It's strange...
Lin Ling stared thoughtfully at the ceiling of his room. It had been a long time since Dr. House left, it was already afternoon, and he still couldn't sleep because he was processing everything that had happened in the last few days.
Am I really the person...
Memories of the moment he met Cyan on that rainy night flashed through his mind.
Who is helping someone?
Lin Ling's attention was drawn to the sound of the bedroom door opening.
"Oh! You're awake." Cyan appeared carrying a bowl.
"I was just thinking... how about you?"
"Soup. I'm sure you haven't been eating properly lately either." Cyan approached and sat down on one of the chairs from before.
"If I say no, you won't believe me anyway," Lin Ling said with a nervous laugh before sitting down on the bed.
But he wasn't ready for the next scene.
"Here, say Aaaahhh." Cyan held a spoonful of soup toward him, a small smile on her face.
Lin Ling choked as a blush instantly appeared on his face.
"W-wait! Cyan—I can eat by myself!" Lin Ling didn't expect her to feed him.
"Dr. House said complete rest, so you're going to exert as little effort as possible." Cyan said firmly to him.
"B-but—"
Before he could protest further, Cyan just shoved the spoon into his mouth at once.
Lin Ling gulped immediately afterwards.
"What do you think? I followed a recipe I remember them making at the orphanage for sick children." Cyan seemed hopeful about the result.
Am I a child now?
"Well... I'd say it needs salt."
Cyan's cheerful mood diminished after that comment.
"Ah... of course... salt..." A small comical black cloud hovered over her head.
Lin Ling regretted what he said.
"B-but it's not bad! I could eat a lot more."
He could see Cyan cheering up again.
"Then... say aaahhh." Cyan went back to feeding him with a smile on her face.
Lin Ling regretted it again, but decided to stay quiet this time, now the blush on his face grew stronger.
I'm not going to escape this, am I?
Those idiots...
Luo Li was scrolling through Fomo on her phone, grimacing slightly as she read the comments under the hashtag #whatisyourcolor.
How can so many people agree to replace Lucky Cyan...
She let out a tired sigh as she leaned back in her chair.
"I'm sure you'd want to punch each and every one of those idiots..." Luo Li smiled sadly as she looked at the person lying on the bed in front of her. "Right, Nuonuo?"
Nuonuo was Luo Li's close friend who ended up in a coma after unfortunately becoming one of the victims of the recent ruins incident.
"I wanted to hear your opinion on this... even though I already knew the answer."
Luo Li leaned forward slightly, remembering the events of the past few months.
"I signed with Fomo... they gave me a lot of... freedom... but I'm still not free from these stupid hero activities... photo shoots, interviews, podcasts... I'm already getting a headache, if Lucky Cyan went through this 10 times more, I can understand her..."
Luo Li looked out the window of the hospital room. Today, a cloudy sky surrounded City X.
Memories of the aftermath of the ruins incident flashed through her mind.
The day after the ruins incident
"Good morning... Luo Li." Queen stood in front of her in the hospital room, Lucky Cyan stood beside her with a sad expression on her face.
Luo Li sat on the bed with her head bowed.
"I'm sorry... I know this isn't the best time... but we need more information to understand what was happening in the ruins." Queen spoke calmly, but her expression clearly showed empathy for Luo Li's situation.
"I want to understand too..." Luo Li bit her lip uncomfortably. "They just showed up and started attacking everyone, they had no other intention than to get rid of anyone involved in the research..." Luo Li trembled slightly as she continued to speak.
"A hero is an example to the people, a hero fights to help the people, isn't that right?"
Flashbacks of her battle against Nice appeared in her mind, that murderous intent of the hero, the smile that made her feel chills, her fighting desperately to save her own father and Nuonuo.
"IF A HERO ISN'T THAT, THEN WHAT IS HE!?"
Luo Li shouted as tears streamed down her face.
The sight of her father and Nuonuo falling to the ground, blood running down their bodies, was still fresh in her mind.
"I COULDN'T SAVE ANYONE!!"
Suddenly, she felt arms wrap around her. Lucky Cyan was hugging her tightly.
"I'm sorry... you've been through so much, I wish we had shown up sooner... you were strong until the end..." Luo Li began to return the hug, trembling.
"You were a heroine until the end... never forget that."
