Chapter 196

She pointed to the corner of the screen.

It was a tower.

The streamlined track was tangent to the ground, curving upward, pointing straight toward the firmament.

This was a tall tower used for launching starships.

And not far from the young girl, Gaia.

Was a playground.

The facilities there had long since become dilapidated and broken; when the wind blew, the heavily rusted metal frames would sway occasionally.

The young girl looked over there, revealing a look of longing.

But as she approached.

The facilities, already on the verge of collapse, seemed to finally find an excuse for release, crashing down to one side with a boom, incidentally snapping the branches of the trees.

The young girl, Gaia, stood where she was, blankly reaching out her hand, wanting to grab something.

Yet a few seconds later, she withdrew her hand, like a child who had done something wrong.

……

"Suddenly feel she's so pitiful."

"Feels like... reality benders who cannot actively control their reality-warping abilities seem to all be tragic figures... 'Maintain Status Quo' is looked down upon by site directors and doctors, while she is forced away from civilized society."

"Simply put, it's uncontrollability. No matter what it is, as long as it's uncontrollable, it poses a risk... even if it's one's own power."

……

Not far behind the young girl, Gaia, Dr. Bright shook his head.

Then, he took a communicator out of his pocket and hung it behind his ear.

After waiting for a moment, Dr. Bright revealed a smile, as if he had completed some prank.

"Hello? Alto Clef, my dear friend!"

……

"?!"

"Alto Clef? Is this Dr. Clef's full name?"

"No way, could it be that the father of 'Just a Young Girl Gaia'... is really Dr. Clef."

"Didn't expect that the doctor, whose face is always hard to see clearly, would have such a highly compatible XP system. I bow down to you."

"Uh... perhaps Dr. Clef has seen too many beauties of all kinds at work and occasionally wants to change his taste, for example, finding one full of wildness."

"It can be full of wildness, but don't find a beast. This is still a bit beyond the acceptable range."

……

"Bright?" Dr. Clef's hearty voice came through. "Why did you suddenly think of contacting me?"

In Dr. Bright's mind, he couldn't help but think of a raccoon image, grinning with a big mouth, seemingly maintaining a smile forever.

"Telling you some unfortunate news, your daughter is in my hands now."

"?"

The other end of the communicator was silent for a moment.

After a while, Dr. Clef's voice came through faintly:

"Bright, how has she been doing lately?"

"Very well, thanks to 'Containment-343', the frozen planet under my feet has become a Gaia planet. Ah, not your daughter's 'Gaia'... I think you know what I mean."

"I understand... so, you let her out?"

The corners of Dr. Bright's mouth curled up slightly:

"Yes, it's just that there are still many human ruins remaining on this planet. You can't let your daughter run around, lest she come into contact with something she shouldn't."

"Yes, I know... that child's constitution has always been like this."

In the communicator, Dr. Clef's sigh came through.

"I'll count this favor as owed to you." Dr. Clef continued, "Help me take good care of her."

While speaking, Dr. Clef turned his head and looked at Dr. Bright, who was sitting opposite him.

The other person had a gaunt face, brown hair, and green eyes, and was currently holding 'Immortality', spinning it constantly, as if it were a finger spinner.

Sensing Dr. Clef's gaze, this Dr. Bright spread his hands and said helplessly:

"Don't look at me like that, we are strictly two separate individuals now."

……

At the same time, a small window suddenly appeared on the screen.

In the office, two people sat opposite each other, separated by a desk.

One was Dr. Clef.

Sitting behind the desk was a woman with small scars on her face, and her name tag indicated her identity:

【Dr. Sophia Light】

Dr. Light.

Suddenly, Dr. Light slammed the table, stood up abruptly, pointed at the tip of Dr. Clef's nose, and roared:

"What the hell were you thinking at the time?"

Dr. Clef was calm and unperturbed, crossing his legs, his right foot on the ground, the front two legs of the chair suspended in the air, swaying leisurely with his body:

"I wanted to ensure she was safe and sound. You wouldn't let me talk to her. I chose another path."

Dr. Light sat back down, raising her hand to rub her temples:

"But you started trying to provide a Level 4 anomaly with a phone line to the outside world—damn it."

"The committee is already disgusted that you and she work in the same place. This matter has been exposed, and you can say goodbye to all the deals you've made."

Once these words were spoken, Dr. Clef immediately panicked.

Not only did he immediately put the chair's four legs on the ground, but he also leaned his whole body forward, trying to close the distance between himself and Dr. Light.

"Don't be like this, Sophia!"

"She won't hurt others. The only reason she stays here is me. I have to do something. Will the Foundation just let her grow up like this? Think about her—"

Dr. Light raised her hand to stop him.

"Before you say the other word, remember, this will be made public to everyone with Level 4 clearance. I can edit your name, but I cannot stop people from piecing this information together during an untimely incident."

Dr. Clef crossed his fingers and pressed them against his chin, not speaking for a long time.

Subsequently, he sighed:

"Sixteen years."

"For sixteen years, she couldn't walk in the city, couldn't go to the movies, and couldn't even go shopping. Whether in a monastery or a Foundation cell, she has been locked up because of things she couldn't choose. All of this is because of me. It's not fair."

Dr. Light: "I know."

"……And I can't do anything about it. I can send strike teams to any part of the world, I know secrets that the most powerful people in the world would spend billions to buy, but I can't even talk to her to let her know she's not alone."

Dr. Light: "You've done everything you could. In such a tricky situation, you've performed better than anyone could have hoped."

"It's funny, that's almost useless. I—"

As he spoke, Dr. Clef's emotions were somewhat agitated.

Before he could control himself, he suddenly fell silent again.

"You know, I don't care. Write down everything I've done. Let's end this quickly."

Dr. Light took out a folder, flipped to a certain page, and then looked into Clef's eyes.

Those three green, blue, and hazel eyes seemed to be able to absorb all light.

"……I've arranged six meetings with Foundation psychologists for you, 2 hours each, I guarantee it's with Glass. He signed off at the end, and we can erase this from your record."

Dr. Clef nodded and whispered "Oh".

The small window screen ends here.