It is a late afternoon in the academy, right after the last class ended. After a short catching up with her friends about their different afternoon plans, Katarina went straight back to her room in the dormitory to change into farming-suitable attire. Usually, her time after class is mostly spent hanging out with her friends. They would gather either in the student council's office or set a blanket near her field and have a picnic. Maria would bring freshly made muffins, Gerald would bring some of those high-class sweets from the cafeteria, and Anne would bring them refreshments either hot or cold depending on the weather.

They can't go with the usual for today, however. Earlier today, they mentioned that there was urgent work that they had to complete, something about pending paperwork and council stuff which is nearing their deadline hence they will 'all' be working to finish them up. On the other hand, they promised that they could hang out later as soon as they were done. She of course offered to help, and Mary seemed to be delighted with the idea but they collectively refused her offer. They requested her instead to be somewhere nearby so they could find her as soon as they were finished.

It is because of that is why she is practically alone this afternoon.

During the class, half of her mind wonders about what she can do on her own to pass the time. The first idea that comes to her mind is to retreat to her bedroom and take a nap, but Anne would not let her. She said that it would mess with her body clock and she would end up sleeping later in the night and wake up much later in the morning. The second idea is to wander around the city, especially in the market district. She heard that a new cafe opened there with interesting sweets and other selections. Sadly, this idea is immediately shut down as she checks her purse. Her budget is already in the red, courtesy of the seeds and fertilizers that she bought earlier this month. From that last thought, she came up with a better plan to spend her afternoon.

She would cater to her field instead. This is normally scheduled during the morning, before the start of classes just right before the sun starts to climb its peak. As of now, the sun is still far from ending the day but is now at a good angle up there in the west. The shade from the trees and the dormitory itself now covers most of her field so it is safe to work on it now. Not that she minded being bathed with sunray but what she's worried about instead is Anne scolding her if she ends up staying under the open sun for long... again.

Upon reaching her room, she immediately notices a letter left above the table. It was a notice from Anne saying that she had to run an urgent errand for Mother. That... and also about the basket of cupcakes in their cupboard.

She quickly changes into her green farming clothes. Unlike her usual dress, this has no accessories at all, just a pair of boots, pants, and a shirt which not only are easier to wear but a lot more comfortable too. There was also supposed to be a white scarp that she had to wear over her head but she couldn't find it in her closet. Well...she will just tie her hair in a ponytail and be done with it.

With a canteen of fresh water in one hand, a half-eaten cupcake in the other, and garden shears secured at her belt, she then beelined towards her verdant field.

The task waiting for her is simply the same task she left this morning. Clean out the weeds and trim off dead branches. Most of her eggplants and tomatoes already bear fruits but they would still need a week to fully ripen. The carrots can be readily harvested now, but she believes they can still grow bigger. Nevertheless, she would pull a couple of them for tonight's supper.

"Heave Ho!" She lightly yelled to herself as she tried to pull a carrot. It has already been nudged with her [Earth Bump] but the pesky produce is still firmly attached to the ground. She tries again a couple more times until the stem, unfortunately, snaps on her last attempt. At a quick pace, her vision shifts away from the forsaken root crop and she is now looking into the skies, at least until a masked face blocks her view.

Instead of falling on her butt, she felt an arm around her back catching her before she falls flat onto the ground courtesy of a stranger who just suddenly appeared behind her.

"Are you alright, miss?" The stranger asked.

"Yes, the stem just snapped. Thank you for catching me." She answered.

"Yeah, I saw it!" He chuckled "Let's get you back on your feet." He then assisted her to stand again.

"Thank you again!" She bowed slightly and thanked him once more. She doesn't see much of his image when he catches her, not only because of the mask but also due to the shade caused by his wide hat. Now that they are standing in front of each other, she takes a good look at the stranger, looking at him from head to toe.

He is wearing a white fedora with a wide and angular brim, which covers his smooth silver hair that extends up to his shoulder. His face is covered with a black mask down from his nose and a pair of glasses with large circular lenses covers his eyes and most of the upper half of his face. Due to light reflecting on the lenses, she failed to have a proper look at his eyes. As for his attire, he is wearing an open long coat, a vest, and a shirt matched with pants and tall boots almost reaching up to his knee. With the exception of the mask and his tie, which are black, his whole outfit is white. Well, there's a hint of grey on it but for the sake of simplicity, she will just think of it and remember it as white.

'Is he a doctor?'

