Section 9: Temporary Allies

I faced Aria who slept soundly on the bed, she crouched close to her leg. The scarlet girl sneezes multiple times, as her body shivered due to the cold breeze. I got up on the couch and sat next to her, I put my hand on her forehead, she didn't have any fever, maybe a little bit of a cold.

I fixed her bed and put a fluffy warm blanket on her, she clutched the blanket tightly as she loosened her crouch position.

Still, I couldn't help but be wary of her presence. She laughed, and then the next thing I know, she's calm. There's a lot of mysteries surrounding Aria's true nature. I still remember vividly how she usually acts when she's around her friends and my friends. She's a stern but cheery girl, she's clumsy and a person who got bored easily.

She was for me, a duality I couldn't describe. I never saw this Aria before, she became a completely different person from how she used to be. Not to mention her smile is eerily not genuine. I poke her scarlet hair out of curiosity, she didn't react that much. She was tired, maybe because she did all the physical workout against those drones.

"Was she always this strong?" I thought to myself as I touched her cheek.

A part of me was jealous of her courage. I couldn't help it for being jealous of her braveness and her beauty when she swings that bat of her to protect me. I noticed that when she swung her bat, her eyes were deadly serious.

She never falters in each of her swings, her intention to kill the drones permanently shows perfectly on her firm gazes. I had to say her scarlet hair suits her ruby eyes. She looks like a vampire princess when she sleeps.

"Wait, vampire princess? What am I thinking?", I furrowed my eyebrows.

Just when I was about to go back to my couch, there's a sound of drones outside the love hotel. That cursed sound when the drone flies, I remembered it clearly. I tensed up as the sound drew closer to the hotel.

I opened my room curtain slowly, the drone was patrolling behind the love hotel. I got pretty anxious when I saw that nasty drone around, I swallowed my saliva as I descended downstairs to make sure the backdoor was locked. I wouldn't be able to sleep if I know the doors were unlocked and the drone could get it anytime.

First I checked the back door, located in the restaurant area near our bedroom. I made my way to the restaurant quietly, the drone was still outside. I crawled my way to the backdoor. Luckily the key was still attached, I just had to lock the door and save the key in my pocket.

Next, I checked the entrance door. The door is a glass door. I didn't know how to lock the glass door.

"At least the entrance is clear from the drone though," I thought positively.

I went back to the bedroom half-heartedly, knowing there's a nearby drone next to our bedroom.

Wherever we go, the drones are already there. I couldn't sleep well, I got up from my couch once again anxiously waiting around the bedroom frightened. I decided to sleep with a metal bat next to me, I felt safer this way. I think we should find another weapon that's useful against flying enemies like drones.

The drones flying capabilities exhausted plenty of Aria energy, we need a weapon that could harm a flying target.

"Well I already had an idea but I need sleep", I yawned tiredly.

I pulled out my cellphone to check the time. So one o'clock in the morning, but then that's when I noticed a Wishmaker app installed on its own. I didn't remember having that on my cell phone, also there's a timer on it.

But I am too drowsy to care about the timer, I had half a day to figure out whatever the timer means tomorrow. I looked at Aria's face, drowsy as ever I managed to say the sentences I wanted to say.

"Goodnight Aria", I yawned as I snuggled the metal bat closely to me.

"1 AM? No wonder I'm tired" I thought sullenly. The drowsiness started to weaken my sense of insecurity until I am no longer able to keep my eyelids open.

* * *

-Aria POV-

I woke up at the love hotel bedroom, still feeling unwell from yesterday. The moment I got up from my bed, I couldn't stop sneezing. I noticed how torn and dirty my clothes were, probably that's the reason I'm feeling unwell. Frankly speaking, I wanted to have a nice bath or just a simple shower is nice for a change.

I'm not a fan of germs and itchiness, so I never skipped bath like most students do when they're in a pinch or lazy. I considered a bath as a necessity for the cleansing of our body germs. What annoys me is that the love hotel bathroom is invisible to the naked eye, Joel could see through me when I showered and it's embarrassing.

I checked my cell phone just to be sure what time it is. Surprisingly enough I woke up at 6 am, I'm an early bird as usual thanks to those deja vu dreams I had since the bombing incident. Although I couldn't remember the dreams that much, it's vivid.

