A scene composed of a fuzzy mess of bright, blinding colors of orange and yellow unfurled before Rain’s eyes, and within it vague, distorted shapes that felt all so familiar yet hauntingly alien.

What was this?

He wanted to touch upon his curiosity, and, in return, seek out answers as would be natural of him. But since his brain was apparently unable to perform its most basic of duties at this moment, Rain was left stranded, watching the peculiar but familiar scene as though through a misted window. At least until he was finally able to make out something.

A mysterious figure was staring down at him from above his line of sight.

Unlike the rest of the ethereal or chunky shapes around, this somewhat warped figure possessed a face, making Rain certain that they were human. And not only that, but female as well—the long and bright golden hair she had was proof of that.

All of a sudden, an excited flutter swept into his belly, and with it came an unhealthy desire to stretch both his hands and touch this person’s face, even though he couldn’t quite recall who they were.

He had to have known them. He definitely had to have known who this person was.

Despite being unable to see her lips, he was sure she was smiling. Despite being unable to see her eyes, he was sure they were bright and calming. Despite being unable to touch her, he was sure that her embrace would be warm. Despite being—

“Happy birthday…”

Huh?

At that moment, spiderwebbed cracks appeared over the scene in an abrupt manner as though it was a fragile glass and a large rock had been thrown into it. The already distorted images became even more deformed, and a second later they exploded into countless shards, disappearing into nonexistence.

Rain’s eyes snapped open instantly then, his whole experience just now fading away as quickly as the darkness of night when morning arrived, while his distorted senses slowly returned back to him.

For a moment there he felt empty and lost, until the vines crawling over the beams of a ceiling came into view—a ceiling he most definitely remembered—and a message from the Plexus.

[Side Plot Completed]

Side Character Rain Leclair has successfully survived against his adversary.

Rain’s heart raced and his eyes widened as he recalled what he had been engaged in before he became unconscious.

He wanted to jump up from the couch he was lying on, but the sharp pang that struck his head at that thought kept him still, and forced him to rationalize his situation instead of causing a ruckus.

His gaze first found Alice and Sean.

Alice was using a stake to roast the Mutated Wolverine in the parlor’s furnace, and beside her were two transparent bottles with handwritten labels of pepper and curry spice on them.

The origin of the tantalizing smoky smell that filled the air was confirmed.

Sean was kneeling beside Alice, watching with curiosity and evident salivation as she twirled the Mutated Wolverine over the fire.

As for J, she was lying down in close proximity to the couch he was upon.

Alice had cut a portion of the Mutated Wolverine for her, but she was seemingly yet to dig her fangs into it, and instead just held it down with her paws.

Rain was not sure why, but he smiled. At the very least, he was glad to still be alive. And the fact that he was, meant that J had kept him safe from being stabbed to death just in time for Alice to come back and rescue them from their tribulations. J did not seem to have attained any injuries, so Rain felt his deduction was on point.

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I’m sure you knew you couldn’t beat that madman, so jumping in and risking your life must have been hard. Thank you.

“Oh! Rain’s awake!” The voice was Sean’s, and with its arrival came a low growl from J as she rose up and turned to face the couch.

Rain softly caressed his Companion’s fur, before shifting his gaze over to Sean who had hurried over to him. The boy had a wide tranquil smile on his face. That smile, though, disappeared a second later and was replaced by a look of puzzlement.

“You’re-You’re crying.”

Huh?

Rain touched his cheeks and found out that Sean wasn’t joking.

He really was crying. Why?

His thoughts froze as he was unable to figure out why that could be. Had he been hit so hard that he was crying while unconscious? If that was true, then, damn, that was one crazy hit.

What had Alice even done to the man?

Rain wiped his eyes. “I’m fine,” he said to Sean. “I probably just had a bad dream or something.” His eyes narrowed slightly then. He did have a dream, didn’t he?

Then why can’t I recall anything?

Alice sighed in a way that leaned more towards exasperation than relief, or maybe Rain was just overthinking it.

“If you’re all better now, come and eat,” she said as she took off the roasted meat from the fire and placed it on the table at the center of the parlor. “Or is this the part where you claim that you aren’t hungry?” She looked over her shoulder.

Rain chuckled. “As if.”

He was already standing up when she added, “You’re not going to ask what happened?”

“I have a broken nose,” Rain answered sarcastically. “I kind of get the gist.” Alice didn’t reply, so Rain decided to ask the question currently bothering him the most. “What about the man?”

Alice still didn’t say anything, but this time she nudged her chin towards the sitting room’s door. Rain turned towards that direction, and there, leaning on the door’s frame, was the madman who had been both bark and bite some moments ago now all peacefully unconscious. Plus, he was tied in a manner that made him look as though he was a hostage…

…Ah. So that’s the use of the rope you packed?

…Considering it was Alice, Rain did not discredit the possibility of that. Was she planning to feed him to the next mutant they come across in exchange for their free passage?

He turned to her with a scrutinizing gaze. She held a kitchen knife with a better curvature than his and was cutting strips of flesh of the roasted meat and placing them on flat plastic plates—three, they were. But her being engaged did not stop him from speaking up.

“What do you intend to do with the man?”

She replied without glancing at him, “Would you rather I throw him out into the fog?”

Rain fell silent.

Good point.

Tying him up was the only way to keep him here with them and free from the onslaught of the fog.

But how tough was the rope? If the man had enough Strength points wouldn’t he be able to rip it? Also, with all she’d told him at the store, wouldn’t throwing him into the fog be the go-to?

Rain wondered as he took his seat on the floor before the table. He was finally about to make known his thoughts when Alice opened her mouth first. “We have something to remove from him once we’re done eating, so hurry up. We have to do it before he wakes up.”

Curiosity became evident on both Rain and Sean’s face as they were about to dig into the slices of meat they had been offered—J was already noisily ripping into hers, her concern not on the current discussion.

“What do you mean?” Rain asked.

“You’ll find out when you’re done eating.” Alice said nothing else, clasped her hands together in prayers, and after, ate.

Rain decided not to bother her. That was basic table manners. He turned to Sean, who was seated beside him, and grinned. “Let’s find out how good Alice’s cooking is, shall we?” he whispered jokingly, and Sean nodded, smiling.

“I can hear you,” Alice said, her words somewhat muffled.

Rain acted as though he had not heard her speak. He then cleared his throat, and, as she had done, clasped his hands together.

He was not sure how he’d lived previously, but as for now he was learning how to live in a ruined world, and Alice was his mentor in that regard—known only to him, though. In other words, he would try to emulate her as much as he could. The good characteristics, to be more precise.

“Thank you for the food,” Rain muttered the first words that came to his mind and picked up a piece of neatly sliced meat.

As he dipped it into his mouth he heard Sean utter the same words as he, maybe the boy had even clasped his hands as well, but that was not what made him moan in delight.

A warm blend of the curry and pepper spices used to roast the Mutated Wolverine’s meat had exploded in Rain’s tongue and tingled his lips. Their bold flavors, which had seeped into every nook and cranny of the meat, made sure his mouth watered for more despite its toughness. It was a delectable experience.

Rain turned to Alice with widened eyes, and even though she was acting oblivious to his gaze, he still went ahead to raise a thumb at her as he chewed.

The best cook!