“Let’s go, Sall.AR!”

“Ki!”

Apparently, the hermitage’s mornings consisted of blood-curdling shouts, dirt clouds flaring, and bokuto swinging. Mira leaned back on the front door and watched three with wooden swords square off. Lukas and Sall.AR each wielded a bokuto in a grueling attempt to coordinate their attacks on Kazeru. The boy swung underneath while the robot attacked from above which made for a potent combo. Saying those three’s movements were smooth was an understatement—much more focused and nuanced than Mira ever held herself.

However.

“Ah.”

Kazeru slipped through their combined attack and two thuds later, Lukas sat with a red bump on his head as Sall.AR emitted steam.

“Urrgh… Not again…”

“Ki…”

“The Niten Ichi-ryū requires coordination of both blades that must be maintained at all times.” Kazeru said, collecting their swords. “Treat your movements much like a proverbial wind carrying two leaves in its wake.”

And then the lesson ended just as abruptly. That showcasing and explanation was the extent of her knowledge of the ‘Niten Ichi-ryū’, a style he had devised after a duel that had destroyed his main katana down to an inch of its blade above the hilt. Kazeru took advantage of his opponent’s cockiness and swiped his katana for himself after a careless swing. Too prideful to surrender, his opponent rushed at him with surprisingly refined martial arts, and it was then Kazeru made use of both blades in order to strike him down.

She didn’t understand the mechanics, but she sure as hell wanted to attempt those whimsical moves. While Kazeru shut himself in his smithy and Lukas went to treat his bump inside, Mira eyed the dozen or so forged katanas resting on the ground. These were ‘failed’ katanas, or so he called them. Failures that had not met his level of satisfaction. Whatever that bar was and wherever it rested, it had amounted to the multitude of blades found spread across the yard—which so happened to test her patience.

Not making noise was part of her skill set, but controlling her curiosity was a different story. Despite Kazeru’s restraining words still fresh in her memory, she reached for the sword leaning on the hermitage’s support beam—and immediately felt a sharp ringing sensation the moment she gripped the hilt.

“...!”

It was like fire erupted up that arm. A concentration of pins and needles prickled from her fingers to her shoulder with enough pressure to release the sword, which clattered on the floor.

The sensation ceased the moment she let go of the handle, but that didn’t matter. Not too long later Kazeru emerged to investigate the noise and not even a step out of the hermitage, he stopped after one glance outside. The old man shook his head at the sight of Mira sprawled on the floor and the katana underneath her knees. He did not say a word, only giving her a disappointing look. Something told her that she wouldn’t get an explanation as to what the sensation was.

“Surely you realize now it's no good to go back on your word?”

Looked like she wouldn't be eating tonight’s dinner.

“Hey Mira, here's a tip. The old man doesn’t check if we make our beds, so you only have to make it when he finishes forging—oh.”

By the frozen look of Lukas and Sall.AR’s midair stasis through the window, he wouldn’t be eating tonight either.

・・・・・

Walking through the prairie road, Mira was utterly dumbfounded at the sheer expanse at her new home. The horizon stretched in all directions, showcasing rolling hills covered in pine trees, jizou statues that protected the trails, and the sparse wooden hermitages the villagers called home—this was the Ise Province Kazeru had withdrawn from his Samurai years to.

Villagers in strawhats tended to the rice patties and waved at the three as soon as they spotted them, with Lukas and Sall.AR returning the gesture. In the far distance, the tones of a wind instrument propagated and dispersed all the way to their ears—a wandering flutist spreading their influence even into this remote corner of the region, perhaps? The breeze carried an earthly, yet lush aroma that didn’t exist in the forest-surrounded village of Menuai. She’d never received missions that sent her to the country-side of Alkai. High profile targets did not reside in this area. As a result, her first visit here, while unintentional, was without obligation. To others it was a boring, peaceful day, but to her it marked the dawn of a new path.

That’s right. This is my new start.

