Chisato, are you okay?

Takina's POV

"Takina, put your hands here!"

Chisato’s blood feels hot against my skin. We remove her jacket, revealing a large wound underneath—it looks like someone hit her hard with a sharp object. Her heart alarm won’t stop ringing. Chisato doesn’t have enough blood in her body for the artificial heart to keep pumping.

"Manager, she’s losing too much blood! Do we have reserves?" Sumika asks in the midst of the chaos as she runs to the medical bay for more supplies.

"Yes, we should have enough for a couple of transfusions, but we need to focus on stopping the bleeding first!"

It takes no more than ten minutes to get the situation under control. The Radiata alarm finally shuts off, and for the first time since this all started, I can breathe again.

We managed to stop the bleeding, but the question remains—how did this happen?

Chisato, you’re incredible… What exactly did they do to you to leave you this injured?

"Let’s get Chisato to a bed," I say.

Sumika and I carefully move Chisato to the resting area, preparing the necessary blood transfusion.

Then, to everyone’s surprise, Chisato suddenly sits up.

"Damn! This hurts!"

Chisato’s voice—I thought I was breathing before, but now I know I truly am again.

"Chisato! Don’t move!"

I rush to her side, gently guiding her back down.

"You have a terrible wound on your abdomen. What happened?!"

"Oh… yeah, that. Well… I think my haters are getting more dedicated to killing me…"

Chisato tries to joke, but her usual smile barely forms.

"I let my guard down, and this happened."

"You let your guard down? Chisato, you never let your guard down! Tell me what happened!"

I mean it—Chisato is the First Licorys. She defended an entire tower by herself, took down over 200 terrorists single-handedly!

"Well… this time, I did."

Chisato exhales.

"The person who stabbed me… was a kid. I couldn’t defend myself."

"What? A kid? A Lily Bell? Since when have you had trouble dealing with those rats?!"

"No, Takina. Not a Lily Bell. A child."

She’s about to continue when Mika’s voice interrupts.

"I have the security footage," he says grimly.

"It’s just as she says… I can’t believe it."

The screen lights up, showing the recording.

The boy approaches Chisato calmly and calls out to her.

When she gets close—he pulls out a sharp object and plunges it into her.

"That… what?"

I can’t believe what I’m seeing.

"Yeah, but at least he left me a gift," Chisato says.

Her fists, which had been clenched tightly this entire time, slowly relax—revealing the emblem I despise the most.

"He was an Alan child…"

Chisato’s voice is quiet as she holds up the pendant of the Alan Institute.

My stomach churns immediately—I want to vomit.

I glance at Mika, and his face says he feels the same.

Chisato’s eyes hold an overwhelming sadness, and that hurts me even more.

"I can’t believe it. Those bastards…" Mika clenches his fists.

"It can’t be helped," Chisato mutters. "They probably want this back."

She points to her chest.

"This is stolen. This time… is stolen."

"No! It’s not stolen!" I snap.

"This is time you earned, Chisato!"

"Do you really think the person who created this device wanted you to kill to deserve it?! No one in the medical field would ever do that!"

"Takina…"

Chisato’s eyes don’t shed a single tear, but I know she’s crying.

"Don’t worry, Takina," she says softly.

"I’ll be more careful. For now, don’t we have a mission?"

Chisato tries to sit up.

"Are you crazy?! You just got stabbed! You need to rest. I’ll handle the mission."

"I’m fine, Takina. You guys did a great job patching me up, and the blood transfusion is already helping a lot. By the time Mika finishes explaining the mission, I’ll be good as new."

She flexes her arms.

"Chisato… I seriously can’t stand you."

"Well, well." Mika sighs.

"It’s true that the wound was deep, but fortunately, it didn’t damage any vital organs."

"Huhu, of course!" Chisato grins.

"They might’ve caught me off guard, but that only gives them the first-minute advantage. I have the rest."

"Alright, then," I say.

"Let’s hear the mission details."

At the very least, if Chisato is coming with me… I’ll make sure to kill the next bastard who dares to lay a hand on her.