*

　Mako and the others hurried down the road at night.

'Is what you said earlier true?'
I'm not going to lie about this.
I see.

　Fene said with a sigh and Makoto let out a small sigh.

You can't blame them too much, brother. It's just a matter of telling them to keep their distance from the guy who uses borrowed money to pay for drinks.
I know.
The lines don't match the facial expressions.

　Fene said with another sigh.
　Mako tried to touch her face, but she couldn't see what expression she had on her face.

'I didn't think you'd lend me money,'
...my brother.

　Fene approached me anxiously.

'No, I'm fine. I'm calm.

　Indeed, when I heard that Shelly had loaned Alan money, my mind went blank.
　I don't know why I was so shocked, I don't know why I was so shocked.
　I thought I was supposed to be convinced.
　Shelly kept waiting and Alan came back.
　Besides, lending him money was a common occurrence.
　He couldn't bear to see his ex in trouble, so he lent him money.
　That's all there is to it.
　Even if Alan uses it to pay for the drinks, and even if he doesn't plan to pay it back, the important thing is that Shelly is okay with it.
　If she's convinced and is lending him money, that's all that matters.

'd*mn, that doesn't sound good,'

　Mako spat.
　Alan is betraying Shelly.
　I can't forgive him.

''...Why?''

　How could he betray me like that?
　How is it possible?

"...my brother.
I don't have a lot of composure.

　The truth is, I know.
　Makoto is piling his parents on to Shelly and his brother on to Alan.
　No, maybe he's putting himself in Sherry's shoes as well.
　The memory of his brother's return has flashed through his mind.
　That day, Makoto was tired.
　He'd been abused by a complainer and reprimanded by his boss for his poor handling of a complaint, and he'd returned home exhausted and exhausted.
　The man laughed and walked up to Makoto and said, "It's been a long time since I've seen you.
　There were so many things he wanted to say.
　Why did they abandon themselves and run away?
　Why would they come back now?
　Why, why, why... These words were swirling in the back of my mind, and I couldn't say anything.
　After his brother left, Makoto vomited in the bathroom.
　He said he would bring his wife and son next time.
　When they parted, the man had left him.
　I'll never forget that time - I'll never forget how bad I felt.

We're on our way to the Golden Fleece.
.....

　Mako held her chest.
　It was hard to breathe.
　Several emotions mixed and swirled violently in his chest.
　He left the house, thinking he might kill his brother and his family in his former world.
　But really, he just wanted to run away from these emotions.
　I was afraid to face these feelings.
　I feel like that.
　Fene stopped near the 'Golden Sheep' pavilion and Makoto stopped too.
　The light that leaked from the shop illuminated the footsteps.

''........Shouldn't we stay at another inn today?''
Procrastination doesn't help.

　If I'm honest, I need some time to sort out my feelings.
　But problems are only as messy as you procrastinate them.
　If you don't solve them here, they're out of your control.
　I even feel such anxiety welling up in me.

'........Fene.
What is it?
Stay with me.
...my brother.

　Fene looked disappointed.
　He thought he was a slacker.
　I don't blame you for thinking that.
　In fact, it's the behavior of the lazybones themselves.
　Makoto entered the 'Golden Sheep' pavilion with the intention of going in.

''........I'm home.''
Welcome home, sir.

　Shelly returned the greeting from behind the counter, as usual.
　I let out a breath of relief.

'Where are Yuka and Liv?'
He just finished his dinner and went upstairs.
Okay.

　Makoto gave a small nod and went to his designated seat - the one at the end of the counter.

''Ah....

　When she touched the chair, Shelly let out a small voice.

'What's wrong?'
No, don't worry about it.
Yeah.

　Mako took a seat at the counter.
　Of course, I know why Shelly let her voice trail off.
　It's because this seat is Alan's seat.
　At least that's what she thinks.

'Alright, a**h*le.'

　Fene let out a shout and took a seat next to him.

'It sounds like you've had a rough day.
It's always a big deal.

　Sherry sets it down on the counter and Mako holds it up to her mouth.
　'Lemon water.

'Don't do anything too dangerous, please.
I've got a good safety margin this time.

　Makoto put his glass on the counter.
　There's no need to make things difficult, isn't there?
　You can't just ruin Sherry's happiness and make Makoto feel bad about himself.
　I'm sure you'll be happy to see me.
　It's nothing.
　In just a minute or two, Makoto's resolve has wavered.

