'Crap…'
How did this happen?
Scanning the room, my gaze locked onto Dale, who stood behind David with a smug smirk plastered across his face.
'This asshole… Did he see me from the second-floor balcony?!'
The realization hit like a punch to the gut, but I didn't know how to proceed.
Arguing with David would earn me a beating, but staying silent meant no dinner tonight.
My stomach churned as my eyes darted to Mana. She'd overheard David's announcement and now wore a sour expression—a blend of anger and disappointment that made my chest tighten.
"Well? Got anything to say for yourself?" David's gaze bore into me, unreadable but sharp, as if testing me. Behind him, Dale's eyes gleamed with anticipation, his grin urging me to speak.
'Of course, he'd want me to make things worse for myself.'
Swallowing the lump in my throat, I forced my voice to stay steady. "No, sir…"
Dale's smile faltered for a moment, disappointment flickering before he masked it with his usual smugness.
David scoffed. "Hah. Listen here, brat. The next time you mess with the inn's profits, you won't just go hungry." He jabbed a finger in my direction before turning on his heel and heading for the stairs. His voice, a low mutter, carried back as he ascended. "Spineless little punk…"
As the two disappeared upstairs, my fists clenched at my sides. The logical choice had been to stay quiet, but that didn't make it any less infuriating.
A sigh escaped me, only for my attention to snap to Mana. She was already standing in front of me, her arms crossed, brown eyes burning with barely contained anger.
"So this is your idea of keeping your end of the bargain?" Her voice was low but sharp, dripping with sarcasm.
Her tone grated on my nerves, but I forced myself to respond calmly. "I didn't know Dale was watching from the second-floor balcony. He must've seen our interaction and ratted me out."
"And you couldn't come up with an excuse? You just stayed silent and let him walk all over you?" Mana shot back, her voice rising.
"You know David," I said, my frustration slipping into my voice. "No matter what I said, he'd have found a reason to lash out. Staying quiet was the best option."
Mana bit her lip, her gaze dropping for a moment. She knew I was right, but her anger needed an outlet.
I sighed, the tension between us hanging thick in the air. It hit me then—despite everything, Mana was still just a kid in many ways. She acted tough, but she carried too much weight for someone her age.
Our standoff was interrupted by a small voice.
"Hey, can you two stop arguing?"
We both turned to see Nana, who had returned at some point, holding a small plate of food. Her big, pleading eyes darted between us. "I'll share some of my food. Please stop fighting, okay?"
I glanced at the plate—barely enough for one person, let alone three.
Sighing, I shook my head. "It's fine. You eat it. You need it more."
"But…" Nana started, only for Mana to step forward and gently push the plate back into her sister's hands.
"There's no need to worry about me, Nana. Eat it and grow up healthy, okay?"
"Sis, you're the one who's injured," Nana argued, her voice trembling. "You should eat first to get better!"
The guilt in Mana's expression was clear, but she remained firm. "No. You keep it."
"Hic… sniff…" Tears welled up in Nana's eyes before spilling over. "You always do this, Sis! You treat me like a baby and never listen to me!"
"Nana…" Mana stammered, panic creeping into her voice.
"You're hurt, and you still won't let me help! You're always the one taking care of me, so why can't I do the same for you?!" Nana's voice cracked as she shoved the plate into Mana's hands and bolted from the room.
"Nana?!" Mana called after her, trying to follow, but her injuries betrayed her. She stumbled, and I barely managed to catch her before she fell.
"Careful!" I steadied her, my legs threatening to buckle under her weight.
Placing the plate on a nearby table, I eased her back upright. She clung to my shirt, her usual composed demeanor shattered.
"I have to go after her!" Mana's voice was desperate, trembling with worry.
I sighed, glancing at the kitchen door where two familiar faces peeked out—Lena and Kana. Their expressions mirrored Mana's concern.
"Can you two help me out?" I called, gesturing toward Mana.
The girls rushed over without hesitation, taking Mana from my arms.
"Get her settled and make sure she doesn't leave the inn," I instructed firmly. "Her body can't handle this right now. I'll go find Nana."
Before anyone could protest, I was already moving, my feet carrying me toward the door.
The streets outside were bathed in shadow, the faint glow of the crescent moon casting eerie silhouettes.
....
Not far from the inn, nestled between two brick walls, was a small figure curled up into a ball.
She sat beside an old wooden barrel, her back hunched and arms wrapped tightly around her knees. Aside from the occasional sniffles that escaped her, the alley was eerily quiet.
A few moments later, a short and thin silhouette appeared at the mouth of the alley. Panting and wheezing, he paused just a few steps away from the crying girl.
That figure was me.
"Hah… hah…" Struggling to catch my breath, I leaned against the alley wall, barely keeping myself upright. In the dim light, I could just make out Nana's foot poking out from behind the barrel.
She hadn't gone far, which made tracking her down easier, but even that short sprint had drained what little stamina I had left.
Wobbling forward, I let myself crash against the brick wall before sliding down next to the barrel. On the other side, I could still faintly hear Nana's muffled sobs.
I sat there for a moment, just listening, my breathing gradually evening out.
"Go away, Kayle…" Nana's voice was hoarse, barely above a whisper.
I tilted my head slightly, glancing at the barrel as if I could see through it.
"I want to be left alone," she muttered.
