Between Your Letter and My Reply

Chapter 25

[Translation By Divinity]

“Huh?”

“Well, the first time we met, you didn’t smile at all, so I was confused whether you disliked me or if my conversation was boring. But I see you can smile after all.”

“…Is that so.”

Damian’s expression had returned to its usual blankness, and he touched his lips. Lilliana watched him with a slightly dissatisfied look.

“Hey, I said it was nice to see you smile, and now you’re back to being expressionless? Smile a bit. You looked much more handsome when you smiled! You were born with a handsome face, so use it.”

“Thank you for the compliment.”

“I wasn’t trying to compliment you…”

Lilliana was about to say something else when a hospital staff member called her name.

“Ms. Lilliana Carnell? Ms. Lilliana Carnell, please come in.”

Lilliana jumped up and said to Damian,

“Oh, it’s my turn. I’ll see you later!”

She waved and hurried away.

“See you again!”

Only after Lilliana entered the treatment room did Damian relax and slump back in his chair. It felt like a storm had just passed.

‘Ah… That was overwhelming…’

Recalling the recent events, Damian couldn’t help but chuckle. It wasn’t a laugh of discomfort. It was the kind of warm, fuzzy chuckle that came naturally when you saw something cute.

☆

Damian met with a few prosthetic makers recommended by the hospital. As he went around, trying on different prosthetics and getting price estimates, he had to admit one thing.

‘No one’s prosthetics are as high-quality as Asher Olon’s…!’

Damian finally realized he had fallen for Asher’s sales tactics.

Asher’s prosthetics were indeed ridiculously expensive compared to others. The active prosthetic Asher had priced at fifty thousand Hirks could be obtained for half the price, between twenty and thirty thousand, elsewhere. Even that seemed expensive to Damian.

Automatic prosthetics were also 50-60% cheaper than Asher’s. But he should have known when Asher casually attached his own prosthetic to Damian’s arm for a trial. After experiencing Asher’s prosthetic, he could feel the difference in quality compared to others.

Asher’s prosthetics were much lighter than usual, putting significantly less strain on the body, and they were easier to move as desired. He hadn’t noticed it while wearing it, but after trying others, the difference was clear. Now, nothing but Asher’s prosthetics would satisfy him.

Asher had deliberately attached the prosthetic to Damian’s arm, aiming for this. Moreover, now that he knew about the existence of internal electrode prosthetics, he coveted one with even more precise movements than the active prosthetic.

“A hundred thousand… Hmm… I think I could manage a hundred thousand…”

The day after checking out the prosthetics, Damian returned to the hospital for rehabilitation therapy. During his wait, he frowned, lost in thought about the prosthetic arm.

He could probably scrape together thirty thousand Hirks with his current finances.

If he pushed it, he might be able to afford a surface electrode prosthetic by adding his saved military salary and taking out a loan.

But did he really need to go that far for a surface electrode prosthetic…? A slight doubt arose, but it was quickly buried under Damian’s self-justification.

‘Yes, I do. It’s for my quality of life. Quality of life is important.’

The problem was that he wanted Asher’s prosthetic, not one from somewhere else. The one he briefly tried on was so good it felt enchanting, befitting its high price. But he didn’t even have a hundred thousand Hirks; how could he afford Asher’s two hundred thousand Hirks surface electrode prosthetic?

‘Or should I just get Asher’s active prosthetic instead?’

Even though it was an active prosthetic, Asher’s had better movement, making it seem more cost-effective than getting a hundred thousand Hirks automatic prosthetic from elsewhere.

As thoughts of Asher’s prosthetics, active prosthetics, automatic prosthetics, tens of thousands to hundreds of thousands of Hirks floated around in his head, a familiar voice cut through his thoughts.

“Hey, isn’t that Damian? We said we’d see each other again, and here we are!”

Damian greeted the person who plopped down next to him.

“Hello, Lilliana.”

“Oh, you didn’t add ‘Lady’ today?”

“You said you didn’t like it.”

“That’s true.”

Lilliana laughed softly.

“Are you here for rehabilitation therapy?”

She asked, having heard him mention two days ago that he had therapy every day at this time. Damian nodded.

“I always have it at this time. Do you too, Damian?”

“It seems so, unless there are any schedule changes.”

“Really? Then we’ll be seeing each other often?”

“It seems so.”

“Great! I was getting bored waiting for my turn. If our schedules overlap, we can chat while waiting! You must get bored alone too, right?”

“I’m fine, but I’m happy to chat with you if you’d like.”

“What’s with that patronizing tone?”

Lilliana nudged Damian with her elbow.

“Not at all. I’m more worried that you might find it bothersome to keep me company.”

“I don’t mind. If you didn’t want to, I wouldn’t force you. But you said you’re okay with it, so I’ll take that as a yes.”

Lilliana propped her chin on her hands and looked at Damian.

“By the way, you looked really serious earlier. Is something wrong?”

“I have something on my mind, but it’s not a big deal.”

“If it’s not a big deal, tell me. What is it?”

Damian hesitated for a moment before speaking.

“I’m trying to get a prosthetic arm… and they’re more expensive than I thought.”

“How much are they?”

“I need at least thirty thousand Hirks to get one with basic joint movement, so I can have a wider range of motion.”

Lilliana rolled her eyes and said,

“Is that… expensive?”

Her genuinely confused tone left Damian momentarily speechless.

She was hospitalized in a single room, so he assumed she was from a wealthy family, but seeing her dismiss the value of thirty thousand Hirks confirmed it. She must be really rich.

But Damian didn’t feel inferior. He had Paul, who considered tens of thousands of Hirks mere pocket change. ‘Rich people are all the same.’

Damian calmly explained,

“Well… it’s a bit burdensome for me, and thirty thousand is just for a basic one. If I want one with more sophisticated joint movements, it’ll cost over a hundred thousand Hirks. Ideally, I’d like an automatic prosthetic, but I can’t afford anything over a hundred thousand with my current funds.”

“Hmm… I see. What should we do?”

Lilliana seemed to be pondering a solution.

“I guess you could live without an arm, but it would be inconvenient, and people stare…”

Damian unconsciously grabbed his remaining right arm with his left hand.

“They get scared.”

Lilliana blinked and asked,

“Why? What’s so scary?”

“I wonder why too.”

Damian gave a wry smile. Lilliana was about to say something when a nurse called Damian’s name.

“Oh, it seems like it’s my turn. Excuse me.”

As Damian stood up, Lilliana quickly asked,

“Same time the day after tomorrow?”

“I’ll be here.”

Damian nodded with a faint smile, and Lilliana smiled back brightly.

“Great!”