Chapter 4: Reason

Los Canes Town

The group moved the sliding door aside. The first to get off folded their seats to make way for the last.

Around the small silver minibus, they stretched their bodies between yawns that were soon replaced by deep breaths of air as fresh as the weather.

It was 2:40 in the afternoon. The clear blue sky contained a few lingering clouds, but whether it would rain or not remained uncertain. Ultimately, appreciating peaceful weather like this would make anyone forget the fact that a world war was taking place.

They had reached the humble town of Los Canes.

This town lacked paved roads. And the simple prefabricated houses were mostly separated from each other by several meters. Basically, one could say it was a collection of humble, lower-middle-class suburbs, hardly middle class.

The students visited several homes since their arrival, leaving the uninterested ones in their own homes and leaving behind Izzy's group, who managed to shed their uniforms in exchange for more casual clothes, taking whatever might be useful.

Aside from that, the conclusion was indifferent for each of the sites visited, and at the last one, Nisha Quinto's small house, this fact seemed to persist; not a single resident was present.

"...Hey, Nisha, you should secure the entrance... Someone dangerous could come in and take all your things or worse..." Sein commented, being the last of the group to enter.

"Sorry about that..." the black-eyed boy replied, closing the rusty metal gate. “My mother tends to forget those kinds of precautions, despite everything that goes on. She's always been somewhat absent-minded. Although, we don't have much that's worth anything on the market."

"Uh, sorry about..."

"Heh, don't worry, Sein. Come in.”

The others waited for him to arrive and enter right after him. They had to cross a small path before reaching the simple house.

It was made up of a few sections: two bedrooms, a bathroom next to the kitchen, and the living room they'd entered through first. The walls were nothing more than deteriorated sheets of metal, and the entrance to the "living room" seemed so flimsy that a gust of wind would send it flying.

None of these sections was larger than 15 square meters, let alone the bathtub. Sein could barely squeeze through, even worse with Doger blocking the door.

"I feel like a mole entering its burrow..."

"Hm!" Xiomara pushed the joker with her body.

"Geez... I was just saying..."

"Small but cozy," Izzy commented, sitting down on one of the cushions surrounding the table in the middle of the room. "It's no big deal, our apartments aren't that different."

"He he he..." Nisha let out a modest laugh. "Well... I'd better go check on Mom."

"Wait, Nisha. You're not going to leave us waiting hungry, are you?" The robust Garwin stopped him, arms crossed at the table.

"Oh, sorry. I think there's still some food in the fridge. It's not much, but..."

"I'll take care of it!" Doger chimed in cheerfully. "Leave it to me. I'll get to it in a moment. Just go see Mrs. Quinto."

"Um... Okay."

Some people sat down, and others pulled up the missing pillows as they made space for themselves in the claustrophobic space.

The house was clearly affected by the weather and time, and the walls looked like they might fall apart at any moment, but somehow everything in it was in its place.

"Hm... How long have you been cooking, Doger? I've never asked you before," Sein said.

"Since before living with Xio and Miru. My parents taught me the basics; I refined the rest on my own. There's always the possibility of getting good at what you least expect, right, Miruno?"

"...Without a doubt. As one of the victims of your progress, I've understood perfectly."

Xiomara knew he was trying to quickly change the subject, so he replied with an innocent joke.

"See? He understands me! ... Victim...?"

"I was just being sarcastic."

"It must be difficult... His situation..." the shy boy added in a low voice.

Sein was known for interfering too much in personal matters, though not always with bad intentions. Something at odds with his appearance and attitude.

His friends were used to it, or at least most of them.

"(He still has that bad habit...) About that, maybe at first, then you get used to it somehow. 'Life is a fight to the death'... My dad always said that.”

“(What a scary way of thinking...)”

“But that's how it's been for me until now. Why deny it? I couldn't agree more...”

The boy placed both hands on the counter and stood up, heading for the wooden door that separated them from the kitchen. He was starting to feel uncomfortable with the conversation.

“Now I'll go make something. My stomach is starting to growl.”

“Make sure it's food with a quick expiration date. The rest will be loaded onto the minibus.”

“I heard you. ~No problem~”

After he left, Izzy stood up, dusting off her workout clothes.

"I'll go help Nisha with the collection."

"Hey, you can't leave the boy alone for even a minute, can you?" Garwin said, his lips curling into a malicious smile.

The light-eyed lady, with her characteristic seriousness, turned her back on him and walked into the room.

"...I don't know what you mean."

Therefore, only Sein, Garwin, Xiomara, Miruno, and the two strangers, Gitta and Haeri, remained sitting around the sofa.

Before an awkward silence could begin, Xiomara Fiorello objected, her tone somewhat hastily in her voice.

"W-What about you guys? It would be nice if we got to know each other better," she directed the question at the young Americans.

They clearly felt out of place, not moving or speaking. Still as stone statues.

The man in the beret tried to answer, but the black-eyed girl at his side was quicker.

"Where to start... My name is Yong Haeri, in your case you can call me Haeri. And..." she massaged the back of her neck as she looked around the room and paused to answer confidently. "I study aviation. That's what I do."

