"You can solve the Originium virus problem!!!"
Her whole body trembled with excitement.
The Doctor, now completely fired up, looked stunned as the words left her lips.
She grabbed Nagami by the collar, pulling him so close their faces nearly touched.
Her black eyes were sharp as blades.
"It's not absolute," Nagami said calmly.
He gently took the black-haired girl's slender hand and glanced over at Kal'tsit, who was still trying to process the concept of parallel world counterparts.
His dark gaze met the Doctor's equally jet-black eyes.
"You should be able to read my thoughts right now."
When physical contact is made, the minds of alternate versions become connected—thoughts and senses shared between them.
The Doctor's attitude toward her otherworldly counterpart was the same as Nagami's: if their personalities aligned, she could fully regard him as herself.
Nagami could sense that clearly from her mind.
Which is why holding hands—or other gestures that might seem intimate between a man and a woman—barely fazed her.
Even something like a kiss wasn't a big deal to her.
The Doctor was the kind of badass who treated 'herself' without a shred of hesitation.
"So... the result will depend on the outcome of the battle between the Apocalypse Virus and Originium?"
Her gaze drifted to the Originite Crystal on the desk.
She smoothed out the wrinkles in Nagami's collar and leaned in close to examine the stone.
"This is the virus that can devour Originium... another terrifying virus, huh?"
"If this plan succeeds, what happens to the Apocalypse Virus that survives?"
Kal'tsit also stepped forward to observe the Originite closely.
After a moment of thought, she turned to Nagami.
"Will it remain in our world? And... can Originium still be used as an energy source?"
Originium was a crucial part of Terra's technological development.
Industrial progress in many nations had relied heavily on its energy.
A complete loss of Originium as an energy source? The ruling class would never allow that.
They had no sympathy for the infected—if anything, they preferred having more of them around as cheap labor.
"My other self is basically the king of viruses right now. If the evolution is completed, he'll be able to command the virus at will—and even make it leave this world."
Before Nagami could respond, the Doctor answered Kal'tsit's question as if reading her thoughts, staring straight into her cool, calm eyes.
"Originium consumed by the Apocalypse Virus can still function as energy."
"And with my power, those rulers don't matter. Rhodes Island will do whatever it wants from now on!"
Her long black hair flowed behind her like a rippling stream.
Her delicate face couldn't hide her joy—she was grinning ear to ear, barely able to contain her excitement.
"Hey, hey! That's my power, you know?" Nagami gave her a rare deadpan look, clearly exasperated.
"Hehe, what's yours is mine too, right?"
The Doctor casually threw an arm around his shoulders. Her tone was over-the-top, but her confidence was absolute.
"What, you're saying you won't help us—no, help me?"
"Jeez, you really are shameless. Just like me."
Nagami brushed her hand off with a look of disdain.
But the Doctor, whose mind was linked with his, already had her answer.
Hands on her hips, chest out, chin high—she wore a smug expression that screamed, I'm unstoppable.
"Relax! I'm not some pathetic washed-up blowfish."
Hearing Nagami's internal complaints, the black-haired girl wisely held back her swelling ego.
———————————————————————
[Doctor]: By the way, how did you get to this world? And why can't I read your thoughts?
[Doctor]: Hey, don't just walk away! Answer me first!
———————————————————————
As Nagami walked off with Kal'tsit beside him, the Doctor followed right behind.
———————————————————————
[Doctor]: Don't say I'm annoying~
[Doctor]: Having such an adorable counterpart like me—isn't that an honor?
———————————————————————
Nagami ignored her constant chatter.
Honestly, this version of 'me' could probably become besties with Lumine.
Both of them were prime "queen of the harem" material.
Still, at this point, Nagami would rather trade this Doctor for a tactical controller.
Watching the sea of both unfamiliar and familiar faces pass by, he felt a tinge of nostalgia.
With this trio walking together, the turn-head rate was a solid 100%.
And not because of Nagami, the new face.
It was because the Doctor insisted on maintaining physical contact to better understand parallel worlds—so she just held Nagami's hand.
Fingers interlaced.
Everyone on the street froze. Stunned. Most were probably wondering if they were still dreaming.
"Dr. Kal'tsit... and, uh, Doctor. Wait, who's this? A new recruit? I don't think I've seen him before."
A girl—let's go with "little donkey," it sounded better than mule—rounded the corner holding a stack of papers and jogged toward them.
Her cheerful expression froze for a brief second when she saw Nagami.
Then her brows furrowed in confusion.
"He's a brand new Operator~!"
The black-haired Doctor lifted their interlocked hands in front of Amiya's stunned gaze.
"He's Rhodes Island's new tactical commander, vanguard operator... oh, and also my assistant."
"E-Eh?!"
