Chapter 164. Masato, You Don't Want Little Theresa to Be Hurt, Do You?
"Did I come at a bad time?"
Judgment of Shamash—is that the Judgment of Shamash that unleashes an overpowered attack for the one you love?
Sensing that hint of backpedaling in Xander Masato's voice, Theresa sidled up, patted his shoulder, and comforted him: "Relax. Grandma Kallen already went over there. Grandpa won't point a gun at you."
No, see, the more you say, the more panicked he gets.
"Come on, I'll take you to Little Theresa."
Turning around, Theresa started walking, muttering, "But that's really a coincidence. You actually became friends with Little Theresa."
"I happened to run into her while I was a tester for Anti-Entropy."
Seeing Theresa move ahead, Xander hurried to follow behind her.
Away from Theresa's side, he felt strangely short on security.
"Little Theresa told me.
But it was thanks to you wearing a full Homu suit at the time.
Otherwise, she wouldn't have warmed up to you so easily."
Along the way, the staffers they passed—each in a hurry—bowed their heads to Theresa.
Theresa answered with slight nods, wearing a stern, cool little expression completely different from the smiling face she showed at St. Freya.
"This saves me a lot of trouble."
Catching Xander's curious look, Theresa offered an explanation.
"No, that's not what I'm curious about."
He took two quicker steps to walk abreast with Theresa and asked, "Academy Head, you said Theresa told you about it… does that mean she's already awake?"
He had only removed the headgear in the last ten minutes of the final test.
Theresa had said treatment would move to the final phase after that.
So… is the treatment already done?
Hearing this, Theresa lightly knit her brows and shook her head: "No, not yet."
Seeing his confusion, Theresa explained: "The treatment process doesn't keep her asleep the whole time.
Periodic awakenings to keep her mind active are very important.
On average…"
Thinking it over, Theresa answered with some uncertainty: "About two or three days awake per month."
"I see…"
Watching Xander slowly nod, a smile suddenly curled at Theresa's lips.
She said with interest, "I don't know what kind of snake oil you fed her, but every time Theresa wakes up, the thing she talks about most is you.
She even says once she's better she'll come find you.
Do you know how funny Grandpa's face looked when he heard that?"
No, I don't want to know.
So I've already landed on Otto's radar without even knowing it?
At that thought, cold sweat seeped down his back.
He had a bad feeling about this.
"Ahem, well, Theresa and I are just good friends."
With a dry laugh—after all, this was their turf—Xander decided to play it meek.
"Heh~"
Theresa let out a disdainful chuckle.
She turned her head, watching the show: "Why tell me?
Explain it to Grandpa yourself."
"..."
Send him to Otto?
That's sending him to his death.
Besides, he and Theresa really were just good friends right now.
At most, they were a bit close.
She was a bit dependent on him.
She liked to cling to him for no reason—that was all.
Nothing else, right?
Hugs were Theresa's favorite thing.
They made her feel safe.
Feel warm.
"Got it, Lady Magical Girl Teriri."
Catching the bad faith in Theresa's tone, Xander fired back.
"You!!!"
At those words, Theresa's smile vanished, and blush quickly rose to her cheeks.
She suddenly recalled the scene at the opening ceremony when Xander barged in on her changing into a magical girl dress.
Seeing that, Xander's expression shifted even more.
He raised a hand, mimed waving a magic wand, and deliberately pinched his throat to say in a grossly cutesy voice: "Magic, Flash—mmph!!!"
A small white fist thudded into Xander's abdomen with a dull sound.
He doubled over instantly, clutching his stomach in pain.
That hurt.
Felt like the pizza he ate at lunch was about to come back up.
Looking up and noticing Theresa's mortified, furious stare—like flames were about to spit out—Xander wisely shut his mouth.
Can't mess with her.
Can't mess with her.
He really couldn't understand how someone so small could hit so hard.
And this was Schicksal HQ.
Even if he got beat up, there was nowhere to complain.