Mira’s first morning without holding a blade came slowly and roughly. The muscle memory she obtained through years of assassin work fired as equally as always and she forced herself not to curiously touch anymore swords lying all over the hermitage. The messy forger that was Master Kazeru really tested her self-control. Not to mention the overbearing earthly forging smell could only be ignored for so long.

As such after watching the bout with Kazeru, she had been relieved when Lukas knocked on her door and heard the line she’d been itching for: “Mira, I got an errand to run. Wanna tag along?” Learning a new environment was paramount to survival—a rule drilled into her in her early days. She took up his offer.

“Ki?”

Sall.AR rotated its attention to Mira while maintaining its flight near Lukas’s shoulder. They all headed for the mountainous hills off the beaten path in search of ore, and throughout the trek Mira couldn’t help but sneak in a few glances at the hovering bot.

“Oh, guess leaving Sall.AR in Ki mode is useless if we’re not fighting.” Lukas said, hands cradled behind his head. “Activate Ikemen Mode.”

At the command of Lukas’s words, Sall.AR began illuminating its eyes, scrolling through shades of orange while it spoke.

“Accessing SALLAR records. Complete. Assigning speech protocols. System initialization successful.”

“Greetings, Mira. A pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

Sall.AR’s eyes now illuminated a deep shade of blue that, with the combination of its handsome tone, would have completely comforted her… if it wasn’t for one thing.

“You can… talk?”

“I should advise you. Staring at others will only cause others to return the favor. It is imperative to build relations of support instead of hostility.”

“O—Oh…”

“Lecturing aside, I recall that we haven’t given our introductions yet, haven’t we?” Sall.AR patted Lukas, causing him to go off balance for a second. “This is Lukas. And I am Sall.AR.”

“Urgh… I can introduce myself on my own.”

“That is hardly a concern compared to failing common manners. Who invites another to do their own tasks without even first introducing themselves?”

“Me! That’s who!”

Watching a boy and his robot bicker was a sight to behold. She could’ve easily gotten away with not questioning Sall.AR’s existence given their natural chemistry. Nevertheless the thought did remain up until now when it struck her that morning. Just what was this robot? She had seen oddities that surpassed the technological reach of humanity on missions before, but Lukas was quite a few years younger than Mira. To be in possession of a gravity defying robot at a young age, in a rural area no less, was unheard of.

And there was another nagging feeling she couldn’t suppress. A misty sensation, similar to the one she had felt when she picked up the katana but much milder, could be felt in Sall.AR’s direction. In fact, it pricked her skin the same way as her final moments with Chantou. What was that exactly?

Before she could dwell any longer, Mira caught herself from slipping down the dirt slant.

“Woah there.” Sall.AR’s quick catch of her arm prevented her from eating the rice early. “Take it easy. You don’t have to force yourself if it is still difficult to walk.”

The slight headache that had been plaguing her eased after getting fresh air. But she still grew light-headed the moment she pushed herself more than her body allowed. Combine that with the sun beating its rays down and the thin pathways between rice fields, not slipping required her full attention.

“N—No, it’s okay.” Mira looked away knowing full well her cheeks were flushed. “I’m used to getting a few scrapes.”

But despite recovering her footing, the bot didn’t let go. Lukas stopped, his hands in his pockets. The satchel used to carry ore was an inch away from slipping off his shoulder until he took out what seemed to be a jade emblem. It glinted under the sun before he closed his fingers, gripping it tightly before putting it back into his pocket. All the while that misty sensation from Sall.AR became increasingly more potent.

“Hey Mira. Tell me the truth.” His tone suddenly became dark. “That time you said you killed someone. Was that a bad attempt at a joke?

“I mean, the old man had just gone out to find some more ore, and instead of his usual batch, he came back with you over his shoulder all beaten up. I thought you had a run-in with a crook or something… but then Master Kazeru said he found you like that in No Man’s Land of all places. What’s that about?”

“I…” She stared at the ground. “That wasn’t a joke. It’s true.” Lukas had said the phrase ‘No Man’s Land’ once when she woke up. There was no other region, city, or village he could be referring to other than Menuai, so it surprised her that others assigned them such an ominous name. Was their reputation that poor? Could the outside world view Menuai as nothing more than a pack of killers?

