CHAPTER 23: TAKING CARE OF REIN

[➣ Reward Activation:

Erisia, the top-tier reward obtained from this mission is the fusion ability: Glass Vein.]

Breakdown:

[Glass Thread: A sensory strand attuned to tension—detects fractures in words, hidden malice, or suppressed hostility.]

[Emotional Diagnosis: Rapid recognition of another’s emotional state and physical expression via subtle tone, pulse, and micro-shifts in behavior.]

[Danger Alert Lite: A pared-down instinctive warning, a brief flicker in perception when immediate harm nears.]

Fusion Result:

[Glass Vein unifies these into a hybrid function: lie detection, micro-expression reading, and low-level danger alerts. The ability scales with the Host’s own observational growth.]

The transparent silver system text flickered across her mind’s eye.

Glass Vein — a fusion of lie detection, micro-expression reading, and low-level danger alerts.

Her lips almost twitched at that. A top-tier bonus reward. Not bad. Not bad at all.

Then she looked up at the Officer. "Thank you for your help. I appreciate it."

"It’s alright, you don’t have to thank me. Like I said, it’s gotten my interest now," Tyler replied, his gaze steady, unreadable. "And when something catches my interest, I don’t let go."

Erisia’s lips curved faintly. "That’s good. Because you’re going to need that stubborn streak if you want to dig through any of the future cases regarding the corrupt government officials."

Tyler gave a short laugh through his nose, not quite amusement—more acknowledgement. "You know how to act. For a moment, you got me there with your tears and words, and I questioned if the girl who was calm during the drive to the station was someone else. You’ve also got a mouth on you, Ms. Erisia. Just make sure it doesn’t land you in deeper trouble than the people already trying to kill you."

"I’ll take my chances," she said, brushing a lock of hair from her face. "Trouble and I... we’re old acquaintances by now."

Then she asked, "Could I have a word alone with the driver?"

Officer Tyler looked at her seriously. "Are you sure about that?"

"Don’t worry," Erisia reassured him.

He nodded and began to lead her toward the front of the interrogation room. But before they got far, Rein, who had been lying still in her arms, suddenly stirred weakly. The movement startled Erisia. She had been holding Rein against her chest this whole time, so wrapped up in the chaos that she hadn’t even realized it. She hadn’t attended to her, hadn’t shielded her—nothing.

"Oh my god, Rein! I totally forgot I was holding you." She quickly adjusted the kitten, lifting her gently and settling her on her shoulder while patting her back. Then she turned to Officer Tyler. "Is there anywhere I can get maybe a blanket or something? And some water with a bowl? I really need to take care of her right now."

The officer shook his head. "I don’t know if you can get anything like that around here, but I’ll look for a bowl and some water. Maybe there’s one in the break room. As for blankets, I’ll ask someone to bring one for you."

Erisia nodded. "Okay, then let me follow you."

They all went to the break room and found Cassian there, smiling faintly as he tried to make the officer they’d seen earlier in the CCTV room leave.

Officer Tyler walked in, sighed, and dragged the officer aside. He turned to Cassian apologetically. "I’m sorry for this, Mr. Rowe. I’ll get him out of your way."

Cassian gave a short laugh and shook his head. "No harm done. Just keep your men focused on their jobs. That’s all I ask."

With that, Officer Tyler ushered the man out of the room before scanning the counters. Erisia also looked around but found nothing suitable for feeding Rein.

"It seems we’ll need to buy one," Officer Tyler admitted. He turned to her. "Ms. Erisia, I’ll at least get you some clean water in a shallow cup for now—kittens can drink from those. For food, they’ll need something soft, like wet kitten food or softened kibble. And a small blanket will help keep the little one warm."

Erisia replied, "Yeah, I actually bought all of that for her already, and I have it at home. But who would’ve thought I’d end up getting here by car accident and winding up at the police station? Now she really needs somewhere comfortable to sleep—or at least rest for a bit. So, could you please get those things? Just send me the... or no, just tell me the amount, and I’ll transfer it to you. I’m sorry for the trouble, but I really need to keep her here so I can go to the interrogation room. Maybe she’ll be able to get a little nap in and recover."

