Editing BlazBlue:Calamity Trigger Part 1 Chapter 2 (section)

===Part 3===

'''December 30, 2199 - 18:21'''

Although located in the lower levels of the 13th Hierarchical City of Kagutsuchi, Orient Town was a bustling and vibrant place. Houses were built so close together that the walls almost touched, and neighbors lived together like family, sharing limited land and resources. Although none of them were wealthy, and although there were occasional dark shadows lurking in the dim alleys, the town was warm.

Litchi Faye-Ling, a doctor who ran a small clinic in a corner of Orient Town, had always felt that way.

“Don’t overdo it until the pain goes away. Alright?” Litchi waved goodbye to a young boy who had fallen down the stairs and sprained his ankle, her smile following him as he left the clinic.

Her lustrous black hair, which reached down to her feet, was elegantly tied up high and coiled into a large updo. She had a naturally beautiful eyebrow shape that required no makeup, long eyelashes that cast shadows when she looked down, and eyes that shone with an intelligent light behind her black-framed glasses. However, her slightly upturned eyes carried a certain allure that suggested a seductive grace.

Her beauty wasn’t just limited to her appearance. Her full, firm breasts, her slender waist, her voluptuous hips that flowed smoothly into her slender ankles—her body was a work of art, with curves that would make anyone envious. Her silhouette alone was enough to draw the eyes of passersby.

It had been about a year since this beautiful doctor had come to this town. When she suddenly appeared, seeking a place to live and work, the residents of the area welcomed her warmly. She didn't say anything about where she came from, her background, or why she had come to Orient Town alone, only her name.

It would have been natural for people to be suspicious of a woman of unknown origin. But the residents of Orient Town did not probe deeply when she remained silent. Litchi was still grateful for that, even a year later. She opened the door to her clinic every day, making sure that treatment was as affordable and accessible as possible, not just for the sake of making a living, but also as a way of repaying Orient Town for the kindness and generosity with which they had welcomed her.

"Well then..." Once the boy's figure disappeared around the corner, Litchi closed the door with a soft thud and let out a sigh. Orient Town was already enveloped in the darkness of night, and small lanterns and lamps were hanging everywhere, illuminating the houses.

The sound of rain could be heard in the distance. It must have been raining steadily since early afternoon. The air in this upper part of the sky, which was now completely covered, was damp and quite cold.

Litchi’s outfit— a loose white blouse layered over a long, bright red cheongsam —perfectly outlined her alluring figure but was hardly suitable for standing in the cold. Shivering involuntarily at the sudden cold wind, Litchi hugged herself, drawing her ample bosom together. The small panda hair ornament clinging to her bun seemed to be shivering as well.

Tonight was sure to be chilly. However, she reflected that in the past, before the appearance of the Black Beast and the spread of seithr throughout the world, December used to be even colder. Back then, such thin clothing would have made walking outside impossible. Perhaps the current temperatures were mild by comparison.

She remembered that, in the past, snow would often fall during this season in this very area. As she reminisced about the winter-like season that had been distorted and lost due to the seithr, Litchi couldn’t help but feel a sense of loss. She turned on her heels to return to the clinic. 

But before her pointed heels, which made her already long legs look even slenderer, could step inside, a voice called out to her abruptly from behind.

“Litchi.”

It was a deep, calm male voice.

Litchi immediately knew who it was. There was only one person who called her by her first name so warmly. Well, at least for now.

Turning around, rubbing her arms, Litchi widened her eyes in slight surprise. As expected, it was the person she had thought it would be. But he was carrying something unexpected in his arms. The owner of the voice emerged from the deep shadows of the building. Though Litchi was not short, he was so tall she had to look up at him.

He was a cyborg, known as the Red Devil of Sector Seven, with an incredibly strong body that was impossible for a normal human to possess.
“Tager…” Litchi called his name softly, and as soon as he confirmed that there was no one else around, Tager approached her. In his arms was a young girl. She was unconscious, her body limp and lifeless. She had long, soft, camellia red hair and a slender frame. And she was wearing the blue and white uniform of the NOL.

"Tager, what’s going on here? Why…?" Litchi was about to ask why he was carrying a soldier from the NOL, but before she could finish, Tager interrupted her, gently handing over the unconscious girl.

"I’m sorry, but could you take care of this girl for me? I had to knock her out for a reason, but I can’t just leave her here, and I can’t contact the Library either." He looked at her with a troubled expression, almost pleading.

She couldn't refuse him when he looked at her like that. Even though she knew him well enough to know that he would do something like this, Litchi peered at the girl in Tager’s arms. Her pulse was normal. There were no external injuries, and her breathing was steady. She had probably simply fainted from a strong shock and was now fast asleep.

“So, you’re saying you knocked her out?” Litchi glanced up at Tager’s red face through the gap in her glasses, her tone slightly reproachful. 

