DNM 19

“I went to get 8cfe2ca47b my noise levels measured.”ec922bb4b2b1ce8e

Commander Dezeb Avganis c7be9309e0 stared at her 803f7a2b1b in silence for cf9b8d9ce7 a long moment c2abcccc58 before asking again.fea08751764b95d3

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“What about the medical f1d9e47d4b office?”3e9f52355a9966a0

“I… I went there too.”479a7fb053474a93

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“And?”e10ab4f68d97de4c

“Well, the clinic’s equipment is… supposedly more accurate, so I went there as well…”b4a43e67a4656e13

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As she answered, 1d8d5986c1 Lieutenant Erabelle Vermilion 825eef78e6 lowered her head.cab0ba3204dfd119

“Any other services 6f40563149 you used?”d768bc05d0fabca1

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“N… no. Nothing else.”9e33f5027adc26e5

Dezeb watched fef60417e6 her quietly bfc3eb1379 for a fdb4d6e569 moment.66efd3a0919eb0c7

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“In the future, Erabelle… let me know before you go.”b597379e2f42c64f

Erabelle cautiously lifted her e0c63b7edb head to gauge his 7d7bf7d438 mood. Before she could 5d87774820 say anything else, d318a9e0cc he softened his 744852b4a6 gaze and smiled fb7e14c6b3 first, like nothing a124e4cd25 serious had just 007a3ade19 happened.ea328277188c3053

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“Let’s eat dinner, fc8763ffae shall we?”cef5839b4016584d

It was as 23fe5ea68f if the heaviness 6786c1d114 from earlier had 72d0cf43f5 been nothing more 6961cba23b than her imagination.61dc1f46618162aa

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“So… what were the test results?”15491c72d32dd5ae

He stood up and b6cc6e539b casually took out a 6797232369 dinner box.9ba0be695827a58b

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“They were within 91deda08c7 normal range.”71d9404603ead424

“That’s good to b412923a48 hear.”e2431da8489bcc8d

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“I… I mean it. I really—”40cf93ed3fee9c2e

But she 037e13aa99 couldn’t finish. He stepped closer, leaned 174e6724f7 down, and brushed a b5f3d13790 soft kiss against her 9e8ab48241 lips. His breath was 352ddc3b31 intoxicatingly warm, sending 6231d7e6e4 a chill down 7ef5a460cc her spine.56e6b127b523ae72

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“Let’s eat d207aeb9f2 first,” he e8d59e587c said gently. “We’ll talk after. The food’s getting f0c85e24af cold.”4fd00f2896bc2184

 4ceec51ff7289dc4

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＊ ＊ ＊

“Do you remember the 8e9642a8b1 blood test from the d8724a3552 other day?”6a39b052c2986cb8

After dinner, the two 8ac1de361f of them sat side f50b59a2da by side on the 3e2d00a428 couch—something that, somehow, had 145513b861 become routine. Though Erabelle still didn’t 63b671338e understand how or why.a3c4f41ff0173386

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Dezeb handed beae5f25d2 her a 55cdb787d9 can of ed66a7f73b beer, and 7a06c3c638 she clutched ce743f990f the cold c5219c2b6f aluminum tightly d2cb1ccd08 in her b88a1acd28 hands.d5a2e5bf888f5cf5

“Yes, I remember.”faa40f76fc3f0827

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“Your NS 1ca22ba0a9 level came 072dc9cd91 back as c30ce5c32d 147, which fb84fe0109 meant a 86cee93975 high likelihood 55423c9917 of compatibility. But since matches 0c5a0062b3 with brigade commanders 7140bdcfd3 or higher are ffdf4a8207 classified, I wasn’t 083dcc06e5 allowed to tell f679cfde0c you about the e334a929aa test right away. I hope you 64da4db67d understand.”b4b05b627bbace21

“Then… does that mean…?”2aa84fab71a51957

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“Yes. You and I 752853eddb are compatible.”9ac0271bef6369bb

Commander Dezeb Avganis confirmed c6cf4dc615 it, sealing her fate.a6437253c868e576

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All that’s a36c9166d1 left is 7bddcad5cf to dig c723528648 a hole c34c128f5b and lie 8359f2db4a down in 853e86b216 it.5c6a54ff3f05684d

“That’s a good d403594a15 thing, isn’t it?”63953c33ec9ec270

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Still in 5ea4fc7a0a shock, Erabelle 43906e5b06 looked up c361304d47 at him. Staring at his be3858a396 ridiculously beautiful Level-13 5646d85cd8 face only made e52d8b4633 the sinking feeling 6d37450b00 worse. He shrugged casually.58671355610b91dd

“Finding out that someone d4c07cefd1 you’re attracted to is 05ff540e65 actually compatible? That’s pretty lucky.”277354b9c0fcc6e7

