Kal'tsit hadn't actually been looking for Steven. She never expected that when she opened the door to the trading post, she'd find him standing there with Closure.
How did this guy even find his way here? Was he trying to trade for something?
With a puzzled mind, Kal'tsit's small, cute nose twitched, and then her brow furrowed tightly.
"Closure, did you secretly bring in alcohol again? How many times have I told you, Rhodes Island's resources are not abundant. We're far from having enough to let you squander them like this. Instead of buying these things, you should be purchasing more materials and energy."
She called out to the Sarkaz girl, who was trying to sneak away, and gave her a cold reprimand.
"You should be talking to those guys about this..."
Closure originally wanted to drag the other elite operators down with her, but when she pointed towards where the elite operators had been sleeping like the dead, all she saw was a devastated scene.
Those elite operators, who were usually craftier than monkeys, had long disappeared, leaving only Steven standing there with his arms crossed, looking on with a spectator's expression.
"Talk to who? Mr. Steve? He's not a Rhodes Island operator, and he probably doesn't have time to buy this kind of low-quality Ursus alcoholic beverage."
Kal'tsit glanced down at the mess on the floor. She had already more or less figured out what had happened. But since only Steven and Closure were left at the scene, naturally, she could only trouble these two.
To be precise, she could only trouble Closure. As for Steven, she really didn't know how to deal with him.
Now that she knew he might hold the key to curing Oripathy, she was just short of worshipping him. How could she dare to criticize him?
As long as Steven didn't commit mass murder, arson, or cross Kal'tsit and the other operators' bottom line, nobody would say a word against whatever he wanted to do on Rhodes Island.
"Exactly, exactly. I'm innocent. But this Miss Closure here said I should cover the cost of the alcohol and clean up the place. I'm just a lonely traveler—where would I find such a fortune?"
Steven added fuel to the fire, delivering another blow to Closure.
Trying to scam him out of money was not that easy.
"Oh, and she also said, 'Kal'tsit is so petty.' I have to say, of all the things she said, that one made the most sense to me."
Steven had no intention of hiding his mischief, even expressing wholehearted agreement with the statement.
"—I didn't, I never said that! What I said was that Kal'tsit, you're so kind, and you wouldn't stoop to your subordinates' level, right?"
Closure's delicate and adorable face, still carrying a bit of baby fat, twisted into an awkward smile as she pitifully tried to explain to Kal'tsit.
"I don't think I match your imagination quite so well. Or rather, I don't think I can easily let off a Rhodes Island member who has made such a serious mistake. Wouldn't you agree, Miss Closure?"
Kal'tsit's face darkened, her tone slipping back into the cryptic style that Steven despised. However, this time, he didn't find the interpretation difficult at all—instead, he found it incredibly entertaining.
After all, Kal'tsit wasn't targeting him.
"Uh, my bad."
Closure covered her ears and bolted away from Kal'tsit, running even faster than a rabbit, as if she were terrified Kal'tsit might chase her down.
If Kal'tsit were just going to punish her, that would be one thing. But if she was going to dock her wages, Closure would rather take a beating—it'd hurt less.
Luckily, Kal'tsit didn't seem like she intended to settle the score with her immediately.
Her gloomy expression softened when she looked at Steven.
Knowing he didn't like seeing her with a cold face, Kal'tsit forced a smile, though it looked so awkward that it only emphasized the incongruity.
"Aren't you going to chase her down and properly punish her? At the very least, dock a few months' wages and maybe put her in solitary for a while, right?"
Steven couldn't help but want to laugh at that expression on Kal'tsit's face. This cold and serious "BBA" (Big Boss Attitude) showing such a clumsy attempt to please someone was such an amusing contrast.
"I will, but right now I'm more curious—how did you get so close with them so quickly? The elite operators of Rhodes Island are generally not very trusting of outsiders."
Kal'tsit calmly pointed out that she was well aware of the elite operators' occasional private gatherings. She had long been aware of their secret drinking parties. But Steven managing to blend into their little circle was beyond her expectations.
With his strange personality, how did he even make friends with anyone?
"You might not believe it, but it's probably because I'm too charming. Resisting my charisma is… well, quite difficult." Steven, looking a bit smug, adjusted his hair. He certainly couldn't say he had no idea how he became so close with them, could he?
"Of course, if you'd like to experience it yourself, I suggest you sit down and have a drink with me. Who knows, maybe our friendship will improve too."
He pulled out a half-empty bottle of booze from a nearby cardboard box. After wiping the bottle's mouth, he took a large swig and then handed the remaining quarter of the bottle to Kal'tsit.
"No need. I'm not good with alcohol."
She rejected the bottle with a frosty expression, unable to stop her brow from furrowing.
"See, that's why I get along with them better than with you. It's all your own choice."
Steven shrugged and finished off the cheap, harsh liquor. Then, he lay back on the cardboard box, looking every bit like he was basking in a life of debauched leisure.
"I just think that if you really consider them friends, maybe you should understand what they're fighting for."
"Do you know why they were throwing a welcome party for Outcast? It's because not every elite operator mission ends perfectly. Sometimes, they can't wait for old friends to return."
"This is the curse that hangs over this land. As long as Oripathy is not eradicated, as long as there are infected still out there, these operators—who joined Rhodes Island to save the infected—will always be risking their lives."
This time, Kal'tsit wasn't speaking in riddles. But what she said was even harsher than any cryptic message.
Yet, after listening to it all, Steven just remained slumped on the box, drinking the bitter, low-quality liquor with a look of complete indifference.
"And then what? What does that have to do with me? Did I make them do any of this? Or is Oripathy my fault?"
"If neither of those is true, then what's the point of telling me all this?"