Don't be ridiculous; no one was a fool.
"You wanted us to lure the monsters away for you back then, right?"
Lili bit her lip and finally gave up resisting.
"...Yes..."
"I'm sorry..."
Although this apology might not be worth much.
"It's fine."
"After all, it's the Dungeon; who isn't doing what they can to survive?"
"Everyone relies on their own abilities."
"Miss Tsubaki told us about this."
But unexpectedly, Rin wasn't angry; instead, she stood up boisterously.
"But speaking of which, your escape technique is indeed something. We originally wanted to see if we could catch up to you, but we didn't see you at all along the way."
Was this... a compliment?
Lili was a bit dazed, looking up at this strange girl wearing an ogre mask.
The other party had no intention of pursuing the matter, and didn't even show a hint of anger.
Was this kind of tolerance because they didn't care?
Was it because they were strong?
So strong that they didn't care about a little mouse's schemes at all?
This realization made the bitterness in Lili's heart grow heavier.
But this was also good; she didn't have to worry about being in danger.
"Let's not mention what happened before."
Rin probably had a very straightforward personality; she didn't notice Lili's emotions and waved her hand to turn the page.
"The problem now is, with you injured like this, can you get back alone?"
"I can."
"Lili gets injured often; I'm used to it."
This time, the liar Lili's answer was true.
Getting beaten was a common occurrence for her in the Soma Familia; she had suffered injuries more severe than this. As long as she didn't die, she had to crawl back up and work.
"Used to it?"
Rin frowned, her gaze under the mask somewhat puzzled.
Although she also got injured often,
but this little one...
"What do you mean 'used to it'? How old are you to be used to this kind of thing?"
"If an injury like this isn't treated properly, it will leave a permanent ailment later on."
Lili didn't answer.
How old was she?
Fifteen.
In this city, fifteen was no longer considered young.
Some fifteen-year-olds were already world-renowned powerhouses, like that girl known as the Sword Princess.
Some fifteen-year-olds were still being stepped on in the mud for a few coins.
People's joys and sorrows are not interconnected.
Lili gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.
Using the wall, she propped her body up bit by bit.
"Do you really not need help?"
Rin couldn't help but ask again.
She really couldn't bear to watch.
Although she usually had a carefree personality and had often used knives and guns against people in her original world, where getting injured and bleeding was common.
But this was different.
This little one looked too pitiful.
Her whole body was as dirty as if she had just been fished out of a mud pit, half her face was swollen like a steamed bun, and the way she walked showed her knee was seriously injured.
The key was those eyes.
Her chestnut pupils were full of detachment.
"No... really no need."
Lili didn't look back, her voice muffled, carrying a sense of determination to quickly clear any connection.
"That... thank you again."
"If there's a chance... though there probably won't be..."
She seemed to want to say something polite, but when the words reached her lips, she felt that her impoverished appearance made talking about repayment seem like a joke, so she simply shut her mouth.
She tightened the straps of her backpack and dragged her injured leg, limping toward the exit at the other end of the alley.
Her speed was surprisingly not slow.
That was an instinct honed from a long time of running for her life.
As long as she could still move, she had to run—the further the better.
Rin stood in place, watching that small back look exceptionally thin in the sunlight, like a stray cat abandoned by the whole world.
She instinctively wanted to lift her foot and chase after her.
At least she wanted to help bandage her up.
However.
Before Rin could take a second step,
a hand lightly rested on her wrist.
Rin was startled and looked back.
She saw Inaba Tsukuyo still with her eyes closed, shaking her head slightly at her with a calm expression.
"Tsukuyo?"
Rin was a bit puzzled, her brow furrowed tightly, causing even that Hannya mask to tilt slightly.
"Why are you stopping me?"
"If she walks out like that, what if those bastards from that Familia come back? Or what if her wound worsens?"
"And..."
Rin pointed at the pool of blood on the ground that hadn't dried yet.
"The way she looks, it doesn't seem like she's 'used to it' at all."
"She's just toughing it out."
"I know."
Inaba Tsukuyo's voice was very soft, yet it carried a sense of clarity that saw through the world.
"My Mind's Eye can see it."
"Her breathing is erratic, her heart rate is fast, and her muscles are spasming with every step."
"She is enduring pain unimaginable to ordinary people."
"Then why are you still..."
"But, Rin."
Inaba Tsukuyo let go of her hand and turned slightly to face the direction where Lili had disappeared—though only an empty street remained there now.
"A passerby said she's from the [Soma Familia]."
Tsukuyo's words caused the rebuttal on the tip of Rin's tongue to get stuck in her throat.
[Soma Familia]
This Familia's name was the same as the one those guys from earlier belonged to.
At the time, Rin had thought that since Miss Tsubaki said they were all children of the same primary god, how could they not even be considered companions?
Until today.
She had seen with her own eyes how those burly men beat a young girl from their own Familia half to death over a few magic stones.
The ruthlessness of their strikes was not at all like how one would treat a companion.