'Brother, if it's so hard to say--'
'No, I'll tell you. I think I should tell you.
What's going on?　You look so serious.
Well, you know what?

　Shelly tilted her head curiously and Mako turned over.
　He repeated a deep breath.
　It's like an injection.
　It only hurts for a moment.

'Shelly!'
So what?
I saw Alan just now.
'Oh, I see.'

　Shelly said as if she didn't understand our feelings.
　That is natural.
　I'm sure you're not the only one who doesn't understand what I'm feeling.

I saw him go into an alleyway with a suspicious-looking man, and I followed him. So I followed him, but--
Did you chase him?

　Shelly's eyes widened in surprise, and she quickly narrowed them.
　I think those eyes were colored with confusion.
　d*mn it, I poison my mind.
　Why can't I speak more smartly?
　Twenty years of working life should have taught him a certain amount of ability.

'Did you know you're staying at an out-of-town inn called the "Hero with No Name" Pavilion?
No, no.

　Shelly held her chest as if trying to protect herself.

'There ... oh shit,'
...my brother.

　Mako scratched her head and Fene grabbed her coat tightly.

'Shelly, did you owe me money?'
Well, it's just that I just got back and I don't have any money...
He was drinking with the money, remember?　I borrowed money from someone.
"Sir!

　Shelly screamed sharply, but Mako couldn't stop.
　For some reason, his right arm tingled.

'He's just using me!　Once a man betrays you, he betrays you again and again!　You betrayed me just like my brother, but you're laughing at yourself.

　There was a pang.
　My cheeks were hot.
　He had been slapped.
　The blood rushed to his head in an instant, but his anger quickly subsided.
　Shelly was staring at Mako with her hands in a swept-up position.
　Her cheeks were flushed with vermillion and her eyes were moist.
　That's how I knew I'd failed inexplicably.
　That's why I feel like this.

'I'm sorry, mister. But please don't say anything bad about that man.
Yeah.

　I heard a creak and looked up the stairs in reflex.
　Then I saw Yuka standing halfway up the stairs.
　No, maybe I should say that she was standing there.
　I thought he was going to say something, but Yuka sighed and went back upstairs.

''Well I'm going back to my room now.

　Mako let out a small sigh and sat up.

*

　The next day, Makoto was awakened by a sound echoing from downstairs.
　As it was, he stared at the ceiling without a care in the world.
　He doesn't feel bad, but he doesn't have the energy to do anything about it.
　However, I can't just lie in bed forever.

''Let's ... get up.''

　Mako got out of bed and took twice as long as usual to get dressed.
　We walked out into the hallway and down the stairs.
　On the way there, Shelly looked up at us.

'....Good morning.'
...Good morning.

　Mako let out a small sigh and walked down the stairs.
　Awkward.
　He was wondering if he should take a seat at the counter when Yuka came down.
　She's carrying a large backpack for whatever reason.

''Good morning, Yuka-san.''
Good morning.

　Yuka responded to Shelley in an unusually cold tone.

'What happened to that package?'
Let's talk outside.

　Yuka let out a sigh and walked out.
　He followed somewhat late.
　She doesn't wait outside the store, but walks out alone.

'Don't go alone,'
....

　We catch up and walk shoulder to shoulder.

'What happened to all that stuff?'
Because I'm leaving, of course.
Why?
After what they did to me last night, of course.

　How could you not know?　The tone is almost as if to say.

''There were ... circumstances,''
I know you have your reasons.
So why?
Look, I'm a customer.

　Yuka said in a disgusted tone.

'That's right, I'm indebted to Shelly, right?　But I don't expect to be able to stay after being subjected to that kind of situation. I'm not saying that you should treat me like a god or that you should treat me like a royalty. I'm asking you to get your money's worth.
I'm responsible for this.

　Last night, Makoto got over the position of customer and shopkeeper.
　If he did that, it was bound to lead to a clash of emotions.

'So what did you do?'
Do I have to tell you?
You don't have to tell me if you don't want to. But if you don't, you might leave something bad in my mind.
It's mandatory.

　Mako let out a deep sigh and explained the events of last night.
　Trying to keep his mind off of Sherry as much as possible.

''Well it's not the right way to do it and I think you should be more calm, but I can't help but feel for you Mako.

　Yuka said after a long silence.

'What do you mean?'
It's as close to right as it gets.
Okay.

　So you've added points for your feelings.

What are you going to do now?
What's going on?
It's you.

