A carriage is rolling and rocking through the brick flooring, with two horses pulling it. We see Kara, Seka, and Mizuno on it, with a heavy tension in the air, in the early morning.
Yesterday he didn't even try to comfort me. Does he really see me like a stranger now?
The carriage rolls up in front of Sera's house. "Sera, we're here..." Kara looks at her with a calmness and an almost too-polite tone. "Sera?... is something the matter?"
Kara tilts his head a little closer to her. "Sera?"
"Huh, ahh yea? Were you saying something, Kara?" She gives a smile. Kara instantly sees it's a smile that's hiding pain behind it.
Kara gets out of the carriage and opens the door for her.
"Here," Kara offers his hand.
"Ah..." her eyes get small with a little warmth inside them.
Wait, didn't you feel uneasy toward me? Then why does he do these things?"uhh, Thank you… Kara," she says as if she was not clear what she wanted to say.
Mizuno gets out. "Thank you, bro, for dropping us here. The travel felt quite longer than usual, don't you think?" He glances at Kara.
Both of them stay silent as Kara looks at Mizuno. "Huh? Ah, yea, it did feel kind of long." Mizuno's eyes look at them in confusion. Did something happen between them? They are usually more talkative. Even my sister, she feels way off the mood today.
Kara glances at Sera looking at the floor.
Mizuno goes ahead and unlocks the door.
I don't even know what to feel right now because of him."You're such an idiot," she whispers as she is looking down on the ground.
Kara flinches. "Did... you say something, Sera?"
"What?... No, it's nothing." She looks away and starts walking quickly, as if she was hesitant and hiding something. She gets inside and pulls the front door almost closed, but stops as if she wanted to say something.
Clack, closes the door.
"Hey..." Kara puts his hand forward as if he was trying to confront her. Why did I not say anything? He clenches his fist, takes a step, and turns around feeling guilty for his actions.
With a little pause, he starts to walk back to the carriage.
As he opens the door, he takes a final look at her house on the second floor as he places his foot on the carriage.
Through the window—
Creek, the door to Sera's room opens.
Sera takes a step inside, turns around, and—
Clack, closes the door softly as her actions speak together with her scrambled thoughts.
"It feels quite heavy not being able to be like usual," she thinks as she stands looking at the doorknob.
I am tired.
She pulls her chair and slowly takes a seat. She puts her hand on her chin, looking outside the window.
It really hurts, doesn't it? It felt as if I was almost at the start of this journey once again. The only good thing I can think about is—
She remembers almost kissing Kara and gets all red from the bottom up.
I wish I would have just kissed him right then and said, "Don't worry, you can be with both of us, it doesn't matter..."
Like it would have worked out.
"I know you better than anyone, Kara. Maybe your actions started to accept me, but still you haven't." She keeps staring out of the window. Two birds come and sit on the window frame.
Then another one comes and sits beside them. The bird in the middle uses its beak to break the worm into two pieces. Maybe that life was not that bad either.
The bird feeds one half to the bird on its right, picks up the other half, and gives it to the bird on the left.
It would have been so much easier if he just understood that. The birds see Sera and fly away.
Sera gets set back with a twitch. "As if life was that easy."
"Ahh, that's enough of my mind. I can't focus on anything like this." She stands up abruptly and walks toward her bookshelf, takes out a novel—Love is a Paradise vol. 3—opens the bookmarked page. "I am just being too dramatic about this stuff, and just being a burden to him, but..... he doesn't even look at me like before."
She turns a page. He doesn't even joke around with me. He.... doesn't feel comfortable being with me.
"Huh, why does my eye feel heavy?" Her vision gets blurry and filled with ripples. Even her inner voice has hard time speaking.
Tip. Tip.
A few drops of her tears fall on the page.
It hurts. It hurts so much. After two years of thinking I lost him, I finally found him, but even then again, this... Will I even get together with him? If that was just the case I should have— She continues as she feels this lump in her throat spiking every time she tries to talk.