"Don't mention it."The stranger then looks at her weirdly and tilts his head " Aren't you a little young to be a gardener? At least compared to those I usually see. "

"Uhmmm, no. I'm not a gardener, I'm a student." She corrected him.

"Oh! My apologies, "He briefly lowered his head in apology and then scratched his chin " Still it doesn't make it less odd. The last time I checked, the school nearby was a magic academy for nobles. I never thought they teach agriculture there."

"They don't. Wait! I'm not...sure, hmmm..." She mimicked his action as she wondered about it as well.

"Well, if this field is not for academic purposes, then why is there one here? Moreover, why are you..." He looked at the crop she was pulling a while ago. Its leaves and stem were torn off but a part of its orange bulb is poking out from the ground. "...pulling a carrot?"

"They are for tonight's dinner!" She answered enthusiastically. "I planted them two months ago and I believe that I did a fine job growing them. Now, if it will simply cooperate with me harvest them..." She crouches and tries pulling the carrot again, without the stem grip on it, she tries holding it directly on the exposed bulb of the produce. Sadly, that too breaks as well as she pulls it.

"Noooo!" She yelled in dismay. More concerned about the broken carrot than her fall. Thankfully, the stranger catches her yet again.

"Let me help you with that." He offered. He then taps the ground near the crop with his foot and the rest of the carrot bursts out from its burrow. It tumbles in the air as it falls on top of her, which she easily catches.

"Yes!" She chirped. Not only that it a good-sized carrot, but it is branched into a downward Y shape, which explains why it gave a good fight. A fight that she technically lost but given that her opponent will be a part of tonight's dinner, she definitely has the last laugh. Embracing the carrot on her chest, she bows and thanks her helper anew. "You can have one too!" She offered.

"Thank you, but I'm gonna pass. I'm not here for carrot" He waved his hands in refusal.

"No need to be shy. They taste good, I promise!" She insisted "How about an eggplant or tomatoes? Most of them are yet to ripe but I'm sure we can find some that we can harvest early!" She then proudly presents the rest of the crops. "Anything here in my field is for the taking!"

"A noble lady farming crops on her 'own' field." He commented. Looking around, he saw nothing like this place. All other gardens are filled with flowers of different colors which fits the 'Royal' stigma of the place. "What? You got bored with flowers?"

"My plants also bear flowers!" She argued. " I just like them better because they also bear something edible afterward!"

Her helper falls silent for a short while and then chuckles for a bit before letting out a full belly laugh. He is laughing hard to the point that he is holding his stomach and covering his masked face to control his laughter. She just watches him dumbfoundedly.

"I'm sorry!" He apologized between his laughs "I just didn't expect" he continued to laugh some more.

She was confused about his actions but did not think of it any further.

His laughter died down a short while later. "Please forgive my outburst. I don't mean to mock you nor that I mean any offences. In fact, I'm impressed with that reason of yours, practical and wonderful."

"...ahhh right, it's fine, none taken." She assured. "So... did anything here catch your fancy?"

"As a matter of fact yes. " He confirmed." Though, I'm sure she didn't grow in your field, or in any other field. HAHAHA,".

She just smiled awkwardly at his joke.

"...ehem." He coughed on his hand and clears his throat. "I'm actually looking for someone. A beautiful lady, just a little taller than you and probably working as a maid around here." With a snap of a finger, a semi-translucent window appears in front of her. From it, she saw something that she never expected to see in this world.

The window plays a scenery that she recognizes as the nearby town. In the center, a maid that she definitely recognizes passes through the scene and drops a white piece of cloth, or perhaps a scarp. A hand is seen picking up the piece of cloth before the view switches to the direction in which the maid went, to which the said maid was already inside a carriage that immediately left the area. The play then rewinds to the part where Anne passes through the scene and stops.

It's not the scene that actually made her wonderstruck, but how the scene is viewed and shown to her. It's a video, and it's the first time she's ever seen one since she got Isekaid on this world. Not just that, the way he has shown it to her is a method that as far as he knows, is not even yet possible from the world she came from.

The technology from where she came from was capable of making devices that can play videos and are small enough to fit on your hand. Every modern phone is surely capable of recording and playing them. The method she just saw, however, is even beyond those. The videos were played on a portrait that appeared out of thin air. She had never actually seen one before but she did see them in a couple of movies and games. From where she has originated, this technology is called...

"Horoguramu(Hologram)..." She silently muttered, unknowingly.

"Oh~!" He snapped curiously at her "How did you know what this is called? Have you seen one before ojou-chan?"

