Chapter 22 Under One Blanket

The four men sat around the table and ate, and Michio seemed to eat less than the others sitting at the table.

U-ri looked at Michio and asked, "Usually you eat more than us. What's wrong with you?"

Michio put down the chicken legs on the plate and said, "I don't like when someone loses their temper with me, especially if that person is someone, I have to face every day."

Abrafo said, "Don't worry, Hajime is not the kind of person who will hold grudges. It may be because Hajime likes to uphold justice. He may not have seen this kind of scene before, so after seeing such a scene, it made him feel very sad. It may also be because it reminded him of his past with the Tenth King."

Michio said, "That doesn't seem right. Hajime is probably much older because he doesn't know the Tenth King."

Abrafo said, "No matter how old he is, he is not the kind of person who will hold grudges against you."

U-ri said, "Besides, as far as I know, you didn't say anything offensive to him. Maybe there are things Hajime can't tell us. Remember, he was the last mage of his kind, and there may be things he's seen that we haven't seen."

Michio looked at the three people who were sitting with him on the table and said, "Why doesn't talking to you three increase the guilt in my heart? It sounds like I'm the one that has no clue how to comfort others."

Abrafo looked at Michio laughed and joked, "That's because you are a guilty monk."

Michio frowned, "Hey! Don't speak until you have something nice to say."

"Let's finish eating. I'll talk to him. I'm sure there are things Hajime doesn't want to tell us, and we have to respect his decision," Yul said, smiling at the others sitting at the table. "I'm sure when he's ready to tell us, he'll tell us."

Abrafo grabbed another piece of meat and said, "Like Yul said, Hajime will tell us when he's ready to tell us." He took a bite of the piece of meat.

After the four of them finished eating, the waiter brought another bowl of noodles and put it on the table. Yul grabbed the bowl of noodles and said, "I'm going to see Hajime. You three go to rest. Tomorrow, let's ask if anyone knows about No Man's Land."

U-ri said, "Great idea. Let's spread out tomorrow and spend the day collecting supplies and directions."

Yul steps forward and asks a waiter to take him to Hajime's room.

Yul stood outside of Hajime's room with a bowl of noodles in his hand, he wanted to know what Hajime was thinking. He had witnessed Hajime's nightmare, but he has no clue what caused Hajime's to have those nightmares. He learned from conversations with U-ri that people often have nightmares from haunting trauma. He thought of what he needed to say to Hajime to prevent Hajime's wound from opening again.

Yul knocked lightly on the door, but there was no sound from the room, so he knocked again, harder this time, and the door opened. He walked into the room and gently closed the door behind him. He found Hajime staring at the ceiling with his legs crossed, his hands under his head. He sat at the table and put the bowl of noodles on the table.

Yul looked at Hajime and said, "I brought you a bowl of noodles."

Hajime frowned annoyingly, "Hmm…"

Yul said, "Michio thinks you have a problem with him."

Hajime got up slowly, sat on the edge of the bed, with his feet on the floor. "I have nothing against him," he says, looking at Yul, who is staring at him. "Why does he think so?"

Yul said, "Unfortunately, your behavior just now showed him that you were a little angry at what he said to you earlier this afternoon. We just talked downstairs. If he did anything to offend you, he sincerely wanted to apologize."

Hajime stood up and walked to the table. He takes a seat on the stool across from Yul and starts eating the noodles that Yul served him. As he ate, he said, "Maybe it's me who should apologize for my stupidity. It's not him, it's my fault." He sucked in the last noodle strand, picked up the bowl and started drinking the broth.

"We don't know when this journey will end because there is no date," Yul said, looking at Hajime. "Hajime, I don't know what hardships you have experienced in the past, but I want you to know that at this moment with us, no matter what happens in the future, I hope you believe that we will not abandon you, and we also believe that You will not abandon us. I know that as the last mage of your kind, you must have suffered a lot, but from now on, I will help you carry half of your burden, and you will have to help me carry half of my burden."

Hajime dumped the empty bowl on the table and sighed, "Ah... I didn't expect you to be so talkative." He looked at Yul's robe which was a little torn. He knew that it might be when Yul and Abrafo fought back in Bell Forest. "Take off your robe."

Yul asked suddenly, "Why?"