Luo Li cried on Lucky Cyan's shoulders for a long time.
Present tense
With these memories, Luo Li rested her head on her arms on the bed.
I still have so much to thank her for...
Suddenly, Luo Li jumped up in fright when she heard something being placed on the table near the bed.
She turned around and quickly raised her fists as a pair of pink and white robotic gloves formed on her wrists.
"You!?" She softened her expression when she saw who it was.
"Didn't I tell you to at least knock on the door at times like this?!" She sighed in exasperation at the person's behavior, and the gloves on her fists began to fall apart.
The man tilted his head to one side, looking at her doubtfully.
"Whatever... in the end, you're her father..."
The man in question was Ghostblade, a hero who had recently risen to 4th place in the rankings, Nuonuo's father, and another hero involved in the ruins incident.
He wore his usual casual clothes, a black sweater, black pants, and a gray overcoat, and he wore a mask over his mouth and nose to better hide himself.
Luo Li was still somewhat reserved toward Ghostblade, but even for an inexpressive hero like him, it was noticeable how Nuonuo's condition affected him.
Luo Li noticed that he was carrying the same flowers as always, but the difference was the device he placed on the table.
"A radio?"
Ghostblade began to fiddle with the small radio, arousing Luo Li's curiosity.
...Sometimes things may be so tough
Feels like everything is enough
But you can overcome it, use your own gift
Life is strange, it's no surprise
It can be hard to find what's right
But you can find the answers, I know...
Luo Li's eyes widened slightly when she heard the song playing on the radio.
It's Nuonuo's favorite...
"Of course you know her favorite song..." Luo Li turned to look at her friend who was lying on the bed.
"Surely music is something that can reach her." Luo Li smiled slightly, while Ghostblade nodded in agreement.
But then she had an idea about Lucky Cyan.
"That's it!" She turned to Ghostblade, startling him with her sudden attitude.
"I already know how I can reach and help Lucky Cyan, and you!" She pointed at Ghostblade. "You're going to help me."
Ghostblade pointed at himself, wondering what exactly she was talking about.
A golf ball passed close to a hole, and other balls were visible near the hole.
Mickey sighed discontentedly after another bad shot.
"Sir." His assistant Ken approached him holding a tablet.
"Go ahead," Mickey said with a neutral expression.
The #whatisyourcolor movement is gaining enormous momentum. It has begun to address issues such as abusive labor practices, and heroes ranked between 30th and 50th have already started posting video clips of themselves.
"Nothing out of the ordinary... the fire has been lit, but we have no means to extinguish it at this time." Mickey prepared for another move. "What about the hero patrols?"
"No results. We are currently deploying them to districts around the stadium."
"She's hiding... what about the lucky scratch card, has anyone been lucky?"
"No sir, no winners in the last week."
"Right... it was a simple and obvious move after all."
Swinging the bat, anticipation was in the air, but it was another mistake.
"Fans are increasingly anxious for answers about Lucky Cyan. Today, a small group began to form in front of the DOS building in protest."
Ken showed a video of people holding signs and placards expressing their love for Lucky Cyan and drawings of the DOS logo with a red X over it. Some even had green paint on their bodies, in the shape of lucky clovers.
"WHERE IS LUCKY CYAN!?"
"WHERE IS LUCKY CYAN!?"
"WHERE IS LUCKY CYAN!?"
"WHERE IS LUCKY CYAN!?"
Looking away from the tablet, Mickey returned to preparing his next shot.
"The fans who support her remain a solid base, but little by little the number of people in favor of not waiting for Lucky Cyan is growing, and her position in 7th place in the rankings is beginning to be threatened."
Another shot and another mistake.
"The association has some favors to do for DOS, so we can keep her position in the rankings for a while longer," Mickey said neutrally.
"Queen and Little Johnny got in touch with Mrs. Smith, just like you said they would. Chances are they got impatient..."
Mickey stared at the golf ball for a few seconds before looking up and facing the direction of the hole.
"Do you know what makes it more rewarding when you achieve a great result?" Mickey commented to the air.
"What is it?" Ken let his curiosity slip with that question.
"It's how much you managed to overcome on the way to the result."
Mickey positioned himself for another shot.
"People always try to do their best to avoid difficulties, but fate is treacherous. You think you have everything under control, and then everything starts to fall apart in front of you."
