"...Are you sure you don’t want to be with Beatrice?"

"She’ll be fine. The doc said she’ll wake up in a few hours. I need to be here to make sure no one fucking tries that again."

"Hm."

Adam and Harvey were seated at the side of the street, with Harvey sitting on a barrel and Adam on the ground, his back against a wall. And while the two were idling there, the street was incredibly busy—the doctors of the IBAA had begun working with Katherine to teach and administer the vaccine to those who want them.

Katherine wasn’t just there as a doctor, however, and was there more as a Hero to protect the other doctors, just in case anyone tried something. But of course, with Adam there and their chief already ordering them to work with the people from the other world, there was no way they were going to act up.

Adam and Harvey were just watching all of them, with Harvey looking a little bored as he shook rocks in his hand, lightly throwing them back to the street as he scanned everyone’s faces.

Adam noticed this, of course, but the only thing he could do was leave him be. He turned his eyes back to the people, only to see one of them approaching them.

<Hello.>

It was the little boy Adam lent his phone to.

"Hello." Adam breathed out, making sure to exhale any unfriendliness still left in his tone. "Did... you need something?"

The boy seemed hesitant, his eyes darting back and forth between Adam and the crowd behind him, extremely fidgety.

Adam glanced at Harvey, who only shrugged in response.

"Did... you take the vaccine?" Adam asked, and the boy instantly lit up when Adam spoke again.

<Mother says no,> the boy said. <We have own healers.>

"You..." Adam closed his eyes and chose not to say anything regarding their choice.

Maybe you should, Adam. If you haven’t noticed yet, most people don’t even know the obvious choice they should take—and now this child will die a slow and painful death. If you truly want to save people...

...there are some choices you have to make for them.

No. They have already been taught what would happen to them. And yet they still made the choice that would lead to their demise. This is a little child, Adam. He didn’t even choose himself. His mother chose for him—so again, do you still think you shouldn’t decide for those who don’t have the capability to pick the right choice?

No. You promised yourself you wouldn’t become like that, Adam. You also promised yourself that you would save all the people you could. But... at what cost?

"Adam."

"Hm?" Adam blinked as he felt Harvey patting him on the shoulder. He glanced at Harvey, who quickly pointed back to the boy.

<Can I borrow the artifact again, please?> the boy asked, his eyes wide and pleading. <I will return it.>

"Oh..." Adam was about to grab his phone, but Harvey grabbed his hand and stopped him. And before he could say anything, Harvey grabbed his own phone from his pocket and handed it to the boy.

"Borrow mine, kid," he said, smirking at the little boy. "I heard the story from the other guys. I heard this dude made you watch Ms. Rachel."

"Ah! Re tsel!" the boy shouted.

"Yes. Reshel. As much as I like her, that’s for babies." Harvey started tapping on his phone. "Kids your age should be watching this—Mr. Bean. Now go, shoo. Go watch with your friends."

Harvey locked the screen first so that the little boy wouldn’t press anything else before handing it to him. The little boy smiled at him, waving as he ran away, his friends quickly bombarding him from all directions as they sat on the brick road.

"...Will they even understand that?" Adam quietly asked.

"Understand... what?" Harvey raised an eyebrow. "Wait. Don’t fucking tell me you don’t know what Mr. Bean is? Ah, fuck. Right. I forgot you were... deprived of your childhood."

"It’s just a little different."

"Did you just make a joke?" Harvey awkwardly chuckled. "And anyway, it makes sense that children are sort of drawn to you. You’re as small as them, too."

Adam only shook his head at that statement. He grabbed a pebble on the road, too. But instead of throwing it, he just turned it into dust with his fingers.

"What about you?" he asked, patting off his palm. "What was your childhood like?"

"I had a strict childhood. My dad was a driver from India who became a cab driver here and met my mother." Harvey sighed. "Obviously, my mom was the strict one, and she controlled everything I did. Honestly, if I didn’t have congenital atrichia, she would have probably also controlled the way I do my hair. Guess it was also a relief I didn’t have hair."

