Chapter 163Friends to Value

Hitori looked at me for the longest time, his thoughts obviously milling around in his head. Then he just shrugged and went back to his cooking. It surprised me, wasn't he worried? Didn't he want to know what was going on?

"Hitori?" I asked quietly.

"Hm?" He replied with his focus at his cooking.

"Aren't you curious?" Fidgeting a bit unsure with the hem of my skirt.

He laughed a little. "Very, but there's no use wasting any time on it. We don't know and we're not going to know until Anka's awake. So I might as well make myself useful and cook for those of us who need to eat." He looked back and winked at me.

I blushed.

He had a point though. There was so little to be done about all of this. At least I had a simple goal tonight. Go to my house, get my library card for Nuru, maybe even find my mother...

It's a pity Janus didn't tell me where Khuna and Valerie were staying. I'd have liked to look for them as well. So, just a simple evening.

I didn't even need to drink. At least not that I felt. It occurred to me that I'd been drinking a lot less since I received that extra blood from Afentis. Again, I wondered how much extra strength it had given me or how much it had simply awakened within me.

Hitori had gone back to cooking and finished it while I was caught up in my thoughts. He'd made enough for three, a different meal than yesterday. He made two plates ready and sat down next to Nuru, inviting me to sit down as well.

"You're going to your house today?"

Hitori derailed my train of thought, but it was alright. "Eh. Yes, I'm going to pick up my library card. It should be valid for a long time and I thought Nuru would like the Library."

He nodded. "I'm sure she would." He smiled at Nuru.

She blushed. Like often when we talked about her, she kept quiet. Unsure if to thank us for the compliments or to say something in humble reply. The fight of expressions between those little extremes was a cute sight. She sighed and just continued her dinner.

"What are you going to do?" I asked Hitori.

"I'm not sure. There is something on my mind though, we can't let Nuru go to the Library alone. There are still people looking for her. Probably."

"You're right." A thought presented itself to me. "Maybe she can go with Anka. I can't go with her during the day, obviously, and you often stay up for me and sleep when it's light."

Hitori looked at me with a thoughtful expression. "No... Well, not yet. First I want to talk to Anka. Also, the Library is still open this early in the evening. If you go now, you can at least show Nuru the library yourself. I'm sure she would prefer that as well."

Hitori was right again. "Nuru, would you like it if I showed you the library?"

She looked up, a blush coloring her dark cheeks. "Yes."

I smiled. "Then I will take you today. Hitori will stay here with his sister. I'm sure they'll have a lot to talk about."

Nuru smiled happily. "Yes, Miss Amy."

I giggled. She'd done really well not saying it until now. So I didn't mind this one time. She really looked happy and continued eating with renewed vigor. Hitori just ate calmly and deliberately. Something was resting heavy on his mind. They both finished their plates so Hitori could take them and put them in the sink. His fingers drummed on the edge, a strange rhythm.

"Amy, please take good care of yourself. You shouldn't be in any danger as such but I just have an odd feeling. I'll contact my friend soon and I'll hope to have answers before you're back."

I walked over to him and gave him a kiss on his cheek. "Thank you."

He turned around to give me a hug. "Have some fun tonight."

I nodded. "I'll do my best."

I took Nuru by her hand, smiling as I noticed our contrast. I was in white, very simple, almost boring clothing. Just a simple skirt with a normal, if slightly long, coat and a shirt. She, on the other hand, was dressed in an elegant autumn dress, with leaf patterns in several subtle layers and stitching of a sharper color green. It was one of the other dresses, but it looked really good on her.

I smiled to her. "Let's go."