"Seems like a lot's happened," Midori said flatly as she leaned back on the couch and crossed her arms. I'd just finished recounting what had happened to her. "You're going on a raid now?"
Midori's expression was once more unreadable as she scanned my face. I looked down at my lap and fidgeted with my sweaty hands, expecting a scolding—or worse.
I sneaked a glance at Midori, expecting her to be irate. Instead she just tilted her head, her lips quirking like she was looking at me through a surgical loupe.
"…So how can I help?"
…?
"Eh?" My brain short-circuited. This wasn't how I'd expected this to go. "You're not mad?" I tried tentatively.
Midori laughed. A clear, bell-like sound that sent little ripples dancing through the air, and…through my chest too... "No, ms. Hiyomi, I'm not mad. I'm not as petty as that."
…But yesterday she was basically this close to choking me out against a wall? I just couldn't figure this girl out.
I paused and thought for a while. Still, if I was being logical (which I wasn't, but humor me), Midori was probably the strongest person I could possibly recruit to our questing party. I wasn't going to ask any other players, and I didn't want to get others involved, but…
After what I'd seen her do with Qirune yesterday, Midori would probably be good in a fight… right?
I closed my mouth and opened it again and hesitated before blurting out, "Do you want to come with us?"
Midori raised one elegant eyebrow. The kind of eyebrow that could probably slice me in two.
I raised my hands and gesticulated frantically. "I-I don't mean that Dame Airi and Lilith aren't capable! They're very capable! Like, super capable… I hope. I haven't seen them fight or anything yet. But, um, I'd just feel… safer with you around, s-so—"
"Very well."
I blinked.
Wait.
That's it? That easy?
Midori stood smoothly, her feet tapping the ground while she tied her hair back with a swish. "I'll go get changed," she said. "Are we leaving right now for the raid, then?"
I'm not going to lie, I was caught pretty off-guard by the whole swing of the situation. I thought Midori was going to be mad at me, but now she wants to come along??? "Eh—w-wait, don't you need to prepare? Dame Airi said to be there by the afternoon, so there's still—"
"I carry most of my potions on me." (Side note: where did she even keep them all?? Was Midori secretly a walking potion warehouse? Or do NPCs also have inventories? Prolly the latter…)
"Besides, the earlier we get back, the better." Midori paused and pointed to my tattered and *very* breezy alchemist uniform, a light, teasing smile wrapping around her face. "And we'll need to get you another set of clothes."
She winked. "Unless you prefer wearing that, of course."
Heat detonated my face like hyperthermia therapy. "I-I-It's not like that!!! W-What I wear has nothing to do with you, anyway! And like I said, it's not like I want to wear this—!"
"Right~" Her smug little lilt hit me like a diagnosis as she walked away, her footsteps echoing faintly as she laughed lightly to herself, leaving me to steam on the couch like a hot pork bun.
- - -
[Five minutes and a change of clothes later]
Five minutes later, I'd changed into a new set of clothes. My boots tapped the hard wooden floor as I stepped back into the lobby of the alchemist school.
Midori whistled. "...You know, for an exhibitionist, you look pretty nice in regular clothes, Ms. Hiyomi."
I sighed, my fingernails digging into my new cloak. "...Y-You're never going to let me off the hook, are you?"
Midori just smiled. (Of course she just smiled.)
We ended up side by side, almost matching—we wore black trousers tucked into armored boots, crisp white blouses under stiff leather breastplates, and cloaks that flowed around our shoulders. Clasps shaped like bottles fastened our cloaks (presumably a symbol of the alchemist school/class).
———
Item: Alchemist's Expedition Uniform (Student)
Special Effect +Semipermeable
HP +15
Stamina +10
Vit +2
Def +2
Agi +2
Description: A field uniform belonging to the Alchemist School. Lightweight leather plating protects vital spots while leaving room to move. Designed to filter out harmful effects while amplifying beneficial ones.
———
Finally, pants. Thank you, devs. No more outfits of shame. Maybe I'll dial back a thousand words or so on that email. Just maybe. I fiddled with the high collar, tugging at the stiff fabric to see if I could pull it even higher.
I paused next to Midori who'd turned for the door. "So… is there anything else, or…?" I asked.
Midori answered by sweeping her cloak aside, revealing a tan backpack and—oh, hello—a dark crossbow strapped to her hip.