When I forced myself to remember, the dizziness tormented my head so I decided to stop thinking about it. Feeling itchy with my torn clothes, I rummaged the wardrobe just in case there were unusable clothes.

There were some unusable clothes, but they all seem to be a cosplay costume rather than normal clothes. As I made a mess in the wardrobe, I found frilly black panties.

"It's cute", I thought to myself flushed.

Fortunately, they prepared bras as well, what a neat love hotel. I could give it a five-star rating if it still runs in the future. This love hotel is a perfect place for runaway kids who hate their home, I should have suggested this place to those stray emotional teens on the street back then so they could forget their problem by sex.

There's another nice-looking costume, more like red Chinese traditional clothes. I spread it on the bed but it's too skimpy for me, the skirt is a little bit revealing.

I decided to take a police officer costume, one I just found. The uniform colors are grey, it's a pretty awesome costume too. The costume had a whip too, I'm not good at using a whip though cause it's too flexible to use.

I went into the bathroom hoping that Joel still enjoyed his sleep on the couch. I took off the clothes abruptly and entered the shower. They had a nice spacious bathtub, but the design is too flashy. I just couldn't stand the discos and the heart-shaped tub. Not to mention there were inappropriate toys on top of that heart tub.

I grabbed those toys and tossed them to the trashcan next to the bathroom, it's just disgusting to see them.

I turned on the heater on the shower and enjoyed the warm water hitting the surface on my pale skin, but that's when I realized my mistakes.

As the water hit my back, the pain pulsating through my entire body. I gasped and dropped my knees to the floor, I clenched my fist painfully as the water dropped on my back.

"Oh right, I'm an idiot. I didn't think too much about the bandages crap", I cursed to myself.

I didn't know whether we had any spare bandages, with my back wounds pulsating through my body is already hell. I had a low tolerance to pain anyway, not exactly outdoorsy type to begin with. I grumbled in pain as I try to steady myself.

Just when I was about to stand, I felt a hand on my shoulder. I turned around and saw Joel worried aquamarine eyes eyeing on the wounds on my back. I could see my naked reflections on his pure aquamarine eyes that shine through the steamy bathroom. I found myself staring into his pure aquamarine eyes as he stared deep into my dirty ruby eyes.

"You're being a dummy right now", Joel glared at me. "Why didn't you ask for my help?".

Did he just barge in here without my consent? I guess he just did. My face reddened at the sight of him appearing out of nowhere and caught a glimpse of my naked body. I pushed him away violently as I covered my body with a towel. I lost myself in his eyes to even think straight that he saw me naked just now.

"Flash news, Joel is a perv", I glared at him.

Joel's expression reddened when I called him a perv, he instinctively covered half of his eyes with one of his hands. He offered his hand to help me stand, even if his grasp was just awkward overall.

I could only smirk at his awkwardness, I didn't mind seeing this side of him for a day. His mouth shivered and his ears flushed in red, he tried to say something but his stuttering didn't help him at all.

"If you need my help just give me a shout", he stuttered awkwardly.

I nodded affirmatively to his offer, Joel left me alone in the bathroom with awkward body movements. I sighed heavily as I gritted my teeth due to the water hitting my wounds rapidly. I may have a low tolerance to pain but I could grit my teeth in exchange. I looked over to my body, there were so many wounds and scars from the explosion.

I felt a little bit uneasy with the bruises and injuries I had, I could ignore it but I fear of being abandoned by him due to my disgraceful appearance. I let the water flow and engulfed my body for around twenty minutes, after that I get dressed rather quickly because I felt uneasy with the invisible bathroom wall.

Joel waited on the bed with fidgety fingers and blank gaze, he tried to keep his cool but awkwardly failed to do so. He blankly gazed down on the surface of the bed, he avoided my gaze for an obvious reason of course.

Joel gestured to me to come closer which I did, he bandaged my wounds again shyly. Even when he asked me to open my clothes he stuttered tremendously. His fidgety fingers trailed their ways along my skin. I couldn't help but hold in my moan.

Joel was taken back by my reaction, I could see his face stiffened when he accidentally touched my chest. I tried to distract his mind with a question.

"Say should we make this place as our temporary base?," I asked Joel casually as I wiped my hair with the hotel towel.