"Hmm... that sister's cooking was absolutely wonderful~ I wish I could eat her food every day. What a shame we can't stay here for long..."
Under the setting sun, the world was bathed in a golden glow. Bathed in that twilight, Elysia couldn't help but sigh.
The last rays of the sunset stretched their two shadows long, reaching all the way to the end of the street.
"That day will come, Elysia."
After a moment of silence, Acheron replied softly.
"Mhm, I believe you!"
Hearing Acheron's words, Elysia paused, then suddenly turned around. The setting sun spilled over her shoulders, gilding her in a radiant, golden light.
She stood there like that, smiling at Acheron, her eyes filled with trust.
"But... Mei, we should get going. Otherwise, we'll be sleeping on the streets tonight."
Elysia looked at Acheron with a slightly troubled expression.
Even though her wallet had been stolen, Elysia wasn't angry. She could sense that Pardo's nature wasn't bad; perhaps she had some unspoken difficulty that led her to steal it.
"Mmm... I remember there's an orphanage in this town. Let's go take a look there before heading back."
Acheron said to Elysia, which was quite rare for her.
"Oh? Is there a reason you want to go there, Mei? You've never been this proactive about going somewhere before."
A trace of keen interest appeared on Elysia's face.
Her Mei was perfect in every way, except she could be a bit dense sometimes, always so passive about everything.
So it had always been Elysia who took the initiative to drag Mei along to do things. Today was an exception; for the first time, Mei had proactively suggested going somewhere to look around.
"I just happened to see a notice about it and thought I'd like to see it."
Acheron shook her head gently and spoke to Elysia.
"Okay then, since Mei says so, let's go!"
As she spoke, Elysia quickly grabbed Mei's hand and pulled her towards the direction of the orphanage.
Although neither of them had been here before, Elysia still took on the role of guide. After all, if they left the navigation to Acheron, who knows where they might end up?
With Acheron's ridiculously poor sense of direction, she might just lead them straight into some forgotten back alley.
--+--
"Brother Kalpas, come quick, I need help!"
Outside the gate, Pardo was panting, pulling a small cart piled high with supplies.
"Oh, it's you."
Kalpas, standing at the entrance of the orphanage—or rather, the sanatorium—looked at Pardo in the distance, arms crossed, speaking indifferently.
He was aloof with everyone, as if no one could truly capture his attention.
"How did you get so many supplies?"
As he spoke, Kalpas looked at the contents of the small cart.
Besides everyday food and various living essentials, there were also some snacks, including a few boxes of imported hard candies.
Kalpas remembered those candies were quite expensive.
"Hehe, little Lecca mentioned last time that these candies were really tasty, so I specially bought a few boxes this time for the kids to try."
A cute smile graced Pardo's face as she spoke. Meanwhile, Kalpas effortlessly hoisted the supplies onto his shoulder.
The bags that required Pardo, or even an adult, to drag along were lifted with ease by Kalpas.
"Wow, Brother Kalpas is amazing. You can lift something this heavy so easily."
Actually, at first, Pardo had been very wary of this sanatorium.
After all, while Aponia seemed like a good person, Kalpas certainly didn't. Pardo always felt it might actually be a corrupt nun and a terrifying killer conducting some human experiments here, using the sanatorium as a front.
Hmm, she really shouldn't have read so many of those fantasy novels; it made her own thoughts a bit too dramatic.
But after the misunderstanding was cleared up, Pardo's relationship with Aponia eased. She would often 'redistribute wealth' and bring over some supplies for the children.
"You should do this less often. 'Walk too often by the river, and your shoes are bound to get wet.' Don't let me see you one day crawling over here like a kitten with a broken leg."
Feeling the weight of the supplies in his hand, Uncle Kalpas the mover spoke impassively.
