A bustling podium; the sound of the railway announcements and tons of people walking around with their tickets, greeted Key as she stepped out of the Gallian Metro.
She informed Dewy and Bright that she has matters to attend to in Menton.
She rode the bus to reach Torino Lingotto from Chamonix and walked a few streets before reaching the train station to ride the train to Menton.
If it were any other tourist, they would probably be lost and confused no matter how many times they've traveled from Chamonix to Menton but not Key.
"Désolé!" the man Key bumped into apologized in French
"Désolée," she returned the apology before walking past the man
A Key headed out of the station, her keychain, the one from the Rotschilde twins, dropped from her pocket and the man picked it as she took out her phone when she felt it vibrating from her pocket.
She read the caller ID and saw that Quant is calling.
[Key, where did you go?] Quant asked immediately
"I'm in Menton," Key replied, her voice somewhat muffled by the mask she was wearing
[How early did you leave? I didn't see you leave.] Quant asked curiously
"Hmm, I left last night, it was a nine-hour travel from Chamonix so I had to leave at night," Key replied as she walked down the streets
"I'll have to hang up now," Key excused and dropped the call
She read the signs, looking for the building where she'll meet Coeus, her hair, that was tied up in a ponytail to provide her convenience, swaying as she moved her head to look at the signs.
She looked like a model, taking the attention of the pedestrians, while wearing a pair of fawn-colored pants matched with a white shirt that had small saffron-colored embroidery of her name in Greek characters.
The mask covering half of her face did not manage to cover Key's attractive features, her pale ivory complexion glittered as the Menton sun kisses it giving her an ethereal look that makes her stand out from the rest.
She stopped when she reached the building, she sent Coeus a message to inform him that she was already there to avoid unnecessary troubles should he be in the middle of dealing with some things that are not in any way related to her.
"Key-chan!"
Key was stunned when a pair of arms wrapped around her without her feeling anyone's presence approaching her
"I knew it! I was right," Kami smiled while speaking, her eyes narrowing with a tint of glitter
"Babe, I didn't know you were here," Key regained her senses and smiled at the sight of Kami
Apart from Kitten, their little cub is the only one who can approach her without her feeling any presence.
Kitten's case was intentional while Kami's case was something that even the girl herself can't control, not that they ever pointed it out.
"Majide… doshite…"
There was a string of grunts coming from a man with a deep baritone voice whom Key recognized as Akio, who looked frustrated and worried, something that Key knew the reason to
"Kio," she greeted and it seems that it relieved the man that it was not someone she met without him around to protect her
"I told you, nii-san, it's Key-chan!" Kami said and smiled at Kio, who seem to have surrendered already
Key couldn't help but look at Kami, her eyes contained a tint of genuine glitter of someone whose heart contained clear passion until the young girl's eyes drifted to the passing crowd.
Key could recognize the expression her eyes reflect very well.
She's scared, it wasn't a secret to anyone close to Kami that apart from having monophobia, she's also enochlophobic, meaning she's afraid of crowds.
"Still, you shouldn't have ran,"
Akio flicked Kami's forehead, taking the little girl's attention and Key couldn't help but mentally shake her head at the gesture.
"Are you two here for vacation…?"
Key trailed off realizing that it can't be right, Kami and Kio are both students and it's not yet their holiday vacation and between semester break.
"We're here for research, Key-chan," Kami replied with a sweet smile, an expression that Key couldn't help compare her own when she does
Her eyes disappear when she smiles, perhaps because she got used to closing her eyes when she smiles as a little girl, indirectly reflecting her genuine trust in people who make her smile.
Her sweet smile felt nostalgic to Key and it was accentuated by the golden kiss she received from the sun.
Her expression was that of a child; as if nothing has ever and will ever harm her.
"Are you cold?" Key asked when Kami sneezed all of a sudden
"That's too much vitamin D for now, I guess," Kami chuckled, revealing her dimples, something that's unique to her
Key and Kitten didn't have that pair of dimples that Kami had, and that's what makes her distinguishable from them, particularly because she's always smiling and revealing them.
The only time she looked so much like them is when she's being serious, if not for the genuine emotions her eyes would reflect, no one would be able to say that there's anything different from them.
