(Ophelia)
***
We made it to Hallisville not long after. The town wasn't overwhelmingly large, but the bustling nature of the streets still irked me. There were only ever this many people in Mirai on the busiest days—if ever. I even agreed to hold Koharu's hand in public again so that she wouldn't run in front of one of the quick animals in the road in a daze.
*I wouldn't be shocked if she calls me a slowpoke and just dashes off, but I'm not carrying a corpse back with me.*
"Someone's less shy?" she teased. "Maybe a peck on the cheek next?"
"Try again later." I turned away from her with a blush and tightened lips.
A cheeky grin covered her features. "Noted."
The horizon appeared different in this place, peering just over the buildings to present the swirling colors in the sky. It was mostly orange, and I didn't pay attention to the sun much beyond the time it indicated.
The town below was much like a child's playset version of Magnarb. However, the buildings had much less space between them, evoking what felt like claustrophobia. Even within the structures, up to ten stores were packed together in areas smaller than castle rooms.
These and the roads sandwiched the thin sidewalks on which Koharu and I trekked. To our sides, the magical devices that moved people at insane speeds slotted together like puzzle pieces.
There was clutter, junk utterly covering the concrete blocks on which I stepped. Papers flew around like marionettes controlled by the wind as hollow cylinders rolled down the street and cracked when I stepped on them. It was like—
"Ack!"
Something hit me in the face while I was lost in thought. It made a crinkling sound like autumn leaves.
I grabbed it. The thing was a brown sack with a logo on the front, but with its glossy appearance, I knew it wasn't made from paper. Annoyed at the inanimate object, I tossed it aside.
*This shit feels like wet parchment that won't fall apart!*
Koharu giggled. "It's almost like a game trying not to get hit. A brochure with this really pale girl wearing a tiara landed on my stomach a few minutes ago. Guess that's a way to advertise."
"I just can't believe we're going against the wind. It's like nature is set out to get us right now," I joked.
Koharu sighed with her cocky half-grin. "Isn't everything set out to get us in a way? We still don't have anywhere to sleep."
As she said that, I yawned. "Right. That's a good reminder. I'm exhausted, and we finally reached our destination."
I swung my arms around to stretch them, careful to not hit a pole with a red sign at the top.
"Yeah. That's something to celebrate!"
Like we were the recipients of a selective prize, she clapped.
"We're not even close to Orbis, though." I shook my head. It was easy to get discouraged with a lofty goal ahead. "It's still likely several days off."
She shrugged. "At least we're in a town."
*If we're going to be dozing off outside, anyway, does that matter that much?*
Quickly, the sky fell to moonlight. The town wasn't as well-lit as Magnarb—which was so bright that it almost gave me a headache.
What was unfortunate was that there wasn't even a park nearby. That struck me as odd when clusters of trees and grasses lined the avenues. Heck, there were even hints of color from dying flowers as autumn hit! Not everything was gray!
We settled upon an old bench in front of a small store. A faint whistling sound emerged from it as the wind passed through its hollow boards, which made me scared the bottom would fall out from under me. From the uneven spaces, it was apparent a few dilapidated pieces of wood were already removed.
Above us, a glassy black eye glared at us. I did not know its function, but I noticed several of them along the buildings we passed, some moving to track our paces. Like observant, reptilian monsters, they felt unnerving.
*Those remind me of Akiyoshi for some reason.*
I frowned while recalling our recent rapport.
Koharu nuzzled my chest because the night was chilly. The faintest part of my heart was still upset with her, but I allowed her to do so despite me exaggerating the size of that chamber. I longed for the slightest bit of comfort—yearned for the touch that warmed my being and roused my emotions into a fit of heat.
I broke the silence soon after falling into that daze. "Koharu, you talked earlier like you were certain there's a way out of here, but are you really sure? What if we end up at the castle and can't do anything about this?" My worries spilled out like vomit, vile and acidic on my tongue.
Breaths even concealed by the wind, she was unusually quiet. Her face was just out of my vision.
"Koharu?" I grew concerned, and the beating of my heart reflected that.
"…I don't actually know," she conceded with a sullen tone as I calmed down. "I always want to hope, though, even if I would rather stay here instead of going back." She chuckled. "Sometimes, I dream too much. I should save that for the night."
*Please don't shut yourself away like that… Picking a lock is so much harder than turning it to that state…*
"Hm."
*Maybe I'll keep my hopes up as well, even as they falter, but would you tell me again why exactly you don't want to return? Is it because you've been trapped your whole life?*
The questions trailed off, and I said, "Sorry. I don't always know how to word what I want to say. I didn't mean to make the mood all… *dark* like this."
She tried to hold back a snicker. "I'm not accepting until you apologize for that pun."
"What pun…? Oh." I snapped to it, and Koharu burst out laughing. I joined her with a poke to her arm. "Hey, I didn't even mean that. I can barely tell it's night with that glowing orb above us."
I gestured to one of those strange, pervasive candles on the side of the road.
"Sure, sure." She waved a dismissive hand and almost slapped me in the face. "Let's go to sleep now, though. I want to wake up early so that you'll have to keep your promise."
*I'll keep the damn promise! You just have to hold up your end of it!*
I smiled. "Gotcha."
Laying my head against the store's window, I allowed my eyes to fall shut. The glass offered no cushion, but it at least kept me from bending over the back of the bench.
A finger poked my face.
"Aren't you forgetting something?"
When I raised my head to look at Koharu, she pointed at her cheek.
*You're lucky I like giving you attention because you're always needy…*
I glanced from side to side to make sure nobody strolled by. The nearest bulls were vacated and parked across the street, and I let out a relieved exhale.
I gave her a quick peck. Her snaggletooth prominently sticking out, she smiled. She laid back down on my chest and closed her eyes, wearing a thin grin on her face that I soon mirrored. Placing one arm under her to brace her, I zoned out, somehow reassured about the days to come but also slightly worried.
The will to forgive her still had not arisen in me. How could it have? It was hard to trust someone who endangered both of us through selfish acts and took no accountability for the consequential happenings.
*Fool me once…*
But there was a paradox to the situation: It was love that made me blind to her recklessness so long as she maintained her energetic demeanor and didn't drop into her short bouts of insecurity.
She didn't do it often, but she said things so inconsistent with her personality enough that I knew she was an iceberg awaiting exploration. Yet I was willing to ignore the cautionary feeling as it subsided in me because of the giddiness she brought me.
What good was love when it tempted me to give in to detrimental things—a useless wanderer following a guide without a map? How lovely was sugar when it covered shit?
Trying to reconcile my conflicting emotions, I gripped her waist tighter in both fondness and anger.