Her eyes widen as she realizes that she just said something literally out of this world. "N-no! I mean.. just...uhm.. I r-read it somewhere before. Yes, from a book somewhere. hehehe." She vehemently denied it. Well, she's not lying technically, she has definitely read it somewhere before.

"Well...I believe you." The hologram between them vanished. "It's just odd. I have never told anyone what these are, and as far as I recall, I am the only one here that can make them."

"Is that so? Well... hahaha..." She laughs nervously, eager to dismiss the topic.

"Anyway, the weather is quite hot lately."

"I agree... hahaha... "

"It's the middle of summer after all... It is still this hot even this later in the afternoon." He then puts his hand inside the pocket of his coat and rummages for something, then pulls out a couple of cans and extends his hands to her. The condensation around them shows that they are clearly cold. "I assume you have been working here in your field for quite a while now. Care for a drink?"

"Yes!" She chirped and gladly snatched the orange-colored can. With one swift movement and without the use of her other hand which is still holding the carrot, she easily opens the can with just her thumb effortlessly pulling the tab out of its latch. Within the next few seconds, half of the can's content was efficiently chugged followed by a delighted 'ah'.

"Anata wa sore ga sukidesuka? (do you like it?)"

"Hai, zenkai kara kanari jikan ga tatte shimaimashita…(Yes, It's been forever since I last time... )" Her sudden realization of what she just did felt colder than the beverage she had just drank. Looking at the stranger, the remaining can of soda in his hand was still unopened, she felt extremely wary of him as he was staring at her. With the exception of his glasses which were now glowing white, his whole face is covered by darkness.

"You're not from here, are you?"

Munch

Tears welled up from Katarina's eyes as her afternoon went way beyond what she had expected.

Munch Crunch

Perhaps it wasn't wrong to cry after all, she didn't even realize how long has she been suffering.

Chomp Munch Gulp Gulp

How long has it been since then? Seven? Eight years? Even so, there's no way she can forget.

"I meiss thiyis, I myiss thyem syo myuch!" She cried.

"Hey! Swallow first before you speak. I can barely understand you!" He scolded her.

The duo were no longer in the carrot field but under the shade of a nearby tree. At first, Katarina honestly thought that she would be in deep trouble now that someone figured her out. Fortunately, she was wrong. The stranger determined right away that she was from Earth, even the country where she was from. He simply asked how long she had been here, how old is he before she got Isekaid and what is the exact date of her last day on Earth. Afterward, he gave her the remaining can of soda he was holding and pulled out a couple of Snickers and Mars chocolate bars from his pocket. All were devoured in less than a minute which prompted him to bring up more and they ended up having an impromptu picnic. Assorted snacks and refreshments, all supposedly not existent in this world, were laid on the small scarf that they are now using as a makeshift picnic blanket. The scarp was obviously not that big so they settled on just filling it with the treats and they sat down directly atop the grass.

She was practically inhaling the snacks, especially the potato chips. The carrot she was previously holding was set aside and replaced with a large bottle of lemon soda. He stopped giving her the ones in cans as she easily finished them off in one gulp. Even the two-liter bottle she's holding right now is already halfway through. In a just brief moment, trash was already piling up and some of the wrappers were even blown by the wind. Thankfully, they were flying in the stranger's direction so he easily caught them in the air.

"Mind the trash, go pin them with that carrot so they won't get carried by the wind!"

"Rwight!" gulp gulp "Sorry!" She does as she had been told then quickly resumes her meal.

Is it healthy? Definitely not. Would she stop? Definitely not as well.

"You may want to slow down, At that rate you were eating, you'll have a stomach ache later."

"It'll be worth it!... Do you still have some of the barbeque flavored {brand name} Nachoz?"

"Suit yourself!" He pulls out another pack of the snacks she requested from his pocket and tosses it to her. She tries to catch it mid-air but misses and the bag instead bounces off her forehead but she doesn't mind that at all.

"Thanks!"

They remained silent again. Well, almost silent. Different sounds of delight along with sounds of chewing and gulping were coming from her. As for her companion, he just leaned his back on the tree and continued to watch her but he also replenished the contents of the blanket from time to time.

After a while, she slowed down eating to the rate a normal person would but still continued to eat.

"Is it really alright that I eat all of this?"

"For your health? No. Besides, you just ate a huge load of them and you just wonder now if it's alright?"

"I can't help it. But now that I think of it, how did you even get this?"