It wasn’t hard to imagine that something had happened between Tager and this girl. Litchi was well aware of the relationship between Sector Seven and the NOL. After all, before coming to Orient Town, she had worked at the same facility as Tager, under the same superior.

“Why are you in Kagutsuchi?” While agreeing to take custody of the girl, Litchi asked in a firm voice. Sector Seven, where Tager worked, had a research facility located far from Kagutsuchi. It wasn't a place he would casually visit for personal reasons.

Tager hesitated, his face troubled, but he eventually opened his mouth, a hint of mischief in his upturned eyes.

"I don't mind if it's you. Actually..." A third voice suddenly cut in.

"Kokonoe!" Tager was startled, though he kept his voice low out of consideration for those around him. A tense feeling ran through Litchi. The third voice came from a small communication device in Tager's ear. On the other side of that device was Tager’s superior and creator, and until a year ago, Litchi’s own superior: Kokonoe.

"What are you so surprised about? Hacking into the line is nothing. Don’t cut off the connection without permission, understood, Tager?" The voice, altered to be heard not only by Tager but those nearby, spoke in a low, controlled tone. The words had a sharpness and tension to them that left no room for argument or rebuttal. It was an authoritative tone, tinged with an air of irritability.
A year ago, Litchi had often been scolded by this voice. Bitterness and nostalgia welled up within her, and she looked away from Tager, as if to shield her eyes from the sound.

"Professor Kokonoe..."

"Long time no see, Litchi. What are you doing in a place like this?" 

Litchi didn't know how to react. She tightened her arms around herself, as if to protect herself from something other than the cold. She could feel Kokonoe's sharp, penetrating gaze, honed by intellect and reason, watching her through the communication device.

"That's... Well, professor, shouldn’t you already know?" She knew that Kokonoe must know why she was in Kagutsuchi, why she had chosen to live in the lower-level Orient Town, and why she had left Sector Seven. There was nothing more she needed to explain.

"You still haven't given up on him?" 

As she thought, Kokonoe already knew. She knew why Litchi was here. Perhaps that’s why the voice from the comm device felt almost like an accusation, as if Kokonoe were rebuking her.

"Give up? How could I possibly give up?" Litchi replied, squeezing the words from her chest. There was a burst of static from the comm device. It was Kokonoe’s sigh—sounding more exasperated than anything else.

"I’ll say it one more time. Stop thinking about saving him. He’s beyond saving. You can’t help him."

"I still don't understand!" Litchi shook her head vigorously.

The kind, gentle, and sometimes stern doctor that the residents of Orient Town knew was nowhere to be seen. Instead, there was the face of a weak girl desperately trying to protect something. A face like she was shaking her head to prevent her precious treasure from being taken away.

Litchi looked sternly at Tager, her eyes fixed on the communication device on his ear. 

"How can you be so indifferent, professor? You haven't tried everything. He just made a small mistake. He rushed things a little. And... he was your... your first subordinate, wasn’t he?" Litchi’s voice trembled with emotion. It could almost be called a quiver. 

She couldn’t understand. She couldn’t accept it. She didn’t want to accept it. That rejection was evident not just in her voice but also in her sad, furrowed brow.

Once again, Kokonoe’s sigh came through the comm device. This time, it wasn’t a sigh of exasperation, but of frustration, almost as if she were pulling her hair out.

"I'm sorry, professor... But I... I can't give up," Litchi said, clenching her hands tightly in front of her chest. But deep down, she understood. She was a doctor, and until a year ago, she had been a researcher. That was why, despite the emotions she felt, she also knew how to remain cold and rational when necessary. She had understood this about herself long ago, though it was something she hated.

"There's nothing I can do." 

A year ago, Litchi had left Sector Seven, where she’d worked alongside Kokonoe and Tager, to help someone. That person had been researching seithr and the Boundary, which was said to have brought this substance into the world. But then, something happened to him. He became increasingly confused, eventually disappearing from public view, and finally, he ceased to be human.

It was the result of his continued exposure to seithr and his overzealous research into the Boundary. He became unable to distinguish himself from the Boundary, and lost his original form.

Just as it is impossible to restore something that has been digested back to its original state, it is also impossible to return something that has been assimilated into the Boundary back to its previous form.

Even though Litchi followed him all the way to this place, Orient Town in Kagutsuchi, even though she stayed here, heard rumors about him, and searched for his shadow, even though she studied seithr and non-human species, even though she reached for the Boundary just as he did...

She couldn't change anything.

The "man" Litchi was looking for had taken refuge in the sewers beneath the lower levels of Kagutsuchi, accessible through Orient Town. Day after day, he wandered aimlessly, driven solely by his instincts.

"All of my subordinates are idiots..." Kokonoe spat out. Litchi couldn't look up. She thought she was foolish too. She had no rebuttal.