　When Makoto asked back, Yuka let out a sigh that couldn't have been more profound.

'It's whether or not we should stay at another inn. When we arrived in this town, you might have felt the need to save money, but now you can afford it.''
I was the one who encouraged you to do it.

　Originally, Yuka had been negative about staying at the 'Golden Sheep' pavilion.
　Last night's incident must have encouraged her to make a decision.

''Either way, I left sooner or later. Instead, you should answer my question.''
I haven't decided yet.

　It would be hard to pretend it didn't happen, and I don't know if I can apologize and get back to the relationship.
　Why do I feel like I have to apologize?

"Oh, it's a pain in the ass.
Sooner or later, you're going to tell me you can't even breathe.
Gayla?
Who's that guy?
Don't you know?
I don't know.
Don't feel the generation gap,
Of course.

　Saying that, Yuka stopped.

''I'm going to look for a place to stay now, but........''
I'll think about it some more.
So why don't you talk to those two guys?
Those two?

　When I looked towards where Yuka pointed, I saw Fene and Liv looking at me from behind the building.
　I didn't realize the two of them were chasing me, but I guess I was full of it before I even realized it.

'Well, good luck with that.'

　Yuka said irresponsibly and started walking down the main street to the south.

'Ehehe, oddly enough?'
Come on, Mako. Let's go play.

　Fene looked embarrassed and Liv said in her usual tone.

'Right. Let's go play.'
Where are you going?
I need to go to a bar.

　Fene clung to Mako's arm, and Liv put her arm around his shoulder - a headlock as if it had been sometime ago.

*

　Night--Makoto and his friends were in a coffee shop facing the main street.
　They took a seat by the window and looked out at the city at night.
　The time of day is not very popular.

''There aren't many places to play in this town, are there?''
We had fun.
It was fun for me too.

　Fene and Liv pompously slapped their stomachs.

'You're wrong about it being good, aren't you?'
Well, you could say that.
Next time I'll buy you a drink.
...I didn't know I was going to have to eat.

　Makoto poked him in the cheek.
　I was expecting something a little more date-like, but apparently the two of them were more bite than s*x appeal.
　It's more like it, and that's what saved me.

'Brother, what are you going to do now?'
So, what do we do now?

　Mako leaned back and crossed her arms behind her head.

'Why don't we just stay at another inn for the day?'
Can I stay here now?
I have a few connections.

　Liv laughed like a child bragging about a toy.

'Well, that too--'
I was just looking for you!

　Makoto's words were interrupted by a big-breasted waitress from the 'Hero with No Name' pavilion.

''Oh, from yesterday?''
You're late.
It's not too late.

　The big-breasted waitress frowned as if she was miffed.

'Brother, you know what I'm talking about, but I was having those two checked out.
You're a real thief, aren't you?

　Mako muttered sincerely.

'So, how did it go?'
''I've obtained more information than I was expecting. As a matter of fact ... those two are planning to rob the 'Golden Sheep' pavilion.
What?

　Mako couldn't help but ask back.

You shouldn't have robbed our inn a hundred years ago.
How did you know that's where we were staying?

　Liv smiled fiercely, but Makoto was genuinely doubtful.
　Team Black Flame's abilities should be known in their own right.

''Well, if you're a drifter or a straggler, that's probably how it should be.
You don't have time for that. We're going back to the inn now.
Hey!

　Fene didn't move when Mako and Liv stood up.

'Brother, I need you to sit down,'
Oh, yeah.

　I really wanted to head to the 'Golden Sheep' pavilion as soon as possible, but Mako took a seat.
　I didn't expect Fene to say this for no reason.
　Slightly late, Liv also took her seat.

''Brother, do you have to go to help?
Hey, hey, what's the matter with you? How can you be so stupid?
I told you once, didn't I?
That's not the same thing.

　Even Shelly would be affectionate if she knew Alan was planning an attack.

You might not like it again.
...it's

　'Brother,' Fene beckons.
　Makoto leans forward - and the next thing he knows, Fene is right in front of him.
　Something soft touches her lips.
　It's Fene's lips.

'What the hell are you doing?

　Makoto hurriedly pulled himself away.

'Brother, I like my brother. So does Liv.''
I've said it all along.

　Liv said, sounding miffed.

'Can't I expect you to take care of us?
No, but that's not true.

　Going to help Shelly and taking care of Fene and Liv should be able to go hand in hand.
　And yet - Mako couldn't start running.