“For your information, Lukas here experienced a hardship that forced his entire hometown to evacuate.” Sall.AR explained. “A Science and Engineering Conference had been scheduled at the main square that afternoon. Hundreds of attendees that were at the forefront of pushing the limits of our knowledge were to present their research and as locals and renowned for their work, Lukas’s parents wished to attend the conference. Lukas’s mother was a mechatronic engineer and father a computer engineer, you see. They had hoped to learn more about the secrets of this world, but Winter had struck that very same day.

“Witnesses saw a silver-blue haired man before the air temperature unnaturally dropped by significant degrees. Even though it was in the middle of the hottest months, snow blanketed the concession and icicles formed on lamp posts, roof tiles, bench armrests and the like. Then the slaughtering began. I’m sure you don’t need me to elaborate further.

“The only transportation out, a train to Alkai, was completely packed, and Lukas’s parents managed to squeeze their son through. That was the last he saw of them.”

Mira grimaced at Sall.AR’s next words: “You can guess where the culprit came from.”

It wasn’t just that. She had guessed who the culprit was. Teijian. She never saw the leader of the assassin division in action, but judging by that description, all those moments of bitter coldness that seeped into her skin returned in one single chill.

“Was… that in Kitzkirchen?”

“So you knew?” Lukas responded, an even greater strain in his throat. Sall.AR’s grip tightened even further on her upper arm.

Mira remembered the story. Everyone in the division, no, in Menuai did. She and Chantou had just completed an assignment when Teijian left the village. His Imperial Majesty, the Daimyo himself, personally made a visit to Menuai which also happened to be her first look at the great lord. Never had she seen a human so luxuriant. It wasn’t necessarily due to an economical advantage, they had plenty of commodities, but this man’s appearance was the byproduct of his ancestry. A black military service uniform draped by a cloak adorned with golden chains.

Teijian’s cold demeanor carried out as always. She couldn’t tell whether they despised each other or he didn’t bother changing his speech, but he said very few words. In fact, the two had used very little language in their exchange, making it impossible to completely decipher their conversation. The only thing Mira had understood was that the Daimyo learned of a new weapon being researched in Chordia, and that the Supreme Leader of Chordia ‘really wanted to escalate Humanity’s destruction’.

Mira looked into Lukas’s eyes. The harbingers of death. They showed no mercy. They merely act. That was what he likely thought of her, regardless of knowing the assassins’ existence.

Was there any merit in lying?

To build relations of support instead of hostility.

She couldn’t have felt any more hostility from those two.

“Before we jump to any conclusions…” Sall.AR inquired, releasing its prongs after making sure she could walk. “Can you truly not recall what happened before Master Kazeru found you?”

“...I don’t.” Of course, she did know. It was a lie to protect her identity, but in truth the last thing she remembered was blacking out in the depths of the forest. How Kazeru managed to find her was anyone's guess.

“Then there is no need to probe any longer. Anyone could read the news about an attack on a town. Is that alright with you, Lukas?”

The boy remained silent for a while, and then removed his hands from his pockets. “Sorry. I just wanted to take this outside where the old man couldn’t overhear.” He sighed. “Alright. I confirmed it. I won’t delve deeper, promise. After all, they did that crap to you too.”

Sall.AR bobbed up and down, as if to bow. “Apologies for his sudden behavior. Don’t pay him much heed.”

Resuming his pace, Sall.AR zoomed over Lukas’s shoulder just as Mira caught his mutter.

“I’m sure… you were also a victim too.”

Somehow, a shiver told her that wouldn’t be the last of their past.

Any more conversation wasn’t needed as they had encountered a path that quickly transformed into a rocky hill. In front of them laid a gray rugged trail to the cliff, and the only way forward was through the loose, thick gravel. Walking through proved to be a challenge as she had to carefully place each foot in order to not slip. The loose fabric of Mira’s hakama blocking much of the rocks’ view didn’t help either.

