Around 10:30 PM, they finally reached their own town. Estimating they would be at the school in about fifteen minutes, Rai called Zade, who answered on the second ring.
"Close?" Zade asked.
Rai nodded absentmindedly before suddenly realizing he was on a voice call and Zade couldn't see him. "Yeah. In about fifteen minutes, we'll be at the school."
"Okay. I'll be there."
"Mm."
Rai ended the call and wiped his eyes. A heavy wave of sleepiness washed over him. It must be because of the sheer exhaustion of the day, walking around for hours and managing a crowd.
When the bus finally pulled up to the school and they got off, Rai's duties weren't quite over. He had to ensure every single student in his group was safely handed over to their parents.
The process took another half an hour, a detail he had completely forgotten about in his exhaustion. A pang of guilt struck him; Zade was probably freezing or bored out of his mind waiting for him.
