Chapter 13

The group chose an inn near where they stored their carriage. Kakashi’s face was the only one those people saw, so the girls’ identities remained safe. For now, Kakashi needed to lay low.

The inn they stayed at had four rooms on the fourth floor, and a small door separated the floor from the stairs, making it a perfect spot for their temporary hideout. After bringing their belongings to their own rooms, they gathered in Syorin’s room to discuss what had just happened.

“Rocks that can control minds…?” Neila and Syorin stared at him, surprised by his explanation.

“Does something like that even exist?”

“Maybe it’s a new thing? I mean, they’re researching it after all.”

The three turned toward Astill. Astill didn’t respond. She hugged her legs and planted her face in between them, her hands shaking.

“Astill…”

At this point, it’s obvious she had something to do with the rock in the past, but no one dared to ask about it. She looked extremely uncomfortable throughout their discussion, and they didn’t want to put her through more pain.

“Well… I guess that’s it for today.”

The time had gotten quite late, and they had sprinted all the way back to the inn, so they were all exhausted. The route they took wasn't direct, either, meaning they expended a lot more energy just to get back.

“Alright, let’s get to bed.”

“I’m going back, good night.”

“Night.”

Astill responded with a nod.

•••

You useless child!

Kakashi shot up, looking around. The window to his room was locked, the door shut. He let out a breath of relief. It was just a dream, that was the dream. Him being here, living his new life, was reality.

It wasn’t the first time he had that dream since arriving in this world, and it likely wouldn’t be the last. He didn’t like the idea of immediately heading back to bed, and he certainly wasn’t keen on experiencing another nightmare, so he got up. He opened the door and checked the hallway.

As long as he stayed on this floor, he would be safe. All four rooms were within his twenty-by-twenty range. If someone attacked him, he could activate his ability and run away.

Still… It’s so peaceful here…

Kakashi walked down the carpeted floor. The rooms on this floor were more luxurious compared to the floors below, and thus they cost more. Luckily, dragon hunters make a decent amount from each quest, so money wasn’t an issue.

… Is that?

Looking out a window at the end of the hallway was a familiar girl with black hair, the pale moonlight shining on her face.

“Astill…?”

Astill turned back, noticed it was Kakashi, then looked back outward. Kakashi took several steps forward, standing right beside her.

“The moon is beautiful, isn’t it?”

Astill said nothing, her eyes continued looking up at the sky.

“Back in my world, the word ‘moon’ and the word ‘love’ sound similar. Saying the moon is beautiful is sometimes taken as a confession of love.”

“... That’s stupid.”

“You think so? I think it’s romantic.”

Astill shook her head. “There’s no point in beating around the bush like that. It can easily be misunderstood.”

“I guess so…”

Astill gave him a side eye. Her stare felt different. Less ridicule, more curiosity.

“... Is that it?”

“Well… I guess it’s because saying ‘I love you’ directly is embarrassing, so it’s much better-”

“No, I’m not talking about that.” Astill’s voice grew cold for a second. She heaved a sigh. “Don’t you find anything else back there?”

“I…”

“It’s obvious from your face. You changed when you saw me.”

He knew it was obvious, although he didn’t expect her to bring it up.

“You knew, didn’t you? About my past, everything.”

Kakashi shook his head. “I only got flashes of information.”

“... Who survived?”

The thought made him sick, but he couldn’t deny the information any longer.

“Number one, three, and six were gone.”

Kakashi wished he could misinterpret it, but the writing on the notes was clear. Out of the six subjects that escaped, three had been eliminated.

“I see…”

“You’re not surprised?”

“I knew One was dead. When we parted ways, Three was struggling with health issues, while Six stayed behind so we could escape.”

“I’m sorry.”

“Apologizing won’t change anything.” Astill clenched her fist. “Besides, it’s not your fault.”

“Is finding the other two the reason you became a dragon hunter?”

“Not necessarily.”

“I see…”

“... Why did you not tell Neila and Syorin about this?”

Kakashi hasn't mentioned any of the notes to the other two. She only talked about the possibility of the rock being used to control minds. He didn’t mention that, so far, it only worked on people turned into test subjects, and even then, it only worked for a few hours at best.

“Why?”

“I figure you’ll want to mention it yourself. They’re your friends, right?”

“They’re not my friends.”

“I see…” Kakashi could only nod. He couldn’t tell her how to feel, how to think. If she didn’t want the other to know, then he would respect her wishes.

“I’ll keep a lookout for the other two. What do they look like?”

“I don’t need your help.”

Astill turned around and went back into her room, leaving Kakashi alone underneath the moonlit sky.