“Careful, Mira. The terrain here leaves much to be desired.” Sall.AR warned—seconds before she slipped and ate some pebbles.

The air grew noticeably less earthly but more granular. Arriving at a small cavern poking inwards into part of the cliff, Lukas flicked at the rock to inspect the stone wall.

“High concentration here.” He said, nodding. A crystal deposit. “Activate Mining Mode.”

“Accessing SALLAR records. Complete. Transferring protocols. Success.”

After the robot’s return commands, Mira rubbed her eyes, not believing what she had seen. A pickaxe materialized in Sall.AR’s three-pronged fingers. Without any retrieval, it merely came into existence—it was just there. Its matt steel T-shaped head sat attached to its rubbery handle, making it apparent that it was a modern model. A couple of strikes of Sall.AR sparked the stone until it lobbed from the wall.

It was an ore that gave off a faint aquamarine reflection. Because it was still in its raw form, much of the luminosity was covered by thick black sediments, yet Mira couldn’t help but be entranced by its luster. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Was it merely the thrill of seeking out the ore that sparked her interest? Could simple mining potentially be another avenue for her?

“...?” On closer inspection, the ore’s color sparked memories Mira traced from the depths of her mind—back to her home village. Menuai lacked jewelry crafters nor did she have any interest in accessories, so she rarely browsed the assortment of bracelets, brooches, earrings, necklaces, and other ornaments shown in venues. But the one time she had dipped her toes, it was with Chantou and Emerald. When Emerald received notice of her admittance to the division, Mira had suggested getting herself a celebratory gift. Walking through the line-up of street vendors who sold gems and accessories, a singular oval object resting in a glass box had caught Emerald’s eye. A brooch with a gemstone that glittered like the stars of that night.

—A certain gemstone that was impractical for swords due to its brittleness.

The emerald.

Obviously named after that dazzling precious stone, it was the only reason why she had dragged Mira and Chantou to admire it. Unfortunately, it was too expensive to afford—everything at those vendors were—much to the three’s disappointment. So instead, Chantou opted to carve out a tree in the shape of that same gemstone to mark the occasion.

“I’m glad that was enough to make her happy.”

“Hm?”

A cough. “N-Nothing.” Mira shifted her attention from the emerald ore to the crystal deposit. “So this stuff is just… lying here?” For how expensive that brooch was, she was bewildered at the abundance and sheer ease of obtaining that emerald ore.

“Pretty sure I’m the only one who knows about this place.” Lukas said, which, combined with his smug look, made him one step away from crashing the economy. “This should be enough…” He trailed off. “Actually, let’s get a few more just in case.”

After a few more rocks, the satchel began to stretch from the amount of rocks, making Mira concerned of its eventual tearing. “Kazeru asked for quite a bit, didn’t he?” Then again, all those ‘failed’ swords lying around had to come from somewhere.

“That’s… very respectable.” After hearing that story, and considering he carried Mira a distance she’s too scared to ask for, it should be natural to want to respond in kind.

“Indeed. Even I am surprised.” Sall.AR returned after switching from mining mode.

“Hey. Hey. I figured forging is something insanely hard to do. I just wanted to help out the geezer in whatever way I could.”

As their bicker continued, Mira couldn’t help but smile. In the end, this was perhaps the greatest place to begin her new path. Though, there was just one more thing she was curious about.

“But it seems like you’re learning swordsmanship too?”

Lukas carried a bokuto by his waist which set him apart from the otherwise mundane. Apparently carrying a real sword in public was prohibited and could send you to prison unless you were a licensed Samurai. Though, with a remote area like Ise Province, the villagers didn’t have to worry about the Samurai’s eyes watching them. What deep, personal answer awaited her?

“If you’re living under a former Samurai, you bet your ass that you’d take advantage of his knowledge of hackin’ and slashin’.”

“Ah.”

That rebuttal quickly ceased anymore questions.