"I know it's the Soma Familia..."
Rin's voice trailed off, sounding somewhat muffled.
"But that's exactly why I want to help her even more."
"How is she supposed to survive in there all by herself?"
Rin was straightforward; once she set her mind on what was right, she wouldn't look back.
In her eyes, it was only natural to draw one's sword and help when witnessing an injustice.
It didn't matter which Familia they belonged to.
"You can help her once, but what about the next time?"
Inaba Tsukuyo sighed softly, her eyes slowly turning toward Rin.
"We helped her this time, yet she still refused your aid, and not just because she didn't want to owe a favor."
"It's more because..."
"She's afraid."
"Afraid?"
"Afraid that if we continue to help her..."
"...once she returns to her Familia, all of this will turn into persecution against her."
"Those people will resort to violence over just a few magic stones."
"So, if they find out she can get help from us..."
"...then do you think this is saving her, or harming her?"
Rin was stunned.
She opened her mouth but found herself speechless.
She had only thought of the immediate pain and of pulling the girl out of the mire to clean her up.
But she had forgotten.
That girl still had to return to the mire.
As long as she was still a member of the [Soma Familia], as long as she couldn't leave that environment.
An outsider's kindness can sometimes be the sharpest of blades.
"And..."
Inaba Tsukuyo paused, a rare hint of seriousness entering her tone.
"Miss Tsubaki also said it."
"In Orario, the boundaries between Familias are very distinct."
"Our intervention this time, while an act of justice, counts as interfering in the internal affairs of another Familia."
"The reason that Captain of the Military Police let us go just now was clearly out of respect for Lord Heimer."
"But that doesn't mean we can interfere with other Familias without restraint."
"If we go too far, we'll only cause unnecessary trouble for Lord Heimer."
"Especially with a Familia that's like a cesspool."
"If we get targeted by those mad dogs..."
Inaba Tsukuyo didn't finish her sentence.
But Rin already understood.
She instinctively touched the Hannya mask on her face; the cold sensation helped her heated head cool down slightly.
It was true.
Although Lord Heimer was very strong and kind to them...
...that was no reason for them to cause trouble for him whenever they pleased.
They had only just arrived in this world and had only just found their footing.
If they dragged the entire Familia into that disgusting mire for the sake of a complete stranger...
Rin fell silent.
She lowered her head and looked at the tips of her toes; wood chips from when she had kicked the box were still stuck to her boots.
The suffocating feeling in her chest didn't disappear; instead, it grew heavier.
Is this what growing up is?
Even when you clearly know it's wrong, even when you clearly know that girl is suffering in there.
You can only watch.
You can only weigh the pros and cons, and then choose to stand by and do nothing.
This feeling really sucks.
"Rin."
Sensing her companion's low spirits.
Inaba Tsukuyo stepped forward and gently patted Rin's shoulder.
"It's not that your kindness is wrong."
"Wanting to save someone is never a mistake."
"It's just..."
"...some things can't be resolved just with a moment of hot-bloodedness."
"The shackles on that girl aren't something that can be broken by a single bottle of medicine or a single intervention."
"If she doesn't find a way to escape that mire herself, or if she lacks the determination to completely break that cage."
"No one can save her."
Rin looked up, peering through the eyeholes of her mask at the girl before her, who was several years younger than herself.
She was clearly blind.
She clearly looked soft and weak.
Yet at this moment, Rin felt that Inaba Tsukuyo was much taller than her.
That calmness, that rationality, that clarity to see through the surface to the essence of things.
Indeed.
It was exactly as she said.
In the melting pot of Orario.
Sometimes, living itself is already a war.
People's joys and sorrows are indeed not shared.
That girl carried that massive backpack, dragging herself step by step back to that hell, toiling for her livelihood.
While they could focus on becoming stronger under Lord Heimer's protection.
The chasm between them.
It was deep enough to cause despair.
"Hmph..."
Rin finally let out a somewhat defiant snort, as if to vent the frustration in her chest.
She took a fierce bite of the candy apple in her hand.
The sugar coating cracked, and a cloyingly sweet taste exploded in her mouth, yet it couldn't suppress the bitterness in her heart.
"I understand."
"You're right, Tsukuyo."
"I'm still too green."
Rin turned around, her back to the now-empty alleyway, refusing to look back anymore.
As if by not looking, that sense of powerlessness would lessen.
"Let's go."
"This dump, even the air stinks."
"Let's just get back quickly."
Inaba Tsukuyo didn't say anything.
She simply nodded slightly and caught up with Rin's pace again.
The shadows of the two were stretched long by the midday sun.
One in black, one in white.
The wind blew through the mouth of the alley.
It kicked up some dust, which swirled around the spot where Lili had just fallen.
The bloodstain that had already seeped into the cracks of the stone slabs was quickly covered by the footprints of passersby, becoming blurred and indistinct.
Just like the countless tragedies that occur every day in this city.
In the end, all that remained was an inconsequential sigh.
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