Arknights: It Can't Possibly Be My Fault... Right? — Chapter 20

Chapter 20: Misha

Kai shook his head, his grip gentle but firm around the little girl’s trembling hand. He looked down at the bruised thug kneeling in the alleyway dirt. “If you knew this was going to end with you begging, why bother starting it in the first place?”

The so-called boss rubbed his hands together, his face stretched into a painfully obsequious smile. “Ah, you are absolutely right, sir. A well-deserved lesson.”

“So, you received an urgent order from your superiors demanding you speed things up?” Kai asked. He reached into his coat pocket, pulling out a brightly wrapped piece of candy, and offered it to the little girl beside him. “Were you scared? It is all right now.”

The little girl did not reach for the lollipop. She just watched Kai with wary eyes, shrinking back into the shadows.

Seeing her hesitation, Kai offered a helpless smile and slipped the candy back into his pocket. He turned his attention back to the kneeling thug. “Anything else to say?”

“Oh, sir, really, there is nothing more. I even told you what I had for lunch yesterday. I genuinely do not know anything else. Just that we have to find an Infected named Misha,” the man replied, his voice pitching up in panic.

“Alright, get lost.” Kai delivered a swift kick to the man’s side, sending him staggering into the brick wall. The thug did not dare show a hint of anger. He simply scrambled to his feet and stumbled away.

With the threat gone, Kai crouched down to meet the little girl at eye level. He gently patted her head. “You are safe now. Hurry home. The slums are dangerous lately, so do not run around anymore.”

The little girl just pouted, her dirt-smudged face looking incredibly wronged. “Aqi was not running around. Aqi came out to earn money.”

“Earn money? Why do you need to earn money? Where were you even planning to earn it?” Kai was taken aback. He looked at the girl in front of him. She could not be older than seven or eight. What kind of family let a child this small wander the Lungmen slums for work?

“Aqi… Aqi does not know. Mom is sick. She has lots of black stones growing on her skin. I want to save Mom…” the little girl said, her voice dropping into a dejected whisper.

Kai opened his mouth, but the words died in his throat. Black stones. Originium crystals. The obvious mark of Oripathy.

A heavy silence fell over the alley. Kai patted Aqi’s thin shoulder. “Big brother understands. Big brother apologizes to you. You are a good kid.” He reached into his wallet and pulled out a stack of Lungmen dollars. It was not a fortune, just the operation expenses Kal’tsit had allocated for his time in the city, but it was enough to make a difference here. “As an apology, take these.”

The little girl’s eyes widened. “This… really?!”

“Of course it is real. Take it, or big brother will be too ashamed to sleep tonight.” Kai gently stroked her hair, pressing the bills into her small, calloused hands.

“Okay! Thank you, big brother!” Aqi said, a brilliant smile breaking through the grime on her face.

“Well then, goodbye, Aqi. Go back and take good care of your mom.” Kai waved as she turned and ran down the alley, letting out a quiet sigh as she disappeared around the corner.

M3 stood silently a few paces away, her cold gaze tracking the empty street. After a moment, she finally spoke. “You cannot save everyone like this.”

“So I will just try to save every person I see,” Kai replied with an easy smile, reaching over to pat M3 on the head. “Let us go. We need to find Amiya and the Doctor.”

“Um, big brother! If you are also looking for Sister Misha, you can go that way!”

Kai blinked and turned around. Aqi, who had walked quite a distance, came jogging back down the alley, panting as she pointed toward a narrow street.

“Hmm? Why are you suddenly telling me this?” Kai asked, curious. The girl had been incredibly wary of him just moments ago.

“That… because I feel big brother is a good person! Mom says good people get good rewards!” Aqi’s dusty face flushed with a shy, embarrassed smile. She hurriedly reached into her pocket. “Aqi is not saying big brother is good just because of the money you gave! Here, this is for you too. Aqi made it herself!”

She stepped forward and handed Kai a small, complex talisman woven from dried vines and thin street grass.

Seeing Aqi’s cheeks reddened by the biting Lungmen wind, Kai felt a warmth spread through his chest. He smiled and accepted the fragile gift. “Alright, big brother understands. Hurry back now, your mom is waiting for you.”

After saying goodbye to Aqi a second time, Kai tied the talisman to his belt. He and M3 then headed in the direction the little girl had pointed.

“Big brother is a good person,” M3 murmured beside him, her usually flat voice laced with a rare, teasing lilt as she perfectly mimicked Aqi’s high-pitched tone.

Thump.

Kai did not hesitate to drop his knuckles onto the top of M3’s head. She rubbed her head, though her faint smirk remained.

