"But what about Mom?" Shiro retorted.
"Don't worry about her, we'll find her tomorrow."
"What do you mean don't worry?" I asked.
This is clearly not an answer that you come out with without being sure you know what you're talking about.
Either my dad had seen my mom today and made a date to meet somewhere tomorrow, or they both agreed before they split up a week ago to meet somewhere at a certain time.
But with the second option, there may be something more or less unforeseen that may delay the schedule, so I think they met today and are planning to meet tomorrow, probably in the early afternoon.
"I can't explain all the details, but I just ask you to believe me. He answered with a disconcerting seriousness.
"You don't have to ask us, we've always believed in you, so you don't have to be so serious."
Well, considering his reaction, I think my first option turned out to be right.
And without saying another word, my father left again in the direction of the hotel, leaving the six of us there.
"What about mom?" Shiro asked him.
"Don't worry and follow me." He replied without even stopping or glancing at us.
Not giving any more explanation, he still continued his walk towards the hotel.
But apparently, this explanation was enough for Shiro, since she followed him without any problem.
Selstine and Sonya followed him, closely followed by Alia and myself, and finally Nomiko who was a bit further back than the others also joined us.
The rest of our way was very quiet.
From their faces, they were all thinking about how my father had just announced this.
And how they could be sure.
So I think at least one of them had the same idea as me and thinks they met that afternoon.
After we both went back to our hotel room, I waited for an hour or so, during which I thought about my next plan. And I decided to go and find my mother myself.
Knowing her, if she has already arrived, she must sleep in a hotel, far enough from ours, but still at a good distance from the three main streets.
This leaves a choice between almost 10 hotels, 9 to be precise.
To find her tonight, I was going to have to search these 9 hotels before daybreak.
In fact, if it only consisted in going to the reception and asking if Kana MATO was here, it was not a very difficult job and in barely an hour, it would have been done.
But in my opinion, she must have changed her name so that she could not be found as easily, but still be found if you searched a little.
That hour went by faster than I thought it would.
I grabbed something to eat and drink, made sure no one had noticed me and left without a sound.
I arrived in the lobby without any hindrance or difficulty.
I was able to go out into the street where a travelling show was taking place, normally I would have stopped to look at what the performer had to offer us, but considering the heavy atmosphere, I decided not to pay attention to him and to go straight on.
Most people had the same idea as me, because less than 15 people were stopped to watch him.
I've noticed this several times already, but in a big city like Dorta, the effect is even more noticeable. But I have the impression that very few people are stressed by the war. From time to time, you could see some people preparing their stuff to leave the city or some people buying weapons, food or any other useful items, but the vast majority lived their lives without problems.
Well, that's not my problem at all, because in less than 6 months, all of them will kill each other for a bottle of water, or even just for fun for some.
Anyway, the strongest, the most violent or the most intelligent will manage to survive for a while during this war. Then after a while, only the strongest of them will survive or else, the good plan is to kill a guard and steal his gadget, even if I think it's impossible considering their individual power.
That's why I need to train for almost 6 months, to hope to get closer to their powers.
Finally, before all that, I have to hurry to find my mother, because I can make plans on the comet, as long as I don't take action, nothing will happen and nobody will do it for me.
So with that thought, I headed back to the hotel closest to ours.
Fortunately, around our hotel, I had less than a hundred meters to go and I could find three others.
So I started with the first one, but nobody knew a woman named Kana MATO.
Thinking about it, it's quite normal that she doesn't give her real name, if she doesn't want everybody to recognize her, but only us, she had to give her maiden name, that is: Kana SOREDA.
Well unfortunately, they didn't know her by that name either.
It is the same for the two other hotels in the vicinity, which seemed logical, because it would be stupid to find her outside near our hotel while she tries to hide.
In fact I've been telling myself that since a while ago, but I have no verification that what I'm saying is true, maybe she just hasn't arrived yet and I'm making a fuss for nothing.
But stubborn as I am, as long as a doubt persists in my head, I will continue to look for her until the fateful hour.
So I went to the fourth hotel, in front of the central square and once again, I received a refusal from the people at the reception, as well as for the fifth hotel located a few steps from the previous one.
The sixth hotel was in the middle of the shopping street and unfortunately at 6:30 pm, it is one of the peak hours in this street, so looking at each face, while missing as little as possible is really complicated, so much so that it took me half an hour to arrive in front of the hotel, which in normal times would not have taken me more than 10 minutes before reaching it.
I went inside and immediately the staff welcomed me with a big smile.
"Hello young man, can I help you?
"Hello ma'am, I would like to know if you could give me some information about a certain person."
"Please excuse me, but we are bound by professional secrecy, so we can't answer your request."
It's amazing, they must all have the same trainer. This is the sixth time in six hotels that I've heard this phrase, but fortunately for me, I know how to get around their famous professional secrets.
"Oh sure, I totally understand, but the person I'm looking for is my mother, and I think she's in your hotel.
"I see, well since you don't seem to be lying, I can try to help you, but I can't guarantee anything."
Indeed, I was not lying, or very little.
And it is in this kind of situation where I greatly appreciate the fact that I am not an adult, because when an adult is looking for another person, even more so in these difficult times, it does not always bode well, whereas a child who is looking for his mother, it immediately becomes much more credible.
And I think the fact that she is a woman increases the empathy effect she feels towards me, which made her accept my request.
"Please give me her name as well as her first name." She continued, in a rush.
"Her name is Kana MATO."
"Well sorry young man, but there is no woman named Kana MATO in this establishment."
"Then in that case, please look for Kana SOREDA."
"Oh, it's your lucky day, there is indeed a woman named Kana SOREDA in this establishment."