Arc-V: Cultivating Future

Hollowed Heart

Once breakfast is over, there are various task to go.

There are Team Patrols. Keeping perimeter safe and making sure any Obelisk Soldier who came too close won't be able to informs it to the base. No need to be genius to know why.

Then there's checking our supplies. What we have, how much are left, what we need, where to procure those supplies. Food and medicine are counted on daily basis. Those, are not only in high demand, but also has expired date.

There are few of food supplies where we must hit one of Academia lesser bases to stole the supplies. No one is feeling guilty over it since they corner us to this thievery. Unlike us, they do have steady supply of food from their dimension, right? What's harm taking some?

Then there are fixing the base. Or building new adds on. Some people are still living on tents and those won't hold out for when storm comes. Or snow.

We'd likes to reclaims our home before Winter hit. But in case the war drags too long, we must prepare for room with heater on or there will be higher body count due low temperature.

There are tech specialist. I think Shiunin would benefit from that. I hate to admit it, but he has the best tech knowledge and experience. I had to ask him to teach me. Maybe after this? If he's good enough to hack system, maybe we can do collaboration to reverse engineer the carding device and uncard those people. That would raise morale by several magnitudes so he would be useful for something—

"Shun?"

I blinked.

"Yes, Sayaka."

"Kaito is not coming to breakfast."

"No he doesn't." I haven't see his hair.

She fiddles with the laden. "He didn't come for dinner yesterday."

Oh.

"He's in depressed state again. Always like that after... after he got beaten by him."

Back up.

Did she just imply that Kaito got beaten several times by exact same person? That yesterday was not just a fluke?

"Can you deliver this to him?"

"Why don't you do it yourself?" I ask her. "Not like I don't care what happens to him, but last time we talk, we punch each other. Literally."

"Shun?! What the heck?!"

"I tell you later." I waved Yuto's concern off. "So why me? I might trigger him. Not to mention you are much closer to him than I am."

"Because you can trigger him, is why I ask you." Pardon? "I've tried. Allen tried. Everyone tried. But Kaito refuses to eat. So... I hope you can help."

And that's how I found myself standing before Kaito's room. With a tray of food in my hands.

Dammit Sayaka. I never know you had it within you.

Sighing, I knocked Kaito's door.

No answer.

I knocked again.

Still no answer.

I feel my eye twitched.

Fine then. "I'm coming in." I turned in the doorknob.

It was fucking unlocked.

The inside was like what I expected, and nothing like what I imagined in the same time.

It is barely a step above spartan, with only small trinkets in form of picture frame on the desk, and a small robot sitting in the corner. Orbital number what was it? I forgot. Kaito sometimes makes robots he always names them all Orbital, then assign each one with different numbers to differentiate them.