Although Kaito, Luki, Hio, Ona, and that Alice initially rode away from the hideout in the same hovercraft, they separated shortly after landing in a nearby city. Ona and Meiko needed to travel to the academy together, and Kaito and Hio would arrive separately in time for a ball or something. Luki was going to stay within the city, living undercover as he tried to glean more information concerning the Benevolence's contact with the headmistress and lady of the district.
Ona and her new servant immediately boarded another hovercraft after landing, so they were already gone. This left Kaito with the guys, both of whom he was still getting to know. He already missed Ona if only for the familiarity she offered in this unfamiliar place with these unfamiliar people.
This was nothing like the Summer Continent. The perpetual cold had long since set a chill in Kaito's bones that he was sure would take months to thaw when he finally returned home. To his very shock, Kaito learned that the six months of darkness was indeed a fact of the Winter Continent. Unlike the vibrant blues and greens clothing the denizens of Kaito's homeland, it appeared that everyone in the Winter Continent only wore reds and browns and oranges, and not the bright oranges either. This land was so miserable, Kaito would have sworn that he died the day of the attack at the Cinderella Academy and his soul was now forced to wander in purgatory.
"Drink this," Hio said, setting a mug on the table. Kaito had left their shared motel room to sit in the bar by himself. Picking the table closest to the active fireplace, Kaito added the uncomfortable, rickety chair onto his list of complaints as to why this was the worst place in Artemis. He had wanted to be left alone, but Hio had the nerve to show up, offer him a drink, and say, "It will make you feel better."
"No, thank you," Kaito said, pushing the mug away. "I don't drink."
"It's not alcohol," Hio replied as he sat in the chair across from Kaito. When Kaito still didn't reach for the mug, Hio added, "Come on, just try it."
Kaito didn't relent. "I'm not thirsty."
A look of dejection crossed Hio's face, but he stopped pushing Kaito to drink whatever it was he brought.
Trying not to feel guilty for upsetting someone who had only been trying to cheer him up, Kaito turned his attention away from Hio and looked around the motel bar. It was the kind of dump one would expect. The bar tried far too hard to possess a log cabin aesthetic, and the sickly green lights emitting from the walls – the kind of weird technology that was only needed somewhere that spent six straight months in the nighttime – gave the bar an unearthly hue. The smells of urine and vomit singed Kaito's nostrils. Everything about this place made Kaito feel as if he was having a fever dream, if one could have a fever dream in purgatory.
"The girls are going to be okay," Hio said after a moment, mistaking Kaito's sour mood for worry.
"Ona is fully capable of taking care of herself," Kaito said, still avoiding eye contact with Hio. "I know she will be fine. It's everyone who has to deal with her that I'm worried about."
"Yeah, that's how I feel about Meiko. Haha, I suppose with those two together, there's really no reason to worry."
Kaito's disdain at the mention of that Alice must have shown on his face, for Hio said, "You know, Meiko's not that bad once you get to know her. I think once you get past her hard shell, you will learn to like her. She's fierce, but that also includes in loyalty."
"What is it with you and the Alice that you are trying to get me to think of her positively?" Kaito asked, now finally looking at Hio. "Other than Al, you seem to be the one she tolerates the most. Are you two together or something?"
Hio's cheeks turned a bright shade of red. Stuttering only a little, he answered, "N-no! I-I mean, we're not—Look, Kaito, Meiko and I are not involved like that in any sort of way. I respect her, both as a teammate and as a person. I care for her like a long-lost sister, and nothing more. Besides, Meiko's only nice to me to make up for how mean she was at first."
When Kaito didn't respond, Hio added, "Do you think you're the only one Meiko has given a bad first impression of herself to? She stabbed Big Al when they first met. Now he watches over her like she's his surrogate daughter. Give Meiko a chance. I don't know what her story is, but I'm sure the only reason she keeps people at such a distance is to protect herself."
"I think instead of protecting herself from us," Kaito muttered, "we need to be protected from her."
Hio shook his head. If there was something he wanted to say, he didn't voice it. Kaito didn't ask him to say it regardless.
"There you two are!" Luki strolled up to their table, pulled a chair from the table next to Kaito's, and sat uninvited between Kaito and Hio. "I've been looking for you bastards. Since our lady friends will begin phase one of the plan very soon, I wanted to get with you two to see what plots you concocted."
"None as of now," Kaito said, not really pleased to see the pinket. "Hio here was just trying to get me to play nice with the Alice."
"Well, I ain't going to argue with him about that," Luki replied. "The last thing we need is you two causing a ruckus in the school."