She tossed me another pack, and I nearly fumbled it.
"Potions," she said, reading my dumb expression like it was written on my forehead. (Hey, geniuses can have brainfarts too, okay???) "I'd have you brew your own, but it sounds like we don't have time. Besides, it's not like something I can teach or you can learn through books within a couple of hours."
…Awwww. She's so sweet. That last part about not being able to brew or learn within hours my genius doctor's ego somehow doubted, but I bit my lip.
"One last thing," Midori said, turning back to fully face me. Her armoured boots clicked as she crossed the floor toward me. Every step closer made her look taller, taller—wait, was she always this tall??
"Turn around."
I obeyed. Midori slipped my wrist free of the hair tie she'd given me a couple of days ago and stepped in close. Too close. Her breath tickled the back of my neck as her fingers brushed through my hair.
My chest tightened. My whole body wanted to combust. The faint lily scent of her perfume curled around me light, clean, sweet, like spring rain all at once.
She tied my hair into a neat ponytail, spun me back around, and blinked. "You're red."
"A-Am I?" My voice cracked. Kill me now.
"Mhm." She tucked a stray lock behind my ear with infuriating ease, then turned for the door like nothing happened.
I just stood there, completely fried.
God.
This is bad.
My heart was pounding, my face was blazing and my breath came short and sharp. …Would I make it? Forget the monsters—how was I supposed to survive this quest with Midori around?
- - -
"I see it." Midori raised her voice to be heard over the air rushing by.
We were on the back of the horse I'd taken—I mean, borrowed from Dame Airi's outpost. I sat behind Midori who held the reins. Luckily, the warhorse easily carried the two of us as it galloped through the grasslands.
The sun beamed down from high above, its rays glinting off of Midori's ponytail that whipped behind her.
I clutched Midori's waist. Sometimes I got a faceful of Midori's hair… not that I minded. The warm scent of the sun mixed with her natural smell.
Mmmmn…
I wanted to bury my face in her neck and take it all in. She smelled so good…
Midori's voice abruptly broke me out of my daydreams. "Please sit up properly, Ms. Hiyomi. We'll be arriving soon."
"Y-Yes!" I flushed. God, what was I thinking about?
A few minutes and a clatter of hooves later, we arrived at our destination. The black mare snorted and pawed the ground as Midori tugged on its reins, slowing the beast quickly from its gallop to a walk before halting the animal. She pulled it into a circle at the entrance to Dame Airi's outpost.
Midori was pretty good at riding... (No, not like that… Please… If I think about it like that, I might actually explode…)
A sentry holding a crossbow peered down at us from on top of the heavy wooden palisade. I opened my mouth to speak, but Midori cut me off.
"It's been a while, Liam." Midori's voice was strained but sharp.
"...Sergeant?"
"Let us in. I'm here with Doctor Hiyomi. I heard about Dame Airi needing help."
The soldier nodded and the wooden gate groaned open. I blinked and glanced at Midori. How'd she know the soldier?
She laughed quietly, as if she'd anticipated my question. "It's a long story," she said. There was a tinge of sadness in her voice as she spoke.
I waited for her to elaborate, but her explanation never came as she dismounted in a single, smooth movement, leading the horse by the reins into the camp.
I had so many questions, but I bit my lip. I didn't want to pry, but it was hard to as nearly everyone in the camp snapped to attention as Midori walked by. Sometimes she even responded to the soldiers in a shaky voice.
Soon, we arrived at Dame Airi's command tent. Midori tethered the warhorse to a nearby fence before offering me a hand off of the horse.
I took her hand as I stumbled off of the mare. Even after I stepped off, Midori still held my hand. Half of me wanted to make a joke about how she was the one holding my hand now. The other half wanted to explode.
"M-Midori—"
Midori squeezed my hand and held it tighter, avoiding the glances of everyone around us—and me. She seemed to cringe inwardly as more and more soldiers gathered around the tent.
I closed my mouth as her hand trembled.
I was starting to doubt myself. Was it a good idea to bring her here? I wasn't sure of her background, but… if Midori was the one holding on to me, then it was probably pretty serious.
"Midori, are you okay?" I whispered.
"..."
