Travel to Hidora

We were on the bus, the sun slowly fading as we approached Hidora. I couldn't help but worry if we would be greeted by rain upon arrival.

"Yuu, do you remember if Uncle Otto will pick us up from the bus station?" Sato asked, his concern evident as he checked his phone. The weather alert showed a red storm warning for the area, confirming his suspicion of an impending downpour.

"I don't remember, but let me check..." Yuu dialed Uncle Otto's residence to inquire about their arrival.

murmur murmur

"Yes, they said he might already be there when we arrive," Yuu replied with a smile.

The journey was going smoothly. Yuu and Sato sat beside each other, their bodies occasionally brushing against one another, causing both of them to feel embarrassed.

After a couple of hours, Yuu mustered the courage to ask Sato, "S-Sato... Can I rest my head on your arm?" Her cheeks turned red as she made the request.

"Of course, we still have a long way to go," Sato responded, his face also reddening. Despite the embarrassment, he cherished the softness of Yuu and allowed her to lean on his arm.

They had to travel to Hidora by bus as there were no convenient alternatives that would get them there quickly. The city was situated far from the coast, deep in the countryside. In Hidora, there was only a bus station, and reaching Uncle Otto's place required either a car or walking.

Given the rise in criminal activity, it was risky for them to travel without hiring a cab since there weren't many in the city. Walking was out of the question; Sato wouldn't take any chances with Yuu's safety.

"Do you think they're sad because of us?" Yuu asked with a soft voice, her words barely audible to Sato.

"Why would they be?" Sato questioned.

"You know, we spent so much time together, and one day we just disappeared... There wasn't much we could do, right?" Yuu's voice carried a hint of sadness.

"We didn't have a choice, you know... Dad got transferred to Minako, and he couldn't refuse," Sato tried to reassure her, attempting to ease the situation.

"They know about it, trust me... Maybe Mio doesn't, but Suei and Takachi do."

"Yeah... I hope so," Yuu responded, leaning back onto Sato's shoulder.

**************

Back when we were children, Yuu and I lived in Hidora, near Uncle Otto's general store. Everywhere in the city, there was a group of five children always together.

It consisted of Sato, Yuu, Takachi, Suei, and Mio. The three others were cousins to the brothers and followed them everywhere.

Takachi, the oldest among us, was three years older than Sato and took care of all of us.

Suei was the same age as Sato, a lively and outgoing girl who often got us into trouble when we were younger.

Mio, on the other hand, was the shy one. She was the same age as Yuu but much more mature. She always acted like Sato's little sister, just as Yuu did, which sometimes led to fights between them.

But one day, our dad had to move, and we had to follow. We made a promise to never lose contact and to reunite everyone again someday.

And so, we moved to the city. Initially, we called them frequently, but gradually, the calls became less frequent, until eventually, we stopped altogether.

During the last summer, Takachi came to our home to do some odd jobs with dad, earning a small commission. But we would never forget what he told us.

"They feel incomplete without you guys... we feel incomplete... Suei doesn't have many friends, and Mio is like Sato, hardly ever leaving her room."

Yuu felt like she had betrayed them by leaving with us, but there wasn't much we could do.

And now, it didn't matter much anymore...

**************

Finally, we arrived in Hidora.

The heavy rain made it seem as though the sky was falling. We took shelter under the roof of the bus station when I received a call.

"Boy, do you remember where Grillby's is? Can you come here?" Uncle Otto's voice sounded stern.

"Did something happen?"

"Just come here, and be quick, boy..." The call abruptly ended.

"Sato, I think Otto has a problem. He wants us to go to Grillby's," I said as Sato gathered our luggage.

"Seriously? In this rain...?" Yuu questioned, awaiting his response, but all Sato did was look deeply into her eyes as his phone rang.

It was 3 p.m. Both of us were heading towards the old bar in town, a couple of streets away from the bus station.

As we walked through the town's alleyways, we noticed numerous homeless individuals. The town didn't resemble the place we remembered.

"Sato, help me here. The bag is open," Yuu said, feeling desperate amidst the heavy rain.

"Damn... here..." We quickly fixed the bag and continued on our way.

Upon reaching the bar's entrance, Sato waited for Yuu, who was right behind him. Both of us were drenched, and one of our bags suffered the same fate, but we paid little attention to it.

"I hope he has a good reason for making us come all the way here," Sato said, frustration evident in his voice.

As we opened the bar door, we noticed Uncle Otto conversing with a police officer at a table in the middle of the room. The bar was nearly empty, with only the bartender, Otto, the officer, Sato, Yuu, and a group of men sitting at another table towards the end of the bar.

Those men at the back seemed rather unsettling, drinking beer and strong spirits. One of them was even smoking inside the establishment.

"Isn't it illegal to smoke in here?" Yuu whispered as we approached Uncle Otto's table.

"Don't worry about that," Sato replied, realizing that those guys looked like trouble and wanting to keep his distance.

The group stared at us with malicious eyes, and Sato noticed their malevolence extend towards Yuu as well.

"Hey, you two, show me some ID!" the old bartender demanded.

We were taken aback by his request but soon understood why. We checked our bodies, and Sato presented his ID.

Yuu grew anxious, scanning her body and searching her bag. But she found nothing.

"Hey Sato... I think I dropped my ID in the rain earlier," Yuu whispered into his ear.

"Damn it, we can't go back now..."

"Hey, old man, we ran into some trouble earlier, and I think she lost her..."

"You two can't be here without ID at this time of night," the old man interrupted, an angry expression on his face.

"Relax, Gil', they're with me," Uncle Otto interjected from behind us, accompanied by the police officer.

"Before you all start hating me for this, let me tell you that I stopped an assault outside the bar just an hour ago. Two guys were attacking a girl, so I intervened and called the cops... I was just finishing up my report with Officer Mashida here," Otto explained, his voice filled with weariness. It was evident that he didn't want to miss our arrival.

"It's no big deal, gramps... I missed you," Sato said, embracing Uncle Otto tightly. They had missed each other dearly after years of being apart.

"You owe me at least a hug too... Look at our stuff," Yuu playfully complained.

They all shared a laugh, and Otto bid farewell to his officer friend.

"So... you stopped to save a girl, huh?" Sato teased his old uncle.

Otto smiled at him through the car's rearview mirror. He knew how close Yuu was to Sato and didn't mind their affectionate gestures in his presence.

"What a nice guy," Sato thought, acknowledging the awkwardness of their current situation. He looked at Yuu, who was resting her head on his arm, and gently stroked her with his free hand.

Yuu couldn't utter a word. She felt incredibly comfortable and her face was burning red, but she also relished being pampered by her brother.

A few minutes later, Otto informed them, "Here we are, welcome back home, you two. I think they're still awake."

We grabbed our bags and stood before the grand house in the midst of the vast plain, surrounded by trees, bushes, and crop fields.

"Here we are... finally back."