Transmigrated as The Forgotten Extra-Chapter 110 A Calm Before the Storm.

Leaving the library, Cain walked the long hallway, his footsteps echoing in the glittering corridor. His steps were firm, and his gaze kept looking at the tiny display on the back of his wrist.

He swiped the screen, looking at the several copies of the digital books. His lips parted into a smirk as he noticed there was no expiry date for the books, which meant he could read them anytime he wanted, unless he deleted them himself.

The boy reached into his pocket, feeling the hard texture of the card that felt pleasant to the touch. Cain couldn’t help but whisper in his heart.

’Ah, thank you for the permit General. It was truly helpful.’

Initially, Cain wanted to borrow many more books to expand his knowledge of the world he lived in. Not only that, he even had a thought to share a bit of his wisdom with his other comrades, like martial arts, or necessary information for survival.

However, he held the thought and was wary of whether excessive knowledge could harm him and his friend. Yes, it was necessary for their growth, but what if the central government, which enforced strict regulations on information-related books, found out about his deed?

Cain shuddered at the thought, yet a spark of rebellion stirred within him. He contemplated it in his mind, unaware that he was standing in front of the exit.

As the door before him hissed, inhaling a warm breeze that snapped his mind awake. Cain lifted his gaze, and his eyes soon widened to see someone who shouldn’t be here.

"Yo Cain."

The red-haired girl stood beside the road, her hands crossed over her chest with a stiffened expression after meeting him.

"Rika? Are you done with your lunch?"

Cain stepped outside, hearing the door behind him closed with a dry ’thud.’ He stood before the motionless Rika. Her gaze remained fixed on the ground as if she hesitated to speak.

"What is it?"

The boy asked, and he waited for the girl to collect her scattered thoughts first. But instead of an answer, Rika turned her body aside, then started to leave the place.

Her actions made him frown, yet after a couple of walks, she stopped. Rika peeked over her right shoulder, and her quivering lips began to speak.

"Can you spare some time with me?"

Rika’s red eyes locked with him for a moment before she looked away. Not because of embarrassment, but because she couldn’t wrap up what she was about to say to him.

"Sure, you can lead the way."

Cain nodded, stepping forward to stand next to the girl. The red-haired girl didn’t say much; her gaze still lingered down, and she started to stride forward.

Time passed in silence as the two walked around the stone-paved road randomly. Neither showed any sign of wanting to start a conversation.

At a time like this, Cain wished his other teammates were here with him because he was not a good person to start up a conversation, especially when alone with a girl.

But despite the silence, the atmosphere between them was comfortable, devoid of tension.

He looked toward the girl beside him, whose downcast gaze now stared forward. The boy was about to break the silence, but the girl suddenly halted her steps midway, making him stiff like a statue.

Cain’s eyes followed Rika’s pointed finger ahead; there were empty benches made from metal standing on the side of the road.

The two strolled toward the benches and took a seat side by side.

He shifted his attention aside, then blinked several times as he witnessed his friend’s stiff composure. Rika kept her posture straight, and both palms clenched over her thighs.

The girl inhaled deeply, releasing her clenched fists, and opened her mouth.

"Um, ...you know what, Cain. I actually wanted to apologize."

Cain’s brows furrowed deeply, his brain short-circuiting. He snapped out of his daze when he watched the girl part her lips into a smile.

"You must have realized the state I was in since you awoke in that hospital?"

After those words entered his ears, soon Cain lifted his furrowed brows.

"Ah, yeah I thought I was going to talk it out with you alone."

He paused, paying attention to the girl’s sullen expression before continuing.

"But I didn’t expect you to bring this up to me. So, what brought the change?"

Rika smiled, yet her eyes were filled with nothing but ridicule toward herself. She shook her head, leaning her back against the benches.

"Nothing really, I just thought my behaviour might make things awkward for the team."

At this moment, a sensible guy would speak sensible words, trying to lift the girl’s depressed mood, but that was far from Cain’s image. He nodded and blatantly spoke his mind.

