Shin lets out a deep sigh and places the posthumous letter from Alexia, along with the HESPARC Japan reinstatement document, back on the nightstand beside his bed.
Then, he gently strokes Kagura's nape. She's asleep on a chair, leaning over the mattress.
~Reinstated at HESPARC Japan after fifteen years… who would've thought? And it's all thanks to Alexia. I'll never be grateful enough for what she's done...~
–KNOCK! KNOCK!
A firm knock on the door abruptly interrupts Shin's thoughts.
«It's really true what they say—those who don't die always come back,» Shin comments with mild enthusiasm, as the person who knocked walks into the HESPARC U.S. infirmary.
It's Vincent Carreaux, director of HESPARC France, father of Chantal, and Shin's longtime friend since their days at the HESPARC Academy over thirty years ago.