"Hehe, my skills are top-notch, no way I'd get caught. And... Brother Kalpas, if I really had enemies come after me... you'd help me, right? You definitely would! With those muscles of yours, you could take on ten, no problem! But... hehe, I never thought I'd hear such cultured words from you, Brother Kalpas..."
Pardo looked playfully at Kalpas. In her impression, this guy was a pure, unadulterated brute.
She said this, of course, because she'd seen Kalpas in action.
While the overall public security in Sundown Alley was acceptable, there were still some idle, unemployed loafers wandering around.
And some people engaged in shady dealings, like human trafficking.
Once before, a trafficking incident had occurred at the sanatorium. Through Aponia and Kalpas's investigation, it was traced back to a certain gang. But the trace went cold at the gang level. So, Kalpas came up with a brilliant solution.
If it was this gang, then just beat them all up. The trafficker would surely be among them.
And then... then Kalpas proceeded to pummel them all, one punch at a time. The trafficker they finally identified got the 'Ora Ora' treatment from Kalpas for what felt like three and a half pages straight.
Maybe Master Kalpas would find common language with a certain seventeen-year-old delinquent who liked picking fights with century-old men.
From then on, whenever those gang members saw Kalpas, they scattered like mice seeing a cat.
However, only Pardo, Aponia, and those who were there at the time knew about this incident. In the hearts of the children at the sanatorium, Kalpas was still just the strong, silent, always-masked Uncle Mover.
"I'm just an ordinary mover. I don't have the kind of power they do. Asking me? Won't work."
Kalpas shook his head faintly, putting on a heartless act.
"Wuu... How could you..."
Pardo looked utterly crushed.
Just then, Kalpas and Pardo heard two sets of footsteps slowly approaching the sanatorium gate.
Both were female footsteps. After all, the sound of high heels was quite distinctive.
But the only one at the sanatorium who wore high heels was Aponia, and her footsteps were much more measured than these...
"We're here, this is the place! Mei, hmm... The building is a bit rundown, but it's very clean. Looks like the owner here takes good care of it."
Elysia's uniquely recognizable, sweet voice instantly reached Pardo's ears. In that moment, Pardo bristled like a startled kitten, utterly flustered.
And... they were right behind her now.
She wanted to run, but then it occurred to her that they had probably already seen her. If she ran, and they questioned Kalpas, what then?
If her actions caused a conflict between them, the sin would be on her.
"Oh? Isn't this our tour guide? Hi~ How lucky to run into you here again."
Elysia's sweet voice now felt like a death knell, tormenting Pardo's heart.
Especially after confirming they had recognized her, her heart sank into despair.
She turned around to face Elysia and Acheron, took a deep breath.
Just as Acheron thought she was about to make a run for it, the girl suddenly leaped into the air, executed a perfect 'flat sand falling goose' posture mid-air, and landed steadily on the ground.
Thump!
Her forehead touched the ground with a loud, clear sound.
Impressive? A good sound means a good head!
"I'm sorry! I was the one who stole your wallets! I used the money to buy these supplies, so I don't have it to pay you back right now! But please, don't worry, I will definitely find a way to repay you! Please don't take it out on the sanatorium, wuu wuu..."
Without another word, Pardo performed a magnificent 'dogeza' prostration before them, begging for their forgiveness.
The situation had developed so rapidly that even Kalpas needed a moment to process what was happening.
Then he understood: these two beautiful women in front of him were the unlucky ones whose wallets Pardo had stolen.
He held the supplies, preparing to wait and see.
While Pardo was at fault here, if these two really intended to give Pardo too hard a time, Kalpas would step in to mediate.
Of course, he preferred it didn't come to that.
However, what happened next took him by surprise.
He saw Elysia look at the kneeling Pardo, walk up to her, and extend a hand.
Just as Pardo braced herself, thinking Elysia was going to punish her and ready to endure the pain, Elysia instead helped her up and gently stroked Pardo's forehead, which was slightly red from the impact.
"Don't do that again, okay? It's dangerous."