・

“Wow…”

It wasn’t often Mira could take in a scenic view of a grand body of water. Glittering spectacles of the waves beyond the railing bobbed and weaved from where the three stood. It was an odd sight after so much of the pale greenery of the patties, but the salty outside breeze of the port was much needed after the dry mountainous air.

“This is the countryside, but there’s a massive ocean right next to us?”

“It is more of a giant lake, really.”

Mira squinted beyond the great expanse. Comparing the salty water of the waves to the still waters of Menuai’s ponds was comparing night and day. They encountered the port along the way back that was used to import goods from the capital. All the crew members on the ships were said to be strictly from there, so they’d get constant questions on life at the capital and sometimes even bribery to sneak in by ship. They all refused in the end.

“What… lies beyond there?” She found herself speaking her mind.

“They say nothing but barbarians.” Lukas’s smug look told Mira that there weren't actually barbarians there.

“The Daimyo lives there. So technically you’d be calling them a barbarian.” Sall.AR said.

For a moment, Mira gripped the railing that separated them from the sea. It should be no surprise that the Alkain government’s reach could seep into a rural area like the Ise Province. But they were closer than she’d imagined. It meant she’d have to live an ordinary life here without revealing her assassin identity once. If assassins were to trace her to this Province, she’d kiss the opportunity for a second life goodbye.

“Say Mira, if you’re really from No Man’s Land…” Lukas said, his chin resting on the rail. “Then why aren’t there more of you guys around?”

But she felt he already knew the answer to his question. “Can I ask you why you guys call our home that?”

Silence.

“Sorry… I promised him that I wouldn’t pry more. The old man did want me to respect you.” He groaned, throwing his arms in the air. “Maaaan. Really wish that old man could hold back… He could at least give me the impression that I’m winning.”

No response, huh? Kazeru may be the only person to know of Mira’s past in this unnamed village, and yet the townspeople may all share the same sentiment to their fellow Alkain north. By now, all the crewmates had finished their duties and with traded bushels of rice and a fully resupplied ship, they turned back to the open waters, leaving behind those same very people.

“To answer your question, it's because we had to keep to ourselves to live.” Mira said, watching the ship slowly disappear into the horizon.

The waves splashed onto the sea wall, causing a multitude of brilliant droplets to reflect off the sun’s rays. The sea, much like the sea of stars, drew her in as equally as it had that night.

“...We can’t keep Kazeru waiting. Let’s head back.”

・・・・・

The days blended into each other as they passed and Mira’s injuries slowly but surely healed. Throughout her time, Mira weeded the garden, fed the chickens, fetched water, and tended to the other many tasks that were needed. The laborious work gave some much needed exercise as well as something to do to fill up her days, but the latter only lasted for so long until it grew monotonous.

Day in, day out, the same schedule did not change. Wake up, complete chores, eat lunch, watch Kazeru destroy Lukas in training, help mine ore, enjoy the scenery, eat dinner, sleep. The change in her life that she wished for—was this really it? It wasn’t until now that an inner dissatisfied call returned long after it had been smothered.

Well into a month, the future she had envisioned—the paths Kazeru had told her to consider—wasn’t found here.

“Aaaahh! I’m tired!” Mira shouted in the air. “Ah…”

Walking down the packed dirt path of the prairie, the patty workers' side glances zipped her lips back up. They had welcomed her in open arms but Mira still felt the need to act conservatively around everyone. Though their chuckles soon after managed to relax her tensed shoulders. She waved back at them who she had come to recognize before continuing her leisurely stroll. That was until she spotted something.

Out of the corner of her eye a few rice patties away, Lukas darted his head left and right and proceeded to slide into the space between two hermitage gates. Mira, dumbstruck at the blatantly obvious foreboding, stood there in silence. Well that’s not concerning or anything. From the looks of it, no one had seen Lukas perform one of the most suspicious acts one could do, continuing to work or stroll along the bank. Naturally, Mira followed him in.

“—Oh…? Who’s this chic?”

