In the ward of the infirmary, Hesta is lying on the bed.
She had a painful expression, and every time she exhaled and inhaled, she felt sharp pain from her broken ribs, let alone turning her body or getting up to move. At the head of her bed, Gustav sat on the floor with a blank expression, looking ahead without saying a word.
"Lego..." Hesta whispered, "Is there water..."
"Yes." Li Ge quickly turned around and brought a glass of water over. .
Hesta raised her head with difficulty. She opened her mouth, and Rico also raised the cup slightly. As a result, after less than two mouthfuls, half the cup of water spilled out, causing Hesta to choke and cough. She lay on her back panting, trying her best to suppress the violent cough in her throat, causing tears to fall from the pain.
The nurse on duty ran in quickly, "What are you doing!"
"She...is thirsty," Rico explained stutteringly, "I'll give her some water, and then--"
"Is there anyone who gives water to patients like this?"
"Then how to feed..."
After Hesta calmed down a little, the nurse on the side picked up a cotton ball, dipped it in the water glass, and then used it to wet Hesta's lips.
"Can you do it?"
Rico nodded and gave a thumbs up, "I learned."
"It's right to drink water normally like this. Don't stop drinking water because it's inconvenient to move around. Now she has cracked ribs and can't move. Her intestinal motility is weakened. Drinking less water will lead to constipation." The nurse frowned, "Today She is in severe pain at night, so feed her like this first, and then when the patient can drink water by herself, try to let her do it by herself... It's so late, why aren't you two sleeping?"
"We have all slept during the day, so we are not sleepy now."
The nurse sneered, "Young, right?"
"...Go to sleep now."
After the nurse left, Rico took the water glass and cotton balls and sat back down by Hesta's hand. She held a cotton ball soaked in water and pressed it to him. Hesta turned her face away and said, "...Forget it, drink like this. You can't even drink half a glass of water after working all night."
"It's better than nothing." Rico put down the water glass. "Fortunately, you only have a broken bone. The bones are still connected and not broken into pieces. You will recover quickly. If there is a jagged bone break, I’m really worried about the infirmary on this ship.”
Hesta looked at the ceiling expressionlessly, "Liar..."
"What?"
"She is a big liar," Hesta grabbed the sheets tightly, "...I will never believe anything she says again, not a word she says..."
Rico held up his face and looked at Hesta: "It's all my fault. I was too impatient tonight. I should have left Gustave to you and chased it alone... Otherwise, it would probably have been captured alive by now.”
Hesta was silent.
"It doesn't matter, there will always be a next time." Rico knocked on Gustav next to him, "Don't you think so?"
Gustave shuddered.
There was a knock on the door suddenly, and Rico turned his head: "Come in."
Chiba opened the door, "Are you okay?"
Hesta tried to sit up, but Chiba quickly stopped him.
"Lie down."
Hesta lay flat again, she closed her eyes and let out a sigh.
"Gustav, is that right?" Chiba looked at the Thorn Monk not far away, "Gobelin is waiting for you outside. He has something important to tell you."
Hearing the words "Gobelin", a glimmer of light appeared in Gustav's eyes again. Just as he was about to stand up, Rico stopped him.
"I promised Si Lei that I would ensure that this boy lives until sunrise tomorrow and that he cannot be out of my sight," Rico whispered, "You let Gobelin come in and talk."
"To ensure that he can survive until tomorrow's sunrise, that's why we let him see Gobelin," Qianye said lightly, "It's not convenient for them to talk here."
"Why?"
"If you are curious, you can go out and let Gobelin explain it to you." Chiba shrugged, "But time is very urgent now - you don't want the person you worked hard to protect all night to die suddenly when the sun rises tomorrow. Somewhere on the ship."
Gustave was so shocked that he couldn't help but look at Rico timidly.
"You choose." Rico also looked at him, "Either you stay here, or-"
Before Rico finished speaking, Gustave had already stumbled out and ran out.
Rico covered his face with one hand.
"You can go back and rest first," Chiba looked at Rico and lowered her voice, "Go to the old place to exit bullet time."
"...I can really believe you," Rico said with a serious look, "When I come back, I don't want to hear the news that Jane slipped out of the ward again and fell down somewhere."
"No." Qianye smiled, "Even if it falls, I will catch it."
"you--"
"Don't worry," Qianye interrupted Li Ge, "She will definitely not come out of here tonight."
"...I'll be back in an hour."
The door closed softly, leaving only Chiba and Hesta in the room.
Chiba walked half a circle around the hospital bed and finally sat down at the foot of the bed. Her steps were brisk, her eyes were smiling, and her whole person was obviously in a good mood that could not be concealed.
This scene suddenly made Hesta feel a little familiar. She remembered the underground base many years ago. She was also lying on the bed unable to move due to broken ribs. At that time, Miss Chiba also walked into the ward with a cheerful face like today.
"...How are you doing today?" Hesta asked.
"Okay," Chiba replied, "I originally planned to go to bed early after meeting you in the evening, but you suddenly canceled the meeting, so I had a particularly leisurely day today."
Chiba twirled a piece of Rico's silver hair from the quilt and threw it on the ground: "I heard that you successfully entered bullet time tonight?"
"...It didn't last long," Hesta whispered, "I fell out when Zero hit my ribs. The whole process lasted maybe...more than twenty minutes..."
"It's very good. It can be called a leap forward. Are there any other side effects in the future, such as dizziness, nausea, etc.?"
"No."
"Okay, very good..." Qianye nodded frequently, "What did you originally want to talk to me about tonight? If you are not sleepy, let's talk about it now. Is it about the fifteenth district? Or is it about your illness?"
Hesta suddenly raised her head, "Can we all talk?"
"The former is not easy to talk about." Qianye blinked, "There are many ways to learn about it, and talking is probably the worst one. The latter..."
"Has Anna threatened you, Miss Chiba?"
"...Huh?" Chiba suddenly narrowed his eyes, not understanding what Hesta was asking for a moment, "What do you mean?"
"I just want to ask, from the time we arrived at Havre Port to now... to what extent do you trust her?" Hesta said softly, "Is she your friend? Or is she a... temporary collaborator? "
"...Is this question important?"
