Chapter 17: Moss

Lin Xia returned to the apartment at five in the evening.

She pushed open the door and saw two insulated food containers sitting on the table.

Yin Qi was lying on the sofa playing with her phone.

“The food arrived not long ago.”

Yin Qi looked up at her as she spoke.

“Thanks.”

Lin Xia put down her backpack, changed into her slippers, and walked over to open the containers.

“You actually picked a pretty good place today. What made you order from here?”

“I found it in your saved list.”

Lin Xia didn’t say anything else.

She sat down, tore open the disposable chopsticks, and started eating.

After a few bites, she asked, “How was being home alone today?”

“Nothing much happened,” Yin Qi said.

“I read, played on my phone, and took a nap.”

“Were you bored?”

“Why would I be bored? I’ve been living like this for two months already. Speaking of which, how did you end up dealing with that Meme? After that, I couldn’t really feel any obvious emotions from it anymore.”

That was a lie.

She had actually sensed the feeling of safety coming from that direction long ago.

“It was registered as B1-Class,” Lin Xia said.

“There’ll be specialists handling it from now on.”

“That’s good.”

Yin Qi nodded.

“It wasn’t hard to get along with. It was just scared by you people. You all showed up carrying equipment and pointing it at it. I’d be scared too.”

“You mean you felt that it was afraid?”

“Not exactly afraid.”

Yin Qi thought for a moment.

“It felt more like… I’m not really sure. Maybe the feeling you get when a stranger knocks on your door.”

Lin Xia considered it.

The comparison was surprisingly accurate.

“Our team member accepted the flower it gave him.”

“It seemed really happy afterward.”

“Yeah.”

Yin Qi nodded.

“After that, its emotions stabilized a lot. Your decision to tell command to wait was the right one.”

Lin Xia set down her chopsticks and looked at her.

“How exactly did you hear my report?”

“How could I possibly hear it?”

Yin Qi laughed.

“I just felt that the situation changed after that point. I guessed your team decided to stay put, and it felt like something you suggested after getting my text.”

“…It was my suggestion,” Lin Xia admitted.

“Your message helped a lot.”

She put down her chopsticks completely and looked at Yin Qi seriously.

“Do you know how much influence you had on today’s outcome? If you hadn’t sent that text, command probably would’ve ordered us straight into suppression procedures.”

“Just a convenient little favor.”

“I’m seriously thanking you.”

“Don’t you think that’s kind of weird?”

Yin Qi tilted her head.

“I’m your surveillance target, not your informant. Why are you thanking me?”

“You helped me,” Lin Xia said.

“That’s a fact.”

“Fine, fine.”

Yin Qi waved a hand dismissively.

“Then treat me to something good next time.”

“What do you want to eat?”

“Sichuan food.”

Yin Qi’s answer came without hesitation.

“You said the food around here isn’t spicy enough.”

Lin Xia froze briefly.

Then she remembered that conversation.

The one they’d had on the balcony while looking at the night sky.

She had only mentioned it casually.

She hadn’t expected Yin Qi to remember something like that.

Lin Xia lowered her head and continued eating.

She didn’t say anything else.

But there was a faint smile at the corner of her mouth.

***

That evening, while the two of them were sitting on the couch after dinner, Lin Xia suddenly asked:

“Do you think that Meme has a name?”

“Whether it gave itself one, I don’t know,” Yin Qi said.

“But I do know your organization will assign it a registration name.”

“Registration names are just serial numbers.”

Lin Xia shrugged.

“CNB1-799. That’s all it has. No actual name.”

“That’s pretty boring.”

Yin Qi rested a finger against her chin.

“It was pretty interesting, and yet it only gets remembered as a string of numbers.”

“That’s how Meme registration works.”

Lin Xia said.

“It’s procedure. In our system, you’re just CNE2-325.”

“Tch. Why did it have to be those numbers…”

Yin Qi turned her head away as if she were trying not to laugh.

For some reason, her own designation number and the Meme’s number seemed amusing to her.

“…Forget it. I don’t understand your procedures. But today it gave you a flower that grew from its own body, and you people won’t even give it a proper name.”

“It’s not like I have the authority.”

Lin Xia looked at her.

“What do you think it should be called?”

“Moss.”

“Moss?”

“The moss from moss-covered stones.”

Yin Qi nodded.

“I could feel it. What covered its body was a mass of moss. The entire greenbelt too. The moss carpet came first. Those giant plants grew later.”

Lin Xia stared at her suspiciously.

After a long pause, she finally spoke.

“…Your senses really are absurdly sharp. You’re wearing a suppressor and somehow seeing things more than ten kilometers away.”

“That wasn’t the same as normal things.”

Yin Qi shrugged.

“That moss was a product of the Meme. To me, it stood out pretty clearly.”

“I see.”

Lin Xia nodded slowly.

“That actually makes some sense. Moss is a pretty good name. But I don’t have permission to rename a Meme. That process requires branch approval.”

“I know.”

Yin Qi waved dismissively.

“I’m just saying it casually. Though you could keep it as a reference. Maybe it’ll come in handy someday.”

***

Before going to sleep that night, Lin Xia stood outside Yin Qi’s bedroom door and spoke through it.

“I added a note to the mission report earlier.”

“The target’s structure and derived vegetation appear to be primarily moss-based. I suggested that the person responsible for evaluation pay special attention to that. It might become a useful starting point for communication.”

“…Mm. That’s good.”

“And I mentioned the name Moss too.”

Lin Xia paused.

“Oh, right. The flower our team member brought back is still attached to his backpack. It hasn’t wilted yet.”

Yin Qi lay on her bed listening quietly.

Her fingers slowly rubbed against the ring she wore.