As soon as she snuck between the buildings, a voice emanated from a semi-hunched man across the opposite side. His eyes that could use some sleep fixed intently on Mira. He appeared young but emitted the aura of distaste that could only be found through years of stress. His appearance was rather unkempt. Shaggy hair and chin stubble kept him from looking like a decent citizen and his posture exuded disinterest. What was most apparent, however, was his attire. It was apparent the man wasn’t a local to the country-side, wearing a sleek button up, trousers, and leather shoes that contrasted against the typical kimono wear.

“S—Stupid! Why’d you come here?!” Between them, Lukas exclaimed, looking over his shoulder. Oddly, Sall.AR was nowhere to be seen when the bot would typically always be floating by that same shoulder.

“Why’d you come here?” Mira returned, but before Lukas could respond, Shaggy-Hair stepped forward. And that was when she noticed something. In his hand was an ore—the same emerald ore that Mira and Lukas had mined the day she first woke here.

“This won’t do. Not one bit.” He combed through locks with his free hand and clicked his tongue. “Listen, this here is a private business transaction of mutual interest. This here isn’t a matter for a third party like you to wander into. Better to just scram and forget you saw us.”

Mira stifled a laugh. It took everything in her power not to burst out in laughter. Underground business in some quiet village like this? This whole situation couldn’t have been more ridiculous.

A bead of sweat trickled down Lukas’s face. “M—Mira…?”

“Scary look you got there. Just about ready to bite my head off?”

Shaggy-Hair’s whistle cued Mira to relax her deathly gaze. The years of assassin work had worked their way even into her physiological and subconscious gestures and as a result, she sometimes caught herself giving a death stare at anything that ticked her off.

“Alright. Alright. Got what I wished for anyways. Here, take it kid.” The man tossed what seemed like a spherical shell at Lukas which he caught clumsily. “If you got any more requests, you know where to find me, my dear shareholder.”

Lukas slowly released a breath watching Shaggy-Hair disappear behind the walls, but drew it back in, at the sound of Mira tapping her foot behind him.

“Care to explain?”

・

“An ambassador?”

Walking back on the prairie, the word from Lukas made Mira give a sideways glance. He carried the spherical shell he received against his side, which she found strange that an ambassador would trade with.

“Yeah. From Chordia of all places. The dude had come here by foot offering up whatever goods and services from there… in exchange for bushels of rice or other crap in the country-side. Now he’s profiting off of us every month or so.” Lukas kicked a rock into a patty despite being frowned upon.

“A private rice broker…” The idea, no matter the lucrative potential it has, didn’t sit right for her. “But I thought Alkai and Chordia hated each other. Even if he is an ambassador, how does he manage to cross the border that often?”

“Beats me. Master Kazeru scoffed at him when he said he’d trade any resource here for stacks of dolyen. ‘Course that avenue became a deadend for him.”

Dolyen is the common currency used by the four regions, so it would be natural to facilitate trade between them. However, for a rural area that relied on their own food production to sustain themselves like the Ise Province, it didn’t make sense to trade for currency.

“It’s obviously not working out for him—” Mira peered at Lukas. “—but you had to give that ore we just got the other day to him.”

“Urp…”

Given the tight tensions between Alkai and Chordia, the idea of an ambassador to break said tension was absurd considering that one of the assassin division’s purposes was to maintain power against other regions. Not to mention the method that man was going about—profiting off of a resource-packed area—was rather predatory. That ambassador likely knew all this from the start.

“...Lukas, Give me that.” Stopping, the boy reluctantly handed over the shell Shaggy-Hair tossed him. After taking it, Mira carefully inspected every nook and cranny of the structure. It occurred to her—she had seen this material before. She had once undergone a mission to assassinate a scientist leading a team to research and develop military equipment. Having snuck into a private sector research lab, the building housed a multitude of armaments ranging from composite armor to projectile shells. Said material was used to create the housing of much of their equipment. If she recalled correctly, the shell in her hands was made out of something called aluminum alloy. And despite all of that…

“The ore we mined is actually more valuable than this thing he gave you.” She was sure of it. ‘Surely no other ore would compare to the aluminum alloy that contributed to technological feats’, one would imagine. But in the case of weaponry, the ammunition used a different material, one that provided far greater kinetic firepower than its contemporaries. The only drawbacks were the rarity and exorbitant costs to manufacture the ammo. That’s right. It was emerald. That meant—“More than likely he’s buying that ore for cheap and selling it off in Chordia for a profit. In other words, he’s ripping you off.”

