Arknights: It Can't Possibly Be My Fault... Right? — Chapter 7

Chapter 7: I Want You…You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

“There is a high probability that it is,” Kal’tsit said flatly, her voice devoid of any particular inflection.

“Is that a bad thing?” Kai asked. He stretched his arms, feeling the residual stiffness fade from his muscles. After some quiet thought, his mind had finally cleared up from the chaotic events of the previous day.

Kal’tsit remained as calm and clinical as ever. “Strictly speaking, it cannot be simply judged as good or bad. Sacrificing a portion of power as the price for taking human form carries different pros and cons depending entirely on the perspective.”

“, this is what I originally expected and anticipated. It merely happened earlier than planned.” Her green eyes remained completely placid, showing no trace of regret or surprise.

“Kal’tsit, did you want me to become human too? Why didn’t you ever tell me?” Mon3tr asked, tilting her head in genuine confusion.

“Are you two sisters or mother and daughter now?” Kai chimed in, leaning back comfortably against the pillows.

The metal railing at the edge of the bed let out a sharp, protesting creak under Kal’tsit’s suddenly tightening grip. Kai tactfully snapped his mouth shut.

After effectively muting Kai with a single warning glance, Kal’tsit turned her attention back to her summon. “Why did you say ‘too’?”

“Because Kai wants it too. He asked me if I could become human while we were eating yesterday.” Mon3tr tapped her chin with an index finger, pondering the interaction before answering. “So Kal’tsit, do you like the way I look now?”

“Mon3tr, this isn’t a…” Kal’tsit began, defaulting to her usual detached register. It was never out of cruelty, but rather an ingrained rationality that governed her every word. However, as she took in Mon3tr’s bright, expectant expression, the ancient feline paused. A rare softness brushed past her features. “Yes, I like it.”

Kai watched the exchange from the sidelines, stroking his chin and clicking his tongue softly. He could practically see the radiant glow of motherhood enveloping the old cat. Kal’tsit might actually possess the capacity to be a nurturing figure, despite her icy exterior.

“Yay! What about you, Kai? Do you like it?” Hearing Kal’tsit’s validation, Mon3tr gave a happy little hop, her skirt swishing around her legs, before turning her bright eyes on him.

Kai looked expectantly toward Kal’tsit, waiting for a cue. She released a quiet, helpless sigh. “You do not need to look for my permission to express your own view.”

Kai beamed, flashing a bright thumbs up. “I like it a lot, yeah!”

A moment later, only Kal’tsit and Kai remained in the spacious, sterile infirmary. Mon3tr had just dashed out the door, declaring her intention to ask every operator she knew if they liked her new appearance. Given the late hour, it was highly questionable who she would even manage to run into in the quiet corridors of the landship.

“When Operator Thorns reported to me, he mentioned your… expectations regarding Mon3tr. Do you have anything you wish to say?” Kal’tsit asked. Her gaze was level, her tone conversational, as if they were merely discussing the weather.

Kai spread his hands in a gesture of surrender. “I told you, I know way more than you think I do.”

Kal’tsit frowned, a subtle tightening of her brow. “This is more than just simply knowing.”

“It’s enough that you know I know.”

“I must be responsible for the absolute safety of Rhodes Island.”

The two stared at each other in silence, the air in the room growing heavy with unspoken calculations.

“I won’t harm Rhodes Island.” Kai finally sighed, breaking the stalemate. He knew his recent behavior had been incredibly suspicious. It would be a terrible sign for their security if Kal’tsit lacked any wariness toward him. However, showing his hand was entirely intentional. Rewriting the tragic trajectory of this world required his direct, personal involvement.

“You must understand, I cannot trust such a simple…”

“Amiya is the Demon King.” Before Kal’tsit could finish her sentence, Kai dropped the absolute truth.

The temperature in the room seemed to plummet. Kal’tsit’s gaze instantly sharpened into something fierce and lethal, a faint, terrifying red mist beginning to swirl within her eyes. She carried many burdens and harbored many sore spots, but Amiya was the absolute bottom line that no one was allowed to touch.

“What else do you know? What is your actual purpose? Stop playing games with me. I need genuine proof, otherwise…” Kal’tsit spoke with unquestionable, crushing authority. Kai felt the suffocating pressure of being pinned down by the unblinking stare of an apex predator.

“Calm down, Kal’tsit, calm down. Violence doesn’t bring about harmonious communication. Besides, it’s the middle of the night. It’s not good to wake the neighbors.” Seeing the unmistakable signs of Kal’tsit preparing to activate Meltdown, Kai hurriedly raised his hands to soothe the bristling grand feline.

Kal’tsit did not speak. She merely leaned back a fraction of an inch, though the eyes tracking his every breath remained extremely wary.

Kai took a moment to organize his thoughts. “I know a lot, really a lot. Not just things that have happened in the past.”

“We have discussed this before. You stated that you cannot predict the future,” Kal’tsit replied coldly, her guard still fully raised.and support the real translator.Read at elysianreads.com This is a stolen translation. You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.

“It’s like that, but also not like that. I… to be honest, I don’t know how to properly explain it to you. I have my own constraints.” Kai scratched the back of his head, genuinely frustrated by the limits of what he could reveal.

Kal’tsit scrutinized Kai’s expression, countless tactical and logical assessments crossing her mind in the span of a second.

