Chapter 3

 "...Alright. Uh, I know Celine said this earlier, but there really isn't much to look at in my case. Sorry if it's boring." Blaze shut the door behind her, sighing.

...There really wasn't much to look at. The walls were a light blue (assumingly the color of the bedrooms, since both Ettie and Celine had them too), but there wasn't any decoration. There were two beds, a lamp, a closet... and a plain desk with a notebook for "mission planning" (as it said). Not much else, though.

"It's so.... empty."

Blaze turned to look at me, surprised.

...Crap. I didn't mean to say that out loud!

"I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean-"
"Nah, it's fine. You're not wrong, anyway. The others tease me about how empty it is all the time."
"Was that what they were laughing about?"

She laughed bitterly again.

...Oh.

"...Um, well, it's not that bad. The walls are a pretty color."
"...The walls were like that when we first arrived."
"Urk. Um... I like the simplicity! It really brings the room together."
"Uh huh?"

Blaze nodded at my excuses, seemingly unconvinced.

"It's not messy at all! It's really organized."
"Sure. There's no mess because there's nothing to organize."
"The black blankets are cool! It gives an air of mystery."
"And gloominess."

Then why did you choose them!?

"Uh... It's really admirable that you keep notes."

Now I'm just grasping at straws...!

"Look, I appreciate what you're doing, but you can stop now."
"Er, right, sorry..."

There was an awkward silence after that, the only sound being of the ticking clock.

"Um—"
The two of us said in perfect unison.

"Oh, you can go first." Blaze nodded, urging me to continue.
"......Right. So... why did you clear the room to talk to me?"
"I thought you'd feel more comfortable talking if the others weren't here."

...Actually, it just makes me more nervous.

"....Um, and what did you want to talk about?" I asked nervously.
"You don't have to be so nervous, you know. I didn't call you in here to corner you or anything like that."
"Right..."

...God, this is awkward. I thought, fidgeting aimlessly.

She looked straight at me, "Alright. I'll get to the point. Is something bothering you?"

I blinked slowly.

"...Huh?"
"Sorry if I'm overstepping, but you seem to have a lot on your mind. Of course, I won't force you to tell me! But..." She smiled weakly, "If talking to someone helps you even a little, then I'm here to listen."

I clenched my fists, putting on a fake smile. "......Thanks. I'll keep that in mind."

Before she had the chance to say anything else, I placed my hand on the doorknob.
"If we're done here, then..."

Blaze grabbed my arm, just as she had earlier.

"Wait."

She looked at me with a worried expression.

"You don't think I've noticed that pained smile you've been putting on?"
I averted my eyes, trying to avoid her gaze. "That's....."
"If you don't want to talk with me, then at least talk with Ettie. Bottling things up like this can't be good... You're clearly suffering, aren't you?"
"......What do you know?" I muttered.
"Huh?"

I released my arm from her grip, glaring at her.

"What do you know!? It hasn't even been a day and you're already assuming I could tell complete strangers about everything!? What could you possibly know about me!?" I screamed.

She seemed taken aback by my sudden outburst, at a loss for words.

"It's true, I don't know anything about you." Then she took hold of my hand, forcing me to look at her. "But I know what it's like to lose family."

The look in her eyes was filled with loneliness.

"...Unlike you, I was never close with my sister. But during the purge of ability users, my parents were both killed."

My eyes widened in shock.

"......Yours too?" I asked quietly.
""Yours too"? ......I see. So we lost them in the same way, huh..."

I nodded, waiting for her to continue.

"...Well, shortly after that, I was taken into an orphanage. There, I befriended two kids that were as close to me as family."
".......What happened to them?"

She smiled a pained smile, ".....We became enemies."
"....Enemies?"

She didn't say anything else, but her expression turned dark.

After a moment, she mumbled a ".....Yeah. We cut ties."

Did they turn on her because she was an ability user...? I wondered.

I tried to speak, but nothing came out. It seemed like she was uncomfortable with the topic, so I didn't want to pry further.

"I might not know anything about you, but I sympathize with your situation. You remind me of my past self."

That face again... It was filled with sadness.

"I can't leave you alone when you're hurting. I'm your leader, after all."

She had said it with such genuine kindness that it was painful.
The warmth of her hands was starting to make my vision blurry.

"..........I won't tell you all the details." I mumbled.
"That's fair. I didn't tell you all of the details, either. It makes sense if you don't want to disclose everything."