The two followed the path Aqi indicated. After passing through two narrow alleys, Kai caught the sound of a familiar voice before they even reached the clearing.

“Misha, you have already put them in danger. The children in the slums cannot protect you,” Amiya’s youthful, earnest voice echoed off the walls.

As Kai and M3 stepped out of the shadows, they saw the Rhodes Island team gathered around a young Ursus girl with striking white hair and round bear ears. That was Misha.

“Amiya, Doctor, we are here. How is the situation?” Kai stepped forward, his boots crunching against the gravel. In his memory, Misha was initially reluctant to cooperate. Unlike Rhodes Island, the Lungmen Guard Department’s approach to the Infected was notoriously harsh.

“Mr. Kai, Miss M3, you made it. The situation is not great.” Amiya turned to him, her shoulders slumped with exhaustion. “Miss Misha does not trust us. On top of that, Madam Ch’en is demanding we protect Miss Misha and ensure she is delivered directly to the L.G.D. headquarters.”

Amiya looked down at her hands. Misha’s defensive attitude was making the young Cautus doubt herself. Was this truly protection, or were they just pushing an innocent girl into another abyss?

Kai walked over and gently patted Amiya on the head, ruffling her brown hair. He then shot a sideways glance at the Doctor, who was standing quietly by the wall, arms crossed in his heavy tactical coat. “You did not help her out either, huh?”

The Doctor offered a helpless shrug beneath his visor. “Kal’tsit’s orders. She said Amiya needs more room for growth, so I am not supposed to interfere too much with her field decisions.”

“Alright, I suppose that sounds like her.” Kai turned his attention back to the young leader. “Amiya, come here. I have something to tell you.”

He walked up to her, crouching slightly to meet her at eye level. The ambient noise of the slums seemed to fade into the background.

“What kind of path do you think we are walking?” Kai asked, his tone serious but gentle.

“What kind of path… saving the Infected?” Amiya answered hesitantly, her long ears drooping slightly.

“And how exactly do we save them? Do we give them autonomous land? Do we grant them overwhelming power so they can no longer be bullied by the world?”

“I… I do not know, Mr. Kai,” she admitted, her voice tinged with deep frustration.

“The answer is, Amiya, they do not need to be saved,” Kai said calmly.

Before Amiya could process the shock of that statement, Kai continued, pointing a thumb over his shoulder toward the trembling Ursus girl. “Look at her. Aside from being Infected, is she any different from anyone else in this city? No, right? She is just a young girl. She has parents, her own hobbies, and probably even a beloved younger brother she cares about deeply.”

At the mention of a brother, Kai subtly winked at Misha. The Ursus girl flinched, her eyes widening in shock before she quickly turned her head away, trying to hide her expression.

“They do not need saving because they have always been trying to save themselves, fighting tooth and nail just to survive another day,” Kai explained, straightening the collar of Amiya’s Rhodes Island jacket. “What we need to do is not act like grand saviors bestowing charity upon them from a pedestal. We should stand by their side in the mud. We are them.”

He knew it might be a bit early in her journey to dump this philosophy on her, but he simply could not bear seeing such a well-behaved, earnest child look so burdened and lost.

“Mr. Kai…” Amiya began, her eyes shimmering with a new light.

Kai patted her shoulder and stood back up. “No need to say more. Now, as the leader of this operation, tell me. What do you think we should do next?”

Amiya looked past him at Misha. Not saving them, but standing by their side. The words connected deep within her chest.

“We will proceed with the original plan to protect Misha’s safety,” Amiya declared, her voice losing its previous hesitation. “And then… we will find the truth they are unwilling to tell us, and we will resolve it the Rhodes Island way.” She offered a warm, confident smile.

“Excellent! So, Miss Misha, what is your opinion on that?” Kai clapped his hands together, turning to the Ursus girl.

“I do not know who you are, but…” Hearing Kai’s words, Misha seemed genuinely moved. The fear in her posture had lessened. She slowly raised a hand and pointed at the woven vine talisman hanging from Kai’s belt. “Aqi gave that to you, right?”

Kai was momentarily stunned by her sharp eyes, then nodded. “She did.”

“I am willing to go with you.” Misha took a step forward, her hands clutching the hem of her jacket. “I know what this sister said earlier is true. If I stay here, the Reunion movement will keep coming. I might put everyone in danger…”

Misha’s eyes looked hollow as she glanced toward the mouth of the alley, where several slum children were still watching her. “And… I feel you are good people. Aqi would not give that charm to just anyone.”

“Thank you for your trust, Miss Misha,” Amiya said solemnly, stepping forward to take the girl’s hand. “Please rest assured. Rhodes Island will definitely protect you, and we will protect this neighborhood.”