As she spoke, she softly brushed the dust from Pardo's forehead.
"Huh? Sister Elysia, you... you're not angry?"
Pardo looked at Elysia's smiling face and asked cautiously.
"Angry about what?"
Elysia still wore that same smile.
"I... I stole your wallet... I probably even made you go hungry tonight..."
"I'm not angry..."
Elysia shook her head with a smile. "Everyone faces difficulties sometimes. If my wallet could help you through a tough spot, then it belonged in your hands. I'd even say, if it could help you, I'm glad."
Elysia looked at Pardo in front of her and gently ruffled the other girl's fuzzy little head.
Kalpas, standing to the side, looked at Elysia in surprise, momentarily at a loss for words.
In times like these, did people like this really still exist?
"Wuu wuu, Sister Elysia... You're a saint! No! You are a saint! From now on, I'll follow you... All hail Elysia!"
Pardo looked at Elysia, utterly speechless.
She had often wondered what would happen if she were ever caught stealing.
A beating, humiliation, or perhaps something even crueler.
Maybe she'd have her tendons severed and be thrown onto the street to fend for herself...
But she never, ever expected... that after being caught stealing their wallets, she would be... saved by Elysia?
This... an angel! She must be an angel!
"Before, I didn't believe perfect people existed in this world. But if anyone says now that perfect people don't exist, I'll say Sister Elysia's name without hesitation!"
Pardo directly began singing Elysia's praises.
"Oh my, stop praising me~ Even I'll get shy, you know~"
Elysia looked at Pardo. Though her words feigned embarrassment, the expression on her face clearly showed she was enjoying it.
What young woman wouldn't be happy to hear herself praised?
Elysia never liked hiding her emotions.
"These supplies..."
Acheron, standing to the side, looked at the supplies in Kalpas's hands and couldn't help but ask curiously.
"These supplies were bought with the money from Sister Elysia's and Sister Mei's wallets... meant for the children at the sanatorium. This place takes in a lot of kids."
"Pardo sometimes brings some supplies over, but this is the first time she's brought so much at once."
Kalpas added from the side, his tone implying something.
"It seems our wallets are continuing to serve a good purpose~"
Elysia nodded with a smile, then her eyes fell on the receipt clipped to the edge of the plastic bag.
The long list detailed how much Pardo had spent on these supplies.
"This total... it's more than the combined cash Mei and I were carrying, isn't it?"
Elysia said with some surprise.
"I... I used some of my own savings to make up the difference. But I'll donate all these supplies under Sister Elysia's and Sister Mei's names!"
"No need. Use your own name."
Acheron shook her head from the side and said, "We aren't from here, after all. Once we finish what we came to do, we'll leave. Of course, if we have time, we'll come visit the sanatorium. Could you let me meet the children here?"
"Of course! The kids here are all so well-behaved! Everyone is very obedient."
Pardo replied with a beaming smile.
Usually, there were kind-hearted people who came to visit the children at the sanatorium. Pardo could decide this matter herself; there was no need to inform the true person in charge, Aponia.
"But I am a bit curious. Sundown Alley doesn't have many interesting places. Looking at how the two of you are dressed... you don't seem like ordinary people. What brings you to Sundown Alley?"
Naturally, Acheron and Elysia weren't wearing their Fire Moth combat suits, so Kalpas didn't recognize their affiliation.
"We're from Fire Moth. We came here to investigate. We heard some people in Sundown Alley are showing signs of Honkai sickness."
Elysia didn't conceal their identity, honestly stating who they were.
But perhaps it would have been better if she hadn't. As soon as she said it, the atmosphere instantly became somewhat strange.
This sanatorium, besides functioning as an orphanage, was also where Aponia took in a number of children afflicted with Honkai sickness. Some of the children were already in the late stages of erosion...
One step further, and they would begin turning into zombies.
And now, two members of Fire Moth had arrived...
--+--
T/N: While I am an inexperienced Translator, I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.