Human [Part 9]

"ting... Ting... Ting...," the rhythmic sound created by Rico continued to accompany everyone there.

The iron glass and spoon never left Rico's hands. The two objects kept rubbing together, producing a repetitive sound with the same pattern. Making the atmosphere there more comfortable and not lonely.

"Let me introduce myself again, my name is Jonathan, just call me Nathan. Then the oldest one who likes to make noise with the iron glass is Rico, he is my cousin. The youngest one is Rio, Rico's youngest sibling. And the fierce girl over there is Zenith, she is also Rico's sibling."

Zenith, annoyed with Jonathan, shouted, "what do you mean by introducing me like that?"

"Look at that, she's really mad, right?" Jonathan said proudly.

"Are you trying to pick a fight?" Zenith started to grab Jonathan by the neck.

"S-sorry...," Jonathan looked resigned.

Meanwhile, everyone there laughed.

After laughing, Alice also introduced herself and her group.

"My name is Alice, and this blonde-haired girl is Maria, she is my sister. And the man over there is Joe, our friend."

"Nice to meet you, Alice, Maria, Joe," Jonathan replied. All the other members of his group also said, "nice to meet you?"

Alice smiled and replied, "nice to meet you too."

Meanwhile, Maria immediately protested about something.

"Hey, Alice, you forgot about Jimmy!"

"Oh, right, where is he?"

"I think he's still sleeping in our vehicle."

"In that case, let it be."

Curious, Jonathan asked, "Jimmy, who is he? Is he also your friend?"

"Hmm," Alice seemed to ponder for a moment before continuing, "I think he's more like a pet than a friend."

Maria nodded proudly.

Intrigued, Zenith asked eagerly, "a pet? What kind of animal is he? Is he furry? Can I touch his fur?"

Alice looked surprised as Zenith quickly approached her asking such questions.

Jonathan said, "haha, forgive Zenith, she's always curious about furry animals and wants to pet them."

Alice, slightly surprised by Zenith's behavior that caught her off guard, tried to calm herself and said, "I'm not sure, Maria, what do you think?"

"Hmm, I think he has a bit of fur, but not too long," Maria replied.

Zenith approached Maria and held her hands, saying, "I want to see it, please, may I?"

Although Maria was slightly surprised, she was happy to see someone interested in something she liked. She smiled and said, "of course!"

Zenith and Maria went to see Jimmy, who was sleeping in the vehicle.

Meanwhile, Joe Walker, worried about Maria, wanted to accompany her. But leaving Alice alone would put her in a more dangerous situation.

Even though Zenith seemed harmless, Joe Walker was still very concerned about it.

Feeling the need to stay together, Joe Walker had to lie.

"Um, Alice, can you help me show where I put some medications I brought?"

"Huh? Didn't you put them yourself?"

"Hehe, I forgot, but you remember, right?"

"Of course, but...," Alice glanced at Jonathan and the others there. She felt uncomfortable leaving them like that.

However, Joe Walker kept insisting, leaving her no choice but to follow his request.

While Jonathan, who saw it, smiled as he watched Joe Walker and Alice move away from him.

"Rico, they're an interesting group, aren't they?" Jonathan asked.

"Yes, they're very interesting," Rico smiled.

Halfway to the vehicle, Joe Walker and Alice lagged behind Maria and Zenith, who were running.

Alice restrained herself from asking Joe Walker. But now was the right time because they were alone.

"Joe, what's wrong with you?"

"Huh? Why are you asking that?"

"You're acting strange, Joe."

"What do you mean?"

"You're supposed to be someone who interacts with others often. Why didn't you say anything in front of them?"

"Ah, so that's it...," Joe Walker smiled, "I was wondering if you really are an 11-year-old girl. You're so different from Maria."

"Hmm," Maria smiled happily, "don't compare me to my sister. She's been lazy since forever, and I'm actually glad she's a bit less lazy since we started our journey to find the tower. Although I'm happy, honestly, I wish Maria could stay lazy like usual without worrying about survival like now."

"Ugh, that's a heavy topic. Let's change the subject, Maria."

"Okay, so, what's up with you?"

"Why are we back to the beginning!?"

"Because you haven't answered it."

Joe Walker sighed. He always felt like he couldn't escape Alice's watchful eyes.

Suddenly, Alice said, "are you scared, Joe?"

"Of course, I'm scared, they might be bad people, right!?"

"That's not what I wanted to ask you."

"Then?"

"Are you afraid of being replaced by them?"

"Huh? What do you mean?" Joe Walker was truly confused.

Alice was also puzzled and sought further clarification, saying, "are you afraid that Maria and I will replace you with them?"

"Why do you think I'm afraid of that?"

"Eh? Am I the only one thinking like that?"

"Yes," Joe Walker quickly and confidently replied.

"So, I misunderstood?"

"Yes, it seems so."

"Then why were you so quiet earlier?"

"It's because I was cautious of them."

Shortly after that, Alice felt embarrassed and covered her face.

Meanwhile, Joe Walker laughed at the situation, saying, "so you think of me like that all the time, ahahaha..."

"Ahhh! So embarrassing! I tried to look cool just now," Alice's cheeks turned red from embarrassment.

"Hehe, you're cool, but more cute," Joe Walker smiled broadly as he said that.

"Stop teasing me!"

"I'm not teasing you! I'm just being honest!" Joe Walker looked serious saying that.

With a trembling voice, Alice replied, "th-thank you, c-can you stop looking at me with that serious gaze? I could die of embarrassment if it goes beyond this."

Joe Walker seemed to enjoy the moment even more. It was rare for him to see Alice's face when she was embarrassed. Unconsciously, his smile widened as he said, "you're really cute!"

"Ahhhhh! Stop it!" Alice's emotions exploded from being too embarrassed.

Joe Walker was slightly surprised, but soon returned to smiling and said, "thank you, Alice, I trust you."

In her irritated state, Alice said, "what do you mean? Are you still mocking me?"

"No, I'm really thankful this time. Even though you misunderstood, you asked that because you were worried about me, right?"

"Y-yes, y-you're right...," Alice felt embarrassed after Joe Walker started speaking seriously.

Joe Walker began to pat Alice's head unknowingly.

In an instant, the frustration in Alice's heart disappeared. She chose to enjoy having her hair stroked by Joe Walker.

But suddenly, Joe Walker asked, "oh... Alice, why do you rarely wear your helmet lately?"

For some reason, Alice immediately blushed and slapped Joe Walker. After that, she ran off, saying, "don't ask about embarrassing things! It's all your fault! You idiot!"

Confused, Joe Walker held his cheek that was slapped and said, "M-my fault? Why?"