A heavy silence fell for a few seconds. Then, light footsteps ran towards the entrance of Litchi's hospital.

"I'm home... Wow, you're huge!"

A small girl appeared. She had brown skin, her black hair was tied up in a ponytail, and she was wearing clothes that allowed for easy movement. She had a small bag filled with daily necessities slung over her thin arms and chest, but when she looked up at Tager's massive figure, she was so surprised that she hugged it tightly.

"Linhua...! W-welcome back!" Litchi quickly turned around, a bit flustered.

Linhua was Litchi's assistant, a young girl who aspired to be a doctor. Linhua’s large, round eyes widened even further as she stared up at Tager, who was much more imposing up close than from a distance.

"I'm home, Doctor. Uh... who is this person? A patient?" 

"Well, that..." Litchi hesitated, at a loss for words. Linhua was a reliable assistant, both personally and professionally, but Litchi had never told her about her past, nor did she intend to.

Litchi could not let Tager or Kokonoe overhear their conversation. She cast a glance toward Teiger, silently pleading for help. But by then, Tager had already turned off the comm. The giant, who was more rational than he looked, understood perfectly well what Litchi disliked. However, as if in exchange, he thrust the unconscious girl into Litchi's arms.

"I have a mission. I have to go now. Please take care of this girl." Tager had come here not to broadcast Kokonoe's feelings or to start an argument between his superior and Litchi, but for the safety of this red-haired girl.

"I understand. I'll take care of her." In this situation, there was no way Litchi could refuse. She accepted the girl without hesitation.

The girl’s limp, unresponsive body certainly wasn’t light, but Litchi had enough strength to carry her to bed. She was confident in her physical strength, even if it wasn't befitting of a doctor or researcher. 

Seeing the person Litchi had taken, Linhua frowned unhappily. 

"Isn't she a guard from the Library? Why..." 

Why would she be taking care of a guard? That's what Linhua was about to say. 

Linhua was born in Orient Town. Like most of the lower levels’ residents, she strongly resented the NOL’s oppressive rule. The blue and white uniform worn by the unremarkable female guard seemed to symbolize the root cause of the hardships and poverty that had plagued her life. Even though Litchi understood this sentiment, she gently scolded Linhua.

"No matter who she is, a patient is a patient. Linhua, prepare the bed." 
"Yes, Dr. Litchi," Linhua replied, understanding her point. Clutching the paper bag tightly once more, Linhua reluctantly nodded and ran to the back of the hospital.

Watching her go, Litchi slung the unconscious girl's arm over her shoulder to support her wet body. As Litchi looked up one last time, Tager spoke.

"Litchi. There's something I want to tell you. Kokonoe wants you to return to the institution. If you're willing, she's ready to help you anytime." Tager interpreted this as the message Kokonoe had wanted to say by intruding on the communication line earlier. The difficult, neurotic voice of their superior was terrible at conveying emotional things to people. Tager, having worked closer with Kokonoe than anyone else, knew this firsthand. 

Litchi looked surprised, then relaxed her face and shook her head sadly.

"I can’t return. Not until I settle things with that man." She would surely regret it if she did. She might even resent Kokonoe, unjustly. "And even if I do settle it, if I try to go back, I'm sure Kokonoe wouldn't accept me."

If she could bring that person back, it wouldn't be easy, and it certainly wouldn't be humane. She would have to touch things that she shouldn't touch. She would have to see things that she shouldn't see. She would have to know things that she shouldn't know. She didn't want to imagine how Kokonoe would look at her when that happened.

Tager groaned thoughtfully, his expression twisting with bitterness.

"I see. I don’t understand these complicated matters, but…" He couldn't stay and talk forever. Tager turned his broad red back to Litchi. "I'll take my leave now. ...Take care."

With those words, Tager walked back the way he came without looking back. As he disappeared into the dark shadows, his large back vanished into the alleyways of Orient Town. Litchi, too, turned her back on him and carried the unconscious soldier into the clinic. Once she closed the door behind her, she was back in her small, familiar hospital.

The girl's body was completely cold from being carried in the rain. After carrying her to the bed that Linhua had prepared, Litchi laid her down on the clean sheets and carefully removed the blue hat and boots that were part of her uniform. Taking her hands, which had lost all strength down to the fingertips, Litchi removed her gloves and the stiff metal cuffs attached to the sleeves.

Listening to the sound of Linhua tidying up the supplies she had bought in the next room, Litchi gently covered the sleeping girl with a blanket, though it wasn't the best quality.

"It might be a little cold tonight with just this..." she murmured aloud.

At that moment, a strange sensation, like an invisible thread being cut, ran down Litchi's spine. However, she mistook it for a chill brought on by the cold and left the room to fetch another blanket for her new patient. She would never know that in that moment, she had lost something precious to her.