"Magic." He shrugged.

"You don't have a bag, you carry this all in your pockets?"

"Yes."

"How?"

"Magic."

"WOW!" She finished all the remaining food that was already opened along with the remaining soda in her bottle. An unladylike bench then escapes her throat which makes her cover her mouth followed by an embarrassed laugh.

"Ahhh no... How much do I owe you for this? I don't have any money with me right now, but I'll definitely pay you once I get my allowance."

"Nah, don't worry about it."

"But this surely cost you a lot, right? I mean I'm sure you could have sold those for a lot of money. I know I would!"

"Trust me, selling those will only bring a lot of trouble than they are worth. I only gave them to you since I'm sure I do not need to explain what are they to you. "

"But you could also just eat them yourself."

"It's fine, I can have them anytime."

"Really?! Where are you getting them from? Is there a secret transdimensional supermarket or convenience store around?"

"I already told you where I am getting them." He beams forward at her to see something that is hidden behind his coat so she leans forward to peak. From there, she saw her hand emit a faint glow and from there, a yellow can of soda materialized from the light. "See? Magic." He pulls his hand out of his coat and proceeds to drink the newly summoned refreshment.

"WOAH!" Her eyes were wide from amazement. "So you can just make them like that for free?"

"Just don't tell this to their companies, they'll surely sue me off for illegal production." He jokes.

"Damn! I wish could do that!" She replied, letting herself fall onto the ground laying flat on the grass. "I can barely make a bump on the ground with my magic."

"Uh-huh?" He responded though sounding unconvinced.

"Anyway, I'm really grateful for the food and drinks. I really owe you one. How about this!" She jumps back to her feet with ease and finest, only letting out a short grunt. "You can ask me anything and I'll do it for you!" She declared loudly, arms crossed and standing proudly.

Bonk! She then felt something hit her forehead.

"Owu" She immediately covers her head, nursing the pain and protecting it from further assault. "What was that for!"

"You're a lady for fuck sake, don't go spouting such promise for just a handful of snacks!" This time, he pinches and pulls her nose.

"OW! I'm sorry! AAHH! Please let go of my nose!" She tries to force his hand open to free her nose. Unfortunately for her, his hand didn't even budge and the least she could do was to stop him from pulling his nose. He let her go after a couple of seconds.

"Baka! aho! Remember that pain as a lesson. What if I hold you to that promise and take advantage of it? You'll surely get yourself in trouble Ojou-chan."

"Yes, but I feel that I could trust you! You don't seem to be a bad person."

"Let me pull your nose again to prove a point!" He reaches for her nose again, to which she responds by docking below his hand while her own hides her face as she turns around.

"Okay, Okay! I got it! Sheesh! I just want to pay you back with something." She retorted.

"And I told you it's fine! If you want to get even, how about answering my inquiry from a while ago? We have been completely sidetracked."

"What question?"

"The lady that I showed in the video, do you know how her or not?"

"Oh, that!" She clapped her hands together. "That's Anne. She's my maid." She quickly answered.

"Is that so?" His tone definitely has a hint of interest. "How long has she been working for you?"

" I'm not sure, but she's already with me as far as I remember, even before I got my memories from past life."She explained. " I never asked really. I'm just glad that she's taking care of me." She continued.

"So you two were close then?"

"Hai! She's the closest one I have to having a sister, I even call her 'Onee-chan' sometimes. She was confused at first but I think she's used to it by now. Te-he!"

"That's great!" Katarina could not see his face but she was sure that he was smiling behind that mask. "Hey, you mentioned that you owe me one right? How about you tell me more about her?"

"Didn't you say that it's fine?"

Sigh! "I indeed say that. How about I keep those remaining snacks on the blanket?"

"Sure, what do you want to know exactly?" She immediately agreed.

"Let's start with her preference, can you tell what gifts she likes? What kind of flowers?"

"Let me think... hmmm" she raised her hand to her chin. "I think she mentio- wait a minute!" A realization just suddenly dawned on her. A smirk crawls on her face extending ear to ear.

'The dropping of a handkerchief, him asking for Anne's interest... '

"Hey! Just give me the details already! You already agreed to tell me!" He complained.

"I don't know. It just felt wrong to tell them to a stranger. Nee-sama might not like it if she knew that I've been talking about her behind her back..." She tries to whistle to make the act more convincing but she can only make a blowing sound.

"Fine, I'll give you another bottle of that orange Soda."

"Make it Five!" She demanded.

