☆*: .｡.Naboru. .｡: *☆
Minutes pass, and Ume is still by my side, not leaving me for a second. I can feel her gaze on me, heavy, as if she's trying to see something in me that I don't want to reveal.
She's going to be a problem.
My thoughts swirl as we walk in silence, her shadow alongside mine. If she keeps staying so close, things are going to get complicated. I need space, room to think. But on the other hand, I don't have the strength to push her away... not yet. Not now. Exhaustion is creeping in, and my mind keeps replaying everything that's just happened.
I glance at her briefly. Ume, always so stubborn, so... unpredictable. Should I get rid of her? Not yet, no. It's not the right time.
Suddenly, she grabs my arm. I stop, startled by her sudden closeness.
"Naboru, we can't stay out like this,"
she says.
I raise an eyebrow, pretending ignorance, as if I don't understand what she's trying to say.
"What are you talking about?"
She sighs and lifts her head to point at the sky, dark and dotted with stars.
"It's the middle of the night. We're not allowed to be wandering the streets at this hour. But don't worry, the sun should be rising soon."
I stay silent for a moment, my mind drifting between her words and my own thoughts. The night... I've always hated this time of day, at least since... well, never mind.
Ume watches me with a hint of concern in her eyes, and I sense she's about to say something more. I don't give her the chance.
"Before I found you, I've already walked these streets at night. Nothing happened to me."
I stretch nonchalantly, acting as though what I just said was of no consequence. In truth, I had taken that risk deliberately, to test the place, to see if there was something hidden behind this city's strict laws. She looks at me, eyes wide, as if she just realized something unbelievable.
"What do you mean, you walked around at night with no problem? But... that's forbidden! It's written in the laws!"
Her voice takes on a nervous edge, like she's worried she'll be punished for not knowing the rules.
"No one is allowed outside after sunset unless with strict permission! I know that, I've memorized all the laws..."
She seems genuinely panicked that I broke such a simple rule. A smirk tugs at the corner of my lips.
"Ume, there's nothing to worry about,"
I tell her calmly, not the least bit concerned about her agitation.
"No one will stop us. The city is beautiful at night, lit by all those lumicrystals. It just lets us enjoy the peace, together."
She furrows her brow slightly, still skeptical, as if searching for a flaw in my words, but eventually sighs and lowers her head.
"Oh, I see..."
she murmurs.
"It's probably normal in the end, because it's you."
I raise an eyebrow, intrigued. Her response is stranger than I expected, but I don't give it too much thought. She accepts me as I am, without asking too many questions. Maybe that's not so bad... for now.I start walking again, getting lost in my thoughts while she stays by my side. We walk in silence, our footsteps echoing softly on the cobblestone streets of the still-sleeping city. The sky above us is gradually brightening, but it's still dark enough that the city seems almost deserted. I head toward the center, toward a place I know well, but Ume walks beside me without knowing exactly where I'm going.The path to the grand library is still long, but I feel time passing strangely fast in her company. Maybe it's because my thoughts are lost in the peaceful atmosphere of the fading night, or because a part of me enjoys this quiet moment. Then, without warning, feeling certain emotions that disturb me, I break the silence.
"These laws are stupid."
I couldn't help but talk about it. What's the point of forbidding people from walking in their own city at night? The only valid reason would be to avoid danger, but to be honest, this city doesn't hide anything frightening enough to deserve such restrictions. Ume jumps slightly at my words, as if I just blasphemed. I see her tense up, her body suddenly stiffening. She glances nervously around, almost instinctively, as if she expects someone to overhear us.
"You... you shouldn't say that!"
Her voice shakes a bit, trying to stay neutral, but it's clear she's panicking.
"If... if His Majesty Julius Aurorion, King of the Dawn heard what you said, he wouldn't be happy at all!"
She shivers as she says the full name of the king, like even saying his title is a threat in itself.
"These laws... they exist for a reason, you know? They're not so bad..."
I slow my pace, turning my head slightly toward her. The corner of my mouth curls into a nearly invisible smile. Her reaction is so predictable, even if she didn't mean it, but still, I find it... endearing?
"Not so bad, huh?"
I say in a relaxed tone.
"Ume, look around you. There's no one. Just us, the empty streets, and the wind. Why should we be afraid to walk here, to enjoy the quiet? Julius doesn't need to know what we're doing, and frankly, I doubt he cares about two ordinary citizens who'd rather stroll around than sleep."
She hesitates, glancing nervously from side to side again, as if someone might leap out of the shadows at any moment. But no one comes, of course. I keep walking, slowly, enjoying the situation more and more. It's rare for me to feel this relaxed, but this moment... it feels good.
"You're trembling, Ume."
My voice is almost soft, like a whisper.
"You're that scared, huh? Why do you worry so much about these laws?"
She stops abruptly, and I stop too, curious about her reaction. Her lips tremble, she opens her mouth to speak but no sound comes out. Finally, she clenches her fists and, in an almost inaudible voice, she murmurs,
"It's just... these laws exist to protect everyone. And... and I don't want you to get in trouble because of it..."
I laugh softly, an almost amused chuckle. She really thinks these laws apply to me? That I'll find myself in a tough spot because of them? It's true she doesn't know me as well as she thinks. She still knows nothing of what I'm capable of, of what I'm willing to sacrifice. But for now, I prefer to play with that ignorance.
"Ume,"
I say with surprising gentleness.
"No one's going to give us trouble. Trust me, I know exactly what I'm doing. And besides... you say the king wouldn't be happy, but do you really think Julius Aurorion, the Grand Monarch or whatever his name is, cares about ridiculous laws like these? He's up there, far above all this, in his palace. We're ants to him."
I watch her as she tries to respond, but the words get stuck in her throat. She's still trembling, but I notice something shifting in her gaze. Maybe she's realizing that what I'm saying isn't entirely wrong, or perhaps she's starting to understand that I'm not someone who can be easily intimidated by arbitrary rules. We continue walking, the silence slowly settling between us again. I don't know how much time passes, but a strange feeling begins to rise inside me. A lightness, almost happiness… Is that absurd? I can't remember the last time I felt this way. And yet, here in this fading night, with her by my side, something feels different.
I turn my head towards Ume, and our eyes meet. Her plum-colored eyes, matching her hair, catch the flickering light of the rising sun. I stare at them for a moment, fascinated without fully understanding why. They're deep, full of complex emotions, but above all… they calm me. Why? Why do I feel so at ease in her presence? What does it mean?
I suddenly stop, almost without thinking.
"Ume, I think I…"
My voice breaks halfway through the sentence, the next word dying on my lips. A wave of confusion hits me, and I freeze. Why did I start talking? I don't even understand what I was about to say. Ume stops too, looking at me, visibly intrigued. She watches me for a moment before breaking the silence, her voice filled with gentle concern.
"Naboru… what's wrong?"
I remain silent, unable to answer. I don't know what to say because I don't even understand what's happening inside me. So I just look away, letting her words fade into the void as I wrestle with this strange inner confusion.