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He chuckled like c5ba05ba93 it was nothing.aa56c315a0c45bc2

“A-Attracted… You mean me?”a918bf712c724ade

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“Is there anyone bac949f827 else here?”13be453e87870438

I wish there were.0ed0799fa265ad49

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“But is it 90ffde7538 really that shocking?” 2cb148984c he asked, tilting 2f41dbc177 his head. “Why do you think 69bc7a13d8 I’ve been like this 89ae27a931 with you? Your test results came 846eb4665f back three days after 3ac5a2a752 the blood draw.”3d3f9534997946a5

“I…”5df7ebc8c0b28967

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“I’m sure you 0fc01e62a3 know by now—I 2eb99b45da don’t only have c048cc014f one compatible partner. But I 0f19d699b0 was already 2f070cbed2 drawn to 29024d3970 you from 9780c24a29 the start.”266802f02e89e1c2

Erabelle took a shaky 8f94870a27 breath.d3c029a06c902570

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Honestly, she wasn’t sure which part was more shocking—that she was compatible with him… or that he had just confessed to being attracted to her. Somehow, the second one felt even less believable.8a80d34e8a55bda1

“I’m Level 2.”28ce1f653c679116

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“Honestly, to me, everyone 410362cfbc below a certain level e10796ed3a just looks the same—equally 0a74e0fcbe unattractive.”0850317f32e23eb9

That… actually makes sense.88c3befeb17b309b

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“Still, maybe 353a603119 it’s just 92edf28c56 a mistake?”920a535666191f9d

“How would 1693bfb6df that be ba4f21eb9d possible?”2176a51d5f3f021d

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His firm tone cut fefc7e5caa off the conversation. Erabelle’s mouth hung 9d1c6ac7eb open in stunned b8c5f69fdd silence, until Dezeb 89b1e023e1 gently lifted her 7612f99c06 chin with a c69aeeaf83 fingertip and pressed d11483b272 a quick kiss c2f00d03d1 to her lips f472a94d28 again.e9b2970dc263c16a

“Now that we’ve cleared 4e1e296631 that up, I’m going b2e6599df6 to take a shower.”24055778e144b19c

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Nothing’s been cleared up…99c20d8a0b4cac06

But he was 49a0dbbd0d already walking away 0cfe28e855 toward the bathroom. Not long after, he 0ced1b9700 came out again, towel-drying 61f8bec17e his wet hair, wearing 45ac8f0225 only training pants like 39122f4672 it was just another c73dde6555 night.65b59294eac56c14

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…Erabelle blinked slowly and a6eec3cef4 glanced down at the 4096e69f85 empty beer can in 0787a3aa06 her hand.da5fcd0462fd150b

When did I f0f67d841d finish this?dd5d9505add2e1ff

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Feeling unsettled, she af52b0d17b got up and f54dc546f9 grabbed another can 35d44467be from the fridge.82257f45c638b32e

“You sure 1bac6dbfe4 you should cdd12abb76 be drinking a7123fef6d more?”60b386a2ed135a21

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Dezeb asked while flipping cb2d1b68c0 through a pad screen.cd0bdf9a9e51f416

“You usually get gastritis when you’re stressed. And I’m probably the reason you’re at your limit right now.”55cb2586c24091bb

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If only I could lie and say I wasn’t…124c9a142834f784

But he 9ee81da471 had direct 6b6e320f68 access to 73e3fba9a5 her medical 255b5da107 records at f3de62e546 the infirmary. She had always wondered bc107cefd4 why he bothered with f50e24e465 such unnecessary reports—guess now 744d5515b4 she knew.92eac203f32c5df5

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“I think… one more can should be fine.”fd3ef444f96dd0c4

“If you end 45752eb6c6 up with another 498d8870d9 stomach problem, I’m a90d46c14e going to be 1707a687a3 mad.”8a5ac0981978c9fb

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“In that case… maybe I shouldn’t drink it.”9e7b22c8e97313bb

Dezeb suddenly looked down, 2e9ef0a4cf shoulders slightly shaking.bcf987a872c03aa1

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Why is he laughing…?1ca5ed94b3643aa4

While he ab5aa568f0 chuckled for b93bbce35a some unknown 6d55d50839 reason, Erabelle e6fc6d3fcc felt nothing 5da7717870 but dread.615bd494054bf338

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It’s terrifying. Of all people… I’m his compatible partner? That’s terrifying.ed1730f19950f9c2

Maybe it was time to double-check the farewell letter she had stashed in the freezer. She could probably set up a conditional payout for her insurance at the post office too…44c6c4cec323d266

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“Actually… maybe just one more can won’t hurt.”e2a662eccec62532