"Two, and don't push it. I at least know that I can find her here so I can just ask her myself."

"Hmpp!" She pouted. "Fine!"

He conjures two additional large bottles of the requested soda which she quickly snatches happily.

"Thank you for your patronage! Now, about my Nee-sama you see..."

That trade appears to be a bad deal, at least if you ask the stranger, that is. It turns out Katarina doesn't know much about anything useful. She told him quite some details but it's mostly about her personal relationship with the maid like what she must and must not do to avoid getting Anne mad. She also listed out what her maid usually does for her, or what she thinks she does when they are not together.

At the very least, she stated that her Nee-sama is not seeing anyone at the moment, nor is anyone else asking her out.

"Now that I think of it, I have no idea what Nee-sama actually likes. I don't remember seeing her being fond of something. Now I feel bad." She worried. The stranger could only facepalm and sigh.

They fall in another moment of (almost) silence. Katarina let out some mellow grunts as she scraped her mind for anything that her maid liked. It took a while until a little memory dawned on her.

"I remember something!" She softly yelled, placing her fist atop her palm. "I once saw her pick a wildflower on her own. I remember it because it's the first flower I saw in this world that I didn't recognize from Earth. "

He let out another sigh before raising his head "Better than nothing I supposed. Can you describe how it looks?"

"It's very beautiful!"

"Yes, that's very helpful, It really does narrow the list. Anything else? Color? Shape? "

"Hmmmm" She raised her trying to recall the memory further. "It looks white."

"What do you mean it looks white?"

"I recall it being color white, but I also recall it being color blue?"

"Hmmm, when you saw this flower, is it day or night?"

"Is the sunset considered a day or night? Late afternoon?"

"About the flower, you said that it's either white or blue. On your memory when it is blue, is already dark by then?"

"Well, not completely, I think we are just under the shade or something."

"Okay. About the color again, Is it actually blue, or is it emitting a bluish glow?"

"Yes, you describe it right!" She confirmed. "It is indeed glowing blue! I recall asking her why but she said she doesn't know as well. She then offered the flower to me but I refused. It will look a lot better on her than me."

"Umu..." A new holographic window appeared between them showing multiple flowers in different shapes that fit the details she described. "Can you point out which?" He asked, pointing out the different flowers on the screen.

"The one on the bottom right." She quickly pointed out. "The one attached to the tree trunk."

"You never saw an orchid before back on Earth?"

"Orchids from Earth don't glow!"

"Point taken." He dismissed the hologram with a wave of his hand while simultaneously conjuring a bouquet of the said flower.

"Woa!" She gasped in awe. "That's... beautiful!"

"As it should be if I'm going to impress a lady. Do you think this should be enough for a great first impression?"

"Good, but could be better. You should include some chocolate."

"And what if she doesn't like sweets?"

"Oh, C'mon! Every girl loves sweets!" She guaranteed. "And even if she doesn't, rest assured that it won't go to waste!" She gave him a thumbs up.

"Why am I not convinced?" He commented. "Anyway, where is she? I mean, if she's your personal maid, isn't she supposed to be always with you or at least somewhere close?"

"Mother summoned her back home for something urgent but she should return before evening. "

"Would it be alright if I wait for her here?"

"Sure, but my friends may also arrive any moment. Will that be fine?"

"Yes, though I suggest that you hide those knickknacks." He pointed to the collection of goodies she collected from him. "Not that I'm asking you to be greedy but I advise against sharing them, with your friends unless they are otherworlders like you. "

"Ehhh!" She protested. "But I'm sure they'll like them as well. Mary would surely like that Cadbury bar."

"Just trust me on this. Unless you have a good answer prepared in your nogging if they asked where all this came from." He then switched from jovial to a severe voice. "And I swear, if you tell this on anyone, I'm not going to make them again." He warned.

"Hai!" She agreed and posed in a military salute.

"Good girl!" He pats her head."Now go hide it in your room or somewhere while the place is still desolated."

"Okay, let me just get them first!"

Using the same scarp they used as a makeshift picnic blanket as a knapsack, she carried all of her goodies at once, slinging them at her back, making her look like those people who ran away or were kicked out of their homes with barely anything.

"Wait! Stop!" He grabbed her arm to stop her from running away. The girl may be eccentric and all but she'll definitely raise suspicion if anyone sees her like that. "Put them here instead." He then gave her a medium size blue pouch bag. "This is a magic bag that can hold a way lot more than it looks. Its appearance and weight will also not change regardless of how much you put on it. Just don't put anything alive inside though."