"A pilot..." Garwin whispered, smiling pleasantly. "Not bad, and the gentleman accompanying you?"

"...Gitta Vintana. It's a pleasure," he answered promptly and with extreme formality.

"Vintana? Didn't you say you were family before? Considering you both called the man my colleagues attended to 'uncle'..."

"First of all, we never said we were family; it's just that he and my uncle get along very well. Nothing more. And secondly, can't you tell at first glance? In fact, he looks more like a relative of yours than of mine." Haeri clarified.

“(Heh, I don’t know whether to be flattered or offended by what she just told me. But it doesn’t matter).”

“I owe him a lot… He’s a great man,” Gitta added with a faint smile. “I started training thanks to him.”

“Is that true?” Miruno questioned, bowing slightly in interest. “May we know what you practice?”

“Artistic gymnastics.”

“I understand. I think I’ve heard something about it. It’s helpful for physical development and endurance, similar to what Doger practices. Do you also dedicate yourself to such a practice, Yong Haeri?”

“No. I’m not interested at all.”

"We'll get you in shape one way or another. After all, we'll need functional people, not sacks of potatoes, to achieve what we're looking for... Heh, you don't know how popular this topic has become in Manecia, especially in..."

"I'm not interested," the stranger repeated, annoyed. "And what are you 'looking for'...? By the way, you seem too unconcerned considering what's happened so far, and what's happening out there."

A slight pause followed Garwin's response, who spread his arms and rested both elbows on both knees.

"...Honestly, we're not, but panic arises when you have no idea what to do. That's not our case. But it's good to know at least someone believes us."

"Do you know what to do in the middle of a global war? ... "

As if to intervene, a juicy aroma began to dominate the rooms, assertively combining the delicious smells of tender meats, vegetables, and seasonings skillfully mixed in hot oil. Enough to make even the most satisfied individuals salivate.

"Mmm, smells good... that Doger was boasting about his skill with every right." Garwin raised his nose to appreciate the fragrance in the air before responding.

"Garwin... Is it alright to discuss the matter with them?" Sein murmured in his companion's ear.

"Sure. They'll join us in this; it's best if they don't do it blindly."

Changing to a serious expression, the tall young man focused his eyes directly on the foreigners.

"But first, only by understanding our history will they understand the whole picture."

"Their... history?" Gitta replied.

“Yeah… I'm sure you had no idea this country existed before they arrived.”

“Something like that…”

“I saw it coming. The media was subjected to the absolute authority of the government. They show the world what it wants them to acknowledge, and the rest… Well, they ‘silence’ it. The news, the newspapers… These days you don't know who's telling the truth and who's pretending to.”

“I didn't think that was possible these days.”

“Hm? Limiting the release of information? Technically, it's impossible. There are always leaks, but they don't stay open for long,” Garwin added. “With the media controlled, I suppose you'll already know the rest.”

“Not really…” Haeri said, leaning back on the table.

“The result is corruption." Miruno intervened, and then continued the story. "The Republic of Manecia was formed after hosting immigrants from all corners of the world due to the Second World War. A stable government had always been a dream, until the current rulers arrived, making all kinds of promises. The people recognized them... Their beginnings proved acceptable to the majority. However, over time, their rise to power became the trigger for a series of injustices for all of us. Acracia, Matria, Menestra, Seles, Loa, Anima, La Quilla, Palhas... Conflicts broke out in all the provinces, each in its own particular way. Of course, we were engulfed in chaos. It's deplorable... Kh!" He paused for a moment to cough and clear his throat “The government's response was to revoke the right to possess guns, intervene with its army, absolute control... Ours, the Riot of '26...cough cough...”

“Riot of '26...?”

“Anyway...” Garwin continued, trying to get back on topic “Don't think it's an all-powerful government. It's weak, unstable, and dependent. We used to argue about it in our free time, that it was possible to fix it. Heh, we even joked about who and how we would take over the country. To us, they were just absurd and impossible ideas to distract ourselves... until now, I guess.”

“You mean you're thinking of taking over the country? It's madness.

“Ha ha ha, it is, it certainly is, but it's achievable madness, Haeri Yong. The ideal time is now. The time when it's most vulnerable. You saw it out there, didn't you? I suppose it was enough to read the news. An event like this is logically broadcast in the media.

"You're right..." Gitta lowered his head, playing with the dust on the table in front of him between his fingers. "...I heard they demanded to cancel our flight, even without a clear reason. Both the route and the destination were safe, or so everyone thought. It's... possible it would have been the last flight from the airport until the situation calmed down. No one expected the nations of the world to go this far; they even... shut down major oil companies months before. Still... Do you think you'll achieve anything more than staying safe? No offense."

"Yes, I think so" Xiomara was startled. She soon returned to her seat. “Uh-hm, sorry... What I mean is... What we earned on our own and what we earned thanks to them... None of that truly matters if it's all taken away from us in the end. Nothing has really improved...

"I apologize again, but that didn't clarify my question," Gitta reiterated before them, his expression calm.