“That scheming bastard!” Lukas tightened a fist, but slowly eased it not a second later. “...Is what you want me to say. I knew all that already.”

Mira raised an eyebrow. “Then why?”

“It’s Sall.AR. His operational life is around a month. After that, his outer shell begins to wear from the Aoi output and has to get a new housing. It’s… a side-effect that my parents couldn’t ever fix.”

So that con artist is the only way to get material for Sall.AR? Then… Mira paused for a moment. There was that word again. Aoi?

“Oh—crap.” Lukas went to cover his mouth, then released it. He kicked another rock, sending it far into an adjacent patty. “...Forget it. It doesn’t matter to you.”

At this point, she came to realize Chantou’s words were true—that there was more to this world than meets the eye, but there were far more pressing matters to attend to. Sall.AR required monthly servicing, and someone was taking advantage of that.

“Never mind that. That guy shouldn’t be calling himself an ambassador when he’s abusing his status.”

Mira let her eyes drift after hearing that adamant response. His bot really was that important to him. “Does Kazeru know about this?” she asked, preventing him from kicking another rock into a patty.

“Thing is… I lie. I just tell the geezer I get them from a friend from Chordia. They don’t bother checking the mail anyways.

“That schemer was nice at the start. He gave me a new housing for Sall.AR after advertising himself, apparently knowing what kind Sall.AR takes. It was much fancier than the old one, so I obviously had to take it. Then he did it again and said I could rely on him for more in the future, but one day he said he couldn’t supply anymore unless he got something in return. Then… you know the rest.” He groaned. “I resolved myself never seeing Sall.AR active again, but that bastard gave me hope I’d never imagined seeing. I should’ve known better…”

What a troublesome situation. “Just tell Kazeru the truth. He can get these shells a more legit way.”

“Urk. If he knew I relied on these tactics… who knows how many nights I’d have to sit through without food. He’d think so badly of me.”

“If he took you under his care, then he’d understand. That way, you can just stop your meetups with that man and get parts without supporting his business tactic.”

Lukas placed his free hand in his pocket and pressed in a pebble by his shoe into the dirt path. “Drowze. That bastard. That’s his name and it sounds just as sketch as his deals.”

Watching his frustration, Mira couldn’t help but think he truly could’ve easily walked away from this situation without much consequence. Sure the nights without food would hurt, but he did have Kazeru’s kindness, even if the way that kindness was expressed before a lecture. And judging by his laxed shoulders, he had realized this himself.

“Maybe… you do have a point. Maybe I could just rely on the old man—hm?” The odd empty feeling in his pocket set off alarms in his head. “H—Huh? Where is it?!” Lukas patted down every part of his vest and pants, his fuss growing more and more hectic. “Seriously? I just had it!”

“Dropped something, huh.”

“No way. I would've heard it.”

A couple more pats wound up nothing. “It’s… it’s not here. My emblem… The one thing the old man told me not to lose…”

Oh. How convenient.

"Need a hand?”

“No, I got a good feeling where it might be. And it should be easy to get back.” He began his search, but paused and shot around to point at Mira. “Do NOT follow me, Mira! I can handle things on my own!”

She doubted the authenticity of that statement, but sighed and nodded. Mira also had a good feeling where it might be but decided to let him off anyway.

“I trust it goes without saying, but don’t get into trouble.”

Without looking back, Lukas stormed off into whatever trouble awaited him—just before turning around to head into the direction of the hermitage. Likely to retrieve his flying robot first.

If anything were to happen to the boy, then Mira would surely lose the home she had just gained. Of course, she had no intention of letting that happen.