After that small episode, Xander finally followed Theresa into a sealed research lab.
Face-scanning through layer after layer of security doors and sending a few medical and research personnel away with orders, she brought Xander into the room where Theresa's medical pod was kept.
The room wasn't small.
Plenty of high-tech-looking devices stood around the perimeter.
A bundle of cables ran from those devices, all connected to the side ports of the central pod.
A beam of light illuminated the very center while the rest of the room stayed somewhat dim, the only color coming from red and green blinks on the equipment.
Ding.
Theresa tapped at the wall a few times.
Lights from who knew where came on, and the whole room suddenly turned bright.
"By the way, to prevent Little Theresa from feeling boxed in, Grandpa simply replaced the entire ceiling with a single screen.
Pick a theme.
Daytime?
Rain?
Snow?
Night?"
"Anything's fine."
"Anything, huh.
Then daytime."
A few more taps on the control panel, and the icy ceiling became a boundless sky.
With virtual projection, it looked like a sky with no edges at all—soft clouds drifting, the sun high above.
Done, Theresa recalled something and added: "Theresa just woke up a week ago, so unfortunately you probably won't get to talk to her this time."
"It's okay.
I just want to see her."
A little disappointed, Xander stepped toward the center.
Coming up to the pod, he saw a girl submerged in green fluid with a respirator, eyes closed tight.
White long hair drifted freely in the liquid.
A black skin-tight suit traced her somewhat small frame.
Metal plates of unknown purpose were affixed to her outfit here and there.
Thin IV lines were implanted into her slender arms.
Her cute little face had no smile—lips pressed together—and her brows twitched now and then.
Seeing her like this, he couldn't reconcile it with the image in his mind.
In that false world, she had been so lively and cute.
Curious about everything.
Like she had endless energy.
Clinging to him, happily calling him "Mr. Homu."
But now?
That slim, fragile body looked like the finest porcelain—ready to shatter at a touch.
He stared at Theresa in silence for two minutes.
Then Theresa quietly came up behind him and said:
"Little Theresa actually didn't want you to see her like this."
When Xander looked over, Theresa continued: "A week ago, I told Theresa you might come by.
She said she looks really ugly right now and didn't want Mr. Homu to see her."
"But you still brought me here."
The corner of his mouth lifted as Xander smiled.
"Couldn't help it.
I already promised you.
Besides, Theresa's asleep.
She won't know, right?"
Muttering with a hint of guilt, she nudged Xander with her elbow.
"I think she's worrying needlessly.
How is she not pretty?"
Also, if Theresa says she's not pretty, isn't that the same as saying Theresa's not pretty?
That won't do.
"True.
This delicate look really is pretty.
But I still prefer the lively Theresa."
Stepping forward, Xander raised his hand and pressed his palm gently to the pod's transparent cover.
Staring at Theresa's face, he asked, "Academy Head, how much longer until Theresa finishes treatment?"
"How long, huh?"
Theresa's smile faded as she rubbed her chin in thought: "Hard to say.
Genes aren't something you fix that easily.
It comes down to luck."
"With good luck, maybe she recovers next month.
With bad luck, it might drag on two or three years."
"It won't fail, right?"
"That, it won't.
I know Grandpa.
Without a hundred percent certainty, he wouldn't try anything on his precious granddaughter."
"That's good."
He let out a breath, squatted down, and leaned closer to Theresa.
He watched her chest rise and fall.
Watched the solution drip through the IV line into her body.
Watched bubbles from her breathing squeeze up and break at the liquid surface.
Watched as the fingers floating in the solution… moved—just a little.
Wait, they moved?
"All right, we should go.
It's almost time for the routine check-up.
And Theresa probably won't wake this time.
How about you come again next time when she's about to wake up?"
"Oh, and when that time comes, you can't say I brought you, okay?
If Little Theresa gets mad at me, that'd be bad."
Whispering, Theresa reached out to tug at Xander's shoulder.
