"Bleh—!" Dina hurled but could get nothing out.
She had awakened in the system space as soon as Jerry lost consciousness and was yet to regain herself due to the trauma of the pain she had just faced.
She gagged and gasped painfully as drool ran down her lips and tears down her cheeks. Her body trembled and her mind was in utter chaos until a solid grip spun her forward.
"Dina, look at me," Zero spoke while gently guiding his panicked partner to look into his eyes.
The trembling gold-brown pupils stared into his with a mix of shock, trepidation, and hefty panic.
Zero tightened his grip as he firmly guided, "Deep breaths… Up… Down… Up…"
It took some time and effort before Dina fully stabilized, and as soon as the last traces of fear and panic faded from her eyes, she slumped onto the male's broad shoulder in exhaustion.
Zero was at a loss. Not only was this position strenuous for Dina, if he made any unsightly movement the recently stabilized Dina could go into panic once more.
His eyes glanced towards the softly panting lady whose eyes were shut tight and hands clenched on his arms, and he pondered.
His puzzled eyes cleared up, and a decision was made.
Leaning forward, he moved his arm under her and stood up tall with the frail lady scooped into his arms.
Dina shrieked, swiftly wrapping her hands about his neck, but before she could distress, a low voice rang.
"Keep calm." Zero made a gentle swiping motion on her back as he spoke, "You're safe now."
The trembling eyes softened, and leaning into his shoulder once more, Dina let out a quiet weep.
---
It took her a bit of time to fully recover, and only after she was on her fifth cup of warm milk did her mind clear up and her processor regain function.
The first thing she processed as soon as her mind came online was her sitting position.
Perhaps because of her fragility, she had clung desperately to the nearest thing which gave her a sense of security.
The problem was that the 'thing' in question happened to be Zero, and not only had she stuck onto him like an octopus, she refused to let go until the very end.
Thus, when Dina regained herself, the realization that slammed into her with such force was her position with Zero.
He was leaning on the sofa (which was the only non-holographic thing the Transmigrators had been gifted in the white space) with his hand gently placed on her back, still making rolling motions, while she curled up on his lap with both hands holding the glass mug filled with milk—alternating between sitting straight up whenever she drank and leaning on his chest the next second.
Having finished her fifth cup of milk, Zero took the cup right out of her hand and questioned gently,
"Want more?"
".... No."
Leaning on his chest, Dina was driven speechless by everything and at a complete loss on what to do.
She closed her eyes, making a brief mental preparation before facing the male, only to be stunned speechless on immediately facing his brilliant forest-green eyes.
"I…" Dina stammered hopelessly before looking away. A deep red blush seared through her face all the way to her neck, swiftly spreading through her body until she was as red as a crab.
She hung her head low in a bid to escape that startling gaze and brewing shame before replying, "I'm fine now…"
There was a brief silence before Zero's reply came, "Shall I sit you down?"
Dina nodded shyly. Her legs were as weak as jelly and the last thing she wanted was another embarrassing moment between them!
Thus, with her hand tightly gripping Zero's shoulders, Dina was softly placed onto the sofa according to her wishes.
The silence that came after that was incredibly discomforting, but Dina was too busy organizing her thoughts to digest its severity.
What had happened was nothing short of… malicious. Dina's frown deepened with each second.
She had been heavily caught off guard and hence lacked the necessary preparation when that bastard extra made such a drastic move.
Although she knew something that drastic was beyond what one could simply prepare for, had she known, her reaction would have been much tamer.
She wasn't the type to hold a grudge, especially not with someone as fleeting as that bastard.
However this time—
SHE'D MAKE HIM PAY ONE DAY, ONE WAY OR ANOTHER!
Malice leaked from Dina's eyes, but she soon suppressed it.
Never mind that, the most important thing was still the mission. The sooner she was done with it, the sooner she was to leave this godforsaken world!
"Zero!" Despite her shame, Dina persisted, "How far has the meter gone?"
Zero silently glanced at the recovered lady who had immediately leapt into business and felt a strong urge to question her.
Was she really okay? Did she not have any reluctance with the mission after such a thing happened? Why was she so…
"...."
How stupid. What was there to worry so much about? Someone like this, with such determination, was the perfect partner after all.
"It's gone up to 30%. It's been steadily rising for a while now."
Dina's eyes sparkled and she smiled brightly.
"Great! Can you turn on the projection? I'm curious as to what's happening now."
To avoid triggering Dina, it had been turned off.
Observing the still-shivering Dina, Zero hesitated.
"You… sure?"
Dina was startled and looked up to the male, who glanced back with an unperturbed gaze.
How odd… It's almost like he cared.
Dina didn't think Zero cared, even though she couldn't exactly conclude that he didn't. She knew he had only done what he did to avoid things escalating—that was the AIT's job.
To always assist the Transmigrators through any and all circumstances. And if there was one thing she sorely knew about Zero, it'd be his deep dedication to his work.
Hence, she did find his question a bit weird but soon shook it off. He probably didn't want her to fall into such an annoying state yet again.
Dina smiled, her gold-brown eyes filled with complex feelings. "Yes. Don't worry, Zero, no matter what happens, I'll complete my mission. All I need is compensation after everything!"
"Definitely," Zero replied.
Since such a thing had happened, compensation was a sure bet.
He glanced towards his partner one last time before turning on the projection.
---
Outside, Jack sat in his room surrounded by first aid materials, beside a passed-out Jerry who lay on the bed.
Dirtied cotton wool lay scattered about the room, and across was an open dustbin filled with even more traces of first aid.
It could be seen that he had been busy for a long while.
After neatly wrapping the bandage around Jerry's neck, he snipped the edge before slumping to his chair with a tired gasp.
It took him a long while, but finally, he was done.
Looking at the pale-faced Jerry, who apart from a breathing so faint it could be drowned by a whisper, had no sign of life, his expression watered and he cried.
He remembered the state of the male when he finally crawled out of his cowardice—it had been very nasty.
He wasn't sure what was happening after he hid, but because he didn't hear any shouts of agony, he had concluded that perhaps Jean had let him be.
Mostly out of delusion to hide that he was afraid to look, and partly due to his stupidity—believing that Jean of all persons could comprehend mercy.
When he saw what state Jerry had been reduced to, he couldn't help but break into heavy tears. That was all he was good for, crying.
Not only had he abandoned him, he had the guts to weep like he was the hurt one… Jack had never felt so repulsed by himself, and he couldn't help but think that indeed, he was better off dead.
He wasn't exactly good with first aid, but after scouring the internet he quickly learned and administered treatment to Jerry.
The more he did, the more tears fell. He wasn't sure what Jean had done, but Jerry's throat had been grotesquely burnt and, even without needing to look, from the nature of the outer injury, he could already guess the burn was worse on the inside.
He wasn't exactly sure, but with how things were going… Jerry might awaken having lost his ability to speak. That is, without considering other possible damages.
And it was all… to protect him.
Jack placed his head on the bed with his face lowered, and then a loud, broken gasp escaped his throat.
He wept with heavy bitterness.
Soon, three days passed, and Jerry was yet to awaken.