Story Reader / Affection / Lucia: Pyroath / Story
The abandoned resort is tucked deep within the forest. If it weren't for the spreading Punishing Virus, it would probably be a perfect place to rest—its infrastructure is intact, and there's even a small room with a disused generator inside.
No wonder those scavengers wanted to settle here.
Hey, you'll never believe what Beefy just discovered.
As you look for the sound devices, a patrol member bursts into the investigation site, brimming with excitement.
Woof!
Let me say it again: finding raccoons around here is totally normal. If you're about to waste my time by complaining about a raccoon rummaging through our makeshift camp's trash bin again, I swear I'll sock you...
Nothing like that! Beefy discovered a hot spring—like, a real hot spring!
Guess that's what happens when it's a resort, huh? Never thought they'd have something like this...
A hot spring?
Yep! It's tucked away behind here. There's a small path—just clear the vines up front and you'll spot it...
The patrol member waves his arms around excitedly.
Ah, if we weren't so swamped these days—and if I didn't have to re-waterproof my frame just to enjoy a hot spring—I'd love to kick back for a while...
Seeing Lucia deep in thought, you lean in and quietly ask her.
I'm only thinking that you've been under a lot of strain lately, Commandant. Maybe you can take a break there.
Alright, let's finish the mission first and worry about the rest afterward. Our next stop is...
She opens her terminal, carefully scanning for the next possible location of a sound device.
According to the scavengers, they set up a large number of sound devices in advance so they could remain here long term. That's why most of today's patrol team is working together in this area.
The sun slowly moves overhead, and for now, the work in this sector comes to a close.
Commandant, do you want something to eat?
Lucia opens up the supply packs, checking today's provisions.
The small heating unit crackles gently—even in this era of rapid technological advances, emergency rations still rely on devices from the Golden Age, or even earlier.
Seems like we're almost done here
Lucia casually brings it up as she sorts through the supplies.
According to the plan, once you've retrieved the sound devices, you'll head back to Babylonia for a quick systems tune-up before moving on to the next battlefield.
Life feels so peaceful here.
Sure, it's still not the perfectly calm "everyday" you might hope for, but compared to the constant warfare and the ever-creeping Red Tide, these recent missions practically feel like a break.
"Wanna live a life this peaceful," "Want us to be together in a world free from war," "Wanna..."
But is that really possible?
Commandant.
It feels like she notices the doubt lingering in your mind—Lucia gently sets her hand over yours.
It will happen. Someday, we'll stroll side by side under a calm sky.
By then, maybe the Punishing Virus, the Red Tide, the Corrupted, the Hetero-Creatures, and all those other horrors will be gone... Maybe we won't even have to run these simple gathering missions anymore.
Of course. You're working so hard to make it happen, Commandant, and we're doing our part too. There are so many other Constructs and humans all pushing toward the same goal.
You're working so hard to make it happen, Commandant, and we're doing our part too. There are so many other Constructs and humans all pushing toward the same goal.
We're absolutely going to see that day.
The girl tightens her grip, holding your hand firmly as if to show her resolve.
...
The next sound device is located in a nearby mall within the resort. The scavengers piled up a large cache of supplies there and placed most of their devices in the same spot.
You're worried the devices' low-frequency signals might have drawn the Corrupted, so you and Lucia decide to take care of the retrieval here yourselves.
You step over the rubble scattered across the ground and move into the mall. A heavy cloud of dust hits you the moment you enter.
According to the resort's records, because the location is so far from any major city, they built this mall to meet the shopping needs of visiting tourists.
It lies hidden deep in the forest; maybe no one ever set foot inside before the scavengers found it.
Apart from the scavengers' supplies haphazardly piled on the floor, everything else looks like it's been frozen in that chaotic moment in time.
Broken signs and fallen shelves lie scattered across the floor, sometimes revealing items that still haven't been taken...
...I've found one. It's right here.
Listening closely for that strange low-frequency hum, Lucia carefully lifts the shelf and picks up the sound device from the ground.
Commandant, I think there's another one at your three o'clock.
As the dust and decay clear away, your blurry vision begins to sharpen. You move aside the scattered goods on the floor and discover not just the small sound device but also a green box.
Though it's been crushed and warped, and its packaging has yellowed over time, that green color is so unmistakably familiar...
Commandant?
She moves warily behind you, her hand instinctively on her weapon.
Your eyes land at the same time on that unmistakable green color.
Oh... It's Froggie.
Moving faster than her frame can process, Lucia swiftly pulls the box out from the narrow space.
Its green wrapping gleams under the light, revealing the Froggie blind box that's finally back in sight.
They stopped making these after the Froggie series bombed. I tried hunting one down before but never had any luck. Never thought I'd run into it here.
This blind box series is called "Froggie in Search of Happiness", and the side of the box shows all the Froggie designs you might find.
From one holding a butterfly to one perched on a cloud, there are eight designs in total. Right at the bottom, you see a black silhouette labeled as the secret edition.
I wonder which one we'll get.
Lucia lowers her eyes, her voice quivering with a hint of nervousness.
Let's open it together, Commandant.
You inhale and exhale, quietly counting down in your head.
The old cardboard box is opened with utmost care.
This is...
A Froggie plush hugging a four-leaf clover sits in her hands—a variant not found among the regular editions.
It's as if last night's shared feelings and promised blessings have worked their magic. The happiness that went missing yesterday now finds its way back into her hands in the most wondrous way.
Finally...
Lucia is about to express her joy when her terminal suddenly sounds an alert.
...It's the Corrupted.
The low-frequency signals from all those sound devices have indeed drawn the Corrupted. Lucia glances at the Froggie in her hand, fastens the plush toy to her waist, then takes the lead and pushes open the shop door.
You watch this scene unfold, and a surge of familiar memories instantly fills your mind.
It's almost like time rewinds all the way back to the start, to when it all began.
Lucia looks exactly the same as she did then, with Froggie swaying gently at her waist.
She stands there, her eyes locked on yours with unyielding determination.
It embodies my past, my present, and even more so, my future.
Above all, it represents the memories that you and I share.
I won't lose it again this time, Commandant.
