Kusano flinched when asked for her friends' names. She wasn't sure if she should give Shouta their names. She didn't know if the people from Yokai Inc were nearby watching them or not just waiting for her to slip up for them to strike when she least expects them to. The mall was too open of a place. There were even people beginning to stare at them too. Any one of them could be from Yokai Inc. Her kitty seems to trust Shouta as it meowed again before leaning its head up to gently lick the side of her face to comfort her and show her this young man could be trusted. Even so, Kusano had to still take precautions just in case. Shouta wanted to help her but she could only give him so much information. 'I don't ... know what to do...' she thought sadly, biting her lip.
In the meantime, Kusano was being watched by not by whom she assumed would be watching her. From a distance, the very friends that Kusano had been looking for watching her from a distance but staying out of sight. Rather, the one named Akira had been watching while keeping the other one named Eri at his side who clung to him. The young boy had his hand placed around Eri, making sure the two of them didn't get separated since he knew that she wouldn't do well on her own to avoid getting caught but he had faith that Kusano would at least be okay on her own, temporarily. However, he'd seen someone approach her as she sat out in the open crying and he narrowed his eyes at the green-haired young man, watching his body language and more importantly, paying attention to how Kusano's feline friend reacted to him.
It would seem that the feline didn't have a poor reaction to him. To Akira, this usually would indicate that a person didn't have any form of association with those from Yokai Inc that had been after them. Yet, Akira was still rather on guard since there was always the possibility they could mask their scent with something to avoid being caught in a lie. The young man didn't display any sort of indicators that he was a threat which could mean he was really just an average person that had no ties to Yokai Inc. 'Still can't be too sure. Ku-chan is powerful enough to fend for herself but I have to remember that she's just like Eri. Just a child who wants to trust someone.' Akira sighed, not taking his eyes off Kusano or the young man she was speaking with. It was then he felt a light tug of his shirt which made him look down at Eri who was looking up at him with worried eyes.
He smiled down at her, placing a comforting hand atop her head. "Don't worry, Eri-chan. We'll be okay. I promise," Akira assured her.
"Are ... you sure? Shouldn't we go help Ku? She might be in danger speaking to that strange man?" Eri asked.
Akira shook his head. He was always on high alert but he couldn't immediately react as it would otherwise draw unwanted attention to them that they hadn't wanted. Even he hated to admit it but they had to trust someone and it's possible this may be someone they can trust. He had to watch from afar to be sure. He'd only step in if absolutely necessary. "Not right now. That's why we're here watching like we are. To make sure she doesn't need help. We'll be together soon, okay? I know neither of you like this but it's temporary that we keep our distance to avoid all three of us getting captured together. So trust me, alright?" He patted Eri's head once more.
The red-eyed child was clearly scared since living in the Yokai Realm was all she knew. She wasn't familiar with the human world but she had been curious about it. Getting to know Kusano is what allowed her curiosity about the world of humans to grow. She'd been told that humans coexist with monsters here. Very different from everything she'd learned and been told by the people of Yokai Inc. Eri wanted to still believe that was true. That there could be someone, anyone they could trust so they wouldn't have to keep running anymore. As much as the child didn't want to admit it, she'd grown tired of running. She nodded as Akira patted her head, assuring her that they would be okay and they would reunite with Kusano very soon. She hoped so. "Hrn, okay," was Eri's response.
For the time being, Akira seemed to have kept Eri calm but he couldn't help but wonder if Kusano would remain calm before eventually spilling everything out in the open for people to hear. 'Guess I will have to keep watching to make sure this person can be trusted. Can they ... really help us?' he wondered, turning to look back in Kusano's direction to keep a close watch on her and the young man she'd been speaking to.
Meanwhile, Kusano had finally come to the decision that for now, she couldn't tell Shouta her friends' names. At least not right now. Maybe once they were away from the mall and if they found them before then she could tell him everything. For now, she decided against telling him. He did inquire about the name of her kitty which, come to think of it, she never did give the feline a name. It was a present from her parents for her birthday and she'd been so excited about it that she'd forgotten to name it. Maybe she should but didn't think that right now was the appropriate time to do that. Maybe later. "I ... can't tell you my friends' names. I don't want them to get hurt," she finally responded, her lips forming a frown on her face. "My kitty also doesn't have a name. I never got the chance to give it one after mama and papa gave it to me..." she told him, sniffling. |