Ryan hung up the phone after his call with Alice, blinking hard to ease the dryness in his eyes. Finally, he let out a long sigh of relief.
His request had been a bit unreasonable, to be honest. It deviated too much from their original plan, and he was almost certain Alice wouldn’t agree to it. But, for so reason, she had been surprisingly understanding this ti and agreed without much fuss. Ryan couldn’t help but wonder when Alice had beco so easygoing.
Then again, if Alice had insisted that he return, he really wouldn’t have known what to do.
On one hand, that mysterious $10,000 expense was too suspicious to ignore, and Ryan couldn’t help but focus on it. On the other hand, he had his own reasons for not wanting to rush back to Alice’s side just yet. As for what those reasons were…
“Ryan, I’m really sorry! I won’t say weird stuff anymore, okay? Please don’t be mad at !”
Ryan glanced at his arm, which was being shaken back and forth vigorously. Mia was clinging to him like a baby koala, refusing to let go no matter how much he tried to shake her off.
Just like she said, Ryan’s expression was serious—so serious, in fact, that his face could’ve rivaled that of a stern judge. Just looking at him was enough to make anyone nervous.
“Ptooey, ptooey, ptooey!”
“See? I said sothing I shouldn’t have, but I spat it out! So, it’s like I never said it at all!”
Mia spat dramatically a few tis, as if trying to sever ties with her earlier self. Then, like a guilty kitten, she started rubbing her face against Ryan’s arm, trying her best to win his forgiveness.
Her big eyes were misty, and Ryan could tell that if he didn’t forgive her soon, she was definitely going to cry.
Watching Mia’s antics, Ryan couldn’t help but sigh internally. His stern expression softened a little.
It wasn’t that he was mad at Mia. It was just that one particular issue was stuck in his throat like a bone, making it impossible for him to act like everything was normal.
“I knew you were the best, Ryan! Let’s go grab lunch!”
The mont Ryan’s expression relaxed, Mia imdiately took advantage, clinging to him even more. She rubbed her stomach dramatically, clearly trying to change the subject.
Seeing her smile again—so bright and sweet, like cotton candy soaked in fruit juice—Ryan couldn’t help but feel a warmth in his heart. Even the coldest assassin would probably say, “Ugh, that’s too sweet for .”
But the cuter Mia acted, the more Ryan felt a deep sadness welling up inside him.
Her playful words might seem like a joke, but given everything that had happened, how could Ryan not jump to the worst conclusion?
By now, Ryan was almost certain that sothing was seriously wrong with Mia’s health. And it wasn’t sothing that could be fixed with money alone.
For soone like her, with her background, even she wasn’t spared by fate.
“Ryan! What are you thinking about? If you keep ignoring , I’m going to get mad!”
Mia noticed Ryan spacing out again. She put her hands on her hips, stood on her tiptoes, and gave him an ultimatum in a playful, whiny tone.
Their noses were barely half an inch apart. Ryan could see his reflection in her clear, amber eyes—so pure and untainted.
For a brief mont, Ryan really believed that this was the real Mia. Maybe the mischievous side of her, just like Alice’s cold deanor, was nothing more than a protective mask.
“Alright, alright. What do you want to eat? I’m sure you’ve already decided.”
Ryan took a half-step back to put so distance between them, but the sweet scent of orange soda still lingered in his nose. He rubbed his nose awkwardly and asked in a muffled voice.
He couldn’t bla Mia. He had no right to. What could he even bla her for? Hiding her illness?
But if it was sothing even she couldn’t handle, what good would it do to talk about it? It would only invite pitying looks from others.
And in a place like this, surrounded by gangsters, you couldn’t expect anyone to show you sympathy. If anything, showing weakness would only put her in more danger.
People here loved nothing more than kicking soone when they were down.
The mont Ryan agreed, Mia jumped up excitedly and grabbed his hand, pulling him toward the hospital exit.
She really didn’t want to sll the disinfectant anymore. It reminded her of too many bad things.
With Ryan here, she could act spoiled for a little while longer. Maybe she could even cause so trouble for Alice. And if she could sohow steal Ryan away from Alice, that would be even better.
Compared to these growing obsessions, nothing else really mattered anymore.
Five minutes later, Mia was pulling Ryan into a small, unassuming restaurant—one of those places you could find on almost any street corner. Ever since they’d grabbed snacks together outside the construction site, Mia seed to have developed a fondness for these simple, everyday places.
It might sound a bit off to describe it this way, but the truth was, the food she usually ate wasn’t exactly the kind of stuff you’d find on a typical family’s dinner table.
As soon as they stepped inside, Mia’s eyes darted around the restaurant, full of curiosity. Ryan, still lost in thought, handed over the responsibility of ordering to her. For once, she quieted down, focusing intently on the nu, trying to decide what to get. Ryan took the opportunity to rub his temples, and while Mia wasn’t paying attention, he let out a deep, heavy sigh.
This was where his selfishness ca into play. Even before Mia had made that dark joke, Ryan had already sensed sothing was wrong. He’d been ntally preparing himself for a while now.
He kept telling himself that he shouldn’t get too involved in Mia’s situation. If even the doctors couldn’t help her, what could he possibly do?
But when she finally said it out loud, all his ntal defenses crumbled. Just the thought of Mia lying in a hospital bed, looking so fragile, made it hard for Ryan to breathe.
He had plenty of friends, but after he’d faked his death, none of them had stayed in touch. They probably didn’t even know he was gone. And yet, after all this ti, not a single one had reached out.
At school, the only person he could still call a friend was Anna. And aside from her, the only people Ryan truly cared about were Alice and Mia.
So, this wasn’t just a matter of whether he could help—it was about how he could help.
What Mia was dealing with was likely sothing beyond the reach of modern dicine. Ryan’s first instinct was to turn to the system for a solution.
The system’s store refreshed once a week. Skills like Bloodhound Instinct and Drama Magnet were ones he’d drawn from the current pool. Ryan carefully reviewed the skill pool again, but it only deepened his disappointnt.
There were so dical-related skills available, but the one called Basic dical Knowledge was only a B-rank skill. Clearly, it wasn’t going to be enough to tackle the problem at hand.
“This is such a headache…”
Ryan muttered under his breath, which made Mia glance up at him, her eyes wide with confusion. He quickly waved his hand, signaling her to keep ordering.
He had to help Mia. That much was certain. And if he wanted to change the situation, he’d have to rely on the system’s abilities, which often defied common sense.
At the mont, there were only two possible options.
The first was to wait for the next skill pool refresh. In the anti, he’d need to stockpile as many Skill Points as possible. If he got lucky—really lucky—and the next pool included a high-level dical skill, and if he managed to draw it, then maybe he could turn things around.
But the odds of that happening? Ryan didn’t even want to think about it.
The second option was to focus on the final reward for this mission. Completing Alice’s Crucial Mission would grant him a Wish Point, wouldn’t it?
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