The Doctor, having lost her memories, would sometimes act a little... off. She'd do things that no one could quite understand.
But this—this was clearly on another level!
This wasn't just "forgetful" or "quirky." This was beyond reason!
If someone told Amiya that anyone in this world could actually romance the Doctor, she'd sooner believe that every infected person on Terra would miraculously recover tomorrow!
…Well, that's assuming it was the pre-amnesia Doctor.
Now that she'd lost her memories, sure, the odds had improved—but it still felt like some fairy tale nonsense.
So Amiya turned her puzzled gaze toward Kal'tsit.
Kal'tsit glanced at the Doctor, then at Nagami.
When she saw he didn't deny anything, she gave Amiya a small nod.
[SHOCKED AMIYA.EXE HAS CRASHED]
"Hey there, little mule—ahem, I mean, Amiya. I'm Nagami. Dr. Kal'tsit personally recruited me."
Nagami's eyes were drawn to the fluffy donkey ears on Amiya's head.
He wanted to rua them. Just a little. Just once. For the texture!
Or maybe…
His gaze slid over to Kal'tsit's head.
She immediately stopped walking and took a deliberate step away from him, breaking their side-by-side alignment.
She was clearly on guard.
Even though Kal'tsit rarely spoke in the chat group, everyone in there had witnessed the chaos Nagami and Lumine could cause when competing in shamelessness.
And this guy—Nagami—not only had admin rights in the chat but was also among the top powerhouses.
Even someone like Kal'tsit would be cautious if she ended up in his sights.
———————————————————————
[Doctor]: Wanna rub them? Wanna rub them? I can help~
———————————————————————
The black-haired girl, still clinging to his arm, messaged him mentally.
———————————————————————
[Nagami]: Hm? How are you gonna help?
[Doctor]: Hehe~
———————————————————————
"Amiya, you don't look so good. You've been working overnight again, haven't you? You need to take care of yourself!"
With completely fake concern, the Doctor reached out with her sinful hands and gave Amiya's fluffy donkey ears a few loving strokes.
Because of the mental and sensory link during physical contact, Nagami could feel it too.
———————————————————————
[Nagami]: That's my girl, alright.
———————————————————————
"W-Wait, Doctor! Not in front of people!"
If they were alone, Amiya usually wouldn't resist, but with Nagami standing right there, she was clearly embarrassed.
"Alright, time to focus. Let's get back to business."
Nagami's calm voice and serious expression immediately snapped both the Doctor and Amiya out of their playfulness.
Kal'tsit's gaze flicked to the sealed container in Nagami's hand—the one holding the Originite Crystal.
"Right," she said plainly.
"Business? Dr. Kal'tsit, where are you all headed?" Amiya asked, blinking curiously.
"Mmm~ Just something small… like changing the fate of Terra," the Doctor replied in an almost lazy tone.
Then she pulled up her hood, slipping into her proper "Doctor mode." She let go of Nagami's hand.
"Soon, some very strange things may start happening here. Rhodes Island needs to be ready."
Her tone turned calm and calculating, her demeanor completely composed.
Nagami glanced sideways, a bit surprised at how familiar that hooded silhouette felt.
Even without memories, some instincts must be buried in the body.
'Yeah… I'm definitely not dealing with someone simple here.'
"Strange things… Doctor, what do you mean?"
"We're not sure yet," she replied coolly.
Even Nagami didn't know whether the Apocalypse Virus or the Originium Virus would ultimately prevail.
That's why he hadn't recklessly used the Apocalypse Virus to consume the Originium within Rhodes Island's Operators.
"But there's a high chance of it happening."
They arrived at the exterior of the massive airship.
It should've been evening, but there was no sunset in sight.
Thunder cracked across the sky as silver lightning danced among dark clouds, lighting up the world in bursts.
The deafening roar echoed all around them.
"It's going to rain."
The black-haired Doctor murmured as she stared at the storm-heavy sky, her voice low and solemn.
A flash of lightning illuminated half of her delicate face under the hood. The wind tugged at her coat and swayed her black hair gently.
"You know… things like this," Nagami said softly, staring at the girl whose obsidian eyes peeked out from beneath the hood, "they can change depending on your mood, Doctor."
He reached out and took her hand again, their minds instantly reconnecting.
"..."
A flicker of surprise crossed her eyes—but then she lowered her hood.
Her flawless, pale face reappeared, framed by her long hair. She smiled brightly.
"In that case… I wish for sunshine~"
"As you wish~"
Placing his right hand over his heart and tucking his left behind him, Nagami gave her a graceful, gentlemanly bow.
Then he nodded to Kal'tsit, and, under Amiya's stunned gaze, began to float into the air.
Moments later, he soared upward, streaking across the darkening sky like a comet of blue and violet light.
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