Chapter 377: Non-Standard Parameters
Wen Xiao manifested solo this time.
No Mother-unit. No Lyra Frost.
She pushed open the door to find the office quieter than her previous session.
Sora was behind the desk organizing files, Bochi was sprawled next to her, and
Kaito was absent. Ruby and Misty were busy with administrative tasks in the
back.
The reception room was peaceful. Sunlight filtered through the side window,
illuminating the text on the registration forms with high-definition clarity.
Wen Xiao took her seat, pulling her bag onto her lap.
"Owner Sora… did you audit the form I completed last time?"
"I did." Sora flipped a page without looking up. "You stated you wanted someone
who wasn't overbearing and someone who wouldn't mind your low speech-output."
"Correct."
"And as you were leaving, you mentioned a specific variable: your basal body
temperature is 0.3 degrees higher than the human average."
Wen Xiao's fingers tightened slightly on her bag. "Mhm."
Only then did Sora look up, pushing a cup of tea toward her. "State the logic.
What does that data point have to do with finding a partner?"
Wen Xiao gripped the tea, her response delayed. Outside, the sound of footsteps
occasionally drifted through the window-slats before fading away.
"I've been thinking about Mr. Cold," Wen Xiao's voice was steady but slow. "He
stated he was seeking someone 'Living' and 'with Temperature.' I am… a bit
warmer than most."
Sora didn't interrupt. She allowed the client to process her internal monologue.
"I know what I'm considering. I know the variables are non-standard," Wen Xiao
said, staring into her tea. "He is an Anomaly. I am a human. If my mother knew I
was even auditing this possibility, she'd likely initiate a total house-arrest
protocol."
"And yet, you are auditing it."
"Mhm." Wen Xiao's voice dropped in volume. "It's hard to define. It's not
'Love'—at least, not yet. It's that one specific line he said. About how he was
trapped in a Rule-Based Scenario where everything was dead, and how once he got
out, he just wanted to find someone truly alive."
She set the tea down, interlacing her fingers on the desk.
"My vocation is in the hospital. Every day, I monitor temperatures. Most are
within standard human parameters. Occasionally someone manifests a fever, or a
low-temperature crash." She paused. "I don't know why, but when I heard him
speak, I thought: I am at least 0.3 degrees warmer than everyone else."
Sora picked up her pen and scribbled several keywords in her ledger, shielding
them from Wen Xiao's view.
"Wen Xiao, how would you define your current state?"
Wen Xiao thought for a long duration. "I think… I understand the logic behind
his loneliness."
"Define that logic."
"It's the feeling of being surrounded by silence, and needing
something—anything—to respond." Wen Xiao looked up at Sora. "I've been quiet my
entire life. In the hospital, I'm just a unit performing tasks. Vitals,
medication, logs, and then I return to my quarters. Sometimes days pass where
the only words I output are work-related: blood pressure, temperature, treatment
plans."
"It's not 'Sadness'. It's just… a feeling that a piece of the architecture is
missing."
Sora set her pen down. "Have you considered that the reason you resonate with
his frequency is because your situations—though polar opposites on paper—share a
single identical variable?"
Wen Xiao blinked. "What variable?"
"Both of you are waiting for a Receiving Port—someone willing to accept your
output."
The office went silent for several seconds. Bochi, still on the desk, watched
Wen Xiao with his black-bead eyes. He was uncharacteristically quiet.
Wen Xiao tapped the rim of her teacup. "So… do you think he would be willing?"
Sora didn't provide a binary answer. "Unknown. But I can arrange a manifestation
session."
"A meeting?"
"A simple encounter. Tea, conversation. You exchange variables and see if
synchronization occurs," Sora said, capping her pen. "Matchmaking isn't a
binding contract. If the compatibility rating is low, we simply roll back the
session."
Wen Xiao withdrew her hands from the desk, resting them on her lap. "Does Mr.
Cold… know about me?"
"Not yet. I need to coordinate with him first. If you are willing to initialize
the meeting, I'll handle the logistics."
Wen Xiao nodded. "Agreed."
She paused for a second, then added: "Owner Sora, when you arrange the
logistics… please do not mention the 0.3-degree variable to him."
Sora raised an eyebrow. "Reasoning?"
"If he is willing to meet me, I want him… to detect that variable personally."
Wen Xiao's voice was flat, but her fingers pressed firmly into her lap.
Sora looked at her for two seconds, then scribbled a final note in the ledger.
"Understood. Protocol locked."
Once Wen Xiao exited, Bochi crawled over to Sora.
"Sora, was that analysis about the 'Receiving Port' a verified fact?"
"It's my professional audit," Sora said, adding more remarks to Wen Xiao's
dossier. "Whether it's true or not depends on the manifestation."
"Do you think they'll synchronize?"
"Mr. Cold wants 'Life' and 'Temperature'. Wen Xiao is a nurse who possesses both
in excess," Sora closed the file. "She isn't the type to be repelled by his
Anomaly status."
"Why not?"
"Because she's a nurse," Sora said, tucking the dossier under a stack of files.
"Nurses are trained to accept all states of existence. It's a vocational
requirement, but for her, it's a personality trait."
Bochi processed this logic with a solemn expression, like a student taking
mental notes. "Sora, your 'Matchmaker' stat is high-tier."
"Thanks for the assessment."
"I'm high-tier too, right?"
"You asked an Elf if you could touch her ears. I'll let you audit that
yourself."
Bochi shrank slightly. "That was for folkloric research..."
"Next time, convert your research into 'Normal Socializing' and then we'll
talk."
Sora messaged Mr. Cold just before 17:00.
[Mr. Cold, a client wishes to manifest for a session. Human female, 22 years
old, hospital nurse, quiet temperament. Are you available for an audit?]
The reply was nearly instantaneous. [Quiet?]
[Mhm. Low speech-output with strangers, but not a 'Cold' personality type.]
A one-minute delay followed.
[When is the manifestation?]
[The day after tomorrow. 14:30. At the bureau.]
Another pause. [Confirmed.]
Sora updated her schedule: [POST-MORTEM SYNC: WEN XIAO VS. MR. COLD.]
Then, she remembered the other pending task. Chen Xu. Kaito had estimated one
month for the ghost to achieve visibility. His profile was still missing a
"Compatibility Match."
She flipped to Chen Xu's page, staring at the blank space under 'Target
Profile'. Kaito's requirements echoed in her mind: Someone who can sit in a yard
and stare at the void. High soul-sensitivity. Not overbearing. Not quiet-type.
Sora picked up her pen, about to write. But she stopped.
High soul-sensitivity.
The first name that manifested in her mind wasn't a client. It was someone who
had just retired and dropped by every few days to drink tea and check the
parameters of the world.
Sora set the pen down. Then picked it up. Then set it down again.
She stared at the blank column for a full twenty seconds. Finally, she scribbled
a single line of text, closed the ledger, and buried it at the very bottom of
the drawer.
She didn't let Bochi see the entry.
[SYSTEM LOG: SORA'S PRIVATE NOTES] [TARGET MATCH FOR CHEN XU: CHIEF LYRA FROST
(PENDING AUDIT)]
She looked toward the door as the wind chimed the bell once more.
"If he manifests," Sora whispered, "maybe I'll just invite her here to sit."
☆☆☆
-> 20 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.pat-reon.co-m/c/Hollowborn
(Just remove the hyphen (-) to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you