It took a while for Wang Fei to clear up the misunderstanding with her, and by then, the entire room had almost been sliced to pieces by his sister.
After explaining the past and various details to his sister and Amiya, they had moved to the Rhodes Island cafeteria, which was now empty of any staff except for a chef busy washing dishes and a cleaner sweeping and mopping the floor. Amiya mentioned that the staff had all gone back to their rooms to rest, as it was now past six in the evening, which was closing time for Rhodes Island.
But frankly... shouldn't this be the liveliest time for a cafeteria? Although Wang Fei was curious, he didn't ask, as he was currently busy explaining things to his older sister.
"...So, to summarize, you and that woman are childhood friends who have known each other since you were in Yan," Ch'en asked, pointing a trembling finger at Blaze, who was hugging her younger brother's arm tightly and refused to let go.
Ch'en was trying with all her might to restrain herself from drawing Ch'ixiao and slicing the woman in front of her to pieces for cuddling up to her brother's arm.
"That's right! But to be more precise... I'm like the first older sister to Fei Fei!" Blaze said confidently, hugging the young man's arm tighter.
"..." Ch'en's fists clenched so tightly the veins bulged. Hearing this, Wang Fei couldn't help but complain to her.
"But I think you feel more like my little sister," Wang Fei said, which made Blaze puff out her cheeks in displeasure.
"But I'm older than you, so I have to be the older sister!"
"Don't you remember the first day we met? Who was it that tried to steal oranges from my backyard and ended up falling off the wall, spraining her ankle, forcing me to rush in and carry her out... If I hadn't saved you then, you would have been hauled off by the inspectors."
"B-but I gave Fei Fei half of the orange then!! So we should be considered accomplices!"
"According to Article 14 of the criminal code, the offender cannot share the stolen goods with the original owner. Therefore, only one person will be punished, and that's you," Wang Fei smiled back confidently. Don't underestimate a law student who graduated with top honors.
"Ah! My adorable Fei Fei is gone!! Bring back my old Fei Fei!" Blaze acted as if she couldn't accept it, but a small smile still appeared on her face, as if this time they spent talking was something that brought her true happiness.
"So, Mr. Wang Fei is the 'younger brother' that Blaze mentioned she was looking for," Amiya, who was sitting with the group, said as if she understood something. She had known Blaze for half a year and remembered well the reason the other had joined Rhodes Island: to find her missing younger brother.
"That's right. Even though I had given up hope that he was still alive... I really didn't think Fei Fei would be in Lungmen. You idiot... why did you run away without telling me! If you had told me, I would have gone with you," Blaze said resentfully, that he hadn't told her anything when he left Yan.
"You weren't in Yan at the time... besides, who would have thought they would actually sell me to the Columbians? I had no choice but to run away then."
Wang Fei also felt guilty. There were many other people in Yan whom he had left without saying goodbye, but that was because he didn't want them to get into trouble because of him.
"If I had a choice, I would have wanted to wait there too. But you know how powerful my family is in Yan... Anyway, I'm truly sorry for making you worry all these years, Luna."
Blaze blushed a little upon hearing her old name, which she hadn't heard in a long time.
"I-I stopped using that name. You should call me Blaze now."
"Ehh~ But I think that name sounds cuter."
"W-well, if Fei Fei thinks so, you can call me whatever you want," Blaze said with a shyness that was very unlike her. It made both Amiya and Ch'en, who were watching the two of them flirt without a care in the world, feel a tickle in their hearts.
"Fei—" Ch'en was about to say something to break the atmosphere but was cut off by her younger brother's next words.
"But Luna, you don't have to worry about me... For the past several years, I've been much happier in Lungmen, many times more than when I was in Yan."
"I found a wonderful family. I have a mother who loves me, a grumpy old man who doesn't say what he means, a lovely older sister, and all my friends who have always supported me when I made mistakes."
"My life right now... is very happy."
"Is that so? So Fei Fei has a better life now," Blaze smiled from the heart. She was truly happy that the boy who used to always stare out the window in solitude finally had the life that children should have.
"What I'm worried about is... I hope your life has been the same."
"When I left Yan, you weren't working as a mercenary, were you?"
"Uh... about that," Blaze, suddenly asked that question, flinched slightly. She quickly looked away before replying haltingly.
"O-of course. I-I quit that profession ever since Fei Fei disappeared. Hehe... then I moved to Victoria, and then... uh."
"Hmm? And then what?" Wang Fei asked, curious. This left Blaze at a loss for words, trying to sort out an excuse in her head. But at that moment, Amiya interjected.
"Blaze was charged with assaulting a Yanese noble, which forced her to move to Victoria to work as a mercenary on the border to escape the charges for several years. Then, half a year ago, we found her leading people to evacuate from the war and recruited her because we shared the same ideals."
"A-Amiya, don't tell Fei Fei that story," Blaze looked very troubled that Amiya had told him.
"You have a criminal record in Yan?" Wang Fei was very shocked to hear that. "It's not related to my case, is it?"
"Well... it's not exactly like that..." Blaze answered evasively.
