—…
Liliana spoke as cautiously as possible, but Pascal remained silent for a while.
Because she couldn't bear the awkward silence, Liliana hurriedly continued speaking.
"Oh, if it's not okay, then it's not okay!
I have no real reason to tell him anyway!
Oh, I know.
If I tell him, it might be annoying for you and me...
I wanted to tell him because I trust Damian, but we haven't known each other long, so I probably judged him too quickly.
I won't tell him.
Yes!
I won't tell him!
Eh, ahahaha."
Liliana laughed awkwardly to reassure Pascal.
Her laugh seemed to work, as she heard a slight sigh from the other end of the line.
-…good.
Liliana quickly changed the subject to break the awkward atmosphere.
"By the way, do you know what happened today?
Damian, well…"
She told Pascal, with some exaggeration, how Damien fought four of the robbers and controlled them all at once.
"Isn't it amazing?
Isn't it?"
Liliana spoke proudly, even though this was not her own accomplishment.
Pascal replied in a low voice,
- Oh...
It's really amazing, isn't it?
So this is what happened...?
For some reason, Pascal's voice sounded meaningful.
Liliana couldn't read her intentions and felt uncomfortable.
"My maternal aunt?".
—Hahaha… It seems there's always a way, after all.
Then she laughed softly for a while, like a satisfied lioness.
No matter how many times Liliana called out to Pascal, she kept laughing to herself.
"Hello?
My aunt?
My aunt?"
Liliana shouted again, and Pascal suddenly spoke in a serious tone.
-Liliana, the truth is...
Pascal began to speak, as if it was difficult to broach this topic.
-I was planning to tell you later...but since you seem like you go out a lot, I thought it would be better to tell you now before I regret it.
“What are you talking about suddenly?
Why are you creating such a serious atmosphere?”
Liliana asked in confusion, but Pascal continued with a heavy voice.
-Listen carefully, Liliana.
You should avoid going back east for now.
Liliana frowned and asked,
"What?
Why?"
-The people chasing Casey have become aware of your presence.
"What?!".
Liliana's voice rose involuntarily.
“What do you mean?
What happened in the last two years?”
Pascal answered in a tired voice,
—They found out that Casey has a younger sister.
So they target you.
You're an easier target than Casey, who lives abroad.
They've been searching for hideouts in Cleta, and I can't use my contacts at Noster State University anymore.
That's why I sent you to the hospital in Nishio.
There is a saying that to hide a tree, you have to plant it in a forest.
I thought you would be safer in the capital, where there are more people, than in the sparsely populated east.
“You can no longer use your contacts?
What happened, Auntie?”
-It went like this.
However, you cannot return to Kleita or Noster University at this time.
"Why didn't you tell me yet?
Why did you act like everything was fine?"
Liliana's face was filled with confusion and worry, but Pascal's voice remained businesslike.
-You were sick, and it wasn't good to hear about this when you suffer from heart disease.
"but…!".
Liliana bit her lower lip and asked,
“Then what will happen to me?”
-Oh, that's the real reason I called.
Pascal's voice became softer.
-I need to see Damien about this.
***
Two days later, Pascal arrived in Nishio.
Although they agreed that she could call him at any time since they were friends, it had only been two days since that conversation, and Liliana felt embarrassed to call Damian suddenly.
Moreover, after hearing why Pascal wanted to meet Damien, Liliana wasn't sure it was appropriate.
When Liliana told Damian that Pascal wanted to meet him, he felt a little confused but agreed to arrange a meeting.
Since Pascal was the one who unilaterally requested the meeting, they headed to the hotel where Damien was staying.
After receiving notice of their arrival, Damian came downstairs to find Liliana and Pascal sitting in the hotel lobby.
They stood when he approached them.
Damian walked towards them with an embarrassed expression, and Liliana quickly said,
"I’m very sorry for calling you suddenly like this, Damian."
“No, it's okay.
I didn't have anything to do anyway...”
"Hi Damian, this is the second time we've met."
Pascal pushed Liliana aside and approached Damien, offering him her left hand.
Damian shook her hand and bowed his head.
"It's been a long time, Mrs.
Pascal.
I heard you were looking for me."
“Ah, yes, but this is not something that can be discussed while standing...
Should we find a place to sit?”
Damian nodded and then looked at Liliana over Pascal's shoulder.
She nodded to him with a resigned expression.
Liliana didn't look very happy, but it didn't seem strange.
Damian was puzzled but spoke politely.
“There is a café inside the hotel.
Would you like to go there?”
"Anything is good."
Damien led the way.
On the way, Liliana quickly walked beside him and whispered,
"Hey Damian, I think my aunt might say something weird... well, not weird, but a little awkward...
If you don't feel comfortable, then you don't have to agree to anything.
Don't feel pressured, okay?"
Damian looked at Liliana, who was fidgeting nervously, then tilted his body to meet her eye level, noticing how much shorter than him she was.
“What's so hard to say?”
“I can't tell you now, but you'll understand when you listen to my aunt.
But don't really feel pressured!
It's okay to say no if you don't want to.”
"I don't know what it is, but I understand."
Damien nodded briefly, and they heard Pascal clear her throat behind them.
They straightened and looked ahead.
Damian led them to a window seat in the café.
Pascal and Liliana sat side by side, and Damien sat in front of them.
The waiter came to take their order and then left, leaving an awkward silence behind him.
Liliana couldn't bear it, so she took something out of her bag and gave it to Damian.
“Here, I got the pictures we took, I'll give you one.”
"Thank you".
Damian looked closely at the picture.
It showed a beautiful woman smiling brightly against the backdrop of a gorgeous fountain, standing next to a frowning man with an awkward smile.
Damian didn't know how to smile beautifully in photos, so this was the best he could do.
Liliana tilted her head when she saw Damian staring at the photo for longer than expected.
"Why?
Don't you like that?"
"No, I like it."
Damian put the picture away, and Pascal spoke as if she had been waiting for this moment.
“I heard you got into some trouble while out with Liliana the day before this?”
Damian looked at Pascal with trembling eyes, wondering if she was about to scold him.
Be prepared to be criticized for putting Liliana in danger or pushing Liliana too hard despite her condition.
But there was no worry or displeasure on her face.
On the contrary, her eyes were shining like a child who had just heard a heroic story.
It was similar to Liliana's reaction.
Damian, who was preparing for some excuse, relaxed upon hearing Pascal's cheerful tone and nodded.
"Well...yes, it happened."
"Hmm."
Pascal hummed with an unreadable expression and nodded.