Chapter 27

When I decided to head back, I realized I had no idea where I was and that I didn't know the city well enough to find my way to the hotel. It was already dark, and wandering around aimlessly didn't seem like a good plan. Sapir had guided me through the city, but with everything that had happened, I had no idea where he'd gone.

"Ah, problems just keep coming," I muttered to myself.

In that moment, I heard someone rushing up the stairs rapidly. I stood waiting expectantly to see who it was. To my surprise, a black dog came bounding toward me.

"Drust!" I cried out in shock.

Behind him came a girl, looking exhausted as if she'd been running for quite some time.

"Hina," I said, equally surprised.

"When I realized you weren't following me or Aedric, I thought perhaps you'd gotten lost in the city," she said, breathing heavily from exertion.

"The truth is, I had no idea how I was going to get back," I admitted, somewhat embarrassed. "I'm glad you showed up."

"Where had you gone? When I saw you weren't there, I got scared," she said.

"I was talking with Elaine. After the 'trial,' I had a lot to think about. She helped me clear my head."

When I mentioned the "trial," Hina's expression hardened noticeably.

"We should head back. It's getting late," she said, clearly trying to avoid the subject.

She began to walk, and I followed behind her. We moved in complete silence. I knew I should say something, but I wasn't sure if it was right to ask her about it. She seemed genuinely worried, but I couldn't tell if she was truly concerned or just pretending. Everything felt like a mess. I hated situations like this. I had to fix things somehow.

"How should I call you from now on—Hina or Estela?" I blurted out, saying the first thing that came to mind to try to broach the subject.

"I am Hina!" she shouted sharply and firmly. The declaration was so absolute that it took me aback. "I'm sorry for shouting," she added quietly.

"I was the one who asked. Don't worry about it."

"I'm sorry," she apologized suddenly.

The atmosphere had become very tense because of my question, and I needed to try to relieve it somehow.

"Don't worry. Everyone has secrets," I said, knowing these words wouldn't really ease anything, but unsure what else to say.

"For you, this situation must be very confusing, but I am Hina. I can't tell you more, but—" she said, seeming to apologize, as if those words caused her great pain.

"I told you not to worry," I interrupted. "I suppose we're even now. After all, I can't tell you anything about my past either. To you all, I must seem like someone from another world."

"But your situation is different," she said, placing her hand on her chest.

Since we'd started talking, she hadn't looked at me once. All I could see was her back. It seemed this subject truly caused her great pain. I placed my hand on her shoulder and gently pushed her back, making her turn to face me.

"I'll become someone trustworthy enough for you to tell me."

Before I knew it, Hina had tears in her eyes, and our faces were very close together. It was foolish of me to do something like this, and I wasn't even sure I could keep that promise.

I suddenly pulled away and averted my gaze. My face was burning red. I glanced at Hina out of the corner of my eye, and she too had looked away. I could see that the tips of her ears were red as well, so I supposed she was just as embarrassed as I was.

"We should continue, or Aedric will worry if we're too late getting back," I said.

To escape from the situation, I began to walk ahead of Hina.

"But do you even know which way to go?" Hina asked suddenly.

"Damn it," I said, stopping abruptly.

She began to laugh and passed me, and I followed behind her this time, staying closer.

As we continued walking, we didn't talk much, but I felt that it was no longer so uncomfortable. It was a peaceful walk through the city at night. As I walked, I reflected on everything that had happened to us. Everything had been turned upside down in the span of a moment. I also realized that I was still wearing Aedric's robe. I hadn't paid much attention to it during all this time, but despite all the blows I'd taken, it remained intact. Possibly I had managed to withstand so many impacts thanks to it. When I had the chance, I needed to thank Aedric for it.

"The night is beautiful tonight," Hina commented suddenly.

I looked up at the sky and saw a great moon and several stars scattered across it. I felt as though I'd never seen so many stars from within a city before. The lights here seemed much more subdued than those of a scientific city, which is why so many stars were visible.

"Yes, it's quite a sight," I said with a smile.