I thought about that for a second before answering. "I could do that, sure. But I'd rather not. Kind of feels like a lousy thing, leaving you out here by yourself."
She didn't respond right away, but after a few moments, the sniffling quieted down. The alley fell into an uneasy silence.
Then, she let out a quiet sigh.
"Why did you follow me?"
'Because I was worried, idiot.'
"You ran off into the slums in the middle of the night after breaking down in tears. If I didn't come chasing after you, who would?"
"…What about Sis?"
"Your sister wanted to, but she was too beat up to move, so I had Big Sis and Kana look after her."
My words seemed to have gotten a small reaction from her. Her voice, small but urgent, slipped through the quiet. "Is she okay?"
I nodded, even though she couldn't see me. "She's fine. A little sore, but fine. Just worried sick about you."
There was another pause. I could hear her shifting slightly on the other side of the barrel, though I couldn't tell if it was because she was calming down or holding back more tears.
"…She shouldn't worry about me," Nana murmured.
I huffed out a quiet chuckle. "Yeah, well, that's not how family works. You're stuck with people caring about you whether you like it or not."
She scoffed, though there wasn't much energy behind it. "That's stupid."
"Maybe," I admitted, "but if it helps, she's probably beating herself up just as much as you are."
I heard her shift again. "…She doesn't have to."
"You don't have to either," I countered.
Silence settled over the alley. I didn't push her to say anything, letting my words sink in.
Then, a deep inhale. A slow exhale.
"…I messed up, didn't I?"
I leaned back against the wall, tilting my head up toward the sliver of sky between the rooftops. "Depends. If you mean you could've handled it better, yeah. But if you mean you were wrong for saying how you felt? No."
Nana peeked around the barrel, her red, swollen eyes meeting mine. "Then why does it feel like I was?"
Seeing her like this, I couldn't help but feel my chest tightened, but I carefully controlled my expression so as to not give myself away.
A small, knowing smile soon appeared on my face. "Because no one likes feeling like the bad guy."
Her brows knit together. "I'm not the bad guy."
"I know."
"Then why—"
"Because feelings don't always make sense. Just because you did what you thought was right doesn't mean it won't hurt. And just because it hurts doesn't mean you were wrong."
She stared at me, lips pressing together as she mulled over my words. I could see the conflict in her expression—the frustration of not knowing whether to trust her emotions or push them down.
"…You make it sound simple," she muttered.
I chuckled slightly at her words. "Trust me, nothing about emotions is simple. If they were, I wouldn't be sitting in a dirty alley talking sense into people like you."
That earned me a weak glare, but there was a flicker of something else in her eyes. Amusement, maybe. Or at least, something close to it.
"…Do you think she's mad at me?"
"Your sister?" I shook my head. "No. But she probably feels just as lost as you do."
Nana wrapped her arms tighter around her knees. "…I don't know what to do."
"Then don't do anything right now," I said simply. "Just breathe. Let yourself feel whatever it is you're feeling. When you're ready, talk to her."
She hesitated, then gave a small nod. "…Okay."
The silence that followed wasn't as heavy as before. Just… quiet. A stillness that didn't need filling.
After a while, Nana let out a slow, exhausted sigh and rubbed at her eyes. "Ugh… I must look awful."
"Like a drowned rat," I offered helpfully.
She shot me a glare, but the tired smile tugging at her lips betrayed her. "You're the worst."
"I try."
She rolled her eyes, then stretched her legs out with a small groan. Taking that as my cue, I stood up first, grimacing at how stiff my legs had gotten from sitting on the cold ground.
Then, without thinking much of it, I reached out a hand.
Nana blinked at it, caught off guard. For a second, she just stared, as if debating whether to take it.
Then, slowly, she placed her hand in mine.
I pulled her up, steadying her as she wobbled slightly on her feet. But perhaps I had overestimated my strength, as I was carelessly pulled forward.
"...."
Under the starless sky, I slowly looked up and met Nana's clear hazel eyes. They were still moist with tears, making them glisten brilliantly under the dim moonlight. Our faces were close—closer than I'd realized.
"Ahem." Trying to ease the awkwardness, I let out a fake cough and quickly stepped back.
Nana stared at me calmly without saying a word. Yet, I noticed something in her eyes—was it disappointment?
"Thanks." She turned and headed back toward the inn without another word. Seeing that she didn't seem to mind what had just happened, I slowly followed behind her.
By the time we returned to the inn, only an hour had passed.
"Nana!"
As soon as we stepped through the door, as if she had been waiting for our arrival, Mana rushed forward and pulled Nana into a tight embrace.
No words were spoken. Maybe she couldn't find the right ones in the moment, or perhaps she was too exhausted to say them. Despite this, even I could sense the deep worry and fear conveyed in her simple actions.
"Sis..." Nana's eyes were already growing moist again as she returned her sister's hug. "...I'm sorry. I didn't mean to lash out like that."
"It's fine. I'm just glad you're okay," Mana said, tears welling up in her eyes. "You should hurry up and eat. The food's already gone cold."
Hearing Mana's words, Nana seemed to remember the argument from earlier. Just as she was about to respond, she paused, as if noticing something.
After a brief hesitation, she simply nodded. "Mhm."
It was then that I noticed the plate of half-eaten food left on the table.
It seemed Mana had already eaten some of it, leaving the rest for Nana.
'Jeez, these sisters are going to give me a headache,' I thought helplessly, a small smile appearing on my face.