"After you disappeared, those people wouldn't tell me anything, even though I went and shouted in front of their manor for months. S-so I suspected they were hiding you, and I tried to sneak inside to look... but when I got to the basement, I—" Blaze, unable to finish, suddenly fell silent. She felt terrible having to talk about it. The more she thought about the image of what happened in the basement, the anger in her blood would erupt uncontrollably every time.
"The basement, huh?"
Ah, so she saw it. Wang Fei now understood why Luna had lost her temper. That place was the usual spot the people of that family used to punish him when they thought he was misbehaving.
Both Amiya and Sister Huijie looked confused, not understanding what they were talking about. Of course, Wang Fei had never told anyone about this, and he never intended to...
"In that case, Luna, please tell me your story."
Wang Fei quickly changed the subject to something else about her, and Blaze was happy to tell him everything, even if those things were secrets.
From having to go through a civil war and fighting for the rights of the Infected against what the nobles did to the common people, to having to help people escape from the Dublinn, who wanted to kill innocent civilians to frame the noble faction.
Amiya also told him that because of that incident in Victoria, tens of thousands of Infected had come to temporarily reside at Rhodes Island. Of course, Blaze was one of those Infected, and she was like their leader. Her blood infection was considered one of the most severe among everyone. Although the infection in her blood had decreased significantly now thanks to a new medicine they had developed, her habit of going to bars to drink with her colleagues after missions instead of seeing a doctor for check-ups always made her condition worse. This was because her Originium Arts, which were related to her blood and used during combat, were very dangerous. If not closely monitored at all times, it could cause her condition to flare up at any time. That was why the people from the medical department often felt uneasy about her.
Amiya also wanted him to help remind her about that. Of course, Wang Fei was happy to help. He also felt angry that Luna refused to listen to the doctors who were taking care of her, so he warned her out of goodwill. Blaze seemed to listen with a dejected look, but he didn't know if she would actually follow his advice.
Then, Wang Fei turned to ask his sister if anything had happened after he passed out. After hearing this, his sister and Amiya looked at each other for a moment before telling him that after he fainted, he was taken to the infirmary by Doctor Kal'tsit. As for the reason he fainted, the test results said it was due to complications from the physical examination.
Of course, that explanation didn't convince Wang Fei much. He knew there was something they were intentionally not telling him, but Wang Fei didn't press them directly. He thought that if it was a secret, it must be very important, and perhaps it was better that he didn't know. But what he really wanted to know was about Margaret.
"Miss Margaret, you mean?" Amiya seemed quite surprised when he asked about her.
"Well... after you fainted, Miss Margaret was summoned by Doctor Kal'tsit. I don't know what they talked about yet, but she should be in the lobby with her family right now."
"Huh... the Nearl family is at Rhodes Island too?" Wang Fei asked with excitement.
This made both Amiya and Ch'en look surprised at his excitement. Wang Fei seemed to realize it himself and cleared his throat to cover his embarrassment.
"W-well, like I said before, I'm a huge fan of knights. So knowing that the famous Nearl family is here, it's only natural for me to be excited."
"Hee hee, Fei Fei is still a hero-worshipper, just like always~" Blaze, who was beside him, teased. Because in the past, the two of them often played together, it wasn't strange that she knew how much of a justice-obsessed, hero-praising boy he was.
"That's because my dream is to be a hero!" Wang Fei said confidently.
He didn't want to brag, but he was once the Knight-Primarch of Kazimierz, you know... even if it was just in a simulated world.
"I've never heard you talk about that before," Ch'en, after hearing that, seemed a little surprised, which made Wang Fei reply to her shyly.
"Because it's an embarrassing dream."
Being this old and still having such a childish dream, he had never told anyone except Luna, who was like his first and only friend.
"Is that so... but I don't think so," Ch'en said, then looked straight at her younger brother with a smile.
"If it's you, I'm sure you can do it."
"Sister..." Wang Fei, receiving such confidence from his sister, felt an indescribable joy.
"Yeah, yeah! I know Fei Fei can do it."
But at that moment, Blaze interrupted by hugging him from behind, using his shoulder as a neck rest, which made Wang Fei a little uncomfortable as her chest was pressing against his back.
Ch'en's face immediately turned fierce.
"Hey... you wildcat. Even though I didn't say anything at first because I saw my brother knows you, can you please stop being so annoyingly clingy?"
Hearing such a threat, Blaze wasn't fazed at all. She even replied with a teasing tone.
"Oh, dear sister~ You've been with Fei Fei for so long, why not share some of that happiness with me... after all, I am his f-i-r-s-t older sister."
"This girl..."
"C-calm down, sis! Mao Mao, don't provoke her!"
"Bleh!"
Ch'en, who was boiling with anger, stood up, ready to go and pull the girl off him, but was stopped by Wang Fei. Blaze secretly stuck her tongue out at her, which only made his sister even angrier.
Amiya, seeing the scene before her, was reminded of a warm? time that looked similar to this, bringing a faint smile to the young girl's face. But in her eyes, there was a hidden sadness that no one else could see.
"It would be better if the Doctor were here, too," the young girl murmured, unheard by anyone, as she thought back to the memory of someone extending a hand that was like a beacon of hope to her from under a pile of rubble. The image of the four of them laughing together, it felt like they were really a family. Amiya longed for that time more than anyone else. When she looked up at the young man before her, she hoped that that day would come again.
Even though she knew that it might be his last...
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