“Alright, did everyone pack everything we need?” I asked once again for good measure, “Remember, once we leave, we’re not coming back, so make absolutely sure you didn’t forget anything.”

“I put everything in the bags.” Anna slapped her giant bag, “Heh, this bad boy can fit so many rations in it!”

“Shall we go already?” Arthur was a bit antsy, “I don’t wish to stay even a moment longer in this city anymore. It’s far too dangerous.”

“Oh, about that, actually…” I squirmed about for a moment, thinking if it was an alright suggestion to make, “Should we maybe, y’know, check up on Miss Harper and ask if she wants to join us?”

“Not a chance!” Arthur outright denied it, “We don’t have time to go playing the heroes, how many times do I have to say it to get it through to you? She’d be an extra mouth to feed, not to mention the most important detail – she’s banned from leaving the country, did you forget?!”

“Yeah, but I think she could be excused just this once.” Anna stood up for her, “I mean, it’d be far too cruel to just leave her here all alone, no? Come on, Grampa, if not for her, do it for me?”

“Hrm…” He groaned a bit more before sighing, “Ugh, fine! But if we die, I’m blaming Ed!”

“Eh? I-I mean, sure, fine by me.” I tilted my head before turning to the door, “Alright then, let’s go save Harper!”

The trek to her clinic wasn’t that arduous at all, actually. If you can remember, it was quite literally a couple houses down the road, so we got there rather quick. But the issue wasn’t how quickly we could get there. No, rather we were way more worried about the possibility of her clinic being overrun with soldiers or something. Then we would have no other choice but to either sneak or bust in, leading to all sorts of shenanigans. But what actually happened was…

“Uhh…” We creaked open the door, only to see her casually sipping her latte in peace, “Miss Harper?”

“Oh, hello.” She waved, “What brings you here, Ed? To think you’d come at such late hours…”

“Ha!” Anna practically tore down the door with how fast she opened it, scaring both Harper and the rest of us, “Too bad for you, vixen! Check this out – bam! Diamond ring! Sorry, but I’m afraid you’ll have to look elsewhere for a younger capable guy such as him!”

“…Mhm.” Miss Harper didn’t at all seem interested, “Well, congratulations. That being said, due to the situation occurring just outside, I’ll overlook your rather crude remarks on my marital status and taste in men on account of you just being anxious or something. Now if that’s all you came here for, I’d advise you to go now so I may enjoy my final hours in peace.”

“H-Hold on!” I interjected, “This wasn’t what we came here for! And what do you mean final hours?!”

“Surely you know exactly what I mean, Ed.” She continued sipping her latte, “Just outside this clinic, hundreds if not thousands of men are just raring to ravage the entire town and the people in it. This entire afternoon was littered with gunshots and explosions, and since I can’t leave the country without the Ministry giving me a passport, I have no choice but to close the blinds and enjoy my last lattes in peace.”

Is that so… No wait! You’re giving up far too quickly, goddammit! I mean come on, isn’t there a way for us to somehow get her out of here? Surely no one’s gonna stop us at the border and literally send her back, right? Actually, are there even laws in place for this? Given that a war hasn’t occurred outside of Sulfury in millennia, I’m assuming there aren’t, so what then?

“Actually, I know our plan is to leave Trivis Numerica, but do we even have a set destination in mind?” I thought to ask, leaving the others to ponder the same question.

“Now that you mention it, yeah, we really haven’t thought at all about where we’re gonna go.” Anna pointed out, “Maybe we can go visit Uncle in Great Hiana?”

Aaron, huh? Yeah, let’s leave him be for now. Putting aside the fact that a war is happening, I don’t think Anna’s found out yet that her Uncle is interested in men. Not sure what her stance is on this, so I’d rather they talk it out amongst themselves for now. Actually, I don’t remember getting any replies to the letters I’ve sent to Aaron after he left, I wonder how things are going between him and Max.

“Aiming for the bigger countries definitely isn’t smart.” Vivia finally spoke up, “We need an empty place where we can hide away. A place where no one can bother us, like an island or something.”

“Oh, if that’s the case, then Ed can take us to…!” Anna tried to reply, but I quickly stopped her.

“No way.” I said sternly, “We’re not going to Lichtenstelle.”

“Aw, come on! This is a serious situation! I’m sure Lune won’t mind!”

“Putting aside his feelings on the matter, I myself will most definitely mind! You’re making light of all that has transpired on that island.” I sighed, “Listen, please just choose another destination. If I step foot on that place again, I don’t think I’ll be able to live with the shame.”

“Why? What’s stopping you?” Vivia dared to ask.

Hearing her ask the naïve question stung deep, and everyone in the room who knew why could easily tell. That day is still deeply engraved in my memory, and even despite Grim telling me that he’ll forgive me with time, my hands still shake when I think about the sensation I felt when I pulled the trigger on Marina. Grim said he even buried her there, so I think I won’t ever recover if I see the grave.