"Faith..." the pale, green-eyed boy, Miruno, provided a straightforward answer.

"...?"

"It's simple. We have hope that there will be a future to return to. We believe that the crisis our beloved nation is experiencing... The war the world is experiencing... will not be our last memory. With such conviction, we have decided to move."

Those present around that tiny table in the middle of the humble room smiled upon hearing these words. They felt a strange combination of embarrassment and confidence.

The two young foreigners were surprised by this. They exchanged worried glances; that overconfidence... Whatever those lunatics were going to do... They'd all be sucked into the same abyss, one way or another, they thought.

They really were serious.

Pushing the door aside with his foot, Cook Doger returned to the scene; his hands busy carrying a large steaming pot.

"Alright! Dinner's served! Uh... Did I miss something?"

-[Ø]-

Inside the adjoining room, the two youngsters were separated from the rest of the group.

A small room filled with texts, books, notes, and old works written by various authors on various subjects; a bed on the floor, surrounded by a couple of unlit candles among curious trifles. And like the rest of the house, the walls were filled with paintings and portraits; landscapes and scenes with the same quality as a cell phone photo, and in them only two people appeared: Nisha and his mother.

Backpacks and bags in hand, both students on their knees sifted through the mountains of literature and other outlandish trinkets, gathering anything they might need for their journey.

"Reaching police headquarters... Let's hope there's at least a Strategic Containment Plan in place," Izzy muttered as she continued her task alongside the boy.

"...Most of us decided to desert along the way... Do you think they're okay?" Nisha paused for a second to wait for an answer.

"Coming to think about it, the difference wouldn't be that much even considering those who dropped out," Izzy explained. "In any case, we'll need to do much more. It would be useless to enlist the support of the police without the support of the people. If we make a mistake like that, peace and order would not last.

"It will be difficult to convince them..." The black-eyed boy sighed deeply, emphasizing the unusual task and the absurdly low chance of success.

"We would have done this whether or not there was a war going on outside. Sooner or later it would happen. Besides, it's easy to understand; notable achievements aren't achieved through mediocre efforts. We will use everything within our reach to get what we want, anything (even if we have to resort to replicas)." The young woman paused to consider this, while she made room in her bag. "Even more so if we run into him..."

"Him? You mean...?"

The girl stood up to continue sorting through the drawers on a nearby shelf.

Just as she was about to open it, she heard Nisha's desperate voice.

"W-Wait, Izzy!" Don't look there!

"...Oh."

Her newly heightened curiosity encouraged the girl not to stop.

"I-Izzy!"

She pulled the handle.

It turned out to be the drawer for the boy's colorful underwear.

"...”

"...Why hide it? The clothes will be loaded with the rest. They're indispensable, although we won't be able to take more than one or two changes of clothes due to space." She patiently picked up a piece of clothing, holding it up in front of her and feeling the softness of the fabric.

"Guh!"

Hastily, he snatched it from her hands.

"Don't be alarmed. I dedicated myself to helping with the housework. After all, my father was frequently away due to work. If he didn't do it, someone else had to."

"Izzy... but... these are my clothes."

In his frenzy, he unexpectedly dropped a book he had hidden inside one of his pockets.

"P-Please... Iz, I'll take care of the rest," the boy tried to hide the embarrassment on his flushed face.

Izzy simply squatted down to pick up the book.

"'Dreamers... by Nisha Quinto,'" the girl read before opening it. "...You always carry this with you, and you've never shown it to me, Nisha."

"About that book... I haven't had the chance (and it's kind of embarrassing...). Please take care of it. It's very precious to me."

Izzy gave a soft sigh. She closed the book and put it in the boy's backpack. She had intended to read it, but decided to hold back after seeing that he was nearly exhausted.

Looking around, the panorama of a library, she mentioned the obvious.

"...You really like books. Will you be doing something related after you graduate?"

“Hey, well, I really admire the efforts of my coworkers, but I'd like to become a member of the security forces... Maybe an investigator. It was something I decided not long ago...”

“Criminal investigator? Why...?”

“That's right! I'll go check on her,“ Nisha interrupted the conversation. “I didn't mean to disturb her, she's probably asleep... Maybe she's already woken up from the noise we made.”

Izzy glanced around the rest of the room without returning to the subject.

“I'll go check. And sorry for bothering you... and the mess...”

Leaving the bag she was carrying on her shoulder on the floor, the girl headed for the door of the adjoining room.

Almost immediately, the vibration of a cell phone followed by a loud ringtone could be heard coming from Nisha's pocket. Nisha hurried to take it out and answer it.

“(Our friends?) Hello?! Chase!?”

It was impossible to hear clearly. All that was possible was an annoying distortion, as if they were communicating through primitive radios instead of modern-day cell phones.

"NISHA! ... ... ... WE ARE...! ... ... THEY'RE CHASING US! ... ... THEY! THEY'RE NOT HUMAN...!"

The call had been cut off, and the temporary signal had disappeared again.

The time on the cell phone read 5 p.m.

"Guys...? W-What's...?"

Right after, Izzy returned to the room, for some reason unusually restless.