After that, I met several other people. The first one was an elderly woman.
"This is Betty. She handles the kitchen duties for the Underground City."
Oh ho, so this is the one in charge of Jin's meals? I asked her in detail about Jin's diet.
"Lately, the Leader has had no appetite at all and skips meals often. We force him to eat at least a few spoonfuls since he needs to eat well to get better, but..."
Betty replied with a deeply worried expression.
As expected. Sigh, Jin, you idiot. You're the one hastening your own death.
"From now on, please work with me to plan Jin's meals."
My medical knowledge was quack-level, but when it came to ingredients and nutrition, few in this world knew as much as I did.
While working at the company, I'd studied every possible ingredient for snacks in new menu development, plus all sorts of health-boosting foods.
Ugh, who knew my hated office life would come in handy like this.
"The new attending physician is incredibly thorough."
Betty said with an impressed look. It seemed the previous doctors hadn't cared at all about Jin's diet. You stupid physicians. The basics of treating illness start with managing what goes into the mouth.
Next, I met the janitors who cleaned Jin's room.
"Please change the bedsheets every two days. And the curtains at least once a week... Ah, and wipe down everything near the bed several times with strong alcohol."
I couldn't sterilize everything, but some level of disinfection was necessary. They all looked shocked at my nitpicky instructions. I felt like a germaphobe.
'For a patient whose immunity is as weak as Jin's, all that dirt is poison. I'm not being fussy.'
I wanted to yell it out in frustration, but there was no helping it.
Finally, Rishar took me to what looked like a laboratory.
"This is the lab shared by the alchemist and the engineer. Go ahead and enter."
With a pounding heart, I stepped inside.
"Rick, Lui."
At Rishar's call, a young man and woman in their early twenties approached.
"This is Rick, the alchemist."
Rishar first pointed to a pretty young man with silver hair and purple eyes. That appearance, and the name Rick. It felt familiar... But no matter how I thought, it wasn't a name from the original story.
"...Rick? Rica's brother?"
Suddenly recalling a face, I covered my mouth and said.
Rica was the girl I—no, Astrid—hadn't been able to save. The memory of that winter five years ago, sending off the orphaned girl who had groaned in pain, came back vividly.
"Ober Teacher..."
This place seemed full of boys and girls Astrid had saved. I'd already met two after just arriving.
Rica had been only eleven when she passed. Thinking of Rick's sad expression as he had to let go of his little sister made my chest ache.
"Have you been well?"
"...Yes. Have you been well too, Teacher?"
"Yes."
After exchanging greetings, an awkward air flowed between us. Rishar and the woman named Lui were peeking at us hesitantly.
"...Ah, I'll head back now. I have things to discuss with Jin."
Rishar broke the awkward silence.
Are you running away, Rishar? Truth be told, I want to run too, ugh.
After Rishar left the lab, the already awkward atmosphere sank further. Astrid at the time of Rica's death wasn't me, but did it have to be this awkward?
"Did you come as the Leader's attending physician?"
Rick asked. The heavy silence pressing down on me finally broke. I let out a deep sigh and forced a smile.
"Yeah. How did you know?"
"I recommended you. To Rishar."
Rick's answer was truly unexpected. I'd thought he'd resent Astrid, but he was the one who recommended her as Jin's doctor.
"You don't resent me?"
At my question, Rick turned his head away with a prim expression.
"Why would I resent you, Teacher? Rica followed you around so much."
His ears were slightly red as he said that.
What is this? Where did this cutie come from? Why wasn't such an adorable guy mentioned in the original?
Then it hit me—the reason Rick, Lui, Finn, Betty... none of these people were mentioned in the original.
After Jin died, the Liberators scattered, dying or going missing. Of course they weren't mentioned.
And the root cause of it all was Jin's death. Before I knew it, a fierce determination to save that flatfish of a man burned inside me.
Awkward silence filled the lab again. To break it, I spoke up.
"I had no idea you were an alchemist with the Liberators."
It really was surprising. Just five years ago, Rick had been a poor street orphan, and now he was an alchemist.
"The Leader taught me alchemy."
Rick said poutily.
What kind of person was Jin, really?
Astrid had been the one to teach Rick, who could barely read, how to read. For such a kid to become an alchemist making amazing cleansers in five years. Of course, he must have had talent.
"That's incredible. What exactly is that cleanser? It was so amazing."
I asked in amazement. It looked quite similar to modern soap bubbles. I wondered if it functioned the same way too.
"Hmm... It's a bit complicated. So... it has components that like water and components that hate water coexisting... ...When it meets water, the surface tension of the interface..."
Rick began explaining.
I listened blankly, but couldn't understand a thing. Rick, sadly, this big sis is a liberal arts major. No matter how hard you explain, I won't get it.