But she found she couldn't budge him.
Leaning closer, she realized Xander had furrowed his brows.
"What's wrong?"
Perplexed, she asked.
Xander answered slowly, uncertain: "I think I just saw Theresa's fingers twitch."
"Hm?
How could that be?
Theresa only woke up a week ag—"
Mid-sentence, Theresa looked at the pod… and locked eyes with a pair of ruby-red pupils now open.
Her mouth froze open.
She went rigid.
No way.
She really woke up.
"Theresa?"
He called softly.
After a moment, Theresa blinked at him.
Her lips moved, but no sound came—too weak.
Her sluggish thoughts turned, and then, as if remembering, she slowly but determinedly raised the arm riddled with IV lines.
Then, under Xander's and Theresa's gaze, that thin, powerless hand pressed—through the special glass—against Xander's larger palm on the cover.
In that instant, as if feeling a familiar warmth, Theresa smiled faintly.
Those red gemstone eyes stared unblinking into his.
"I came to see you."
He said it softly, not knowing if Theresa could hear.
Seeing her give a tiny nod, Xander smiled too.
He was just about to say more when he noticed Theresa's small outstretched hand slowly fall.
And her eyes closed again.
Did she… fall back asleep?
He looked at Theresa in confusion.
Theresa was even more baffled than he was.
The two of them stared at each other, at a loss for words.
After a while, Theresa spoke up: "That's really strange.
I'll go ask the doctors.
Let's go first—don't disturb her rest."
Xander nodded and followed Theresa out of the room.
Soon, the doctors—having heard what happened—hurried over.
After a tense round of examinations, one of them came to find Theresa and Xander waiting in the lounge, holding a sheet covered in lines.
"Doctor, is Little Theresa okay?"
Seeing him, Theresa blurted out, tense.
Catching their anxious eyes, the doctor smiled in relief and waved: "Don't worry.
Miss Theresa is fine.
If anything, she's recovering better than expected."
Good.
Both of them let out the breath they'd been holding.
The gray-haired doctor pushed up his glasses, then looked to Theresa and asked, "Miss Theresa, did you tell Miss Theresa anything a week ago?
Look at her mental activity over this past week."
Taking out the chart, the doctor explained patiently: "See the peaks this week?
Much stronger than last month.
A few days ago, we thought it was just a one-off case at the onset of sleep—this has happened before.
But seeing Miss Theresa wake up today, it seems this time is special."
"Anything different from before that I might have told her…"
Theresa thought for a moment, then suddenly looked up in realization.
She turned to the still-bewildered Xander: "I told her you were coming to see her!"
"Huh?"
How did this end up being about him?
"Hmm~ so that's it."
Stroking his beard, the doctor turned a curious gaze to the confused Xander.
"Th-This won't affect Theresa badly, right?"
Seeing Xander's nerves, the doctor smiled easily again: "It will affect her—but in a good way."
Then he looked at Theresa: "Miss Theresa, do you know how we've been ensuring Miss Theresa's periodic awakenings?"
Theresa shook her head.
"Electrostimulation.
We use very weak currents to stimulate her mind—basically a forced wake-up method."
"But that method has side effects.
It perks her mental state up immediately, yes, but it can cause slight neural damage.
After treatment, she might have residual headaches.
She'd need quite some time to recuperate."
Hearing that Theresa could be harmed, Theresa frowned.
"No alternatives?"
"This was already the least harmful option for Miss Theresa.
However…"
Smiling, the doctor glanced at Xander, speaking gently: "However, it seems we now have a better plan.
If Miss Theresa's mind can become active on its own—if simply hearing a voice can trigger mental fluctuations—then this spontaneous activity comes with zero harm."
At that, the two of them instantly grasped what the doctor meant.
Theresa surged forward, seized Xander by the collar, and pinned him to the chair with a "kindly" smile:
"Masato, you don't want Little Theresa's nerves to suffer damage, do you~"
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Paid member can read 150+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts