Fortunately, we found Cou in a heartbeat.
He was heatedly interrogating terrified passersby in the streets, and—when I shouted his name—he swiveled and rushed towards me.
"Take him," I said, handing Lily over to him while Second and the rest hurried towards us from nearby.
Explaining what happened, I told them I stumbled upon two men harassing Lily and a child and assured Cou I dealt with the men before Lily fainted in my arms.
"Lily was helping this little one find her sister," I said, nodding towards the child standing timidly behind me.
"Damn you, Lily…!" Cou growled while anxiously holding the sleeping Lily in his arms. "The moment I wasn't looking, you acted on your own like this…!"
"Those men I beat down—they're likely still in that alley," I informed him.
The veins in Cou's neck and temple burst, and his expression darkened as he commanded, "Don't let them get away."
Third, Fourth, and Fifth nodded, and they swiftly left after I told them where the alley was.
Then Cou focused on me and the child, making the child hiccup nervously.
"...Thank you, half-ear," Cou said solemnly. "You're not so bad."
"Take care of yourselves," I responded, blinking when Cou reached past his cloak into one of his breast pockets, rummaging for something while bracing Lily with one arm.
"Here. Use it," Cou said gruffly, tossing a handkerchief at my face.
Then he ordered Second to escort me and the child back before leaving hurriedly with Lily.
[…]
I wiped my bloody knuckles with the handkerchief and did the same to my face when Second pointed at it.
"Will that boy be alright?" the child asked as I scrubbed my face for the third time.
"Yes," Second kindly reassured her. "He'll be sought medical attention immediately, so don't worry. Now then…let's find your family, shall we?"
║║║║║║║║║║
Thankfully, the child's family was soon found as they were in the area searching for her.
"What'd I tell you, Dana?!" the mother yelled at their eldest daughter as she picked up the child. "How dare you leave your sister alone like this?!"
"I-IT'S NOT MY F-FAULT!!" Dana cried, tears streaming down her face. "I WENT BACK TO G-GET HER—B-BUT H-HOW WAS I SUPPOSED TO KNOW THE D-DUMMY WOULD WANDER?! TH-THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT, PAPA!!!"
"Thank you for finding our youngest," the father thanked me and Second with embarrassment as Dana wailed in the background.
"No problem," we said, wishing them a safe evening before promptly leaving.
"Wait!" the child called.
We turned and spotted her running towards us, her hands outstretched as she carried a beautiful garland, one of many handed out during the festival.
"Thank you for helping me, Air!" the child beamed as she stopped before me, offering me the garland.
I leaned over, and she gently placed it atop my head.
"Please tell the boy I said thank you, mister!" the child addressed Second. "And may this spring grace you all anew!"
"…May this spring grace you all anew as well," I echoed, smiling as the child waved farewell before running back towards her family.
║║║║║║║║║║
"Air!!" Shelly and Winston shouted as soon as Second and I neared the temple.
I stepped towards them, thankful they were waiting despite the end of the festivities and despite how long I was gone.
They were both angry and upset but, as I recounted the past events to them, became worried and solemn.
Shelly thanked Second for escorting me and—after Second left—gave me an earful about the dangers of handling such situations by oneself.
"My lady, next time please consider your safety!" she shouted sternly, "Don't approach alone without informing us, and seek others' aid if you must! Regardless of the situation, your own wellbeing comes first!"
"…I'll keep that in mind," was all I could promise which resulted in me receiving another earful.
It was only until we returned to our house and bid one another goodnight that I remembered the four masks I bought earlier.
I quickly felt my belt and felt regretful when I realized two were missing.
Ah.
My gifts were no longer a set…so I couldn't gift the remaining two…
[…]
Adding to that disheartening note…
Something even more worrisome was…
Lily.
That nickname—those tinted eyeglasses—his brown hair and his quiet yet refined mannerisms—the way he pled for breath tonight while losing all other senses—Cou's immense worry for Lily and intense fury towards Lily's attackers—
I no longer doubted Lily's identity.
[…]
I exhaled into my hands.
There was much to reflect on tonight.
=====
Two days after the festival incident, after Lily was re-examined, Cou was finally allowed a brief visit.
During that visit, Cou reassured Lily that the child Lily helped was safely returned to her family and that their attackers were successfully captured and punished accordingly.
"And…what of the other?" Lily enquired. "There was…another person there. A…[warm] person…whose voice…guided me through... Was that you, Cou…?"
[…]
"…Yes," Cou answered after a blatant pause.
Mentioning Air was unnecessary.
Though she undeniably aided Lily that night, Air was a nobody, so Cou had no reason to further Lily's interest in her. So, he lied.
…
"I see… Thank you…Cou…" Lily uttered with a grateful smile. Lily then cast his eyes down, murmuring softly, "It's regrettable…I couldn't meet those two…"
['Those two'?]
…
[…Air and Winston?]
…
Cou left after that, rejoining his group to leave for the north, their departure no longer delayable.
He couldn't stop thinking about Air and Winston however, as he and the others travelled horseback.
Those two were the reason Lily was adamant on visiting the festival in the first place. If it weren't for them—
No.
…If it weren't for Cou himself.
For suggesting Lily spend time with him in the capital even when Lily was reluctant—for introducing those two to Lily and rousing Lily's interest—for losing Lily that night during the festival and failing to find him immediately after—[Cou] was ultimately the reason Lily suffered a panic attack.
Aggravatingly yet…
Air supposedly [guided] Lily during it.
That meant she recognized Lily's condition or at least was familiar with it.
Having that knowledge, what if she then discovered who Lily was? What if she then spread rumors about Lily?
That made her a [threat], something Cou took sole responsibility for.
Thus, before departing, he informed the King about her.
…
That meant Rosen would soon learn of her.
Which meant it wouldn't be long before Air was taken care of.
…
Cou felt bad.
Air was an alright kid, after all.
Yet…
Lily's safety came first.
Always.
So…
There was no reason to feel this guilty.
[…]
"…Fuuuuuuuuck…!" Cou groaned, clutching fistfuls of his hair as he brooded over what he did.
"Something botherin' you, [C]?" Third chirped alongside Cou.
"Shh… Let's not disturb him," Second shushed Third wisely.
║║║║║║║║║║
After the spring festival, we never saw Cou and his group again, nor did we hear from Lily.
…
Hopefully by now, Lily had recovered…
…
I soon buried those thoughts, however, as new concerns arose.
As Winston and I returned to our previous routines, we continued participating in the tournaments, after which we pestered Evan and Every with questions about the Branch Trial.
The siblings would always chase us away, adamantly claiming there was truly nothing else to tell. Thus, Winston and I earnestly roamed the capital grounds, gathering what little information there was before returning home to discuss our findings while Shelly prepared late supper.
Thus passed a month.
There was now only four more weeks until the Trial, and—
Winston and I were no closer to deciphering it.
Worse yet…
Trouble was brewing within the city.
Specifically…Trial registrants were now being targeted, those targeted being severely beaten before robbed.
Winston and I first caught wind of this while passing the temple one day.
On that day, a group of people were loitering before the temple, murmuring amongst themselves.
"What's going on?" Winston and I asked the nearest person.
"It's the temple!" they spat annoyedly. "They said we wouldn't qualify for the Trial without a Branch Sect [tag]."
[?]
"Why ask of something they should issue themselves?! It's outrageous!!" another person hotly interjected.
[…]
"And that shitty [task] they assigned!!" another cursed. "Without any information, how in the Goddess Jaf are we supposed to find [them]?"
"…Who exactly are you supposed to find?" Winston asked.
"[The first 100 who registered before]," a person answered, turning to stare at him. "[Find the first one hundred, and you'll obtain what you seek], is what they told us."
…
"By the way, who's asking?" someone confronted Winston and me. "Who're you brats? You both here to register or what?"
"We were planning to but changed our minds," I swiftly lied, grabbing Winston's arm as all attention suddenly veered towards us. "Now's not a good time…"
Winston and I then left the premises, glancing several times behind us to check we weren't being followed.
We had already confirmed previous registrants were told the same thing: on the day of the Trial, [return to the temple and present your tag.] And to [always keep the tag with you before then.]
But now…that message changed?
Now, new registrants were told to seek [the first 100] to obtain what was needed to qualify for the Trial—[tablets] of which the 100 possessed?
Additionally, based on the number engraved on ours…Winston and I were clearly one of the 100.
That meant—
"We'll be hunted down, won't we?" Winston spoke, glancing up at me.
My silence answered his suspicions, and we stared at each other solemnly.
From there on, the capital became hectic.
Crimes exploded within the city, and the presence of guards increased as those suspected of being [the first 100] were accosted daily.
Our safest option was to wait the days out until the Trial. Thus…
We stopped frequenting the tournaments and no longer sought information regarding the Trial. And since people had begun inquiring after us—
"All asked whether you two were early Trial registrants, but we denied it, of course!" Evan and Every informed us one morning. "So, watch yourselves, rascals!"
—Winston and I laid low for the next several days.
One day, however, we were out in the markets on an errand for Shelly when trouble occurred.
The atmosphere was peaceful when—suddenly—commotion burst from behind us.
Swiveling around, we spotted a young boy shoving through the crowd, sweat dripping down his face as he hurriedly fled from something.
"STOP!! THIEF!!" several voices shouted behind the boy, making him even more determined to escape as he scrambled along.
Just as he freed himself from the throngs of people, however, he was swiftly tackled by two persons.
"Caught you, little rat!" they hissed with triumph while pinning the boy to the ground.
"LET GO!!" the boy roared, twisting from underneath them. "YOU'RE GOING TO REGRET THIS!!"
"Not until you return what belongs to us, thief!!" shouted two more people as they separated from the crowd and circled the boy.
"I'M NOT A THIEF!!" the boy roared, gnashing his teeth at the four accusers. "[YOU'RE] THE THIEVES FOR TRYING TO TAKE WHAT'S [MINE]!!"
"How outrageous…!" one of the accusers huffed, gritting their teeth as the crowd around them began whispering amongst themselves.
"Dear citizens, surely you don't believe this liar?!" one of the accusers addressed the crowd, their expression one of innocence and indignance. "My companions and I are Trial registrants, and this thief—upon learning this—stole our Branch tags given by the sacred temple itself!"
"YOU LIE—" the boy shouted but was quickly subdued.
"By now, you all must have heard about the injustice dealt against innocent Trial registrants!" another of the accusers continued. "Well, let us make aware this brat is one of those inciting chaos within your beloved city!"
"He deserves to be beaten and imprisoned for what he's done!" another spoke. "Yet…! By the grace of the goddess Jaf and our generosity as future Branch knights, all we ask is for him to return what is ours!"
"LIKE I SAID—!!" the boy growled as he struggled against the two holding him. "IT'S MINE—!!"
"Quiet, thief!" an accused spat as he kicked the boy across the face. "You leave us no choice but to search you—"
"WEREN'T YOU FOUR AT THE TEMPLE DAYS AGO, JUST NEWLY REGISTERED?!" I shouted, tugging my hood over my head while stepping forward.
The four accusers whirled towards me, nerves flickering across their expressions as they stared me down.
"You four were among the ones complaining about how you weren't issued any tags," I continued loudly, gaining strength as Winston strode to my side. "If that's true, how is it you possess tags when a few days ago you clearly hadn't? Unless…you yourselves are the thieves wreaking havoc within this city?!"
"You're mistaken!" one of them denied angrily. "We [were] issued tags—"
"Then prove it!" I interrupted them. "Show your tags to prove at least one of you have them!"
"We can't! And the reason we can't is because this brat stole all four!"
"I DIDN'T STEAL ANYTHING!!" the boy on the ground roared furiously. "YOU APPROACHED ME FIRST! AND WHEN YOU CONFIRMED I HAD A TAG, YOU ALL CHASED ME, TRYING TO STEAL WHAT'S RIGHTFULLY MINE!!"
"SHUT UP—!!" all four snarled as they began kicking the boy.
The beatdown didn't last, however.
Authoritative voices boomed in the distance, and all four accusers immediately stopped what they were doing.
"GREAT!! THE GUARDS ARE HERE!!" I shouted, heightening the momentum. "THEY'LL HELP SORT THIS MATTER! THEY'LL ESCORT ALL PARTIES TO THE TEMPLE TO VERIFY EACH REGISTRANT AND THEIR TAGS! THEN WE'LL KNOW FOR SURE WHO'S LYING!!"
Color drained from the four accusers' faces, and all were frozen until—
"Shit!" one of them hissed before turning and fleeing.
The remaining three quickly followed, and Winston and I rushed to the boy as the sounds of the approaching guards grew louder.
"Hey!" the boy huffed as we grabbed his arm from either side. "Why'd you help? Are you two stupid? Now you'll be chased as well!"
"If that's your way of thanking us, you're welcome," I responded as the three of us exited the vicinity.
"…Heh. You're Air and Winston, aren't you?" the boy asked, surprising me.
I instantly released him, and the boy wobbled to his feet as Winston did the same.
"Who're you?" Winston asked, his brows narrowing.
The boy wiped his bloody mouth and smiled. "I'm Callous. Callous Rivers. I recognize you both from the tournaments."
[…]
"Relax!" Callous chuckled, whipping out a Branch Sect tablet from one of his pockets. "See? We're fellow Trial registrants!"
Indeed…the tablet showed was an exact copy of ours, save for its number, [27].
"Now you trust me?" Callous asked, re-tucking it back into his pocket.
"Accompany us to the temple and verify that tag is yours, first," I countered, suspicious of his nonchalance.
His fury from before had completely vanished, and he was chatting more leisurely than I expected.
"I'll accompany you wherever you need," Callous answered, an ambiguous smile dancing on his lips.
[…]
"By the way, let's get to know each other," Callous continued, leaning in towards Winston. "You're shorter, and you look younger than me. I'm fourteen, how old are—"
I pulled Winston away by the shoulders and excused us, telling Callous, "Someone's expecting us, so we'll leave first."
"Airee?" Winston whispered questioningly as I whisked us away.
"How did he know we were Trial registrants?" I whispered back. "He said he recognized us from the tournaments, so maybe he heard from Evan and Every early on. Yet…that means he's observed us for a while, and we never noticed."
I paused and glanced back, frowning when I spotted Callous's shadowed expression of wickedness.
"…I don't like his interest in us," I uttered as Callous smiled in farewell.