"Come with me inside for now then," Key invited them in
"Can we? Aren't we disrupting your plan, Key-chan?" Kami asked
"No need, we have our itinerary for our research, Key." Akio declined her invitation
"It's fine," Key replied to Kami's question and the young lady turned to Kio who sighed
"We'll leave when the sun's not that hot anymore," Kio replied, giving it to Kami, and Key couldn't help but chuckle
"And you're planning to be a lawyer at that," she decided to tease Kio
"We're not in court, Key-chan, Aki-san doesn't need to win." Kami defended and looked at Kio who just ruffled her hair
"I don't think that's the case, babe," Key said and smiled as she held the young girl's hand
They went inside the building and rode the elevator to the floor where they need to go.
"You're meeting Coeus?" Kami asked and Key couldn't help but look at her
"You've met him?" Key asked, her eyes drifting to Kio as he's the one whose family was related to them in the same degree and reason as Chela's family
"Yeah, he helped me look for Kitten-chan before… then he's always the one to assist me when I'm here in Gallia, either during parties and gatherings or when I'm doing research, like now," Kami replied in a manner that reflected how much trust she has for other people around her
"I've been here once, I got lost and he helped me contact Aki-san." She added
"Primogenitrice-mere," Coeus greeted as they exited the elevator
"Hi, Coeus-san!" Kami greeted while waving her hand and smiling
"Hello, Azien, Akio," he replied casually with a small smile
"Please follow me," he said and led them inside the door behind him
The room that greeted them had a set of couches, a tea table, and centralized air-conditioning that provided comfort for the tourists who are unaccustomed to the area's microclimate.
"I'll get you something to drink, please enjoy the snacks for a while," Coeus said and entered another door as the rest of them took a seat
"How's your research going?" Key asked Kami
"It's going fine, I've had enough pictures as reference, we also took a lot of videos of food, and some details from the locals. Aki-san noted them in our document since I can't probably keep them all in my head and memory." Kami replied while smiling
"We'll be staying here until Sunday noon… oh, that's tomorrow! Also, our flight's scheduled to arrive in Seryphil by Monday morning and we have enough time to prepare for classes." She added, without waiting for any questions from Key, while looking straight into her eyes
"You elaborate too much, Kami, it's sweet but you shouldn't do that with everyone…" Key said gently, combing Kami's hair in a motherly manner
"I've told her that," Kio sighed and shook his head
"But Key-chan looked like she had more questions than what she asked." Kami reasoned out
"You have sharp eyes, Kami," Key said, but it seems like there was a subtle meaning to her words that Kami understood immediately because she gently patted Key's cheeks with her cold hands
"It helps her make people comfortable," Kio said and Kami nodded
Coeus came back while holding a tray of cups and a teapot, the relaxing aroma filling the air.
He placed the tray on the table and placed a cup over the saucers in front of them before pouring tea.
"Just half a cup for Kami, she might feel sleepy later," Kio told Coeus just as he was about to pour tea into Kami's cup
"You took note of everything about Kami, huh," Key commented and Kio shook his head
They enjoyed tea and had a small talk, Key didn't find it surprising that Kami could make Coeus, who's on par with TL in efficiency and Kitten's most trusted aide-de-camp of the Troublemakers, talk when in fact, the man is known for his aloof nature.
"What time is it, Aki-san?" Kami suddenly asked and put down the cup she was holding
"I told you to watch your chocolates earlier," Kio said just as Kami pouted
"Is Kami sleepy?" Key asked when she noticed her lethargic eyes
Her eyes were blinking with small intervals, they were unfocused, yet her movements were clean as if she were on full alert.
Key gently combed her hair and gave Kio a knowing look as the young lady's shoulder slumped and her head leaned on Key's shoulder.
"I'll bring her back to the hotel," Kio said and stood up
"Thank you for your hospitality, Coeus-san," Kami said with a smile, her eyes reflecting drowsiness yet her movements were firm as if they were trained for specific gestures
"I'll send you back," Coeus said and looked at Key for permission
"No need, the car's waiting for us downstairs." Kio declined and Kami held his hand