"Undress."
That phrase had the effect of a bomb.
"(Ah, I see... the masks are coming off. He's not so different from the others after all...)"
"Come on, hurry up!"
The young girl began to undress under Nate's insistence. Then she continued in her thoughts:
"(But well, I suppose you can't get anything without giving something in return; and if that's the case, it's not such a high price. Anyway, it can't be worse than usual.)"
Once she finished undressing, she looked away, adopting a slightly defensive or at least modest position by curling her arms over her chest. Then, seeing Nate approach her, almost naked, she said in a trembling voice:
"P-please, be gentle…"
Co-----ver!!!
"(Huh??!!)"
The boy had just covered her with a blanket, and the young girl was completely confused. She had expected to be abused after removing her clothes and found herself covered again. Did he have some strange fantasy involving blankets? Had he changed his mind for the moment? It was truly baffling. However, despite the confusion in her head, she managed to ask him:
"Why...?"
"Why what?"
"Why did you give me this blanket?"
"Well, it's obvious, isn't it?! Your dress was all dirty and torn, not to mention completely soaked, so you needed to get rid of it to avoid catching a cold or getting an infection."
Faced with such a simple and caring answer, the young girl could only lower her head, not knowing where to put herself, overwhelmed by the shame of having labeled her benefactor in such a way. But the latter, having completely misunderstood the situation, continued:
"Ahh, uhh... no, don't get any ideas; I promise I didn't look; I didn't see anything, I was looking away."
Then another question suddenly crossed the young girl's mind:
"But then why did you undress too?"
"My clothes were wet as well; I didn't want to catch a cold... And to be honest, if you hadn't been here, I would have even taken off my underwear."
"Oh, I understand; I apologize."
"But why are you apologizing?"
"Oh, it's just that..."
"..."
"..."
"Well, since you don't want to talk, that's fine; let's move on. But come closer to the fire to warm up."
"O-okay."
They went to sit near the fire, where a silence settled in for a few moments before Nate's voice broke through again:
"By the way, you didn't tell me your name last time."
"Oh yes, that's true, sorry; my name is Laila, and I'm 11 years old."
"(What's with her always apologizing?)"
After having this thought, the young boy responded:
"Nice to meet you, Laila. As I told you yesterday, I'm Nate, and I'm 12 years old."
"Nice to meet you, Nate."
"Well, excuse me for being so direct, but I don't see any other way to ask you this..."
"Go ahead, I'm listening."
"Are you really an Elementalist?"
"(Ah, I see... they'll probably hate me after this; but I owe him the truth...)"
So, resolute, the young girl affirmed:
"Yes, it's true; I am one."
"So it's true..."
Seeing Nate's reaction, which seemed bewildered, the young girl stood up and said:
"Don't worry, you won't have to ask; I'm leaving now; thank you for everything that..."
But Nate interrupted her with a wide smile:
"Ahahaha don't say that, why would I want you to leave?!"
"Did you hear what I just told you?"
"Yes, absolutely, and I don't want you to leave; in fact, it's the total opposite..."
"Huh... what do you mean? I don't understand..."
Nate then extended his hand and continued:
"Laila, I want you to stay by my side."
Once again, the young girl was completely overwhelmed by what she had just heard. How could this boy be so different? How was it possible? Was this really reality? All these questions crowded her mind as she struggled to hold back her emotions. But when the answers seemed obvious, she could no longer contain herself, and her emotions overwhelmed her. Trembling, her eyes overflowed with tears that, despite all her efforts to hold them back, finally escaped:
*Flow*, *flow*...
The emotions were too strong and made her question:
"(How is this possible? How can someone want a monster like me by their side?)"
That was now the question she was asking herself, as she had no doubt about the sincerity of this boy. Moreover, for the first time in a long time, this request was not an order but a genuine plea, and that made all the difference. Nate, once again confused by the situation, thought:
"(Look, now she's starting to cry. Did I say something wrong?)"
The young girl, for her part, could no longer help but cry, and torrents of tears flowed from her eyes, containing a mixture of joy and hope.
"(Is this what happiness feels like? It's been so long since I felt this... But do I really deserve it?)"
Unfortunately, she did not have the answer to this second question. So she collapsed...
"Ouuuiiinnnnnn!!!"
She burst into tears! Nate, completely panicked and thinking he was responsible for this situation, rushed toward her, saying:
"Aaahhh no, p-please don't cry; if I hurt you, I'm sorry, that's not what I wanted, so please stop crying..."
But as soon as he finished speaking, the girl's cries intensified, along with the young boy's panic. Fortunately, he was pulled from his disarray when he heard the girl say through her tears:
"Thank you... thank you... I'm so grateful to you; no one has ever been as kind and caring to me. I-I'm so happy!!! OUUUUIIIIIIIIINNNN; OUUUUIIIIIIIIINNNN..."
"(What?! Is that all?! A simple phrase like that is enough to put her in such a state?! I can't even imagine the hell her life must have been...)"
So he took her in his arms, held her close, and said:
"It's over; you're not alone anymore; I'm here for you."
These new words changed nothing about the girl's situation, as she continued to cry and Nate tried to comfort her:
"Come on, it's over, it's over..."
"Ouuuiiinnnnn, oouuiiiiinnn..."
"There, there, don't cry anymore; it's finished."
This spectacle continued for a long time.