"I'm sensing you want to adjust the plan," Hio said, turning his body in the chair so that he was fully facing Luki. "Would you prefer Kaito and I do not keep our distance from the girls?"
"You got it, Hio, my boy." Luki leaned back in his chair and placed his hands by the back of his head. "You see, I've been doing some thinking: Why on earth would Kaito and Ona not interact? I mean, you two were at the academy the time of the attack. Not to mention Ona was friends with Kaito's ex-fiancée."
Kaito's heart dropped. Eyes shifting towards Hio, Kaito watched as shock and surprise ignited the younger boy's face. However, Hio said nothing about the revelation.
"Since Kaito and Ona have these connections," Luki explained, carelessly waving a hand in the air, "it makes absolutely no sense for the two to keep their distance. That's why I thought, 'You know what? The two should definitely interact! Maybe pretend to develop feelings for each other or something.' Think about it, Kaito. If everyone catches wind that you and Ona already know each other, it would be more suspicious if you two don't interact than if you do. Besides, having you two converse in the open means it will be easier to pass on secret information when necessary. That way, nobody has to sneak around. Pretty brilliant, don't you think?"
No response arose in Kaito. Instead, he kept his mouth shut lest the fury of Luki casually mentioning Kaito's ended relationship to Hio release. Kaito was already dreading the long list of condolences Hio was bound to release first chance he got.
That was why it was up to Hio to respond, "You make an excellent point, Luki; and since I'm supposed to be Kaito's bodyguard, that should give me opportunities to communicate with Meiko as well. The four of us will still get to work closely together, and we'll be able to do so without arousing suspicion."
"Glad to see you using that thinker, buddy." Luki turned to Kaito and showed him a mischievous smile. "How about you, lord? Running away to hide from your broken heart is a nice cover. I mean, why else would someone from the Summer Continent run to this hellscape?"
"I like my home, thank you," Hio muttered, looking away from Luki as if wanting to voice his opinion without starting a confrontation.
"You thought of everything," Kaito eventually forced between gritted teeth.
His smirk widening, Luki said, "Excellent, we have the perfect cover. Now if I can just count on you chuckle ducks to not mess everything up, we'll be having the headmistress give us all her information on a silver platter. Well, I'm off to get drunk. You two work out the kinks in your stories, all right? See you later!"
After Luki walked away to approach the bartender, Kaito turned his attention to Hio. Kaito wasn't sure which condolence Hio was going to offer first, but "sorry to hear about your broken engagement" was along those lines. That was why Kaito was genuinely shocked when Hio stood from the table without any mention of the news.
"I'll see you when you come back to the room, or in the morning. Whichever comes first." Hio then offered a slight nod, then walked away. Kaito wasn't sure if he was relieved or mad that Hio acted as if he didn't care about what Luki had so casually revealed.
Now that he was once again alone, Kaito looked at the mug Hio had set on the table. Picking it up, Kaito took a sip without first investigating what it was. A sweet, rich sensation hit Kaito's taste buds. The drink was now cold, but Kaito knew what Hio had given him. A slight sense of guilt hit Kaito as he realized just how unnecessarily rude he had been to Hio.
The bar didn't serve hot chocolate. Kaito had looked over the menu multiple times only to conclude that everything here was strong drink, which was the last thing he needed with his heart and mind being in the state they were in. In order for Hio to have hot chocolate to give to Kaito, Hio had to take from his own personal reserves.
When Miku returned from her meeting with her father a day ago, she had been silent and distant as if she walked through a dream. Rin didn't need to ask Miku what she had been told. The evidence communicated to Rin everything that had been said.
Everyone in the manor had been skittish around Rin. She didn't blame them. With the news of Juliet riots circulating every network in the Venus District, Rin knew nobody was going to look at her and not wonder when it was going to be her turn to join these riots.
That confrontation with Miku's mother had yet to cease from Rin's mind. It was still fresh as if it had happened that morning. Without anyone telling her, Rin knew it was only a matter of time before Miku's parents found some way to get rid of Rin. It was not as if they needed to try hard, either. The only opposition they were going to encounter was from their daughter.
And that was exactly what Mr. Hatsune had demanded of Miku.
Miku will never tell me to leave, Rin thought as yet another hour passed in which Rin knew what was coming without Miku telling her. If she doesn't, her parents will. By staying a moment longer, I'm only causing her more and more pain.
While Miku and her family ate dinner in what Rin was sure was tense silence, she excused herself from serving in the dining room on the reason of a headache. Normally it was not a Juliet's position to request to be excused from serving, but Mrs. Hatsune found Rin such an eyesore that the lady was more pleased by a Juliet getting out of work than remaining to do the job. Not that Rin's absence was bound to make the meal any more enjoyable for the family.
