Dr Chiasa was nowhere in the room as I stepped out. Tsubasa wasn’t either, but there were sounds from the kitchen and Tayo was inside, sleeping on an armchair, so that should be him. Ahio was sulking on the couch and didn’t seem to notice me, while Daisuke and Maya were whispering about something while pointing at a book. Mumbling that I was going for a walk, I left the hotel. A fine line of red light hung over the horizon, signalling the last vestiges of the sun. Dr Chiasa wouldn’t sneak into the seer’s house till it was darker, but I still had to hurry.

I rushed through the hilly streets, sidestepping the denizens of the city. Every step was like I was wading through crocodile infested waters, deeper into danger yet not knowing if turning back was worse. My lungs seared as I approached Mr Mahato’s house, the golden fittings on the roofs glinting like embers with the waning sun. Panting, I went around the building. There should be a park, and that was where Dr Chiasa would wait before the time came.

Sure enough, in front of the base of the mountains, an enclosed field stretched out in the vicinity of the house. Trees with wrangled roots stood amongst the playground toys, but the place was nearly deserted. The only people left were children refusing to go home as their parents dragged them away. I wandered in, between the slides and swings and sandpits. Where was Dr Chiasa hiding? A headache pounded into my skull and my skin both burned and was icy cold, like I had a fever. Though whether this was from a lack of sleep or the fear spreading through my veins, I didn’t know.

A figure leaned on the trunk of a particularly large tree in front of me, their face covered by the foliage and plump, yellow fruit. That should be her.

My throat tightened, and each step was as though weights were tied to my legs. If a flap of a butterfly's wings could cause a thunderstorm, would this decision be that flap? I’m going to screw this up, every fibre of my being cried. But the image I’d seen in the manga pushed me to keep walking.

‘Dr...Dr Chiasa?’ I said as I reached the tree. My voice seemed awfully high pitched.

She jerked around, brown eyes wide and a hand clutching the sword hanging from her belt. ‘Tahro? What’re you doing here?’

I shuffled my feet and looked at the grass. ‘Walking. What about you?’

‘Nothing much.’ She scowled, tucking a lock of hair behind her ear. ‘It’s getting late. You should go home.’

My chest rattled as though it was freezing. I took a deep breath. ‘I know what you’re planning. I know you’re going to sneak into the seer’s house.’

Dr Chiasa stared at me, her expression shocked like a deer caught in headlights. ‘I don’t know what you’re talking about. You should go home, Tahro.’

‘Not…’ I balled my fists. ‘Not without you, I won’t.’

‘I can’t…’ She grimaced and massaged her temple. ‘Listen, I have to do this. Just go home, Tahro.’

‘No.’ How much should I tell her? ‘His guards, they’ll take you down. This won’t end well.’ My mouth dried out as the image flashed before me again.

‘I’ll be fine.’ She glanced at the house, the lights from its windows bright against the twilight sky. ‘I’ll be back before you know it with Kaede’s location. I know what I’m doing.’

‘It doesn’t matter, they’ll take you down!’ My voice grew louder with every word. ‘Please… how would Kaede feel if we lost you on the way?’

Dr Chiasa froze, then her eyes blazed with anger. ‘And how are we supposed to find her if we don’t try our best? You children shouldn’t get involved with anything dangerous, but I can take care of this. So go home.’

As she turned away, I grabbed her arm. ‘Not without you.’ I met her gaze with resolution as an idea sparked in my mind. ‘Let’s ask the seer again like we did today. We’ll make him listen to us and convince him. Let’s try one more time, and if that doesn’t work, then…’ I scrunched my eyes closed. ‘Then you do it your way tomorrow. Deal?’ This wouldn’t buy me much time, for who knew when the manga chapter with Kaede’s location would come. But stalling was better than nothing at all.

She raised her brows with skepticism. ‘How would that go any different from today?’

‘I don’t know, but we have to try.’ I let go of her hand, my own trembling despite the warm weather. ‘He just doesn’t understand why we don’t go to the swordsmen instead.’

Dr Chiasa glared daggers at the tree. ‘How could we? When the Minister’s involved. But it’s not like we can tell the seer that.’

‘Please… Your plan— it’s too dangerous without having tried everything else first.’ My throat clenched and I had to choke out the words. ‘I-I don’t want to lose you.’

‘I’m sure I’ll be fine. You worry too much.’ She smiled bitterly. ‘But I’m afraid it’s difficult to go through life without losing anything. Not if you’re a swordsman. Not if you have to fight for something important to you.’ Dr Chiasa sighed. ‘Alright. We’ll try again together tomorrow. But if he still refuses, I’ll make sure he tells me where my daughter is my way.’

I nodded, finding it easier to breathe. The binds that had wrapped my chest loosened.

We walked out of the park, Dr Chiasa in front of me. My eyes never left her. Well they almost did once, when a bush beside us wriggled like an animal was hiding behind it. But I shook my head and focused on Dr Chiasa. I shouldn’t lose sight of her, lest she took the chance to run off to her death. But she never looked back at the pyramid-like house, her gaze fixed resolutely ahead as she took large strides through the grassy field, then through the streets and then up our hotel’s stairs.

Even back in the room, when everyone had gone to bed, I fought to keep my eyes open throughout the night. My mind swam with questions of what I’d do tomorrow, when the seer would refuse us again. But somewhere along the way, the exhaustion of the last few days defeated me. I drifted off to sleep.