Hajime said, "I will not rape you. Your robe is torn." He pointed to Yul's left shoulder.

Yul looked at it and asked, "Can you sew?"

"I've been sewing since I was a kid. I didn't have much stuff when I was little. My mom wouldn't buy me new clothes, so I had to learn how to mend," Hajime said. He got up and went to bed and grabbed a small bag. He unwrapped his bag and took out a pair of small scissors, a small coil of black thread, and a needle. "Take it off."

Yul took off his inner robe and handed it to Hajime. He asked, "You talked about your mother, but what about your father?"

"He has a new family, and he lives with his family. We haven't spoken since I was six years old," said Hajime. From the letters he received, he suddenly remembered that his father had passed away. "But he's dead now."

Yul stares at Hajime and says, "You told me the other day that your father committed suicide because he was forced to marry another woman."

Hajime suddenly remembered that the story he told Yul that night was the story of the body he currently possesses. He cleared his throat and said, "Uh...uh...that's another story of me..."

Yul asked suspiciously, "There are two stories of you?"

Hajime said, "Well, I'm just saying I don't want to talk about myself."

Yul asks, "So, you didn't tell me the truth the other day?"

Hajime didn't look at Yul but concentrated on mending Yul's robe. "I didn't lie to you; I'm telling the truth about the other's story. Don't ask me again, no matter how many times you ask, I won't tell you." He looked up at Yul. "Look, I'm trying to forget the past. You said it yourself, the past doesn't matter, but now, at this moment, I should trust you. Please stop pushing me on this issue. When I decided to come to the palace, I told myself that I should leave the old life behind, find a new sun in another universe, and start a new life."

Yul said, "Okay, let's not talk about the past then."

Hajime picked up the scissors and cut the thread. He folded Yul's robe and set it on the table. "So, what are you four going to do tomorrow?" he asked.

Yul said, "We're going to ask around, see if anyone has heard of No Man's Land, and gather some supplies."

Hajime stood up and said, "You're going to sleep here tonight, right?"

Yul said, "I think so."

Hajime and Yul lay side by side on the bed under the same blanket and Hajime turned to look at Yul. Although the candlelight in the room was dim, he could still see Yul's face clearly. Hajime asked, "Have you ever loved someone before?"

Yul said, "There a girl I like at home."

Hajime smiled and asked, "Does she like you?"

"She came to me and confessed," Yul said.

Hajime asked, "After she confessed to you, did you confess to her?"

Yul said, "No, she told me she liked me, and I thanked her for liking me."

Hajime asked, "I bet you miss her a lot."

Yul said, "It's normally to miss the people you know."

Hajime said, "It's not that kind of miss."

Yul asked, "What kind of miss are you referring to?"

Hajime said, "The kind of miss that makes your heart want to see them. When you fall asleep, you think about that person. If you see something she likes, you miss her. A deep miss or longing."

Yul said, "No." He turned his head and looked at Hajime. "You? Do you have someone that you miss?"

Hajime snorted, "Well... I hope I will never feel that way again."

"So why are you looking for love if you already have someone you love?" Yul asked.

Hajime said, "That's because that person is not my true love. Remember when I told you that the beautiful goddess put a curse on me? I need to find my true love to break that curse."

There is a long silence between Hajime and Yul. Both of them came to their senses, and thoughts kept circling in their minds.

Hajime suddenly broke the silence and said, "Tomorrow morning, I will apologize to Michio to cylear up the misunderstanding between us."

Yul said, "That's very wise of you."

Hajime turned and looked at him and said, "Yul, earlier you asked me if I was pretending to be happy, or if I was happy. To be honest, I wasn't pretending to be happy. I'm glad to see tears streaming down your eyes, when you think I was dying. The reason is, it was the first time in my life that someone cried for me. Goodnight." He turned to face the wall and closed his eyes.

Standing in front of the Gate of Reality, Avalokitesvara stood there looking at the decorations on the stone gate, when the goddess of beauty came to her.

The Goddess of Beauty said, "You have the ability to bring those five people here, and even open the gate for them, but you choose not to do so. What are you thinking?"

Avalokitesvara smiled at the Goddess of Beauty and said, "They want the white dragon tail, they must find the keys to unlock the gate and their own way to the Gate of Reality."