The sunlight peered through the open window and cast its warmth on him as he sat alone atop his bedding.
He was sweating and breathing erratically, but his demeanour was strangely calm.
"It happened again," he thought. "I was dragged into that place again."
He sighed and thought, "At least it's getting easier, but we're still going nowhere. I'm starting to think that I was never cut out for this."
His thoughts were interrupted by the door sliding open. Hyogo stepped through dressed in the same attire he wore the day they met him.
A waist-long sleeveless grey robe along with a large hakama that ballooned toward the bottom before being tied at the ankles with simple rope.
That streak of white stood out even at that angle, and it gave him a sense of awe that he couldn't fully overcome. But with it came thoughts that filled him with melancholy, so he often just looked away.
"Let's go, Izumi," he said, reaching out his hand to help him up. "You don't want to be late on your first day."
He accepted his help and stood up. The difference in their height was noticeable, but not so vast that they would stop being considered within the same age range.
Izumi's head turned back into the room as his eyes scoured it for something.
"Where's Lloyd?" he asked.
"He left already," Hyogo replied before turning to leave. "Get dressed and let's go."
"Oh right, sorry," Izumi replied, as if he had forgotten what he was referring to for a moment. "Just give me a second."
It only took a few minutes for him to get ready, and the two of them were about to step out when they ran into Kanami, who was entering the house.
"You're leaving already?" she asked.
"We were supposed to be in by now, so we're late," Hyogo replied.
She turned to Izumi, who was also wearing the same attire as him, and said, "When you meet Mr. Miyazaki, tell him I said hi."
"Sure," he replied, "and thank you. It's thanks to your help that he even considered taking me in."
"It's no big deal," she replied. "Just stay safe and look after Hyogo for me. He can be a bit impulsive when things don't go his way."
"You're talking about me as if I'm not even here," Hyogo said with a blank expression.
"Don't think too much about it," she told him as they turned to leave.
She gave them a faint smile as they walked away before turning back and heading into the house.
As they were walking down the streets, the sounds of the waking town slowly drowned away from Izumi as he lost himself in thought.
He thought over how welcoming they were even after what they had told them that evening two days before.
He could still remember their shocked looks as Miyuki told them everything. They were silent all through it.
"That's why we're begging you to let us stay here for a while longer," she concluded, but was only met with silence.
"Is all of that true?" Kanami asked, and they all reluctantly nodded.
"Then I'm sorry," she said, and before she could even finish, their faces became downcast.
"I'm sorry for all that you've been through," she continued before pausing.
She looked over at Ayako, who gave her a faint nod.
So she turned back to them and said, "We'll help you with anything you need."
To say that they were shocked by her reply was an understatement, but still she continued.
"We don't have much, but if what you said is possible, then this affects us too, so we'll help however we can."
"Thank you so much," Yuriko said with her hands clasped together.
"We don't intend to be freeloaders," Izumi said. "So we will help you out too however we can."
"We're grateful," she replied. "Just be careful. There are many dangers along the path of your pursuit that we all have been aware of but have chosen to ignore for our own safety."
"If you ever sense something wrong," Ayako said, "then don't be afraid to listen to your instincts and back off."
"We're aware of the danger," Lloyd said. "That is why we were hesitant to ask for this other favour too."
"What is it?" Kanami asked.
"We need your help with something," he replied, "something that only you can do for us."
"If it's something that only we can do, then we'll definitely help you out," she replied.
"We're grateful," Lloyd replied before taking a deep breath. "I'll tell you about the course of action we're going to take and where we need your help."
Despite how absurd it seemed at first, they agreed without hesitation. It made Izumi wonder if his perception of people really was limited to the small view that he had grown up with.
He was half expecting what happened that day at the funeral to repeat itself again, but he was gladly proven wrong.
The sounds around him muffled as he was lost in thought, so much so that he jumped when Hyogo tapped him on the shoulder.
"Are you okay?" he asked.
"I'm fine," he replied. "There's just a lot to think about."
"Well you'll have to save your thinking for later because we're here," Hyogo said as they took a turn into a part of the town he hadn't been to before.
Here, the deafening sounds of the merchants were replaced with the sounds of splitting wood and grunting.
Rows of different buildings were being constructed by men wearing the same attire as them, and at the head of it all was a middle-aged man giving instructions.
Hyogo walked straight to him and Izumi silently followed.
When they reached him, Hyogo bowed and said, "Good morning, Mr. Miyazaki."
He turned and replied, "Good morning."
"You're late," he continued as Hyogo raised his head. "Don't think you can make me forget about the incident you caused the other day. Now we're down a worker."
He turned to Izumi and asked, "Is he the one Ms. Shio told me about? The one who would be joining us starting today?"
"Yes sir," Izumi said as he bowed. "It's a pleasure to work with you."
"You're welcome," he replied as Izumi rose. "For your first few weeks, follow Yamada here around until you can handle work on your own."
"Um sir, before we start, there's kind of a problem," Hyogo said, drawing his attention. "You see, we both have the same surname, so referring to me like that might cause confusion."
"Oh, you're related?" he asked, shocked.
"Something of the sort," Hyogo replied.
He stroked his chin for a moment as he thought, then he said, "Can I refer to you by your first name, Hyogonosuke, then, since we're already acquainted?"
"Of course sir," Hyogo replied.
"Good. Then get to work on the north-west side," he said, and the two of them bowed before heading off as instructed.