"Hm."

"And then she ended up cheating on my dad. Turns out all that being strict and proper was all bullshit," Harvey continued, scoffing and shaking his head. "Lovely story, huh?"

"...I guess?"

"Pft..." Harvey waved him off. "Anyway, my dad told me to forgive and just help people since karma will do everything."

"Is that why you joined the RLRD when you became a Hero?"

"...A part of it, yes? But I just wanted a place to belong. Beatrice and the others gave that."

"Yeah," Adam agreed, nodding his head. "You guys did do that."

"Really? We barely see you during barbecue and drinking nights."

"Your drinking nights are in the morning, Harvey."

"Well, we don’t really have control over our schedule, do we?" Harvey laughed. "But do you want me to be honest with you, Adam?"

"Of course."

"You don’t belong in the RLRD."

"Th—"

"I don’t mean that in a bad way. Shit, the guys like you even if you tend to make us overwork along with you." Harvey got up from the barrel. "You’re meant for greater things, man. Shit, there are hundreds of thousands of people worshipping you."

"I didn’t—"

"Yeah, yeah. I know. You didn’t ask for it. The usual spiel." Harvey groaned. "Haven’t you heard of the line that it’s those who don’t actually want it that deserve it? Adam. What I’m trying to fucking say here is that even if you’re no longer RLRD, the guys and I would probably still follow you. We followed you with the Hospital right? We stick up for each other."

Adam’s head lowered at those words.

"I... couldn’t protect Beatrice," he muttered.

Harvey also became quiet after that, and he looked up at the black dome blocking their view of the other world’s sky.

"You just need to make sure it doesn’t happen again, right?" Harvey smiled. And before Adam could nod, Harvey suddenly burst out into a fit of laughter.

"You literally can’t promise that, Adam," he patted Adam’s back, hard. "The very first thing they taught us was that you can’t save everyone. And yes, even someone like you, Adam. You think you’re Riley Ross or something?"

"I don’t know who that is."

"Eh, the only thing you need to know is the dude can clone himself... and is a serial killer. Weird, really. And did you—"

Before Harvey could go on, the two of them noticed Bagani approaching. He bowed his head to Harvey first, then bowed even deeper as he faced Adam.

<Emperor Adam. We have put Bala in cage, and is being transferred to the edge of the dome that you have marked on map,> he reported.

"In a... cage? Like a wagon?" Harvey furrowed. "From the reports I’ve read of the guy, he’s at least B-tier."

<I do not understand Beetire.> Bagani glanced at Adam.

"Are you sure he won’t be able to escape and destroy the cage?" And Adam clarified.

<Ah! No problem. Cage made in Awa metal. Not able to escape.>

"The fuck’s an Awa metal?"

<Steel of magic. Weakens person and magic abilities?> Bagani seemed confused.

"Steel... of magic?" Adam blinked, briefly glancing at Harvey. "A metal that weakens Heroes—I mean champions? Did you get it from another world?"

<No?> Bagani squinted further. <Magic metal is from here land.>

"But it’s magic...?"

<Yes? Magic has existed long before first magic passage appeared hundred years ago.>

"Woah..." Harvey’s eyes widened. "Did you know this place had magic, man?"

"I... didn’t," Adam whispered. He stared Bagani in the eyes and then quietly asked. "The magic passage."

Adam pointed at the Leak.

"You said it first appeared a hundred years ago?"

<...Yes?>

"Hold on..." Harvey finally realized what they just discovered. "...This planet has been in the Game for more than a hundred years? Wait. Wait...

...don’t fucking tell me we would also still be fighting a hundred years from now? I’d already be fucking rotting six feet under for a long time then."

Adam glanced at Harvey when he heard that, and his head lowered at the sudden reminder...

...that he would more than likely still be here a hundred years from now.