"Like a bag of holding!" She exclaimed.

"Yes, that is actually how it is called." He commented.

She accepted the bag from him and then proceeded to directly stuff the whole knapsack inside the bag without bothering to transfer the contents one by one.

"It really didn't change at all, huh? Neet!" She commented. "Let me just take this to my room and I'll be right back!"

"Alright, take your time!" He replied as Katarina sprinted towards her room.

After hiding the bag inside her secret space in her room along with the 'Doom Avoidance' notes, Katarina hurried back to her field. Unlike how she left him, however, there is now another odd creature on her farm.

Alongside the stranger is a large white owl. To call it large seems to be an understatement. The stranger himself is already a head taller than her and even he is dwarfed by the size of the owl. By her estimate, the bird should be at least the size of a carriage, perhaps even bigger. They appeared to be conversing until both of them looked at her synchronously.

Hooo? The owl hoots, tilting its head as it looks at her.

"Ahhh... He-hello?" She greeted the owl, not sure how to react. However, there's no hiding that she is amazed at what she is seeing.

"Ojou-chan, it's great that you're back. " He calls her. "This is Hoots. She came to pick me up" He pointed at the Owl which politely bowed at her. "It seems that am urgently needed somewhere, I'm afraid that I won't be able to wait for your sister. Would you do me a favor and give this to her for me?." He then handed Katarina the bouquet of orchids.

"Sure..." She accepted the flowers.

"Thank you! I'll really appreciate it if you don't tell anyone about me as well. I kinda just sneaked in here." He admitted followed by a short chuckle.

Seeing that the stranger was about to leave, Katarina suddenly felt a strange heaviness in her chest. Or perhaps is it desolation? She has known him for about a couple of hours at most yet she feels lonely seeing him leave.

"Wait!" She stopped him impulsively, grabbing his sleeves with her vacant hand.

"Yes?" He looked back at her.

"I-a..." She stammered. She shouldn't have done that. Despite what happened in the last few hours, they should still be strangers, but that is not what she feels this time.

For the eight years that she has stayed in this world, she has always kept herself shut about her being an otherworlder. For all those years she remained silent about how she missed her old days of being a regular teenage girl from her previous world, not worrying about how to be a proper lady, not thinking about different whatnots of nobility, and most of all, not double guessing her every decision in fret of ending up in doom. They may be but a handful of treats and refreshments but from the last couple of hours, she was able to relieve a memory, a nostalgia that she never thought she would feel again. This stranger. No. She would like to think of him as a friend, who has been an illuminating light to her, and now he is leaving.

"Will I ... " She hesitated but continued nonetheless. "Will we be seeing each other again?" She asked.

"Of course?..." He tilted his head and answered "I thought you already figured that I am... interested in your maid. Unless you are planning to fire her anytime soon, I'm sure that I'll be seeing you again soon." He then pats her head and brushes her hair. Effectively dispelling the melancholic gloom she was feeling. "On second thought, perhaps you should indeed fire her. Then I will hire her for my house!" He jokingly suggested.

"No, I won't!" She retorted happily. "Anne is mine, I will not hand her to anyone."

"We'll see about that." He challenges her. "Anyway, I really have to leave now." The bird lowered its back to him to which he climbed and mounted. "Make sure to bring those flowers to Miss Anne!" He waves at her as the owl extends its majestic wings, and with one flap, the bird shoots up into the sky and flies away.

She was slightly taken aback by the sudden gust of wind but she waved goodbye as they flew out of her sight. Looking at the sky, she noticed that it was starting to get dark as the sun was just about finished setting. It seems that her friends won't be coming anymore so she will just retreat back to her room and wait for Anne there.

""Katarina!""
"Lady Katarina!"

Or not,

She then heard her friend's voice calling her, along with multiple rapid footsteps approaching.

"Hello!" She turned towards their direction and greeted them right away. She was confused about their expression though. Some of them are smiling while others do have slightly worried expressions. They all, however, seem panting as if they just ran a marathon. "Are you guys alright?" She then approached Kit and wiped the sweat on his forehead with her handkerchief, just like the proper big sister that she is. "What the hurry? Did something happen?"

"We're alright!" Mary answered, squeezing between Katarina and Keith before embracing her arm.

"Yes, we are all good." Geordo Calmy followed. Holding Keith on his shoulder and slowly pulling him behind as he overtook him. "Moreover, who is that... man you were talking to?"