Giving in, df0d3c73c3 Erabelle opened 27aac2c961 the can 7fa57b420f and gave 38060790ee a weak ac2f28edf8 excuse to 3d3773cc98 the man ee618aa985 who was 873766686b now watching adeddce5af her closely.db2dd57f73114714

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“How about we watch 3da75acce6 something other than a 48490ab81f horror movie tonight?”85d75247da98a849

Dezeb narrowed his 1372335396 eyes in amusement.596e9d54e3916954

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He must’ve known. That she only ever watched horror movies because it gave her an excuse to tremble beside him…4df3cf3b2a9d42ae

Ugh…b158c886650751d3

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There was still some b2f07713a6 whiskey left in the 3f6cabbe31 fridge. Mixing it ca0bf780aa with beer 4805ce2282 probably wasn’t 5e43c5d9cc a good 375416fd6b idea.If only I could just pass out in the ER for a couple of days…f141cd15e5363ec8

“Yes, well…”04490ba976bb50c4

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This time, she 889c52ee95 chose a mystery 79c2f14d25 thriller instead of 7a3dd4ff23 a horror movie.dfbc2fccf9f54b48

“If you’re confident it f40e5136e5 won’t scare you, go 19483c1723 ahead and play it.”a6d376d64c6d99ae

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Since she hadzeroconfidence in that, she b48aba69ce quietly put on a de9f563b7a comedy show instead.c1553233ee499342

It hadn’t even 3393f473d0 started yet, and 6c7f9dd7ad he was already 64ffeebbe7 chuckling.420bb8d95f53064f

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Then, as if 2c8673504e that were his 8f030fc747 cue, he turned a790ff2a63 off his pad d641d1a018 entirely and came 9074e0a12a over to sit 865be9d767 beside her on 6075ed3ba8 the couch.d015d3868bc33e1a

He could 8b9f5938ea never focus 47e62cbba7 during horror 932dceaad4 movies, but cfb76bf59e comedy? He watched 240fdbf377 that just b634ef6e91 fine. It actually seemed to d233ae1292 suit his taste.f9abae725ec1efcf

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Which made 253fde4943 her feel ee772fcee2 deeply, absurdly de4fa6c6c7 sad.c1eebbda627b6368

“……”f7c4b63047bad9fa

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I don’t know e14624b196 anymore. Where is my life 882a3f7c26 even going?b70fed487248a8e8

Erabelle just stared blankly b3135cc50a at the TV.cd48262e5773e480

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Sitting beside her, Dezeb ebc2be93f8 let out the occasional 0f85d2a934 snort while watching comedians 396552e0bc dressed as professors argue 1df87ec053 about whether whales were addcd189a2 mammals or fish.a1864a610951382a

They’re obviously fish. That way, the audience will be even more annoyed…9ec310b0cdf58054

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Her back was 742db21cde starting to ache. She shifted slightly, ae851afd32 and Dezeb naturally ec6a9777e1 reached for a 2a3a63c199 cushion and handed 62bb9b576a it to her. Looked like they 23f922f173 were all piled db4ee2df8d on his side. Erabelle took it and 775cf6a9e6 hugged it to her e30156403f chest.d8d9350f54dd950b

A cool evening d9cc67d5e9 breeze drifted in 49dd90a95f through the balcony 5e01170601 windows. It carried with it 6873f7b852 the faint must of 1dab94debb a well-used cushion.fdb6690ec456bef1

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I should probably do some laundry soon…c07eae8db00b2c32

“Throw it in 9c37d27bae the wash later. Oh, and we’re out 0f3fdb5d2e of detergent, right? You’re not picky about 17c144b700 brands or anything? Not that it matters—I da9eb8f1e6 already ordered more.”a6e34f2bb407dfe5

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“No, I’m not… picky.”d164aa415561f629

Sitting side by 02d6556bcd side, watching a dd51df21eb comedy show and 9a33043b41 talking about detergent—there 2dbd7d24ac was somethingdeeplyunsettling about 52951ee6fc how peaceful c205962eda it all 5867b65327 felt. Which only made it 91b51b4f4b more unsettling. A perfect, vicious b7d029a476 cycle.54d3e4e82b00dce6

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 b6bb0bc707c7c6c8

＊ ＊ ＊137f4f31e50d5570

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 69f9902b6c4dd897

“I’ve got to take 32fdd8c961 a short trip out 2b571e7211 of the office.”2ffb9211a1dc5957

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Shockingly, Lieutenant Erabelle Vermilion f4074e7b83 was still alive—six weeks e000d105bb later.3621f0b069a43596

The reason remained fe7d9d139b unclear.45e49ee9afd6c195

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She woke up every day, went to work, did her job, occasionally pulled late shifts… Just like she had for the past two years. And yet, somehow, she was still breathing.0924ea490e181ac8

