Allies 11

"What now?" Mika turned to Xavi as they walked through the desolate streets of the city.

"Hmm, we can't ask anybody," Xavi also had no idea how to lure out the I family. All he knew was that they might be in this city.

"We should just knock on somebody's house and ask," Lia didn't have any qualms about invading someone's place.

"We can't!" Lily vehemently refused. She thought back on the poor guy's house they stayed in in the first city, she didn't want to cause anyone any problems again.

Rag might've been ok but this city was a different story.

"Then Xavi should shoot one of his power orbs-" each of Lia's ideas were shot down. They all included revealing their existence to everyone flashily.

Usually, Lia would've wanted to stay low but since neither Min nor any of his men could easily gain information about them here, she wasn't worried about being cautious.

Lia's indifferent face worried everyone. She really seemed like she didn't care about anything.

Mika could only say to Lia's suggestion one word and that was, "Reckless."

Lia knew this notion of her would never be erased in his mind and Mika wasn't wrong, Lia's been also reckless since she was young. It was in her nature and those years spent in the abyss couldn't overcome it, they only made that trait of hers worse.

"Then do you have any better ideas?"

They've been walking for a day and a half now. Since the I family was located on the other side of the Veil, it was quite a distance from Mika's house.

They had to spend the night outside again. Mika couldn't cope with it as it was very different from the luxury his mansion offered. He had dark bags under his eyes and remained quiet. The hard ground was really ungently with him.

With no clue and no agreement reached, they walked through the city and explored it. Yet nothing but the realisation that the city was the same as the others hit them.

Suddenly Mika stopped and said, "Let's do what Lia said. I don't want to sleep outside again."

Mika's face was blank but a hint of fear crept onto it.

'How are you sure the I family is going to let you stay at their place?' but because Lia had to maintain a good relationship with Mika, those words never made it over her lips. Mika was too sensitive. One wrong word and he would most possibly hate on Lia again. In the end, all she could ask was, "Which one?"

Mika thought, "Ask someone."

"I guess we've no other choice," even Xavi agreed.

"But what are you going to ask them?" Lily was shocked to see that none of the three who were about to walk away and stopped thought about how to ask.

"You won't just ask them if they know the I or a hidden family?"

"No," Lia answered decisively, "Right, Xavi?"

Lia pinned her idea on Xavi.

"Of course not!" Xavi was helpless.

"I thought that's what we're doing?" Mika's brain was useless. Lia and Lily couldn't do anything else but turn to Xavi.

He was their brain. Xavi looked between them, looked at the ground, looked at them again and balled his fist.

He was very cute in the females' eyes but Mika only thought Xavi was throwing a tantrum.

Then Xavi rushed away and knocked on someone's door. He looked very pitiful. Only after several more knocks did someone open the door.

Xavi immediately started his act as a little kid who's been denied his sweets by his mean and evil caretakers and asked the lovely, sweet aunt if she didn't spare him some lollipops.

The old lady's eyes lit up the sight of the adorable eyes and narrowed as she looked at the trio behind Xavi. Her thoughts were easy to read. Lily seemed passable but once she saw Lia's cold and indifferent face, she immediately sympathised with the boy.

And when she saw the blank, arrogant and haughty face of Mika, she knew the boy wasn't lying.

With that, both Lia and Mika were deemed as mean and evil culprits and earned an unfavourable view from the lady.

Yet neither Lia nor Mika minded. The lady rubbed Xavi's cheeks after giving him his much-desired lollipop. In regards to their search, she could only point to one place that matched the description of the people Xavi described.

She had asked them why they were looking for them and Xavi used the old excuse of looking for relatives and they just lived at the edge of the city. The lady stopped being suspicious.

Luckily, Maria had told him a bit about the I family. The only reason the Lady could know them, despite no one really going out, was because the people they looked for were apparently shopkeepers.

At this Mika, scrunched his nose and couldn't believe a hidden family were now mere shop owners. They went to the city centre that wasn't much different from the one in Rag. But when they arrived, all the shops were closed.

It still wasn't noon, so they decided to wait. Finally, when the sun hung high, one store after another one opened. Not many people came and the area with the stores remained deserted.

This was why the four of them stuck out like a sore thumb. The shop owners all curiously looked at them until out of one store, a girl came out. She looked to be about the age of Lily.

She skipped with excitement and gave them a bright smile, however, she radiated gentleness instead of being overly aggressive.

"Are you guys visitors?" her demeanour and the way she spoke were all gentle.

She had long blonde hair and her features were refined and gentle. Her eyes were kind and bright as they flickered between all four of them but Lia noticed her gaze lingered longer on Mika than on anyone else.

Did they know each other?

"We are," Lia answered and returned her smile.

"Then please make yourself comfortable," she beckoned them inside her small store and sat them down at the table.

"It's been a long time since people've come. How did you get here, oh, have you had something to eat yet? Anything to drink?" her gaze flickered to Mika but the latter only stared at his hands.

"Yes, that'd be great!" Lily agreed and was thankful to be able to have some refreshments, "Young Master you need to eat all of your greens or you won't get your lollipops back!"

Xavi's ears turned red as he stared at the hateful plate before him with vegetables.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know you dislike them," the girl gave Xavi an apologetic smile before taking his plate away.

"Wait," Lily stopped the girl, "Young master's body is weak, he needs to eat them!"

All eyes fell on Xavi making him more embarrassed than he already was.

"Oh ok," the girl agreed and sat down with them.

"What's your name?" Lia asked the girl.

"It's Susa," she smiled and opened her mouth again but Lia cut her off.

"Then Susa you know why we're here, no?"