I lowered my head, gazing at the floor.
"........After my parents were killed, my siblings and I were adopted by a family friend. We got along with our foster mother and her daughter Crimson well enough. We loved them as family, even."

I took a deep breath, my hand starting to shake.
Blaze gave it a gentle squeeze, to calm me.

"......Thank you." I took another deep breath, "...Long story short, our foster mother had sold the three of us out in exchange for her and Crimson's safety. Both of them were ability users like us, but they were better at controlling their powers, and... were able to live normally by hiding them."

Blaze looked at me in utter shock.

"I don't think Mom wanted to do it, because she was crying, but she still chose to do it anyway. In the end, Crimson helped me escape, but my siblings had went missing without a trace. The two of us lived together with a friend for a couple years, until certain circumstances happened that led to them leaving me behind, but... I never saw Violet and Eon again."

I clenched my teeth. "It's been 6 years... I don't know if they're even ali—"
"Don't say that." Blaze interrupted.

I looked at her, my lips quivering.

"I won't let you finish that sentence. The second you say that, you've given up."

I merely stood there, at a loss for words.

Then I squeezed her hand. "......Promise me one thing." I mumbled.
"...Of course. What is it?" She asked.
"Please... promise me you'll find them....."

Her eyes widened before turning into a weak smile. "I already promised you that, didn't I?"
".....Even if you already did, I still feel like I..."

...could break apart at any moment.

I didn't voice that part aloud.

She gave my hand another tight squeeze. Her firey eyes gazed into mine, filled with unwavering determination.

"I will find Violet and Eon Ione. I don't know how, or when, but I will find them. No matter how long it takes. I'll promise you that as many times as you want."

I could feel my eyes water.

"......I don't get you....." I sniffled, my tears blurring my vision.

She wrapped her arms around me, embracing me in a hug.

"I mean it. Whenever you wish, I'll promise you. Even when you've given up hope, I'll promise you again and again. Believe in me."
"Aah... Aaah...."

I continued to make pathetic noises, letting myself cry in her arms.

I was no match for her. I could feel my legs were about to give way.

I continued to wail and sob, letting my emotions free for the first time in what felt like years.

"I promise you, Luna Ione."

And I felt like I could truly place all my trust in her. In this complete stranger that I only met mere hours ago.

*

After I had finished crying, Blaze looked at me with worry.

"Are you sure you're okay?" She asked.
"...Y-Yeah." I sniffled, "I think I'm okay."
She narrowed her eyes, clearly unconvinced. "Are you sure?"
"Y-Yes, I mean it. Talking to you... actually helped a little."
"...I see. I'm glad it could ease your worries, if only a bit."
"....Yeah."

There was silence for a moment, until Blaze spoke up again.

"Well. I shouldn't keep you here any longer, so you're free to go now. If you ever have anything you want to talk about, though... remember I'm here for you."
I smiled faintly, "...Thank you. I don't know if you'd want to talk to me of all people, but... I'd hear you out if you had something on your mind."

She looked at me in surprise, then smiled warmly. "...I'll think about it."

I placed my hand on the doorknob, before turning to face her.

"...Um, don't you ever feel lonely in this room?" I asked, curious.
"Huh? I mean... I guess sometimes? We all have separate rooms, so I never really thought about it much." She put a finger to her chin, mulling it over.

"Hmm... I guess it would be nice to have a roommate, thinking about it now. Might be fun actually."
"...I see. Well, it might not be a bad idea sharing a room..."
She smirked, a teasing grin on her face. "Oh? So you're thinking of choosing mine, are you? Can't imagine it's because of the room itself... Do you like my company that much?"

At that, my face turned a bright red.

"Just kiddi— Uh?"

Blaze stopped after noticing my reaction.
I could see her face gradually grow more red by the second.

We kept our gazes on each other, both struggling to respond first.

"Hu... h? Wait...? Was that really...? Uh? Haha... Seriously? Was that why you were suggesting it...?" She asked in disbelief, laughing nervously.
"I.... Never mind! I think I'll stay in Ettie's room!" I blurted out in panic.
"I mean, I don't dislike the idea!" She clarified, flailing her arms. "I don't mind it at all, really!"
"Nope, I changed my mind! Okay, bye!"
"Hold on, wai—!!"

I dashed out of the room in a hurry, leaving an utterly flabbergasted Blaze by herself.

On second thought, sharing a room with her would be too embarassing!