Side Story 1
It was a beautiful day outside, perfect to walk outdoors. Ingris, along with Kazue, had gone to the outskirts and explored the forest. Ingris wanted to find natural ingredients to make her usual salads. Meanwhile, Kazue spent his time hunting animals for meat. The two had stayed close together ever since they arrived. But, as time passed, they became more focused on their activities. Eventually, they had separated from one another without realized it.
“I can’t believe all the stuff I’m finding! Plants with such unique textures and berries I’ve never tried~ I just want to go make it right now!” Ingris spoke with happiness.
After she had gathered enough, she looked around to find Kazue, who was nowhere nearby. “Kazue?” Ingris called but didn’t hear a reply. “I must’ve wandered too far... I guess I have to go find him.” She sighed.
Ingris wandered around for a bit. From the corner of her eye, she noticed something suspicious. She turned and saw two men camouflaging themselves in the bushes. She got close to them and hid behind a tree to eavesdrop on their conversation.
“We should change locations soon. It seems he hasn’t come around this area in a while.” One of the men said
“Yeah. That bastard isn’t going to get away from us this time! If he thinks he’s off the hook with us, he’s got another thing coming!”
“Our superior will be very pleased once we capture that Kazue guy. Let’s hurry and leave before anyone finds us.”
Upon hearing his name, Ingris exclaimed “What?!” in shock. She spoke so loudly that the men heard and spotted her. They glared suspiciously at her and slowly approached. “I- Um.. I didn’t mean to eavesdrop on you, I was just… passing by…” Ingris stopped as she knew words wouldn’t reach them and she ended up running as fast as she could as the two men gave chase.
“Kazue! Help me, please!” Ingris called out in desperation. She kept calling out to him in hope that he will hear her. Just when it seemed it was too late, Kazue managed to hear her. He followed the sound of the voice until he spotted her being chased. “Ingris! Over here!” he called out.
Hearing his call, Ingris spotted him and hurried towards him. As she kept running, she suddenly twisted her ankle and fell over. “Ah! K-Kazue..” she whimpered in pain. Kazue quickly ran towards her. “Hurry, hold onto me.” He leaned down close enough to where Ingris can wrap around his neck. He picked her up and began running from the pursuers.
Kazue managed to outrun them a bit but it was clear they weren’t going to stop. Once he got far enough, he found a huge thicket of bushes. He hid inside the bushes and held his breath. Ingris tightened her grip on Kazue and also held her breath. They watched as the men came closer. The two men stopped near them.
“Where did they go?”
“I don’t know. They seem to have disappeared around here.” The two searched around the area for a bit. Just when it seemed they were about to find them, they gave up.
“Come on, they’re not here. Damn it, we lost them.” One spoke in anger.
“Alright. Let’s just head back to HQ. We’ll come up with a new plan next time.”
Once the men were completely out of sight, Kazue and Ingris let out a sigh of relief. Kazue emerged from the bush and laid Ingris against a tree to check out her ankle.
“Are you all right? Do you think you can walk?” Kazue asked.
“I’m fine for the most part but I sprained my ankle pretty badly…” Ingris stared at Kazue for a bit then began to speak. “Kazue, who were those guys? I haven’t seen anyone like them around town. They look like soldiers of some kind. I also overheard them talking and they seem to know you... “
“They’re just nobodies, don’t worry about it.” Kazue replied.
“I highly doubt that. Please, tell me. I want to know. I’ll just keep thinking about it and worry if you don’t tell me…” She stared at him with a worried expression on her face.
Kazue sighed, “It’s nothing, really, they've been after me for a while. You could say I’ve done some criminal acts in the past... nothing too major though. The mayor forgives me so he tries to clear my record, but there’s a group of soldiers who still resent me. You don’t have to worry about it. I’ll try to keep you out of it, and they’ll give up... hopefully”
“I’m guessing you won’t tell me any more than that… Alright, I won’t ask about it again. But, I want to know everything eventually. Will you promise to tell me about it later?”
Kazue gives her a smile, “Yeah, someday. Thanks for trusting me anyway.” He says and puts her on his back again. “We still have to finish up our foraging, let’s head home.”
Ingris smiled back at him. “I have no reason to distrust you, Kazue. You’ve done so much for me. And trusting you is the least I can do to repay you for your kindness.” She closed her eyes and lightly leaned her head against Kazue’s neck.