Once I was far enough away from the shrine, I slowed my pace down to a walk. The air was getting heavier as I approached our temporary base with Lou's body on my back.
I saw through the window Kim pacing around the shop, clearly panicking. I almost didn't want to walk inside, as I knew just how badly Kim was going to react. However, I had to do it no matter how much it may hurt.
Taking a deep breath in, I took the last few steps forward and walked inside. Everyone was waiting for me, looking exhausted and holding their breaths about the state of Lou on my back.
I approached the counter and laid her body down so that everyone can see for themselves except for Lexi and Tsubaki since Lou didn't mean much to them, so they stayed further away to not interrupt us.
