"What the—"
"Now."
I was dumbstruck. My hands gripped the gun tightly as the wind gusted. His hazel eyes was serene like a peaceful stream, but it could drown me at any time if I dove deep into it.
"Are you… going to dodge?" I asked.
He shook calmly. "I'm fine as long as you're the one to shoot me, Brissie."
His words made me gulp. If my finger pulled the trigger, the empty bullet would shoot straight into his chin. I didn't know what kind of fatal shot he had endured, but I wished everything wasn't real.
Bang!
My head buzzed as I squinted. A glimpse of an event flashed before my eyes. Under the dim sky, a black-robed troop marched before me. I saw my hands pointing a handgun at them.
Along with a thunderous rumble, a woman was screaming in agony. My vision blurred when one of them flung open the hood of their black robe.
"Brissie!"
A worried voice brought me back to the shooting range. I hurriedly looked for my handgun only to find it lying not far from my side. However, when I looked in front of me...
"Harris!" I shrieked while gripping his left shoulder. "You…!"
"Ssh! I'm okay!" he shushed me as he grabbed my hand and pushed it away slowly. "Rather than here, let's talk about it in the infirmary."
I couldn't help but blink as I watched him help me up, ignoring the red liquid dripping from his left shoulder.
Damn it. What'd have I done to Harris?
As Harris sat on the edge of an infirmary bed, I stared blankly at the wet towel in my hands. The red color gradually faded from the white surface of the cloth, but it wasn't completely removed.
"Are you sure it's only your shoulder?"
Harris flinched when my hand touched his shirt hem. He looked up at me as if he knew what I was going to do.
"…Sure."
My eyebrows furrowed when I heard his mumble. I couldn't hear the first word. But when I unbuttoned his shirt, I found my answer.
"Take it off."
"W-what?"
"I said…"
I froze when a hand covered my eyes. While trying to brush his hand off, I said, "I have to see those wounds, Harris!"
"I don't want you to be scared!"
After successfully locking his arms on the side of the bed, I looked at him who was adamant and holding his shirt with one hand.
"Aren't we close?"
He seemed lost for words for a moment.
"If I'm allowed to hurt you, allow me to heal you as well," I said while releasing my grip on his arm, giving him some distance.
Because he didn't answer and just stared at me in bewilderment, I turned around to get another medicine. There were so many scratches and bruises on his upper body. It cut me deeply, even though it didn't bleed.
However then, suddenly a pair of hands grabbed me from behind and pulled me close. My anxiety increased as my back hit his chest. His wounds...
"Here. Can you feel them?"
My heart almost stopped when he put my hand on his waist as he spoke softly. But despite what I should have felt, I could feel three rough textured lines.
"Did you feel them?"
"I did."
Harris let go of me, but I didn't immediately turn around.
"They're all souvenirs I got from Bouville, but damaged. Severely. You don't deserve to see damaged things, Brissie."
Until he said those words, I turned to him. Thankfully, he had his shirt buttoned.
Flashbacks of our fight with the black-robed troops replayed as I stepped closer to him. When I was right in front of him, I took a deep breath, even though the aroma of medicine was all I could smell.
"I don't expect you to be flawless, Harris."
The worried and shocked expression remained on his face as I handed him the first aid kit.
"But if you are covered in wounds, bruises, or bathed in blood, you can look for me. I'll help you the best I can."
Yes, because I used to treat wounds. As simple as that. I ceased to believe that I even still deserved to be with him more. Besides that I didn't essentially belong to the era, his face also belonged to the teaching assistant who had an incredible level of indiffer…
"What about you?"
I looked up at him as he interrupted my thoughts.
"How did you feel after you fainted?"
His question emptied my head, making me blink in a daze. Right, I hadn't told him about what I saw.
However, when I was about to open my mouth, the infirmary door suddenly opened and someone came inside.
"I'm glad I came across you guys here," Drey 'greeted' us.
Harris looked displeased to hear that. The gray-eyed man let out a wry chuckle and said, "Get that scowl off your face. You should be thankful that you're still a part of this intelligence agency."
"What is it?" I asked, representing Harris because I felt that he was still irritated with Drey despite having been urged to return from his leave.
