I chose to stick my nose into it, I accepted whatever outcome came— even if I'd died in that alley."
"But my luck was good. Truly, truly good. I didn't die—and I saved you."
"If it had been anyone else, I might've cursed a few times under my breath. But for you… I don't regret it. Not even a little."
"Why?" Texas still couldn't understand. "Am I really worth you doing that?"
"More than worth it."
Su Yi's voice was firm.
"Do you know how lost I was when I crawled out of that sarcophagus and faced a world I didn't recognize? Do you know how moved I was when you reached out your hand to help me?"
"We were strangers who happened to cross paths, and yet you helped me for nothing. You spent three days and three nights with me in Chernobog looking for my family."
"You didn't know any of that—so don't blame yourself recklessly."
Then he tilted his head slightly, as if thinking of another angle.
"And if you look at it differently… is it possible that I'm not resentful at all—maybe I even kind of enjoy it?"
What a pervert. Catching Oripathy and still calling it "enjoyment"…
Texas couldn't hold back anymore. She opened her arms and hugged him tightly.
Su Yi froze for a beat, then gently wrapped an arm around her shoulders, savoring this last warmth.
Because later… who would be willing to hug an infected man like him?
"Apple pie, apple pie… Su Yi's favorite apple pie…"
Exusiai carried a big bag of round, red apples on her way home, grumbling, "Honestly, Texas—why did she rush out like that? I was going to ask her to help me buy these."
Speak of the devil.
At the next intersection, turning right, she saw Su Yi and Texas walking side by side—so harmonious, so beautiful.
"Tex—"
The lively red-haired girl lifted her right hand, about to call out to her best friend and the boy she'd been quietly crushing on—
—and then she saw it.
The best friend who was always aloof and cold opened her arms… and hugged the boy Exusiai liked.
And the boy didn't push her away.
He hugged her back—gently—right there, in front of Exusiai's eyes.
"So… that's how it is," Exusiai murmured blankly.
She retreated back to the corner, knees bending until she squatted on the ground. Her fingers loosened on the bag.
The round apples tumbled playfully into the road—only to be crushed without mercy by passing vehicles, bursting apart, juice spraying everywhere.
Just like her heart.
…
11:00 p.m.
"Exusiai, why are you back so late?" Croissant asked when Exusiai finally returned—empty-handed. "Where are the apples?"
"The supermarket… closed. I…"
Exusiai glanced at Texas and Su Yi sitting on the sofa as if nothing had happened, then lowered her head.
"I don't feel well. I'm going to rest."
Croissant scratched her head. Lately, everyone had been acting strange.
Texas could tell Exusiai was off too.
But right now, Su Yi mattered more than anything else. She couldn't spare the attention to comfort her closest friend.
"Stay," Texas said softly. "Everyone won't mind."
"There's no need," Su Yi replied. "Penguin Logistics already has plenty of enemies. If my identity is exposed, the entire company will be dragged into the whirlpool."
"I'm a dying man. I don't want to drag you down any further."
Texas struggled against reality. "Tomorrow I'll take you to the hospital. We'll get you checked."
Su Yi shook his head. "No point."
"What are you two talking about?" Sora drifted over.
"Su Yi's sick," Texas said evenly. "I'm taking him to the hospital tomorrow for an exam. Thanks for holding things down, you three."
-------
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