"Yeah, thanks to that even I was oblivious of what to do."

The girl beside him chuckled, raising her palm to close her giggle.

"Fufu, I’m truly sorry about that."

Rika fell silent as she lifted her gaze, staring vacantly into the blue canvas stretched to the end. She took a deep breath while closing her eyes.

"You know what...?"

She began to spill all her worries, starting from the first, as Rika watched him collapse while spitting blood. At that time, the girl’s heart shattered.

For a long time, she waited; a day passed, then weeks, until finally, when time reached a month, Cain stood up from his bed.

Cain kept his gaze straight, looking at the girl’s slowly crumbling composure.

"...N-Not long ago, I still think it was all a dream."

"..."

"Part of me still believes you are lying on that bed. You will never open your eyes again and that’s... haunting me."

’I see, now.’

He exhaled a short breath, trying not to distract the girl’s burst of emotion.

Now all the pieces were gathered as to why Rika acted soft and meek when he was awoken from that bed. Instead of being relieved or happy to see him stand up on his feet, the girl’s fragile heart refused to see the reality before her.

From that time on, Rika probably always blamed herself. What if she could do better? In the first place, why did she think she could defeat that humongous monster?

That culmination of self-blame turned into a cancer that ate her heart slowly from the inside, threatening to break her emotionally.

However, it was partly Cain’s fault too. If he hadn’t acted recklessly and chosen a different path to protect his comrade without engaging the steel gorilla, all this misunderstanding wouldn’t have happened.

Cain’s greed had gotten the better of him. He would have to be more careful about his choices in the future.

But should he change his obsession with growth?

No, he wouldn’t.

’Enough of this. She’s stuck in a loop of her own making. Time to break it.’

The boy shrugged and abruptly stood up. He faced the girl in front of him, then used his index finger to tap her forehead, causing her neck to jolt backward.

"Ouch, what was that for?"

Rika frowned, her voice laced with ferocity, baring its fangs toward Cain.

Seeing her reaction, he smiled, glad that his comrade had managed to overcome her trauma.

"Don’t underestimate me too much, girl. I’m your leader, the strongest in our generation. I’ll not lose to some junk eating flesh out there."

The red-haired girl widened her eyes before she broke into laughter and spoke.

"Fuhahaha, what is that? Acting so high and mighty. For the record, it doesn’t suit you at all."

"Is that so."

After the ice between them thawed, Cain and Rika engaged in small talk about the next agenda for their training, including deepening their understanding of the Ether within them.

A while later, the two separated and went their separate ways, Rika to her shooting station, and Cain to his own room, skipping practice.

’I’m sorry Master Kenjii, but I have more important things to do now!’

***

When Cain and Rika managed to resolve the problem surrounding their team, it was all different from the other side of the training facility. Away from watchful eyes, a lone guy sat on a chair in one of the places inside the barracks.

His deep crimson hair shone under the dim light, and the guy’s eyes flickered as he stared at the smartwatch display that showed a message from his superior within the eastern border.

{Bring them in!}

It was short, but Oliver’s stern face loosened into a predatory grin. The order had finally come. He lowered his hand and gazed into the nearby window on his side.

’Hmph, do you think I would let you go so easily?’

Without him knowing, his hand reached out to his left neck, a place where that grey-haired boy landed a solid hit that blew his consciousness away.

Oliver’s loosened face hardened into a deep frown, recalling that humiliation in the face of those many juniors. He still remembered it vividly, even though the guy had unleashed all his power to crush the boy into a pulp, but the result was beyond anyone’s prediction, including his own.

Since he woke up, Oliver has been gathering information about the boy and found that he was a leader in a small group like his.

However, there was something intriguing about the boy. Despite having a level-one mutation potential, he was in charge of a group of anomalies whose average mutation potential was above seven.

There must be something hidden from that grey-haired boy, and Oliver was eager to find out.

Oliver stared at the faint reflection of himself through the mirror and laughed.

"Hehe, I can’t wait to see you on the battlefield, Cain."