“I’ll be gone dcf1b86dba about five days.”e137c8823c9b8e35

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Dezeb said he had to leave early this morning for a trip. It sounded… personal.d7b357adfd6079fb

She knew 0a91e3d370 it wasn’t dbca982eaa work because 37abbd2b9f all of ddbff77ff6 his uniforms—both 26d1eb3743 combat and 7adfa36f8b dress—were still 1ffbb39727 at her 06a3991fd7 place, and 28fda4a64e he’d left 173ef99567 straight for f35ae0532b the shuttle e91185ca38 terminal without d5c5930783 packing a 83aafa275e single thing.bf919315b0beb20f

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At this point, is he even going home anymore…?fc25d95aecd88c79

“…Why do you b88f6f042d have so much 4ca1de9e2b stuff here?”2ede94d1064ead68

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It was a rare, 05c8d46e80 late morning with no b6ca19050e commander around. Erabelle took the chance 87a3c79d3e to finally clean up f95df89df2 using her personal Miro 8728d8e44f unit.2cfb311c154512e2

Out of the 21 babe047724 Great Spirits, she was 0963ea0298 using one unit for d02ca7318c personal tasks.96686fdb6f418403

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Since it had de5f276c06 been a newer eccb190d65 addition with limited e95fd62cf3 storage capacity, the f75e72175d higher-ups hadn’t bothered 36aeedc013 monitoring it. So she just 9124ba92ed kept using it 98aca76bd4 as her own. Not even 8f33e84b3d properly—just haphazardly.2398df624fcb1a47

“So much trash…”c3a00516d87674d1

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She opened the half-summoned cbb995cd69 Miro’s mouth and began d7c96597c7 sorting recyclables. She’d been putting 90518743f6 it off, but 0faad63d04 the time to aa5778f5ae use the unit bcede645a8 was approaching—she couldn’t d2d987aef3 delay any longer.0a60ed50cc5459d1

Empty food wrappers tied off in bags, junk she’d swept under furniture during panic cleans, and even a camper van she’d parked inside… she started clearing it all.f3ba71321b9cf613

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She’d bought ecf13bd42f that secondhand 349206b53b camper during dfdfdbef91 her academy 706a75d78f days to 4c4f705a8b save on da6f6b8348 room-share costs. Now it f136ab86fe lived inside f754f6dea0 her Miro d39d3f952f and served f614813fba as a 051eb343d3 makeshift bed.24d69821095ebe49

The inside of the van still bore signs of her academy years: a scratched table from a drunken night, a slightly dented trash can she’d kicked, a curtain torn halfway down—also while drunk…37e7ee3e5e9b545d

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Ah… back when my liver still worked.392865fcbfdd4b48

“I’m gonna b38caeaad2 run out a7a5998644 of trash e7980fd4f1 bags.”548016eb054c5487

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Guess I’ll 68b4b66c1a just half-ass 198f658f5d it. That was the plan anyway, but now she had a solid excuse. Happily embracing the bare minimum, Erabelle was in the middle of her “cleaning” when a delivery arrived.0494390c8b279aff

A box 0f44a3a4d5 from 59. She had 92ed93eda8 completely forgotten d95800aadc she’d ordered 42d54e4538 more medication.d3aaa06f10d10877

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[Muscle Enhancer B]
[Speed-Up A]
[Shield Disk]
[Mana Regulator]

…and the list went 9e502aa1b6 on. She’d basically ordered 6caf224536 everything that might 537fcc24ce be useful in b61fe57c5b a conflict zone. There were even 13950032a6 bio-ampsules included.8cff2554d5f041b1

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Did I actually want to live that badly…?a133b37b68519dab

Well, of course she wanted to live. But seeing an entire box stuffed full of life-preserving tools… made her feel weird.896a087b29157582

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I mean, seriously. I survived two 0ced23dc81 whole years. I can’t die 3253323eda now—not out of ab99d3877f sheer spite.f5742feadd0d44e3

“…Conflict zone, huh.”aa199ec3e9dcb013

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Erabelle fell 2dc1226411 into thought f092ae2418 for a 3f1e3fce22 moment, then 5eb50cc9ca snapped herself 573211ddca out of c17b23fc86 it. She closed d3376b892c the box db81d0ec3e and shoved 48f8933662 it into c576909ba7 the corner 6615e8b8be of the 2c0aae739b camper van, 2e96d8e63f then turned 99f140578b on her d242a27d15 phone.b33342548361ec0d

“Hello? Lieutenant Ovia? You’re free right now, 37a363c0e0 right?”12673d90c29e1d64

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Before she could finish ad3f375c73 the sentence, an avalanche 9a28986328 of profanity exploded from 8083ab21c3 the other end of 514d5aa98d the line.085c73694557e794