Midori didn't respond and simply led me forwards, throwing open the canvas flaps of Dame Airi's tent with a whoosh as she stepped inside. Her heavy footfalls echoed like a drum in the small tent.
Dame Airi and Lilith were sitting next to each other in deep conversation, poring over a map. I noticed that Dame Airi's cloak was draped over Lilith's shoulders.
Midori's grip tightened on my hand and her breath grew short, sharp, and laboured as Dame Airi looked up from the map. Her quartz eyes went wide. "...Midori?"
Midori's voice was quiet. "Haneul."
Lilith stood with a clatter.
"U-Uhm… do you two know each other?" Lilith looked between Midori and Dame Airi with guarded eyes. I understood what I guessed Lilith was thinking. To be quite honest, I was wondering the same thing…
"...We used to," Midori said at last, her gaze fixed anywhere but on Dame Airi. Her jaw tensed, and I caught the faintest twitch in her fingers as she squeezed my hand a little too tightly.
…Oh god. Bringing her here and asking for her help was a mistake, wasn't it…?
"R-Right…" Lilith tried to brush it off, but the doubt in her voice matched the one in my chest.
Dame Airi didn't flinch. Her eyes never left Midori. "Why are you here, Ms. Midori?"
Midori's lips curved in something between a smirk and a wince. "I heard you needed help. And you can cut out the 'Ms.' Just Midori. Or Sergeant—"
"No. You're a civilian now," Dame Airi cut in.
Midori's grit her teeth. Her hand clenched mine, almost painfully. "…Fine."
For a heartbeat, I swore I felt the air around them tighten, like two magnets—the kind that once drew together, now forcing each other apart.
"You're joining our expedition," Dame Airi said evenly, her voice stripped of anything that could be called emotion. The question sounded like a statement.
"Yes."
"Very well. I was originally going to wait until the afternoon, but… we leave to scout the area in an hour. Prepare what you need. I'll arrange the outpost."
Dame Airi's rose red hair swung with the movement as she turned away, her cloak brushing the ground with a sharp swish. Without looking back, she addressed Lilith. "Ms. Lilith, please come with me. There are matters we must discuss."
She strode off, leaving no room for argument.
- - -
[One hour and a quick logout + fast food takeout breakfast later]
Once the preparation hour was up, we passed through the front gates and set out across the high grass. The stalks swayed stiffly in the wind, whispering against our legs like restless spirits.
Lilith wore a heavier set of protective robes now, her staff clutched close, while Dame Airi had strapped herself into partial plate armour, each step of hers clinking faintly like the toll of a muted bell.
The sun loomed high above, cold and unblinking, its pale light pressing down on us as the forest awaited ahead. Blackened smoke drifted out from its boughs in lazy, choking curls, staining the sky and biting at the throat with every breath.
The closer we walked, the more oppressive it became. The air thickened, damp and heavy, as if the world itself were warning us not to enter. The trees rose like a wall of jagged silhouettes, their branches clawing into the sky, trying to catch the sun before it touched the ground.
However, there were no cries or howls like I remembered from last night, only thick silence.
Were the creatures nocturnal? …Or were they simply just silent, watching?
Dame Airi raised a gauntleted hand and we halted at the tree line. The light from the fields barely reached this far, snagging on the tangle of branches overhead. The shadows pooled between the roots like stagnant water.
"We wait," she said. "They're not active right now. Patience."
It was all going so fast.
Soon, we were going to be able to find the source of all the monsters and bring in a force of soldiers to wipe them out. Then, no more citizens or soldiers would get injured—at least, from these specific monsters—and we'd be able to clear the quest.
I tried to ignore the fact that many others could be injured during the raid when the time came.
Even though I was happy that we'd soon be able to end the quest, the receptionist still clutching my hand wasn't.
"M-Midori?"
She glanced down to look at me. Midori's once-gleaming eyes now seemed to have lost their luster, muted and touched with… trauma?
"Sorry." She whispered. "Can I hold your hand for just a while longer? I'm not…" Rather than finishing her sentence, she just drew a pained smile, her voice breaking, brittle as glass.
My heart ached. What had happened to make her like this? Was it Dame Airi?
"Sure. For as long as you want."
"Thanks."
And there we lingered at the edge of the smoke-filled forest, Dame Airi's armour clinking, Lilith's robes rustling in the chilled morning air, and Midori and I, walking hand in hand.