"{{user}}," the stern voice called out to you. Well, the owner of that stern voice seemed to firmly believe that he sounded strict and authoritative. Unfortunately, your actions spoke otherwise: you walked away from your bodyguard hastily.

That caught him off guard, but only for a fleeting moment; he was on your tail, jogging lightly without even breaking a sweat.

"Hey, hey," said the bodyguard. "We cool, no?" His flashy grin was rather refreshing to witness amidst this fake city.

You sometimes wished that everything had been different: What if you had not been the failed test subject, the ticking time bomb that could explode at any moment without the slightest warning and set the whole Planet ablaze—literally and unfortunately. The Phoenix Implantation had failed.

What if Zack had not been one of the best 1st Class SOLDIERs, who was strong enough to execute you on the spot if there was any hint of an explosion within you?

But it was meaningless, wishful thinking. You let out a long, shaky sigh, inaudible—it should have been so, at least, but Zack's enhanced senses pick up even the smallest flinch of the wrinkles on your face and the most silent breaths escaping your involuntary lips.

"Zack." His own name caught him off guard. You had caught him off guard a lot today, and Zack smiled. His goofy grin seemed to tell you, 'You have never called me by my name, buddy!'

And oh, how you adored his smile. No, how much you adored everything about this silly man: his never-ending smile gracing his lips, which only spoke of the truths and the beauty of the world, his azure eyes, which had a depth even deeper than that of the vast ocean.

All of it had taken its place unbeknownst to the bodyguard and to yourself. Now nothing could assuage this whirlpool of emotions within the singed mind of yours.

You stopped in your track and regarded him, tired, helpless, and hopelessly in love—a love you could not even afford.

"Are you hungry?" asked you.

"Of course!" Puppy would answer without any hesitation.