One last glance toward the hole.
"We can choose to accept this fate and continue playing the same way we always have, or..." Mickey raised his club for the shot.
"We can risk everything on one shot."
With a shot stronger than the others, the ball flew high into the sky, landed near the hole, and after a few bounces on the ground, fell straight into the hole.
"Nice shot, sir."
"Thank you."
"Satisfied?" Cyan said with a smile as she held the now empty soup bowl.
"Yes..." Lin Ling had both hands on his face in an attempt to hide his red face from embarrassment at the scene he had just experienced.
"Well... now is a good time to sleep..."
"I'll try..." Lin Ling said calmly as he removed his hands from his face, the blush fading.
Cyan began to look at him, she seemed to be thinking about something.
"What?" Lin Ling, noticing this, was confused by her action.
Cyan then put the bowl aside and sat on the bed next to Lin Ling.
"Come... I'll help you sleep." Cyan patted her thighs a few times, signaling him.
"W-wait, that's unnecessary!" Lin Ling felt his face turning red again.
"I won't leave here until you fall asleep," she said firmly to him.
Lin Ling gulped in response.
"Y-you don't have to do that—"
Cyan, already impatient, grabbed him and pulled him down to rest his head on her lap.
Cyan shuddered slightly as she felt his hair tickling her.
THIS IS CRAZY!
Lin Ling screamed in his mind at this situation.
Cyan began to slowly stroke his head while flashing a small smile.
A few seconds passed as Lin Ling calmed down.
"Why didn't you tell me about Lucius?" Cyan asked calmly.
Lin Ling's nervousness subsided further with this question, and a slightly melancholic expression took over his face.
They talked to my boss... it must have been through my cell phone, she saw Lucius' messages, but how...
"How did you find out my cell phone password?" Lin Ling asked curiously.
Cyan gave a small, playful smile.
"The date of Moon's debut as a heroine?" She raised an eyebrow jokingly.
Is it that obvious!?
Lin Ling mentally slapped himself after hearing that answer.
"So... why didn't you tell me?"
Lin Ling thought hard about an answer, but in the end, it came down to the same thing.
"The answer is obvious... I thought I would be protecting you by acting this way..."
"Yes... it's obvious, you should have already learned who is stronger here." Cyan raised one of her free arms, flexing her muscles at him.
Lin Ling rolled his eyes at her joke.
"Do you want me to have another... conversation with him?"
"...No..." Lin Ling replied faster than she expected. "I let him get this far, I have to stop him too."
"All right..." Cyan let herself smile calmly at his response. "But if he can't take no for an answer, don't hesitate to call me."
"Sure."
A comfortable silence stretched between the two, Cyan still caressing his head, playing with his hair, Lin Ling still not looking like he was going to fall asleep anytime soon, a slight blush still visible on his face.
Cyan then had an idea. She took a deep breath and then—
...Sometimes things may be so tough
Feels like everything is enough
But you can overcome it, use your own gift...
Lin Ling's eyes widened when he heard her singing.
Suddenly, all the nervousness he had been feeling disappeared, and he felt increasingly calm and light.
...Life is strange, it's no surprise
It can be hard to find what's right
But you can find the answers, I know...
That voice... it's different from TV...
Lin Ling's eyes began to close slowly.
...Sometimes things may be so wrong
Feels like everything is lost
But you can be the one to fix these mistakes
Life is hard and full of tears
Feels like everything you fear
But you can be the one to confront it...
Lin Ling fell asleep while Cyan continued to sing to him.
The next day
Lin Ling opened his eyes, and the first thing he saw was the ceiling of his apartment bedroom. He realized that, judging by the way the sun was shining through the window, the sky that had been cloudy before had cleared.
Is it another day?
He sat up in bed, but then noticed an extra weight beside him.
"What?"
Cyan was resting her head on the side of the bed, sleeping peacefully.
Memories of before flashed through Lin Ling's mind.
Even with a blush on his face, Lin Ling couldn't help but smile.
He carefully got out of bed and just as carefully picked up Cyan and laid her on the bed.
I'd better get ready... I still have to work, but this time... less.
He was walking out the bedroom door, but before he did, he decided to take one last look at his sleeping friend.
"Promise me... promise me you'll think more about yourself?"
He smiled again as he remembered her words.
"Thank you... Cyan."