“It’s…” I grit my teeth, “It’s a long story.”

***

“Ooh, so that’s what happened.” Vivia said after hearing out the story in its entirety, “So you shot your friends wife, but it’s justified because he already has a wife and this one was just a mistress?”

“What? No! It’s not justified at all!” I rebuked, “What made you come to that conclusion? Sigh, listen, it certainly wasn’t alright for him to cheat on Cecily, but I wasn’t supposed to get mad like I did. Ugh, you make it sound like it was my plan from the start, but in actuality I never ever wanted to shoot her in the first place. It was a complete and utter freak accident.”

“We know, dear, calm down.” Anna had me sit down.

“Here, drink some coffee.” Miss Harper handed me her half-drank cup, “It’s pretty sweetened up, so it’ll do good to raise your blood pressure a bit.”

“Hmm…” Anna glared at the cup, “Would you mind brewing him a new cup? Y-Y’know, so you don’t have to waste your own?”

“I don’t mind.” Harper replied, “Well, unless of course you’re worried about an Indirect kiss? Oh, but of course, we’re all adults. Such childish games definitely wouldn’t bother a young lady like you, would they?”

Taking a glance at Anna, who was at this point sweating bullets, the steam practically blowing out of her head with how much she was overthinking, I couldn’t help but feel kind of bad. In the end, I decided to bite the bullet and hand Miss Harper her cup back.

“What’s this?” She questioned my action, “Edward, don’t tell me you’re worried about such things? Frankly, it’s kind of embarrassing on your end, a man of your age to worry about such things.”

In actuality, I couldn’t care less. I’ve shared countless mugs, cups and glasses with Carter and Grim in the past, so I’ve grown used to the action. Just make sure to rotate the cup to a side that the other person hasn’t drank from and you’re good. But that being said, I just didn’t want Anna to have to worry anymore. Actually, if I say that now, wouldn’t she just get even more embarrassed? Eh, I’ll have to cover for her.

“R-Right!” I replied loudly, “That’s exactly right, actually! I’m sorry Miss Harper, but I’m kind of embarrassed at the thought of it! Would you mind brewing me a new cup?”

She took a glance at my wide and nervous grin before turning to Anna, who was more so confused than anything. Miss Harper must’ve immediately realized my intentions, so with a chuckle, she got up from her seat and went to brew another fresh cup, “Humu, such a kind fiancée…”

“Kind?” Arthur rolled his eyes, “I’d find it more appropriate to use the term wimpy!”

Oi.

“In any case, it’s a shame that island has such bad memories for you.” Miss Harper said while pouring the milk into my Latte, “Apart from that, it seems like the perfect place to stow away to, given it’s under Lune’s jurisdiction.”

“Wait… That’s it!” I suddenly jumped from my seat, “It’s decided – we’re going to Lichtenstelle!”

“Eh?” They all tilted their heads at me.

“I’ll put up with the shame…” I added, “But you’re gonna have to come with us, Miss Harper!”

“Sigh, thank you for trying, Ed, but it’s as I said…”

“But think about it!” I interrupted, “A law is only broken if you’re caught, but since we’re in the middle of a war, we might just be able to make it to the dock and sail to the island! No one will even know you left!”

“Ooh, good one, shy guy!” Vivia patted me on the back.

“Can you not call me that?”

“Why not? As far as I’m concerned, anyone scared of a little indirect kiss deserves an ugly nickname.” She proudly sipped her tea.

“Vivia?” I pointed out, “That’s Anna’s cup.”

“…Eh?” Her ears went red, “N-No, this is… S-Sorry…”

“Huh? What’re you worrying about?” Anna pondered, “It’s not like it’s a real kiss.”

So she’s fine with it happening to her, but starts fuming when it happens to me? What a hypocritical lady I’ve found myself engaged to… Well, it’s kind of cute in its own way. The same can’t be said for the self-proclaimed Goddess of Song though, who’s hastily washing her mouth in the nearby sink, which I assume is being done to “wash off the kiss and make it not count”. That sounds like the stupid logic she would use, at least.

“Alright Harper.” Arthur turned to her, “The boy’s offering you a get out of jail free card. I personally don’t care whichever option you choose, but at least don’t make us have to wait on you.”

“Is that so, old man?” She felt a bit ticked off by his cold demeanor, “Are you forgetting who cured you? Well, if you’re looking for a hasty, not at all thought up answer, then I guess I have no other choice but to go with you.”

And so, Miss Harper has officially joined the party! Our goal of making it to Lichtenstelle has now been put into motion, and with the Princess of Carmen on our side, we should be able to procure a way to the dock easy-peasy!