"So I named it a surfactant, and what I made is a liquid with very weak alkalinity that helps remove stains or dirt from hands..."
At the words surfactant and alkalinity, I jumped in surprise. Those were the only terms I understood, but it meant it was similar in composition to modern soap. Moved, I grabbed Rick's hand.
"Rick, you're a real genius!"
As I rejoiced, Rick looked at me with a puzzled expression.
He probably didn't understand. This young man clearly had no idea his invention was groundbreaking, extending human lifespans by decades.
"But Teacher, you seem a bit different now. From before."
Rick's face was a little red. Realizing I'd absentmindedly grabbed his hand, I quickly let go.
"R-Really? I don't notice it."
I tried to keep a calm expression. Truthfully, the real Astrid wouldn't have grabbed Rick's hand like that.
"More cheerful, maybe? I like you better now. You feel more like... someone like me. Before, you seemed like some transcendent being."
At those words, I felt my face heat up. Transcendent being—like an angel? Was Astrid that saintly and distant?
"Your praise is making me embarrassed. I just made it because I hated the sticky feeling left on my hands after alchemy experiments."
Rick blushed. It was incredibly humble, but I couldn't stop admiring him. No matter the reason, having soap was truly amazing.
"No, Rick. This will be a huge help to me."
As I kept gazing at him in admiration, Rick turned his head away, looking burdened. His earlobes were bright red, as if they might burst.
* * *
Rishar hurried back to Jin's bedroom. He'd felt uneasy leaving his close friend even briefly, and there was much to discuss with Jin.
As he reached for the door to Jin's bedroom, Astrid's warning flashed in his mind, freezing him in place. Everyone entering must wash their hands thoroughly, and wear a mask too.
Astrid's attitude treating him like a filthy creature had irked him, but figuring there must be some reason beyond his dull comprehension, Rishar washed his hands first.
Then he wrapped the black cloth he always carried around his nose and mouth. This should satisfy that picky doctor.
"Jin, I'm here."
There was no response from the bed. Rishar's heart sank. No way... Cold sweat began to flow.
"Jin...?"
He saw Jin's chest weakly rising and falling. Rishar sighed in relief. Good. He was just asleep.
'You scared me, Jin.'
Rishar looked down at Jin's slightly flushed face. To check for fever, he reached for his forehead, but stray hair got in the way.
Rishar brushed back Jin's jet-black hair and checked his temperature. A slight warmth...
At the touch, Jin opened his eyes.
"Sorry, did I wake you?"
Jin shook his head as if it was fine.
"...I can't sleep yet. We have things to talk about. Help me sit up."
Rishar helped Jin sit up. His bony friend's body felt so light. Even before falling ill, he'd never put on much weight...
"What's with the mask? Obeying the doctor's orders?"
Jin asked with a playful smile. Rishar didn't bother answering. Jin, who knew him inside out, would understand anyway.
"What do you think? Of her."
Rishar asked curtly. No need for a subject; quick-witted Jin knew exactly what he meant and gave the desired response.
"Ober Teacher? Hmm... Not sure. She's intriguing. Feels like she has knowledge surpassing mine in certain areas."
Rishar couldn't hold back a snort at Jin's answer. Not out of disdain for Astrid. He just believed no one in this world was smarter than Jin.
"Don't laugh, friend. It's true. She's hard to understand."
Jin said, frowning. Rishar couldn't comprehend. She hadn't struck him as that impressive.
"But she was different from the rumors. Sounded like a wingless angel. The Angel of Aub Street."
Jin continued playfully.
Rishar fully agreed. She was so different from the rumors it made him wonder if she'd been replaced.
"I thought so too. But she said rumors always have some exaggeration."
Hearing that, Jin stroked his chin and smiled faintly, as if amused. He pondered for a long while, then spoke with a sad expression.
"She seems to think my remaining life is just a few months too."
"Jin, don't say such weak things."
Rishar said hastily. Every time Jin said such things, his heart dropped.
All the doctors examining Jin diagnosed he wouldn't last beyond three months.
Rishar desperately kept the doctors from voicing it before Jin. He didn't want Jin to give up.
But his genius friend, smarter than anyone, read the truth from their eyes without words. It was tragic.
"Rishar. Now... it's time to think about leading the Liberators without me. We can't just deny it."
Rishar's fist clenched tight at Jin's moist voice. He felt like he might burst into tears any moment.
He'd first met Jin at age four. Twenty-eight years had passed. Twenty-eight years of inseparability, like one body. He had no confidence in living well after losing such a precious friend.
"No. Don't say that, Jin. You're not dying."
I absolutely won't let you die. Rishar swallowed the unspoken words.
