Chapter 7: Amy's Loving Bento

Chapter 7: Amiya’s Loving Bento

“Do you have to do rounds like this every day? It must be exhausting. I remember Rhodes Island is a pharmaceutical company—why are you taking on hospital duties as well?”

Zhou Jinru collapsed unceremoniously onto the wide wooden bench in the duty room. The room was cold and sterile; aside from the essential medical equipment and office supplies, there was nothing to make it more comfortable.

Medy was busy making the daily rounds record, not even looking up. “It’s all because of the Doctor. Maintaining a landship alone costs a fortune every day. If we can help nearby infected patients stabilize their condition, we receive substantial funding from the Infection Control Center headquarters. Plus, we can recruit infected individuals who want to work off their medical expenses.”

“So, your salary goes toward medical fees too?” Zhou Jinru referred to Medy’s friend, Hermione, who was receiving treatment here but whose medical bills were paid from Medy’s wages.

Medy paused mid-sentence, then looked up with a smile. “Why do you ask, Doctor? As a medical team member, I get certain subsidies. After covering basic expenses, I still have plenty of salary left, so it’s not a big burden.”

Since Hermione had no Originium arts, she wasn’t absorbed by Rhodes Island and couldn’t afford the expensive treatments alone. Medy’s medical specialty rarely overlapped with Rhodes Island’s pharmaceutical technology, creating a vicious cycle. But Dr. Kelsey broke this deadlock decisively—setting up a department exclusively for herbal medicine research under Medy’s charge, officially recognizing both traditional and modern methods as valid for studying Originium disease.

This was the original content from the game, which seemed to highlight Medy’s growing recognition and capability. In truth, it subtly illustrated Kelsey’s tolerance and care for Rhodes Island’s operatives through various small details.

Zhou Jinru glanced at his sanity gauge—it had dropped by 27 points, nearly the cost of a high-level dungeon, and he still hadn’t figured out what was going on.

“Doctor, are you feeling any discomfort?”

Medy suddenly asked. Zhou Jinru was puzzled but replied, “No, I feel the same as usual—actually, I’m even thinking of going to the cafeteria.”

“That’s strange. Maybe it’s because you’re back.”

“Why do you say that?”

Medy flipped through the calendar on the table, her finger circling today’s date in red pen. “Because today is a ‘Distant Day,’ didn’t you know?”

A ‘Distant Day’? This was a new concept he had never heard of in the game.

“Once a month, there’s a day when the sun seems farther than usual and the sky grows dimmer. This causes physiological reactions in some people—mood swings, irritability, instability. But...” She glanced through the transparent floor-to-ceiling window of the duty room; outside, it seemed unusually calm. “Maybe I’m overthinking it. Today’s quieter than usual, but it’s okay. After four in the afternoon, everything will return to normal. You’re quite lucky, Doctor.”

By noon, the two of them went to the cafeteria for lunch. Despite the crowd, hardly anyone recognized Zhou Jinru as the Doctor. They separated there and didn’t meet again until evening in the medical office.

The situation unfolded like this:

Zhou Jinru returned upstairs and found Amiya staring absentmindedly at a box of bento in the control hall.

“Have you eaten, Amiya?”

It was a polite inquiry, but the response surprised Zhou Jinru beyond expectation.

Amiya looked up, her rabbit ears twitching, a look of delight spreading across her face—so much so that Zhou Jinru wondered if he’d somehow spilled soup on himself.

“Ah, Doctor, how do you find the food in the cafeteria?”

“Pretty good. Everyone seems happy.”

In truth, he ate very little. The dietary habits at Rhodes Island didn’t quite suit him; some of the strange-looking dishes were unappetizing. For example, eating braised lizard required some mental preparation. After all, he was from Lingjiang, not an adventurous gourmet like Hu Guang who would eat anything.

Amiya seemed to see through Zhou Jinru’s private thoughts. She held out the bento box toward him. “Doctor, there’s an extra meal—and it’s still warm. It would be a shame to waste it. Wasting food is shameful.”

Well done, Amiya!

Zhou Jinru was overjoyed. He hadn’t eaten enough and never expected Amiya to prepare a bento for him. Truly a model hostess, virtuous as a wife, simply wonderful.

“Well then, I won’t be polite. Thank you, Amiya.”

Happily taking the bento from her hands, Zhou Jinru turned toward the temporary rest room without hesitation, missing the fleeting awkwardness that flickered across Amiya’s face.

As expected of Amiya—she was truly caring. The bento box was pink, revealing the heart of a 15-year-old girl. He remembered how tirelessly Amiya had farmed for purple stones in stage 1-7, burning sanity potions and regaining sanity by leveling up, grinding hard all day to collect ten purple stones. Clearly, it had paid off: at least 200 trust points were maxed out. In other games, that would be just one ring away from a perfect ending.

Opening the bento, an enticing aroma filled the air, lifting Zhou Jinru’s spirits. The meal was a feast for the senses. He scooped a spoonful of rice and, barely chewing, swallowed it—it was so delicious that even his tongue seemed to savor it effortlessly.

His expression shifted as he noticed a note beneath the bento box. It read:

“Doctor, welcome back to Rhodes Island. This is a loving bento I made for you. I hope you maintain a balanced nutritional intake every day.”

Amiya was amazing—Amiya was the best!

Cheering silently inside, Zhou Jinru read on:

“Damn it, I have to go on a mission with that blasted Flamebringer again. I really want to kill her!”

Eh?!

Flamebringer?!

A chill ran down Zhou Jinru’s spine. Amiya was right outside; she hadn’t gone anywhere. Could it be...

Before he could see the signature, his vision blurred. Tears fell onto the note. The bento’s fragrance was still there, yet he sensed no aroma, no pain—only the rice soaked in sauce working its magic inside his stomach.

Sweet, sour, bitter, spicy, joyful, sorrowful, angry, and anxious—all these emotions surged at once. He was about to lose consciousness...

Suddenly, the rest room door swung open. Amiya stood there, panic-stricken.

“Doctor! Doctor! Docto—”

In his final moment of awareness, Zhou Jinru felt this scene was oddly familiar, as if it had happened somewhere before.

How terrifying. None of the medical team operatives were normal. How frustrating...

(The End of This Chapter)