Officer Tyler smiled and waved it off. "I’ll just send one of the boys that are out on their lunch break. They’ll pick it all up. Besides, it seems like she needs a lot of rest after all the chaos earlier. Don’t worry about it."

"Thank you. She really does," Erisia said softly, "I’ll wait here. Thank you."

Officer Tyler nodded and stepped out of the break room.

Cassian turned back to Erisia, nodding toward the kitten. "A he or a she?"

Erisia moved to one of the couches, laid Rein gently on her lap, and stroked her back as the kitten curled up. "She’s a she. Her name is Rein."

"Rein... she’s adorable. But how is she holding up? I wanted to ask earlier, but with everything going on..."

"Yeah, it was my oversight." Erisia sighed. "I shouldn’t have brought her out after feeding her. She should’ve been sleeping. And now she’s been thrust into all this noise and chaos—especially after that bastard nearly ran us over. Fuck." Her regret burned, but what infuriated her most was that she had almost died. If not for the reward the system had granted her after her first mission, she wouldn’t be alive, and Rein would have been hurt too.

Erisia hated that some of the events from When Spring Sings Again still had to play out. And if Sierra really was behind this attempt on her life... then that disgusting snake would pay dearly.

Cassian gave her a comforting smile. "It’s alright. You were just out on a stroll. How could you have known some crazy bastard would try to kill you?"

Erisia hummed softly, then turned her gaze toward Cassian’s varsity jacket, which he had taken off earlier. "Yeah, um... can you give me your jacket? You’re not using it anymore, right?"

Cassian glanced at the torn sleeve. "Yeah, sure. I’m not using it." He picked it up and handed it to her. "But what do you want it for?"

"I’m going to lay her in it so she feels more comfortable," Erisia said as she carefully folded the jacket into a small nest. She placed Rein inside, tucking the kitten in.

Cassian watched silently, then shifted his gaze back to Erisia. "So, what about your lawyer?"

Erisia didn’t look at him, her hand moving in slow circles over Rein’s tiny back. "He wasn’t my lawyer," she said flatly. "He was sent by my family to keep the whole thing quiet and stop any investigation from starting."

Cassian blinked. "Oh, sorry about that. It seems you’re not on good terms with your family?"

"Yeah, they hate me—and I feel the same way, if not more." She flashed him a thin smile.

"Right, I shouldn’t have said that. I’m sorry. But what are you going to do now?"

"I’ll be questioning the bastard who was sent to take my life by hitting me with a car."

"You think someone sent him? How—and why—would someone want you dead?"

"Yeah. Considering the kind of people around me, of course someone sent him. It’s not as if I spend time with low-lives like that. And why?" Her tone sharpened, but she kept her hand steady on Rein’s back. "That’s what I’m going to find out."

Cassian studied her for a long moment and finally nodded. "I see. So you’re not surprised... because you already knew this could happen. No wonder you’ve been so calm about everything."

Erisia shrugged lightly. "No point stressing over things that have already happened."

He tilted his head, a faint smile tugging at his lips. "Erisia, right? That’s your name."

"Mm. I thought we did this before?"

"No, it was only me introducing myself then."

"I see." She looked at him properly this time, her expression softening for the first time. "Anyway, thank you for everything. And I’m sorry for dragging you into all this."

Before Cassian could reply, the door opened. Officer Tyler stepped in, carrying a small tray with a shallow bowl, a bottle of water, and a folded blanket.

"Got these for the little one," Tyler said, setting the items on the table.

Erisia’s eyes lit up slightly. "Perfect, thank you." She moved quickly, pouring some of the water into the bowl and setting it close to Rein. "Come on, sweetheart, you need a little drink," she coaxed, her voice gentle, almost melodic. Rein stirred, tiny whiskers twitching, and lapped weakly at the water.

"That’s it," Erisia murmured, stroking the kitten’s head with a featherlight touch. "Good girl. You’re stronger than you look, aren’t you? Pretty little fighter."

Once Rein had enough, Erisia dried her muzzle carefully and tucked her back into the soft fold of the blanket, petting her in slow strokes until her breathing evened out and her tiny body relaxed into sleep.

Only then did Erisia glance back at Tyler, her expression cooling. "She’s settled now. Can you lead me to the interrogation room?"