No, I am just thinking of myself. She wipes her tears. It must be hard for him too.
Sniff. She clears a little of the tears running down her nose with her handkerchief, but again almost before she starts to tear up—
Fresh air. Yes, fresh air—just what I need. She clears her tears and wipes off her face with a handkerchief.
She walks down the stairs feeling overwhelmed. "Mizuno, I am going out for a bit." She opens the door. her voice shaky almost feel like she could barely speak.
Clack. Dhum.
She walks as she looks around at the lively mood of the city as people buy vegetables and street foods, her cheeks still a bit red. "The city is quite bustling."
She walks slowly with her arms behind her back. Maybe it was better for him when I was just two different persons... I just feel like a third wheel… an accident. She stops walking.
But how would I even do that? Will it even happen?
She looks up.
"Where am I exactly?" She looks at a board that reads Northern Bazar.
It seems I walked quite a mile.
Sniff sniff, she smells a sweet, bready aroma from a nearby store.
"Is there a new cake shop in this area?" She follows her eyes toward the smell.
and sees a shop selling fishcakes.
I have to try this one. She walks toward the food stall.
"Excuse me, can I get this, this, and this?" Sera forgets her tension for a split second."Oh, you have a really good taste, ma'am. Red bean, sour cream, and garam masala with mayo coming right up," the vendor says as he starts preparing the fishcakes.
Sera watches pleasantly at the cooking process of the food she ordered.
Tang tung.
She hears a loud noise of utensils falling to the ground.
She looks toward the sound—a black cat jumps out of a fish store.
"A cat… wait… it has fish in its mouth."
It runs toward Sera. Right before it passes her—
Their eyes meet for a split second. That moment was more than enough for her. What's with its eyes? They're like emeralds...
A shopkeeper comes out of the store. "Hey, you rascal! Get back here! Give me back my fish! Somebody catch that cat!"
"Don't worry, sir! I will catch it!" she shouts, starting to chase the cat. Something is not right with that cat.
The cat runs inside the alley. "Oh no, you're not gonna get away from me!"
Bukish! She jumps on top of a roof and looks into the alley.
"There you are." She sees the cat running down stairs that lead a bit deeper. She jumps.
Swish. Tak tak. She lands softly in front of the cat.
She stands up. "Now kitty, give bac— wait… where did it go?"
She looks here and there, turning her head. I am sure of it. I did see it here just now. But where did it—
Ceakle!!
Sera looks at the crackling bush, putting her guard up.
The cat pops up. "When did it—" She makes eye contact as soon as it appears.
What's with its eyes? The pupil's shape is almost like a shield...
"How are you, miss?" says the cat, taking a few steps while still locking its gaze onto Sera.
"Oi… It talked… Wait, how come you can talk?"
It jumps to the small pillar nearby, still not wavering its eyes.
"Aren't you searching for something? Maybe I was what you're looking for," it says, sitting down.
"Huh? Why? What would you know anything about me?"
The cat starts eating the fish.
Its eyes… they are similar to mine, but it has a shield in its pupil. She almost grabs the weapon in her hand.
"That was quite a good observation, Sera." The cat gives a glare at her.
Sera sweats a little. I can just sense it… This cat is hiding its presence. It's way stronger than me—maybe even stronger than Kara, or even one of the generals of Lanark.
"What… do you want from me?" A hesitant question from Sera.
It starts to lick its paws as it finishes its meal. "I don't need anything from you. I am just following orders."
It stands up.
"Your answers are in the blood of your mother."
Wait, what does he mean by the blood of my mother… my maternal family?
"It seems you catch on quite quickly. That is what I expect from a strategist of B-rank." It starts to stretch its legs.
"Wait—how do you… how much do you kno—"
"Your time's up. I need to go now."The cat jumps and disappears into thin air with a green glow that flashes at her.
Trying to block it, she puts up her hand. The flash rests.
Sera stands there in confusion.