The moment she entered Miku's room, Rin locked the door behind her and got to work. With a small bag she had gotten from her days in the academy, Rin packed the few belongings she owned: two changes of clothes, a pair of walking shoes, a hairbrush, and her pendant. Once those were packed away and hidden under Miku's bed, Rin grabbed Miku's tablet and pulled up a map of the Equinox Continent.
With the map printed to a hard copy, Rin folded it into half twice before stuffing it in the bag as well. Where she would go, Rin did not know yet. Nowhere was going to be safe. Everywhere she went, someone was bound to hate her and want to kill her for the tattoo she bore. However, Rin would have to think about all that later. In that moment, her biggest priority was getting away from the Hatsune manor. Everything from there she would have to make up as she went along.
When Miku finally returned from dinner, Rin was lying on the best and flipping through the tablet – "Ms. Megurine sent you her collection of Ms. Yuzuki's stories as well as the novel Ms. Yuzuki started. She wanted to know your thoughts before reaching out to Ms. Yuzuki's family about publicizing the works." Although Rin had spent fifteen minutes lying down and feigning lazily swiping through the tablet, her heartrate had yet to stop racing. The knowledge of what she was about to do refused to leave Rin's front of mind. Sneaking out into the night and running away was something Rin had wanted to do for a long time, but that was in her past life. Now, she could not imagine running away from Miku, but it was not as if she had another choice. If Miku knew, she would try to talk her out of it. As painful as sneaking away was going to be for Rin and Miku both, it would be less painful than if Rin stayed and Miku's parents were the ones who finally got rid of Rin.
Miku accepted the tablet from Rin and looked through it with little expressed interest. Her eyes lingered on an occasional story for a moment or two, but for the most part, Miku didn't really seem to care for the works of her deceased friend. It was as if all the light in Miku's eyes was being put out, and there was little desire to reignite the spark before it vanished.
If this is how Miku's acting now, Rin thought as she pulled her knees to her chest, it's going to be really hard for her when she wakes up tomorrow morning and I'm not there. . . . Nonetheless, this is better for her. Without my interfering in her life, she will be able to live as she was meant to live – with the stars aligning for her and everything her heart desires being available to her. I am nothing but a hindrance to her. One day she will realize this and will be grateful that I left.
Although Rin kept telling herself such, she struggled to believe that it was true. Miku was not one to have others tell her how to live her life, although more people than Miku's parents persisted in trying. If Miku did not believe Rin should flee, no amount of time would ever change Miku's mind regardless how events played out going forward.
By the time night fell and Miku prepared for bed, Rin's heart escalated even higher. At no point was Rin's anxiety eased. Adrenaline coursed through every fiber of her being. Rin was sick with dread. When she would finally flee the manor and be many miles away, Rin knew she was going to crash with exhaustion, both physical and emotional.
After both girls were prepared for bed and slipped under the covers, all without either saying a word, Rin began to count the minutes. Miku never took long to fall asleep, and she was always out till morning when she finally drifted off. Fleeing in the night was not going to be difficult for Rin when Miku slept like the dead.
About three or four hours later, Rin, who had been too anxious for falling asleep to be a risk, slowly wiggled out of bed and silently dropped to the floor. Reaching under the bed, she grabbed her bag and pulled it towards her. When she sat upright again, Rin nearly cried out in surprise.
Miku, who was not asleep, peered over the bed and looked at Rin with wide eyes. Stuttering, Rin tried and failed to give Miku any sort of excuse as to why she was on the floor. However, any explanation, true or false, was unnecessary.
"I knew you were going to try to sneak away," Miku said, sitting upright in bed.
Knowing there was no point in denying it, Rin replied, "I can't stay here."
"I know." Miku removed the sheets from over her body and began to stand. "That's why you're not the only one who's been planning her great escape."
Rin's throat went dry. "You can't come with me."
"Oh, yes, I can." Miku walked to her closet, opened the door, reached inside, and pulled out her own bag. "I was told I had to get rid of you. Well, getting rid of you means getting rid of myself as well. I'm not abandoning you."
"No, Miku, you should stay here with your family. I should go alone."
Shaking her head, Miku firmly stated, "Any family that won't accept you is no family of mine."
As much as Rin wanted to argue, she knew it would be futile. Miku's mind was made up, and there was no changing it. This left her with only one thing left to say to the Cinderella.
"In that case, any idea where we want to run?"