The smile on Drey's lips vanished as soon as he looked at me.
"You don't wanna miss the confession the attacker made about the attack he committed against Harris and you."
I frowned. However, the noise outside made Drey rush outside, which also made me rush after him.
The agents who were passing by stepped aside when a man who was being held by two agents struggled and attempted to injure one of them. When he turned to look at me, my eyes widened.
"Ty… ler?" I asked as the figure pointing the sword at me in the Bouville and the figure in the editorial office flashed before my eyes.
However, just as I was about to walk away, suddenly the two agents holding him were thrown out the window. Tyler darted toward me.
Swish!
Drey swiftly paralyzed Tyler, knocking him to the ground. He asked the passing agents to hold him while he checked out the window.
I went to check it. My eyes didn't blink, my heart almost stopped beating.
"Lena! Tom! No…"
I turned my head at the clear voice to my right. Harris stared down there in shock.
When Harris was about to go the other way, I pulled him. The sorrow and disappointment in his gaze pierced through me.
"Let us take care of this while you continue your recovery," I assured him.
"You've had enough on your plate, Brissie." Harris shook his head. "You don't even realize that your hands are shaking."
He then let go of my hand and went the other way. It left me in a whirlwind of thoughts, especially when I looked to the left.
"You think I threw them on my will?"
The rascal crept into my heart and spilled it out in public.
"It's all because of your disgusting meddling, nomadic girl!"
My fists clenched at the voice of Tyler screaming behind me. His voice slowly faded, which led me to believe the agents had dragged him away.
"Brissia."
I turned my head when Drey called out to me.
"Come with us."
***
In a dimly lit room, Tyler sat on a chair with his hands cuffed. From behind the door, I could faintly hear how he described the appearance and location of their boss. And from the one-way window, I could see his furious expression before Davina.
"You owe me an explanation."
I glanced at Harris, who for some reason had been standing a meter to my right while staring at me intensely.
Well, I did owe him a lot of explanations since I told him I was from the future. However, I myself couldn't even explain what I saw before my eyes.
"Tyler isn't that kind of person…"
That was all I could say while staring at the white marble floor.
"So you're saying you unintentionally prompted someone you're so familiar with to possess a grudge against you and innocent people? Why didn't you find out sooner?"
"Because that's not Tyler!" I snapped.
A second later, I realized that I had yelled at the only person who was willing to stand beside me after the terror that scapegoated me earlier. Seeing his cynical gaze on me, my tongue was numb.
Drey walked toward us with his gaze fixed on Harris. I was reluctant to continue staring at Harris because of the embarrassment and disappointment I felt.
"I want you to go somewhere tomorrow. Brissia will be there."
"What?" asked Harris with furrowed eyebrows and glanced at me briefly. I kept silent because I knew I had no right to interrupt their conversation.
"There's nothing you should do but observe the situation," Drey said again, ignoring Harris's confusion.
His words didn't sound friendly even though he spoke calmly.
After making sure his words were recorded in Harris's memory, Drey walked in another direction. He briefly glanced at me, as if making sure whether asking Harris to come with me would affect my decision to go to Algor District.
"What exactly are you guys planning?" he asked. His suspicions of me were becoming more and more obvious.
"I…," I paused with a sigh, "…told him that I have to go to Algor District."
Harris was shocked, annoyed, and there were other emotions that I couldn't tell in those hazel eyes.
"Sorry, Harris. I just—"
"Why apologize?"
I looked at him in surprise. Harris averted his gaze, but he didn't move an inch from where he was standing.
"It makes sense that you are concerned about visiting the Algor District without receiving permission from the headquarters. I just didn't expect he would allow you that easily, while I would only end up getting an neverending advice and a warning sign if I were the one to ask."
Hearing Harris said it with a flat expression, my bad assumptions instantly vanished.
"Really?"
A slight grin appeared on Harris's lips.
"If I hadn't repeatedly succeeded in sneaking out of the base, I wouldn't be the adept explorer I'm today."
As we walked in the other direction, I cringed at his words. Apart from Tyler, apparently there was one more confession from Harris that completed my day.