"....."
Sarah quietly stared at the pill resting in her palm. It was small and practically indistinguishable from any ordinary pill.
'Will this really work...?'
Sarah had a few doubts while staring at the pill.
She couldn't see how this seemingly ordinary pill could possibly heal her fracture. She knew better than anyone just how severe her condition truly was. The doctors were still in the dark about the side effect her fracture carried, but she wasn't.
She... knew perfectly what they were.
'I'm really tired.'
The side effects left her constantly tired, prompting her to need at least double the amount of sleep that she usually required in order to stay functioning.
This sort of life...
She didn't want it at all.
Even if she stopped using her node and went through every treatment available, the side effects would linger for her entire life. Perhaps things would get a little bit better, but at the end of the day, they were still going to remain.
This wasn't something that could simply be repaired.
Fractures couldn't be fully healed, and knowing that, she found it impossible to believe that a single, ordinary-looking pill could change anything.
But...
"...."
Sarah bit her lips.
Staring at the pill, Sarah knew that this was her last hope.
She thought about her past. The multiple rejections she received from every Guild that she had applied to, each one stating the same thing.
'Not good enough.'
Even at the Academy, she had only just managed to pass. And when she finally made it into this Guild, it hadn't been to the department she'd dreamed of, but to the one that would simply take her.
Not even because of her skills, but because they were desperate.
If not for their desperation, Sarah believed they wouldn't have taken her. This wasn't her being pessimistic; it was simply her acknowledging the truth as it was.
And as such, she knew all too well that by remaining, she'd only be a burden.
But...
"I... can do it."
Sarah never once stopped believing in herself.
Even in failure, she believed she could do it. This was just how she was.
And so—
Gulp!
Sarah popped the pill in her mouth.
'Work. Please work.'
***
'Well, I'm done with my part.'
I didn't leave right away after stepping out of Sarah's room. Instead, I lingered in the hallway for a while longer, just to make sure everything was alright before moving on.
"Haa."
I eventually took a deep breath and leaned back against the side of the wall.
In all honesty, I didn't know if this was a great decision.
The pill I had given her… it would only ease a portion of her symptoms. While it did have the ability to heal the fracture, it wasn't something that would happen overnight. The process would be slow and gradual.
If something happened to her in the meantime, then...
'Ah, fuck. I really am a pushover after all.'
Leaning my head back, I waited several more minutes before eventually leaving.
There were a lot of things that I needed to take care of.
Primarily, those from my old company.
"That's going to be quite annoying to deal with."
I wasn't dumb.
I knew that even though Zoey's intervention had managed to get them off my back for now, this wasn't the end of it. Things were far from over.
They wanted the programs, and unless they got them, they weren't going to stop.
But there was an issue.
The programs...
They weren't mine to begin with. I didn't know how they worked, nor did I have any idea how to create them. The fact that they'd already noticed something was off about them was surprising enough on its own.
"No, I guess I should've seen it coming."
Thankfully, the system had ensured that any anomalous "play" would be impossible to detect, but it was still bound to raise suspicions. The effects of the music were far too obvious to ignore, and considering my current situation, I knew I needed to find a way to make it completely inaccessible to anyone else.
But was it possible to do so...?
'I should try to talk with the Conductor later. I should also think about copyrighting my music. This way, no one else can use it.'
The same could go for the programs.
"Ugh."
I ruffled my hair in annoyance.
'I'm still too new to this. I didn't expect things to turn out this way.'
This was my first time working as an independent developer, and because of that, I wasn't all that familiar with how companies operated or how they handled situations like this. I needed to get a copyright from the start, and most likely should have contacted a lawyer as well.
I made a mental note before walking out of the building.
Things had already reached such a point. There was no use for me to cry over spilled milk. I just needed to do better in the future and focus on my upcoming game.
I couldn't delay it any longer.
Especially since I was so desperate for money.
***
At the same time, Severed Star Guild.
"Hmm."
Kyle carefully studied the long list of names that had made it into the World Congress. A few of them caught him by surprise, but for the most part, the lineup was about what he had expected.
'Even Seth made it, which is a bit surprising, but considering his performance, it makes a lot of sense.'
Kyle had long since given up trying to make sense of Seth's actions or his inexplicable achievements. The more he tried to understand them, the worse his headache became.
He just accepted everything at this point.
A shadow cast over his cubicle.
"Hey."
Tok—!
Lifting his head, Kyle caught a glimpse of Zoey. Her expression seemed conflicted, carrying a trace of annoyance that she didn't bother to hide.
"What's... going on?"
It wasn't exactly rare to see her like this.
"Did you lose in a game?"
"Game?" Zoey blinked before shaking her head. "No, of course. Who do you think I am? I'm not going to get bothered by something like a game."
She rolled her eyes, mumbling something along the lines of, 'I'm actually offended you'd think that way of me.'
Kyle just smiled and accepted her words.
She was spouting a lot of nonsense.
"Yes, yes. You're right. I'm wrong."
He knew how to handle her in such situations. The two had practically joined the Guild together, so he was quite familiar with her character.
"Anyways..."
Zoey finally steered the conversation toward the main topic she had been meaning to discuss, her brows knitting slightly as her gaze settled on Kyle. She hesitated for a moment, wondering if she should ask, but eventually, she mustered up the courage to speak.
"You... ehm, you know Seth?"
"Seth?"
Kyle's brow rose, suddenly feeling a sinking feeling.
"Don't tell me he—"
"No, it's not that."
Zoey waved her hands, stopping any misunderstanding from forming.
"I'm actually the one in the wrong this time. I won't go into details, but I was wondering if you know about his... condition."
"Condition?"
Kyle blinked his eyes slowly. Why was she suddenly asking that? Although he was confused, he still ended up answering.
"Yeah, I do."
"....!"
Zoey's expression paused.
"You do? Then—"
"He's severely anemic. He gets tired very easily and has to take medications often. He's always been weak since young. There's also something else, but it's not that serious. Why? Did something happen?"
"....."
Zoey's mouth opened, but she soon closed it.
She tried to say something, but the words simply refused to leave her mouth. Staring at Kyle and seeing his expression, she realized he was serious.
That's...
'He really doesn't know at all!'