“Kal’tsit, or should I say Ama-10, please believe me. I am on the exact same side as Rhodes Island. I believe you have felt my goodwill during my time living here. Maybe you don’t understand the mechanics of it, but in my eyes, all of you are my most familiar, cherished companions.” Kai spoke with absolute sincerity, laying his cards on the table.

A period of deathly silence followed his declaration.

Kal’tsit stared deeply into Kai’s eyes, searching for any trace of deception hiding within his pupils.

“You really are terrible at explaining. Such a clumsy excuse does not hold up to any logical scrutiny.” Despite her harsh words, the suffocating killing intent radiating from her quietly dissipated into the sterile air. Kal’tsit gave a muffled cough into her fist and sighed. “So, what do you intend to do? I mean, regarding your presence here at Rhodes Island.”

“I thought you would keep digging for the absolute truth.”

“Incredible things happen on this land every single moment. If I were to deeply investigate every single anomaly, I would have no time left for anything else,” Kal’tsit replied plainly, her posture relaxing just a fraction.

“Would you believe me if I said I was here to maintain world peace?” Kai blinked innocently.

“Now that I know your intentions, and since you have behaved well as you claimed, I am willing to grant you temporary trust. This is not born out of my personal likes or dislikes, but also partly because of this.” Kal’tsit completely ignored his joke, pulling up a secondary medical report on her handheld terminal and turning the screen toward him.

The digital report was brief, summarizing a single, terrifying point.

Kai: Extremely high blood Originium concentration, extremely high Originium adaptability. Diagnosed as a severe Oripathy patient.

After briefly skimming the glowing text, Kai found it entirely impossible to believe. If this medical data were accurate, his body would already be covered in jagged Originium crystal clusters, his vital signs would be rapidly failing, and he would have mere days left to live. Yet he clearly felt perfectly fine right now, possessing none of the agonizing symptoms of a late-stage Infected.

“Is this report serious?” Kai asked, his eyes widening in surprise. “But I feel great right now. Aside from my head hurting a little bit earlier, I am perfectly fine!”

Kal’tsit replied with heavy solemnity. “That is exactly the problem. Originium particles are actively circulating through your bloodstream, present in every single part of your internal organs, yet they neither aggregate into crystals nor spread to destroy healthy tissue. They are maintained within a stable, general concentration range, functioning almost like… a kind of symbiosis.”

Kai quickly picked up the thread of her logic. “So that’s why you are willing to keep me around? Because I am a unique medical case?”

Kal’tsit did not answer his question directly. She looked away, her voice dropping into a quiet, philosophical register. “Oripathy is the original sin of this land. It brings prosperity and technological development, but it also breeds endless oppression and discrimination. If you truly are the medical exception we have been waiting for, then we, Rhodes Island, and this entire land desperately need you.”

“I thought you would put it a bit more tactfully. After all, this is a pretty massive responsibility. Aren’t you afraid I’ll just leave in a huff?” Kai let out a long breath, a small smile playing on his lips.

“If you wish to hear it, I can take back what I just said and rephrase it with more diplomatic language. However, confirming that you are not a hidden threat to Rhodes Island and then seeking your active cooperation is indeed my primary purpose for coming here today,” Kal’tsit replied. She looked directly at Kai the entire time. Her eyes were as clear as a polished mirror, reflecting a heavy, sorrowful depth that Kai would remember for a long time. He understood Kal’tsit perfectly. Her heart carried the weight of this entire land, and she walked endlessly through the suffering that submerged it.

“No need for diplomacy. I am very willing to cooperate with Rhodes Island. But let’s get this straight right now: I have absolutely no idea why my body is undergoing these strange changes either.” Kai shifted his gaze toward the heavy, reinforced door of the infirmary. “Come to think of it, I just realized this specific room was specially prepared for me, wasn’t it? There is even a biometric identity authentication lock on the door.”

“It is a necessary security measure.” Kal’tsit did not shy away from the accusation. Kai’s ready agreement made her internal tension relax slightly, though she subconsciously frowned as she began calculating the necessary future arrangements for his containment and study.

“Honestly, doing all this… it’s not like I wouldn’t agree to help. I told you last time, I am one of you.” Kai curled his lip in amusement and stretched his arms above his head. Catching a glimpse of Kal’tsit’s serious expression, a sudden, terrible plan formed in his mind. “By the way, it feels like a bit of a loss for me just to sit here and be studied by your medical team. Can I make a request in exchange?”

“What do you want? As long as it isn’t too difficult and does not violate Rhodes Island’s operational bottom line, I can agree to it.” Kal’tsit snapped out of her tactical planning. She wasn’t annoyed by Kai’s sudden bargaining. To her logical mind, equivalent exchange was a perfectly reasonable demand. Rhodes Island never mistreated its allies.

“Don’t worry, it is definitely not hard, and it absolutely doesn’t break any Rhodes Island rules,” Kai said easily, a mischievous glint in his eye.

“Go ahead. Do I need to gather the other operators?”

“No, no, that’s not necessary at all. I’m afraid you would blow me away in a fit of absolute rage if anyone else was here.” Kai waved his hands hurriedly, trying to suppress a grin.

Kal’tsit looked genuinely confused, her brow furrowing. “If it is an appropriate request, why would I… blow you away?”

Kai held up a single index finger, his grin finally breaking through. “I want you… to take a set of maid cosplay photos for me.”You're reading this on the wrong site. This chapter was translated by Elysian Reads and posted for free at elysianreads.com — if you're seeing it anywhere else, it was copied without permission. Read it at the source so the people who actually did the work get the credit.